ReadWriteWeb

Startup conferences - like last week's DEMO Conference in Santa Clara, California - are great opportunities for young companies to not only gain some exposure, but to network with other like-minded entrepreneurs. One company I spoke to at DEMO, Zappli, makes a social shopping app that leverages many existing services through partnerships and APIs - a strategy many young startups could benefit from.

Startups may need help recruiting online just like more traditional companies, but when it comes to also finding advice, getting feedback or seeking early partnerships, it's not easy to meet these needs in one handy location. Chris McCann and Brendan McManus, the co-founders behind the Startup Digest email event newsletter, may have solved this dilemma with their newest project, Help a Startup Out (HASO). HASO is a Craigslist-like classified forum where people can find various entrepreneurial listings, including startup jobs, events, office space and advisors, just to name a few of the available categories.

At this morning's roundtable I worked with five new entrepreneurs who came to the roundtable very well-prepared. They had already done a good deal of validation of their businesses and this led to a richer discussion about each business. An unusual piece of trivia: four were women and two were named Joanne. It is clear from the amount of work they have all already done so far that each has the essential work ethic needed to be a successful entrepreneur.

Online retailer Amazon has ended all Colorado-based affiliate accounts after a new law passed by the state's legislature would have forced them to collect and pay state sales taxes. The law, HB 10-1193, states that any affiliate marketer making more than $10,000 for a retailer is declared a legal agent, and a state presence, of that company. Rather than be forced to pay the state taxes, Amazon has instead side-stepped the law by closing its doors to all affiliates based in Colorado.

Just because you've been in talks doesn't mean the deal is done. Entrepreneurs need to remain diligent about timelines in order to ensure that the deals they've set in motion actually come to fruition. If you're negotiating a term sheet, building a partnership or on the verge of an acquisition, get the papers signed. Legendary GRP VC investor Mark Suster has seen his fair share of successful deals, and he writes, "don't pop the champagne until the ink is dry on the contract and the money is in the bank."

In the last few weeks here on ReadWriteStart, we've been chronicling various cities outside of Silicon Valley with thriving startup communities in our semi-weekly series Never Mind the Valley. We've told you how Boston is raking in venture funding, how Los Angeles is growing despite its northern neighbor, and even how Israel is an emerging tech hub overseas.

Despite these and other entrepreneurial cities popping up around the globe, Silicon Valley has held true as the mecca for startups. According to angel investor and Venture Hacks co-author Naval Ravikant, this is why being in the Valley is a must.

If you're an early-stage entrepreneur and this is your first startup company, you are not alone. Thousands are toiling over code in the hopes that their product will gain users and revenue. The problem with being someone who can build a great product is that you might know more about your core technology then you do about the business of startups. In the past few weeks ReadWriteWeb has covered emerging tech hubs in Israel, Austin and Boulder and the common thread amongst them is that each community encourages mentorship. Today we're looking at what you need to know to find a great mentor.

ReadWriteWeb is excited to announce that we are launching a partnership with technology consultancy Forum One Communications, focusing on online community management.

Forum One hosts events, offers consulting and publishes in-depth reports about the finer points of community management based on extensive survey data gathered from diverse practitioners.

A website (whether a URL, domain, brand, etc.) is a place where the owner, individual visitor, and broader web community come together for a shared purpose. At first, the web adopted a feudal model of "place": owners held all the authority; they depended on the serfs (visitors) to extract value but allowed them no participation in governance, content, or presentation. That model has largely disintegrated.

Startup aficionado Dave McClure has formally joined VC firm the Founders Fund as an angel investor, according to an update he made to his LinkedIn profile this week. The Founders Fund was created by former PayPal CEO Peter Thiel in 2005 and is described by author Sarah Lacy as having an ethos "rooted in giving founders better terms and getting out of their way."

Founders Fund has invested in some of the most high profile startups in the market, including Facebook and Slide.com. We covered the move in depth over on Jobwire, our site reporting on new hires in tech.