DigitalBeat

Startup founders are notoriously busy — so preoccupied, they might neglect their families and friends along with things like food and sleep. They wander around pensively in their fleece-n-jeans uniform, embodying the quintessential state of “busy” Seinfeld’s George Costanza could only aspire to encapsulate.

This is why those who choose to love the people who run startups have the reputation of getting the short end of the stick – the little, if any, surplus energy that their founding significant others might have not spent on their work.

Good thing Ashley Angell and Chris Saad, co-founders of Faraday Media, took what seems to be a lesson from Hallmark and created a day – which happens to be this Friday, December 12th – to celebrate these poor suckers – I mean, spouses. On Spouse 2.0 Day, startup founders are urged to “think about those running [their] other startup.”

On an unrelated note (or so it seems), this “holiday” shares a date with another interesting national holiday, DingALing Day, when you’re advised to “brace yourself for bizarre and crazy behavior, from all of the people you encounter.”

Tweet your spouse to something nice

If you’re a founder, what you’re advised to do on this day is buy your spouse something, post a photo, blog post and/or Twitter message showcasing your gift and recounting the sacrifices your spouse had to make to earn it, and then tag your “evidence” with “Spouse 2.0.” And yes, “2.0” is a (somewhat dated) reference to the startups bred from the internet industry revival – rather than a nod to one’s second husband or wife. Although, in some cases, that might be a double entendre.

As to what you should get your spouse 2.0, there aren’t any real suggestions for gifts on the official (pink-hued) site, so I took the liberty of coming up with some:

• An iPhone (hopefully soon $2 cheaper at Walmart) — so your significant other can play with new apps while you bury your head in your laptop.
• A matching fleece-n-jeans outfit he/she can wear to feel like part of the team.
• A chess-game style stopwatch you can use to keep you both entertained while you play your late-night game of email whack-a-mole.
• A separate bedroom (or house?) he/she can sleep in while you’re up at 4am feverishly responding to emails.

Or you can always follow Twitter user jjprojects’ lead and “make an effort to make every day Spouse 2.0 day.”

[photo: flickr/gurlicious]

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