Good news, ad fans. This week Myspace is launching a service that allows small businesses, politicians, and entertainers on the site to purchase targeted ad space. Buyers using SelfServe can build, design, and target their advertisements to specific users based on users' profiles.
MySpace has been fine tuning a similar service on a larger scale since July. That effort, dubbed HyperTargeting, also targets profiles based on content, but is intended for larger operations. MySpace recently wrapped up the first phase of HyperTargeting with 50 advertising partners, including Microsoft Xbox, Sony, and XM Satellite Radio. The program will now move to allow advertisers to drill down for more precise targeting.
A MySpace exec is expected to further discuss the effort at Thursday's ad:tech conference in NYC. A Reuters story this morning said Facebook would also be unveiling its ad strategies at ad:tech. In an e-mail this morning, Facebook said they are "not discussing any details" at this point, but would keep us apprised.
Friday, July 31, 2009
VisuWords: Remapping the Online Dictionary
After the advent of Ninja Words, which delivers definitions really, really fast, you'd think the last thing the world needed was yet another online dictionary. VisuWords, however, proves that there's still a little bit of life to be breathed into the world of definition delivery.
Based on Princeton's WordNet database, the site provides an interactive, visual approach, delivering a mind-map of the word and connecting it to synonyms. Mousing over a node will give you a pop-up definition of the word--double-clicking it will give you an expanded range of definitions. You can zoom in and out of maps with the scroll wheel and navigate around by clicking and dragging.
The application of mind-mapping functions to a standard dictionary isn't necessarily revolutionary, but it certainly offers a compelling argument that there's still somewhere to go in the field.
Based on Princeton's WordNet database, the site provides an interactive, visual approach, delivering a mind-map of the word and connecting it to synonyms. Mousing over a node will give you a pop-up definition of the word--double-clicking it will give you an expanded range of definitions. You can zoom in and out of maps with the scroll wheel and navigate around by clicking and dragging.
The application of mind-mapping functions to a standard dictionary isn't necessarily revolutionary, but it certainly offers a compelling argument that there's still somewhere to go in the field.
Office Snapshots: The Way Web 2.0 Works
My office is fairly plain. We have a few couches and an air hockey table, which are nice, but a visit to Office Snapshots makes me a bit jealous. The blog is updated almost every day with photos from deep inside some of the biggest Web 2.0 and tech companies in the world. They get all of their photos either by taking the tour themselves, scouring Flickr or Photobucket for images, or by begging hapless employees to take a few snapshots while they go about their daily routine.
If you think that all Web 2.0 company employees are in cushy startup-style offices with lots of modern architecture and expensive furniture, you'd be partially right. Companies from Netvibes to Flickr all have very attractive offices with comfy looking chairs and warm, comfortable lighting. On the other hand, check out the Craigslist "offices" if you want to see a globally known company that looks like it's run out of the living room of a townhouse. Not all companies are the same, and neither are their offices.
Office Snapshots has photos from the offices of companies as large as Cisco and as small as Chumby, as influential as The New York Times and as groundbreaking as Joost. Each post gives you a little insight into the company and where their headquarters are located, and you get to see a few photographs of the company's offices.
Sometimes the photos are candid and show off the company's furniture or work environment, sometimes they show off the amenities the company offers its employees. Other times, however, the shots are lively and feature workers in meetings or conference rooms, eating lunch, or working busily on laptops at their desks or in meeting rooms.
Usually you get at least one outdoor shot of the company's offices, which is particularly interesting. Not all great companies have fancy buildings or campuses. Companies like Ning and Creative Commons have suites in high-rise buildings, and if you drove by CampusBug's headquarters you'd never know what was inside. By looking at the photos, you may not get a feel for the work that the people do while they're there, but you do get a feeling for the type of work environment at the company.
Still, Office Snapshots is fun to look at, especially if you're thinking about applying for a job at one of those crazy tech startups. At least you'll get a peek at what your desk might look like before you send in your resume.
If you think that all Web 2.0 company employees are in cushy startup-style offices with lots of modern architecture and expensive furniture, you'd be partially right. Companies from Netvibes to Flickr all have very attractive offices with comfy looking chairs and warm, comfortable lighting. On the other hand, check out the Craigslist "offices" if you want to see a globally known company that looks like it's run out of the living room of a townhouse. Not all companies are the same, and neither are their offices.
Office Snapshots has photos from the offices of companies as large as Cisco and as small as Chumby, as influential as The New York Times and as groundbreaking as Joost. Each post gives you a little insight into the company and where their headquarters are located, and you get to see a few photographs of the company's offices.
Sometimes the photos are candid and show off the company's furniture or work environment, sometimes they show off the amenities the company offers its employees. Other times, however, the shots are lively and feature workers in meetings or conference rooms, eating lunch, or working busily on laptops at their desks or in meeting rooms.
Usually you get at least one outdoor shot of the company's offices, which is particularly interesting. Not all great companies have fancy buildings or campuses. Companies like Ning and Creative Commons have suites in high-rise buildings, and if you drove by CampusBug's headquarters you'd never know what was inside. By looking at the photos, you may not get a feel for the work that the people do while they're there, but you do get a feeling for the type of work environment at the company.
Still, Office Snapshots is fun to look at, especially if you're thinking about applying for a job at one of those crazy tech startups. At least you'll get a peek at what your desk might look like before you send in your resume.
Wired's Saddest Cubicle Winner Chosen
Wired has a terrific roundup of the "Saddest Cubicles" from across the country. The winner is an IT guy at the University of Alabama, whose cube "walls" are actually filing cabinets. There's no overhead light, and the stink of reheated catfish from the microwave has been known to stick around in the windowless room.
There are ten other examples of sad cubes that actually manage to make me proud of my humble three-and-a-half walls. And the Office Snapshots blog doesn't make me feel that bad anymore.
There are ten other examples of sad cubes that actually manage to make me proud of my humble three-and-a-half walls. And the Office Snapshots blog doesn't make me feel that bad anymore.
Big Brother is Watching You: GetMyFBIFile
If you're a convicted or suspected criminal, you already know that the FBI has a file on you. But the agency's files aren't just for criminals and bad people. If you've ever done anything to get the government's attention, like march in a civil rights protest or getting involved with political action committees, even if you've applied for a job that required a background check or security clearance, you may have an FBI file. If you've ever wondered whether you have an FBI file, and if so, what its contents are, GetMyFBIFile can help.
Getting a hold of your FBI file is a snap, actually. There's just a certain format and type of wording you have to use in order to request a copy of your records, and GetMyFBIFile helps you get all of that right. The service will ask you questions about yourself, like your name, address, date of birth, and so on. The service then asks which FBI field offices you want to send your requests to, so think back to places you may have lived in the past. As you supply the information, the service leads you to the next step.
After you're finished, GetMyFBIFile lets you print copies of the letters you need to send to the various FBI field offices, and the addresses of those offices. Finally, the service helps you understand what the response you'll inevitably get really means, especially if it has some cryptic language in it or special code that means they couldn't provide you your file for one reason or another.
If you're curious what other law enforcement and intelligence agencies might have on file for you, you can generate a similar request for the National Security Agency (NSA), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Secret Service, and even the elusive Defense Security Service at the same time. One thing's for sure though, if you didn't have a file with any of these agencies before you submitted your request, you'll probably have one afterward.
I'm certain I have an FBI file. I had a security clearance and background investigation done, am politically active, and I live outside of the nation's capital. In other words, I'm doomed. But GetMyFBIFile.com can help me get a copy of that file to see what the suits downtown think of me.
Getting a hold of your FBI file is a snap, actually. There's just a certain format and type of wording you have to use in order to request a copy of your records, and GetMyFBIFile helps you get all of that right. The service will ask you questions about yourself, like your name, address, date of birth, and so on. The service then asks which FBI field offices you want to send your requests to, so think back to places you may have lived in the past. As you supply the information, the service leads you to the next step.
After you're finished, GetMyFBIFile lets you print copies of the letters you need to send to the various FBI field offices, and the addresses of those offices. Finally, the service helps you understand what the response you'll inevitably get really means, especially if it has some cryptic language in it or special code that means they couldn't provide you your file for one reason or another.
If you're curious what other law enforcement and intelligence agencies might have on file for you, you can generate a similar request for the National Security Agency (NSA), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Secret Service, and even the elusive Defense Security Service at the same time. One thing's for sure though, if you didn't have a file with any of these agencies before you submitted your request, you'll probably have one afterward.
I'm certain I have an FBI file. I had a security clearance and background investigation done, am politically active, and I live outside of the nation's capital. In other words, I'm doomed. But GetMyFBIFile.com can help me get a copy of that file to see what the suits downtown think of me.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Mofuse Makes Your Site Mobile
If your blog is part of your business, or if you make money from it, you want to make sure it's accessible to as many people as possible, from anywhere. Unfortunately, depending on what's powering your site, it might not be readable or even viewable on a mobile device. Rather than completely redesign a page specifically for the mobile Web, give Mofuse a try. It provides Web designers and site owners with a set of comprehensive tools to make sure their sites can go mobile and look good at the same time.
Accounts at Mofuse are free. Creating an account is a one-step process, and you can immediately log in and then take advantage of all the features, creating your own mobile page. Mofuse pulls the content for the mobile sites you create from your existing RSS feed. If you're creating a mobile site to mirror your blog, make sure the software that's powering your blog generates an RSS feed for you.
If you like, use your own domain name and create a subdomain or a mobile version of your site, or you can create a completely new mobile blog based on the RSS feed of your existing site. If you don't want to use your own URL, you can get a free subdomain of mofuse.mobi that you can link on your site.
When you import the RSS from your blog, you can leave your mobile site bare and publish it to the world, or you can customize it using any of the site's design tools. Mobifuse provides a WYSIWYG site editor that allows you to customize your mobile blog just the way you want it to appear, and tweak the way the site renders your RSS feed. If you want the background to look a certain way or you want to change any of the graphics or layout, Mofuse also provides an Ajax page designer that will allow you to create templates for each page that the service renders for you. You can even use your own images and banners so the site looks like it's yours.
All the sites that Mofuse makes are customized for screens 3 inches or smaller, so you can be sure it'll look good when viewed on a mobile device such as a Blackberry or cell phone. Mofuse even provides a widget for your regular blog, so you can get SMS messages to your site sent to their mobile devices, and offers ad sharing on your mobile site so you can make some money. If you're looking for a method to make sure that your audience isn't limited to people sitting in front of a computer, Mofuse is a good option.
Accounts at Mofuse are free. Creating an account is a one-step process, and you can immediately log in and then take advantage of all the features, creating your own mobile page. Mofuse pulls the content for the mobile sites you create from your existing RSS feed. If you're creating a mobile site to mirror your blog, make sure the software that's powering your blog generates an RSS feed for you.
If you like, use your own domain name and create a subdomain or a mobile version of your site, or you can create a completely new mobile blog based on the RSS feed of your existing site. If you don't want to use your own URL, you can get a free subdomain of mofuse.mobi that you can link on your site.
When you import the RSS from your blog, you can leave your mobile site bare and publish it to the world, or you can customize it using any of the site's design tools. Mobifuse provides a WYSIWYG site editor that allows you to customize your mobile blog just the way you want it to appear, and tweak the way the site renders your RSS feed. If you want the background to look a certain way or you want to change any of the graphics or layout, Mofuse also provides an Ajax page designer that will allow you to create templates for each page that the service renders for you. You can even use your own images and banners so the site looks like it's yours.
All the sites that Mofuse makes are customized for screens 3 inches or smaller, so you can be sure it'll look good when viewed on a mobile device such as a Blackberry or cell phone. Mofuse even provides a widget for your regular blog, so you can get SMS messages to your site sent to their mobile devices, and offers ad sharing on your mobile site so you can make some money. If you're looking for a method to make sure that your audience isn't limited to people sitting in front of a computer, Mofuse is a good option.
Is Ron Paul Destroying Your Inbox?
Is the Ron Paul Campaign spamming inboxes? Metafilter says maybe. Salon and Wired say, probably, citing the use of spam bots from international locales.
Libertarian bloggers, meanwhile, aren't taking such criticisms lying down. Says one blog, "I find it far more likely that this botnet spam attack is not the design of the Paul campaign or any of its supporters. It is far more likely that this is the release of a first round of direct cyber attack against the Ron Paul campaign."
Personally, I think the most likely scenario is that everyone running for president is an android from the planet Spambot, and we're all part of a great intergalactic spam experiment. More news as the story unfolds.
Libertarian bloggers, meanwhile, aren't taking such criticisms lying down. Says one blog, "I find it far more likely that this botnet spam attack is not the design of the Paul campaign or any of its supporters. It is far more likely that this is the release of a first round of direct cyber attack against the Ron Paul campaign."
Personally, I think the most likely scenario is that everyone running for president is an android from the planet Spambot, and we're all part of a great intergalactic spam experiment. More news as the story unfolds.
CoMo's Out and About for Windows Mobile 6 Users
Microsoft made some hoopla when it launched Office Communications Server 2007 back in October. That's a big one for folks looking to integrate voice, IM, email and the rest of the Office 2007 suite. Cool stuff. So cool that it muted the release of Communicator Mobile. And yeah, before any Softies jump on me, the official name is Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile 2007--nickname CoMo.
This package runs only on dual-mode Windows Mobile 6 devices, but it's got a lot to offer for companies looking to get the most out of their smartphone investment. Microsoft's eventual goal is for companies to treat Windows Mobile clients as regular network citizens, just like laptops. You can already use WM5 and WM6 to directly log into a Microsoft Exchange email server. With CoMo, you can access OCS as well and use it in conjunction with your Exchange account. A few screen shots to show you what I'm babbling about:
First, you can engage enterprise chat behind the firewall, just like with desktop Office Communicator 2007. That means you can access our Exchange/OCS contact lists and not only get their contact info, but their availability as well. Mr. Lyon (above screen), for example, is busy, so starting a chat isn't the smart move. Better to one-click on either the Work phone or the Send E-Mail box and zap him something he can get to later.
Fortunately, CoMo has a decent contact search interface that can pull up all your contacts, contacts by name, or contacts by group--again just like the desktop version. You can also opt for different views, like this one (immediate left) where all you're interested in is their current availability.
And like the desktop version, you can adjust your OCS settings, too. That includes adjusting your presence (pictured below left), but you can also do things like add contacts, organize multi-party chat or log into federated OCS servers (meaning OCS boxes located at partner companies, not just your own).
Sure, I can think of more features I'd like to see (like some way to participate in a Live Meeting, for example), but that's for the future. CoMo, however, is an interesting look at how the phone is going to evolve for business users. Right now, these kinds of features are only available in a wholly closed server environment (Active Directory, Exchange, Office Communications Server, SharePoint, etc.). But the standards for doing this on a more open level, using protocols that different brands of servers can recognize, are already in the works.
Eventually, features like these are going to be available not only no matter what messaging servers your company uses, but as hosted features that any cell phone user will be able to access whether they're working for a specific business or not.
This package runs only on dual-mode Windows Mobile 6 devices, but it's got a lot to offer for companies looking to get the most out of their smartphone investment. Microsoft's eventual goal is for companies to treat Windows Mobile clients as regular network citizens, just like laptops. You can already use WM5 and WM6 to directly log into a Microsoft Exchange email server. With CoMo, you can access OCS as well and use it in conjunction with your Exchange account. A few screen shots to show you what I'm babbling about:
First, you can engage enterprise chat behind the firewall, just like with desktop Office Communicator 2007. That means you can access our Exchange/OCS contact lists and not only get their contact info, but their availability as well. Mr. Lyon (above screen), for example, is busy, so starting a chat isn't the smart move. Better to one-click on either the Work phone or the Send E-Mail box and zap him something he can get to later.
Fortunately, CoMo has a decent contact search interface that can pull up all your contacts, contacts by name, or contacts by group--again just like the desktop version. You can also opt for different views, like this one (immediate left) where all you're interested in is their current availability.
And like the desktop version, you can adjust your OCS settings, too. That includes adjusting your presence (pictured below left), but you can also do things like add contacts, organize multi-party chat or log into federated OCS servers (meaning OCS boxes located at partner companies, not just your own).
Sure, I can think of more features I'd like to see (like some way to participate in a Live Meeting, for example), but that's for the future. CoMo, however, is an interesting look at how the phone is going to evolve for business users. Right now, these kinds of features are only available in a wholly closed server environment (Active Directory, Exchange, Office Communications Server, SharePoint, etc.). But the standards for doing this on a more open level, using protocols that different brands of servers can recognize, are already in the works.
Eventually, features like these are going to be available not only no matter what messaging servers your company uses, but as hosted features that any cell phone user will be able to access whether they're working for a specific business or not.
Facebook Opens Doors to Advertisers
You know what I'm missing from my Facebook experience? Advertisements. As I troll the site for updates on my acquaintances' whereabouts and current moods, I also crave updates from Blockbuster, Coca-Cola, and Microsoft. How are they doing?
After much speculation, Facebook answered that call on Tuesday with its Facebook Ads program. The three-pronged effort will basically allow companies to create their own Facebook pages, and then allow users to add company information and updates to their own profiles and mini feeds.
Microsoft and Verizon Wireless are among the companies that have signed on for Facebook Ads, according to Facebook.
With Facebook Pages, bands, businesses, organizations and bands can create their own pages. Approximately 100,000 Facebook Pages launched on Tuesday, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said today at a closed industry event. The process is similar to an individual creating his or her page--plug in the information and add desired applications.
When users add a particular company or artist as a friend, they can then opt to include interactions with that business in their feeds, a Facebook tally of user activities. If a user buys a product from a Facebook Ads company or posts a review of a Facebook Ads restaurant, the information will show up on the feed and serve as a plug for the company.
Finally, Facebook will provide user data to marketers via Facebook Insights. To better target their desired clientele, participating companies will receive info on user activity, fan demographics, ad performance, and trends. Super.
The program's page has yet to go live, so stay tuned for details on how well this will integrate with your beloved Facebook profile.
After much speculation, Facebook answered that call on Tuesday with its Facebook Ads program. The three-pronged effort will basically allow companies to create their own Facebook pages, and then allow users to add company information and updates to their own profiles and mini feeds.
Microsoft and Verizon Wireless are among the companies that have signed on for Facebook Ads, according to Facebook.
With Facebook Pages, bands, businesses, organizations and bands can create their own pages. Approximately 100,000 Facebook Pages launched on Tuesday, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said today at a closed industry event. The process is similar to an individual creating his or her page--plug in the information and add desired applications.
When users add a particular company or artist as a friend, they can then opt to include interactions with that business in their feeds, a Facebook tally of user activities. If a user buys a product from a Facebook Ads company or posts a review of a Facebook Ads restaurant, the information will show up on the feed and serve as a plug for the company.
Finally, Facebook will provide user data to marketers via Facebook Insights. To better target their desired clientele, participating companies will receive info on user activity, fan demographics, ad performance, and trends. Super.
The program's page has yet to go live, so stay tuned for details on how well this will integrate with your beloved Facebook profile.
Be an iPod Hero with Phase
The newly released game for the Apple iPod, Phase, is a pretty easy sell. It's like Guitar Hero. But it's on your iPod. And you can use your own music to create the game levels. And it's only $4.99. Seriously, what more do you need?
I'm an easy sell (and a fan of Harmonix's rhythm games since way back in the days of FreQuency), so I was on this like a kitty on tuna. Phase might seem a little simple to those addicted to a certain kind of heroics, but the format maps surprisingly well to the iPod's controls. Notes appear on three sliding tracks, and are triggered at the right beat by pressing the left, center, or right buttons on the iPod's click wheel. Songs also occasionally require a little bit of spinning action around the wheel to slide from one note to the next. Hitting or missing the notes doesn't add or subtract to the musical composition of the track, but getting it right does make a satisfying little "ting!" sound.
Phase comes with its own soundtrack to fill out a few levels, featuring a mix of thumpy-bumpy electronic stuff (such as Harmonix favorite Freezepop) and some head-banging guitar stuff, but the real juice here is the ability to turn songs from your own music collection into thumb-cramping levels. I dumped in a few of my favorite tracks into the Phase Tracks playlist in iTunes, and was pleasantly surprised by how good the game levels turned out. Songs with a lot of heavy beats or general rock-your-face-offitude work the best, but you can get an oddly satisfying game experience by loading up some folk music. Each track has three difficulty levels; crank it up to hard, and even your Kenny Chesney songs can become brutal.
Phase is simple, but beautiful. It's a great way to drain your iPod's battery down to nothing while seeing your hands become reshaped into deformed claws. The game requires iTunes 7.5, and runs on the iPod nano (video), iPod classic, and the fifth generation iPod with video. It's available through the iTunes Music Store for $4.99.
I'm an easy sell (and a fan of Harmonix's rhythm games since way back in the days of FreQuency), so I was on this like a kitty on tuna. Phase might seem a little simple to those addicted to a certain kind of heroics, but the format maps surprisingly well to the iPod's controls. Notes appear on three sliding tracks, and are triggered at the right beat by pressing the left, center, or right buttons on the iPod's click wheel. Songs also occasionally require a little bit of spinning action around the wheel to slide from one note to the next. Hitting or missing the notes doesn't add or subtract to the musical composition of the track, but getting it right does make a satisfying little "ting!" sound.
Phase comes with its own soundtrack to fill out a few levels, featuring a mix of thumpy-bumpy electronic stuff (such as Harmonix favorite Freezepop) and some head-banging guitar stuff, but the real juice here is the ability to turn songs from your own music collection into thumb-cramping levels. I dumped in a few of my favorite tracks into the Phase Tracks playlist in iTunes, and was pleasantly surprised by how good the game levels turned out. Songs with a lot of heavy beats or general rock-your-face-offitude work the best, but you can get an oddly satisfying game experience by loading up some folk music. Each track has three difficulty levels; crank it up to hard, and even your Kenny Chesney songs can become brutal.
Phase is simple, but beautiful. It's a great way to drain your iPod's battery down to nothing while seeing your hands become reshaped into deformed claws. The game requires iTunes 7.5, and runs on the iPod nano (video), iPod classic, and the fifth generation iPod with video. It's available through the iTunes Music Store for $4.99.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Opera Mini 4 Goes Live
We've been waiting for this day since we gave Opera's Mini 4 beta release a score of 4.5 at PC Mag.com back in July. The Norwegian company's mobile browser comes out of beta today and is available as a free download; just point your phone to Operamini.com.
Among the sweet spots in the fourth version of the software are the Desktop Overview mode, which lets you view Web sites exactly as they appear on PCs, and Opera Zoom, which makes it possible to access selected content on a page. And Small Screen Rendering eliminates the sometimes irritating need for a horizontal screen.
The fourth iteration of Mini also supports Opera Link, for syncing information across Opera compatible devices and any other devices that can access the company's social network.
Among the sweet spots in the fourth version of the software are the Desktop Overview mode, which lets you view Web sites exactly as they appear on PCs, and Opera Zoom, which makes it possible to access selected content on a page. And Small Screen Rendering eliminates the sometimes irritating need for a horizontal screen.
The fourth iteration of Mini also supports Opera Link, for syncing information across Opera compatible devices and any other devices that can access the company's social network.
Make Your Blog A Book With Blurb
I know a lot of people whose blogs would make great biographies or short stories, and others who use journals as vehicles for their fiction writing. (November is NaNoWriMo!) Services such as BlogBackupOnline back up your blog so you don't lose your work and writing , should something happen to your site--but maybe you want more than just a backup. Maybe you want to take your blog and turn it into a book. Blurb promises to turn your blog into a hardcover book within days.
Blurb can make your photos into a hardcover photo album or take your recipes and make them into a cookbook (much like Tastebook). The service has been around for a while, but it recently announced that it's now taking blogs and turning them into books. So if you've ever wondered if your blog would make a good read on paper, now you can find out.
Blurb's blog software works with most popular blogging platforms, including WordPress, TypePad, LiveJournal, and Blogger. You can download Blurb's Booksmart software, and the app will walk you through the book-making process. Select the type of book that you'd like your blog to become, organize the pages and the layout to your liking, and upload the final product to Blurb.
Booksmart automatically imports your blog, including all comments, images, and links, and can help you with the layout if you're not a design whiz. You can choose segments of your blog or specific entries to pick up, or you can just upload the whole thing.
The software works whether you want to make a blog book or not; if you're more interested in making a custom book of your digital photos or a portfolio of your best artwork, you can do those things with the Booksmart tool. Booksmart itself is free, but when you're ready to place an order for your blog-book, have your credit card ready.
Once Blurb has imported all the information, you can see how large a book your blog will make. Blurb will professionally bind your book, up to 440 pages. You can choose whether you'd like your book in hardcover or softcover, with a 40-page softcover starting at $12.95 and a 40-page hardcover starting at $22.95. Once you've placed your order, Blurb claims to have the book printed and shipped to you within 10 business days. You can order as many copies as you like, and you can even add your book to the Blurb bookstore so others can purchase it directly from Blurb without having to beg you for a copy.
The idea behind Blurb is fantastic. I'm always amazed at how the Web has made it easy for anyone to print their own material or publish their own books. You can use Blurb to make a large run on books and sell them at local bookstores, or you can just use it to make your own wedding books or archive a personal copy of your blog. Either way, if you're a writer using your blog for your fiction, your research, your opinions, or even your day to day life, Blurb might be one way to extend your voice beyond the Web.
Blurb can make your photos into a hardcover photo album or take your recipes and make them into a cookbook (much like Tastebook). The service has been around for a while, but it recently announced that it's now taking blogs and turning them into books. So if you've ever wondered if your blog would make a good read on paper, now you can find out.
Blurb's blog software works with most popular blogging platforms, including WordPress, TypePad, LiveJournal, and Blogger. You can download Blurb's Booksmart software, and the app will walk you through the book-making process. Select the type of book that you'd like your blog to become, organize the pages and the layout to your liking, and upload the final product to Blurb.
Booksmart automatically imports your blog, including all comments, images, and links, and can help you with the layout if you're not a design whiz. You can choose segments of your blog or specific entries to pick up, or you can just upload the whole thing.
The software works whether you want to make a blog book or not; if you're more interested in making a custom book of your digital photos or a portfolio of your best artwork, you can do those things with the Booksmart tool. Booksmart itself is free, but when you're ready to place an order for your blog-book, have your credit card ready.
Once Blurb has imported all the information, you can see how large a book your blog will make. Blurb will professionally bind your book, up to 440 pages. You can choose whether you'd like your book in hardcover or softcover, with a 40-page softcover starting at $12.95 and a 40-page hardcover starting at $22.95. Once you've placed your order, Blurb claims to have the book printed and shipped to you within 10 business days. You can order as many copies as you like, and you can even add your book to the Blurb bookstore so others can purchase it directly from Blurb without having to beg you for a copy.
The idea behind Blurb is fantastic. I'm always amazed at how the Web has made it easy for anyone to print their own material or publish their own books. You can use Blurb to make a large run on books and sell them at local bookstores, or you can just use it to make your own wedding books or archive a personal copy of your blog. Either way, if you're a writer using your blog for your fiction, your research, your opinions, or even your day to day life, Blurb might be one way to extend your voice beyond the Web.
Windows Live Comes out of Beta
After months upon months of incremental updates, Windows Live is finally *ahem* live. Microsoft's online suite is now available as a non-beta package download, which includes Mail, Photo, Gallery, Writer, OneCare Family Safety, and an updated version of Messenger 8.5.
To download the package you need at least Windows XP SP3 and a Windows Live ID (formerly .NET Passport). Signing up for one of the company's new @live.com e-mail address will also enroll you with the Live ID.
Over at PC Mag, Michael Muchmore has a full rundown of all of the suite's new apps.
To download the package you need at least Windows XP SP3 and a Windows Live ID (formerly .NET Passport). Signing up for one of the company's new @live.com e-mail address will also enroll you with the Live ID.
Over at PC Mag, Michael Muchmore has a full rundown of all of the suite's new apps.
PBS Teams up With BitTorrent
Just in case anyone was doubting BitTorrent's decision to go legit, the company is partnering with PBS--that bastion of Muppets, Masterpiece Theatre, Bill Moyers, and totebag-fueled pledge drives. The Public Broadcasting Service announced today that it will be making its shows available for download via the file-sharing service.
The list of shows for BitTorrent users includes prime-time fare such as History, Detectives, Nova, and Scientific American Frontiers, as well as PBS Kids shows like Caillou and Teletubbies.
Media companies such as 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, and MTV have already made paid content available through the BitTorrent, though it's long been regarded as one of the largest sources of Web-based media piracy.
The list of shows for BitTorrent users includes prime-time fare such as History, Detectives, Nova, and Scientific American Frontiers, as well as PBS Kids shows like Caillou and Teletubbies.
Media companies such as 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, and MTV have already made paid content available through the BitTorrent, though it's long been regarded as one of the largest sources of Web-based media piracy.
The Skinny on Centro
I've been sucking up Microsoft Kool Aid for the last three days at the Windows Server 2008 Reviewer's Technical Workshop (geez, they can't even give their meetings short names anymore). I'll have a few posts on key new Server 2008 features here later, but figured I'd do a quick Centro post since Microsoft formally announced the thing today.
For those who don't know, Centro is Microsoft's codename for a new server platform that brings the Small Business Server idea to medium-sized businesses. So SBS is aimed at 50 users or less, Centro is aimed at 250 users or less. The formal name is Windows Essential Business Server and here's some key features and a few screens:
(1) This thing will live or die based on its interface. The idea is to give an IT generalist, like yours truly, an all-in-one management interface that lets me give my network users everything they need without me needing to learn lots of new server technologies. Actually pretty challenging when you think that this has to include not just basic network user management, but also messaging (including mobile), security
For those who don't know, Centro is Microsoft's codename for a new server platform that brings the Small Business Server idea to medium-sized businesses. So SBS is aimed at 50 users or less, Centro is aimed at 250 users or less. The formal name is Windows Essential Business Server and here's some key features and a few screens:
(1) This thing will live or die based on its interface. The idea is to give an IT generalist, like yours truly, an all-in-one management interface that lets me give my network users everything they need without me needing to learn lots of new server technologies. Actually pretty challenging when you think that this has to include not just basic network user management, but also messaging (including mobile), security
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Christmas Carols Database: Sing Your Holiday Heart Out
I love singing Christmas carols. (Is it wrong that I'm already listening to Mariah Carey's "Merry Christmas" album?) It's not always easy to remember the words, though. Try these: "Here we come a-wassailing among the leaves so green; here we come [fill the blanks]" and "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost nipping at your nose. [[fill the blanks]." Luckily, I don't have to think so hard, with today's launch of the Database of Christmas Carol Lyrics. It's a free, searchable database of over 120 popular and not-so-popular carols. Search by title or the first letter of the title, browse the lyrics, or download the database to your computer for instant access to the words of "Joy to the World," "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer," and "Christmas For Cowboys."
When Web 2.0 Goes Wrong: Mitt Romney Edition
As a software blog, we always love to see politicians embracing new technologies to help spread their message. Thanks to sites like YouTube and Myspace, candidates in the 2008 presidential race have been able to reach out to voters in ways never before possible. Of course that doesn't mean that every implementation of Web 2.0 technologies is necessarily positive. Surely we all remember that remarkable anti-Hillary up on YouTube that spoofed the classic Apple "1984" ad.
When Mitt Romney's campaign introduced a build-you-own ad contest in Late August, surely nothing could have possibly gone wrong, right? Then again, what if someone like someone like Democratic strategist Bruce Reed decided to enter the contest? Well, you'd probably get something like this. Reed's entry, which was by most accounts a joke (though, judging from some of the comments on the video, not all accounts) made a splash of its own.
At one point, the video in question raked up more hits than all of the legit finalists, combined. TechDirt has a good take on how open source collective project like this tend to go wrong.
When Mitt Romney's campaign introduced a build-you-own ad contest in Late August, surely nothing could have possibly gone wrong, right? Then again, what if someone like someone like Democratic strategist Bruce Reed decided to enter the contest? Well, you'd probably get something like this. Reed's entry, which was by most accounts a joke (though, judging from some of the comments on the video, not all accounts) made a splash of its own.
At one point, the video in question raked up more hits than all of the legit finalists, combined. TechDirt has a good take on how open source collective project like this tend to go wrong.
Uniters, Not Dividers: Presidential Ringtones
One of the most distinctive aspects of the 2008 presidential elections is that candidates are embracing technology like never before. The media battlefield that was once dominated by TV and the radio is now being fought equally hard on sites such as MySpace and YouTube. Of course, as we've pointed out before, the fact that a technology exists doesn't mean it's a good idea to harness that technology for your campaign. Sorry, Mitt.
The Obama campaign's decision to promote its candidate via ringtone is certainly one of the odder uses of technology we've seen thus far (it seems safe to assume that, as we get closer to go time, things are only going to get weirder).
However, campaign financing site Your Billion Dollar President thinks we should level the ringtone playing field. It has created downloadable ringtones for Bill Richardson, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Rudy Giuliani, Dennis Kucinich, and yes, Ron Paul, whose ringtone takes a cue from "Rawhide."
The site also has a "how to" for creating and submitting your own ringtones, should you have the perfect tune for the handfull of Duncan Hunter supporters.
The Obama campaign's decision to promote its candidate via ringtone is certainly one of the odder uses of technology we've seen thus far (it seems safe to assume that, as we get closer to go time, things are only going to get weirder).
However, campaign financing site Your Billion Dollar President thinks we should level the ringtone playing field. It has created downloadable ringtones for Bill Richardson, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Rudy Giuliani, Dennis Kucinich, and yes, Ron Paul, whose ringtone takes a cue from "Rawhide."
The site also has a "how to" for creating and submitting your own ringtones, should you have the perfect tune for the handfull of Duncan Hunter supporters.
Google Teaming Up With Weekly Reader
For those of us who grew up doing papers on word processors, the process of writing was most often a fairly solitary experience. As we got a bit older, we started using features like Word's Track Changes, but for the most part, the concept of peer review generally involved illegible notes scribbled in printed margins.
In the spirit of encouraging collaboration between students, Google has teamed up with Weekly Reader, a Readers Digest-owned classroom magazine designed to help improve the literacy of school kids. The magazine is using Google Docs for a lesson that demonstrates the use of drafts, brainstorming, and change tracking.
For more information about the initiative, and to check out the lesson, check out the Google for Educators page.
In the spirit of encouraging collaboration between students, Google has teamed up with Weekly Reader, a Readers Digest-owned classroom magazine designed to help improve the literacy of school kids. The magazine is using Google Docs for a lesson that demonstrates the use of drafts, brainstorming, and change tracking.
For more information about the initiative, and to check out the lesson, check out the Google for Educators page.
Is Digg Up For Sale (Again)?
Is Digg the next Internet sensation to be swallowed up by a major media company? The New York Times and Washington Post are reportedly vying to purchase the community-based Web site for up to $400 million. There have long been rumors about a Digg purchase, but the site's recent $100 million ad deal with Microsoft could make it an even more attractive offering, according to Valleywag. The blog speculates that The Post might be a more likely suitor, given that it already owns Slate, has a close relationship with Microsoft, and has more money to throw around. It remains to be seen, however, if Digg higher ups are ready to let go of the reigns, or if testy Digg users would stick around with a major media company at the helm.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Keep Track of Apple Disk Space with SpaceControl
Seasoned IT pros will tell you that a cluttered hard drive is indicative of more than just a cluttered mind. Running with little to no free space on your hard drive can lead to all sorts of problems. SpaceControl, a free app for Mac OS X, will help you keep tabs on how much available disk space you have left, and alert you when you're running low. It'll even e-mail you a reminder.
SpaceControl is a universal binary application, meaning it'll work on old Macs and new ones, as long as they're running OS X. The developer doesn't specify minimum version required, but I ran it on 10.4 without issue and one of his most recent updates was to fix a problem in 10.5. SpaceControl is a tiny app, and runs quietly in your menu bar when you open it. It displays how much available disk space you have left on your main volume, and when you click on it, a menu appears that displays how much space you have left on all other attached volumes, including network drives and external hard drives.
You can tell SpaceControl when and at what percent of available space to alert you. The default is set to 18%, and if you cross that threshold you'll get an audible warning and a text notice that you're below a safe amount of available disk space. It'll warn you against the dangers of running with no available disk, and recommend that you clean up your act as soon as you can.
If you like, you can also have SpaceControl e-mail you when you're running low on disk space, which is very helpful if you do a lot of downloading, transfer large files on and off external hard drives, or have any automated processes that create large files. Most companies have some kind of disk monitoring in place that alerts administrators to low disk space just like this. You have to use your own e-mail account though; fill in your email address, SMTP server, and login information, and SpaceControl will do the rest.
SpaceControl is completely free, and works like a charm. I'm running low on space, I only have a few GB left on a 100GB hard drive. As soon as I started SpaceControl it immediately alerted me, a sober reminder that I need to spin off all of my archived PCMag Radio and Gearlog Radio podcasts to an external hard drive.
[ via Lifehacker ]
SpaceControl is a universal binary application, meaning it'll work on old Macs and new ones, as long as they're running OS X. The developer doesn't specify minimum version required, but I ran it on 10.4 without issue and one of his most recent updates was to fix a problem in 10.5. SpaceControl is a tiny app, and runs quietly in your menu bar when you open it. It displays how much available disk space you have left on your main volume, and when you click on it, a menu appears that displays how much space you have left on all other attached volumes, including network drives and external hard drives.
You can tell SpaceControl when and at what percent of available space to alert you. The default is set to 18%, and if you cross that threshold you'll get an audible warning and a text notice that you're below a safe amount of available disk space. It'll warn you against the dangers of running with no available disk, and recommend that you clean up your act as soon as you can.
If you like, you can also have SpaceControl e-mail you when you're running low on disk space, which is very helpful if you do a lot of downloading, transfer large files on and off external hard drives, or have any automated processes that create large files. Most companies have some kind of disk monitoring in place that alerts administrators to low disk space just like this. You have to use your own e-mail account though; fill in your email address, SMTP server, and login information, and SpaceControl will do the rest.
SpaceControl is completely free, and works like a charm. I'm running low on space, I only have a few GB left on a 100GB hard drive. As soon as I started SpaceControl it immediately alerted me, a sober reminder that I need to spin off all of my archived PCMag Radio and Gearlog Radio podcasts to an external hard drive.
[ via Lifehacker ]
WikiTravel: Don't Leave Home Without Checking It
The real strength of the wiki is that anyone can edit and update it with the latest information or breaking findings or their own personal experiences. It works for Wikipedia for the most part, but the idea of letting people who have experienced places and events write about them isn't limited to an encyclopedia. Wikitravel, one of PC Mag's Top 100 Undiscovered Websites, brings travelers' experiences to the curious, and vice versa.
It's not an accident that Wikitravel looks a lot like Wikipedia. The two sites are running the same wiki software and are configured similarly. You can create an account (completely free) and edit pages, or you can edit them anonymously. Seasoned wiki fans will find Wikitravel a breeze to read and edit. The service features some articles and topics on the front page, and if you're looking for something specific, you can always search for it. If you're just interested in taking a virtual trip around the globe, you can start on the front page, choose a continent, and start reading.
The amount of information on Wikitravel is staggering. There are entries for countries around the globe, from Chad to Quebec, Algeria to New Zealand, and all of the pages have in-depth and intricate information about the regions' politics, environment, culture, language, currency, and more. Everything that you'll want to know before boarding a flight for a foreign land can be found at Wikitravel.
Wikitravel boasts nearly 17,000 destination guides and articles, mostly authored by people who have seen the places with their own eyes or live there now. The articles are intricate, and contain information ranging from simple demographic and geographic data to how to get to the location and how to get around once you're there. Each Wikitravel page has information on the currency, nearby sights and points of interest, where to shop and what to eat, and some even have information on what you should know if you want to live or work in the area. I was particularly impressed with Wikitravel's article sections on how to stay safe in the area and how to cope if things get difficult.
I used to travel a ton when I was younger, and now that I'm older and still love to travel, I'm saddled with the responsibility of making sure I'll be prepared and safe wherever I go. With Wikitravel, I can browse information on destinations as near as New York City and as far away as Brussels and find out everything I need to know before booking my trip and packing my bags.
It's not an accident that Wikitravel looks a lot like Wikipedia. The two sites are running the same wiki software and are configured similarly. You can create an account (completely free) and edit pages, or you can edit them anonymously. Seasoned wiki fans will find Wikitravel a breeze to read and edit. The service features some articles and topics on the front page, and if you're looking for something specific, you can always search for it. If you're just interested in taking a virtual trip around the globe, you can start on the front page, choose a continent, and start reading.
The amount of information on Wikitravel is staggering. There are entries for countries around the globe, from Chad to Quebec, Algeria to New Zealand, and all of the pages have in-depth and intricate information about the regions' politics, environment, culture, language, currency, and more. Everything that you'll want to know before boarding a flight for a foreign land can be found at Wikitravel.
Wikitravel boasts nearly 17,000 destination guides and articles, mostly authored by people who have seen the places with their own eyes or live there now. The articles are intricate, and contain information ranging from simple demographic and geographic data to how to get to the location and how to get around once you're there. Each Wikitravel page has information on the currency, nearby sights and points of interest, where to shop and what to eat, and some even have information on what you should know if you want to live or work in the area. I was particularly impressed with Wikitravel's article sections on how to stay safe in the area and how to cope if things get difficult.
I used to travel a ton when I was younger, and now that I'm older and still love to travel, I'm saddled with the responsibility of making sure I'll be prepared and safe wherever I go. With Wikitravel, I can browse information on destinations as near as New York City and as far away as Brussels and find out everything I need to know before booking my trip and packing my bags.
Protection for PS3 Surfers
A stand-alone non-networked game console? That's so 90s! Today's consoles are Internet-aware and browser-equipped. You're probably safer surfing on your Wii or PS3 than on your own computer, since the nasty folks writing viruses and Web-based exploits are still focused on Windows, Windows, and Windows. But you still might be scammed--being played for a sucker is platform-independent. And if your kids use the console to surf, maybe you'd like a little control over just what sort of sites they visit.
PS3 users can avoid surfing to the wrong site of the tracks by installing Trend Micro Web Security for PS3, available for free until the end of April 2008. Just upgrade your PS3 system software to version 2.0 to get it. The big name makes it sound like a security suite, but in truth it's most closely equivalent to Trend Micro's free TrendProtect product for IE and Firefox. Once you enable this tool it can block access to sites categorized as undesirable (the usual suspects, Porn, Drugs, Hate) and also get site ratings based on Trend's reputation-based analysis.
PS3 users can avoid surfing to the wrong site of the tracks by installing Trend Micro Web Security for PS3, available for free until the end of April 2008. Just upgrade your PS3 system software to version 2.0 to get it. The big name makes it sound like a security suite, but in truth it's most closely equivalent to Trend Micro's free TrendProtect product for IE and Firefox. Once you enable this tool it can block access to sites categorized as undesirable (the usual suspects, Porn, Drugs, Hate) and also get site ratings based on Trend's reputation-based analysis.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Mash: Yahoo! Gets Social
By most accounts, the post-Google world hasn't been especially kind to our friends over at Yahoo! Sure they've snapped up a few sites like Flickr, and launched a couple of new services of their own, such as Yahoo! Green, Answers, and the unfortunate OMG, but on a whole, the company has had a bit of trouble keeping afloat in the land of Web 2.0.
Yahoo!, like any Web media conglomerate worth their weight in failed start-ups, has attempted to get their hand in every single facet of the online pot imaginable. One aspect that has managed to elude them altogether thus far, however, is the ever-popular world of social networking. The company has largely sat by, as sites like Facebook and Myspace have become among some of the Web's most popular--okay they did bid on Facebook and Beebo, but that didn't get them too far... Granted, Google never really set the world on fire in the space, but they did acquire the traditionally elusive Orkut.
Currently in invite-only beta, Yahoo's new site, Mash, is an attempt to make up for lost social networking time. Having finally buckled under pressure, creating a Facebook account some two weeks ago, I had little to lose by signing up for Mash, so sign up I did.
My first impressions of the site are generally pretty positive. The layout is far less vomit-inducing that Myspace (not a huge accomplishment, granted), and is quite easily customized. Granted, there aren't as many "pimping" options available as there are on other social networking sites, but the rather extensive use of AJaX makes editing the thing a snap.
In terms of personal interests, the site prompts you to fill out a form similar to those time-killing social networking quizes, asking you what you'll likely be doing in the future and things you're most likely to say, rather than the standard method of listing your favorite movies and bands. It's a nice change from standard social networking fare, but those who are into creating long lists of totally sweet bands (and really, who isn't?) might not be all that excited about the change.
Mash uses your Webmail contacts to locate friends. Enter the user name and password for your Yahoo!, Gmail, or Hotmail accounts, and it will scour your list for contacts on the service. You have the option of requesting the listed friends and inviting the remainder of the contacts on the list to use the service. Just be careful to leave boxes unchecked, or else you'll be spamming everyone you've ever met.
I'd like to see a few more friend discovery methods. As it stands, it's not possible to browse for people if you don't have their current e-mail address--so much for finding those old high school friends.
In all, Mash is pretty snazzy for a beta app. There are still a few bugs, which isn't especially surprising given its early stage and the fact that Yahoo! may have been forced to rush it out a bit sooner than expected.
The big question is: does the world really need another social networking app? Not really, but it still may prove successful. There are those out there who will build profiles on every existing social networking site, just because it exists. If Mash develops enough innovating new features to set it apart from Facebook or Myspace (still a long way off at this early stage), then it may be able become competitive in the space, after all.
Yahoo!, like any Web media conglomerate worth their weight in failed start-ups, has attempted to get their hand in every single facet of the online pot imaginable. One aspect that has managed to elude them altogether thus far, however, is the ever-popular world of social networking. The company has largely sat by, as sites like Facebook and Myspace have become among some of the Web's most popular--okay they did bid on Facebook and Beebo, but that didn't get them too far... Granted, Google never really set the world on fire in the space, but they did acquire the traditionally elusive Orkut.
Currently in invite-only beta, Yahoo's new site, Mash, is an attempt to make up for lost social networking time. Having finally buckled under pressure, creating a Facebook account some two weeks ago, I had little to lose by signing up for Mash, so sign up I did.
My first impressions of the site are generally pretty positive. The layout is far less vomit-inducing that Myspace (not a huge accomplishment, granted), and is quite easily customized. Granted, there aren't as many "pimping" options available as there are on other social networking sites, but the rather extensive use of AJaX makes editing the thing a snap.
In terms of personal interests, the site prompts you to fill out a form similar to those time-killing social networking quizes, asking you what you'll likely be doing in the future and things you're most likely to say, rather than the standard method of listing your favorite movies and bands. It's a nice change from standard social networking fare, but those who are into creating long lists of totally sweet bands (and really, who isn't?) might not be all that excited about the change.
Mash uses your Webmail contacts to locate friends. Enter the user name and password for your Yahoo!, Gmail, or Hotmail accounts, and it will scour your list for contacts on the service. You have the option of requesting the listed friends and inviting the remainder of the contacts on the list to use the service. Just be careful to leave boxes unchecked, or else you'll be spamming everyone you've ever met.
I'd like to see a few more friend discovery methods. As it stands, it's not possible to browse for people if you don't have their current e-mail address--so much for finding those old high school friends.
In all, Mash is pretty snazzy for a beta app. There are still a few bugs, which isn't especially surprising given its early stage and the fact that Yahoo! may have been forced to rush it out a bit sooner than expected.
The big question is: does the world really need another social networking app? Not really, but it still may prove successful. There are those out there who will build profiles on every existing social networking site, just because it exists. If Mash develops enough innovating new features to set it apart from Facebook or Myspace (still a long way off at this early stage), then it may be able become competitive in the space, after all.
Kickstart: LinkedIn Meets Facebook Meets Yahoo!
Remember the Peanut Butter Manifesto? That was the less-than-subtle memo sent out by Yahoo's senior vice president, Brad Garlinghouse, which was subsequently (and some might say, intentionally) leaked. Among other things, it complained that the company was spreading itself far too thin. Between in-house projects and acquired properties, there were several instances of overlap in properties that fell beneath the wide Yahoo! umbrella.
With the recent launch of Kickstart, it's clear that Yahoo! isn't the sort of company that takes its cues from internal memos named for popular food spreads, which goes far to explain the lack of impact of Yahoo! Australia's Vegemite Letter.
The company launched the social networking site Mash a little over a month ago. Mash is a pretty slick-looking site, but beyond that, didn't seem to offer all that much in the way of innovation. That probably goes a long way toward explain why we haven't heard much about the site since then.
Kickstart is Yahoo!'s second social networking site since Yahoo! 360 was deemed a failure--Yahoo! itself acknowledged this fact in the middle of last month by announcing that it would be abandoning 360 for the already launched (well, in beta) Mash. Granted, Kickstart isn't exactly a direct competitor to Mash, in that the site has a far more nichey game plan, targeting college students and recent graduates who are seeking jobs.
The site connects these students and grads with alums from the same college. You can use the site to search for or posted jobs. In that respect, it's more of a competitor to the recently relaunched LinkedIn. I've played around with Kickstart a bit, and so far I can't really figure out how Yahoo! expects to set it apart from the well-established competition.
The smartest thing that Yahoo! can do in these heady post-Google days is to introduce smooth integration between its apps, beyond the recently beta-ed My Yahoo! Introducing Kickstart as a feature of Mash (hell, or even a Facebook plug-in) would have been the right way to go. Of course, it's not too late to go that direction.
After abandoning 360 users and asking people to sign up for Mash back in September, it seems like a bit much to ask for users to join yet another Yahoo! branded social network a month and a half later.
With the recent launch of Kickstart, it's clear that Yahoo! isn't the sort of company that takes its cues from internal memos named for popular food spreads, which goes far to explain the lack of impact of Yahoo! Australia's Vegemite Letter.
The company launched the social networking site Mash a little over a month ago. Mash is a pretty slick-looking site, but beyond that, didn't seem to offer all that much in the way of innovation. That probably goes a long way toward explain why we haven't heard much about the site since then.
Kickstart is Yahoo!'s second social networking site since Yahoo! 360 was deemed a failure--Yahoo! itself acknowledged this fact in the middle of last month by announcing that it would be abandoning 360 for the already launched (well, in beta) Mash. Granted, Kickstart isn't exactly a direct competitor to Mash, in that the site has a far more nichey game plan, targeting college students and recent graduates who are seeking jobs.
The site connects these students and grads with alums from the same college. You can use the site to search for or posted jobs. In that respect, it's more of a competitor to the recently relaunched LinkedIn. I've played around with Kickstart a bit, and so far I can't really figure out how Yahoo! expects to set it apart from the well-established competition.
The smartest thing that Yahoo! can do in these heady post-Google days is to introduce smooth integration between its apps, beyond the recently beta-ed My Yahoo! Introducing Kickstart as a feature of Mash (hell, or even a Facebook plug-in) would have been the right way to go. Of course, it's not too late to go that direction.
After abandoning 360 users and asking people to sign up for Mash back in September, it seems like a bit much to ask for users to join yet another Yahoo! branded social network a month and a half later.
VoIP Numbers No Longer Hard to Port
Good news for the thousands of victims of the next big VoIP service provider crash: The Federal Communications Commission has expanded local number portability (LNP) to VoIP.
(It's come little late for those of us among the thousands caught in the death throes of SunRocket last July, but I'm not bitter. Much. Still, it's nice to know SunRocket customers' complaints may have helped push this ruling through.)
If you're not clear on the topic, LNP allows you to take your land-line phone number with you from one carrier to the next. That means, if you move from Verizon to another provider--even a digital/Internet phone like that offered by TimeWarner along with RoadRunner broadband--you can keep that number that's been in your house for 38 years.
That's what my parents did. But there wasn't a guarantee that TimeWarner's phone services had to give up the number if they switched back--or switched to a different VoIP company, like Vonage. Until today.
The best part: The FCC says VoIP providers are not allowed to hold up your switch to a new provider. Its got to happen within 48 hours of the request.
Companies can't even ask for more than four bits of info from other providers when porting, just your phone number, account number, zip code and pass code (if applicable). Major info-dump requests have been used to hold up porting in the past. No more.
This is good for VoIP companies -- they're being treated like they matter enough to have the rule apply. Like big kids! What isn't good for them may be that customers can split whenever they want and take their number with them --in some cases it may have been the only thing keeping the customer tethered to a specific provider. To which I say, boo hoo. Make the service with staying on and it won't be an issue.
Post by Eric Griffith
(It's come little late for those of us among the thousands caught in the death throes of SunRocket last July, but I'm not bitter. Much. Still, it's nice to know SunRocket customers' complaints may have helped push this ruling through.)
If you're not clear on the topic, LNP allows you to take your land-line phone number with you from one carrier to the next. That means, if you move from Verizon to another provider--even a digital/Internet phone like that offered by TimeWarner along with RoadRunner broadband--you can keep that number that's been in your house for 38 years.
That's what my parents did. But there wasn't a guarantee that TimeWarner's phone services had to give up the number if they switched back--or switched to a different VoIP company, like Vonage. Until today.
The best part: The FCC says VoIP providers are not allowed to hold up your switch to a new provider. Its got to happen within 48 hours of the request.
Companies can't even ask for more than four bits of info from other providers when porting, just your phone number, account number, zip code and pass code (if applicable). Major info-dump requests have been used to hold up porting in the past. No more.
This is good for VoIP companies -- they're being treated like they matter enough to have the rule apply. Like big kids! What isn't good for them may be that customers can split whenever they want and take their number with them --in some cases it may have been the only thing keeping the customer tethered to a specific provider. To which I say, boo hoo. Make the service with staying on and it won't be an issue.
Post by Eric Griffith
Blockbuster Rethinking Pretty Much Everything
Blockbuster, which last week essentially conceded the by-mail-movie-rental battle to Netflix, announced today that it will be testing new pricing and rental options. CEO Jim Keyes refused to acknowledge that an examination of new pricing options necessarily meant that Blockbuster would be raising prices.
He also compared Blockbuster's rapidly declining number of brick and mortar stores to Apple's retail presence, pointing out that the Cupertino company is doing well despite having few store fronts: "I get excited about what we could do with what is some of the most choice real estate," said Keyes. It's a flawed comparison, of course, since Apple's retail presence extends far beyond its few storefronts. But heck, it never hurts to compare yourself favorably with a company like Apple. Just the other day, I was thinking about how much I have in common with search giant Google--but I digress.
According to a story by Reuters, Blockbuster is looking at implementing kiosks for downloading media onto portable devices. Blockbuster is also looking to build up digital distribution by merging Blockbuster.com and its Movielink service. All of this comes after the company posted a substantial quarterly loss at the beginning of the month.
He also compared Blockbuster's rapidly declining number of brick and mortar stores to Apple's retail presence, pointing out that the Cupertino company is doing well despite having few store fronts: "I get excited about what we could do with what is some of the most choice real estate," said Keyes. It's a flawed comparison, of course, since Apple's retail presence extends far beyond its few storefronts. But heck, it never hurts to compare yourself favorably with a company like Apple. Just the other day, I was thinking about how much I have in common with search giant Google--but I digress.
According to a story by Reuters, Blockbuster is looking at implementing kiosks for downloading media onto portable devices. Blockbuster is also looking to build up digital distribution by merging Blockbuster.com and its Movielink service. All of this comes after the company posted a substantial quarterly loss at the beginning of the month.
Network Execs: Online Ads Will Never Die
As many of our favorite TV stars manned the picket lines in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America, dozens of TV executives descended upon lower Manhattan yesterday afternoon to chat about whether digital media was killing TV.
Strikes aside, participants at the Future of TV Conference were confident that TV would live to see another day, and promised that Internet video content would enhance and not destroy our precious television.
The trade-off for that, however, is continued "pre-roll" ads that play before online video content. Executives recoiled in horror at the notion of ad-free subscription services.
"Subscription models on the Internet are tough," said Jordan Hoffner, head of premium content partnerships at YouTube. "You either have to be a real avid fan of something ... or [offer] some piece of information you can't get somewhere."
"Online, the key is to make [video] very easy to get to," said Greg Clayman, executive vice president of digital distribution and business development for MTV Networks.
A rep from NBC Universal appeared at an earlier panel to tout Hulu, a possible competitor for YouTube. Jean-Briac (JB) Perrette, president of digital distribution, said that 10 days into its beta, it was "way too early to tell" how well Hulu will perform, but painted it as a "scaling, broad, super store" for online video.
Another panel also touched briefly on Google's Android open-source platform for mobile devices.
Evan Neufeld, vice president and senior analyst at M:Metrics, applauded Google for moving away from a "walled garden concept." The industry, however, is in transition and the next two to three years will be about "trying to figure out how the public will be using phones," he said.
"It's a good thing for someone to put a stake in the ground," Neufeld said. "How it's going to impact any other business--mobile handset business included--I have no idea."
Neufeld said he has an iPhone and loves it, but it still "pisses [him] off" that adding new applications to the device could turn it into a brick, he said.
Shelly Palmer, chairman of the Emmy Awards' advanced media committee, was less enthusiastic. "Everyone assumes that because it's Google, it'll succeed," he said. But Android will have to pry the proprietary information from Verizon and AT
Strikes aside, participants at the Future of TV Conference were confident that TV would live to see another day, and promised that Internet video content would enhance and not destroy our precious television.
The trade-off for that, however, is continued "pre-roll" ads that play before online video content. Executives recoiled in horror at the notion of ad-free subscription services.
"Subscription models on the Internet are tough," said Jordan Hoffner, head of premium content partnerships at YouTube. "You either have to be a real avid fan of something ... or [offer] some piece of information you can't get somewhere."
"Online, the key is to make [video] very easy to get to," said Greg Clayman, executive vice president of digital distribution and business development for MTV Networks.
A rep from NBC Universal appeared at an earlier panel to tout Hulu, a possible competitor for YouTube. Jean-Briac (JB) Perrette, president of digital distribution, said that 10 days into its beta, it was "way too early to tell" how well Hulu will perform, but painted it as a "scaling, broad, super store" for online video.
Another panel also touched briefly on Google's Android open-source platform for mobile devices.
Evan Neufeld, vice president and senior analyst at M:Metrics, applauded Google for moving away from a "walled garden concept." The industry, however, is in transition and the next two to three years will be about "trying to figure out how the public will be using phones," he said.
"It's a good thing for someone to put a stake in the ground," Neufeld said. "How it's going to impact any other business--mobile handset business included--I have no idea."
Neufeld said he has an iPhone and loves it, but it still "pisses [him] off" that adding new applications to the device could turn it into a brick, he said.
Shelly Palmer, chairman of the Emmy Awards' advanced media committee, was less enthusiastic. "Everyone assumes that because it's Google, it'll succeed," he said. But Android will have to pry the proprietary information from Verizon and AT
Friday, July 24, 2009
Heavy Ink: Social Networking For Comics Fans
Let's face it--the Web is replete with social networks. But in the States, the space is largely dominated by two or three names. The key to launching a reasonably successful social network the last couple of years is finding an effective niche. Take comics: The topic makes perfect sense.
Most comic readers are also big Internet readers. A few sites have already latched onto this concept, the most notable of which is ComicSpace. This social network has managed a reasonable amount of success, recently merging with another comics site and picking up investment capital in the process.
In fact, I'd suggest that the site's owner, Josh Roberts, didn't foresee the amount of steam the site would pick up. It wasn't initially designed to deal with a huge amount of traffic, it seems; if you've ever felt yourself frustrated by MySpace, you'll almost certainly find ComicSpace's UI downright maddening.
Still in beta, Heavy Ink has design working in its favor right out of the gate. The site is actually a storefront first--and though, so far as I can tell, it doesn't appear to offer anything that you can't already find on Amazon, Heavy Ink is currently offering all merch for 20 percent off and eschewing the shipping costs on any size order.
When you sign up for an account, you automatically join the social network. You can friend other users, share ratings, and leave comments on other profiles--pretty standard social-networking fare.
The other key difference between Heavy Ink and ComicSpace is that, at least in my experience, the latter is largely driven by independent fans and creators. Although Heavy Ink does stock works by large indie publishers such as Fantagraphics and Top Shelf, the site seems largely targeted at mainstream fans--folks who follow Batman, The X-Men, et al, admittedly a far more lucrative market than the underground stuff.
Of course, with the site still in beta, it's nearly impossible to tell where it'll be in a couple of months. Still, the early results are promising. And of course, a link from Boing Boing doesn't hurt either.
Most comic readers are also big Internet readers. A few sites have already latched onto this concept, the most notable of which is ComicSpace. This social network has managed a reasonable amount of success, recently merging with another comics site and picking up investment capital in the process.
In fact, I'd suggest that the site's owner, Josh Roberts, didn't foresee the amount of steam the site would pick up. It wasn't initially designed to deal with a huge amount of traffic, it seems; if you've ever felt yourself frustrated by MySpace, you'll almost certainly find ComicSpace's UI downright maddening.
Still in beta, Heavy Ink has design working in its favor right out of the gate. The site is actually a storefront first--and though, so far as I can tell, it doesn't appear to offer anything that you can't already find on Amazon, Heavy Ink is currently offering all merch for 20 percent off and eschewing the shipping costs on any size order.
When you sign up for an account, you automatically join the social network. You can friend other users, share ratings, and leave comments on other profiles--pretty standard social-networking fare.
The other key difference between Heavy Ink and ComicSpace is that, at least in my experience, the latter is largely driven by independent fans and creators. Although Heavy Ink does stock works by large indie publishers such as Fantagraphics and Top Shelf, the site seems largely targeted at mainstream fans--folks who follow Batman, The X-Men, et al, admittedly a far more lucrative market than the underground stuff.
Of course, with the site still in beta, it's nearly impossible to tell where it'll be in a couple of months. Still, the early results are promising. And of course, a link from Boing Boing doesn't hurt either.
Law Professor: Facebook Social Ads Could Be Illegal
Are Facebook Social Ads illegal?
A University of Minnesota law professor wrote in a blog post this week that inserting users' names and photos next to ads for products they recently used or endorsed could violate privacy laws in states such as New York and California.
"Users are only asked in general if they want to share information, not if they want their name and picture to be featured in an ad for some product," wrote William McGeveran.
Companies need to obtain "written consent" before using a person's image or likeness, according to privacy statutes.
"I don't see how broad general consent to share one's information translates into the specific written consent necessary for advertisers to use one's name (and often picture) under this law," McGeveran wrote. He has "little doubt" that Facebook will appropriate user information for the "benefit of Facebook and advertisers alike."
Social Ads, which debuted on Tuesday, will allow companies to create their own Facebook pages, and then allow users to add company information and updates to their own profiles and mini feeds.
Facebook's chief privacy officer, Chris Kelly, told the NYT blog that McGeveran's interpretation was far too broad. Users choose to link themselves to a specific product, and this could be interpreted as the digital version of written consent, he said.
"While none of this may be illegal, it does have ominous implications," Hugh D'Andrade of the Electronic Frontier Foundation wrote in a recent blog post. "The personal data we now use to keep in touch with friends will soon help corporations target us more effectively. What's to stop this wealth of data from creeping into law enforcement activities?"
"The bottom line is that users need to know what is being done with their information, and should have the opportunity to opt out of marketing schemes if they choose," he wrote.
A University of Minnesota law professor wrote in a blog post this week that inserting users' names and photos next to ads for products they recently used or endorsed could violate privacy laws in states such as New York and California.
"Users are only asked in general if they want to share information, not if they want their name and picture to be featured in an ad for some product," wrote William McGeveran.
Companies need to obtain "written consent" before using a person's image or likeness, according to privacy statutes.
"I don't see how broad general consent to share one's information translates into the specific written consent necessary for advertisers to use one's name (and often picture) under this law," McGeveran wrote. He has "little doubt" that Facebook will appropriate user information for the "benefit of Facebook and advertisers alike."
Social Ads, which debuted on Tuesday, will allow companies to create their own Facebook pages, and then allow users to add company information and updates to their own profiles and mini feeds.
Facebook's chief privacy officer, Chris Kelly, told the NYT blog that McGeveran's interpretation was far too broad. Users choose to link themselves to a specific product, and this could be interpreted as the digital version of written consent, he said.
"While none of this may be illegal, it does have ominous implications," Hugh D'Andrade of the Electronic Frontier Foundation wrote in a recent blog post. "The personal data we now use to keep in touch with friends will soon help corporations target us more effectively. What's to stop this wealth of data from creeping into law enforcement activities?"
"The bottom line is that users need to know what is being done with their information, and should have the opportunity to opt out of marketing schemes if they choose," he wrote.
Hackers Hijack Alicia Keys' MySpace Page
Poor Alicia Keys. All she ever wanted to do was spread the gift of music to the public, and now her MySpace page is under siege. A group of researchers at Exploit Prevention Labs found that when users click on just about any part of the singer's profile, they're redirected to co8vd.cn/s, which The New York Times believes to be a Chinese malware site. A pop-up then appears, prompting them to install a codec to view a video. Click 'yes,' and, well, you're in trouble.
The researchers have found similar hacks on pages for French funk band Greements of Fortune and Scottish rock band The Dykeenies.
"Security and functionality exist in an inverse relationship," Exploit Prevention Labs' chief technology officer told the Times. "The more functional you make anything, the less secure it tends to become."
MySpace contacted the paper after the original story ran, and not surprisingly, passed the buck, suggesting that the fault--at least in part--lay with users who fell for phishing e-mails. "Individuals who try to phish our members are violating the law and are not welcome on MySpace," a spokeswoman told the Times. "We have blocked and removed the source of this phishing attempt and restored the profile."
The researchers have found similar hacks on pages for French funk band Greements of Fortune and Scottish rock band The Dykeenies.
"Security and functionality exist in an inverse relationship," Exploit Prevention Labs' chief technology officer told the Times. "The more functional you make anything, the less secure it tends to become."
MySpace contacted the paper after the original story ran, and not surprisingly, passed the buck, suggesting that the fault--at least in part--lay with users who fell for phishing e-mails. "Individuals who try to phish our members are violating the law and are not welcome on MySpace," a spokeswoman told the Times. "We have blocked and removed the source of this phishing attempt and restored the profile."
iTunes to Offer Video Rentals?
God bless the folks who have time to read application code. We do a lot of digging in our daily pursuit of tech news, but rooting around deeply in an app is a job unto itself. Evan DeBiase of The Evan Series blog found the following bit of code in the iTunes 7.5 upgrade:
rental-content
rental-bag
rbsync
source-rental-info
dest-rental-info
getvodaccountselectionlist
GET VOD ACCOUNT SELECTION LIST
supportsRentals
Rental? Whaa? Rumors have been floating about an Apple plan to implement a video rental system via iTunes for over a year now. Download Squad also notes that a user found a way to report problems with video rentals in a previous build of the software way back in September.
But Apple made no mention of the service when 7.5 released; it would have coincided perfectly with the new video-friendly Nanos.
rental-content
rental-bag
rbsync
source-rental-info
dest-rental-info
getvodaccountselectionlist
GET VOD ACCOUNT SELECTION LIST
supportsRentals
Rental? Whaa? Rumors have been floating about an Apple plan to implement a video rental system via iTunes for over a year now. Download Squad also notes that a user found a way to report problems with video rentals in a previous build of the software way back in September.
But Apple made no mention of the service when 7.5 released; it would have coincided perfectly with the new video-friendly Nanos.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Pandora Launches New 'Extras'
When Pandora first launched two years ago, it was the only game in town. Although there were already several options for those looking to stream Web radio, Pandora's concept of personalized stations was truly revolutionary.
Since then, a handful of sites launched services that mimicked and, in some cases, improved Pandora's model. Last.fm and Slacker, for example, added features such as improved recommendation, genre classifications, and social networking. Pandora may still be the poster child of Web radio for many users, but it no longer commands the space the way it once did.
Tonight at midnight, Pandora is seeking to reinvent itself by added a handful of new features, referred to as, "Pandora Extras," which promise to "substantially extend the scope of Pandora." Four such Extras are set to launch tonight.
One Extra provides users with song and artist info while recommending similar songs and fellow Pandora users who dig the track. A second lets you track and interact with your buddies on the site. Pandora is also introducing 100 new genre stations, as well as original audio and video programming called Pandora Presents.
Pandora founder Tim Westergren promises that these new features are just the beginning of a large-scale rollout: "This design will allow us to add literally dozens of new options to complement listening in an integrated way."
Since then, a handful of sites launched services that mimicked and, in some cases, improved Pandora's model. Last.fm and Slacker, for example, added features such as improved recommendation, genre classifications, and social networking. Pandora may still be the poster child of Web radio for many users, but it no longer commands the space the way it once did.
Tonight at midnight, Pandora is seeking to reinvent itself by added a handful of new features, referred to as, "Pandora Extras," which promise to "substantially extend the scope of Pandora." Four such Extras are set to launch tonight.
One Extra provides users with song and artist info while recommending similar songs and fellow Pandora users who dig the track. A second lets you track and interact with your buddies on the site. Pandora is also introducing 100 new genre stations, as well as original audio and video programming called Pandora Presents.
Pandora founder Tim Westergren promises that these new features are just the beginning of a large-scale rollout: "This design will allow us to add literally dozens of new options to complement listening in an integrated way."
Royalty Rates Could Mean End of Pandora
Is Pandora shutting its doors? If the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) refuses to lower rates it decided upon in March, Pandora and other Internet radio stations are most certainly doomed, according to Tim Westergren, Pandora's founder.
"If we conclude that the CRB royalty rates are not going to be rectified, Pandora would shut down immediately," Westergren told the Senate Commerce Committee Wednesday.
Internet radio and the CRB have been battling for months over a March decision from the CRB that increases the current price per stream to one user from $0.0008 to $0.0019 per stream by 2010. The board also imposed a minimum fee of $500 per station, which could be financial ruinous for certain webcasters since most Internet radio stations have thousands of stations.
Those fees were supposed to go into effect on May 15, but the CRB extended that deadline to July 15. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit later rejected a request to further delay implementation of the rates. After a public battle of the press releases and some congressional wrangling, however, both sides agreed to work on a compromise. But that was July and as Wednesday's hearing might suggest, progress is slow going.
"The [higher] rates are actually currently in effect, and we are paying them," said Michele Husak, director of communications for Pandora. "But we're only doing so because we believe that rationality will prevail and that they will be lowered. Negotiations are slowly on-going."
Pandora started paying the new rates in July, but cannot sustain such payments indefinitely. If no agreement is reached, the financial strain will force Pandora to eventually shut down, Husak confirmed.
Westergren appeared more optimistic earlier this year. "We're not going to shut down Sunday, that's the first thing," he said in an interview prior to the July 15 deadline. "We're going to negotiate and it's kind of we're in this phase now that under the chaperoning of Congress, the parties are going to figure it out."
Russell Withers, president of the Withers Broadcasting Group and a board member for the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), told the committee on Wednesday that proposed CRB rates "would put Pandora out of business because of the size and the impact" of the proposal.
"In my opinion, CRB got about 15 times more than they thought they would get," Withers said at the hearing. He accused SoundExchange, the organization that collects royalties for copyright owners in the music business, of refusing to engage in timely negotiations on the matter, calling their actions "unconscionable."
SaveNetRadio, a coalition of Internet radio users, issued a statement on Oct. 15 calling on SoundExchange to reach a "reasonable and lasting solution" to the problem. SoundExchange did not respond, a spokesman for SaveNetRadio said Thursday.
"As far as I know there has been no progress that I'm familiar with," he said.
Last month, SoundExchange said 24 small webcasters (defined as those earning $1.25 million or less in total revenues) had agreed to a deal that would charge them 10 to 12 percent of revenue until 2010.
Pandora's Westergren on Wednesday pushed for the passage of S. 1353, which would strike down the CRB ruling and set the royalty rate at 7.5 percent of revenue through 2010. A companion bill, H.R. 2060, was also introduced in the House. The bills were referred to the Senate Judiciary and House Commerce committees, but not yet seen any movement.
"If we conclude that the CRB royalty rates are not going to be rectified, Pandora would shut down immediately," Westergren told the Senate Commerce Committee Wednesday.
Internet radio and the CRB have been battling for months over a March decision from the CRB that increases the current price per stream to one user from $0.0008 to $0.0019 per stream by 2010. The board also imposed a minimum fee of $500 per station, which could be financial ruinous for certain webcasters since most Internet radio stations have thousands of stations.
Those fees were supposed to go into effect on May 15, but the CRB extended that deadline to July 15. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit later rejected a request to further delay implementation of the rates. After a public battle of the press releases and some congressional wrangling, however, both sides agreed to work on a compromise. But that was July and as Wednesday's hearing might suggest, progress is slow going.
"The [higher] rates are actually currently in effect, and we are paying them," said Michele Husak, director of communications for Pandora. "But we're only doing so because we believe that rationality will prevail and that they will be lowered. Negotiations are slowly on-going."
Pandora started paying the new rates in July, but cannot sustain such payments indefinitely. If no agreement is reached, the financial strain will force Pandora to eventually shut down, Husak confirmed.
Westergren appeared more optimistic earlier this year. "We're not going to shut down Sunday, that's the first thing," he said in an interview prior to the July 15 deadline. "We're going to negotiate and it's kind of we're in this phase now that under the chaperoning of Congress, the parties are going to figure it out."
Russell Withers, president of the Withers Broadcasting Group and a board member for the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), told the committee on Wednesday that proposed CRB rates "would put Pandora out of business because of the size and the impact" of the proposal.
"In my opinion, CRB got about 15 times more than they thought they would get," Withers said at the hearing. He accused SoundExchange, the organization that collects royalties for copyright owners in the music business, of refusing to engage in timely negotiations on the matter, calling their actions "unconscionable."
SaveNetRadio, a coalition of Internet radio users, issued a statement on Oct. 15 calling on SoundExchange to reach a "reasonable and lasting solution" to the problem. SoundExchange did not respond, a spokesman for SaveNetRadio said Thursday.
"As far as I know there has been no progress that I'm familiar with," he said.
Last month, SoundExchange said 24 small webcasters (defined as those earning $1.25 million or less in total revenues) had agreed to a deal that would charge them 10 to 12 percent of revenue until 2010.
Pandora's Westergren on Wednesday pushed for the passage of S. 1353, which would strike down the CRB ruling and set the royalty rate at 7.5 percent of revenue through 2010. A companion bill, H.R. 2060, was also introduced in the House. The bills were referred to the Senate Judiciary and House Commerce committees, but not yet seen any movement.
Pandora, AT
The future of Pandora might be in jeopardy thanks to the ongoing royalty-rate battle, but the Internet radio station is forging ahead--first with the announcement of several new features, and now with the addition of a second major carrier to its mobile offerings.
AT
AT
WooMe: Speed Dating Comes to the Web
Would you pay a dollar for the email address of someone you met online and have the hots for? WooMe is betting you would. It's an online hook-up instigator in which you sign up with your picture and location and then join 'sessions.' These are scheduled web-events in which you interface with each participant via webcam for one whole minute, and then decide which ones you found attractive.
Appscout's Brian Heater and I met virtually with WooMe's CEO Stephen Stokols last week to check the nubile young service out. The video quality is quite good, based on Flash Video. For now sessions are restricted to 7pm-11pm West Coast, and the service is in closed alpha, by invitation only, but that will all be changing soon, according to Stokols. At least you can save the 50 bucks you were planning on spending for that tired old non-virtual speed dating event. One downside of WooMe--You won't be able to smell your potential suitors.
Appscout's Brian Heater and I met virtually with WooMe's CEO Stephen Stokols last week to check the nubile young service out. The video quality is quite good, based on Flash Video. For now sessions are restricted to 7pm-11pm West Coast, and the service is in closed alpha, by invitation only, but that will all be changing soon, according to Stokols. At least you can save the 50 bucks you were planning on spending for that tired old non-virtual speed dating event. One downside of WooMe--You won't be able to smell your potential suitors.
What the Feick: The new Yahoo! Mail
When we reviewed the new Yahoo! Mail late last month, we really liked what we saw. A lot. We ended up giving it a score of 4.5 out of 5 and an Editor's Choice for the Webmail space. Our reviewer noted a few--relatively minor--complaints with the service, of course: the lack of Safari and Opera support, the fact that the app doesn't open directly to your inbox, and the lack of AIM support.
We do fairly intensive reviews at PC Mag, and we pride ourselves on (among other things) our ability to catch potential problems. But it's impossible to catch everything.
For one thing, our reviewer's last name is Muchmore--not Feick. And, as best as I can tell, Mr. Muchmore never used the app to e-mail anyone named Feick while he was testing the app. But one of our readers does have that last name, along with a Yahoo! Mail account.
The combination is not pretty. As Mr. Feick informed us (via Yahoo! Mail), the app's new spell-check recommends another spelling for his name, similar yet fundamentally different. "I can't tell you how frustrating this is," Feick told us, after having repeatedly addressed Yahoo! with his unique problem. "I have to be extremely careful not to accept that correction."
"Flick," "frock," even "felic"--any of these would do. In the meantime, Yahoo! is going to have a lot of angry Feicks on its hands.
We do fairly intensive reviews at PC Mag, and we pride ourselves on (among other things) our ability to catch potential problems. But it's impossible to catch everything.
For one thing, our reviewer's last name is Muchmore--not Feick. And, as best as I can tell, Mr. Muchmore never used the app to e-mail anyone named Feick while he was testing the app. But one of our readers does have that last name, along with a Yahoo! Mail account.
The combination is not pretty. As Mr. Feick informed us (via Yahoo! Mail), the app's new spell-check recommends another spelling for his name, similar yet fundamentally different. "I can't tell you how frustrating this is," Feick told us, after having repeatedly addressed Yahoo! with his unique problem. "I have to be extremely careful not to accept that correction."
"Flick," "frock," even "felic"--any of these would do. In the meantime, Yahoo! is going to have a lot of angry Feicks on its hands.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
AOL Buys Q
I feel like I'm missing the big picture when people start talking about question-and-answer sites. The concept has been touted as one of the major players in Web 2.0, alongside social networks and blogs--but honestly, I'm baffled as to why.
Granted, Yahoo! Answers is probably the most successful Yahoo! site created in-house (read: not a third-party snapped up by the company) over the past few years, but I interpret that as a reflection of the ways in which the company's other brands have failed to live up to expectations.
Both Google and Amazon have tested the waters, with Google Answers and Askville, and now AOL has picked acquired Yedda, a Tel Aviv-based site that operates in a very similar way.
The site describes itself as "a leading semantic social search Questions and Answer service." I played around with it this morning, and really, it feels a lot like "Yahoo! Answers," only with a clunkier UI.
"Incorporating Yedda's unique technology into AOL enables us to bring together our traditional search resources and an entire community of people to help users quickly find answers to questions," said AOL's president and COO, Ron Grant, in a release this morning. AOL is likely going to borrow bits and pieces of Yedda's technology and bring them into existing properties, rather than relaunching and rebranding the Israeli site as AOL Answers or something similar.
Either way, my first question for Yedda's users is this: Is this space really as exciting as the major Web players seem to think it is?
Granted, Yahoo! Answers is probably the most successful Yahoo! site created in-house (read: not a third-party snapped up by the company) over the past few years, but I interpret that as a reflection of the ways in which the company's other brands have failed to live up to expectations.
Both Google and Amazon have tested the waters, with Google Answers and Askville, and now AOL has picked acquired Yedda, a Tel Aviv-based site that operates in a very similar way.
The site describes itself as "a leading semantic social search Questions and Answer service." I played around with it this morning, and really, it feels a lot like "Yahoo! Answers," only with a clunkier UI.
"Incorporating Yedda's unique technology into AOL enables us to bring together our traditional search resources and an entire community of people to help users quickly find answers to questions," said AOL's president and COO, Ron Grant, in a release this morning. AOL is likely going to borrow bits and pieces of Yedda's technology and bring them into existing properties, rather than relaunching and rebranding the Israeli site as AOL Answers or something similar.
Either way, my first question for Yedda's users is this: Is this space really as exciting as the major Web players seem to think it is?
Google Releases Android SDK, Opens $10M Developer Challenge
Google took another step toward the creation of its fabled gPhone Monday, with the release of the Android SDK for developers.
The release is the first for Google's Open Handset Alliance, an open-source mobile platform partnership between the search engine giant and at least 33 other participants, including T-Mobile, HTC, Qualcomm and Motorola.
"This preview of the SDK will allow you to develop Android applications that you can run, test, profile, and debug using the emulator and the other included tools," according to a post to the Android developer blog. "Note that the look and feel of the user interface in the emulator is a placeholder for a final version that is under development."
Monday's release includes development and debugging tools, libraries, a device emulator, documentation, sample projects, tutorials, FAQs and more, according to Google. An Eclipse plug-in is also available.
In an effort to jumpstart Android development, Google will be doling out $10 million to developers who come up with workable applications for the platform.
The two-part Android Developer Challenge will be accepting submissions from January 2 through March 8. A panel of judges will select the top 50 entries, all of whom will receive $25,000 for further development. Of those 50 winners, 10 will be selected by the end of May to receive an additional $275,000 and another 10 will be awarded $100,000, Google said.
UPDATE: The New York Times' tech blog just posted video from Google's Android team with demos of what Android phones might look like. Check it out:
Get the rest of this story on pcmag.com
The release is the first for Google's Open Handset Alliance, an open-source mobile platform partnership between the search engine giant and at least 33 other participants, including T-Mobile, HTC, Qualcomm and Motorola.
"This preview of the SDK will allow you to develop Android applications that you can run, test, profile, and debug using the emulator and the other included tools," according to a post to the Android developer blog. "Note that the look and feel of the user interface in the emulator is a placeholder for a final version that is under development."
Monday's release includes development and debugging tools, libraries, a device emulator, documentation, sample projects, tutorials, FAQs and more, according to Google. An Eclipse plug-in is also available.
In an effort to jumpstart Android development, Google will be doling out $10 million to developers who come up with workable applications for the platform.
The two-part Android Developer Challenge will be accepting submissions from January 2 through March 8. A panel of judges will select the top 50 entries, all of whom will receive $25,000 for further development. Of those 50 winners, 10 will be selected by the end of May to receive an additional $275,000 and another 10 will be awarded $100,000, Google said.
UPDATE: The New York Times' tech blog just posted video from Google's Android team with demos of what Android phones might look like. Check it out:
Get the rest of this story on pcmag.com
Beliefnet Community: Faith-based Social Networking
We liked Beliefnet enough to make it one of this year's Top 100 Classic Websites. The popular site offers a pretty even-handed look at the world's religions, from mainstream Christianity to Falun Gong and beyond. Beginning today, Beliefnet is setting its sights on the sacred territory of social networking, with their new beta Beliefnet Community.
Beliefnet describes the service as "a comprehensive social network designed expressly for religious devotees, spiritual seekers and faith-based groups." Among the suggested uses are meet-ups for book clubs, support groups, bible study, and fan clubs. Members can use the site to create Web sites, calendars, content feeds, and discussion forums. Beliefnet will also incorporate the content of the site--including daily quotes and spiritual wisdom--into the new social network.
The Beliefnet Community will be rolling out additional features, partnerships, groups, and feeds in the coming weeks.
Beliefnet describes the service as "a comprehensive social network designed expressly for religious devotees, spiritual seekers and faith-based groups." Among the suggested uses are meet-ups for book clubs, support groups, bible study, and fan clubs. Members can use the site to create Web sites, calendars, content feeds, and discussion forums. Beliefnet will also incorporate the content of the site--including daily quotes and spiritual wisdom--into the new social network.
The Beliefnet Community will be rolling out additional features, partnerships, groups, and feeds in the coming weeks.
AppSpout: Recent Reviews from the PCMag.com Software Team
We've seen a lot of noteworthy software releases recently, with the launch of Vista SP1 beta, Napster 4.0, and the much anticipated Mac OS 10.5 Leopard. To add to this list, today Microsoft introduced its new crop of Zune MP3 players and an updated Zune Marketplace platform.
The new Zune Marketplace finally gives Microsoft a worthy contender to Apple's juggernaut iTunes music service. Marketplace's improved interface is beautifully designed, easy to use, and capable of delivering more than just music. Let the PC Magazine Software team give you a sneak peak at the new Zune Marketplace in this preview.
Check out other software news, after the jump.
Microsoft Popfly: Popfly is a promising first attempt at letting nonprogrammers visually create mashups, or composite Web applications. It also serves as a showcase for Microsoft's new FlashPlayer-contender technology, Silverlight.
Google Docs Beta: Google Docs Beta is fast, elegant, convenient, and free. All of which adds up to an Editors' Choice-winning online office suite.
Rhapsody (Fall 2007): By embracing the Web and enhancing its already robust feature set, Rhapsody earns the music-subscription crown.
Corel MediaOne Plus: This reasonably priced software lets you easily create and share basic projects like albums, calendars, scrapbooks, and slide shows that include audio and video--it even throws in a lifetime of free online image backup.
Bsafe Online: Bsafe Online is a tough, effective, and comprehensive parental-control solution. It has a few rough edges, but the company is already working on improvements.
Corel WordPerfect Office X3: It's mostly going to appeal to WordPerfect's long-standing legal, academic, and professional audiences, but if Word's peculiarities get on your nerves, Corel's Office suite is definitely worth a look .
McAfee Total Protection 2008: McAfee Total Protection 2008 definitely has more features than any of its competition, but essential features such as its firewall and antispyware don't measure up to the best.
Webroot AntiVirus with AntiSpyware and Firewall: Webroot changed the naming scheme of the product line with its newest antispyware app, but not much else. Other than the bonus firewall module, this version is a lot like the Editor's Choice-winning Spy Sweeper 5.5 with Antivirus.
The new Zune Marketplace finally gives Microsoft a worthy contender to Apple's juggernaut iTunes music service. Marketplace's improved interface is beautifully designed, easy to use, and capable of delivering more than just music. Let the PC Magazine Software team give you a sneak peak at the new Zune Marketplace in this preview.
Check out other software news, after the jump.
Microsoft Popfly: Popfly is a promising first attempt at letting nonprogrammers visually create mashups, or composite Web applications. It also serves as a showcase for Microsoft's new FlashPlayer-contender technology, Silverlight.
Google Docs Beta: Google Docs Beta is fast, elegant, convenient, and free. All of which adds up to an Editors' Choice-winning online office suite.
Rhapsody (Fall 2007): By embracing the Web and enhancing its already robust feature set, Rhapsody earns the music-subscription crown.
Corel MediaOne Plus: This reasonably priced software lets you easily create and share basic projects like albums, calendars, scrapbooks, and slide shows that include audio and video--it even throws in a lifetime of free online image backup.
Bsafe Online: Bsafe Online is a tough, effective, and comprehensive parental-control solution. It has a few rough edges, but the company is already working on improvements.
Corel WordPerfect Office X3: It's mostly going to appeal to WordPerfect's long-standing legal, academic, and professional audiences, but if Word's peculiarities get on your nerves, Corel's Office suite is definitely worth a look .
McAfee Total Protection 2008: McAfee Total Protection 2008 definitely has more features than any of its competition, but essential features such as its firewall and antispyware don't measure up to the best.
Webroot AntiVirus with AntiSpyware and Firewall: Webroot changed the naming scheme of the product line with its newest antispyware app, but not much else. Other than the bonus firewall module, this version is a lot like the Editor's Choice-winning Spy Sweeper 5.5 with Antivirus.
The Peacock vs. The Apple: NBC Drops Out of iTunes
NBC hit Apple with another big content setback on Thursday, by failing to renew contract with iTunes. NBC Universal, the store's largest provider of paid digital video--making up around 40-percent of downloads--couldn't reach a pricing agreement with the Cupertino company, who has traditionally priced TV episodes at $1.99 a pop. NBC confirmed the move, but both companies refused to issue comments to reporters.
The decision, which also reflected NBC's call for stronger anti-piracy controls, will affect the iTunes store, beginning in December, when the companies' two-year deal lapses. At that point, the nearly 1,500 hours of programming, including popular series such as The Office and Heroes, will be pulled from the store, if a new agreement isn't stuck.
The move--or lack thereof--follows Universal Music's refusal to renew their contract last month. Analysts are predicting that the moves may embolden fellow media companies like CBS and the Discovery Channel to sweeten their deals with Apple.
The decision, which also reflected NBC's call for stronger anti-piracy controls, will affect the iTunes store, beginning in December, when the companies' two-year deal lapses. At that point, the nearly 1,500 hours of programming, including popular series such as The Office and Heroes, will be pulled from the store, if a new agreement isn't stuck.
The move--or lack thereof--follows Universal Music's refusal to renew their contract last month. Analysts are predicting that the moves may embolden fellow media companies like CBS and the Discovery Channel to sweeten their deals with Apple.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
NBC Direct Challenges iTunes, Fails
NBC has launched its answer to iTunes. A beta download of NBC Direct is now available via the network's Web site and provides downloadable versions of NBC shows such as "The Office" and "30 Rock".
The release comes after NBC failed to renew its iTunes contract in August. The two sides reportedly could not agree on a pricing scheme for downloads of NBC shows, so the network walked away with its nearly 1,500 hours of programming.
Content is ad-supported, so it's free for consumers--but access is somewhat limited. You can download Direct only on Windows machines equipped with Internet Explorer. Firefox, Mac OSes, and Linux are not supported, though NBC said it is working on having Firefox and Mac support by 2008.
Once you download Direct, you can peruse available shows and click to add them to your download queue. It currently features links to the most recent episodes of "30 Rock," "The Bionic Woman," "Friday Night Lights," and "Life."
I installed Direct on my work computer and tried to download the most recent episodes of "The Office" and "30 Rock." The shows were sent to my queue, and a bar that said "pending" showed up in the My Videos section, but then nothing happened. I tried clearing "30 Rock" and just letting "The Office" work through the download process solo, but after an hour, it was still sitting there with seemingly no progress.
If the program were actually working, I could sign up for subscriptions and have certain shows immediately downloaded to my player as they're posted. Because of licensing issues, however, anything downloaded is going to disappear seven days after NBC posts it online, and there's no burning to DVDs or transferring to portable players at this point.
Given these restrictions, I'm not really sure why someone would opt for NBC Direct instead of just watching streaming versions via NBC's Web site. Those with access to Hulu can also access recent episodes of shows available on NBC Direct.
Get the rest of this story on PCMag.com
The release comes after NBC failed to renew its iTunes contract in August. The two sides reportedly could not agree on a pricing scheme for downloads of NBC shows, so the network walked away with its nearly 1,500 hours of programming.
Content is ad-supported, so it's free for consumers--but access is somewhat limited. You can download Direct only on Windows machines equipped with Internet Explorer. Firefox, Mac OSes, and Linux are not supported, though NBC said it is working on having Firefox and Mac support by 2008.
Once you download Direct, you can peruse available shows and click to add them to your download queue. It currently features links to the most recent episodes of "30 Rock," "The Bionic Woman," "Friday Night Lights," and "Life."
I installed Direct on my work computer and tried to download the most recent episodes of "The Office" and "30 Rock." The shows were sent to my queue, and a bar that said "pending" showed up in the My Videos section, but then nothing happened. I tried clearing "30 Rock" and just letting "The Office" work through the download process solo, but after an hour, it was still sitting there with seemingly no progress.
If the program were actually working, I could sign up for subscriptions and have certain shows immediately downloaded to my player as they're posted. Because of licensing issues, however, anything downloaded is going to disappear seven days after NBC posts it online, and there's no burning to DVDs or transferring to portable players at this point.
Given these restrictions, I'm not really sure why someone would opt for NBC Direct instead of just watching streaming versions via NBC's Web site. Those with access to Hulu can also access recent episodes of shows available on NBC Direct.
Get the rest of this story on PCMag.com
Test Your TV Trivia with Scene It? TV Edition for Mobile Phones
I don't know what I'm going to do for the next couple of months without new episodes of my favorite shows, due to the writers' strike. Perhaps I'll fill up my free time by playing Namco Networks' Scene It? TV Edition for mobile phones. Now available for mobile download, the game is based on the popular Scene It? DVD games from Screenlife Games (I own the Movie edition, but it's so hard; I don't know that many movies!), with more than 10 million DVD games already sold.The mobile edition consists of more than a thousand questions, including real television clips, trivia questions, on-screen challenges, and puzzlers
The Point: Power in Numbers
I just finished meeting with a few folks from the newly launched social networking site, The Point. Sadly, the site had little to do with the Harry Nilsson record of the same name that's been playing on loop in my brain since the meeting was first scheduled a couple of weeks back. To their credit, they did reference my favorite Mr. Show sketch, "Blow up the Moon," in reference to their product, so I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
The pitch behind The Point is as follows: Sometimes it takes a large group of people to make a difference. Unfortunately, the more potentially controversial an issue is, the more difficult it is to get the ball rolling with those first few volunteers. The Point is a bit like an online petition, gathering folks together to benefit the greater good, only no one involved is beholden to anything until the minimum number of users have signed on.
Say, for instance, you'd like to boycott a major clothing company, because of its unfair labor practices. Committing oneself to said cause is much more difficult, without knowing that enough folks are joining in alongside you to make a difference.
If the cause is more personal, like, say, trying to get better benefits at work, the list's creator can choose to make usernames anonymous until the goal is reached. This means that if you're one of only two or three users who actually signed on, you can't be singled out.
It's an intriguing model, to be sure. There are still plenty of bugs to work through, being that the app was just released in public alpha earlier today. The most glaring omission at the moment is an effective means to search the site for causes to sign up for. For the time being, the primary method for discovering them is via real-world invites, third-party Web sites (using the site's plug-ins), or via fellow The Point members on your buddy list.
Like anything else in the social networking space, the key to The Point's success will be drawing in and retaining a large enough user base to keep things going. But for most people who sign up for a particular cause, the site will likely not have a great deal of replay value. It's tough to imagine users checking in on the site habitually the way they do with, say, Facebook or Myspace.
If The Point can maintain a steady flow of new users, however, it might have a good point, after all.
The pitch behind The Point is as follows: Sometimes it takes a large group of people to make a difference. Unfortunately, the more potentially controversial an issue is, the more difficult it is to get the ball rolling with those first few volunteers. The Point is a bit like an online petition, gathering folks together to benefit the greater good, only no one involved is beholden to anything until the minimum number of users have signed on.
Say, for instance, you'd like to boycott a major clothing company, because of its unfair labor practices. Committing oneself to said cause is much more difficult, without knowing that enough folks are joining in alongside you to make a difference.
If the cause is more personal, like, say, trying to get better benefits at work, the list's creator can choose to make usernames anonymous until the goal is reached. This means that if you're one of only two or three users who actually signed on, you can't be singled out.
It's an intriguing model, to be sure. There are still plenty of bugs to work through, being that the app was just released in public alpha earlier today. The most glaring omission at the moment is an effective means to search the site for causes to sign up for. For the time being, the primary method for discovering them is via real-world invites, third-party Web sites (using the site's plug-ins), or via fellow The Point members on your buddy list.
Like anything else in the social networking space, the key to The Point's success will be drawing in and retaining a large enough user base to keep things going. But for most people who sign up for a particular cause, the site will likely not have a great deal of replay value. It's tough to imagine users checking in on the site habitually the way they do with, say, Facebook or Myspace.
If The Point can maintain a steady flow of new users, however, it might have a good point, after all.
Print Your Own Cards and Stickers with Moo
There used to be a time when you had to take your cherished family photographs to a print shop to get holiday cards printed with the photos. This was expensive and time consuming, and there was always the danger that you'd never see your original photos again. But the Web has made it possible to do this from home. Moo, a site that specializes in do-it-yourself publishing, makes it easy for you to design your cards using your own photos, send in an order, and kick back until your holiday cards arrive in the mail.
Moo accepts media from virtually any online source: uploads from Flickr, Livejournal, Vox, Photobucker, Second Life, Facebook, and more. You can pull images from those services if you like, or upload you own digital photos directly to your Moo account. Once your media is uploaded, choose between a number of products to turn your photos into, design something that fits your specific needs or just suits your taste, and order as much as you like of it.
Moo specializes in custom greeting cards, postcards, minicards, and minicard holders. The service just started offering stickerbooks. You can use the wedding photos you uploaded to Flickr to customize your thank-you cards after the big day, or make stickers out of your favorite Facebook photos of all of your friends. If you don't want to use your own photos, you can use artwork already uploaded to Moo by designers that the site partners with. If you're even lazier and just looking for something quick, you can browse the ready-made section for predesigned stickers, notecards, and postcards designed by professionals. Just add them to your cart, and you're all finished.
The strength of Moo, however, is that you can make your own personalized notecards and sticker books based on the photos you've taken and the artwork you've done. If you know an artist and want to give her a personal holiday gift, upload a scan of one of her paintings to the site and use Moo to create something special from it.
Moo's new stickerbooks start at $10, and greeting cards and postcards start around $24 and $20, respectively. The site also hosts design competitions and contests for its amateur designers and encourages people to post their original designs to the site. While its business started with custom-printed greeting cards, Moo has so much more to offer that it's worth looking around for something new, even if you don't want to use your own media.
The online product designer makes it easy to drag and drop images and designs to make your own unique creations, and the prices are reasonable considering people used to have to spend hundreds to get a run of custom greeting cards. I know a lot of people who use Moo and swear by it. Given that the holidays are coming, you might want to give it a try too; it sure beats the usual store-bought card.
Moo accepts media from virtually any online source: uploads from Flickr, Livejournal, Vox, Photobucker, Second Life, Facebook, and more. You can pull images from those services if you like, or upload you own digital photos directly to your Moo account. Once your media is uploaded, choose between a number of products to turn your photos into, design something that fits your specific needs or just suits your taste, and order as much as you like of it.
Moo specializes in custom greeting cards, postcards, minicards, and minicard holders. The service just started offering stickerbooks. You can use the wedding photos you uploaded to Flickr to customize your thank-you cards after the big day, or make stickers out of your favorite Facebook photos of all of your friends. If you don't want to use your own photos, you can use artwork already uploaded to Moo by designers that the site partners with. If you're even lazier and just looking for something quick, you can browse the ready-made section for predesigned stickers, notecards, and postcards designed by professionals. Just add them to your cart, and you're all finished.
The strength of Moo, however, is that you can make your own personalized notecards and sticker books based on the photos you've taken and the artwork you've done. If you know an artist and want to give her a personal holiday gift, upload a scan of one of her paintings to the site and use Moo to create something special from it.
Moo's new stickerbooks start at $10, and greeting cards and postcards start around $24 and $20, respectively. The site also hosts design competitions and contests for its amateur designers and encourages people to post their original designs to the site. While its business started with custom-printed greeting cards, Moo has so much more to offer that it's worth looking around for something new, even if you don't want to use your own media.
The online product designer makes it easy to drag and drop images and designs to make your own unique creations, and the prices are reasonable considering people used to have to spend hundreds to get a run of custom greeting cards. I know a lot of people who use Moo and swear by it. Given that the holidays are coming, you might want to give it a try too; it sure beats the usual store-bought card.
Win Rhapsody Music Downloads from Wendy's
If your stomach can handle Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers and Crispy Chicken Sandwiches from Wendy's, you could win free songs from Rhapsody. Wendy's Restaurants and Real Networks' Rhapsody will give away 100 million free digital songs to consumers who buy a combo meal between November 21 and December 30. They'll get an access code on their beverage cups to download a free song. (Just FYI, Rhapsody songs aren't compatible with iPods.)
In addition, Wendy's is hosting an MP3 giveaway in which consumers can enter the "Combo Up to Download" sweepstakes for a chance to win a 50-song download bundle from Rhapsody or one of 100 SanDisk Sansa e280R Rhapsody portable MP3 players. Earlier this year, Wendy's hosted a Wii giveaway. This is another attempt by the fast-food chain to target (and feed) 18-to-34-year-olds.
In addition, Wendy's is hosting an MP3 giveaway in which consumers can enter the "Combo Up to Download" sweepstakes for a chance to win a 50-song download bundle from Rhapsody or one of 100 SanDisk Sansa e280R Rhapsody portable MP3 players. Earlier this year, Wendy's hosted a Wii giveaway. This is another attempt by the fast-food chain to target (and feed) 18-to-34-year-olds.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Pandora Adds Classical Music
Between terrestrial radio and popular Web-based musical recommendation engines, classical music fans don't get a whole lot of love. Pandora, arguably still the best-known site in the latter category, is looking to turn that around. It announced today the addition of tens of thousand recordings by over 500 classical composers to the Musical Genome Project, which forms the basis of the site's recommendation engine.
"We think classical music enthusiasts will be delighted by the ability to explore any and all parts of the classical music universe in ways that have never before been possible", said the site's founder, Tim Westergren. "At the same time, we hope to make classical music more accessible and relevant to everyone."
The feature, which has been several years in the making, will span the genre's major periods, including Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern and Contemporary.
"We think classical music enthusiasts will be delighted by the ability to explore any and all parts of the classical music universe in ways that have never before been possible", said the site's founder, Tim Westergren. "At the same time, we hope to make classical music more accessible and relevant to everyone."
The feature, which has been several years in the making, will span the genre's major periods, including Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern and Contemporary.
Marvel Classics Go Online
There's an ongoing conversation among comics reviewers about the value of publishing comics on the Web. The most obvious benefit is the potential exposure that the Web provides--for up-and-coming creators too green to start thinking about book deals, the move is a no-brainer. Perhaps it's something of a generational thing, but the conversation inevitably comes down to the actual experience of reading comics on a computer screen.
More and more, works are being designed specifically for the Web. One of the major reasons that the strip format is growing in popularity is that it's easier to read a few panels at a time on a screen than to get through an entire issue, or god forbid, a story arc.
When works that were created to be consumed in book form go online, things get rougher. It's the literary equivalent of trying to surf the Web on your phone. The layouts just don't look right, and there's a lot of scrolling involved. I was discussing the matter a few weeks ago with a fellow comics reviewer; she said that after taking an informal survey of our peers, she discovered nearly everyone would rather receive a comic in book form or even as a galley (a paper-clipped preview of the book) than as a PDF.
That said, it's tough to argue with free. Marvel Comics, the home of Spider-Man and the X-men--and arguable the most popular publisher in the medium--has announced plans to republish original issues online.
Several years ago, the company re-released a good chunk of its back catalog in thick anthologies on low-quality black-and-white paper. The Essential books all carry $16 price tags and run several hundred pages a piece.
For anyone looking to catch up on or relive the early years of a favorite superhero, the guides proved indispensable. I don't read a lot of superhero comics myself, but I picked up several of the books in order to bone up on creators like Jack Kirby, John Byrne, and Chris Claremont. All things considered, the collections were quite possibly the most brilliant move the company has made in several years (killing off Captain America and dressing up Jessica Alba in a tight Fantastic Four suit were both lucrative moves, to be sure, but I don't think either qualifies as brilliant).
Pushing these classic issues online works on two important levels. First, it lets the company dip its foot in the Webby waters--something Marvel and other major comics publishers have largely been hesitant to do, in much the way that their counterparts in book publishing and the music industries have been. Granted, comics publishers haven't been nearly as lawsuit-happy as the music companies, but that likely is because the piracy of comics is a fraction of a fraction, compared to what is happening with MP3s (this, again, likely has something to do with the aforementioned aversion to reading comics on a computer screen).
DC Comics, the home of Batman and Superman--and Marvel's chief competition--recently launched Zuda, a social network that attempts to cash in on the (difficult to monetize) Web-comics phenomenon. The site has been met with a fair amount of criticism among those who see as an unsuccessful attempt by the old guard to make themselves hipper.
The second key to the move is that it exposes a library of amazing work to younger readers who aren't likely to drop even $16 to read works from a time when their parents were their age.
This work was created to be read--not stashed away in hermetically-sealed plastic bags. It's nice to see Marvel putting it back in the hands of young readers, where it belongs.
More and more, works are being designed specifically for the Web. One of the major reasons that the strip format is growing in popularity is that it's easier to read a few panels at a time on a screen than to get through an entire issue, or god forbid, a story arc.
When works that were created to be consumed in book form go online, things get rougher. It's the literary equivalent of trying to surf the Web on your phone. The layouts just don't look right, and there's a lot of scrolling involved. I was discussing the matter a few weeks ago with a fellow comics reviewer; she said that after taking an informal survey of our peers, she discovered nearly everyone would rather receive a comic in book form or even as a galley (a paper-clipped preview of the book) than as a PDF.
That said, it's tough to argue with free. Marvel Comics, the home of Spider-Man and the X-men--and arguable the most popular publisher in the medium--has announced plans to republish original issues online.
Several years ago, the company re-released a good chunk of its back catalog in thick anthologies on low-quality black-and-white paper. The Essential books all carry $16 price tags and run several hundred pages a piece.
For anyone looking to catch up on or relive the early years of a favorite superhero, the guides proved indispensable. I don't read a lot of superhero comics myself, but I picked up several of the books in order to bone up on creators like Jack Kirby, John Byrne, and Chris Claremont. All things considered, the collections were quite possibly the most brilliant move the company has made in several years (killing off Captain America and dressing up Jessica Alba in a tight Fantastic Four suit were both lucrative moves, to be sure, but I don't think either qualifies as brilliant).
Pushing these classic issues online works on two important levels. First, it lets the company dip its foot in the Webby waters--something Marvel and other major comics publishers have largely been hesitant to do, in much the way that their counterparts in book publishing and the music industries have been. Granted, comics publishers haven't been nearly as lawsuit-happy as the music companies, but that likely is because the piracy of comics is a fraction of a fraction, compared to what is happening with MP3s (this, again, likely has something to do with the aforementioned aversion to reading comics on a computer screen).
DC Comics, the home of Batman and Superman--and Marvel's chief competition--recently launched Zuda, a social network that attempts to cash in on the (difficult to monetize) Web-comics phenomenon. The site has been met with a fair amount of criticism among those who see as an unsuccessful attempt by the old guard to make themselves hipper.
The second key to the move is that it exposes a library of amazing work to younger readers who aren't likely to drop even $16 to read works from a time when their parents were their age.
This work was created to be read--not stashed away in hermetically-sealed plastic bags. It's nice to see Marvel putting it back in the hands of young readers, where it belongs.
Share Music with SnoCap's BoomShuffle
SnoCap is one of my favorite social-networking add-ons: bands can add a SnoCap module to their MySpace page or other Web page, and the module sells the band's tracks as MP3s. It's a way to bring direct commerce to otherwise tough-to-monetize social networking profiles, and it gives fans an easy way to buy MP3s from their favorite band.
SnoCap's next project is BoomShuffle, a beta music service that was just announced today. BoomShuffle's a simple app that lets users create their own music playlists from SnoCap's catalog; in other words, you don't have to own the tracks to use them in your playlists.
Creating a list is dead simple. Pick a title and enter a description, select a skin for the page, and then start adding tracks. SnoCap's full catalog isn't up and running yet, but reps say it will be in the next week or two. Even so, I found tons of music, including some tracks that aren't in Napster's catalog. The fact that these are full tracks also puts BoomShuffle up over the popular Facebook/iLike playlist maker, in which tons of tracks are only available as 30-second samples.
Important to note that if you list has less than 15 songs by 15 artists, it'll only play 30-second samples of the tracks. Once you add more, however, the list is considered robust enough to be treated as an Internet radio station and you'll be able to hear the full songs. And yes, BoomShuffle will be paying royalties on all the music that's being streamed.
BoomShuffle also lets you invite others to collaborate on your playlists. For instance, the reps gave a scenario of sending an evite out for a party, along with an invitation to a BoomShuffle list that lets your guests create their own party mix.
Once the playlist is done, along with listening to it at BoomShuffle's site, you'll get an embed code for adding it to your Web site, MySpace page, and so on. Listeners will be able to hear the track but, as is par for the Web-radio course, can only skip through five tracks (the maximum allowed to be considered Web radio).
The service looks very cool from what I've seen so far. It's in open beta as of today, so go check it out.
Update: Just for fun (and to try out the embed function), here's the playlist I created today...a pretty good mix of popular and not-so-popular bands, with not-so-popular songs from popular artists and so on. The SnoCap catalog you pull tracks from is quite deep for the most part, and will be filled out more over the next couple weeks.
Update to the Update: I can't see the embedded player in IE7, but it works great in Firefox.
SnoCap's next project is BoomShuffle, a beta music service that was just announced today. BoomShuffle's a simple app that lets users create their own music playlists from SnoCap's catalog; in other words, you don't have to own the tracks to use them in your playlists.
Creating a list is dead simple. Pick a title and enter a description, select a skin for the page, and then start adding tracks. SnoCap's full catalog isn't up and running yet, but reps say it will be in the next week or two. Even so, I found tons of music, including some tracks that aren't in Napster's catalog. The fact that these are full tracks also puts BoomShuffle up over the popular Facebook/iLike playlist maker, in which tons of tracks are only available as 30-second samples.
Important to note that if you list has less than 15 songs by 15 artists, it'll only play 30-second samples of the tracks. Once you add more, however, the list is considered robust enough to be treated as an Internet radio station and you'll be able to hear the full songs. And yes, BoomShuffle will be paying royalties on all the music that's being streamed.
BoomShuffle also lets you invite others to collaborate on your playlists. For instance, the reps gave a scenario of sending an evite out for a party, along with an invitation to a BoomShuffle list that lets your guests create their own party mix.
Once the playlist is done, along with listening to it at BoomShuffle's site, you'll get an embed code for adding it to your Web site, MySpace page, and so on. Listeners will be able to hear the track but, as is par for the Web-radio course, can only skip through five tracks (the maximum allowed to be considered Web radio).
The service looks very cool from what I've seen so far. It's in open beta as of today, so go check it out.
Update: Just for fun (and to try out the embed function), here's the playlist I created today...a pretty good mix of popular and not-so-popular bands, with not-so-popular songs from popular artists and so on. The SnoCap catalog you pull tracks from is quite deep for the most part, and will be filled out more over the next couple weeks.
Update to the Update: I can't see the embedded player in IE7, but it works great in Firefox.
Mixaloo: BoomShuffle's Already Got a Competitor
So, SnoCap's BoomShuffle just launched today, and as I'm writing a post about it, a press release hits my inbox saying Mixaloo is leaving its beta days behind and launching for real. Mixaloo lets users create "digital mix tapes" (what we nowadays call "playlists") from its catalog of tracks...that's just what BoomShuffle lets you do!
One of these apps just entered public beta today, and one just left public beta today. Only they're mixed up--the BoomShuffle beta is exceedingly easy to use and relatively bug-free from my experience. Mixaloo needs a bit more time to iron out the kinks, tho (they could start by removing the beta tag BEFORE sending out the press release saying they're not in beta anymore).
Ok, so here's the rundown of Mixaloo: Make your "digital mix tape" (hereafter referred to as "playlist"), embed a commerce link for it on your social network profile, blog, or Web site, and Mixaloo will pay you a percentage everytime someone purchases your playlist.
So, you get paid $$ for your playlist. So far that's Mixaloo 1, BoomShuffle 0. And that's where Mixaloo's scoring stops. BoomShuffle has a MUCH (much, much) bigger catalog of available tracks to pull from. BoomShuffle's search is much better--Mixaloo couldn't find The Arcade Fire or The New Pornographers when I searched on "Arcade Fire" and "New Pornographers." (!!) BoomShuffle is easier to use. BoomShuffle didn't pop up an error message every 30 seconds. And, from the user side, listening to your own or your friend's BoomShuffle playlist is free...they arent trying to sell anybody anything. (Although BoomShine does include a commerce link for iTunes, should you want to purchase the track.)
Sorry Mixaloo...go back into beta.
One of these apps just entered public beta today, and one just left public beta today. Only they're mixed up--the BoomShuffle beta is exceedingly easy to use and relatively bug-free from my experience. Mixaloo needs a bit more time to iron out the kinks, tho (they could start by removing the beta tag BEFORE sending out the press release saying they're not in beta anymore).
Ok, so here's the rundown of Mixaloo: Make your "digital mix tape" (hereafter referred to as "playlist"), embed a commerce link for it on your social network profile, blog, or Web site, and Mixaloo will pay you a percentage everytime someone purchases your playlist.
So, you get paid $$ for your playlist. So far that's Mixaloo 1, BoomShuffle 0. And that's where Mixaloo's scoring stops. BoomShuffle has a MUCH (much, much) bigger catalog of available tracks to pull from. BoomShuffle's search is much better--Mixaloo couldn't find The Arcade Fire or The New Pornographers when I searched on "Arcade Fire" and "New Pornographers." (!!) BoomShuffle is easier to use. BoomShuffle didn't pop up an error message every 30 seconds. And, from the user side, listening to your own or your friend's BoomShuffle playlist is free...they arent trying to sell anybody anything. (Although BoomShine does include a commerce link for iTunes, should you want to purchase the track.)
Sorry Mixaloo...go back into beta.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Man Sues Google for $5 Billion
By this point, most of us have now doubt heard about the Nebraska Senator who sued God, in order to make a point about frivolous lawsuits, but surely neither party could have seen this one coming.
A man has stepped into the long line of folks suing Google. He filed a $5 billion suit alleging that, among other things, the search giant discovered the letters G-O-O-G-L-E scrambled and upside down in his Social Security number and then adopted them as the name of its corporation.
A race to the moon? Perpetual beta? Broken frozen yogurt machines? Suddenly it's all clear.
A man has stepped into the long line of folks suing Google. He filed a $5 billion suit alleging that, among other things, the search giant discovered the letters G-O-O-G-L-E scrambled and upside down in his Social Security number and then adopted them as the name of its corporation.
A race to the moon? Perpetual beta? Broken frozen yogurt machines? Suddenly it's all clear.
Man Sues to Protect Tanzanian Tribe Against Google. Hilarity Ensues.
The pieces of the massive global conspiracy that is the Google corporation are finally starting to fall into place. A few weeks ago, they announced their plans to take over the moon, and now, judging from a lawsuit last week that involved the company plagiarizing a poor Pennsylvanian man's social security number, and this new suit involving a Tanzanian tribe, it seems pretty clear that everyone's favorite not-evil-doing search platform is also attempting to dominate the planet earth, like a giant, multi-colored search octopus.
Texas resident, Denis Maringo (more specifically, CCA Houston Processing Center resident, thanks to immigration charges, according to the complaint discovered byThe New York Times' Bits Blog), that Dylan Steve Wayne guy in Pennsylvania was a total nutball. Of course Google didn't come upon their name by turning a guy's social security upside down and unscrambling it. Anyone with half a brain in their head can tell you that the company actually pilfered their name from the Gogo tribe in Tanzania.
Also, while he's suing people, Maringo thought it only appropriate to mention the fact that Google isn't the only search giant who nabbed a name from a fellow Tanzanian tribe. Yahoo!'s monkier actually comes from the Yao tribe. At least the Tanzanian Webcrawlers have remained unscathed, thus far.
Maringo is asking for $10,000 per member of each tribe. Google, however, is maintaining their original statement that the company's name comes from the mathematical term "googol." If that is indeed the case, when is the Arabic numeric system going to get its payday?
Also, who is looking out for Japanese anime assassin, Golgo 13, mid-90s M.O.R. group, the Goo Goo Dolls, and Andy Griffith Show star, George "Goober" Lindsey?
Really, Google, is there anyone you won't hurt?
Texas resident, Denis Maringo (more specifically, CCA Houston Processing Center resident, thanks to immigration charges, according to the complaint discovered byThe New York Times' Bits Blog), that Dylan Steve Wayne guy in Pennsylvania was a total nutball. Of course Google didn't come upon their name by turning a guy's social security upside down and unscrambling it. Anyone with half a brain in their head can tell you that the company actually pilfered their name from the Gogo tribe in Tanzania.
Also, while he's suing people, Maringo thought it only appropriate to mention the fact that Google isn't the only search giant who nabbed a name from a fellow Tanzanian tribe. Yahoo!'s monkier actually comes from the Yao tribe. At least the Tanzanian Webcrawlers have remained unscathed, thus far.
Maringo is asking for $10,000 per member of each tribe. Google, however, is maintaining their original statement that the company's name comes from the mathematical term "googol." If that is indeed the case, when is the Arabic numeric system going to get its payday?
Also, who is looking out for Japanese anime assassin, Golgo 13, mid-90s M.O.R. group, the Goo Goo Dolls, and Andy Griffith Show star, George "Goober" Lindsey?
Really, Google, is there anyone you won't hurt?
Northeastern University Sues Google
Google's no stranger to the wide world of Web lawsuits, but for the most part, their legal confrontation are usually handed down from other media and tech companies or wacky users. The latest suit comes from a more unusual source--an American University.
Boston's Northeastern University is suing the search company for patent infrigment. Filed last Tuesday, the suit claims that Kenneth Baclawski, one of the school's professors, is the rightful owner of key aspect of Google's search technology.
According to MediaPost, "Baclawski was awarded patent No. 5,694,593, 'Distributed computer database system and method, 10 years ago, but reportedly didn't become aware of the allegation that Google's search system violated his patent until two and a half years ago, when approached by a Boston law firm."
Google isn't buying it, however. "We believe the complaint to be without merit based upon our initial investigation," said company spokesman Jon Murchison.
Boston's Northeastern University is suing the search company for patent infrigment. Filed last Tuesday, the suit claims that Kenneth Baclawski, one of the school's professors, is the rightful owner of key aspect of Google's search technology.
According to MediaPost, "Baclawski was awarded patent No. 5,694,593, 'Distributed computer database system and method, 10 years ago, but reportedly didn't become aware of the allegation that Google's search system violated his patent until two and a half years ago, when approached by a Boston law firm."
Google isn't buying it, however. "We believe the complaint to be without merit based upon our initial investigation," said company spokesman Jon Murchison.
Embarking on College Applications via FaceBook
Time to show my (advanced) age: Kids today have it so easy! Back in my day, when it came time to apply for college, you had to get individual forms from each school you were interested, on paper, and fill them out by hand, individually. Real overachievers might have pulled out the old IBM Selectric and typed on the form.
Now they can apply for school from their favorite social network.
Today, Embark, uh, embarked upon a venture in a new venue: FaceBook. High school students can add the Embark FaceBook tool by clicking Applications and searching on "College Planner." Embark president Adam Park says they can use it to see school information and what schools their friends are interested in--and to fill out their application to send to multiple schools simultaneously.
Of course, these things aren't groundbreaking, but they do make for a unique combination. For example, Academia Group's Skool Pool is a FaceBook app for discussing your favorite seats of higher education. And the Common Application for Undergraduate College Admission has been around for years--since 1975. As of 2006, all Common Application member schools accept the app online (via CommonApp.org). That's great, but a lot of schools still require some supplemental materials be filled out. And the two don't work together.
Embark combines the application process, where it can, with the social networking aspect. It's been doing something similar to CommonApp.org for over a decade, mainly for colleges that double as clients--Embark's main business is selling software to school admission departments to track kids from first inquiry all the way to matriculation.
Students visit the FaceBook app (or Embark.com) to fill out a single profile which can be parsed out to applications. If the student picked from the 200 or so schools that are Embark partners, the app is filed instantly and electronically. But Embark will also auto-fill PDF versions for non-partner schools, if that school's application is made public.
Park hopes this all helps today's future undergrads get through one of the most stressful periods they'll ever live through. I say, they've got it easy. And get off my lawn!
Post by Eric Griffith
Now they can apply for school from their favorite social network.
Today, Embark, uh, embarked upon a venture in a new venue: FaceBook. High school students can add the Embark FaceBook tool by clicking Applications and searching on "College Planner." Embark president Adam Park says they can use it to see school information and what schools their friends are interested in--and to fill out their application to send to multiple schools simultaneously.
Of course, these things aren't groundbreaking, but they do make for a unique combination. For example, Academia Group's Skool Pool is a FaceBook app for discussing your favorite seats of higher education. And the Common Application for Undergraduate College Admission has been around for years--since 1975. As of 2006, all Common Application member schools accept the app online (via CommonApp.org). That's great, but a lot of schools still require some supplemental materials be filled out. And the two don't work together.
Embark combines the application process, where it can, with the social networking aspect. It's been doing something similar to CommonApp.org for over a decade, mainly for colleges that double as clients--Embark's main business is selling software to school admission departments to track kids from first inquiry all the way to matriculation.
Students visit the FaceBook app (or Embark.com) to fill out a single profile which can be parsed out to applications. If the student picked from the 200 or so schools that are Embark partners, the app is filed instantly and electronically. But Embark will also auto-fill PDF versions for non-partner schools, if that school's application is made public.
Park hopes this all helps today's future undergrads get through one of the most stressful periods they'll ever live through. I say, they've got it easy. And get off my lawn!
Post by Eric Griffith
Bonnie Brown: Google's Millionaire Masseuse
The New York Times has a profile of Bonnie Brown, a former in-house masseuse for Google who, like everyone else employed by the company, makes far more money than you. In 1999, the recently divorced Brown answered a help-wanted ad with the start-up.
For $450 a week she provided stress relief for the 40-person staff. The company also sent her home with stock options--a nice sentiment, but let's face it, how often are start-up stock options worth the paper they're printed on?
After five years, Brown cashed in her options, left the gig, and retired as a millionaire. Now 52, Brown lives in Nevada and is shopping her book, Giigle: How I Got Lucky Massaging Google.
The company's stock, which hit $700 a share last week, has made an estimated 1,000 employees more than $5 million each.
[Photo courtesy of The New York Times.]
For $450 a week she provided stress relief for the 40-person staff. The company also sent her home with stock options--a nice sentiment, but let's face it, how often are start-up stock options worth the paper they're printed on?
After five years, Brown cashed in her options, left the gig, and retired as a millionaire. Now 52, Brown lives in Nevada and is shopping her book, Giigle: How I Got Lucky Massaging Google.
The company's stock, which hit $700 a share last week, has made an estimated 1,000 employees more than $5 million each.
[Photo courtesy of The New York Times.]
Friday, July 17, 2009
Bebo Launches "Open Media"
Bebo hosted a little get-together at the Bryant Park Hotel in NYC this morning to announce their new "Open Media" platform. Bebo is one of the largest social networks in the world, and is No. 1 in many countries, but it plays second fiddle in the states to MySpace and Facebook (so third fiddle, I suppose)(and a quiet third fiddle, tucked way in the back of the stage behind the cellos).
Now Bebo's trying to go beyond social networking into content hosting with Open Media, in hopes of luring more eyeballs and ad dollars. Basically, Bebo wants content producers (especially video and TV) to upload their content to Bebo, which will provide them with a free space for it, and let them embed whatever ads they want in the video and keep 100% of the profits. It's self-service, so it sounds like the studios can pretty much do what they want with it, and they retain full copyright control.
Free hosting, distribution, and promotion, and the studios keep all the ad money they can attract. Bebo gets the extra traffic that the content attracts, and users get free access to more online content. Sounds like a win-win-win. Launch partners include MTV, CBS, the BBC, and others (these three seem to be the standard launch partners of every new video platform, don't they?)
One thing I like about Bebo's idea is it at least attempts to aggregate content from lots of different companies in one place. Granted, every online video company is trying to do that, but Bebo's actually trying to do it on the studios' terms--ie, there are no terms.
Just from casual surfing around the site, it doesn't look as sleek and cool as Hulu or Joost; more like MySpace TV. But the integration with Bebo's social network--letting users swap videos, post clips to their profile page, and so on--will make it an attractive feature to Bebo users.
Now Bebo's trying to go beyond social networking into content hosting with Open Media, in hopes of luring more eyeballs and ad dollars. Basically, Bebo wants content producers (especially video and TV) to upload their content to Bebo, which will provide them with a free space for it, and let them embed whatever ads they want in the video and keep 100% of the profits. It's self-service, so it sounds like the studios can pretty much do what they want with it, and they retain full copyright control.
Free hosting, distribution, and promotion, and the studios keep all the ad money they can attract. Bebo gets the extra traffic that the content attracts, and users get free access to more online content. Sounds like a win-win-win. Launch partners include MTV, CBS, the BBC, and others (these three seem to be the standard launch partners of every new video platform, don't they?)
One thing I like about Bebo's idea is it at least attempts to aggregate content from lots of different companies in one place. Granted, every online video company is trying to do that, but Bebo's actually trying to do it on the studios' terms--ie, there are no terms.
Just from casual surfing around the site, it doesn't look as sleek and cool as Hulu or Joost; more like MySpace TV. But the integration with Bebo's social network--letting users swap videos, post clips to their profile page, and so on--will make it an attractive feature to Bebo users.
This is a Test: eSnips Introduces Social DNA
It seems to be getting harder and harder to sell folks on new social networking services in the States as the two primary leaders in the market, MySpace and Facebook, continue to grow exponentially and leave everyone else in the dust. Like Bebo and Orkut, though, the Tel Aviv-based eSnips is getting a good amount of traction in more competitive markets outside the U.S.
Launched late last year, the site does have a pretty solid pitch. The community is based around sharing personal art. Users get 5GB of space for their work: They can upload poetry, painting, music, and even karaoke performances. Instead of casually friending a band, as you might on MySpace, eSnips promotes more engagement with shared interests and even offers the means for artists to sell their work.
This morning, eSnips added a feature called Social DNA. Users are asked to complete quizzes--stuff along the lines of those perennial Web favorites, like "Which superhero are you?" This helps connect them with like-minded members. It's a better-organized method for meeting friends via the Web than most sites have in place.
It's also in line with eSnips' mission statement, which revolves around the creation of buddy lists made up largely of Internet-only friends, rather than real-world friends who dominate many friend lists on sites such as MySpace and Facebook.
Launched late last year, the site does have a pretty solid pitch. The community is based around sharing personal art. Users get 5GB of space for their work: They can upload poetry, painting, music, and even karaoke performances. Instead of casually friending a band, as you might on MySpace, eSnips promotes more engagement with shared interests and even offers the means for artists to sell their work.
This morning, eSnips added a feature called Social DNA. Users are asked to complete quizzes--stuff along the lines of those perennial Web favorites, like "Which superhero are you?" This helps connect them with like-minded members. It's a better-organized method for meeting friends via the Web than most sites have in place.
It's also in line with eSnips' mission statement, which revolves around the creation of buddy lists made up largely of Internet-only friends, rather than real-world friends who dominate many friend lists on sites such as MySpace and Facebook.
Web Site Exploit Caught On Video
Picture this: You're innocently surfing the Web, checking your favorite baseball team's stats, when all of a sudden the browser closes and you get a warning that your system may be infested with a virus. Oooh, bad! Better scan, right? Wrong! You didn't ask for that scan, and it doesn't have your best interests at heart. At best the scan will complete with a list of scary viruses and demand cash to remove them. At worst it will actually plant malicious software on your system. So how do you recognize and avoid this kind of chicanery? A recent video by Roger Thompson of Exploit Prevention Labs walks through the experience step by step.
Thompson's video shows exactly what the attack looks like and shows just how it happens. The root cause is that modern Web sites draw content from all over, and it's easy for a sneak to slip in content that's not what the site owner expected. This type of attack isn't stopped by antivirus, and HTML traffic comes in right through the firewall. To protect against this sort of attack, you need something that can analyze the code on a Web page and identify exploits of this sort--something like LinkScanner Pro from Thompson's own company.
Thompson's video shows exactly what the attack looks like and shows just how it happens. The root cause is that modern Web sites draw content from all over, and it's easy for a sneak to slip in content that's not what the site owner expected. This type of attack isn't stopped by antivirus, and HTML traffic comes in right through the firewall. To protect against this sort of attack, you need something that can analyze the code on a Web page and identify exploits of this sort--something like LinkScanner Pro from Thompson's own company.
Better eBay Results with Get It Next
Sometimes searching for a popular items on eBay is tough. If you're looking for a Nintendo Wii, you have to scroll through pages and pages of Wii controllers and accessories. eBay gives you the option to sort by price and relevancy, but it doesn't always separate the wheat from the chaff.
Get It Next is a Web service that searches eBay for you, only displaying what you're really looking for; no more sifting through hundreds of iPod cases and power adapters when you're looking for a used Nano.
To get an idea of Get It Next's effectiveness, just take a look at the front page. The service has some of eBay's most popular searches there, and you can click on each one of them to see how well the service works. If you're looking for a Nintendo Wii, or a Webkins Tree Frog, you can immediately see how many are available, what price they're selling for, and you can bid on the item immediately. Get It Next shows you the price, the current bid, the shipping, the total price, and a photo of the item.
If the item is still available, you can bid on it immediately, and Get It Next even shows you how much time is left on the auction. If you click on an auction you're interested in, Get It Next displays the auction within its own layout, which has far fewer ads and is a bit cleaner than eBay itself. If you're not interested in bidding on items, you can click the "Buy It Now" tab at the top of the page to only see results from auctions that have Buy It Now prices set, and the "Find a Deal" tab will help you find a bargain price on whatever you might be looking for.
As you browse Get It Next for items that you want to buy, you can add them to your watch list on the sidebar or save searches that you've made. If you're looking to save some cash on shipping, you can enter your zip code to only see search results that are near you.
Get It Next is probably the best thing to happen to eBay since eBay Desktop. The site is clean and does exactly what it promises to do: sift through the dozens of unwanted search results to get the gadgets and gear you're looking for. The layout is a huge improvement over eBay, and the ability to track countdown timers, add items to your own watch list, and buy immediately through Get It Next makes it a winner.
Get It Next is a Web service that searches eBay for you, only displaying what you're really looking for; no more sifting through hundreds of iPod cases and power adapters when you're looking for a used Nano.
To get an idea of Get It Next's effectiveness, just take a look at the front page. The service has some of eBay's most popular searches there, and you can click on each one of them to see how well the service works. If you're looking for a Nintendo Wii, or a Webkins Tree Frog, you can immediately see how many are available, what price they're selling for, and you can bid on the item immediately. Get It Next shows you the price, the current bid, the shipping, the total price, and a photo of the item.
If the item is still available, you can bid on it immediately, and Get It Next even shows you how much time is left on the auction. If you click on an auction you're interested in, Get It Next displays the auction within its own layout, which has far fewer ads and is a bit cleaner than eBay itself. If you're not interested in bidding on items, you can click the "Buy It Now" tab at the top of the page to only see results from auctions that have Buy It Now prices set, and the "Find a Deal" tab will help you find a bargain price on whatever you might be looking for.
As you browse Get It Next for items that you want to buy, you can add them to your watch list on the sidebar or save searches that you've made. If you're looking to save some cash on shipping, you can enter your zip code to only see search results that are near you.
Get It Next is probably the best thing to happen to eBay since eBay Desktop. The site is clean and does exactly what it promises to do: sift through the dozens of unwanted search results to get the gadgets and gear you're looking for. The layout is a huge improvement over eBay, and the ability to track countdown timers, add items to your own watch list, and buy immediately through Get It Next makes it a winner.
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