And now this blog has also joined the "brave new world" of layouts, page elements and advanced design gui to support the template coding. For now it remains mostly based on the blogger offering, but I'll try to get a more suitable image in the header and do some minor tweaks.
On a side note the new archive function does a running tally - so last year really was a bit slow, about half the number of posts compare to the two years previous. With eight months all but gone, it looks like 07 will top in around 60 some posts, but the number might be enough to get stuff up one bit at a time and even on a more regular basis.
Thursday, August 30
See what I saw
I just got "robbed" out of a hour of free time, spent geocoding images for Google, for free. Or, more to the point I was as fascinated with the new(ish) feature for Picasaweb (Las Vegas demo sample)- adding maps and location to images and albums - as I was a while back with the rather similar Flickr feature.
The goggle interface is very nice and easy to use, and with albums already having a "place taken" tag it is easy to start in the right place, and then just drag'n'drop the separate images onto the map.
And since we are talking about 'web2' here, there is obviously an API to go along with it. For a simple sample have a look at "levsplaces" and the related article. The code is simple and builds easily into the established gmaps and other pieces. There is support for searching and using tags, so you could easily create a mash-up 'flying' over the map of London and showing off all 346 dog pictures...
With YouTube also getting the google API treatment, you could take it a step further and add in some top rated videos - since the "balloons" support embedding (used very well by BBC during the flooding in the UK)
Now if I could only find the login info for the gmap test site I set up...
The goggle interface is very nice and easy to use, and with albums already having a "place taken" tag it is easy to start in the right place, and then just drag'n'drop the separate images onto the map.
And since we are talking about 'web2' here, there is obviously an API to go along with it. For a simple sample have a look at "levsplaces" and the related article. The code is simple and builds easily into the established gmaps and other pieces. There is support for searching and using tags, so you could easily create a mash-up 'flying' over the map of London and showing off all 346 dog pictures...
With YouTube also getting the google API treatment, you could take it a step further and add in some top rated videos - since the "balloons" support embedding (used very well by BBC during the flooding in the UK)
Now if I could only find the login info for the gmap test site I set up...
Tuesday, August 21
Bacn - a step above spam
Trendy Terminology post from Cnet; Bacn:
"Despite the obligatory missing vowel, bacn (pronounced 'bacon') isn't a hot Web 2.0 start-up. It's 'the middle class of e-mail,' the stuff that isn't really spam because it's not totally unwanted, but isn't really wanted either."
Like all those newsletter and weekly offers you just might want to have a look at, but can't seem to really find the time. Fun take.
"Despite the obligatory missing vowel, bacn (pronounced 'bacon') isn't a hot Web 2.0 start-up. It's 'the middle class of e-mail,' the stuff that isn't really spam because it's not totally unwanted, but isn't really wanted either."
Like all those newsletter and weekly offers you just might want to have a look at, but can't seem to really find the time. Fun take.
Three blogs
A short summary of some post that caught my eye over the last week(end);
On Netflix and their improved community features and the Netflix prize; "The current leader in the contest has achieved an improvement of 7.80% over Netflix's engine".
Musings on Codeplex and open source both with in MS and for Windows in general; "Vista Battery Saver - A small program that can help you save up to 70% of your battery life"
NewTeeVee adds some thoughts on the Flash use of H.264 as a new codec; "an interest in better quality video on its AppleTV, Apple recently persuaded YouTube to reencode its Flash videos in H.264"
Still a lot going on in the digital world of moving images - be they distributed by the postal service or to assorted white devices. Still no one single solution to make everybody focus on content rather than tech - but are we getting close enough in terms of easy cross-distribution and encoding to satisfy the goal?
On Netflix and their improved community features and the Netflix prize; "The current leader in the contest has achieved an improvement of 7.80% over Netflix's engine".
Musings on Codeplex and open source both with in MS and for Windows in general; "Vista Battery Saver - A small program that can help you save up to 70% of your battery life"
NewTeeVee adds some thoughts on the Flash use of H.264 as a new codec; "an interest in better quality video on its AppleTV, Apple recently persuaded YouTube to reencode its Flash videos in H.264"
Still a lot going on in the digital world of moving images - be they distributed by the postal service or to assorted white devices. Still no one single solution to make everybody focus on content rather than tech - but are we getting close enough in terms of easy cross-distribution and encoding to satisfy the goal?
Tuesday, August 14
Changing media - new and old
"Three Cs": Catalyze and Curate Conversations.
Mr Long Tail, Chris Anderson, reflects on how Wired is meeting the development and growth of mass-niches by expanding the use of the web as a supplement to the magazine. There is also a good comment on the problems with "crowd-sourcing" news if the tech isn't up to speed.
Poynter has a piece on ownership and focus for some of the 'other' media companies; "radically different business models. They're thinking broadly: aggregator + search + content + mobile + gaming = sustainability." It is a good reminder to see just how broad the portfolios of Google and Yahoo have become.
...and the sun is taking a break right now...
Mr Long Tail, Chris Anderson, reflects on how Wired is meeting the development and growth of mass-niches by expanding the use of the web as a supplement to the magazine. There is also a good comment on the problems with "crowd-sourcing" news if the tech isn't up to speed.
Poynter has a piece on ownership and focus for some of the 'other' media companies; "radically different business models. They're thinking broadly: aggregator + search + content + mobile + gaming = sustainability." It is a good reminder to see just how broad the portfolios of Google and Yahoo have become.
...and the sun is taking a break right now...
Tuesday, August 7
Need distraction?
Well, then the list of "150+ online video tools and resources" over on Mashable might be able to cure the urge for a while. Listing what they refer to as "more than 150 of our favorite sites in this category" - including some 16 online video editors.
On a side note - of the five Google ads on the front page (left menu), two were actually in Norwegian and hence based on IP lookup. Just goes to show that the machine that is Googleplex has a solid inventory and then some in terms of assorted ads.
One story got picked up by MSM, getting broad coverage both directly as a wire story and via dedicated stories following up the theme and topic. While the other got linked directly from blogs - and became the most read story on the News21 Web site, newsinitiative.org
So - one became a mainstream story and was widely read for a short time, while the other garnerd niche readers over time. This could be a relevant insight for using internally in newspapers - to track the way their stories get picked up and linked, not to mention if certain topics or authors get a separate following.
...and the sun brings summertime today for real...
On a side note - of the five Google ads on the front page (left menu), two were actually in Norwegian and hence based on IP lookup. Just goes to show that the machine that is Googleplex has a solid inventory and then some in terms of assorted ads.
Looking at how the news spread
An insightful piece over at the Readership Institute on how new digital avenues are changing both reporting and the discovery of stories. It goes into depth on two similar stories in terms of source and topic (student produced at Medill, about privacy in the digital age and put online and out via AP) on how they had radically different "developments".One story got picked up by MSM, getting broad coverage both directly as a wire story and via dedicated stories following up the theme and topic. While the other got linked directly from blogs - and became the most read story on the News21 Web site, newsinitiative.org
So - one became a mainstream story and was widely read for a short time, while the other garnerd niche readers over time. This could be a relevant insight for using internally in newspapers - to track the way their stories get picked up and linked, not to mention if certain topics or authors get a separate following.
...and the sun brings summertime today for real...
Monday, August 6
Ads for fun and profit
One of the more interesting topics being debated currently (at least in terms of meta-discussions in the online space) is the future for web-tv and online video ads. So far "regular" online advertising is growing at record speeds both here in Norway (+31% y-o-y in May) and in other markets. But there are certain regional differences, with the prevalence of Adwords on global / US sites, and the local preference for unique visitors over page views among them. Still, both locally and globally there is an ongoing discussion and quest for the solution(s) for ads related to online video.
While it is quite easy to have some simple automation in terms of matching text and (text) ads, the technical and volume challenges related to video content are still quite a hurdle. For 'traditional' news clips with voice-over or accompanying text or tags it might work (or the ads could be just as random as the general banner ads on most news sites appear to be), and the same for clearly defined, ongoing shows like LG or Ask a Ninja. Using the fan base and their connection to target ads, the same way that niche topical sites (from CNet to Hardware.no) target specific topical advertisers.
For more random clips (ugc typically) perhaps the best route short term is sticking with the blog coverage or perhaps Gmail (and for that matter Yahoo or MSN) post talking about it. That way, existing patterns for matching and formating could be easily extended - and it would be easier to pick up on things like mood; is the video making fun of or lauding an actor, is it a sad story about loss or an upbeat tale of love - which could and should influence the ads used during and after the content.
As for pre-rolls, the time dimension seems to be shortening - with 7 seconds gaining traction as perceived threshold (at least outside the US, where the general clutter threshold is lower)
There seems to be two paths the assorted companies in the video ad space are taking; either becoming a "destination for ads" (building up volume and placing it themselves) or "tech for all" (making solutions that existing destination / media sites / portals can buy or use to expand their established ads sales portfolio).
Short term I think the second path, creating supplemental solutions for ongoing sales, will be the more rewarding to watch - mostly because the established brands and (text) destinations are in a better position to get the advertisers to learn as they go (just like in the early days of first banner and then text ads - not to mention the rise and demise of pop-ups along the way)
More input - both in terms of the actual articles, but also the quite interesting comments:
...and the sun should be coming out making for a nice, although belated summer day...
While it is quite easy to have some simple automation in terms of matching text and (text) ads, the technical and volume challenges related to video content are still quite a hurdle. For 'traditional' news clips with voice-over or accompanying text or tags it might work (or the ads could be just as random as the general banner ads on most news sites appear to be), and the same for clearly defined, ongoing shows like LG or Ask a Ninja. Using the fan base and their connection to target ads, the same way that niche topical sites (from CNet to Hardware.no) target specific topical advertisers.
For more random clips (ugc typically) perhaps the best route short term is sticking with the blog coverage or perhaps Gmail (and for that matter Yahoo or MSN) post talking about it. That way, existing patterns for matching and formating could be easily extended - and it would be easier to pick up on things like mood; is the video making fun of or lauding an actor, is it a sad story about loss or an upbeat tale of love - which could and should influence the ads used during and after the content.
As for pre-rolls, the time dimension seems to be shortening - with 7 seconds gaining traction as perceived threshold (at least outside the US, where the general clutter threshold is lower)
There seems to be two paths the assorted companies in the video ad space are taking; either becoming a "destination for ads" (building up volume and placing it themselves) or "tech for all" (making solutions that existing destination / media sites / portals can buy or use to expand their established ads sales portfolio).
Short term I think the second path, creating supplemental solutions for ongoing sales, will be the more rewarding to watch - mostly because the established brands and (text) destinations are in a better position to get the advertisers to learn as they go (just like in the early days of first banner and then text ads - not to mention the rise and demise of pop-ups along the way)
More input - both in terms of the actual articles, but also the quite interesting comments:
- An essay from NewTeeVee "Ad Startups Turn Away from User-Generated Video"
- Thoughts on the blinx press for the new AdHoc system
...and the sun should be coming out making for a nice, although belated summer day...
Thursday, August 2
Why the PS3 is 60gb only?
"the simplest guide on the net on how to upgrade your PS3 hard drive" from GamePro certainly begs the question of why the 20gb version is not available here in Norway. Excluding the time to back up, format and restore it does not look like it would take more than 15 minutes to swap the drive. But still, since the current USD rate puts the retail price at nearly $1000 for the 60gb version - it is little wonder it isn't "flying off the shelves" when you can pick up a PS2 for about $150 new (and it still has the most sold games over here, with SingStar and Buzz leading the mass market into the friendly world of hilarious digital experiences).
...and the sun is surely out there, somewhere behind the gray'ish clouds covering most of the sky...
...and the sun is surely out there, somewhere behind the gray'ish clouds covering most of the sky...
Wednesday, August 1
Spoilers or discussions?
Article from the MIT Convergence Culture Consortium blog,
Raises an interesting debate / question as to when and how long something can be considered a spoiler - Star Wars is 30 years old and a part of the culture, so most both fans and acquaintances will probably be well aware of the overall "summary" and most potential revelations.
But the last Harry Potter book has just been released, and not really translated into all the localized versions most suitable for kids or the "YA" market outside the US. So, does talking about what the title refer to make a spoiler - or do you have to go even further into the lives and deaths and other character development?
(As a sidenote the official site for JKR is available inEnglish, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese - and has not been updated since the 18th, the diary at least)
So, when do we draw the line between pre-release (spoiler) and 30 years on (not spoiler)? A week after for a TV show episode or a major movie? A month for a book or a niche movie?
Or is the point about flagging and marking spoilers moot, since people might talk about it on the bus or in the supermarket anyway without your consent or control? And the only viable way to see and read as soon as possible?
Does Peeking Spoil the Fun?
"Does not contain Harry Potter spoilers, does contain a Star Wars spoiler" [pt 1 and 2]Raises an interesting debate / question as to when and how long something can be considered a spoiler - Star Wars is 30 years old and a part of the culture, so most both fans and acquaintances will probably be well aware of the overall "summary" and most potential revelations.
But the last Harry Potter book has just been released, and not really translated into all the localized versions most suitable for kids or the "YA" market outside the US. So, does talking about what the title refer to make a spoiler - or do you have to go even further into the lives and deaths and other character development?
(As a sidenote the official site for JKR is available inEnglish, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese - and has not been updated since the 18th, the diary at least)
So, when do we draw the line between pre-release (spoiler) and 30 years on (not spoiler)? A week after for a TV show episode or a major movie? A month for a book or a niche movie?
Or is the point about flagging and marking spoilers moot, since people might talk about it on the bus or in the supermarket anyway without your consent or control? And the only viable way to see and read as soon as possible?
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