August 30, 2006
I’ve reviewed a number of time-trackers in the past but none of them took advantage of the webtop like SlimTimer does.
Richard White – previously of Kiko – has developed an easy time-tracking tool with SlimTimer. But the main reason I’ve switched to using it is that he implemented a Bubble module.
Time-tracking is one of those things that is a pain to do. And one of the reasons is that it’s simply difficult to remember all that you’ve done in one day. But if there was a way to keep your time-tracker with you all the time, it potentially could be more useful.
That’s a great benefit of the webtop – bringing applications closer to you. You don’t have to access them solely in the browser or even give them a place on the taskbar. Check out the ST Bubble module in action below:
August 28, 2006
I just entered the GigaOM Guest Blogger Contest. My entry is entitled MySpace – The Building of a Modern Virtual Agora. I’ve tried floating some material to Om before through his contact form but I’ve never heard back from him. Perhaps this contest might give me a better chance to get my stuff in front of him (although the winners are picked by Bix members and not by him).
I’d love for the chance to write “specials” for a site like GigaOM. While I can do scoops pretty well, my current interest is to find a place where I can write analytical pieces maybe once a week or so (think in terms of this commentary). GigaOM would be a particularly good fit for me considering the focus of this blog but more importantly my M.S.E. in Telecom and Networking.
The entirety of the entry follows below. If you like it, head over to Bix and give me some support. One last thing, if you or someone you know has any Internet/web writing opportunities open, please feel free to pass them along to me.
August 25, 2006
I’ve just launched a MySpace product line with tshirts and other apparel on CafePress. I spent a lot more time on these products compared to the World of Web 2.0 line because to be honest, geeks are cheap. They like to get things for free.
In working with one of my sisters, we are calling this venture KReative Productions. Right now, we are focused on MySpace but depending on success, we will move into other areas too.
Similar to the other venture, I’ve created banners for MySpacers and others. You can check out the full product line at CafePress or view our MySpace page. And definitely add us as a Friend!
Sonific is a music service – currently in private beta - employing the widget strategy. It caters to bloggers, MySpacers, and the like. Users are able to add Flash players or “SongSpots” to their desired web properties.
From a business perspective, the goal of these SongSpots is to introduce people to new artists with the hope that they will purchase their music on iTunes or CD Baby. The benefit to the user is more cool “widgetry” for their sites – and of course music on social networks in particular has proven itself quite popular.
The company has covered itself on the legal liability side of things by receiving permission from all the artists available in its database. Long-term, I’m positive they will have an extensive music library because what new artist wouldn’t want to get free (and legally protected) exposure across the entirety of the web? Sonific has a lot of bargaining power with artists. And as they form more relationships with them, they have a better selling proposition to users.
More details are available on Mashable!.
August 23, 2006
Available on Flickr and at CafePress.
August 22, 2006
Last week, YouTube began adding customized URLs to their site. While a cool feature, many just waived their hands at it. But combine that with stardom (http://youtube.com/ParisHilton – no, I won’t link to that) and a fledging (and innovative) advertising model and it becomes a bit more important.
I’ve been talking with a very web and marketing savvy friend about YouTube recently and we definitely saw some version of this new ad model coming. What I’ve been oblivious too, however, is how much of a community and social network YouTube really is.
Liz Gannes of GigaOM pointed to two different YouTube profiles in her YouTube’s Ads Blur Lines. As I surfed over to them, I was surprised by the standard social networking elements I saw – it was basically MySpace but with video content.
As someone who has used YouTube for quite some time, I’ve really been shocked. I think many YouTube users just watch videos and are unaware of its social networking features. That was true for me.
I imagine that as time passes, the lines between YouTube and MySpace will continued to be blurred, which means they will fight over eyeballs. Long-term YouTube could be disinvited to exist in the MySpace world.
SalesGenius is a product of Genius.com Incorporated. It’s an invaluable tool used to track e-mails, their open rates, and potential website visits from prospects and other sales leads. It can be used directly from Outlook via a plugin or simply from the web. I’ve often wondered why e-mail was not “smarter” – SalesGenius really is ingenious.
I used SalesGenius through a 15-day trial and found it quite useful, especially because one of my gigs focuses on sales. By sending my e-mail through the SalesGenius Server, I was able to track who did and who did not open my e-mails (as well as if they visited my site). That’s very helpful from a sales perspective. While there are other services that do something similar to SalesGenius, none let you do it from the comfort of Outlook.
Per the website, SalesGenius is “the first of many great personal web analytics products in the Genius product line.” So, I expect to hear more about them in the future.
Sonific
