SOMEWHAT FRANK

SocialMail: Mass Email Via RSS

SocialMail, another Big In Japan tool, recently launched to help you manager and organize group email by turning it into an RSS feed. Since an RSS feed can be seen by anyone that has address it is an excellent way handle large mailing lists without having to give out an email address. Alexander Muse explains some of the benefits as follows:

• Non managed mailing lists (i.e. you don’t need to mess with adding and deleting users)
• Catch-all email addresses (sales@, careers@ and so on)
• Turn existing mailing lists into a feed
• Re-purposed content (take any email content and deliver it via feed to a website)

I think this is a great usage of syndication since ultimately I see feeds replacing newsletters and other mass email functions in the future.

Waxxi Podcast Unleashed

Waxxi, an interactive podcast event company, which held its first event on May 20, 2006 has released the first interactive podcast audio. I participated in the event and highlighted it on Somewhat Frank.  

The event featured Robert Scoble and Shel Israel, the authors of Naked Conversations as well as participants from across the globe. The main focus of the conversation was business blogging.

Additional details about the interactive podcast event can be found on the Waxxi blog. Download it and listen in today.

Grilling Technology Highlighted

The New York Times recently published an article titled Pimp My Grill highlighting the use of technology to produce some high-end, pimped out grilling machines. The piece also spotlights some of the grilling obsessed. These are the folks that use their grill year round through sun, wind, rain, snow and sleet.

I must say, I have also shoveled snow to grill, so I understand where they are coming from. Though my grill may not be as fine as some of the items mentioned by the NYTimes, I am pretty happy with my green Char-Broil Patio Caddie (space saver)  shown to the right.

What is a TECH cocktail?

I am pleased to announce the creation of TECH cocktail (as mentioned by Mike Arrington), a series of mixer events opened to bloggers, technology enthusiasts, entrepreneurs and companies interested in the technology arena in the midwest. I am working with a fabulous team which includes Eric Ols0n, of VentureWeek as well as a few others. The first event will be held on Thursday, July 6, 2006 at STATE Restaurant and Café in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. Check out the TECH cocktail about page which explains:

“Chicago has a number of Internet startups and technology companies as highlighted recently in Crain’s Chicago Business. However, there is not that feel of community like you might see in other technology rich communities like Silicon Valley or Boston .”

We hope TECH cocktail can help to remedy this situation by creating a place for the Chicago and midwest tech community to meet, share ideas and have some fun.

The night will start out with demonstrations from a couple of Chicago-based companies (more details on the demos to come) followed up by Apple giveaways and then, of course, free wine complements of Stormhoek’s 100 Geek Dinners (see #59). 

If you'll be in the Chicagoland area on Thursday, July 6, 2006 be sure to stop by STATE in Lincoln Park for a night of fun. This is NOT just for Chicago residents - it is open to the public. If you are a midwesterner interested in attending swing on in for the event. Drink some wine, meet some people, watch some demos, bring a date, and you could win an iPod!

RSVP here.

First Amendment Covers Bloggers Too

Apple lost a court appeal yesterday (May 26, 2006) which upheld the protection of the rights of bloggers to not have to disclose their sources. The decision puts bloggers into the same class as traditional journalists and further blurs the lines between bloggers and mainstream media journalists.

I think this is an extremely important victory for bloggers. I am happy to see bloggers protected. If bloggers are protected like traditional media it makes me wonder, do bloggers:

• Need to follow the same journalistic code of conduct?
•  Need to check sources?
• Need to ensure that that they have permission before using copyrighted photos, documents, quotes, materials etc?

These are all things that concern me since I do not want the grassroots style of blogging to have to conform to traditional media standards. Of course the blogosphere is rejoicing the ruling for blogger rights. For a few perspectives from the blogosphere check out the views of Dave Winer, Doc Searls and Mike from Techdirt. Finally, for a related First Amendment ruling check out this previous item on Somewhat Frank.

NYTimes Invests In Attention With Root

The New York Times announced today that they are investing in a company called Root which focuses on attention. I recently attended Syndicate NY where Seth Goldstein, the CEO and founder of Root, explained how Root is using attention. I do not recall a single mention of a big player in the media industry such as New York Times, Forbes.com or USAToday.com using the Roots system.  However the recent announcement by PaidContent.org that the NYTimes had closed a $12 million dollar round of funding had this to say about Root:

"The company’s technology and service has been adopted by NYTimes.com, Forbes.com (and example on Forbes.com is here) and USAToday.com, to convert its visitors into direct leads, instead of using third party and affiliate lead-gen services. Typically, the lead-gen has been a black-box for publishers, who have no control over the data…Root’s solution hopes to help publishers have control of the data and retain revenue from every lead generated on their sites."

I just wonder if others will jump onto the technology and start paying for highly targeted leads - or attention. For more information on Root check out this Forbes article from January 2006.

Wine and Web 2.0

I love wine. I cannot say I am at all an expert in wine tasting, sniffing or drinking since the label art often plays into my selection process. However, I do appreciate a good glass of wine. Also I am somewhat glad that health professionals say:

"Research indicates that moderate red wine consumption may help protect against certain cancers and heart disease, and can have a positive effect on cholesterol levels and blood pressure."

Recently, I have seen a build-up of additional wine related information on the web. Of course, e-commerce sites like Wine.com have been out there for awhile. More recently Wine.Woot has emerged selling wine online with a weekly wine special. Not to mention, there have been a number of social media wine play s on the web for wine lovers and enthusiasts to enjoy. I will hightlight a few in this write-up.

Hugh MacLeod and his hilarious blog Gaping Void is a wonderful wine success story. Hugh leverages blogging and social media technology to promote Stormhoek through cartoons in addition to an number of promotional events like 100 geek dinners (see event #59).

Jeff Clavier recently talked wine by highlighting some recent moves by Wine Spectator to launch editor blogs and RSS feeds to its paying customers. WineLog and Cork'd which are similar services both recently launched and are free. 

Mike Arrington reviewed WineLog a site which empowers users to add and review wine. Interesting features include the ability to keep track of wine favorites as well as send wine to a mobile phone (for an easy reminder when you are out looking for the perfect red).

Cork'd, created by the east coast iceberg-based company Tundro, also recently launched. I really appreciate companies with a sense of humor and in reading up on Tundro this company definitely has one:

"Tundro creates web applications for people like you. Our base of operations is located in the center of a large iceberg, floating continuously between the North Shore of Massachusetts and Florida's central coast."

Cork'd enables users to search, review, make wine shopping lists and interact with other wine aficionados. The site includes basic user-generated content, tagging, and other web 2.0 features. I thought the most interesting feature was the "wine cellar" which allow users to see what bottles of wine other buddies own. I could see this turning into a way for wine lovers to exchange notes or potentially even swap wine bottles.   

With free options like Cork'd and WineLog, sites like WineSpeculator and others may need to sharpen their swords or risk finding themselves drinking Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill from a dixie cup.

What Is All This Dot Mobi Noise?

Though I am an admitted fan of Moby (music) all the recent talk about the new .mobi Internet extension has made me want to scream AH AH from the top of Mount Vesuvius. Ok, that might be an exaggeration, however, I am a little befuddled about the new .mobi extension. Do we really need a new extension for mobile web sites?

I am wondering why a company would want to have a separate extension for a mobile site. Even if you do want to create a separate extension for a mobile site wouldn't you want to offer the shortest extension possible to make it easier on the thumbs via a mobile keyboard?  What about just .m?

Nike Marries Apple: Nike+iPod is Born

Nike and Apple have teamed up to announce a new line of products called Nike+iPod. The Nike+ shoes will incorporate a small compartment inside the insole to place a oval fitness sensor. The sensor will communicate with an iPod nano to collects and displays time, distance, calories burned on the screen of your iPod while the iPod headphones relay the audible version of the workout details.

I do not think Apple could go wrong marrying the world's leading athletic shoe company.  Nike also seems to be set up to benefit from the widespread use of the iPod in helping to further promote its products and services with its own Nike section on the Apple web site.

I do not know if I will ever use the new sports kit since I would have to buy the latest Nike+ Zoom Moire shoes in order to be compatible, not to mention my running lately has been limited to only when I am chased. However I applaud Nike and Apple at the effort and innovation. Previously, on Somewhat Frank I reviewed the Adidas 1 shoe with the computer to adjust the comfort level based on its surroundings and I stated:

"I would love to see the ability to upload music and podcasts directly to your shoes from your iPod or other device. The shoes could then transmit streaming music to a set of wireless headphones. This would provide a user the ability to have both hands free while running or working out. I really don't think this is too far off. The shoe player would need to be done correctly in terms of music compatibility with existing players and music libraries so that users can share and play music from whatever service they already use, rather than creating yet another segmented music service with its own rules."

This move by Nike and Apple appears to be a step in the right direction to making my dreams come true. For other perspectives check out techmeme.

NYC Apple Store Resembles the Louvre

I have been hearing a lot about the new Apple Store on Fifth Avenue in New York City and after further investigating I have concluded that it is worth of the buzz. The glass design of its new flagship store draws sharp comparisons to the Louvre in Paris, France which makes it is very interesting to the eye. You enter the store and head for a basement where the inside of the store is much like any of the other Apple stores but more of an open floor feel. Unfortunately, your money spends just the same as at the other stores.

*Apple store photo thanks to Brian Oberkirch.

Shel and Rick's Excellent Adventure

Ever want to circle the globe? Shel Israel author of Naked Conversations and Rick Segal, a venture capitalist, are teaming up to do just that - circling the globe in 23 days. Here is what Shel has to say about teaming up with Rick for the journey:

We are coming from different perspectives. I'm a writer and hope that this journey will sell more of the book I wrote with Robert Scoble and give me a mountain of material for "Global Neighborhoods" my new book. Rick is a Canadian venture capitalist who would like to show that Silicon Valley is not the center of the universe. He's a champion of his adopted country in technology and has passion for tech companies germinating there. I believe that Silicon Valley remains precisely that, but the universe is expanding at such a rapid rate that being at the center is becoming less relevant.

I look forward to hearing about the journey on Shel's blog and in his new book...when it comes out. It sounds like a Shel and Rick excellent adventure.  

Waxxi (Naked) Interactive Podcast Rocked

I just participated in the first waxxi Interactive Podcast event with Robert Scoble and Shel Israel authors of the book Naked Conversations and it was an amazing experience. Waxxi's interactive podcast enabled me to connect with Robert, Shel and everyone else on the call making it a very rich conversation.

A waxxi chatroom module was positioned on the waxxi site to allow participants to ask questions during the cast, not to mention you could raise your hand via your touch-tone phone to ask a question verbally. Transcripts from the online instant message chat can be subscribed to in RSS format as well.

I asked a few questions via the chatroom and phone. Jeremiah Owyang who also interacted quite a bit on the cast has already done a wonderful job posting notes from the conversation. Unfortunately, there was at least one participant that has an issue getting a question asked on an international call but I am certain things like this will be mitigated in the future. After all, this was the first cast by waxxi so there were bound to be a few blips.   

Overall, waxxi provided a very interactive experience with people across the globe. Simply put - I thought it rocked!

Special thanks to waxxi, Tracy Sheridan, Robert Scoble and Shel Israel and everyone on the call for making it happen.

Pearl Jam Releases Thru Google Video

Pearl Jam, with the voice of Eddie Vedder and best known for its early 1990's rock, has released a new video on Google Video. It is released under a "some rights reserved" Creative Commons license meaning that you can download, play and share it via Google Video. More details are on the Google blog.

Music is an art form and therefore should be enoyed and observed by all. Artists however should be taken care of so that they can continue to produce such fine works. Pearl Jam's move to Google Video could be the start an interesting trend for artists in the music industry. 

BusinessWeek Talks Business Blogging

BusinessWeek recently highlighted blogging in a two part series written by Karen E. Klein. The first part titled, Does Your Small Business Need a Blog? focuses on business blogging and has a few quotes from a colleague, Josh Hallett (nice job Josh).

The second part of the BusinessWeek blogging series centered on The ABC's of Beginning Your Blog. The article focuses primarily on getting started with blogging. I have previously posted a few blogging tips and resources on Somewhat Frank along the same lines:

"Setting Up A Blog" Interview by Technology Evangelists
Setting Up A Blog - Part 1 by Frank Gruber
8 Tips For Promoting A Blog by Frank Gruber

I would also recommend reading the book Naked Conversations by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel. Thanks to waxxi you could interact with  the authors tomorrow (May 20, 2006) via the interactive podcast event which they are headlining. I hope you find the articles and the resources helpful - happy blogging!

Danger at FrankGruber.com

Have you every looked up your name as a domain name? I am sure we all have at some point I just do not remember the last time I did. So I looked up FrankGruber.com and everything thing looks normal once the site redirects except the email is: danger [at] frankgruber.com. This stranger Frank Gruber is danger!

What does your name map to as a domain name?