SOMEWHAT FRANK

Ztail Simplifying Selling Stuff Online

Have you ever looked around your place and noticed you tend to save things, lots of things, that you no longer need, want or care about? If so, you might want to sell something on Ztail, an eBay compatible Alpha application. Through a partnership with Compete.com, Ztail surveyed 2,500 registered eBay users about what stopped them from selling online. Eighty-five percent (or 2125 people surveyed) said online selling was too hard and time consuming.

Ztail is focused on simplifying selling by searching product and transaction data for millions of items and automating the listing process, creating the basis for the simple, intuitive and effective Click Once, Sell Everywhere model. Ztail aimed to bypass a complicated and lengthy process, and simplified it into three easy steps:

Find your product, Publish your listing, Share your listing.

Once the listing is created, Ztail plugs the user into his or her own social media and instantly distributes the listing to selected friends via blogs, email and social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Finally, Ztail offers tools to help users track and adjust activity in their personal MyZtail pages. 

Bill Hudak and Dave Keefer founded Ztail in 2006, with a combined 20 years in online experience at companies like Google, Netscape, ePinions and Shopping.com. Bill and Dave have watched online commerce develop from its infancy and created Ztail to make selling online quick and easy for everyone.

I set up an account, followed the directions and personalized my ad within a few minutes on eBay, edgeio, Google Base, oodle and vast. GigaOm offers additional perspective on Ztail as well.

Vyew: Save & Widgetize Collaborative Work Sessions

Vyew, a Berkeley, California browser-based collaboration and conferencing platform start-up, offers a feature-rich virtual workspace for collaboration. Originally launched as SimMeeting, in September 2004, Vyew was renamed in October 2005 to and has continued to improve its web conferencing tools and first-of-its-kind asynchronous collaboration capabilities.

Vyew recently launched out of Beta and today introduced version 2.5 which improves the tools and Vyewbook functionalities which help to organize and share your collaboration sessions. Interestingly, Vyew has created "Vyewlets" which are read-only widgetized versions of a VyewBook. They can embedded outside of Vyew on blog posts, Web sites, social networks, and any online page.

Vyew is currently offered for free with light advertising served within the application. If the ads bug you and you want a business version subscription prices starting as low as $6.95 per month.  For additional information on Vyew, check out one of the fine Vyew demos.

Bottom-line: Vyew for a free to low-cost online virtual collaboration suite with group collaboration capabilities and widgetized sharing capabilities.

Ask 3D Launches, Amazon Buying Netflix?, New AOL Feed Reader, WordPress vs. Movable Type, Web 2.0 Viral Growth Secrets, Gayest Sites & Widget News

Photo of the Week:  Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch from Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom by Josh Hallett was taken this week with the successful launch of the space shuttle.

Somewhat Frank Weekly Tidbits: 06.10.07

Major Relaunch For Ask: Ask3D
It looks very sharp. I like the way they allow users to personalize the wallpaper behind the search box with a few different colorful skins. Very innovative and 3D yummy design.

Will Amazon Purchase Netflix?
Rumor has it (coming from major news outlets) that movie rental company Netflix may be purchased by internet retail giant. Does it make sense?

Who Matters Now?
Business 2.0 Magazine invites you to vote for the business people who inspire, inform and infuriate you, from CEOs to entrepreneurs to media stars. Vote for Pedro Mike Arrington.

Secrets to Web 2.0 Viral Growth
Forbes.com has a short but informative article in which Roelof Botha (the Sequoia Capital venture capitalist instrumental in the success of YouTube and PayPal) shares two tips on how to have your service explode in membership using viral marketing.

Watchdog group flunks Google on privacy practices
In what looks to be brewing into a mutual smear campaign, London-based Privacy International has ranked Google among the worst top Internet sites for privacy protection, and Google is reportedly taking the watchdog group to task.

All New AOL Feed Reader Coming Soon
This new feed reader looks pretty sexy...I cannot wait to see it go live. :)

Clearspring Lands Major Deal With NBC
Clearspring, a Virginia-based company that demoed at TECH cocktail DC 1, announced it was chosen by NBC to be its exclusive widget platform for the next year. This is a major deal for Clearspring, and for NBC as well. The specific terms of this business arrangement have not been disclosed.

Yourminis Delivering Triple Widget Play
Yourminis delivers a triple play of widgets: online personalized desktop widgets, actual desktop widgets and blogs widgets.

What’s the gayest site on the web?
With June being Gay Pride month throughout the US and the World, Compete.com tries to uncover the gayest site on the web.

The Top Social Networks Where Alcohol is Allowed
Mashable looks at the various drink 2.0 web sites.

Feedtwister Lets You Mix Feeds
After registering with Feedtwister, members can begin adding their favorite RSS feeds. You can create as many lists as you like, and each list is a combination of the RSS feeds you selected.

WordPress vs. Movable Type
The interesting question is how the market will respond to an open source battle between the old blogger favorite and the new blogger favorite.

Search is history, says Yahoo!
Although Yahoo!, like Google, has talked before about developing a more personalised web, with relevant information delivered directly to readers, this was the first time that the company has said publicly that search will become less important.

A Closer Look at the Apple iPhone

With all the hype, both positive and negative, this week about the release of the Apple iPhone on June 29, I wanted to find out what the iPhone can really do. It appears Engadget has gotten ahold of a user manual which highlights several of the features included in the iPhone. The video (above) also takes a closer look at what the iPhone has to offer. It's much more than just a phone! Check out some of its additional functions. :)

AOL Mail Adding AIM & Unlimited Storage

AOL Mail which I highlighted previously as it launched into beta has continued to change more than just its color palette from French gray to the more traditional AOL blue and gray as it improved over the past three months. I recently got a chance to sit down with Roy Ben-Yoseph, AOL vice president of mail products, and was pleased to see that aside from the slick Ajax interface which I highlighted in my previous article, AOL Mail looks to continue to improve the its integration options in its innovative right pane. I presume other email options will soon look to duplicate the right pane feature as it offers a great place to display tools.

The next release of AOL Mail is going to have integrated AIM chat to accompany the calendar, to do list and feed options. AOL Mail will also soon offer RSS feeds, POP3 support and unlimited storage. AOL Mail is a much improved product as the new open and free AOL continues to beef up its web product offerings.

Disclosure: I am an AOL employee. I do not work on AOL Mail but I am the product manager for two other AOL products.

Spock Focuses Search On People

Searching for people online is pretty common however some people have no digital presence. Spock, a Menlo Park-based startup, aims to make it easier to find people online. Spock debuted its new people focused search engine at the Web 2.o Expo (April 2007). 

Spock blends automated and community profile building functionality to develop a large people search index. Spock uses a combination for contextual and tag search to offer up people search results on more than just a person's name. I signed up for a private beta account and added my profile which I have included as an embeddable widget below.

According to a report on VentureBeat, Spoke housed over 100 million profiles at its launch and has been expanding everyday as it leverages sites like LinkedIn and MySpace to pull in profiles via your contacts. While I think Spock is a good idea that offers a great interface for finding people it may have some trouble changing people's searching habits away from Google, Wikipedia or Facebook.

Poly9 Offers 3D FreeEarth

Poly9, a group of devolopers based in Quebec City, recenty launched a web-based 3D Earth product called FreeEarth that requires no download. Free is pretty slick and I would love to see FreeEarth as an embeddable widget!

A Flash-based application, FreeEarth, offers an open API that can be leveraged to create some interesting mashups. If you a twitter fan check out twittervision3D. If you show Flickr love then you might want to check out flickrvision.

Car Research By Photo & Lifestyle

I have been driving the same ole' four door sedan for awhile now and it is just about time for a change.  I am definitely due for a new ride. Something a little more fun to drive would make my hour plus commute a little more enjoyable. So the question is...what do I get? Time to do some research!

Obviously, there are a number of factors that go into making a decision on what your next vehicle will be. To start I used a new feature on Cars.com called Vehicle Photo Compare. It offers side-by-side photo feature for determining how vehicles stack up next to each other. Each car offers some links to additional research about the specific make or model. Unfortunately, not every vehicle is yet available and the page does not offer up a permalink to embed or a way to share comparisons with friends. I have taken a screen-shot (shown below). Additionally, I gave this Car Search by Lifestyle a try and found it somewhat helpful though many it seems a little light on options.

Once I decide on the make and model of my next vehicle, I will need to decide on the way I would like to purchase it. I recall Mike Arrington outlined his experience with CarsDirect to purchase his latest set of wheels, a very nice Honda Pilot. I am not sure if I am going to go that route yet. I will be sure to write a follow-up if I do end up using something like CarsDirect to buy my next car.

Funny or Die: Will Ferrell's Video Startup

Looking for comedy on YouTube? If so, you might want to check out Funny or Die. The site launched a few months ago but has been attracting some attention as it offers up community-vetted viral comedy videos produced by some popular comedians. You may have already seen The Landlord (shown below) is short sketch that stars Will Ferrell. Interestingly, Gary Sanchez Productions co-owned by Adam McKay and Will Ferrell, took the idea of Michael Kvamme and created Funny or Die.

The idea behind the site is simple, Funny or Die enables its users to upload funny videos and then the community can vote on the videos and decide whether they are funny or die by being sent to the crypt. According to the site there are a few additional levels which are explained as follows:

    Immortal: This video shall live forever like Thor or The Fonz. 
    Walking Tall:  In great shape.
    Kinda Cute: Worth a chuckle or perhaps a guffaw.
    Uh-Oh: Not doing so good.
    The Crypt: This video flat lined.   

For an Immortal video and if you cannot get enough Will Ferrell you might want to also check out, Third Date (shown below) or Will Ferrell as George Bush. Jimmy Fallon also has joined in and produced a spoof of Internet famous lonelygirl15, called lonelyfallon32. Bill Murray will also be making an appearance soon.

Bottom-line: Funny or Die is a great place to upload and vote on funny videos and laugh a little bit.

30elm Home Design Community Launches

30elm recently launched to create a hub to help connect home owners with interior decorators, home building and renovation professionals. 30elm was started by Matt Myers and Chris Conley from Matt's apartment in Brooklyn.

30elm offers a couple of different functions as it caters to both home owner and design professionals. Home owners can follow along as others in the community renovate their homes by reading the latest blog entries and case studies. Case studies can range from a number of home design topics. I found this interesting case study that highlights a barn that was converted into a lovely home.

If you are starting a home improvement project you can upload your photos and get advice along the way from other home design enthusiasts and professionals. Home owners that already have their own blog you can use 30elm to syndicate it through the community. It is free for home owners to use 30elm.

Design professionals can leverage 30elm to contribute blog entries, case studies and work with home owners to help then with their design needs. Priced from free to $499 a month based on the number of leads generated, design professionals can use 30elm as a lead generation platform. Additional pricing details can be found here.

Bottom-line: 30elm is a home design community for both designers and home owners alike.

Google Gears Up Offline, Portal Futures Analyzed, Startup Search, Mahalo & Particls Launch, Mashup Editors Compared & Userplane Rev Sharing

Somewhat Frank Weekly Tidbits: 06.03.07

Internet Video vs DVRs Advertising & Measuring Online Video
Nielsens release of commercial data has led to quite a bit of discussion in the advertising industry about what counts as a commercial worth paying for. Mark Cuban weighs in.

The New Portals: It’s the Bread, Not the Peanut Butter
David Sacks writes about web portals and where they are going.

Google Takes Desktop Feed Readers Head On
Google is announcing a new technology called Google Gears. The technology enables web applications to work both online and offline. One of the first applications of Google Gears that I have seen is its integration with Google Reader.

Startup Search: tracking the web startup ecosystem
Niall Kennedy unveiled a product he hinted at a few weeks ago while talking with him in SF. The new site tracks the startup ecosystem. It's a directory and analytics tool called Startup Search. Startup Search tracks Web startups, their products, key employees, investment firms, and investment partners. Startup Search also tracks the success of each product since it was first introduced to the world, using publicly available metrics pulled into a single page. It is a research tool, a discovery engine, and a fact-filled directory of the Web startup world.

Comparison of Yahoo Pipes to Microsoft's PopFly
Jay Neely compares Yahoo Pipes to Microsoft’s PopFly and also does an early analysis of Google’s Mashup Editor.

Userplane Launches Revenue Sharing Program
Web messaging services company Userplane has launched a new revenue-sharing program that brings monetization to online instant messaging and web chat.

Attention! Particls Launches Advanced Alerts Platform
Particls launched out of private beta this week. It serves as a proportioning alert filter that notifies the user via news ticker, pop-up alerts and mobile SMS messaging prioritized according to user needs. CEO Chris Saad calls it: "an attention management engine."

Jason Calacanis’ Human-Powered Search Mahalo Launches
Jason Calacanis’ ’Project X,’ Mahalo (meaning ‘thank you’ in Hawaii), has launched and it’s a human-powered search engine that’s to Google like what Citizendium is to Wikipedia.

Amp'd, another MVNO bites the dust
As a result of our rapid growth, Amp'd's back-end infrastructure was unable to keep up with customer demand. Amp'd has burned $360 million and is filing for bankruptcy.

Sketch your Dream House
Floorplanner take the best of Web 2.0 and bring it to home design. It is a wonderful application with professional tools and rich visual interface that allow users to sketch their own dream home and share their designs easily. Users are able to embed their designs on other sites or blogs.

Google Launches a Directions API
Google launched a Directions API that will allow third-party sites to offer directions directly on their site.

Kevin Rose Video Explains Future Of Digg

The Next Web conference took place in Amsterdam yesterday (June 1, 2007) and brought together a large number of key web influencers for the one day event. Read/Write Web has covered the event wonderfully. I wanted to highlight a session (shown in the video above) where Kevin Rose spoke via iChat video about the future of one of my favorite web 2.0 site, Digg. It sounds like restaurants and other products are going to soon be Digg-able.

Google Buys FeedBurner -- It's Official!

Congrats to Chicago-based feed management and advertising company FeedBurner for getting acquired by Google. The rumor that started  a few weeks ago has been confirmed by FeedBurner today (June 1, 2007). There are more details on Google/FeedBurner deal here. In addition, they are just a great group of people.

Being from Chicago, and I have the opportunity to get to know FeedBurner and just about all of their 30+ employees through either work or play in the last few years. FeedBurner was a big supporter of TECH cocktail, as Eric Olson works at FeedBurner and co-founded the event with me in 2006. They have been an innovator in both the feed management/metrics and advertising space.

Congrats to all parties involved. Keep those feeds burning - oh and please let me know if the Somewhat Frank feed traffic melts any of Google's servers! :)

Widgets Going Wild on Facebook, Freewebs & Yourminis

Widgets are hot. Widgets are sexy. Widgets, widgets, widgets. I previously have covered the widget craze but widgets now have a few new promoters.

With the Facebook open platform announcement last week there have been lots of new widgets and applications added to Facebook each day. Personally, I have already added Flickr, Slide and Twitter widgets to my Facebook profile. Nick O'Neill, who helped bring TECH cocktail to DC, decided to launch a new blog called All Facebook which will be covering these widget updates and other Facebook news, so you might want to check it out.

Freewebs, the Silver Springs, Maryland-based company that offers an open web personal publishing platform, has added a Widget Bank to their catalog of website building tools. The Freewebs Widget Bank gives members access to thousands of widgets that can be embedded directly onto a web site. Widgets can be added into Freewebs sites without having to copy, cut or paste code. Widget Bank will constantly update its extensive collection and include games, clocks, RSS feed readers, maps, video players and much more.  Freewebs has created its own widgets but has also reached to third party sites like YouTube, Widgetbox, RockYou, Miniclip, Gizmoz and others.

Yourminis has also taken an interesting approach which I have previously covered but wanted to reiterate. Basically, they are offering widgets that work on your home page, are snaggable for your blog or web site and extendable to your desktop. It is a widget trifecta!

Here are a couple of other blogs that are good widget resources:

Widgify - by Hooman Radfer of the widget marketplace Clearspring
SexyWidget - by Lawrence Coburn of distributed rating RateItAll.com
Widgets Labs - by Derek Anderson
StickiWidgets 

The web is definitely widgetizing. Can you dig it?