SOMEWHAT FRANK

WE LIVE IN PUBLIC & How The Web Affects Society

We Live In Public Film Screening at SXSW from Frank Gruber on Vimeo.

Have you recently updated your Twitter or Facebook status, posted a photo on Flickr or posted a video on YouTube or Vimeo? I have. This kind of lifestreaming online behavior has become mainstream as the Web 2.0 movement empowered anyone to become an online content creator, trading privacy for a little taste of online fame and a connection with people. 

While I was down in Austin, Texas for South By Southwest (SXSW), I got a chance to see the film screening of WE LIVE IN PUBLIC which took home the Grand Jury Prize at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. The film focuses on the adventures of early dot-comer Josh Harris as he experiments to predict the effects of the Web on society. Ondi Timoner directed the film which documents what happens when the Web takes a stronger hold of our everyday life. The movie takes place mostly in New York and includes appearances by Jason Calacanis, Julia Allison and Meghan Asha (who appears on SOMEWHAT FRANK videos here and here). WE LIVE IN PUBLIC is a must see as we all become more tied to our devices and the Web.

Check out episode 73 on SOMEWHAT FRANK adventures in personal technology as I recorded a couple of short clips from the Q&A session with Director Ondi Timoner after the film and even got to meet her afterward. Also be sure to see the film WE LIVE IN PUBLIC when it is released as it really makes you think how we all live our lives and share so much online. Oh and you can follow Director Ondi Timoner on Twitter too.

Photo of Director Ondi Timoner and I by Jen Consalvo.

Web 2.0 Expo This Week In SF

Web 2.0 Expo is this week in San Francisco from March 31st - April 3rd. This year at the Web 2.0 Expo there are 3 new components which include:

1. A new Government 2.0 Joins the Web 2.0 House track for anyone looking to explore how technology is being integrated into the government.
2. Sunlight Labs Hackathon where attendees build an application that promotes transparency
   in government. You can vote now for the application you want to build (or think needs to be built).
3. Revion3 Tekzilla LIVE at Web 2.0 Expo as Patrick Norton and Veronica Belmont bring you hands on reviews of the latest gear, tips and tricks that improve the tech you already own, and conversations with the most informative experts around.

Use code websf09trt5 at online registration for 30% off any registration package.

Finally, I will be giving away my extra ticket this week to the lucky reader. Hope to see you there!

Exploring Tsavo Media

Exploring Tsavo Media from Frank Gruber on Vimeo.

I was in Santa Monica last month so I decided to stop by new startup called Tsavo Media. Tsavo Media was founded by former AOL colleague and Userplane founder and CEO, Mike Jones. He assembled a super team including Mike Macadaan (Twiistup founder and former AOL colleague), Sean Percival, Ryan Sit and Steve Schepke, among others. Tsavo Media has been funded by American Capital and has been gobbling up a number of niche content sites including NibbleDish along with creating niche sites like KidGlue, Manolith and Twirlit. With the launch of Daymix, a search experience which creates the "perfect page" for any given search term, we may be seeing the beginning of a relevancy engine. So what are they trying to do? According to Tsavo:

"These are blogs that get to know you.  Entertain, inform and serve you. They’re good for consumers, and great for advertisers."

Curious to find out more details about these blog that appear to learn from your actions to better entertain you, I recently talked to Mike Jones and Mike Macadaan as I toured the Tsavo Media office space in Santa Monica, California. Check out SOMEWHAT FRANK video episode 68 (above) as go behind the scenes at Tsavo Media. 

Web 2.0 Expo San Francisco Is Coming Soon

Web 2.0 Expo is at it again and this time they are back on the West coast in San Francisco on March 31st - April 3rd. I was invited to attend the semi-annual conference and expo targeting all those involved with the development of the next generation web: designers, developers, entrepreneurs, marketers, business strategists, and venture capitalists from around the globe. Some of the most innovative and successful industry people and companies attend Web 2.0 Expo. This year at the Web 2.0 Expo there are 3 new components which include:

1. A new Government 2.0 Joins the Web 2.0 House track for anyone looking to explore how technology is being integrated into the government.
2. Sunlight Labs Hackathon where attendees build an application that promotes transparency
   in government. You can vote now for the application you want to build (or think needs to be built).
3. Revion3 Tekzilla LIVE at Web 2.0 Expo as Patrick Norton and Veronica Belmont bring you hands on reviews of the latest gear, tips and tricks that improve the tech you already own, and conversations with the most informative experts around.

I last attended Web 2.0 Expo in 2007 and you can check out the photos to prove it. Read up on past SOMEWHAT FRANK Web 2.0 Expo coverage here, here, here and here.

Use code websf09trt5 at online registration for 30% off any registration package.

Finally, I have an extra ticket to give away so reach out to me on twitter @FrankGruber if you’re interested. Hope to see you there!

Search for Young Science Talent Lands In DC

Do you remember making a volcano for your high school science fair? I do. It was fun to the watch the volcano erupt but let's just be honest, it did not really push the scientific envelope.

A few weeks ago, I attended the Intel Science Talent Search (STS) as it wrapped up in Washington, DC and these kids blew my mind as they were actually solve really difficult problems. The 40 finalists are selected from a nationwide pool of thousands to attend the week-long Intel Science Talent Institute in Washington, D.C. Students had an opportunity to present their research projects to the general public and members of the scientific community at the National Academy of Sciences. Over $1 million is awarded annually to Intel STS participants and their schools. Awards range from $5,000 scholarship grants and laptop computers for all finalists to the grand prize of a $100,000 college scholarship. All of the 40 exhibitors got a chance to visit the White House to meet President Barack Obama. 

Creating "Johnny Cash" Experiences at SXSW 2009

Last weekend I was down in Austin, Texas at South by Southwest Interactive and I was feeling creative and wanted to create a new experience like one I have never had at the event. I believe that my happiness is derived from my experiences so I decided to create a new holiday called Johnny Cash Blackout Sunday.

Thank You Zappos For More Than Just Shoes

At SXSW this past week, I took part in Box Break program from Zappos. Zappos which is probably best known for its shoe sales is NOT just a shoe store online. You can get a lot more on Zappos these days which includes anything from clothing to gadgets to accessories.

In the TechSet Blogger Lounge at SXSW, Zappos unveiled Zappos.tv which is powered by Magnify (which I covered previously). Sorry to kill the suspense but I ended up getting a very hip Dakine carry-on bag in the Folsom pattern.This is the perfect BoxBreak surprise as I do travel quite a bit.

Check out the video below where I literally break into my surprise filled box at SXSW at the Zappos Box Break. Thank you Zappos and CEO Tony Hsieh (shown above) for getting me involved in the program.

PeopleBrowsr: A Visual Interface for Interactions

PeopleBrowsr Visual Dashboard For Twitter & More from Frank Gruber on Vimeo.

Keeping track of all of your friends on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and MySpace is sometimes difficult but there are a number of sites and services that have been working on making it easier with varying levels of success. PeopleBrowsr is a Web-based application that launched last winter to offer a visual interface for interacting with Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and more. It was created by a distributed team in San Francisco and Australia of about ten and took around two years to complete.

I got a chance to talk with PeopleBrowsr CEO and Founder Jodee Rich a few months ago in San Francisco about the basic service and thought it was the ideal time to showcase PeopleBrowsr. Thought PeopleBrowsr has already change a lot since its initail launch you should still check out episode #66 on SOMEWHAT FRANK as it offers a quick demo the PeopleBrowsr dashboard. With South By Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) going on in Austin, Texas this weekend it is timely to mention that PeopleBrowsr recently launched a SXSW version of the product designed for the folks who will be attending the event. With the customized application now available at: sxsw.peoplebrowsr.com, you can track parties, SXSW-related hash tags, and you can even see where people are tweeting - that is, if you can find an Internet connect at SXSW. Good luck.

Web 2.0 Not Quite Dead: Go2Web20.net Re-Launches

The Web 2.0 era was quite the Renaissance of the online world as human powered sites and services flocked online. Many have tried to define Web 2.0 through videos, blog posts and photos and techmemes. Keeping track of the Web 2.0 explosion of startup products and services is like a full-time addiction and one of the best company directory resources on the Web is Go2Web20.net. Go2Web20.net, was created by my friends Orli Yakuel and Eyal Shahar, and offers a visually stimulating logo driven interface to search and discover the companies of the Web 2.0 era. Check out the latest and greatest as Go2Web20.net just revamped and relaunched.

The Twitter Formerly Known As @somewhatfrank

Last week, I decided it was time to be totally Frank with people and changed my Twitter username from @somewhatfrank to my real name @frankgruber. For those of you that follow me on Twitter you probably saw the update. While some questioned me on making the change others gave it a warm welcome.

Something must be in the air because after switching my name from @somewhatfrank to @frankgruber, I realized that both Chris Messina and Matt Galligan recently switched from their online identities to their real names on Twitter. Chris posted about his name change on his blog. Maybe we should start some sort of support group or something for people teetering on going with their real-names. I just wanted to let you know why I made the change.

My SodaStream Bubble Water & Soda Adventure

I am not sure why, but I have a love for bubble water from Pellengrino to Perrier; I am a fan of the bubbles. I recently found that bubble water is probably not the best thing for your health but nonetheless I like a splash of CO2 every so often.

To feed my thirst for the bubble water I recently got a SodaStream Soda Maker as a gift. I first spotted the product at the Green Festival in DC as the product saves from buying bottles of water and have wanted one ever since. This past week, I showed my friend Eric Olson just how easy it is to use and captured the experience on this video.