SOMEWHAT FRANK

New YouTube Video Ads, Google Embeds Maps, PlayboyU & MyNYTimes Launch, the Attention Economy, Microsoft's Tafiti Research Project & Bacn In Your Inbox

Photo of the Week: This photo was taken by, one of my skinnyCorp friends, Harper Reed as he captured some fresh Threadless designs.

Somewhat Frank Weekly Tidbits: 08.26.2007

Engagd Attention Platform Launches

Engagd, created by Faraday Media, has launched to offer web developers a toolkit of services for tracking attention data (the things users do on the Web).  Leveraging Attention Profiling Mark-up Language or APML, Engagd offers a few different Web services empowering users to control their own personal Attention Profiles, and developers to quickly and easily add Attention Awareness to their applications and mashups.

PMOGs Turn The Web Into A Game

Are you looking for a little more out of the time and energy you spend on the Web?  If so, you might want to check out a Passively Multiplayer Online Game or PMOG. A proposal created by Justin Hall, Passively Multiplayer Online Games look to create a game around your Web attention data. Justin Hall has been referred to by the NYTimes as the "the founding father of personal bloggers" and decided to create a game out of the Web with PMOGs as part of his Masters project at the USC Annenberg Center.

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.

APML Workgroup Looks To Standardize Attention Specification

Attention data is the information users give to web sites based on their interests and interactions and is a key personalization component. It is a valuable resource that reflects user interests, activities and values, and it serves as a proxy for their attention. APML or Attention Profiling Markup Language was created by Touchstone Live an attention-based company and was highlighted previously on Somewhat Frank. According to the APML website:

"APML will allow users to export and use their own personal Attention Profile in much the same way that OPML allows them to export their reading lists from Feed Readers. The idea is to boil down all forms of Attention Data€“ including Browser History, OPML, Attention.XML, Email etc to a portable file format containing a description of ranked user interests."

The APML Workgroup was recently formed which includes:

• Sam Sethi (Vecosys)
• Daniel Winterstein (ThinkTank Maths)
• Steve Williams (Programmer, Digg)
• David Cancel (Co-Founder, Compete.com)
• Richard Giles/Graeme Sutherland (Co-Founders, Scouta.com)
• Elias Bizannes
• Chris Saad/Ashley Angell (Co-Founders, Faraday Media/ Touchstone)
• Paul Jones (Senior Architect, Faraday Media/ Touchstone)
• Mitch Ratcliffe (Co-Founder, Buzzlogic)
• Chris Messina (Citizen Agency)
• Daniela Barbosa (Solutions Architect, Dow Jones)
• Phil Morle (VP Attention, Yoick)
• Ben Metcalfe (Orange/France Telecom)

The APML Workgroup is tasked with converting the current specification into an agreed standard and the group has already created a revised spec. The adoption of APML as a standard would empower users to take control of managing there attention data. APML could help create a more unified personalized experience as users jump from site to site. More information can be found on the APML website: www.apml.org. If you are interested in helping sculpt the attention economy standard be sure to contact the group.