SOMEWHAT FRANK

Plurk: Twitter With Vertical Timeline & Karma

Last week, I looked at Plurk, a new lifestreaming startup based in Toronto, Canada. Aside from its creative name, Plurk leverages concepts from Twitter to offer an unique timeline based lifestreaming product worth taking a look at.

Plurk takes on status messaging with a little more structure than Twitter by offering up a set of verbs to construct a status message. It also enables users to share videos and photos from a host of popular video and image hosting sites from YouTube to Flickr. Plurk status messages can also include emoticons for some added flair.

BlogBurst To Pay Program's Top Bloggers

BlogBurst, the Pluck product that connects publishers with topical blog content, has finally come out of beta and is offering bloggers compensation for top program performers. The top 100 performing bloggers are offered a set compensation based on their position on the list. According to Mashable:

"BlogBurst realized that the top 100 blogs on the network generated 79% of the headline impressions, and a leaderboard made more sense."

Though the rewards are small sums of revenue dispersed on a quarterly basis it is still potential income (between $1,500 and $50 for the fourth quarter) based on a user's leaderboard rank.

Pluck recently announced the discontinuation of its online RSS feed reader products so it is clear that Pluck is looking to social media applications like BlogBurst as its breadwinner. I have highlighted BlogBurst previously here and here. For more details check out the BlogBurst blog. 

Bottom-line: BlogBurst pays bloggers while helping publishers to tap into the long tail content of the blogosphere.

RIP Pluck Consumer RSS Feed Reader

Pluck, a Austin-based social media company that I have mentioned several times on Somewhat Frank, has decided to kill its popular consumer-facing RSS Feed Reader. This is an interesting development as Pluck built its business on its RSS Reader but has since moved in other social media directions. According to an update on the Pluck web site:

"All versions of Pluck's RSS readers for Internet Explorer, FireFox and Pluck's web edition will be discontinued on 1/5/2007. The RSS Readers have served our community of end users well for several years, but with Pluck's focus in other business areas, the venerable RSS readers are set to be retired from our product line."

About a year and a half ago Pluck was my favorite RSS Reader but I felt like the product did not evolve as other products kept improving. However, the shutdown could be attributed to a number of changes in the RSS space which include the launch of IE7 with integrated feed reading, Firefox live bookmarks and lack of a solid revenue model for a feed reader -  RIP Pluck RSS Feed Reader.

Topix Offers Publisher Rev Share Option

Topix.net has launched an interesting service called the Publisher Platform which will display full text articles on the Topix.net website. Topix.net would in turn share the profits on any advertising revenue it generates from users viewing the full text of your articles on Topix.net.

The program is opened for both large, small publishers and blogs and is completely separate and apart from its crawl search index. If I am not mistaken this move could make Topix.net the only full content aggregator. The Publisher Platform draws some parallels to BlogBurst by Pluck since both are locking up publishers but have different goals.  Topix.net appears to be continuing to improve its aggregation destination site by offering full text content under the Topix.net domain while BlogBurst is taking blog content and distributing it on other larger mainstream media publishers. I have dropped Topix.net an email to find out more details.

BlogBurst Public Launch

BlogBurst, a product by Pluck  that repositions bloggers content for use by mainstream media companies, according to TechCrunch is said to be officially launching tomorrow (May 2, 2006). I first was demoed BlogBurst back in December 2005 and mentioned it publicly in February of this year. Since then the Pluck team has been busy locking up mainstream media companies like SFGate.com and WashingontonPost.com as well as signing up over 1,000 bloggers. Not to mention, they have been putting the finishing touches on the BlogBurst Workbench management tools.

The large amount of blogger buy-in does not surprise me but I am surprised that more media companies have not yet jumped on board and become Lighthouse Customers - since it seems like a no brainer win-win situation for bloggers and publishers alike.

I am happily looking forward to Somewhat Frank being part of the BlogBurst program. Congrats to Pluck on the public launch. For additional information check out the BlogBurst blog.

Technology Evangelist 'The Innovators' Series Visits Somewhat Frank

The Technology Evangelist team continued to hunt innovators as they swung into Chicago about a month ago to meet-up with for Episode 2 of online video series called The Innovators. You may recall Episode 1 which I highlighted recently which included the interview with Derek Franklin.

Episode 2 features me chatting with Ro Marth and Ed Kohler in a popular Chicago restaurant and bar just off of Michigan Avenue. We discussed blogging and I gave some tips for anyone that may be thinking about diving into the blogosphere by starting up a blog. In the video I mention a slide presentation on setting up a blog which is a 13 slide presentations below.

Steps to Getting Started In the Blogosphere - Part 1: Settng up a blog   PDF file

It was a pleasure meeting with the Technology Evangelist team.  I hope you enjoy the show.

BlogBurst: For Bloggers and Publishers Alike

BlogBurst, a soon to launch product by Pluck, mines the blogosphere for solid bloggers and then offers their valued blog content back to publishers. So basically, Pluck is creating a blog network for publishers to grab solid blog content and place it on their site. Bloggers should benefit from the added exposure and publishers get fresh blogosphere content.

It is a win-win situation for bloggers and publishers alike!

I think BlogBurst a great idea and will offer an out of the box solution for online publisher and websites alike seeking blogosphere content. The product offers a way for publishers to leverage the power of the blog without having to find and manage their own in-house blogging staff.  I think this product has huge potential because there is a definite need by larger website and publishing companies to add compelling and relevant grassroots blogosphere content.

I saw Mike Arrington mentioned BlogBurst on TechCrunch today (February 18, 2006) so I took that as the go ahead to also preview BlogBurst since I have been anguish to mention it since December 2005. Dave Panos, Pluck CEO, was at the TechCrunch 5 Party last night and I assume was demonstrating BlogBurst as Mike mentioned. Pluck has not yet publicly released the product but I think you will be delighted to see the product when they do.

If BlogBurst sounds appealing be sure to sign up and get your blog posts in lights!

*Dave Panos photo thanks to Michael Arrington via Flickr

Somewhat Frank: 2005 Year In Review

Two-thousand five, was a year of big expectations for me and for the most part it lived up to its billing. I felt it was in some ways a year I could do no wrong. Maybe it is because I am the fifth Frank and the five at the end of 2005 was going to align and somehow bring great fortune. Call it arrogance or maybe it was just pure ignorance for other years. Nonetheless, I used the following catch phrase far too many times then I would like to repeat at this time:

"2005 is my year!"

However here is a very quick month-by-month overview of some of the happenings in my life and the Somewhat Frank blog.

January 2005 : 

• I took a new position with Tribune Interactive in the national Business Development department.
• I met and started dating my extraordinary girlfriend.  She has been wonderful and has added lots of sunshine to my year.

February 2005:

• It must have been a cold month in Chicago and I must have been studying a lot for my Masters program because I do not remember much of February.  I do recall doing some skiing and celebrating Valentine's Day, that's about it.

March 2005:

• Completed a Master of Science in CIS from Northwestern University.

April 2005:

• Another cold Chicago Cubs opening day lose at Wrigley field.

May 2005:

• Trip to Florida for some sunshine, call it a late spring break.
• As explained in my SwF post, my Google Gmail account was hacked.

June 2005:

• Took my first steps on Wrigley Field for a charity event.
• Attended Webmaster World's SEO conference in New Orleans where Ian Turner went missing but then was found.
• Somewhat Frank the blog is born with this post.

July 2005:

• Who will be #1 in Blog Search?
• Google Maps API is released and the mash-ups begin to emerge.
• Google Earth and MSN Virtual Earth do battle.
• Tribune Interactive Producer training in Chicago.
• McCormick Tribune Foundation's Freedom Museum art competition winners announced.

August 2005:

• Splog Reporter is born as a grassroots movement to combat spam blogs and quickly improved.
• Somewhat Frank gets an updated look.
• Took a weekend trip to historic Galena, Illinois.
• A visit to an Alpaca farm ... if all else fails I could raise Alpacas!?
• Tried to answer the question, what is emotional cheating?
• Attended Ryne Sandberg Day at Wrigley Field.

September 2005:

• I got mono! September was a long very month.
• Katrina devastated New Orleans. Keith Oberman and Kanye West sound off and Google Maps give us satellite images.

October 2005:

• WSJ highlights Splog and Splog Reporter.
• Wired News highlights Splog Reporter.
• The Chicago White Sox baseball team make Chicago proud.
• A trip to Georgia for some rest and relaxation.
• A quick trip to my Alma mater Purdue University to watch some Big Ten football.

November 2005:

• Somewhat Frank gets blogged by Pluck.
• Tribune Interactive launches two new Metromix entertainment sites of which I was on the strategic planning committee.
• Attended a Chicago Bears football game on a windy Sunday ... little did I know the Bears would make the playoffs and get a bye!
• Nominated as one of Chicago's Finest and helped fund-raise for a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation event.

December 2005:

• Attended the Syndicate Conference in San Francisco.
• Gave the Gift of Blogging to my brother Jack.

With a year like 2005, what's in store for 2006? In 2006 on Somewhat Frank, I plan to stay more focused on business and technology and how it affects life.

Tuesday Evening @ Syndicate

Just a quick recap from Tuesday evening (December 13, 2004) at the Syndicate Conference. After the structured blogging announcement I blogged about previously on SwF, I headed to the Yahoo networking reception where I had the pleasure of finally meeting Niall Kennedy of Technorati and Michael Arrington of TechCrunch. These are just couple of gentlemen I have interacted with online but never got to actually meet in person. Additionally, Michael was snapping some photos and caught my ugly mug in this photo with a new acquaintance, Jennifer Allen, from  Eurekster. Ironically, I have used Eurekster's Swicki product recently in a post on SwF titled What is Swicki? so it was nice to finally meet someone from Eurekster. 

I attended an after party in a penthouse suite filled with superb wine, port and scotch hosted by the good folks at Pluck (Dave Panos and company). At the after party I met several other Syndicate attendees including another midwesterner in Dan Hickey from Meredith Corporation (which owns Better Homes and Gardens among other publications). After a fabulous party by Pluck, I headed with some of my new acquaintances to the Cellar, a local establishment a few blocks away to attend a launch party for a new RSS Reader which incorporates some aspects of social networking called Gritwire. I met Ian Carswell the founder and COO of Gritwire and actually got a personalized demo. I found the RSS reader to carry many of the same features of any other reader. However, one thing I did find distinguishable was the fact that the reader was flash based which is different from the typical Ajax based reader solutions I am accustom to seeing. In watching the demo I found out Ian is a fellow Illinois resident since Gritwire’s office is in Evanston, Illinois which is where I received my graduate degree from Northwestern. As a door prize for for heading to the launch party, Gritwire gave out laptop bags as shown the left. A very nice touch. UPDATE: Ian has posted recently on the Gritwire blog in regard to the launch party.

After a long day I decided to wander back to the San Francisco Hilton and to get some much needed dinner from the Lobby Bar and then returned to my room to recap my notes on the day and check in with the blogosphere. A blog post later, I finally, got headed to bed after an eventful day at Syndicate.

*Images provided by Michael Arrington, Andy Kaufman and Scott Beale via Flickr

Somewhat Frank Gets Blogged By Pluck

I realized this morning I have been blogged by Pluck! Though I do not plan on popping bubbly on the memorable occasion of Somewhat Frank (a.k.a. Frank Gruber) being blogged, I find it ironic since I enjoyed a few mini bottles of Dom Pierre champagne last night before I even knew I was blogged by Pluck.

Thank you Pluck, I really appreciate the mention in the post titled Somewhat Frank (ly) Speaking which highlights web 2.0, the blogosphere influence and alpacas...oh my!

Stay tuned to Somewhat Frank because the best is yet to come as I give my candid perspective on technology, business and life.

Pluck Shadows Community Search Beta No More

Pluck first introduced the community tagging and blog search engine called Shadows as a Beta in mid-July. It offers a simple way for bloggers to tag their posts rather then actually adding tag code to your posts. It also offers other collaborative capabilities which include joining web groups and discussions. Additionally, Shadows offers a blog tag search feature which can be sorted by users, groups, and listings you specifically tagged.

I first blogged about Shadows back in July in the Somewhat Frank post IceRocket and Pluck Shadows Tagging as it was offered as a Beta. Today Pluck announced Shadows 1.0 is no longer in the Beta phase in the latest Pluck Press Release.  Check out Shadows and give it a try. It has a lot to offer to bloggers and non-bloggers alike.

Pluck Offers New Citizen Journalism and RSS Products

Pluck recently made its InSite Blogging and InSite RSS products available to publishers by announcing the launch of two Cox Newspaper's Austin, Texas websites:   

statesman.com
austin360.com

Both sites have completed an initial implementation of the InSite Blogging product. InSite Blogging offers publishers a way to promote citizen reporting and journalism. It offers publishers to integration options which include a fully hosted solution as well as more of a wrapper solution for publishers that do not want to rely on Pluck hosting the product for them. With this service publisher can offer its users their own personalized blog space within the publisher’s website. Users can then write blog posts that will appear in their blog space. So in essence they are writing content for the publisher offering user commentary.

The next phase for these sites is to implement InSite RSS. InSite RSS gives publishers the ability to offer their users a space to manage the feeds they see on the publishers site. Users select and subscribe to any of the millions of news and content feeds Pluck aggregates and caches daily. With Pluck, users can view and read the feed item titles and summaries from their favorite sources right on your site. So it is acting as a repository for users to store links to their favorite RSS feeds. I could see this being an especially attractive option to users that do not currently use another RSS feed aggregator.

Additionally, Pluck offers other services related to RSS and blogging and now even is offering its award winning RSS reader to be customize with it's Private Label RSS Reader option.

To find out more about this citizen journalism approach  check out this article on MediaPost which was mentioned on Micro Persuasion.  Also visit the Pluck Services page on the Pluck website to explore all of their offerings.

Somewhat Frank A Pluck Featured Friend

Somewhat Frank is presently listed as one of the "Featured Friends" on the Current Friends section of the Pluck website. Check it out here. Also Tech Crunch and RSS Blog are on the list and happen to be blogs I frequently visit.

Pluck Offers Integrated RSS Reader

Pluck has released a new RSS reader technology that integrates with Firefox or IE and makes reading RSS feeds a breeze. This new reader plug-in allows you to create folders and organize your RSS feeds any way that you want to. Another feature I found very helpful was the "Feedfinder" which lists the top 100 feeds as well as Pluck's recommended feeds. I downloaded the Firefox version and installed it this morning and began to populate it with all of my favorite feeds. Here are a few other Pluck user perspectives, in the post titled All Plucked Up, General from Gagan Kaul's Blog and Pluck.com RSS Software. I would strongly recommend checking Pluck out here.
 

IceRocket and Pluck Shadows Tagging

IceRocket and Pluck are both making huge strides into the blog search and tagging arena by offering tagging methods for your blog posts. Check out this link on IceRocket for instructions on how you can begin tagging. Thanks to Steve Rubel with additional support from IceRocket CEO, Blake Rhodes, for bringing IceRocket tagging to light.

Additionally, Pluck has released the Pluck Shadows Beta. It is a new blog search by Pluck which allows you to tag pages that are already published via the Shadows web site or a browser toolbar you can install to tag pages. It took me a second to figure out how this all works since it is not using the conventional tagging method of actually placing tags into the code of your posts. However, this unique tagging method is easy to use and should have appeal to both the technical and non-technical blogger. TechCrunch does a wonderful profile on Shadows here.

The creation of these new products brings even more players into the ballgame when asking the question Who Will Be #1 In Blog Search? I wonder if Technorati is getting nervous yet?