Some folks have been asking me for the clear definition of the term Web 3.0.Web 3.0 is defined as the creation of high-quality content and services produced by gifted individuals using Web 2.0 technology as an enabling platform. Web 2.0 services are now the commoditized platform, not the final product. In a world where a social network, wiki, or social bookmarking service can be built for free and in an instant, what's next?Web 2.0 services like digg and YouTube evolve into Web 3.0 services with an additional layer of individual excellence and focus. As an example, funnyordie.com leverages all the standard YouTube Web 2.0 feature sets like syndication and social networking, while adding a layer of talent and trust to them. A version of digg where experts check the validity of claims, corrected errors, and restated headlines to be more accurate would be the Web 3.0 version. However, I'm not sure if the digg community will embrace that any time soon. Wikipedia, considered a Web 1.5 service, is experiencing the start of the Web 3.0 movement by locking pages down as they reach completion, and (at least in their German version) requiring edits to flow through trusted experts. Also of note, is what Web 3.0 leaves behind. Web 3.0 throttles the "wisdom of the crowds" from turning into the "madness of the mobs" we've seen all to often, by balancing it with a respect of experts. Web 3.0 leaves behind the cowardly anonymous contributors and the selfish blackhat SEOs that have polluted and diminished so many communities. Web 3.0 is a return to what was great about media and technology before Web 2.0: recognizing talent and expertise, the ownership of ones words, and fairness. It's time to evolve, shall we?Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Congrat to Brian Alvey (my partner @ Weblogs, Inc) and his team for quietly launching what I'm sure will be one of the most successful companies in the Web 3.0 era (the Web 3.0 era being based on high-quality content + lightweight, open source technology): COMICMIX.COMComicMix is essentially Weblogs, Inc. for comics. Brian is building platform for comic book artists to create and distribute comics online. He's going to disintermediate a bunch of publishers and middle management types who currently provide little value to the comic creators and consumers. I predict that he'll have a hit that makes it to the big screen within five years.... ComicMix is going to be the next Marvel--you heard it here first. Ironically Brian is taking a similar path to our partner Peter Rojas of Engadget fame. Peter is doing a record label (called rcrd lbl) that, again, connects artists with their fans. Some times he calls it the "Weblogs, Inc. of music." Both sites will be make money with advertising.Weblogs, Inc. has create an army of entrepreneurs, and I'm really proud of that. Silicon Alley Reporter created a crop of stars who went on to bigger and better things as well (Rafat ali and Xeni Jardin among others). I think that the real measure of a CEO is what their management teams do AFTER they've finished working with (for) them. Great managers hire people who will, eventually, go on to big things.Watching Brian and Peter build what I believe will be $100M+ businesses from the ground up gives me great pride. [ Note: Some other folks on the Weblogs, Inc./Netscape teams are working on some cool projects as well.... but that's for another day. ]Below: The very, very cool NON-DRM comixmix player. t aPermalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
You know you're on to something really big when the SEO's polluting the web make you public enemy #1... IN A T-SHIRT!!! Note: I'll be wearing this to my next fireside chat with Danny Sullivan for sure!Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Wha-Wha-what?!?!?!?! I'm really excited to get Verizon's FIOS service some day, but I don't want to give up my cooper.... this is a big story if it's true. (AP) Verizon Communications is getting some complaints as it switches consumers to its FiOS fiber-optic service. Consumers say they weren't properly informed that installation of FiOS includes cutting the old copper wire system into the home.Verizon's new high-bandwidth fiber lines are fully capable of carrying not only calls but also Internet data and television with room to grow. But once the copper is pulled, it's difficult to switch back to the traditional phone system or less expensive Digital Subscriber Line service. And Verizon isn't required, in most instances, to lease fiber to rival phone companies, as it is with the copper infrastructure.Unlike copper-connected phone service, FiOS doesn't work during power outages once a backup battery goes out - not even for emergency calls. Home-alarms and certain other devices work best with copper.Verizon spokesman Eric Rabe says customers should have been notified at least three times - but consumers say it's hidden in the fine print.While A-T-and-T and Qwest are also retiring their copper networks, they're not touching the so-called "last mile" of copper wiring that runs from each customer's dwelling to the central office where other lines aggregate.Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Andy in our How To group has been doing some AMAZING How To articles recently... today he does one on How To Play Piano for Beginners that is just amazing (just in time for me... we bought a piano last week!).Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Google is a a great company and I use their products more than any other service on the web. I'm big on Google Reader, Google Docs, GMAIL, and Google Hosted Domains/Email. When the Google Browser and Google Operating System come out I'm sure I'll convert quickly. you guys know about the browser and OS right?!?! ;-)Google's pace for development is designed to be manic and to let a thousand flowers bloom. That's why folks love working there and that's why they have the best products in the market. When they focus things like Google Maps, Docs, and GMAIL change the market. GTalk and Google Video? Maybe not so much... you can't hit home runs every time you get up to bat.However, I'm starting to get confused by Google product offering now. It's a first for me, I suspect because I'm a product junkie... I love web-based services and will take the time to figure them out no matter how confusing they are. Bookmarking services at Google are going wild right now. I'm using *three* different bookmarking services with three different names at Google. I can't figure out why these are three different products. The fact that Google has three products that are so similar and overlapping reminds me of... wait for it.... my time at AOL. Yep, when companies get really big ideas get sprinkled across various services (i.e. we had Friends at AIMPages and on Netscape and we were adding that concept to Weblogs, Inc. blogs). Is it a product or is it a feature? is typically how these debates go. Of course, it's a intellectual argument and the real issue is what your users think. This user is now confused. What bookmarking service do you want me to use Google?!?!?! So, to my peeps at Google... can someone explain what the difference between these three services are and why I need to maintain three set of bookmarks?Here they are:1. Google Share Stuff: "Google'ssocial side is more visible every day. A new service called "Shared Stuff" lets you share interesting links with your friends and the entire world. You need to drag a bookmarklet to your browser's link bar or to click on the "Share" button from a web page (the button can only be found at Google Video right now)."2. Google Bookmarks: "Google Bookmarks is an online service that lets you save your favorite sites and attach labels and annotations. Unlike the bookmark feature from your browser, bookmarks are stored securely online, so they are accessible even if you're using other computers."3. Google Notethis: "Search is all about finding the answers you need. Unfortunately, some kinds of questions--like where you should stay and what you should do on your Hawaiian vacation, or what kind of digital camera you should buy, or what the latest treatments for arthritis are--can't always be answered in one sitting, or by visiting one site. That's why we built Google Notebook--to give you an online "notebook" where you can organize all your research, add personal notes to it, and share it with others. Google Notebook surfs along quietly with you as you browse, letting you clip and annotate whatever text, images, and links that help answer your question, all without ever leaving the webpage you're on."Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Just watching the new pages feed over at Mahalo and found out that Britney has lost custody of her two kids to her former husband. [ Insert out of the frying pan into the fire joke here ].Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Everyone is buzzing (on TechMeme) about the TechMeme leaderboard. The leaderboard is basically a listing of who has the most share of voice on TechMeme. TechMeme, if you don't know, pulls together technology publications and links the stories they cover together to show you what's being talked about. Frankly, three or four years ago this would be interesting. Today? Well, who cares that TechCrunch, Engadget, and the New York Times--we know those are the biggest/most important voices in the space. Frankly, I'm finding the conversations in the tech blogosphere so circular, insular, and--frankly--inane that TechMeme is less and less important to me. Is Apple screwing up by not opening up the iPhone? Yes. Do I need 50 different people's opinion on that? No.I don't think is TechMeme's fault, but I do think that the tail has started wagging the dog and this new leaderboard will make it get event worse. Why? People's writing is based on how to get on TechMeme today. As people write based on TechMeme's topics the conversation spirals into itself. Sometimes I'll open 20 different posts around the same thread and realize that only one or two people out of 20 actually have anything to say. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Some random thoughts over some white tea with honey.... The Final Cut of Blade Runner comes out this Friday. It's playing in two theaters, one in NYC and one in LA. I'm taking a group of Mahalogins to a screening. Blade Runner is one of my top five films of all time. During a particularly long bought of insomnia I watched the film 50+ times. I didn't have cable in my loft, just a DVD player. I'd work until 1AM and realize I needed to sleep. Going to bed wouldn't do the trick, but the music in Blade Runner combined with the visuals would sort of put me in a trance. I'd watch for 30-60-90 minutes and pass out. Good times.If you want to build a great company spend time with the folks on your team doing social things. If you have a good time going to the movies or dinner you're going to have a good time working together. If you can't share a simple movie or meal, well, that's a red flag. Now, for BigCo's I understand folks want to get in and out, and do the minimum in many cases. When I was doing my year at AOL we had the Weblogs, Inc. folks having dinner, going for drinks, and on trips all the time. The folks at AOL would come out with us some times and you could see the ones who ventured out looked like they were on cloud nine. People can like each other and have a good time at work!?!?! Wow! When I was at BigCompanies (I've been at two or three) I would hear all these excuses of why people can't participate in social activities after work (i.e. kids, school, I've been here all day, I have work to do, etc), and always wondered how they could spend 40 hours a week with folks, 2,000 a year, but not have the time to go to a two hour dinner a couple of times a year. You gotta make the time.Looks like Apple is breaking iphones that have been hacked (i.e. modified to run other programs or use the phone network of the users choice). It's called "bricking" them (as in turning them into something as useful as a brick). It's interesting how the Apple folks are now realizing that Apple, as opposed to IBM and Microsoft which Apple mocked in their 1984 commercials, is acting like big brother. The issue here is really about stock price and the iPod. Apple had such an amazing hit with the iPod in terms of not only units sold, but the margin of that product, that it needed a second act. The iPhone is that second act. In order to maximize revenue Apple had to sell the soul of the device to AT&T. So, there it is everyone... even the greatest CEO, at the great company has to make concessions when running a public company. Keep in mind the fact that even the mighty Steve Jobs had to make major concessions on the iPhone in order to keep Apple's stock going when you start building your company on top of Facebook. At some point Facebook will be a public company and when they are they will answer to shareholders, not application developers. Right now Facebook's position on 3rd party developers is amazing and I'm sure they are genuine in their support. However, give Facebook two missed quarters as a public company and they might not have no choice but to squeeze every ounce of revenue out of Facebook. That squeeze might include competing with the current crop of Facebook developers. You know what you can do if they have to squeeze? Nothing. You can go out of business like countless software companies did when Microsoft decided that they need a second act after their operating system and came out with Office. Or look at the information providers who were partners with AOL back when AOL charged by the hour. When AOL went flat rate the information providers got rocked--big time. That being said, Facebook is an AMAZING way to promote a business that is off the Facebook platform.... right?! I mean look at these five huge business that Facebook apps have built.... ummm... the first is... ummm.... let me see. Uhhh.... does anyone know a business that has grown from Facebook into a real non-Facebook dependent business yet? I think MySpace has built one third part y business in Slide.com right? Oh yeah, and Photobucket which MySpace bought. Building inside closed ecosystems is very, very dangerous.... be careful.Make sure you vote for fellow blogger and dotcomer Mark Cuban tonight on Dancing with the Stars... he's out there dancing his heart out for all of us. He is show the world that nerds can Dance... for that we must thank him--with a phone call vote of support! Went to see Bright Eyes at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday night. They were amazing, but played a very short set. The singer from Bright Eyes seemed toasted.... he was saying all this wacky stuff between songs. Either that or he was trying to solidify that "the next Dylan" moniker. I'm looking for a couple of more HOW TO editors/writers for here at Mahalo. Know anyone? Let me know... full-time position in Los Angeles/Santa Monica. We're also looking for freelancers. That's it for now... talk again soon. More bulldog puppy love pics coming soon. I promise!Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Looks like it's a HUGE week for Halo, and Vanessa Hudgens is still nude. :-)Top 50 Mahalo Pages Halo 3 Skulls How To Make Perfect Sushi Rice Vanessa Hudgens Nude Photo How To Tie A Tie Halo 3 Armor Hayabusa Meg White Sex Tape Halo 3 Cheats Vanessa Hudgens Pictures How To Plan A Cheap Date Halo 3 Armor Jessica Kramer Sarah Larson Fear Factor Sarah Larson Ashley Perrin How To Cure A Hangover How To Download Free Music How To Make Sushi How To Sleep On A Plane Rachelle Spector Halo 3 Walkthrough Layla Dietz No Anorexia Billboard Halo 3 Ending Mike Gundy Video White-Lipped Keelback Michael Vick Dogfighting Indictment Yvonne Strahovsky Navy Barracks Swastika Juanita Bynum On Good Morning America How To Play Guitar For Newbies Sushi Oktoberfest Recipes Crank Dat Elissa Wall Naegleria Fowleri Veronica Belmont Lindsay Avner Rice Cookers How To Get A Free Credit Report Oscar De La Hoya Pictures Allen Steed Vanessa Anne Hudgens Nfl Week 4 2007 Nan Goldin How To Speak French Halo 3 Medals How To Overcome Jet Lag How To Make A Jello Shot Juanita Bynum Assault Klara And Edda Belly-Dancing Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Congrats to my *friends* over at WIRED.COM on the launch of Geekipedia... it's a great resource and I'm sure the Guides @ Mahalo will be linking to it often.Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Our team here at Mahalo is going Halo crazy... they are tracking all the Halo 3 Skulls, armor, etc. { Photo: Halo 3 by ehaver }Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
