http://hyveup.blogspot.com/ennoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:46:24 -0500Blogger http://www.blogger.com16512537.74873-122.415457http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/1262085http://www.feedburner.comhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/330201013/will-zivity-become-hbo-of-internet-cyan.htmlzivityroyaltiesphotosocial networkmodelhyveupcyan banisternoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:39:41 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-7225417226419307230<script src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.js?mediaId:1022022;affiliateId:191341;backColor:#003300;frontColor:#FFFFFF;gradColor:#000000;width:500;height:407;relatedVideos:false;shareUrl:embedUrl;pngLogo:http://static2.revver.com/player/logo/HyveUpBlog-avata-70x20.png" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br />The ad-based revenue-sharing distribution model of most social networking sites comes with a few restrictions for online content producers: even tens of thousands of views or visits do not generate a decent revenue, and since advertisers rule the casa, they refuse to see their ads appear next to explicit content. The free distribution model has its limits - low pay and censorship - which consequently pushes producers of explicit content to <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/12/21/perez-hilton-bitch-slaps-youtube/">look for alternatives</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://zivity.com">Zivity</a>, a royalties-distributed social platform, is stepping in the online content distribution arena to tackle this frustrating situation. The company was founded by successful tech entrepreneur <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/person/scott-banister">Scott Banister</a>, Cyan Banister and Jeffrey Wescott. Officially launched during the <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/09/18/techcrunch40-session-8-entertainment-for-all-ages/">2007 Techrunch 40</a>, Zivity got a buzz at a very early stage because of the <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2007/08/16/zivity-an-adult-social-network-raises-1m-before-launch/">pre-launch funding</a> it received, and mostly because the site showcases artistic nude female pictures.<br /><br /><img style="vertical-align:top; margin: 15px; float: left;" src="http://i31.tinypic.com/33xkay9.png" height="40"/>Right now, <a href="http://zivity.com">Zivity</a> is a platform for models and photographers to create and monetize photosets through the royalties-distributed platform. Zivity is entirely ad-free, and content producers earn money every time a user likes a set and votes for it. The site's philosophy is that users will pay for quality content they cannot find anywhere else on the Web. On Zivity, users buy votes (1$ a vote), and wander around the site voting for the stuff they dig. Voting on <a href="http://zivity.com">Zivity</a> resembles following on Twitter: Once a user votes for a model+photographer, he automatically subscribes to the artists' activity updates that will appear in his Zivity newsfeed. This way, voting becomes a way to create a tie between the artists and their fan base.<br /><br />Cyan Banister is the Editor-in-Chief at <a href="http://zivity.com">Zivity</a> and in charge of the company's global strategy. As she explains in the video, Zivity's beta evolves around glamour female photography, for the simple reason that there is a high demand online for this type of media. In the long-run, Zivity thrives to become a premier destination site for multimedia producers frustrated by the traditional free distribution sites. However, things are not all that loose on Zivity. As the Editor-in-Chief, Cyan controls the content submitted to the site and makes sure that the photos are in sync with Zivity's vision: Glamour, Pinup, focused on the woman. Photos must show skin, not sexual intercourse.<br /><br />So far, <a href="http://zivity.com">Zivity</a> is still in private beta: Efforts are directed towards developing a vibrant community of photography lovers. Investments are <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/09/no-longer-under-age-zivity-takes-7-million-in-venture-financing-for-adult-content/">positive</a>, the executive team is <a href="http://mashable.com/2008/05/10/still-in-beta-zivity-nets-napster-co-founder-jordan-ritter-for-cto-spot/">seriously building up</a>, so there is no pressure to launch the public site prematurely. However, for those who want to see what Zivity is all about, I have a few invites to distribute: just send an email to <a href="mailto:interview@hyveup.com">interview@hyveup.com</a> with your email address and I will get you in.<br /><br />As a user of the private beta, there are two things I really liked about with <a href="http://zivity.com">Zivity</a>. The first thing is the distribution model and how the social voting feature is also the artists' revenue stream. That's a really creative way to make paying for content more psychologically acceptable (CTO Jordan Ritter, also Co-Founder of Napster, got us used to free stuff, so making the shift is hard). The second thing is the look&feel of Zivity: intimate and playful, very similar to the experience of a French cabaret.<br /><br />So far, my favorite photographer on Zivity is <a href="http://www.zivity.com/photographers/Addictedimage">Addictedimage</a> for the photoset <a href="http://www.zivity.com/models/Mischa/photosets/3">Geisha</a>, and my favorite model is <a href="http://www.zivity.com/models/jetta">Jetta</a> for the photoset <a href="http://www.zivity.com/models/jetta/photosets/2">Playful</a>.<br /><br />Learn more about Zivity:<br /><a href="http://www.devilsworkshop.org/2008/05/13/zivity-a-social-network-promoting-beauty-20/">Zivity - A Social Network Promoting Beauty 2.0!</a> - Describes the rev share model of Zivity<br /><a href="http://www.1938media.com/shel-israel-has-a-naked-conversation-with-zivity-ceo/">Shel Israel Has A Naked Conversation With Zivity CEO</a> - Video interview with Cyan Banister<br /><a href="http://blog.ionalynn.com/2008/05/mt-first-set-live-on-zivity.html">Zivity publishes my first set</a> - Blog of enthusiast model on Zivity<br /><a href="http://techwag.com/index.php/2008/03/27/site-review-zivity/">Site Review Zivity</a> - TechWag's review focused on the benefits for models and photographers<br /><br /><div class="cbw snap_nopreview"><div class="cbw_header"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/javascripts/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="cbw_header_text"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase Information</a></div></div><div class="cbw_content"><div class="cbw_subheader"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/zivity">Zivity</a></div><div class="cbw_subcontent"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/cbw/company/zivity.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="cbw_footer">Information provided by <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></div></div></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=9EX2SJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=9EX2SJ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=htgCvJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=htgCvJ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=rdKBWj"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=rdKBWj" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=KUsBYJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=KUsBYJ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=3L7h6j"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=3L7h6j" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~4/330201013" height="1" width="1"/>http://api.feedburner.com/awareness/1.0/GetItemData?uri=HyveUp&itemurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhyveup.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fwill-zivity-become-hbo-of-internet-cyan.htmlhttp://hyveup.blogspot.com/2008/07/will-zivity-become-hbo-of-internet-cyan.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/326345745/apture-launches-publicly-get-your-blog.htmlembed featurelaunchapturestart viewing timepublicnoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:53:25 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-6246003521652442630<script src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.js?mediaId:921469;affiliateId:191341;backColor:#003300;frontColor:#FFFFFF;gradColor:#000000;width:500;height:407;relatedVideos:false;shareUrl:embedUrl;pngLogo:http://static2.revver.com/player/logo/HyveUpBlog-avata-70x20.png" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://blog.apture.com/2008/06/apture-announces-availability-of-1-click-multimedia-linking-platform/">Apture recently opened up</a> their rich multimedia linking platform to the public. <a href="http://apture.com">Apture</a> allows site publishers/bloggers to easily find content related to their articles and link to it. The major appeal of this tool is that the linked pages appear in a HTML overlay window (ie pop-up).<br /><br /><img style="vertical-align:top; margin: 15px; float: left;" src="http://static.apture.com/media/imgs/logo.png" height="40"/>Don't get lured by generally accepted ideas like <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/06/30/apture-gives-contextual-popups-a-good-name/">the readers of Techcrunch</a>: Apture's popups open up a world of infinite knowledge that superbly completes any written article. <a href="http://apture.com">Apture</a> is a convenient compromise for publishers: it provides great links which readers can browse from the original site. While the discussion is <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_conversation_has_left_the_blogosphere.php">leaving the blogosphere</a>, richer content is settling in.<br /><br /><blockquote>“With our linking platform, websites can now be enriched with background articles, images, maps, videos, PDFs, PowerPoint presentations, podcasts, music and even interactive widgets in a way that’s never been possible before. Our solution will shift the way we currently publish and communicate on the web and will generate empathy and knowledge transfer, which will create fresh opportunities for distributed commerce."<br/> Tristan Harris, Founder/CEO</blockquote><br />The public launch of <a href="http://apture.com">Apture</a> comes with the release of a few cool additional features to the service. In pole position is the first non-pop-up feature of Apture: the easy embed feature. Just select a spot in an article where you would like to place a media, and Apture intuitively creates an area to embed content, by brushing aside the existing content. Once the free space has been created, simply use the Apture tool to easily select what content you want to place in this embed area.<br /><br />This way, Apture makes the embedding process shrink from over ten clicks down to less than 5 (and it finds that content for you, in case you don't know what to look for).<br /><br /><a href="http://apture.com">Apture</a> also offers a new tool to have more control on videos. If there is a specific moment of the video a blogger wants to link to, there is a "start viewing at time" feature that allows to do this. That makes linking to videos much more compelling.<br /><br /><p>Even in private beta, Apture received a lot of <a href="http://lessig.org/blog/2008/05/fantastically_cool_code_to_wat.html">excellent feedbacks</a>. Now that it is public, I recommend any site publisher to give it a twirl. As a media producer, I strongly recommend it to other media producers/bloggers: It is a great way to suggest a lot of your videos to your readership in an unobtrusive manner.</p><br /><br /><p><br /><div class="cbw snap_nopreview"><div class="cbw_header"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/javascripts/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="cbw_header_text"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase Information</a></div></div><div class="cbw_content"><div class="cbw_subheader"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/apture">Apture</a></div><div class="cbw_subcontent"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/cbw/company/apture.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="cbw_footer">Information provided by <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></div></div></div></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=rQCQ1J"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=rQCQ1J" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=vWgPEJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=vWgPEJ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=RsObwj"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=RsObwj" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=OjT1SJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=OjT1SJ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=xqxyFj"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=xqxyFj" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~4/326345745" height="1" width="1"/>http://api.feedburner.com/awareness/1.0/GetItemData?uri=HyveUp&itemurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhyveup.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fapture-launches-publicly-get-your-blog.htmlhttp://hyveup.blogspot.com/2008/07/apture-launches-publicly-get-your-blog.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/326041550/swivel-cornerstone-for-information-age.htmlSwiveldatagraphssharingGerad Suyderhoudhyveupnoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:21:32 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-2983287949749605422<script src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.js?mediaId:1010373;affiliateId:191341;backColor:#003300;frontColor:#FFFFFF;gradColor:#000000;width:500;height:407;relatedVideos:false;shareUrl:embedUrl;pngLogo:http://static2.revver.com/player/logo/HyveUpBlog-avata-70x20.png" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br />Graphs and data are <a href="http://datamineshaft.com/blog/i-swivel-data">pretty geeky items</a> to share online. The information conveyed by graphs is useful knowledge, but the methodology to organize and share the right bits of info requires some strong data analysis knowledge. <a href="http://swivel.com">Swivel</a> is here to help you deal with complex spreadsheets, transform them into intelligible graphs, and share it with everyone, or just with designated collaborators. Swivel has a public side where anybody can upload graphs and make them available for the rest of us, and a <a href="https://business.swivel.com/">private corner for businesses</a> wishing to benefit from the Swivel's technology without sharing their confidential data with the rest of us.<br /><br /><img style="vertical-align:top; margin: 5px; float: left;" src="http://i31.tinypic.com/2ds3aeq.png" height="40"/><a href="http://swivel.com">Swivel</a> was created in December 2005 by two physics majors named Dmitry Dimov and Brian Mulloy. They came up with the idea of Swivel while working at <a href="http://grandcentral.com">GrandCentral</a> at a position that seemingly required a lot of data analysis. The two Founders came to the conclusion that it would be great to create a site for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_and_medium_enterprises">SMBs</a> to manage their data spreadsheets, share it internally or externally, and find great public data on the spot. <a href="http://www.contentmatters.info/content_matters/2006/12/swivel_youtube_.html">A Youtube for graphs</a>!<br /><br />So how does <a href="http://swivel.com">Swivel</a> works? Once signed up, you can freely surf public graphs, through keyword searches, <a href="http://www.swivel.com/groups">groups of interest</a>, latest uploads, or by checking out a <a href="http://www.swivel.com/users/show/1005522">user's profile</a> that interests you. Just like regular blogging, if you feel you could add value to a graph, you can make comments, Digg it, rate it, send it as an email, post to a blog... The whole enchilada! Swivel is a great place for public institutions like the <a href="http://www.swivel.com/users/show/1004354">OECD</a> to share their endless and extremely valuable data with a numbers-minded community. <br /><br /><img style="vertical-align:top; margin: 5px; float: left;" src="https://business.swivel.com/images/swivel_logo.png?1213217738" height="15"/>As mentioned above, <a href="http://swivel.com">Swivel</a> is also a place for businesses to post their graphs and create a private community of users that can remotely collaborate around a company's private numbers. Called Swivel Business, this private area - right now in free alpha - has a few <a href="https://business.swivel.com/about/features">interesting features</a>: comments, email updates, customization of data streams, find always up-to-date numbers, groups creation, interactive graphs and dashboard customization. <br /><br /><a href="http://swivel.com">Swivel</a> is led by the philosophy that a business is successful if it has the capacity to integrate its internal data with the external data of the larger world. As Gerad Suyderhoud, Product Manager at Swivel, explains in the video, if your business evolves around newborns, then your business could use public data about infant mortality. Combining public and private data is Swivel's Graal. While there is no doubt that Swivel crunches numbers like madness to figure out what their users want, the startup's approach is mostly to rely on the wisdom of the crowds to organize this potentially infinite source of data. In a way, Swivel enables businesses to balance out the internal and external forces in action by knowing the facts and adjusting to it: Swivel makes your business zen.<br /><br /><img style="vertical-align:top; margin: 5px; float: left;" src="http://www.contentmatters.info/content_matters/images/swivelwine_1.gif" height="100"/>Beyond what might look like a pretty geeky website, <a href="http://swivel.com">Swivel</a> is on the road to offer an infinitely valuable marketing tool for SMBs that do not have the resources to analyze the external occurences that affect them. An API is available, but it only allows to upload and download data to the Swivel platform so far. In the longer term, Gerad Suyderhoud says that the API will be way more flexible to turn Swivel into a leading provider of data analytics. Since we are not there yet, the development team already offers a <a href="http://www.swivel.com/pantry">few cool features</a> to make inter-operations with the Swivel platform easy to handle. Check it out!<br /><br />More info about Swivel:<br /><a href="http://blog.swivel.com/weblog/2008/07/data-mining-the.html">Data mining: the theory of everything?</a> - super interesting discussion on the Swivel blog<br /><a href="http://datamineshaft.com/blog/i-swivel-data">I Swivel Data</a> - The Data Mine Shaft<br /><a href="http://grj.blogspot.com/2008/06/take-data-language-survey.html">Take the data language survey</a> - Garry's Blog<br /><a href="http://mikec-streamsinthedessert.blogspot.com/2008/06/lesson-17-swivel-and-data-analysis.html">Streams in the Dessert: Lesson # 17 (Swivel and data analysis)</a> - Streams in the Dessert<br /><br /><div class="cbw snap_nopreview"><div class="cbw_header"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/javascripts/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="cbw_header_text"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase Information</a></div></div><div class="cbw_content"><div class="cbw_subheader"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/swivel">Swivel</a></div><div class="cbw_subcontent"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/cbw/company/swivel.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="cbw_footer">Information provided by <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></div></div></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=sXMpkJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=sXMpkJ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=ENIMWJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=ENIMWJ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=mQFWQj"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=mQFWQj" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=U0dYZJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=U0dYZJ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=v8XvBj"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=v8XvBj" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~4/326041550" height="1" width="1"/>http://api.feedburner.com/awareness/1.0/GetItemData?uri=HyveUp&itemurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhyveup.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fswivel-cornerstone-for-information-age.htmlhttp://hyveup.blogspot.com/2008/07/swivel-cornerstone-for-information-age.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/324160710/hang-in-there-michael-wilson-therecom.html3Dmichael wilsonthere.comvirtual worldmakenahyveupnoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:01:08 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-9006023013876748069<script src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.js?mediaId:1003914;affiliateId:191341;backColor:#003300;frontColor:#FFFFFF;gradColor:#000000;width:500;height:407;relatedVideos:false;shareUrl:embedUrl;pngLogo:http://static2.revver.com/player/logo/HyveUpBlog-avata-70x20.png" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_world">Virtual worlds</a> have undeniably taken over the entertainment arena in the past decade. MMORPGs put aside, Second Life was the most advertised 3D innovation of the past few years. Unfortunately, the place is not really fit for teens - a population of virtual worlds crunchers - and it is still not clear <a href="http://delifaks.blogspot.com/2007/07/lewispr-killed-second-life.html/">how popular</a> the platform is exactly. Alternatives exist: <a href="http://there.com">There</a>, <a href="http://metaversum.com">Metaversum</a> or <a href="http://www.kaneva.com/">Kaneva</a>. <a href="http://there.com">There</a> is probably the most threatening competition to SL, even though they don't cater to the same audience.<br /><br /><img style="vertical-align:top; margin: 5px; float: left;" src="http://i26.tinypic.com/11uxqpj.jpg" height="40"/><a href="http://there.com">There</a> is a 3D hangout for friends to connect around virtual activities. It was founded in 1998 by Will Harvey, a Stanford computer science Ph.D. and game developer, and Jeffrey Ventrella, an expert on artificial life from MIT’s Media Lab. In 2005 the company was spun off under Makena Technologies. Michael Wilson, present CEO of Makena Tech, joined the startup in 2001 after successfully launching eBay.<br /><br /><img style="vertical-align:top; margin: 15px; float: left;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/RATED_PG-13.svg/95px-RATED_PG-13.svg.png" height="40"/>Three components of <a href="http://there.com">There</a> make the platform attractive for users and commercial partners. First, There was designed PG-13, and intends to stay this way to keep attracting teenagers in their playful environment. Second, There has a strict brand protection policy: all the new products entering the There platform are scanned, and fake branded products are denied access. Third and not least, the software is a lightweight 40MB download, and even users with a 56K modem can connect to the platform and experience the fun.<br /><br />Since the environment is unoffensive, controlled and accessible,<a href="http://there.com">There</a> attracts a lot of brands targeting teens like <a href="http://www.there.com/cosmogirl/">Cosmo Girl</a>, <a href="http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3627795">Coca-Cola</a>, and <a href="http://www.vmtv.com/">MTV</a>. Those brands seem to be satisfied by the rich development potential of the virtual platform, and the young engaged users that populate it.<br /><br /><img style="vertical-align:top; margin: 15px; float: left;" src="http://foragoodcause.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/money_bag_with_dollar_sign.jpg" height="50"/>There is a lot of shopping going on in <a href="http://there.com">There</a>. Third-party developers are welcome to build cool virtual products, and sell them on the platform. Users (I don't believe the inhabitants of There have a name, please comment) need to fill up their wallets with Therebucks to purchase goods. I traded $5 for 9,000 Therebucks. To give you an idea, the leopard string (watch the video) for my avatar was 1,500 Therebucks.<br /><br />The Therebuck is a fixed currency. There is no Wall Street in <a href="http://there.com">There</a>. As Michael Wilson clearly explains in the video, there isn't any power in the physical world to govern virtual financial transactions. This means virtual transactions are not protected. It is really hard to prosecute someone who "virtually" stole from you. This doesn't mean that an economy cannot be built in a social world: As this is the case in There, brands initiate consuming behaviors in the virtual world, and then push those habits in the real world to generate sales. A virtual world is just a great mean for brands to interact with their consumers.<br /><br />Personally, I am not a big fan of virtual worlds, but I really had a blast in <a href="http://there.com">There</a>, as it is easy to use and entertainment-oriented. Try it out.<br /><br />Info to get started with There:<br /><a href="http://info.there.com/">ThereCare</a> - official info site<br /><a href="http://www.therefuntimes.com/">There Fun Times</a> - Offical blog<br /><a href="http://www.therevoice.com/">The Voice of There</a> - There latest news<br /><a href="http://www.snowcrest.net/fox/there/welcome/makingtb.htm">Tips for making Therebucks</a><br /><br /><div class="cbw snap_nopreview"><div class="cbw_header"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/javascripts/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="cbw_header_text"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase Information</a></div></div><div class="cbw_content"><div class="cbw_subheader"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/product/there">There</a></div><div class="cbw_subcontent"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/cbw/product/there.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="cbw_footer">Information provided by <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></div></div></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=wojg7J"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=wojg7J" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=EqgVVJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=EqgVVJ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=CLY6qj"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=CLY6qj" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=LLvjjJ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=LLvjjJ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=BPpedj"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=BPpedj" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~4/324160710" height="1" width="1"/>http://api.feedburner.com/awareness/1.0/GetItemData?uri=HyveUp&itemurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhyveup.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fhang-in-there-michael-wilson-therecom.htmlhttp://hyveup.blogspot.com/2008/07/hang-in-there-michael-wilson-therecom.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/319012294/share-your-web-expertise-create-bundles.htmlbundlessocialinvitesinterviewneyma johansoozhyveupyoubundlelinksethan mevinoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:01:08 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-1336970774855831073<script src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.js?mediaId:984881;affiliateId:191341;backColor:#003300;frontColor:#FFFFFF;gradColor:#000000;width:500;height:407;relatedVideos:false;shareUrl:embedUrl;pngLogo:http://static2.revver.com/player/logo/HyveUpBlog-avata-70x20.png" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Guest Writer:</span></span><br /><br /><a href="http://youbundle.com">YouBundle</a> is taking the most basic idea - links - and creating a centralized and organized database fueled and rated by users. Unlike social bookmarkers whose main goal is to simply get the links no matter their quality. The goal of YouBundle is for the USER to pick a subject - any subject - and put together a bundle of relevant links to pages, videos and photos. The Bundle actually becoming a new piece of content in the process.<br /><br />Other users will then have the power to rate the quality of this bundle, with this rating determining how much exposure it will or will not gather. The value of YouBundle is a three-fold process.<br /><br /> 1. Creation - The user has an expertise on a subject, along with a knowledge of places on the web to find information on this subject - They come to YouBundle and arrange all of these links into a bundle.<br /> 2. Share and Explore - Other users come to YouBundle to explore and learn all about new subjects. As they browse through various bundles - they get a concise summary of links regarding a certain subject so they can determine in a flash which subjects they would like to further explore in depth.<br /> 3. Search - The internet information gatherer currently has numerous tools at their disposal including typing the query into Google and sifting through all of the machine generated and SEO'ed results to find the sites of true value. YouBundle offers a shortcut to this process. As on any given subject, there will already have been a self-declared and community rated expert who has already created a bundle of results on the subject. Furthermore if the searcher is not satisfied with the Bundles offered, then the wheel turns back to the beginning where they can then become the Creator in order to offer their improved results. In this way it is a self-perpetuating system. <br /><br />To further understand <a href="http://youbundle.com">YouBundle</a> and how it differentiates from time-substitutes and competitors, we have to know that there is no editorial process involved aside from basic TOS violation removal. If people make a bundle that is not full of quality links, then they are free to do so and to publish just the same. The crowd-sourced rating process will allow those bundles of highest quality to raise above the rest.<br /><br />Furthermore - by the lack of an overboard editorial process such as Wiki which sterilizes results via need for consensus - YouBundle is offering the user to express their originality in the bundle. The same subject could have 5 different bundles from 5 different perspectives from 5 different people. Neither would be more right or wrong than the other (as opposed to the editorial model), rather it will be up to the community to decide which is to gather the most exposure.<br /><br /><a href="http://youbundle.com">YouBundle</a> is such a simple and amazing concept that if it can reach the critical mass of users, then we should be prepared for a complete redefinition of the concept of how we search for information on the internet. <br /><br />Neyma Jahansooz<br />Co-Founder YouBundle.com<br />updates @ <a href="http://twitter.com/youbundle">twitter.com/youbundle</a> <br /><br />-- <br /><br />As an alpha user of the service, the thing I enjoy the most at Youbundle is the flexibility: Users create groups of links and are totally free to organize those the way they want. I put HyveUp in a top-ranked tech blog bundle, and I am expecting the community to readjust this by making new lists compared to which my vision of HyveUp will probably lose some ranks. Just give your subjective vision of things, and let the natural order object it back if needed.<br /><br /><img style="vertical-align:top; margin: 15px; float: left;" src="http://www.youbundle.com/images/Logo_Black.gif" height="40"/>Plus YouBundle feels like a social network where users interact with links (basic social features so far). If I like your bundles, I become your friend and follow your bundle creations. The sharing experience is very similar to <a href="http://digg.com">Digg</a>, except that the user provides several links at once in a category withholding them.<br /><br />As usual, by opening up the system to the user, there is always surprising things popping up like this bundle about the <a href="http://www.youbundle.com/b/secret-sex-lives-of-pandas">secret sex lives of Pandas</a>. Very informative. By the way, this blue text (or green here) leads to the private beta version of the site, meaning you need an invite, and I've got a few to offer. If you want in, all I need is your name and email, which you can drop in the Disqus thread below, or email to <a href="mailto:interview@hyveup.com">interview@hyveup.com</a>.<br /><br />As <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/06/11/mahalo-has-competition-youbundle-secret-screen-shots/">mentioned in Techcrunch</a>, so far, like Mahalo, YouBundle is more of a Web guide than an actual search engine. <a href="http://youbundle.com">YouBundle</a> is still young, but the service is really easy to use. So join in and let's see how far this ship can go. If you sign up, look for xavierv and add me as a friend. See you there.<br /><br />Invites: drop name and email in the comment section below, or email to <a href="mailto:interview@hyveup.com">interview@hyveup.com</a>.<br /><br />Additional info on Youbundle:<br />Nothing there yet. If you write a piece about Youbundle, let me know so that I can put your link here.<br /><br /><div class="cbw snap_nopreview"><div class="cbw_header"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/javascripts/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="cbw_header_text"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase Information</a></div></div><div class="cbw_content"><div class="cbw_subheader"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/youbundle">YouBundle</a></div><div class="cbw_subcontent"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/cbw/company/youbundle.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="cbw_footer">Information provided by <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></div></div></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=ctez1I"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=ctez1I" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=UxTtJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=UxTtJI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=LtzHqi"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=LtzHqi" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=ANuZII"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=ANuZII" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=BsJsPi"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=BsJsPi" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~4/319012294" height="1" width="1"/>http://api.feedburner.com/awareness/1.0/GetItemData?uri=HyveUp&itemurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhyveup.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fshare-your-web-expertise-create-bundles.htmlhttp://hyveup.blogspot.com/2008/06/share-your-web-expertise-create-bundles.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/317158631/twitter-has-brand-appeal-screencast.htmlinterviewtwitterhyveupjack dorseynoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:46:01 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-4572557278100741698<center><script src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.js?mediaId:979134;affiliateId:191341;backColor:#003300;frontColor:#FFFFFF;gradColor:#000000;width:500;height:407;relatedVideos:false;shareUrl:embedUrl;pngLogo:http://static2.revver.com/player/logo/HyveUpBlog-avata-70x20.png" type="text/javascript"></script></center><br /><br />About eleven months ago (precisely on the 26th of July 2007), I set up an interview with jack Dorsey, Founder and CEO of <a href="http://twitter.com">Twitter</a>. Back then, the messenger service had known a buzz for about three months, and a lot of popular social media enthusiasts were still trying to figure out the benefits of twittering. <br /><br />I actually got lucky to get this interview with Jack Dorsey, as I didn't really have a site to show where the video would be displayed. Also, part of the luck lies - I think - in that the Founder of <a href="http://twitter.com">Twitter</a> did not verify my "journalist work" before replying with a positive answer to my invitation. The funniest in this story is that I had no idea that the same day I met Jack Dorsey, Twitter was announcing <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/26/twitter-gets-their-venture-round/">its first venture round</a> (he probably thought I was a smart guy who breached into the secret of their upcoming funds. I wish!).<br /><br />A year has passed, and yet I feel like the HyveUp interview with Jack Dorsey didn't wrinkle at all. Of course, the poor audiovisual quality always made the tape look old (lack of experience). Still though, the speech of the CEO about his company is still 100% accurate today.<br /><br />The idea of <a href="http://twitter.com">Twitter</a> came to the Founder as he was working as a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e6a41JoJbk">courier in 911 dispatch</a>. They had all those entities report describing what the officers were doing right at the moment. Jack wanted the same thing for his friends, and that's where the idea came from.<br /><br />A few weeks ago, Twitter announced a <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/22/AR2008052202440.html">second round of funds</a>. The amazing part is that Twitter is exactly what it was a year ago. No additional features, enriched designs, video integration, leaderboards, groups... <br /><br />That's because Twitter is not building an application. Twitter is building a social messaging engine. The company is focused on storing and retrieving short-messages. Apparently, things are not that easy. Those past few months, the attention was stuck on Twitter's <a href="http://mashable.com/2008/05/20/twitter-is-down-again/">periodic service outages</a>.<br /><br /><img style="vertical-align:top; margin: 15px; float: left;" src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/twitter-top10-chart.jpg" height="120"/>Twitter is also building a brand. 56% of Twitter users tweet through the Twitter website (the blue area on the pie, <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_twitter_clients_definitive_list.php">source</a>). 44% use Twitter through third-party applications. Only a powerful brand can federate and control such a market deployment. Without Twitter's popularity, third-party development opportunities would not exist. By working its brand appeal, Twitter talks the open-source community into developing the very own Twitter user base.<br /><br /><div class="cbw snap_nopreview"><div class="cbw_header"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/javascripts/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="cbw_header_text"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase Information</a></div></div><div class="cbw_content"><div class="cbw_subheader"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/twitter">Twitter</a></div><div class="cbw_subcontent"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/cbw/company/twitter.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="cbw_footer">Information provided by <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></div></div></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=dGXnjI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=dGXnjI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=zqNwkI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=zqNwkI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=UcU3Wi"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=UcU3Wi" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=hzoXsI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=hzoXsI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=eteTTi"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=eteTTi" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~4/317158631" height="1" width="1"/>http://api.feedburner.com/awareness/1.0/GetItemData?uri=HyveUp&itemurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhyveup.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Ftwitter-has-brand-appeal-screencast.htmlhttp://hyveup.blogspot.com/2008/06/twitter-has-brand-appeal-screencast.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/315832436/tubemoguls-latest-study-online-video.htmlpowersetauctomatictubemogulvideo viewsnoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:30:05 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-6289204122986723923<img style="vertical-align:top; margin: 15px; float: left;" src="http://www.tubemogul.com/img/logo.gif" height="60"/><a href="http://tubemogul.com">TubeMogul</a> recently released the results of a very interesting study for all online video creators out there. For those who haven't heard of <a href="http://tubemogul.com">TubeMogul</a> yet, it stands as a hub to launch and track online videos on a multitude of video platforms like Youtube, Dailymotion, Revver, Blip.tv and so on. They are experts in video analytics and, while using their video platform is free, they also provide distribution and marketing consulting services for professional video creators.<br /><br />The study released, namely <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.tubemogul.com/research/index.php?r=7">Online Video's Short Shelf Life</a></span>, scrutinized the life-span of a typical video online.<br /><blockquote>Methodology:<br/>Our sample includes data for views by day for 10,916 videos over a 90 day time period. In order to exclude casual creators of online video (i.e. "Mikey's Birthday"), each video in the sample achieved a minimum of 1,000 cumulative views over the 90 day time period. A statistician fit a curve to the data and projected out views by day for a full year. All data is from videos deployed by TubeMogul.</blockquote>The results show - as any video creator has already witnessed - that 50% of all views occur in the first two weeks, peaking at day three, which constitutes 11% of all views.<br /><br />This is no major outcome. As mentioned above, this is what any given video creator experiences with his content. Most video creators with a monetization intent tend to focus on providing volume instead of quality. Daily shows are increasingly common, and independent creators do not hesitate to launch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/lockergnome">3 to 5 videos a day</a>. Most of the time, creators are organized in teams to provide a maximum of videos on the same channel. Those creators are after video views, so <a href="http://www.revver.com/video/900406/the-naked-lunch/">any buzz that's on, they piggy-back on it</a>.<br /><br />In the end, blog monetization and video monetization obey the same rule: Not every video or article can be a traffic fountain. By submitting new content several times a day, bloggers and videobloggers get to be on top of the RSS readers' lists, on top of the recently released lists, and well-treated by search engines in general. All content creators know that. The <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.tubemogul.com/research/index.php?r=7">Online Video's Short Shelf Life</a></span> just made it scientifically proven for videos.<br /><br />However, the most interesting parts of the study must have been on the exceptions that confirm the rule. Of course, those findings are not public, and one would have to <a href="http://www.tubemogul.com/research/request_interview.php">contact TubeMogul's team</a> to get the really juicy facts that can be squeezed out of this study.<br /><br /><img style="vertical-align:top; margin: 15px; float: right;" src="http://i25.tinypic.com/20jpg21.png" height="100"/>I have a good unusual video trend I can share. It concerns the HyveUp video interview with <a href="http://auctomatic.com">Auctomatic</a> Co-Founder Harjeet Taggar launched in January 2008. As you can see on the left of the chart, the first peak occurs in the first few days after the video is launched, just like what is described in the TubeMogul's study. However, the video really becomes popular two months later, precisely on the 26th of March, the day <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/26/communicate-acquires-y-combinator-startup-auctomatic-unveils-new-business-strategy/">Auctomatic was acquired by Communicate.com</a>.<br /><br /><img style="vertical-align:top; margin: 15px; float: left;" src="http://static.auctomatic.com/site/images/logo-placement2.png" height="30"/>This peak is mostly luck and opportunism. Auctomatic is a really small and discreet startup catering to a niche: eBay power sellers. When the news broke that it was acquired by an industry's leader (and for $5 million), a lot of people expressed the need to get more information about this surprising little startup. The video (in addition to being conveniently placed on the <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/auctomatic">Auctomatic's Crunchbase profile</a>) was one of the rare bit of info you could find about the company on the Web, and mostly about the people behind the company.<br /><br /><img style="vertical-align:top; margin: 15px; float: right;" src="http://i28.tinypic.com/16bm1rp.png" height="120"/><br />I have a similar example with <a href="http://powerset.com">Powerset</a>. Powerset is a startup known for its buzz strategy: It positions itself as Google's direct competition, and hit a million drums every time they have an announcement to make. As you can see on the chart, the first peak happens right after the launch of the video. The second is when <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/04/05/powerset-will-launch-in-coming-weeks/">Techcrunch announced that Powerset was getting ready to launch</a>. The last one is on <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/05/11/powerset-launches-showcase-for-user-search-experience/">Powerset's actual launch</a> a month and a half later.<br /><br /><div class="cbw snap_nopreview"><div class="cbw_header"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/javascripts/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="cbw_header_text"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase Information</a></div></div><div class="cbw_content"><div class="cbw_subheader"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/tubemogul">tubemogul</a></div><div class="cbw_subcontent"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/cbw/company/tubemogul.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="cbw_footer">Information provided by <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></div></div></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=9ba4MI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=9ba4MI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=5azAeI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=5azAeI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=wzjrQi"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=wzjrQi" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=qvIf4I"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=qvIf4I" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=JCxrCi"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=JCxrCi" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~4/315832436" height="1" width="1"/>http://api.feedburner.com/awareness/1.0/GetItemData?uri=HyveUp&itemurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhyveup.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Ftubemoguls-latest-study-online-video.htmlhttp://hyveup.blogspot.com/2008/06/tubemoguls-latest-study-online-video.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/315139132/rate-share-on-rateitall-screencast-demo.htmlrateitalldemoscreencasthyveupnoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:46:09 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-4175229369228184375<center><object width="500" height="407" data="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.swf?mediaId=969986&affiliateId=191341" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" id="revvervideoa17743d6aebf486ece24053f35e1aa23"><param name="Movie" value="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.swf?mediaId=969986&affiliateId=191341"></param><param name="FlashVars" value="allowFullScreen=true&backColor=#003300&frontColor=#FFFFFF&gradColor=#000000&relatedVideos=false&shareUrl=embedUrl&pngLogo=http://static2.revver.com/player/logo/HyveUpBlog-avata-70x20.png"></param><param name="AllowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="AllowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.swf?mediaId=969986&affiliateId=191341" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" allowScriptAccess="always" flashvars="allowFullScreen=true&backColor=#003300&frontColor=#FFFFFF&gradColor=#000000&relatedVideos=false&shareUrl=embedUrl&pngLogo=http://static2.revver.com/player/logo/HyveUpBlog-avata-70x20.png" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="407"></embed></object></center><br /><br />It has been almost a year I have started HyveUp. The first interview, Lawrence Coburn, Founder of RateItAll, accepted to do it. in a way, he was my first victim. Today, I believe the videos HyveUp offers are of a much better quality, even though it still needs improvements (sound, light, music, screencasts). Doing videos for Web 2.0 startups is a constant learning process, as there isn't any books written on how to do promotional videos for Web 2.0 startups.<br /><br />Now that I am at least able to deliver punchier videos, I thought it was time to dust out some old videos and give them a fresh face lift to keep them attractive to the eye. I am starting with <a href="http://rateitall.com">RateItAll</a>. RateItAll is a consumer rating engine that lets users rate everything. The idea is that RateItAll lets users create rating channels, like my favorite beers, the most boring movies, the sexiest first ladies, or the best Web 2.0 sites.<br /><br />Once a user has created a list of items (a "Weblist"), RateItall offers different tools to help list creators reach out to an audience as large as possible.<br />First, <a href="http://rateitall.com">RateItAll</a> is a social network all to itself. Users can connect, share lists and rate each others' items. Popular reviewers get premium visibility on the latest reviews page and on the top most helpful reviewers' list.<br />Second, <a href="http://rateitall.com">RateItAll</a> offers widgets to enable users to export the RateItAll Weblists outside of RateItAll's walls. As you can see in the screencast demo, the slick flash widget fits in any blog post or Website's sidebar. Since recently, you can place a rating widget on Myspace and add the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/inbox/editupdates.php#/apps/application.php?id=18480724104">Review application</a> on Facebook.<br /><br />For the Web money-makers, <a href="http://rateitall.com">RateItAll</a> also shares its ad-based revenues with its users. So if you create compelling lists, and know how to make them popular enough to gain visibility in the RateItAll community, then you are on to get a slice of the pie.<br /><br />Update 06/19/08: The same day I released this article, <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/06/18/rateitall-gets-800k-for-yelp-for-everything/">RateItAll raised $800K</a> of funds to pursue the development of their rating engine.<br /><br /><div class="cbw snap_nopreview"><div class="cbw_header"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/javascripts/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="cbw_header_text"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase Information</a></div></div><div class="cbw_content"><div class="cbw_subheader"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/rateitall">RateItAll</a></div><div class="cbw_subcontent"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/cbw/company/rateitall.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="cbw_footer">Information provided by <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></div></div></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=c4uzpI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=c4uzpI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=Lb2KpI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=Lb2KpI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=p6KgJi"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=p6KgJi" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=6ZNTpI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=6ZNTpI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=nMlsZi"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=nMlsZi" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~4/315139132" height="1" width="1"/>http://api.feedburner.com/awareness/1.0/GetItemData?uri=HyveUp&itemurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhyveup.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Frate-share-on-rateitall-screencast-demo.htmlhttp://hyveup.blogspot.com/2008/06/rate-share-on-rateitall-screencast-demo.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/314132784/crunchbase-widget-adds-value-to-startup.htmldealipediabuzzshoutcrunchbasetradevibesnoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:29:11 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-654906791907338099The initial idea with HyveUp was to build a directory of Web 2.0 startups where the search behavior would be video-centered. Very quickly, I understood all the challenges of creating such a database. The most obvious conclusion I drew was that only a central actor in the Web 2.0 industry could successfully manage such a project. Building such a directory requires being informed about the latest company creations, project failures, bring qualitative information, know the people behind the companies, the venture firms, traffic information, companies' locations and contact info, and so on. Let me tell you, this is not a one man job.<br /><br />Recently, I started using the <a href="http://cruncbase.com">Crunchbase</a> widget for my posts. This widget is coherent with my content as I review startups in a somehow similar way that traditional tech blogs do. Therefore, I need to provide readers with in-depth info of the companies I cover.<br /><br /><img style="vertical-align:top; margin: 15px; float: right;" src="http://www.techcrunch.com/wp-content/themes/techcrunch/techcrunch.gif" height="40"/><a href="http://techcrunch.com">Techcrunch</a> is the unbeatable provider of Web 2.0 news. They do not cover the entire 2.0 scene on the blog the way Kristen Nicole does on <a href="http://mashable.com">Mashable</a>, but I have no doubt that anything that needs to be known about Bubble 2.0 goes through their editors' inbox. In a few words, Techcrunch is the epicenter of all things Web 2.0. From that perspective, I judge Techcrunch to be the fittest to handle a quality directory of Web 2.0 startups.<br /><br /><img style="vertical-align:top; margin: 15px; float: left;" src="http://www.crunchbase.com/images/logo.png"/>The <a href="http://crunchbase.com">Crunchbase</a> has a clean-cut design, with internal company information in the left sidebar, including a link to the <a href="http://blog.linkedin.com/blog/2008/05/crunchbase-inte.html">company's LinkedIn</a> profile, and external info in the right sidebar (<a href="http://techmeme.com">Techmeme</a>'s related posts, Techcrunch's related posts and recent incoming links, i.e. posts where the widget was pasted). The Crunchbase is built on a wiki platform: Visitors can easily edit the information presented and add new startups. Gate keepers (or site moderators, most of them interns) need to approve the changes suggested to make them effective. This helps fight spam and keep the content in sync with reality. On the downside, it seems like it may <a href="http://forums.techcrunch.com/forums/thread.jspa?messageID=23902&tstart=0#23902">take a while</a> before moderators review your contribution.<br /><br />The juicy thing about the Crunchbase is the widget that site editors can grab and paste in their posts. This widget is almost like a seal of authenticity: Its presence doesn't mean that what is written above or below it is true, but it helps publishers provide information that is right. For example, if I fail to make an accurate description of a company I am reviewing, the reader can always be thankful that I have posted a direct link to a trustworthy source of information about the topic he was searching. In other words, the widget adds value to my posts.<br /><br /><img style="vertical-align:top; margin: 15px; float: right;" src="http://www.buzzshout.com/images/logo.gif" height="60"/>Fortunately, the Crunchbase is not alone in this arena of compiling all the Web 2.0 startups in one place. I will start by <a href="http://buzzshout.com">Buzzshout</a>, a Website that is no longer maintained by its owner, but that I really liked when it was still active. Buzzshout is a user-generated directory of Web 2.0 startups where visitors also rank the tools they like. Despite the clean-looking interface, and the catchy name, the owner of the site dropped the project to go work for Scribd (who wouldn't?).<br /><br /><img style="vertical-align:top; margin: 15px; float: left;" src="http://www.dealipedia.com/images/logo_dealipedia.gif" height="40"/>More serious competitors include <a href="http://dealipedia.com">Dealipedia</a>: Dealipedia covers deals from all industries (not specific to the Web industry). <a href="http://techbays.com/2008/02/12/dealipedia-vs-crunchbase/">Compared to the Crunchbase</a>, Dealipedia offers weekly wrap-ups, an extensive collection of transactions, reporting views of M&A, Investment, IPO, weekly deal count and it tells you who actually makes money on the deals (something I'm sure the Founder of Techcrunch would love to mention too). Because of its lack of focus on tech deals, Dealipedia doesn't directly compete with the Crunchbase.<br /><br /><img style="vertical-align:top; margin: 15px; float: right;" src="http://www.tradevibes.com/images/logo.png" height="60"/>Crunchbase's most direct and aggressive competitor to the Crunchbase is <a href="http://www.tradevibes.com/">TradeVibes</a>. Duncan Riley gives an <a href="http://www.seriouslytech.com/2008/06/12/battle-of-the-company-databases-crunchbase-vs-tradevibes/">in-depth comparison between the two directories</a> in this post. Duncan Riley brings out good points, but to my opinion, TradeVibes is attractive because it creates a playful environment around the life of Web 2.0 startups. In Tradevibes, you can play startup battle: Choose between two similar startups which one will eat the other up. Users get access to discussions threads, they can give their opinion on a startup (bullish or bearish, they can vote, they can win gifts if they invite friends to join, and they offer site publishers to grab and paste widgets of the companies they cover.<br /><br />TradeVibes was founded by <a href="http://www.tradevibes.com/about/mgmt">4 Pay-Palers</a>. According to <a href="http://siteanalytics.compete.com/tradevibes.com/?metric=uv">Compete</a>, they generate about 25K uniques a month. Their business strategy is definitely more user-generated oriented. So far, to determine who will succeed in this game, it is mostly a question of belief: user-generated or editor-moderated? What is the winning solution? There isn't any proven model for this kind of activity. The Crunchbase attracts more visitors though, <a href="http://siteanalytics.compete.com/crunchbase.com/?metric=uv">over 300K/months</a>. However, it isn't clear if widget views are included in the maths. If this is the case, than the two directories are probably even.<br /><br /><div class="cbw snap_nopreview"><div class="cbw_header"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/javascripts/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="cbw_header_text"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase Information</a></div></div><div class="cbw_content"><div class="cbw_subheader"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/product/crunchbase">CrunchBase</a></div><div class="cbw_subcontent"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/cbw/product/crunchbase.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="cbw_footer">Information provided by <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></div></div></div><br /><br /><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://widget.tradevibes.com/widget/mill-river-labs"></script><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=QP6F7I"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=QP6F7I" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=g14RgI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=g14RgI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=4YW6ui"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=4YW6ui" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=riW9VI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=riW9VI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=P0QYmi"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=P0QYmi" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~4/314132784" height="1" width="1"/>http://api.feedburner.com/awareness/1.0/GetItemData?uri=HyveUp&itemurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhyveup.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fcrunchbase-widget-adds-value-to-startup.htmlhttp://hyveup.blogspot.com/2008/06/crunchbase-widget-adds-value-to-startup.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/308677659/your-web-browsing-social-companion.htmlthoniersocialyoonowidgetsguillaumeinterviewaggregatorhyveupbrowsernoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Tue, 10 Jun 2008 05:51:46 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-582732592199910582<center><script src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.js?mediaId:944902;affiliateId:191341;backColor:#003300;frontColor:#FFFFFF;gradColor:#000000;width:500;height:407;relatedVideos:false;shareUrl:embedUrl;pngLogo:http://static2.revver.com/player/logo/HyveUpBlog-avata-70x20.png" type="text/javascript"></script></center><br />So far, to connect with your friends online, there are a few tools available: destination sites like <a href="http://spokeo.com">Spokeo</a> lets you know what people do across several social platforms; <a href="http://friendfeed.com">Friendfeed</a> does the same, but enhances this experience by adding extra social features to their platform; Flock also allows you to keep track of your friends' activities online, except that <a href="http://flock.com">Flock</a> is a browser all to itself (here's a <a href="http://www.fabricoffolly.com/2008/03/review-of-social-aggregators.html">good list</a> of social aggregators).<br /><br />Quite frankly, all the players in this arena have developed great technologies to track online friends activities, but most of them fail so far to make this information easy to access and interact with.<br /><br /><a href="http://yoono.com">Yoono</a> is yet another friend aggregator. What singles Yoono out from the competition is the Yoono browser-based widget that lets users connect directly to their Twitter, Facebook, Friendfeed and Flickr accounts (Myspace coming). Not only do users receive live updates from those social platforms, but they can send updates and replies directly from the widget, without having to leave the page they are browsing.<br /><br />Of course, <a href="http://yoono.com">Yoono</a> is also a social network all to itself, as it enables users to connect with each other and share bookmarked material like webpages, photos and videos. Sharing multimedia files can be done through IM, where the content is viewable by the recipient directly in the chatting environment.<br /><br />As you can see in the video, the Yoono widget stands on the left of the browser. Hiding the sidebar is at a tip of a click. Is the widget slowing the browser down? I have not experienced any of that so far. Yoono is a light app, and <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1833">recommended</a> by Mozilla Firefox. <br /><br />On the downside - <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/05/04/yoono-the-social-network-browser-plugin-youve-been-waiting-for/">other bloggers</a> noticed it too - the widget tends to be too small to show the activity of several hundreds of friends across several social platforms. Guillaume Thonier, US VP of Engineering, says in the video that the development team is well-aware of this weakness, and that a solution to tackle it shall see the day around the end of June.<br /><br />Quite honestly, it doesn't beat Twhirl in terms of Twitter updates but its diversity of social services makes it a perfect browsing companion.<br /><br />If you want to connect on Yoono, look for xavierv.<br /><br /><a href="http://yoono.com">Yoono</a><br /><br />More info about Yoono:<br /><a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/05/06/yoono-browser-plugin-makes-firefox-more-like-flock/">Yoono browser plugin makes Firefox more like Flock</a> - Download Squad<br /><a href="http://mashable.com/2008/05/04/yoono-invites-head-to-head-comparison-with-digsby-flock/">Head-to-Head Comparison with Digsby, Flock</a> - Mashable<br /><a href="http://www.socialmediaclub.org/2008/06/06/do-yoono/">Do Yoono</a> - Social Media Club<br /><a href="http://guidewiregroup.wordpress.com/2008/05/05/yoono-takes-aggregation-in-a-new-direction/">Yoono takes aggregation in a new direction</a> - The Guidewire<br /><br /><div class="cbw snap_nopreview"><div class="cbw_header"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/javascripts/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="cbw_header_text"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase Information</a></div></div><div class="cbw_content"><div class="cbw_subheader"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/yoono">Yoono</a></div><div class="cbw_subcontent"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/cbw/company/yoono.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="cbw_footer">Information provided by <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></div></div></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=tQjLWI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=tQjLWI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=rKSbYI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=rKSbYI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=HuV5Hi"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=HuV5Hi" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=SbjVGI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=SbjVGI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=gm3noi"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=gm3noi" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~4/308677659" height="1" width="1"/>http://api.feedburner.com/awareness/1.0/GetItemData?uri=HyveUp&itemurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhyveup.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fyour-web-browsing-social-companion.htmlhttp://hyveup.blogspot.com/2008/06/your-web-browsing-social-companion.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/303861107/re-discover-your-web-hosted-media-files.htmlExplorerweb-basedoosahdugganinterviewmikehyveupmedia filesnoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:53:54 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-2329335376891205061<center><script src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.js?mediaId:928527;affiliateId:191341;backColor:#003300;frontColor:#FFFFFF;gradColor:#000000;width:500;height:407;relatedVideos:false;shareUrl:embedUrl;pngLogo:http://static2.revver.com/player/logo/HyveUpBlog-avata-70x20.png" type="text/javascript"></script></center><br /><br />Aggregating services are extremely popular these days. <a href="http://friendfeed.com">Friendfeed</a> aggregates your friends' online activities; <a href="http://tubemogul.com">Tubemogul</a> aggregates your videos under one roof; and now <a href="http://oosah.com">Oosah</a> steps in as the web-based application to manage all (at least a lot of them so far) your online media files.<br /><br />The first thing that strikes when using Oosah is its file explorer interface: very much the look and feel of a desktop explorer. Every file is organized in folders placed in the left sidebar, making it really easy for any user to play with it. Just like a desktop explorer, users can create new folders, drag and drop files from one folder to the other, rename the folders... <br /><br />These folders can contain files that users uploaded to Oosah, or files hosted on other media sites: So far, you can connect your Oosah account to Facebook, Picasa, Youtube and Flickr. These accounts show as folders in the Oosah explorer, making it super easy to access and manage.<br /><br />Oosah is laser-focused on media management activities. From the Oosah interface, users can generate an embed code to share their media content, send it via email, make their files password protected, create RSS feeds, distribute their media as podcasts, print their documents on a local printer, create slideshows, and so much more.<br /><br />So far, the slideshow is the first and only creation tool that users will find on Oosah. With a simple process of drag and drop, Oosah users can choose specific images or videos, add a music, a skinned player and transition effects, and Oosah generates a slideshow instantly. As any other media file on Oosah, users can share the slideshow through all the features mentioned above. Slideshows are even downloadable as zip files.<br /><br />Oosah is working at connecting more social platforms to their services. More internal features are on their way too. Regarding the business model, Oosah is considering charging for users who shall use more than the 2 Gigabytes that comes with any free account. But things are not written in stone yet, and the team is mostly focused on development issues so far.<br /><br />I see in Oosah a great opportunity for content creators like myself who need flexible distribution tools. With Oosah, I could put three videos in a slideshow (let's call it a widget at this point), distribute the widgets on other sites where i might not be able to access it again, and freely change the content of the widget from the Oosah interface. A lot of Oosah features are unique, but this one is the graal for video distribution, as no other service allows such a flexible tool to create, distribute and modify media files. Oosah has even developed an analytics feature for creators to track their content.<br /><br />My personal request would be to get access to Revver from Oosah. That would seriously add a professional flavor to their services.<br /><br />Really a fun toy to play with. Check it out:<br /><a href="http://oosah.com">Oosah</a><br /><br />More info about Oosah:<br /><a href="http://www.amazingstartups.com/oosah-extremely-rich-web-20-digital-media-content-management-site/">Extremely rich “Web 2.0″ digital media content management site</a> - Amazing Startups<br /><a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/04/22/oosah-a-hub-for-your-online-media/">Oosah: A Hub for Your Personal Online Media</a> - Techcrunch<br /><a href="http://lifehacker.com/382533/oosah-connects-social-sites-for-easy-file-transfers">Oosah Connects Social Sites for Easy File Transfers</a> - LifeHacker<br /><a href="http://venturebeat.com/2008/04/22/will-oosah-be-the-webs-photo-hub/">Will Oosah be the web’s photo hub?</a> - VentureBeat<br /><br /><div class="cbw snap_nopreview"><div class="cbw_header"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/javascripts/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="cbw_header_text"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase Information</a></div></div><div class="cbw_content"><div class="cbw_subheader"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/oosah">Oosah</a></div><div class="cbw_subcontent"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/cbw/company/oosah.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="cbw_footer">Information provided by <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></div></div></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=FrnSRI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=FrnSRI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=L9Of8I"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=L9Of8I" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=jmAPvi"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=jmAPvi" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=0hJKJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=0hJKJI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=ptmILi"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=ptmILi" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~4/303861107" height="1" width="1"/>http://api.feedburner.com/awareness/1.0/GetItemData?uri=HyveUp&itemurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhyveup.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fre-discover-your-web-hosted-media-files.htmlhttp://hyveup.blogspot.com/2008/06/re-discover-your-web-hosted-media-files.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/300706619/social-mobile-messenger-interview-with.htmlvideomobilekeighransocialmessengerbluepulsebenhyveupnoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:18:03 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-1586770173085211793<center><script src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.js?mediaId:919672;affiliateId:191341;backColor:#003300;frontColor:#FFFFFF;gradColor:#000000;width:500;height:407;relatedVideos:false;shareUrl:embedUrl;pngLogo:http://static2.revver.com/player/logo/HyveUpBlog-avata-70x20.png" type="text/javascript"></script></center><br /><br /><blockquote>"Bluepulse is a free mobile social messenger.<br />Take the best of a social network, the best of an instant messenger, revolutionize both and combine them to run on anyone’s mobile phone. That’s a mobile social messenger, that’s bluepulse." (<a href="http://www.standardsociety.com/index.php/blog/article/bluepulse/">Standard Society</a>)</blockquote><br />What is the difference between a social network and a social messenger? Sites like LinkedIn or Facebook enable users to grow their networks of friends/acquaintances. A social messenger leverages the power of social platforms to facilitate interpersonal communications between existing friends.<br /><br /><a href="http://bluepulse.com">BluePulse</a> is the best social messenger solution out there. Once you sign up to the service - exclusively from your mobile phone - you get to connect with your existing friends through SMS, email or direct messages on the BluePulse platform. BluePulse is an universal mobile inbox for all your social interactions.<br /><br />It is hard to do a better job than Ben Keighran (BluePulse's Founder and CEO - video above) to describe the service. I really like the fact that on bluePulse, you can send and receive messages from and to people that are not subscribed to the service. This flexibility makes the mobile platform extremely competitive (no wonder the service has been adopted in more than 190 countries).<br /><br />Recently, BluePulse <a href="http://blackberryforums.pinstack.com/showthread.php?t=68492">launched 3 new features</a> to reinforce their unique offer. The most important to my opinion is the easy friends importing from your email account. It makes it a lot easier to connect with your existing friends who don't and won't join BluePulse because they are just not tech-savvy enough (even though the service is dead-simple to use).<br /><br />At the end of the video, Ben Keighran identifies BluePulse's market and main competitors. BluePulse's goal is to become the social portal on your mobile, the starting point for all your interactions, regardless of the social platform you should use to connect with others. So far, their value-proposition makes a whole lot of sense, their technology works perfectly fine, and they recently hired a new CTO, Christopher Nguyen. Christopher Nguyen came to BluePulse in early 2008 from Google, where he was the Director of Engineering responsible for the operations of Google Apps (GMail, Calendar, etc).<br /><br />Really an impressive universal social mobile app. Check it out:<br /><a href="http://bluepulse.com">BluePulse</a><br /><br />More info about BluePulse:<br /><a href="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2008_April_1/ai_n24965412">Bluepulse Tops 150 Million Messages Per Month;</a> - bNet<br /><a href="http://bluepulseblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/robert-scoble-visits-bluepulse-hq.html">Robert Scoble visits Bluepulse HQ</a> - BluePulse blog<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/XkKzLbeWgOo">Video-interview with Ben Keighran</a> - Avin TV (better camera focus on phone)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><embed src="http://www.rateitall.com/RatingWidget/rateItallWidget_white_ws.swf?itemID=1059906&amp;colorID=9&amp;sWidth=210&amp;sHeight=240&amp;titleID=++++++++++++++++Bluepulse" width="210" height="240" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" flashvar="autostart=true&amp;lightcolor=0xffcc00" scale="showall" name="index" wmode="transparent"></embed><br/><span style="font-size: 9px;"><a href="http://www.rateitall.com/t-23262-mobile-social-networks.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 9px;">Mobile Social Networks</span></a> on <a href="http://www.rateitall.com" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 9px;">RateItAll</span></a></span></div><br /><br /><div class="cbw snap_nopreview"><div class="cbw_header"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/javascripts/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="cbw_header_text"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase Information</a></div></div><div class="cbw_content"><div class="cbw_subheader"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/bluepulse">bluepulse</a></div><div class="cbw_subcontent"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/cbw/company/bluepulse.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="cbw_footer">Information provided by <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></div></div></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=MDQttH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=MDQttH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=XyPVZH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=XyPVZH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=qM6ach"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=qM6ach" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=OOkHvH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=OOkHvH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=As4Blh"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=As4Blh" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~4/300706619" height="1" width="1"/>http://api.feedburner.com/awareness/1.0/GetItemData?uri=HyveUp&itemurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhyveup.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fsocial-mobile-messenger-interview-with.htmlhttp://hyveup.blogspot.com/2008/05/social-mobile-messenger-interview-with.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/299166409/building-social-commerce-interview-with.htmlcommercesocialinterviewbravisahyveupBalaji Sundararajannoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Wed, 28 May 2008 22:44:06 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-681935927105323485<center><script src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.js?mediaId:918850;affiliateId:191341;backColor:#003300;frontColor:#FFFFFF;gradColor:#000000;width:500;height:407;relatedVideos:false;shareUrl:embedUrl;pngLogo:http://static2.revver.com/player/logo/HyveUpBlog-avata-70x20.png" type="text/javascript"></script></center><br /><br />Social commerce... While the term was coined by <a href="http://www.genuinevc.com/archives/2005/12/the_beginnings.htm">VC David Beisel</a>, it is Steve Rubel who brought a <a href="http://www.micropersuasion.com/2005/12/2006_trends_to_.html">comprehensive definition</a> to the new trend:<br /><blockquote>“Social commerce can take several forms, but in sum it means creating places where people can collaborate online, get advice from trusted individuals, find goods and services and then purchase them. It shrinks the research and purchasing cycle by creating a single destination powered by the power of many.”</blockquote>The VC and the Blogger sketched the main lines of social commerce back in those days. It's important to notice that while we witness an evolution of social commerce today, we don't particularly see that "single destination powered by the power of many". Or don't we?<br /><br />Balaji Sundararajan is the Founder and CEO of <a href="http://bravisa.com">Bravisa</a>, a social commerce site. Bravisa's role in the social commerce landfill is to provide products for individual retailers at wholesale price. The process is dead simple: sign-up - product selection (from over 80 suppliers) - price tagging - store creation - product promotion through widgets, partner sites, written reviews - a 10-minute process max.<br /><br />Retailers don't need to spend a dime to sell products through Bravisa. Online sellers choose the profit margin they wish to make on the product they sell. Bravisa handles payment processes, shipping, and customer service.<br /><br />Bravisa's main competition is <a href="http://www.zlio.com/">Zlio</a>. <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">The main difference between the two is that Zlio's products are from the Amazon store feed. since Zlio is the middlemen between a retailer and a re-seller, profit margins are smaller</span> (check comments for details). Bravisa gets its stuff directly from wholesalers, which is a huge difference for small individual retailers.<br /><br />So far, the product selection for individual sellers on Bravisa is not extraordinary. I would even say I was disappointed to see the wholesale store filled with pillows, candles and digital picture frames. Not very exciting products. <br /><br />But Bravisa is young and has a great vision in mind: Becoming the back-end engine of all social commerce transactions. Balaji Sundararajan's strategy is to grow through partnerships to acquire new retailers (<a href="http://oblinq.blogspot.com/2008/05/oblinq-partners-with-bravisa.html">example</a>), and therefore negotiate more deals with more whole sellers. And quite frankly, after talking with Balaji, I have total confidence in Bravisa's achievement of their goal.<br /><br /><a href="http://bravisa.com">Bravisa</a><br /><br />More info about Bravisa:<br /><a href="http://onlinebizreview.blogspot.com/2007/12/bravisa-e-store-good-bad-and-very-good.html">Bravisa E-store: The Good, The Bad, And The Very Good</a> - Online Business Review<br /><a href="http://www.startupbooster.com/2007/05/28/boosting-bravisa-sell-products-without-owning/">Boosting Bravisa - Selling Products Without Owning</a> - Startup Booster<br /><a href="http://www.problogger.net/archives/2007/05/11/bravisa-another-online-shop/">Bravisa - Another Online Shop</a> - Problogger<br /><a href="http://howtomarketyourstuff.com/internet-marketing/bravisa-make-money-with-your-own-online-store.html">Bravisa - Make money with your own online store</a> - howtomarketyourstuff.com<br /><br /><div class="cbw snap_nopreview"><div class="cbw_header"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/javascripts/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="cbw_header_text"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase Information</a></div></div><div class="cbw_content"><div class="cbw_subheader"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/bravisa">Bravisa</a></div><div class="cbw_subcontent"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/cbw/company/bravisa.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="cbw_footer">Information provided by <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></div></div></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=Hv4zqH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=Hv4zqH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=pEKOLH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=pEKOLH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=0yQMBh"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=0yQMBh" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=X5HuEH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=X5HuEH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=JVSOfh"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=JVSOfh" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~4/299166409" height="1" width="1"/>http://api.feedburner.com/awareness/1.0/GetItemData?uri=HyveUp&itemurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhyveup.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fbuilding-social-commerce-interview-with.htmlhttp://hyveup.blogspot.com/2008/05/building-social-commerce-interview-with.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/295650718/dare-to-social-date-interview-with.htmlvideocup interviewsuneet wadhwaengage.comliederek gordonsocial datingnoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Thu, 29 May 2008 17:49:19 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-7121382979940927217<center><script src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.js?mediaId:920915;affiliateId:191341;backColor:#003300;frontColor:#FFFFFF;gradColor:#000000;width:500;height:407;relatedVideos:false;shareUrl:embedUrl;pngLogo:http://static2.revver.com/player/logo/HyveUpBlog-avata-70x20.png" type="text/javascript"></script></center><br /><br />A "bar-like environment". Those are the words that Suneet Wadhwa, Founder and CEO of <a href="http://engage.com">Engage</a>, uses to describe traditional dating sites. The 1998 romantic movie "You got mail" has seriously changed Americans' attitude regarding online dating. Sites like <a href="http://match.com">Match.com</a> soon became the next best thing for singles to make romantic encounters in a whole new fashion.<br /><br />Back to 2008. The rise of online dating has brought yet another dilemma in the mix: Most <a href="http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-truth-about-online-da">online daters lie</a> on their profiles to decrease their chances of being rejected. This is why Suneet Wadhwa describes traditional dating sites as "bar-like environment", i.e. places where the end justifies the means when it comes to attracting others.<br /><br />Engage has been created in response to this dilemma. Engage is an online social dating site. The idea is to invite your friends to help you find the perfect match through recommendations. Most people love to play wingman for their friends. For that purpose, the Engage team has developed a set of social features, like the Matchmaker - you crawl a list of people to recommend some to your friend(s) - or the Cast Your Vote - out of three given profiles, you pick the one you think fits the most to a fourth given person.<br /><br />Thanks to the presence of your friends: <br />a. You can approach other people with more ease by asking your friends to help you out, just like we often do in the real life; <br />b. You tend to be more honest since you are held socially accountable. Basically, your real life follows you online.<br /><br />The service is really fun. As Derek Gordon, VP of marketing, adds at the end of the video, the service is not just designed for singles looking for a hot date. Married people can join the fun (if you're married, you can't put yourself in the date-me marketplace on Engage) and recommend their buddies to other singles to help them meet the right person.<br /><br />There is much more to be said about Engage, so read those great articles below:<br /><a href="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m4PRN/is_2008_April_8/ai_n25130756">Engage Introduces Next-Generation Social Dating Community Platform</a> - bnet<br /><a href="http://www.siliconvalleywire.com/svw/2008/04/san-mateo-bas-1.html">San Mateo-Based Engage Publicly Launches Social Dating Community</a> - Silicon Valley Wire<br /><a href="http://www.cupidcast.tv/2008/05/engagecoms-ceo-vp-of-love.html#links">Engage.com's CEO & VP of Love</a> - CupidCast podcast<br /><a href="http://victorcab.blogspot.com/2008/03/engage-where-dating-gets-social.html">Engage: Where Dating gets Social!</a> - Victor Caballero blog<br /><br /><div class="cbw snap_nopreview"><div class="cbw_header"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/javascripts/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="cbw_header_text"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase Information</a></div></div><div class="cbw_content"><div class="cbw_subheader"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/engage">Engage</a></div><div class="cbw_subcontent"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/cbw/company/engage.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="cbw_footer">Information provided by <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></div></div></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=KNclDH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=KNclDH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=Dum3eH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=Dum3eH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=lsJ3Mh"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=lsJ3Mh" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=M6a4oH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=M6a4oH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=EUcRjh"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=EUcRjh" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~4/295650718" height="1" width="1"/>http://api.feedburner.com/awareness/1.0/GetItemData?uri=HyveUp&itemurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhyveup.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fdare-to-social-date-interview-with.htmlhttp://hyveup.blogspot.com/2008/05/dare-to-social-date-interview-with.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/294375430/apture-is-30-interview-with-tristan.htmlboxestristan harrisinterviewapturelinkscontentnoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Thu, 29 May 2008 20:56:16 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-1416136354299979502<center><script src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.js?mediaId:921469;affiliateId:191341;backColor:#003300;frontColor:#FFFFFF;gradColor:#000000;width:500;height:407;relatedVideos:false;shareUrl:embedUrl;pngLogo:http://static2.revver.com/player/logo/HyveUpBlog-avata-70x20.png" type="text/javascript"></script></center><br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://apture.com">Apture</a> is a new tool for bloggers that allows “content creators the power to find and incorporate relevant multimedia items directly into their pages” by adding links and small navigator windows to pages and posts automatically</span> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/8283">CC Weblog</a>).</blockquote><br />This description of Apture couldn't be more exact. I am a video producer, and until today, I had not found a way to let readers access and watch all of my videos without leaving that same page you are on right now (converting readers into viewers is tricky). If you look in the center sidebar (HyveUp video directory), just hover a link and the video pops right up in an HTML window (it's not another browser window popping up).<br /><br />With Apture, setting up one of those links is a breeze. Simply select directly on your homepage the word(s) you want to link to, and Apture automatically fetches for you related <a href="http://youtube.com">Youtube</a>, <a href="http://flickr.com">Flickr</a>, <a href="http://wikipedia.org">Wikipedia</a> and <a href="www.washingtonpost.com/">WashPost</a> content. Out of this automated pre-selection, you the publisher select what it is that you really want to link to. <br /><br />Apture opens up the door to a new form of navigation system, where content is universal thanks to CC-license and Wikipedia's GFDL license. As of today, small site publisher can try Apture for free, and the startup offers a revenue-sharing model for larger media sites.<br /><br />As far as I am concerned, Apture is one of the most innovative publishing solutions I have heard of and adopted so far. A lot of startups think that 3D is the way to tackle the flat Web symptom. Apture actually is a form of 3D, as it adds layers of content to your site. However, 3D is a little sci-fi and heavy on your bandwidth. Apture is down-to-earth and nice with your connection speed. Is this the Web 3.0 everyone is fussing about?<br /><br />There is much more to be said about Apture, so read those great articles below:<br /><a href="http://gigaom.com/2008/04/14/apture/">With Apture, Hyperlinks Get Rich Media</a> - Giga Om<br /><a href="http://www.brownbaron.com/blog/2008/05/15/apture-enrich-your-sites-content/">Apture: Enrich Your Site’s Content</a> - Brown Thoughts<br /><a href="http://venturebeat.com/2008/04/15/apture-helps-newspapers-provide-a-richer-reading-experience/">Apture drags online news experience into the 21st century</a> - Venture Beat<br /><a href="http://lessig.org/blog/2008/05/fantastically_cool_code_to_wat.html">Fantastically cool code to watch</a> - Lawrence Lessig's blog<br /><br /><div class="cbw snap_nopreview"><div class="cbw_header"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/javascripts/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="cbw_header_text"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase Information</a></div></div><div class="cbw_content"><div class="cbw_subheader"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/apture">Apture</a></div><div class="cbw_subcontent"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/cbw/company/apture.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="cbw_footer">Information provided by <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></div></div></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=lCTskH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=lCTskH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=HbMdZH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=HbMdZH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=qYFdBh"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=qYFdBh" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=tfLIVH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=tfLIVH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=uVq1Mh"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=uVq1Mh" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~4/294375430" height="1" width="1"/>http://api.feedburner.com/awareness/1.0/GetItemData?uri=HyveUp&itemurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhyveup.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fapture-is-30-interview-with-tristan.htmlhttp://hyveup.blogspot.com/2008/05/apture-is-30-interview-with-tristan.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/291101094/google-of-real-estate-search-engines.htmlreal estatecup interviewmlsroosthyveupdrew izzosearch enginenoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:32:09 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-1945858613886670854<center><script src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.js?mediaId:939171;affiliateId:191341;backColor:#003300;frontColor:#FFFFFF;gradColor:#000000;width:500;height:407;relatedVideos:false;shareUrl:embedUrl;pngLogo:http://static2.revver.com/player/logo/HyveUpBlog-avata-70x20.png" type="text/javascript"></script></center><br />The real estate crisis settled in Uncle Sam's country. This means tougher times for Realtors. Each and every bit of their marketing dollars will have to be spent wisely from now on. Enters <a href="http://roost.com">Roost</a>, a powerful real estate search engine: Roost is here to drive qualified traffic to Realtors.<br /><br />Instead of trying to list all the properties in the US like <a href="http://zillow.com">Zillow</a>, or take in feeds from individual real estate brokers like Trulia, Roost negotiates with Multiple Listing Services to provide complete and always up-to-date SERPs.<br /><br />As Drew Izzo, former CMO at <a href="http://ancestry.com">Ancestry.com</a> and now new CMO at Roost, explains in the video, this allows the General Catalyst Partners' backed venture to offer competitive features in the real estate search engine arena. <br /><br />For example, a user looking for a home will fine-tune his search on a multi-criteria basis (Roost offers a rich selection of home criteria); the search can be saved and the user can request email alerts. Since Roost's listing are complete and updated multiple times a day, users will receive alerts as soon as a new house that fits their criteria is on the market.<br /><br />While a powerful search is not the only feature that house-seekers are looking for (social features play a heavy part in decision-making too), Roost is definitely what I would call the Google of real estate search engines. To my opinion, Roost is not a competitor to other real estate search providers online: Roost is their search engine back-end solution. <br /><br />Other resources:<br /><a href="http://blog.roost.com/2008/05/13/roost-appoints-drew-izzo-as-chief-marketing-officer/">Roost Appoints Drew Izzo as Chief Marketing Officer</a> - A bird's eye view (Roost's blog)<br /><a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/01/22/real-estate-search-engine-roost-launches-with-full-mls-listings/">Real-Estate Search Engine Roost Launches With Full MLS Listings</a> - Techcrunch<br /><a href="http://blog.clickz.com/080123-170248.html">Roost's Bullish on Real Estate Search</a> - ClickZ<br /><a href="http://www.futureofrealestatemarketing.com/roostcom-kicks-over-the-re-search-cart">Roost.com Kicks over the RE Search Cart</a> - Future of real estate marketing<br /><br /><div class="cbw snap_nopreview"><div class="cbw_header"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/javascripts/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="cbw_header_text"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase Information</a></div></div><div class="cbw_content"><div class="cbw_subheader"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/roost">Roost</a></div><div class="cbw_subcontent"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/cbw/company/roost.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="cbw_footer">Information provided by <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></div></div></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=0yfTcH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=0yfTcH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=mhr3gH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=mhr3gH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=KkDQch"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=KkDQch" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=s2EokH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=s2EokH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=8w7Dlh"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=8w7Dlh" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~4/291101094" height="1" width="1"/>http://api.feedburner.com/awareness/1.0/GetItemData?uri=HyveUp&itemurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhyveup.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fgoogle-of-real-estate-search-engines.htmlhttp://hyveup.blogspot.com/2008/05/google-of-real-estate-search-engines.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/289522273/be-self-made-real-estate-pro-interview.htmlreal estatechuck tellerinterviewrealiusfantasyhyveupgamingnoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:32:57 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-6732920378581811549<center><script src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.js?mediaId:939204;affiliateId:191341;backColor:#003300;frontColor:#FFFFFF;gradColor:#000000;width:500;height:407;relatedVideos:false;shareUrl:embedUrl;pngLogo:http://static2.revver.com/player/logo/HyveUpBlog-avata-70x20.png" type="text/javascript"></script></center><br />Have you ever wanted to jump into the real estate business but never made the move? It takes a lot of practice to understand what defines the value of a home. Real estate prices vary constantly, depending on the mood of the market, but mostly depending on the value that each individual attributes to the house.<br /><br />Do you feel the need to practice your market insight? <a href="http://realius.com">Realius</a> is a new online fantasy real estate game. The first game you can play so far is Price Me Now: See it as an online multiplayer Price is Right game for real estate. Once signed in, you'll be shown houses with full descriptions, as if you were to buy it. <br /><br />At that point, just make an educated guess on the value of the house. Your guess is then compared with the guess of other players.The more you play, the more Realius' algorithms determine your IQ in the real estate market. The startup organizes <a href="http://blog.realius.com/blog/2008/05/08/april-contest-winner-j-richard-brewer/">competitions</a> to put some stakes in the game. Plus, players gather points that give access to real discounts in participating stores.<br /><br />The game is really fun. But Chuck Teller, CEO of Realius, won't stop there. Check out the video-interview to see what other games are under development. In addition, Chuck's vision goes beyond real estate. Realius predictions gaming platform can be adapted for other types of products like collectible cars. But that's another story.<br /><br />For now, I am challenging anyone to go on <a href="http://www.realius.com/">Realius</a> and beat my hustling 150 IQ! (look for exaakax)<br /><br />Additional info on Realius:<br /><a href="http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/11262007_realius.asp">Realius - Bringing Joy Back To Real Estate?</a> - Mortgage News Daily<br /><a href="http://www.therealestatebloggers.com/2007/12/20/realius-how-to-market-in-a-web-20-world/">Realius: How To Market in a Web 2.0 World</a> - The Real Estate Bloggers<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUMmH9M_2eU">Realius Price me now demo - fantasy real estate game</a> - Youtube Video, SmartHippo<br /><a href="http://renorealestatelogic.com/?p=235">Fantasy Realty</a> - Reno Real Estate Logic<br /><br /><div class="cbw snap_nopreview"><div class="cbw_header"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/javascripts/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="cbw_header_text"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase Information</a></div></div><div class="cbw_content"><div class="cbw_subheader"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/realius">Realius</a></div><div class="cbw_subcontent"><script src="http://www.crunchbase.com/cbw/company/realius.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="cbw_footer">Information provided by <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></div></div></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=1xJvYH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=1xJvYH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=htYqiH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=htYqiH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=0DxWyh"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=0DxWyh" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=kSgesH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=kSgesH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=GCQG6h"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=GCQG6h" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~4/289522273" height="1" width="1"/>http://api.feedburner.com/awareness/1.0/GetItemData?uri=HyveUp&itemurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhyveup.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fbe-self-made-real-estate-pro-interview.htmlhttp://hyveup.blogspot.com/2008/05/be-self-made-real-estate-pro-interview.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/287840959/techcrunch-generates-vapor-for-powerset.htmlvaporwarepowersetTechcrunchsearch enginenoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Sat, 07 Jun 2008 06:03:58 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-6062564801137377022<center><script src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.js?mediaId:942033;affiliateId:191341;backColor:#003300;frontColor:#FFFFFF;gradColor:#000000;width:500;height:407;relatedVideos:false;shareUrl:embedUrl;pngLogo:http://static2.revver.com/player/logo/HyveUpBlog-avata-70x20.png" type="text/javascript"></script></center><br />Today, Michael Arrington brings up some <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/05/10/powersets-dilemma-go-for-it-or-sell/">Saturday afternoon talk</a> by wondering if <a href="http://powerset.com">Powerset</a> should sell before launch. <br /><br />I find this to be a weird question: If Powerset has been able to create a vaporware, then they should be able to attract at least a few million users in the first few months, and generate a monster buzz in the tech blogosphere.<br /><br />However, the Web 2.0 opinion leader has a point: Now that Microsoft cannot count on Yahoo to gain market shares, it'll have <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/10/BUP110IM6T.DTL">to focus on acquiring promising young technologies</a>. Powerset is the perfect target for Microsoft: search engine, natural search, actively positioning itself as the next Google, and about to launch.<br /><br />However, it doesn't make sense for Powerset to sell right now ($100m ain't jack). They developed a promising search engine full of business opportunities. If they succeed, they'll be making $100m a month.<br /><br />Sending mixed messages is a new communication fashion. Techcrunch is a king in this field. Not that I don't like this style, but concerning Powerset, they should at least launch for a year to sell a search engine with users, instead of a dull deserted platform like Second Life.<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=0X4TxH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=0X4TxH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=gzr7pH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=gzr7pH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=RDSu0h"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=RDSu0h" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=Q9VN3H"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=Q9VN3H" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=70kZjh"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=70kZjh" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~4/287840959" height="1" width="1"/>http://api.feedburner.com/awareness/1.0/GetItemData?uri=HyveUp&itemurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhyveup.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Ftechcrunch-generates-vapor-for-powerset.htmlhttp://hyveup.blogspot.com/2008/05/techcrunch-generates-vapor-for-powerset.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/285477847/webby-for-blurb.htmlWebbypassionbooksblurb.comnoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Sun, 01 Jun 2008 22:47:59 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-1194527873383247114<center><script src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.js?mediaId:909058;affiliateId:191341;backColor:#003300;frontColor:#FFFFFF;gradColor:#000000;width:500;height:407;relatedVideos:false;shareUrl:embedUrl;pngLogo:http://static2.revver.com/player/logo/HyveUpBlog-avata-70x20.png" type="text/javascript"></script></center><br />Congratulations to <a href="http://blurberatiblog.com/index.php/2008/05/06/blurb-takes-home-a-webby/">Blurb who won</a> the <a href="http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/season_11_gallery.php">Best Services Webby Awards 2008</a>. For those of you who don't know Blurb, the service offers you a software to edit your book easily, and a printing and distribution service that enables book creators to sell books online at no initial cost.<br /><br />Blurb is not just a printing business online. The company is building a huge community of book-lovers who can collaborate on the Blurb platform to create passionate community-driven books. Passion is what Eileen Gittins wants her startup to be all about. Congratulations to the team for the great achievement!<br /><br />Talking about creating books online, check out <a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/14/business/14link.php">this guy who wrote 200,000 books</a>!<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=C3lYKH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=C3lYKH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=9rMvrH"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=9rMvrH" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=Fz2aWh"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=Fz2aWh" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=l9Dh3H"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=l9Dh3H" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?a=Sbyvhh"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/HyveUp?i=Sbyvhh" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~4/285477847" height="1" width="1"/>http://api.feedburner.com/awareness/1.0/GetItemData?uri=HyveUp&itemurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhyveup.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fwebby-for-blurb.htmlhttp://hyveup.blogspot.com/2008/05/webby-for-blurb.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HyveUp/~3/284198830/scribd-integrates-clickpass-good.htmlintegrationclickpassscribdnoreply@blogger.com (Xavier Vespa)Sun, 01 Jun 2008 22:46:51 -0500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533081222955065490.post-6868336670199745953<center><script src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.js?mediaId:910697;affiliateId:191341;backColor:#003300;frontColor:#FFFFFF;gradColor:#000000;width:500;height:407;relatedVideos:false;shareUrl:embedUrl;p