Nobody's really talking about it, but I suspect this is a wider trend: blogs aren't dying, but they are significantly declining. 2015 might be a rough year. Is Google making the web stupid? Seth Godin suggests that the declining prominence of organic results in Google searches is significantly to blame.

Couldn't agree more with Marco. Read the full article – what are your experiences with SEO traffic and blogs?

Answering Klout questions is sometimes difficult, as space is very limited and some topics require more in-depth discussion than the equivalent of 3 tweets – ask any regular on Quora! In most cases, I manage to stuff my collected knowledge into a couple of lines, but today Klout asked a very interesting questions that has been sitting in the back of my mind for quite a while now:

Are social media websites like Twitter and Facebook killing the blog? Why or why not?

The shortest possible answer is of course no – one letter shorter than “yes” even, and the right answer, too. So here's the little song I wrote:

Social media has changed the blogosphere: instead of commenting, a lot of users “like” or “+1” and the remaining discussion has moved away from the blog onto social media services. But blogs are a more important content back-bone than ever – the format evolves.

This line of reasoning requires a little elaboration: back in the early days of blogging, weblogs were primarily a means to document/store/share the websites bloggers had visited and found interesting – hence the name which stems from “logging your web journey”. In bold ignorance of the harsh reality our web fore-fathers faced, nowadays I regularly hear web-experts spread a different founding myth – one in which the first blogs were “online diaries”. No, wrong.

Online diaries appeared on the scene a little later, together with the first content-rich blogs: instead of presenting their readers with an extensive list of hyperlinks and very little additional information, the new generation of blogs would change the ratio of the two main ingredients: more content, less links. That's when commeting became a vital part of the blogosphere and comment-rating plugins, an early form of social content structuring, became popular.

Enter social media: platforms like blogger or wordpress.com took care of the technical hassle, but is was Myspace that took the blogging phenomenon to a whole new level in terms of numbers. We've seen a couple of first-generation platforms go and we've witnessed the immense success of Facebook and Twitter's increasing popularity among geeks.

Bloggers these days have stopped whining about the decreasing number of comments – the discussion happens elswhere, the prime content still lives on the blog. Several technical solutions allow bloggers to pull back discussions from social media platforms to their blog and/or use these platforms as distribution channels for their postings.

Facebook, Twitter, G+, Pinterest and all these other empty shells are ever-hungry beasts that call for fresh, new, entertaining and stunning content. They host pictures and videos and short status updates, but they're far from a library of knowledge, tutorials and in-depth analysis. Social media is channel, blogs are a publishing platform – both formats co-exist and influence each other, but nobody's killing anyone. At least not today.

The Danube Channel is a short, man-made sidearm of the river Danube which runs directly through the center of the city. About 10 years ago, spraying basically was an illegal activity anywhere in the city, but then some smart folks decided to officially turn the walls alongside the channel into the city-sprayers' official canvas. On a warm, sunny Sunday plenty of painting action takes place – I shot the following three pics using my EOS D and a lensbaby muse. (Click to enlarge.)

I wish you all a gorgeous New Year's eve! Have a great 2011-kick-off, stay fresh and keep it dirty!

If you're a chef you've probably wondered why everybody is talking about these WikiLicks. And if you're into online marketing, you probably wondered why you are still struggling with Facebook while the competition is already generating WikiLeads like crazy. Calm down – it's WikiLeaks and it probably won't ruin you. Oh, you're a politician? In that case: be afraid. Be very afraid.

Kudos to xkcd.

This year, Austria's first TEDx (an independently organized TED conference) took place in Burgenland, the part of Austria closes to Hungary. The landscape here gives a foretaste of the Puszta lowlands, and all us attendants enjoyed a great day filled with many inspiring talks. The Dream Academia boys have organized the conference and now they've done a great job with the videos: all the talks are online, video and audio quality are excellent: TED^x Pannonia: The Talks

I teach at the university (department of science and communication), and when I explain the basic concepts of social media to my students, I use the tools we're discussing as our collaboration platforms. (The new Facebook groups are a great improvement for this kind of usage!) So naturally, I'm very interested in the experiences of other teachers, so I was listening very closely, when Peter Purgathofer (Technical University of Vienna) explained how he uses social media tools in his lectures. If you're still not convinced about the potential of online collaboration tools, watch this video. One can always argue about theories, but Peter Purgathofers results speak for themselves:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMaywdSMtYQ[/youtube]

The TURF FEINZ of Oakland, California are a legendary dance crew that's famous for taking breakdance to the next level. In this clip, the originators of the so called turf dancing style express deep emotions via their moves. There's a sad background to this incredible clip: a while ago, Rich D, crew member and half-brother of one of the dancers, died in a car accident at the corner where this R.I.P. dance took place:

Yoram Savion of YAK Films documented the dance:

YAK began as a production team of young photographers and filmmakers dedicated to youth-led multimedia production which provides a voice for resistance and an alternative to played-out mainstream media. At its core, YAK is a visual wrecking crew built to use every form of expressive multimedia to share the voice of youth in urban America and promote change on every level. YAK's work with urban dance began with the legendary TURF FEINZ crew from Oakland, CA, innovators of the TUF dancing style. YAK is now evolving to take the lead in the street-based documentation of the global dance movement.

For more YAK videos, visit the producer group's vimeo channel: vimeo.com/yak.

Great tv series and great restaurants do have a lot in common: temporary highlights are not sufficient, the producers must manage to keep the quality level. While many series start with a great first season but fail to live to big expectations afterwards, the authoring team behind Dexter kept delivering great stories for 4 seasons. On September 26th, the fifth season premiers in the US. Visitors of Comic Con 2010 were the first to see the official trailer. Luckily, the video is also available on Youtube since July 23rd, and by the time I publish this posting, 1.2 million people have already seen it. Attention if haven't watched season 4 yet: the trailer contains a serious spoiler!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUbCMbW-BRE[/youtube]

Seems that Lieutenant Dokes will not be the last victim working for the Miami homicide department. And since I bet that the fifth season will not only be about family-man Dexter, I'm very curious in which form manic evil will appear on the stage this time.

While privacy-savy users might think about ways to remove their data from social networks like Facebook, the average geek is much more worried about losing such data against his will. Enter SocialSafe, a handy tool which backs up all your Facebook data on your local computer. Easier said than done you might think – but the joint venture beween British online experts iBundle and 1minus1 does a nice job for a very low price.

But why would you want to backup your Facebook data at all? There are many good reasons, the most important being that one day your account just might disabled. Happens a lot these days, sometimes because users violate the TOS, sometimes because some algorithm triggers a false alarm. SocialSafe is an Adobe Air based client that stores Facebook data offline and tracks changes between single “snapshots”. After the installation and the initial authentication the program generates a snapshot of one's current contacts, wall, photo albums and profile information. SocialSafe ain't free, but it's still one of the best things in social media life, and �2,48 for a two-computer license definitely is a steal. This video explains the basics (actually, this covers pretty much everything that can be said about this simple yet helpfull app):

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/6989487[/vimeo]

The first backup takes a while, depending on your number of photos. From there on, SocialSafe does incremental backups. This means that only the differences between the previous and the current backup are stored, allowing an interesting function: the program keeps track of the users friends and filters the list for “lost” and “found” friends. So SocialSafe not only backs up all the data but also generates an account “history”:

The software is quite fresh, and there are still a few items on the wishlist: currently, there is no way to trigger a full backup manually, videos and private messages are ignored and, in my case, the wall backup didn't work. But the team seems quite motivated, and they are working on an update right now:

We are however continuing our work to fully utilise Facebook's apis so that you can export/backup all that you have created for your Facebook .. and expanding SocialSafe's capabilities to include the backing up of your data on other social networks. But it's not just about backing up. It would be very easy for us to simply export everything into one unreadable file and store it somewhere on your computer as a backup, but what use is that if you can�t view it? We have been working busily over the last few months on a better way to view this backed up information.

Good work guys – this year, the Easter Bunny forgot again to bring me my Facebook export function, and since Mark Zuckerberg probably won't deliver, I'm glad you guys are filling the gap!

Many Facebook users have wished for a dislike-button. But the biggest social network on the planet obviously doesn't want to start click-fights for popularity: “If you love something, like it – if you don't let it go”. I'll try a different approach and offer you the full binary options aka the two basic emotions: I encourage all readers to use the new “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” symbols below every single comment to express their opinion:

Comments which receive many likes are graphically highlighted. I found Comment Rating by Bob King and instantly loved it. After a short test-drive I bought the pro version – actually, I always do when I find useful plugins, whether I need the extra functionality or not. After all, it's just a nice way of telling a plugin-author that you dig his work.

Comment ratings are more than a nice community gimmick: it's a great approach for crowd-sourcing comment moderation on popular blogs. Also, the pro version comes with a handy widget which lists the most popular comments. So here's my message to you, dear reader: don't keep your opinion to yourself: comment, vote and give me a thumbs-up (or down)!

Is it legally and/or ethically okay, to build a business based on a GPL licensed software? To those of you unfamiliar with the not-so-uncomplicated details of open and commercial licensing, this question may sound like a question you'd ask a student of media law. But theory turns into virtual reality when we take a closer look a Thesis, a very popular WordPress theme.

Unlike most themes, Thesis isn't available for free. Christ Pearson is selling his template for $87 per personal site, and so he's been racking up sales. Why do people pay for Thesis when there are so many free themes available? This question is a lot easier to answer: Chris thought about what pro customers want and started to offer a flexible, highly configurable theme which caters almost every need of professional publishers and pro-bloggers. But even though his sales figures are skyrocketing, Matt Mullenweg, founder and head of WordPress.com/.org argues that Thesis violates the GPL license – because GPL-software not only is freely available (in source code), but the GPL (Gnu Public Licenses) also states that all products built upon GPL software must also use the same license. In other words: It's illegal to make money on the hard (and free) work of others.

Today mixergy.com invited Chris and Matt for a Skype discussion which covers some very important aspects of software licensing:

[audio:http://mixergy.com/wp-content/audio/Mixergy-Thesis-Wordpress.mp3]

In my opinion, Matt is right but Chris is not the bad guy here. I definitely think that programmers should be compensated for their work – after all, if Chris hadn't sold Thesis but given it away freely, he probably couldn't put so many development resources into his flagship product.

The same problem actually applies to many popular plugins I use on this blog: Ajax Edit Comments and PrettyLink are both available as pro version. I happily spend a couple of dollars on plugins that offer great value. (When it comes to software, “great value” in most cases means that it'll help you to save time and work, or in this case blog, more efficiently.) Yet still, the GPL license must not be violated. After all, we all profit enormously from freely available software. And even though I understand Chris' position, he tends to exaggerate: Thesis is a nice theme, but stating that it was the one crucial factor which made commercial webmasters chose WP is just ridiculous: here in Europe, many companies use WordPress, but Thesis is widely unknown.

So how can we solve this conflict? Can vendors of pro plugins / themes change their business model to offering the software for free but offer paid support? The programmers of PrettyLink and Ajax Edit Comments chose a different approach. In both cases, there's free version (available in the WP repository) and a pro-version available on the author's website after payment. Legally, this doesn't count though: no plugin or theme is a stand-alone software: without mothership WordPress, the code is useless – that's what “builds on GPL software” means. Seems like this discussion will keep going on for a while. What's your opinion on paid WordPress themes and plugins?

On November 13th, A1 Telekom Austria and datadirt, the proud and happy author of this humble blog, invite international top bloggers and Austrian social media geeks to join the first pro-blogging conference in Vienna. The conference focuses on the future of digital media. We will discuss the impact of the internet on various aspects of our life in the next ten years: how will our jobs change? How will our personal life change? What's the next stage of social media? The official homepage wbf2010.at will soon be online soon. The event will take place at A1 TA headquarters at Lasallestra�e 9 in Vienna – we got a main hall plus various smaller conference rooms for break-out sessions, of course all equipped with stable WLAN.

Austrian bloggers and journalists are warmly welcome. There is no entrance fee; due to the capacity of the venue the spots are strictly limited though. In the next weeks, we will invite our international guests and give away all tickets via weblogs and media partners. Secure your spot now and join us: the first ten spots are available… NOW!

How to join the World Blogging Forum 2010

Blog conferences rely on active participants: there are no speakers, there's no audience: we want all guests of the WBF 2010 to join the discussion and spend a great day of international networking and learning from each other's experiences. Hard thinking requires hard relaxation – after the conference, we'll party like it's 2999. But first and foremost: help is *very highly* appreciated! So just tell us:

Why you want to join the World Blogging Forum 2010

Drop a comment – we'll give away the first spots until August 15th! The conference language is English, and just in case you won't be able to make to Vienna: we are going to record all the sessions, but what happens at the party… stays in Vienna :pimp:

What is the World Blogging Forum 2010 all about?

Bloggers use state-of-the-art technology on a daily basis – they're at the very forefront of technology. Only 10 years ago, the internet was a collection of static webpages. During the last five years, social networks have entered the mainstream media stage. How is the digital world going to change in the next 10 years? Which role will the internet play in our daily lives? How will new hardware change multimedia production? These are the kinds of questions we want to address at the WBF 2010. The bloggers we invite have become popular media experts in their countries, and I can't wait to share thoughts and ideas with this excellent crowd.

Regular readers of this blog know very well that the World Blogging Forum 2009 in Bucharest was an unforgettable highlight for all participants. I'm extremely glad that together with A1 Telekom Austria I can continue this fascinating conference format in Vienna – and of course I count on support of the Austrian blogging scene! (Yes, I did spend all day on my phone… just love being the bearer of great news.)

More details on the program and our guests follow soon. And if you'd like to join, tell me why you're as enthusiastic about the WBF 2010 as me :frog5:

SymbianGuru.com used to be my favorite website for all things Nokia-related. But it seems that Symbian 3.0 is going further down a dead-end road, and even the Guru himself can't stand Symbian any more. And that's why he decided to shut the site down and switch to Android. Usually, I'm not a big fan of Ol'Google's Enterprises, but in this case I totally agree: Nokia used to be the number one mobile market mover, but recently they've done a terrible job. And when I read Guru's final article, I realized that both our experiences with Nokia's smartphone flagship N97 are frighteningly similar.

Please read the original posting – there's not much more I can add except for this comment:

I own an N97, and it get's crappier with each firmware update. Since the last one, *every single action* has to be confirmed twice. (Like: “Do you want to allow *insert-computer-name-here* via Bluetooth.” User clicks yes. Next step: “Do you want to allow *insert-computer-name-here* via Bluetooth.” User clicks again. Every single time. I'd love a third button: Yes/No/F**king yeah, I told you before, stop nagging me twice every time!).
The OVI service is a disaster as of yet – I mean, the different parts work fine, but there is no master plan; even gaming isn't integrated. OVI to me seems like one huge roof over a lot of very different isles.

At the end of his posting, Symbian-Guru included a message to Nokia. I totally agree:

To Nokia, you guys are losing. Hard. Wake the hell up. Doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting different results is the definition of insanity. I�ve been a huge Nokia fan since my 2nd cellphone, and I just can�t do it any longer. You guys aren�t competing like you once were, and everyone but you seems to see that. You used to build the world�s best smartphones, the world�s best cameras, the world�s best GPS units � you�ve lost pretty much all of that, and with nothing to show for it. You unveiled your Ovi vision over 2 years ago � I was there. Today, it�s still a complete mess. I have to log in every single time I visit the site � regardless of how many times I check the �remember me� box. I spent 6 months (and about 3 hours at Nokia World 2009) trying to find someone to help me with Ovi Contacts on the web � no one knew who to point me to. You spent millions of dollars purchasing your Ovi pieces � Ovi Files, Ovi Share, and a host of other little companies � are you proud of what you �built� with them? Most of your own employees (that I�ve talked to) don�t even use them, so why should I?

Today, the WordPress team released the long-awaited version 3.0 – the third major release of our favorite blogging cms comes with a ton of extremely cool new features: WordPress and WP-MU haven been completely merged, which means that you can now run an unlimited number of blogs from the same installation. Also, the infamous Kubrick theme finally retires and gets replaced by Twenty Ten. Of course the new standard template proudly shows off all the new bells and whistles, including a greatly improved handling of menus, post types and taxonomies. The backend interface has become a lot lighter, 218 programmers contributed 1.217 bug fixes and feature enhancements. Check out the video tour posted on the official WordPress blog:

The new version is ready for download – I haven't upgraded yet but I will keep you updated on my experiences as soon as datadirt is powered by WordPress 3.0!

Eric Qualman is the author of “Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business”. More than 2 million viewers have seen his “Social Media Revolution” video clip. In June 2010, Eric gave a keynote presentation at Meshed conference in Vienna. After his presentation I sat down with Eric and we chatted about the changes of our media environment. Enjoy the new datadirt video podcast!

Want to know more? check out Eric's blog Socialnomics.com and follow @equalman on Twitter. Thanks again for the interview – Eric has a profound knowledge of the social media realm and he's also one of the nicest guys I ever chatted with in front of my camera. As always, comments and feedback are highly appreciated!

Last weekend's unconference at Microsoft in Vienna was the biggest Austrian Barcamp so far – the social media scene is growing, interest in social media platforms, new technologies and the paradigm shift in marketing has increased immensely over the last couple of months. This is not a big surprise: more and more people understand that the web 2.0 is not about a new generation of buzzwords that pollute the same old powerpoint presentations, but about a fundamental paradigm shift in the way companies communicate with their customers:

[nggallery id=15]

The change I'm talking about extends to many areas, from industry to politics. Here in Austria, we can only dream about the level of transparency in the US when it comes to public funding and documenting governmental expenses. I hope this will change – Max' talk on public data was very inspiring, so let's set the fat ass of our government in motion. Now.

All in all, I enjoyed the weekend a lot, so thanks to the organisers and to Microsoft Austria for hosting the Barcamp Vienna 2010. Many of the presentations prove one of my strongest points by the way: companies that sell legitimate products and services – and by legitimate I mean the quality as well as ethical and environmental production standards – can harness amazing new ways of getting in touch with their customers.

But if your business model relies on secrecy and lack of information, the power of transparency fueled by the social web is bound to become your Waterloo. In other words: Social media forces companies to stop lying to their customers, which is great.

In the newest issue of my video-podcast MIT Professor Thomas W. Malone talks about his reasearch on collective intelligence and the changing notion of privacy. Professor Malone is the founding director of MIT's Center for Collective Intelligence. In 2004, he published The Future of Work, a critically acclaimed book about the impact of electronic communication on management, organizations and business. Before he started teaching at MIT, Mr. Malone was a research scientist at the legendary Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. So enjoy the podcast which contains a short introduction, the interview plus two exlusive bonus tracks :pimp:

About the interview: A1 Telekom invited Thomas Malone to Vienna. Last Wednesday, I joined a table talk with Austrian blogger colleagues. I did the interview after our discussions – thanks for the great talk! Chatting with a fellow optimist was very nice for a change (since these days everybody predicts a new age of doom that social media will inflict upon us). I hope you enjoyed the video, and as always: opinions and comments are highly appreciated!