Happy Halloween

Can Hulu Take Out Joost?

Alley Insider has an interesting take on where Hulu may make a dent in the market: Joost. I always take Henry Blodget's analysis with a grain of salt, but he makes an interesting point here.

Here are my previous thoughts on Joost.

Joost has not only a greater volume of content, but a more diverse library. However, that "fat" client is a real issue when it comes to online video. Get it to my TV Joost, and quick, before your buzz wears out.

Reminder: Blogger's Challenge Still On

I just wanted to give everyone a quick reminder that the Blogger's Challenge is still going on. The challenge officially ends tomorrow and some projects remain unfunded. I've decided to promote Fred Wilson's challenge. You can see my original post here.

These are great projects and time is running out on this challenge. Even just a few bucks make a difference, so go help them out.

Leopard Out Today

The much anticipated Mac OS X Leopard will be released to the public at 6pm EST today. Frankly, I can't wait. I've never been one of those line people, but I'm actually considering going up to the 5th Avenue store and checking it out.

Already getting some feedback on that idea via Twitter. I've got some time to kill this evening anyway...

DayLife: Shared Office Space Available

DayLife, a super cool NYC start-up, has some office space available in their swanky Broadway loft. I should have taken a picture of it, but I didn't think of it at the time. Anyway, they would be a great bunch to share an office with and the space really is nice. Very open and it's gigantic. Roof access too. Leave a comment with your contact info if you're interested.

New Media Minute

Is it just me, or does this really feel like Friday?

Here's this week's New Media Minute via Online Video Watch.

The Ladders is Making Bank

SAI is reporting that The Ladders has switched over to a completely subscription based model. They are sporting 1.6M members, 35,000 recruiters and about 180 employees (and adding about 5 new employees per week). Membership is $30 per month for job seekers and presumably much more for recruiters. So, based on job-seeking members alone:

1.6M members * $30/mo = $48,000,000/mo = $576,000,000 per year

Let's assume the average employee makes $100,000. So, subtract $18,000,000 in payroll, heck, we'll double it just to cover medical and dental and whatnot. Subtract $36,000,000.

Forgetting operating costs, that's $540,000,000 per year. This, for a fairly young company. They just proved that subscription models online do, in fact, work.

Surprising Numbers for Metromix

Metromix, a Tribune backed online venture, is doing surprisingly well. It was launched just this summer and, according to my Comscore reports, is bringing in over half a million uniques a month. That's not shabby for a newly launched newspaper property. Of course, Metromix doesn't really look like a newspaper and no where on the site is there any mention of Tribute. In any case, congrats to the team over there - especially Rochelle Oliver, who's an old friend of mine.

Metromix currently has editions in Chicago, LA, New York, Baltimore, Hampton Roads, South Florida, Connecticut and Orlando. It offers articles and reviews based around nightlife, food, music, movies and TV. I think the site could use some video (call me).

Hooked on Twitter

I held out for a while, but I've finally started using Twitter. I'm hooked. I update on my iPhone via Thincloud and my Twitters are linked to my Facebook status. It drives my friends crazy that everywhere I go, the Twitter universe knows all about it. I love it. I'm a dork like that, so Follow Me.

Adieu AOL France

In a flurry of layoffs, AOL has been letting employees go left and right. This is how AOL France spent their last days. Simply an amazing video to check out on Alley Insider. These guys rock!

Watch it here.

Don't Worry LinkedIn, We'll Stick Around

Mashable posted today about Hobnob, a Facebook application that allows you to request a business connection from your group of friends or through a public feed. The request is fairly open ended, "I'd like to Hobnob with... [insert name or company here]."

I added the application to my Facebook, but quickly plan to remove it. He's a sampling of some of the requests I saw:

• So and So wants to Hobnob with... "Sex"
• So and So wants to Hobnob with... "President Bush"
• So and So wants to Hobnob with... "Sports"
• So and So wants to Hobnob with... "jessie"
• So and So wants to Hobnob with... "People disappointed with Smash Mouth"

Naw, I think I'll stick to LinkedIn. Thanks.

Andrew Baisley Opening Up For Development

Facebook did it. Myspace and Apple (iPhone) are doing it. So, why shouldn't I do it? It's all the rage these days. And hey, it's better than being a hipster or a scene kid.

Andrew Baisley, the person, not the blog, is now open for development.

While I won't let any of you go near my application programming interface (API), I will start to consider how to go about publishing my personal software development kit (SDK). What port do you think Yahoo! Pipes would fit into? Oh, never mind.

Getting Down to Business

My friend Patrick wrote up a funny little post about an IM conversation we had yesterday. Besides the fact that he is getting damn old (he's not really, mind you), I found the whole discovery process interesting:

First, some background, Patrick and I worked together at WPTV around 2001-2002. He had a brief stint in New York where we would hang from time to time, but since then, we largely keep in touch via the intertubes.

1. I IM him a link, followed by a quick conversation
2. I follow link, buy pants, twitter the link
3. This morning, check my twitter feeds, see that he's twittered about his blog post
4. I try to comment, but can't figure out how to log in to do so (we should discuss that offline, Patrick)
5. I try to trackback, but Blogger doesn't support that (boo!)
6. So, I write this blog post
7. Patrick will probably find out about it via this blog's RSS feed (but, I'm just guessing)

I have two thoughts about this. One, it's super cool that we're able to keep in touch in such dynamic and constantly evolving ways. Two, it's super annoying that there's no (perfected) central location to manage all of this.

I'm still figuring out how to deal with comments on this blog and am considering writing a post today replying to several questions asked in the comments of various posts. Of course, if I do that, and people comment, then I'll need to somehow reply to those... this could spiral out of control! I'm not convinced at all that posting a comment on the same, old post is the best way to reply to a specific comment. The person likely has no idea that I responded and readers are missing out on what could be interesting and useful dialog.

Ah, I suppose I need to look for something a little more robust than Blogger.

Mac vs. PC on Web 2.0 Websites

Does anyone have market research on the percentage of viewers on Mac across Web 2.0 websites? The average number going around, for all sites, is about 5%. But this includes the sites that we all browse everyday at work. Look around you, even as a Mac user, your office is likely full of Windows boxes.

A friend at beYOU.tv explained this theory to me the other day. That the types of websites we visit at work and at home are fundamentally different and that the market share of Mac to PC in those locations is also fundamentally different.

Meaning, Web 2.0 sites, like video sharing sites, are likely to have a higher percentage of views from Mac users than, say, The New York Times website.

The graph above shows the percentages on this site for the previous month. Not that I'm implying this is a Web 2.0 site, but 26% is a hell of a lot higher than 5%.

CMJ 2007 - Music Marathon and Film Festival

The CMJ 2007 Music Marathon and Film Festival starts tomorrow in New York City. It runs October 16 - 20th.

It should be fun. I'll be seeing Voxtrot tonight at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tonight's show isn't officially part of CMJ, but they will be playing again tomorrow night at the Bowery Ballroom.

I'm told by friends that I should see IAMX on Tuesday night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, but I'm not sure I can muster the courage to step foot in "Billyburg" two nights in a row. Bouncing Souls will be headlining at Webster Hall tomorrow.

Wednesday brings a colleague's band, Second Dan, to Midway.

Spoon headlines Thursday's lineup at Blender Theater. Friday's got Ghostland Observatory at Webster Hall. And, finally, Saturday closes with another serving of Spoon.

There are a slew of acts each day, so click the day above and check out the full list.

E-mailing Photos to Facebook Working Again

Seems that Facebook has re-enabled the ability to upload photos via e-mail. They recently turned off the feature, saying that the photo must be sent via MMS, but that shut out us iPhone users. Thanks Facebook. You the bomb.

Where Can I Rent a Dog?

Okay, I know this sounds somewhat strange and disturbing, but I'd like to rent a dog for an afternoon.

I found this service, FlexPetz, that lets you rent dogs, but their New York location isn't open yet. It's actually not as strange as it sounds. From the site:

FLEXPETZ is a shared dog ownership concept that provides our members with access to a variety of FLEXPETZ dogs. All FLEXPETZ dogs complete obedience training and some FLEXPETZ dogs are also certified as therapy dogs.

Through the FLEXPETZ shared dog ownership concept, members can spend from just a few hours to a number of days with each of our dogs. FLEXPETZ dogs are available in varied breed sizes to ensure compatibility with our member's individual lifestyles and unique circumstances.

They rescue dogs and rotate them in and out as people adopt them. So, it seems a good way to get people attached to the animal and increase adoption rates.

Know any place in the city I can do this?

Apple Humor

This is actually quite funny. Go to Apple's website and type "virus" in the search box. Check out the search suggestion it makes.

via tumbl.us via The Big Noob (they have some cool shirts, by the way)

Update: In Rainbows

Maybe today will just be updates on previous topics... Feeling a little retrospective.

I've downloaded and listened to (several times) the new Radiohead album. Which, as you know, is for sale online direct from the artist for a price of your choosing. One of my readers (and an old friend), Patrick, posted a link to an interesting article in my previous post.

First of all, I love the album! It's a little more rock/punk than the usual Radiohead, with some harder beats, but that doesn't apply to every track. Second of all, every artist should be doing this. This is what capitalism is; let the market decide.

Are there any labels out there that do this on a regular basis? I can see how a smaller artist may have trouble pushing albums out without the following that Radiohead enjoys. The primary reason for a label is to act as a distributor. What about a label that serves to promote its artists, but lets you decide what to pay?

Update: Donors Choose

Fred Wilson has upped the ante, offering those who donate through his challenge a possible lunch with Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang. I know there are quite a few readers here who would relish that opportunity. So, don't forget to donate!

Mint Rocks!

I've read about Mint several times, in several places. They recently presented at TechCrunch 40; you can watch the video here. But I wasn't too excited, because really, who wants to track their finances?

I've used both Quicken and Microsoft Money in my sorry attempts to manage my money. What a pain in the ass! They actually expect me to hold on to every receipt and, at some point that never seems to come, to enter all of that information. No way! That just doesn't happen. Maybe if I was running a business, but not for my little Commerce Bank account.

For whatever reason I decided to try out Mint today. Let me tell you: Mint rocks! I had no idea - all you do is enter your bank / credit card login and password and Mint gathers and tracks all of the data for you. It's fantastic and I was hooked in less than 5 minutes.

Mint gives you alerts, via email or SMS, when balances dip too low, unusual spending patters are noticed or when a credit card bill is coming due. They categorize spending and analyze the data, showing you where and how you're spending money. Then, to top it all off, they show you offers for products that can actually save you money based on your recurring spending habits.

Mint is free and you should sign up.

Marketing to Bloggers

Editor's Note: get comfortable, this is a long one.

You have a product and it's aimed at the average blogger. How do you market it to bloggers? Your widget, your embeddable video player, your content management system; they're all aimed at bloggers. So, how do you reach them? How do you let them know about your product?

It's not easy. I've noticed that we're a fickle bunch. This is a fairly young blog, only about 2 months old, but I've been creating personal websites for about 10 years (they weren't called blogs back then). I've noticed that we tend to gravitate towards a close bunch of friends. And, I suppose that's why this is worth my time and yours.

So, the questions is, how do you market to bloggers? I'm not entirely sure. I'm not a marketing genius, but I what I can do is tell you what I read, where I go and what is important to me in this space. When it comes to my blog, which often includes my professional live, and sometimes my personal life, this is what matters to me. This is where you can reach me:

• Meetups:
• NY Tech Meetup
• NY Video 2.0
• NY P2P 2.0 Meetup Group
• New York Online Advertising and Marketing Group
• New York Web 2.0 Social Networking Tech Meetup
• The Advertising Club of New York Meetup
• The Bay Ridge Friends Meetup Group

Notice a pattern? I care about New York. I live / love / breathe / dream / commute / work / love / love New York. If you want to market to me, market to the New York startup community.

• RSS Feeds:
• Mashable
• BuzzMachine
• Read/Write Web
• Signal v. Noise
• Online Video Watch
• NewTeeVee
  
• Beet.TV
• FASTForward Blog
• The Business of Online Video
• Mapping the Web
• This is Going to Be BIG
  
• Joel on Software
• Digg - Top Stories
• Engadget
• MacOSXHints
• ProBlogger
• The Unofficial Apple Weblog
• WCBS
• Andrej Gregov's Weblog
• evhead
• Paize Digital Design Journal
• Rahoi
• PaidContent
• A VC
• VentureBeat
• VC Ratings
• Susan Wu
• Genuine VC
• Silicon Alley Insider
• Alley Insider Twitters
• Feld Thoughts
• Mark Pincus
• Napsterization
• The Gong Show
  
• Brightcove
• Deitte
• ROO Blog
• Chartreuse
• Copyranter
• Outside.in 11209
• TNM Video News
• VideoCafe Blog
• Facebook Friend's Status

Whew! That's a lot. I read those every single day. Most are what you would call work related, but I really love this stuff. If you want to reach me, reach these guys.

• E-mails / Newsletters:
• Cynopsis Digital
• Cynopsis International
• Cynopsis
• MediaPost's Section One, Media Daily News
• MediaPost's Section One, Online Media Daily
• MediaPost's Online Media Daily, Section Two, Around the Net in Online Marketing
  
• MediaPost's Online Media Daily, Section Two, Around the Net in Media
  
• MediaPost's Online Media Daily, Section Three, People on the Move
• MediaPost's Online Media Daily, Section Three, Accounts on the Move
• MediaPost's Online Media Daily, Section Three, Media Classifieds
• MediaPost's Online Media Daily, Section Three, Letters to the Editor
• MediaPost's Online Media Daily, Section Three, Media Events Calendar
  
• MediaPost's Just an Online Minute...
• MediaPost's Online SPIN
• MediaPost's Video Insider
• MediaPost's Behavioral Insider
  
• Center for Media Research, Research Brief
• Bulldog Reporter's Daily Dog
• Bulldog Reporter's Winning PR Campaigns
• Bulldog Reporter's PR Jobmart
  
• AdAge Daily News
• AdAge MediaWorks
• AdAge Digital
• TVNEWSDAY
• The Bowery Presents
• NY Chapter PRSA, Notice of Upcoming Events
• Sunbelt Software's WXP News
  
• Pacha NYC
• Creativity Online
  
• SPJ PressNotes
• Adrants Daily
• Lijit Weekly Stats
  
• American Express Rewards Watch
  
• eMarketer Daily
• MediaBistro Daily Media News Feed
• Apple Newsletter
• ROO News
  

Obviously MediaPost sends way too many e-mails and no, I don't read all of these word for word, but I do look at them. The Daily Dog makes the best use of advertising space. If you stopped me on the street I could probably name the companies listed across the top from memory.

I always read Adrants Daily all the way through. The writing is good, the commentary is funny and I look forward to it each day. I also usually read MediaBistro's Daily Media News Feed. It's a great recap of media related news in a nice layout that looks great on my iPhone.

So, the point of all this is two fold. First to give my readers some insight into where I get my news and entertainment, but more importantly, to illustrate that there is no central place to market to bloggers. We are part of a community and that community directly reflects the things we're interested in. If you want to reach us you have to go super-local. You have to take the time to find out where we are and become part of our community.

In Rainbows Update

In Rainbows, the new Radiohead album that you can download online at a price you set, has sent out an update. I should have my download code late tonight! The e-mail, sent by W.A.S.T.E., is ugly as hell (what's with the the YELLING?), but here it is:


That's ten 160 Kbps DRM-free tracks. Can't wait.

Bloggers Unite, Donors Choose

You may have heard about Donors Choose, or maybe not. I don't have enough readers here to justify starting my own challenge to raise money, so I've chosen to link to the current leader, Fred Wilson at A VC. I happen to really like Fred's blog, and I've written about him before on this blog (feel free to use the Lijit search application in my sidebar), so I've decided to link to his challenge.


As the name implies, Donors Choose lets you pick where your money will go. It's a good cause, so go donate.

Signed Up For VideoCafe

The NewsMarket (who I used to work for) launched a product called VideoCafe a few weeks ago. I just signed up and am waiting for my registration to be approved (seems like a silly step to have to take, but whatever). Hopefully soon I'll have direct access to up-to-date corporate video, which yes, even on a blog, has a place and purpose.

Here's a preview:

Uploading Mobile Photos from the iPhone to Facebook

The iPhone doesn't support MMS messaging. I suppose the though is, why should it if you have full access to e-mail? So, there were issues in not being able to upload mobile images to Facebook, which is done via MMS.

Along came pxPipe from alwaysBETA to fix the problem. Which, I'm told, worked great. Until Facebook added e-mail support, allowing iPhone users to simply e-mail the photos to photos[at]facebook[dot]com and pxPipe, no longer needed, shut down.

That was great and I used the Facebook e-mail address method all the time. Now, when I try to e-mail photos to Facebook I get the message:

Sorry, we cannot support uploads sent via email. You sent from GMail. If you are sending from a phone, it must be configured to send directly.

Facebook doesn't seem to have any mention of this in their Mobile Help section. There's really no info about this on the Interwebs. So, what's up? Facebook needs to fix this; pxPipe needs to open back up; something must be done! Oh! The angst!

Xobni is Recruiting

I've been telling everyone how cool I think Xobni is. I use it everyday. Now, they're even cooler. Here's a nice recruiting video:

Freaking Brilliant: Rsizr

I found this via Mashable. You have to watch the video below and check out the Rsizr tool itself. Just freaking brilliant.