Scribd is a website with an interesting marketing angle: they want to be the YouTube of documents. For long time readers of mutednoise that statement is a bit of a puzzler – after all, the web itself was first conceived as a set of linked documents. A quick scan through the comments on a recent Om Malik inquiry about the company’s ‘hotness’ turned up a number of people who are also scratching their heads.
I worked for several years writing software for a document control company. What I gradually learned is that there is a large difference between a document and data. A document represents a fixed set of data at a particular moment in time. Having these fixed ’snapshots’ can be highly valuable: while data is ongoing and without a fixed state a document provides the moors so that comparison and analysis can happen.
On the web data is able to exist naturally. It is constantly being scraped, mutated, appended, rearranged, split up, and recombined. By freezing that data into a state (in this case a PDF document) an authoritative (but not necessarily correct) version of the data can be presented across multiple forums in the exact same identical way. In this way, too, Scribd is like YouTube: they make embedding an entire document on another website as easy as cutting an pasting code. The ’snapshot’ of data maintains its referential integrity.
Is that a subtle benefit? Hell yes. However, its one that seems to be getting lost in the poo-pooing of the service. Scribd is providing some real value. It’ll be worth watching to see just how long it takes the doubters to realize it.
It may well be, as Rubel and Gartner argue that, most people interested in setting up their digital soapboxes already have. And that folks are opting to do other types of social media, including video, podcasts, and social networks, which appeal to them more.
Excited to try out a new way of connecting with folks online, people flocked to blogging. But after 3 months on average, most bloggers realize that writing about their politics, launch haunts, or co-workers isn’t for them, says Adam Sarner, an analyst at researcher Gartner Inc. Sarner argues that, since the audience reading blogs continues to grow, this classic tech cycle of hype and maturity is good news for the remaining blogs. Those left standing are the influencers that attract audiences and advertisers.
Or, more succinctly, those that want to share their deepest, most intimate thoughts with total strangers in a public forum have gotten their blogs. Those that don’t aren’t likely to start. We’re beyond the early adopters and are entering the phase where things become utilitarian (like when the home computer went from being an amazing gee-whiz device worthy of bragging about to the uncool beige box).
It certainly doesn’t mean that blogs are going away. It just means we’ve finally turned the corner from being obsessed about the medium to the time when we can obsess about the content.
Posted in tools, video at 8:59 am by Matthew Reinbold
As I’ve talked about recently I love the quirky, original shows that have been filling up the series of tubes we know and love. Now the makers of the Democracy video player have launched a new online resource called MakeInternetTV. Its a site dedicated to sharing knowledge on just how to get up and running.
As much as I’d love to do my own video show two things are holding me back: (1) there are already way too many ‘talking-head’ technology shows to warrant my own blather and (2) I just don’t have the time. I make sure to carve out at least an hour each day just for writing and that’s orders of magnitude simpler that prepping, shooting, editing, reshooting, and uploading a semi-professional video. I fear that until I am independently wealthy with my virtual lama scam multi-level marketing offer I just can’t do a vidcast.
How about you – if you were to do a show what would it be about? Are you already doing it? What’s the link?
Television weekends for those of us without cable are very slim pickings. This time of year the networks are either airing the latest golf, nascar, or infomercial ‘event’ to fill time until the workweek prime time. Its a situation that has repeatedly driven me online to find my entertainment. This weekend the latest expedition came up big: I discovered The Burg.
No, this isn’t a civil war drama set in Williamsburg, VA – this is Williamsburg, NY. And, like most things from said city, the characters believe the world revolves around their little pocket of shoddy apartments and weekend antics. However, with writing this sharp and situations this funny we can forgive them for their narcissism. Each episode runs around 10-15 minutes in length and some episodes do contain profanity (no blaring at work – you’ve been warned). That said the Burg has that kind of cool credibility that Friends always lacked – and are all that much more fun to watch because of it.
Would a show like this been possible even five years ago? With broadband just reaching penetration its doubtful. The Burg could very well be a harbinger for great things to come: online only, real to the core, and damn proud of it.
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:04 pm by Matthew Reinbold
I can’t remember the last time I heard a track on mainstream radio and thought ‘I really need to check these guys out’. For the longest time my music recommendations have been swayed by the hemming and hawing of those online. Thankfully I don’t have to slog through the hundreds of thousands of new tracks released constantly. Instead, the web naturally filters out the crap and bubbles up some wonderful surprises. Case in point – theSwitched.com.
Normally if a website offers a podcast proudly proclaiming ‘Independent Music Videos’ I clickly surf the other way – I’ve had too many bad experiences with ‘Indie’ music that was nothing more than a guy playing spoons while yodeling. However, not only were the videos in the latest edition of ‘theSwitched’ good – I actually went out of my way to find out more about the artists. Check it out for yourself (and dig the way retro but incredibly cool stage effect in the first video):
I don’t want to belabor the tragedy of what happened at Virgina Tech; it was obviously a very damaged individual who methodically planned the worst shooting rampage in American history. It will be some time before the family, friends, and community surrounding Virginia Tech will be able to find closure from the senseless violence.
A by-product of those events, however, is the emergence of technology in the telling of this story. On one hand, as Liz Gannes reports, places like Facebook, MySpace, and LiveJournal are essential tools for the students to getting word out to loved ones – “I’m ok” seemed to be a reoccurring statement. I found very interesting that despite the public nature of these forums those looking for a story – or profiteering from the grief – were quickly put in their place:
In many cases this happened through groups that are publicly accessible, in part so people who don’t attend Virginia Tech could see them. And on these same message boards on the highly organized and easily searchable site, reporters arrived looking for sources, and were derided — appropriately, in many cases — as vultures looking for a soft spot of a carcass.
Despite the fact that students were expressing themselves to the world, they didn’t want someone else to come in and retool those expressions for another venue. Despite the utter lack of privacy of the public forum of user-generated content, mourners expected to be left in peace. And the standard brusque “no comment” was expressed in a public forum, accessible to all.
More chilling is the multi-media CD (DVD?) of materials that the shooter sent to NBC. In the month preceding the event he had put together an elaborate video and text package. Rather than unanswered questions or the mute ramblings of a note goodbye the victim’s families are left with a leering, vocal testament to the madness that took them.
The package is said to have contained a DVD or CD which held a PDF document with embedded QuickTime videos, digital photos, and 1800 words of run-on psycho text. The contents of the disc are said to have amounted to a total of 27 video clips and 43 still photos, each of which was separately captioned.
NBC has had to walk a fine line. On one hand the killer didn’t send the material to the FBI or a spurned lover – he sent it to a major news outlet for the express purpose of having it exposed. Playing clips only seems to be granting him his final wishes and torturing those left behind. On the other hand, there are comments like Dave Winer’s:
NBC has a dozen Quicktime videos of the Virginia Tech killer. They’re sifting through them and deciding what to release and what not to release. This is wrong. It’s 2007, and it’s a decentralized world. We should all get a chance to see what’s on those videos. Given enough time the focus will go on their process, much better to just let it all out now, with no editorial judgement.
So what is appropriate here? If we have the technology to effortlessly distribute is it always appropriate to do so? Are there some boundaries that should be observed? Or is that naive in this day and age?
Posted in business, tools at 10:24 am by Matthew Reinbold
Buried in last weeks technology news was Google’s release of a freely available 411 service. I didn’t want to post about it until I had a chance to try it out for myself. And while I don’t have much first hand experience with ‘traditional’ 411 service (because I’m cheap like that) I can completely see me using Google’s 411 service on a regular basis.
First off it is completely automated with some darn fine voice recognition software. Growing up in the Dakotas to decedents of German immigrants there are times when I sound like an extra from the cast of Fargo. However, Goog-411 didn’t have any trouble. And because its automated there’s no fear of asking a dumb question – there’s no human rolling their eyes or stifling a chuckle if you ask a really dumb question (like where you can find a 5-star hotel in central Wyoming). And its fast. When I’ve tried previous voice recognition products there was always that uncomfortable delay while the computer tries to figure out what you mean by ‘got the munchies’. Not so here.
But, probably my most favorite part and something pointed out on a recent episode of Diggnation, is the nature of the automated voice. Sure, the male generated speech is a bit cut up but its like Stephen Hawking is giving you directions for pizza. I couldn’t stop giggling because I expected the service to break out into a passage from A Brief History of Time.
On a side note Google, in one fell swoop, has completely squashed the $7 billion 411 industry. And how they’re going to build a business around this remains to be seen (preferential ranking on the list of results that businesses can bid on?). However, for right now its hard not to be excited at suddenly having such a wonderful service available for free. Between this, Twitter’s SMS capability, and Jott even my cheap phone that came free with the contract is suddenly a very capable little device.
Posted in tools, video at 9:58 am by Matthew Reinbold
GeekBrief TV is a well produced, bite sized look at the day’s technology news. In a very recent behind the scenes recording they show just how they put the Geek Brief together. While anyone with a webcam and a Stickam acocunt can theoretically put together a show there is a perceptible difference in quality (of course).
They do cover the common sense stuff like a computer for editing things together and a camera to capture images. But they also go over a lot of the stuff that may be forgotten because its not on camera – the teleprompter, lighting, etc. If you’re interested in running a ‘pro’ podcast, check it out!
Politic 2.0 is a Utah based company trying to use modern social networking tools to bridge the gap between politicians and their constituents. Last Wednesday they held their first virtual town hall with Representative Chris Cannon and a number of area bloggers. I was lucky enough to participate.
The tool’s centerpiece was a Digg like ranking system (based on the open source Pligg project). People in the room or those remotely watching the streaming video feed could submit question to the system. Those questions could then be voted up or down. The highest voted questions were then asked of the Congressman by a moderator.
The first event was not without problems. Those in the room were encouraged to blog about the event as it was happening. Between that, voting on issues, participating in the threaded discussions and listening to the speaker it was just too many cognitive shifts. Since asked questions had to be found, read, and then summarized by the moderator the pacing was also considerably slower than a room full of reporters. The lag between question submission, voting, moderator presentation, the Congressman’s answer, and the restart of the process also made asking follow up questions impractical.
So there are some problems to iron out. However, that shouldn’t diminish what the event was able to do – anyone, from anywhere could simultaneously participate in a dialog with an elected official. If Politic2.0 can address some of the quirks of the system they could truly be on their way to better connecting the people with those who represent them. I look forward to their next event.
Posted in mashups, video at 7:09 am by Matthew Reinbold
One of the easiest ways to demonstrate code’s contribution to modern culture is the explosion of mashups and remixes. With an entry level PC anyone can sit down and splice together an incredible reinterpretation of media that once was ‘read-only’. As just another example of this check out the incredible Gwen Stefani/Madonna ‘What U Waiting For’/'Hung Up’ mega-mix:
The tool’s centerpiece was a Digg like ranking system (based on the