Evening Reading: 6/13/07

Newly subscribed: Matt Moran.  Newly unsubscribed: Ben MetcalfeBen Werdmuller and Craig Newmark (all have been dropped from my swivel feeds for non-participation).

@Scott Karp:  No, text messaging is not a viable media and advertising platform for older people (like me).  No one I know over 35 has even the slightest interest in text messaging.  The only way to change that is to wait 20 years.

I’ve told anyone who will listen that the Drive-By Truckers are the best active American rock band.  Take Outfit off their 2003 record Decoration Day.

Mighty fine rock and roll.  I love the lines “So don’t try to change who you are boy, and don’t try to be who you ain’t.  And don’t let me catch you in Kendale with a bucket of wealthy-man’s paint.”  Go buy that record now.

Jeneane Sessum isn’t all that fired up about the new Technorati design.

Join the best series in the blogosphere: Quasi Fictional’s “What is a blog to you series.”

Dwight has a great post about things to love and hate in Vista.  User Account Control just about ruined Vista for me.  Until I killed it.  Now I’m mildly Vista positive.

Now Comcast is making absurd HD channel claims.  At the rate we’re going, someone is going to promise a million HD channels by Labor Day.

A 3 year old makes and keeps a 10 year vow of silence?  Reminds me of that kid in Little Miss Sunshine.

Zen Habits has 27 skills your kids need that aren’t taught in school.

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Swivel Feeds, Group 4

This is an update on my swivel feeds experiment, in which I ask bloggers I read to help me rebuild my reading list.  I’ve had a great response so far, and my new reading list is coming together nicely, with a diverse and interesting mix of bloggers.

Here are the swivel feeds recommendations so far from the third group.  Note that, when possible, I designate blogs by the name of the blogger, because I like to know who I’m talking to.

Alan Levine
Beth Kanter
Brad Feld
Claus Valca
Dave Rogers
Father Bob
Fraser Kelton
Hugo Ortega
J.P. Rangaswami
Jennifer Slegg
jkOnTheRun
Joe Wikert
John Walkenbach
Jon Udell
Long Zheng
Marek Uliasz
Nick Hodge
Paul Lester
ReveNews
Robert Nagle
Scott Hanselman
Valleywag
Wondermark

I have subscribed to all of the recommended blogs, and all but five of them are new to me.

These blogs join the following prior recommendations and participants in the third edition of my new reading list.

A Cons. Experience
Amyloo
Anne Zelinka
Assaf Arkin
Ballastexistenz
BldgBlog
Blogging Pro
Blonde 2.0
Bob Meets World
Bonnie Staring
Brad Kellett
Chip Camden
Chris Brogan
Christopher Carfi
Claus Valca
D’Arcy Norman
Daily Cup of Tech
Dan Santow
Dave Taylor
Dave Wallace
David Rothman
Deborah Schultz
Doug Karr
Dwight Silverman
Earl Moore
Ed Bott
Engtech Lite
f8d
GAS Tech. News
Heise Security
Hilary Talbot
Ian Forrester
IT|Redux
J.A. Konrath
Jessica Hagy
John Tropea
John T. Unger
Les Orchard
Lisa Stone
Mike Miller
Nancy White
Natalie Goes to Japan
New Scientist
Nick O’Neill
Opacity
Paul Greenberg
Paul Stamatiou
Phydeaux3
Quasi Fictional
Read/Write Web
Reg Braithwaite
Robert Andrews
Robert Hruzek
The Struggling Writer
Tresblue
Tricks of the Trade
UNEASYsilence
Wonderland or Not
Zen Habits

From Group 3 I haven’t heard from Dave Winer, David Airey or Doc Searls.  From Group 2 I haven’t heard from Bill LiversidgeCorey Clayton or Dave Rogers.  My general policy is to assume non-participation after 2 weeks.  Craig Newmark elected not to participate.

From Group 1, Amy GahranBen Metcalfe or Ben Werdmuller did not respond and have been dropped from the swivel feeds list.  Amy gets a “sponsor’s exemption,” however, and remains on my reading list.  I think she may still be off the grid.

Now for the next 8 bloggers:

Donna Bogatin:  Until recently, Donna wrote for ZDNet at Digital Markets.  Now she’s on her own at InsiderChatter.com.  One of my long time reads.

Eric Scalf:  My WordPress guru and a great writer on blog building and other topics.

Ethan Johnson:  Another core blogging buddy.  He has this soccer thing going, but at least I have some understanding of soccer.  Unlike Linux and Macs and that sort of thing.

Frank Gruber:  A long time blogging buddy as well.  Frank works for AOL and writes about Web 2.0, technology a
nd
other interesting stuff.

Frank Paynter:  I’ve read Frank’s blog for as long as I’ve been reading blogs.  Highly recommended.

Fraser Kelton:  Fraser is another long-time read.  He has been blogging intermittently lately.  Maybe this will nudge him back to the keyboard.

Fred Wilson:  Fred and I are about the same age, and share a lot of musical interests.  He’s a good, thoughtful writer on a wide range of topics.

Greg Hughes:  Another long time read, Greg is an IT/security guy who writes well about various tech topics.

That’s the fourth group of bloggers I’m asking to help rebuild my reading list.  If you’re willing, please recommend 5 of your favorite blogs to add to the list.  Use the comments, your blog or email, whichever you prefer.

Evening Reading: 6/12/07

Newly subscribed: EchoDitto Labs.  Newly unsubscribed: None, but there are several on the verge.

Mashable has a useful list of 120+ RSS resources.  Fadtastic has a list of 25 ways to improve your web site (Amen to number 3).  The best way, of course, is to add Newsome.Org to your blogroll.

27 confessions of a former Circuit City employee.  It’s all about extended warranties and accessories.

Here’s one of my favorite things in the blogosphere.  People create some new phrase (say, for example, the 4 Hour Workweek) and start to create a religion around it.  Then Stowe Boyd comes along, calls bullshit on it and provides a common sense, logical answer.  I love this quote: “Most people operate on the assumption that the response to increased flow is to intensify what was working formerly: read more email, read more blogs, write more IMs, and so on. And at the same time motor on with the established notions of what a job is, how to accomplish work and meet deadlines, and so on.”  People absolutely have to pick and choose.  Successful people have mastered the art of picking and choosing.  Very successful people have mastered the art of picking and choosing in a way that doesn’t make them look like assholes.

Chip Camden is related to Pocahontas.  Pocahontas is a great song by Neil Young.  That song mentions the Astrodome.  The Astrodome is in Houston.  I live in Houston.  Synchronicity.  Voltaire Camden?  I bet he was the toughest kid in town by the time he was 6.

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Convert Partial RSS Feeds to Full RSS Feeds

Tom Lee has created a nifty little script that converts those annoying partial RSS feeds to full feeds.  This has huge potential, not only for blog reading, but even more so for news reading.  I am interested in extracting full feeds for the relatively few partial feed blogs that remain on my reading list.  I am very interested in extracting full feeds for the various news sources I read.

I tested the script on several partial feeds, and it seemed to work well.  If it becomes popular (and, in my opinion, it should), the issue will be bandwidth and scalability.

As Tom points out in his post, RSS simply isn’t respected by old media, or the people who market old media.  So there remains this Jurassic belief that you must drag viewers to your web site to serve them ads.  I don’t like that, as I count myself among those who want to knock down walls, which is also why I have a hard time with Facebook, MySpace and the Walled Street Journal, among others.

To those who will argue that by extracting a full feed where none is (voluntarily) offered, I am somehow costing them money, I can say only this.  I have never clicked on an online banner or text ad that wasn’t on a site I own (and only then to make sure the ad server was doing its thing).  Not once.  I can’t conceive of a situation in which I would, simply because of my deep aversion to ads that led me to XM and TIVO (and even before that, the mute button).  So while using these full feeds may deny someone the ability to toss an ad in my face, it is not costing them any click-throughs.  More importantly, any ad that can be served behind the walls of a web site can also be served via RSS.  RSS is merely a method of distribution that is more efficient on the back end.  It has nothing to do with the content.

I agree with those who believe RSS is the future of online content distribution.  It would be the preferred method now, if ad-intoxicated developers and content producers hadn’t created the expectation that all online content is free (i.e., supported by the mythical endless ad dollar).  That false start will be corrected over time, and subscription based RSS (subscription as in you pay for it) will become the new print media, the new music store and the new magazine.

Anything that helps push us that direction is a good thing.

And anything that lets me read what I want to read from beyond the walls is a good thing.

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Evening Reading: 6/11/07

Newly subscribed: Jimmy Huen.  Newly unsubscribed: None, but there are several on the verge.

Zen Habits has 20 Ways to Eliminate Stress from You Life.  Lifehacker chimes in on creating a more healthy inner life.  On the other hand, if you simply want to avoid screwing up your life, there’s this.  Personally, I just want to win the lottery.

WikiHow has 11 steps for being a good boss.  I spend a fair amount of time thinking about management and group-building, and I think this is a good article.

A HD DVD Player for $199?  Even if you have to wait a little, this is a good deal.

Idiots from my home state killed a summer reading program because they talked about astrology, palm reading and whatnot.  Now the kids just sit around and eat pizza.  Unbelievable.

A whole lot of people are helping Andr*w Ke*n prove that he is, in fact, a lot smarter than we are by continuing to write about him.  He calls us stupid amateurs.  People write hordes of indignant posts about it.  He gets rich and famous.  Repeat.

Butts arrested for stealing toilet paper.  Husband Seymour had no comment.

Shelley Powers on Joost: “Joost is the most uncommunicative company I have ever seen that’s dependent on the beta process and word of mouth. Company personnel never participate in the forum, update the company weblog, or respond to bug submissions.”

David Peralty doesn’t like multiple page posts.  Me either.  Partial feeds are bad enough.  I can’t think of a single blogger who would remain in my reading list if they used multiple page posts.

Ed Bott on the dangers of unintentional data in Word documents.  This is a huge issue for law firms, and many (including mine) automatically scrub documents to remove metadata, Tracked Changes and other hidden data from documents before they are emailed.  I once got a copy of a letter of intent on a huge deal from the other side, which inadvertently showed the revisions to the letter of intent with the prior prospective buyer.  I didn’t read or use that information, but I could have.

John Tropea has a write-up on using Facebook outside the walls.  Paging Mike Seyfang, who is also experimenting with this.

Scott Hanselman has 32 ways to keep your blog from sucking.  I agree with most of them, but not number 2 (keep overtly personal stuff out of your tech blog).  Granted, there is a marginal utility to the personal stuff, but if you avoid it to an extreme, your blog becomes just another boring little newspaper equivalent churning out yet another post about something that everyone else has already written to death.  The personal stuff humanizes a blog and helps you connect with your readers.  If he changed “overtly” to “excessive,” I’d agree.  I already agree with number 30 (avoid category specific feeds).  No one is interesting enough for me to read their blog a la carte.  I’m either all in or all out.

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Don't You Mean Television vs YouTube?

Duncan Riley has a post entitled Joost vs Babelgum, in which he compares Joost and Babelgum, two stupidly named applications that allow you to watch TV-like programs (and other lame content) on your computer.  As you might imagine, I have a couple of questions.

First, why would I want to watch TV on my computer when I have an HD television connected to an HD DVR right here in this room?  A TV that has hundreds of channels, as opposed to the crappy selection at Joost?  I haven’t tried Babelgum, but if it’s the “poor man’s Joost,” I can’t imagine how bad it must be.  Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.  See the recent video blogging rage where people upload home movies that even their moms would find horrifyingly boring.

Joost’s slogan is “a new way of watching TV.”  That’s factually true, I suppose.  But walking backwards could be branded as a new way of walking too.  New doesn’t equal better.  Or necessary.

And a couple of follow up questions.  If I really wanted to watch TV-like programs on my computer, why wouldn’t I do it at YouTube, where the interface is logical and the selection epic?  Or in the case of actual TV shows, at the network web sites?

And if I were going to waste hours making some video that no one wants to watch, why wouldn’t I simply upload it to YouTube and serve it from my web site, where I get the juice instead of Joost?  More importantly, why would the content producers of content we actually want to watch donate all that juice to Joost when they could serve the content themselves?  Let’s not forget, DirecTV was TIVO’s best friend until DVRs became mainstream.  Then it kicked TIVO to the curb and did its own box.  Joost and Babelgum, like TIVO, are too far downstream from the content producers to keep a grip on the content that matters.  Once you get past that, you’re a homeless man’s YouTube.

People have been trying to push the rock up the convergence hill for years.  Anyone remember the Yamaha RP U-100?  I still use one, but the product line died on the vine (and store shelves) because people didn’t see the need to merge an audio receiver and a computer.

In sum, I just don’t get it.  Do you?

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Evening Reading: 6/8/07

Louis Gray says the biggest blogs aren’t really blogs any more.  He’s right.  The good ones are the new old media.  The bad ones are pro sports:  all about the money and the bling.

Darren Rowse on building your personal brand through blogging.  Good, common sense advice.

@Rick: I’m not on the Vlog wagon (yet), but FYI the video doesn’t show up in feeds.  That seems to me to be a big drawback.  As far as the video blogging thing goes, I like TDavid’s Hmmmcasts (which has an enclosure in my feed, but won’t play).  A couple of minutes.  Good information.  Someone should invent an application that allows people to do remote video podcasts, with little Brady Bunch boxes for each participant.  That would be very cool.

I wish someone loved me as much as Scoble loves Zooomer.

Seth Godin has an interesting post about coaching.  I have done a fair amount of coaching and, for me, being coachable all comes down to one trait: the ability to listen as opposed to just hear.

@Tony: Why are you feeding the troll?  Starve him.  Like a cold.  Or is that a fever?  I can’t ever remember.  As usual, Amy gets it.

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Swivel Feeds, Group 3

This is an update on my swivel feeds experiment, in which I ask bloggers I read to help me rebuild my reading list.  I have had a great response so far, and my new reading list is coming together nicely, with a diverse and interesting mix of bloggers.

Here are the swivel feeds recommendations so far from the second group.  Note that, when possible, I designate blogs by the name of the blogger, because I like to know who I’m talking to.

BldgBlog
Blogging Pro
D’Arcy Norman
Daily Cup of Tech
Dan Santow
Doug Karr
GAS Technology News
Jessica Hagy
John T. Unger
Lisa Stone
Nancy White
Natalie Goes to Japan
Opacity
Paul Greenberg
Paul Stamatiou
Robert Hruzek
UNEASYsilence
Read/Write Web
Wonderland or Not
Zen Habits

I have subscribed to all of the recommended blogs, and all but two of them are new to me.

These blogs join the following prior recommendations and participants in the second edition of my new reading list.

A Consuming Experience
Amyloo
Anne Zelinka
Assaf Arkin
Ballastexistenz
Blonde 2.0
Bob Meets World
Bonnie Staring
Brad Kellett
Chip Camden
Chris Brogan
Christopher Carfi
Claus Valca
David Rothman
Deborah Schultz
Engtech Lite
f8d
Heise Security
Hilary Talbot
Ian Forrester
IT|Redux
J.A. Konrath
John Tropea
Les Orchard
Mike Miller
New Scientist
Nick O’Neill
Phydeaux3
Quasi Fictional
Reg Braithwaite
Robert Andrews
The Struggling Writer
Tresblue
Tricks of the Trade

I never got any suggestions from the following Group 1 members: Amy GahranBen Metcalfe or Ben Werdmuller.  No worries, as participation by them (like the reading of their blogs by me) is purely voluntary.  Amy gets a pass because she hasn’t posted lately and may be off the grid.  From Group 2, I haven’t heard from Bill LiversidgeCorey Clayton, Craig Newmark (who says via email he will try to send his recommendations next week) or Dave Rogers, but there’s still time.  My general policy is to assume non-participation after 2 weeks.

Now for the next 8 bloggers:

Dave Taylor:  Dave has the best tech answer blog I have ever seen.  It’s like a mini-tech Wikipedia, only everything is accurate and unbiased.

Dave Wallace:  One of my core blogging buddies, and recently a podcasting buddy.  He’s going to be mad at me, since I already subscribed to Mike’s blog.

Dave Winer:  We don’t always agree on everything, but I respect his opinions and have read his blog for years.  Dave, I would genuinely like your input and hope you’ll participate.

David Airey:  David is a graphic design guy, who writes about a lot of interesting topics.  I borrowed his excellent idea of thanking Commenters in subsequent posts.

Doc Searls:  Everybody knows Doc Searls.  As I said on the podcast the other night, Doc is a great guy and one of the so called A-Listers who remains a regular guy.  Plus he likes beach music.

Dwight Silverman:  The tech guru for the Houston Chronicle.  Another Houston blogger, and one of my long-time reads.

Earl Moore:  Another of my core blogging pals.  He has best looking blog template I’ve ever seen.  He’s going to claim it’s because he’s a Mac guy.

Ed Bott: Ed is a well known tech journalist, whose blog I have read for years.  A must read for all tech-interested folks.

That’s the third group of bloggers I’m asking to help rebuild my reading list.  If you’re willing, please recommend 5 of your favorite blogs to add to the list.  Use the comments, your blog or email, whichever you prefer.

Evening Reading: 6/7/07

Newly subscribed: Chris Kasten.  Newly unsubscribed: None, but there are several on the verge.

Movie Recommendation: another scary one.  The Messengers.  Netflix link.

AARP has a list of 50 Things You Need to Know by 50.  I love number 3.  I used to not know that.  That one and this one were written about the same waitress.

Doc on Facebook vs blogging: “The logic required here is AND, not OR. Both are good, for their own reasons.

Stargate Atlantis via Line Rider.  This is cool, and took someone a long time to create. (via Michael Parekh – Hey Michael, I added you as a Twitter friend and then had to dump you because of my Pink Floyd Policy; In the words of another great band, Why Can’t We Be Friends?)  More sci-fi goodness.

Susan Getgood on ghost writing.  I’m not a PR guy, but I can tell you this.  If I was reading a blog by a stated author and found out some hired hand was writing it, I would unsubscribe immediately.  And I would not be happy with the company for misleading me.

Now we have a virtual secretary for social networking.  Aren’t we making just a little too much out of these sites?

Claus Valca has some great Vista tips.  Includes some ways to deal with the dreaded User Account Control.

Ian Forrester on the iPhone: “the hype is getting stupid.”  Amen.  But so is the hype about everything that remotely relates to social networking.

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What is Blogging to You?

I wrote a guest post for Diogenes’ excellent series over at Quasi Fictional.

Please give it a read, and offer up your thoughts on what blogging is, or what it should be.  There are lots of great posts on this topic in the series, with more to come.  Come join in the conversation.

And if you don’t subscribe to Quasi Fictional, do it now (feed link).  You’ll be glad you did!

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