Loudmouthman

To accommodate my preference for flavors.loudmouthman.com I have decided to move the address of this blog and website. it will move from www.loudmouthman.com to http://loudmouthman.com the and flavors.loudmouthman.com will take over the role of my front page.

Why am I doing this ?

With sites like  Flavors.me , Squarespace and Posterous the need to actually own a front page for your web presence is reduced. Using so many social sites whose presence moves and grows with you means that a single site even with a layer of plugins is no really sufficient.  I can move my Blog to a more blog orientated theme and use Flavors.me to create a front page to bring people in.

What does it mean to you ?

If you have linked directly to an article its going to break if you have www.loudmouthman.com/articlename since flavors.me isnt actually hosted on my machine. I am guessing in the future it is a service Flavors.me can add to help in migrations.

I shall talk more about flavors.me later this month.

Thanks for reading.

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My phone usage  over 11 Days has been 433MB of Data.

In 10 days from the 1st of June I have sent 14 Twitpics the average size of which is 136Kb .

My general app usage for my iPhone is Twitter, Kindle, Mail, GoodReader, Comixology, Safari, Toodledo, Pogoplug and Evernote.

What I fail to understand is how  mobile operators  have been  surprised by the iPhone and its Internet usage.

If I was a shareholder in O2 I would be spitting nails at the lack of clear management and direction from the board. How could they  have been so short sighted as to sell a popular consumer product without investing in infrastructure to properly support it ?

I would also wonder where this ‘scarcity of bits’ ideology has come from in a company that exists purely on the transport of information electronically. O2 your approach is wrong on this and your Ideaology over the Internet is frankly as muppet worthy !

BBC News – O2 network scraps unlimited data for smartphones

O2 said that 500MB is two and a half times the average O2 customer’s current use and would allow someone to browse 5,000 standard web pages.

Picture credit : Kiss Me, I’m a Prince : Yogma

You cannot protect content creators by prosecuting the audience, but you can build and encourage content creators by creating confidence in their consumers.

In  no way does the Bill demonstrate a clear example of how I will be protected by the following events:

If we had seen a bill that addresses these issues then I believe we would have seen a bill that would never have been allowed to pass.

Thanks for reading

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To Quote George Santayana
“Those who fail to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors are destined to repeat them.”

I have voted Conservative for quite a long time and have met my MP ‘Francis Maude‘. I  can say that I have found Francis Maude  to be a smart and engaging individual who listens to your views with consideration. So why do I feel the Internet is more important than my Vote for a Conservative Candidate ?

I have written, emailed and twittered in an attempt to get Francis or Jeremy Hunts’ attention in order to discuss with them my concerns about The Digital Economy Bill. Other than a letter from Francis, which was not a form letter but which I will put up online later tonight, I have not had a chance to talk direct with them about my concerns.

Allow me to lay out some history.  Real history, the sort of history you need to read in order that you may  learn from your predecessors.

Radio waves are a feature of the universe and are freely available to everyone. However  there was a need to ensure that the radio frequencies  were  used productively and efficiently. The International Telecommunication Union founded in Paris in 1865 was the first in a number of regulating bodies which lead the way by creating  guidelines for the annexing of the radio wave spectrum,which in turn  lead to regulation and management of the airwaves. The mandate and charter of the  ITU and its historical offshoots was “to enable the growth and sustained development of telecommunications and information networks”  ( does that sound familiar ? ).  Today, should you want to run and own a Radio Station you will have to  get in line for a large number  of licenses, approvals, certificates and legal costs. New radio stations  are predominately  backed by Music or Media groups who benefit from the distribution of their content and their approved advertisers.

Telephony technology followed a similar path to that of radio wave regulation.  After the technical know-how of telephones, telephone-lines and exchanges  was established there was an abundance of  ‘ma and pa’ operated phone services  all of whom ran different, possibly non interchangeable, formats. Governments were encouraged  to intercede and through legislation Regulate  these ‘services’. For an example of this read  “A Brief History of Telecom Regulation“.  Meanwhile in the UK the Telegraph act was passed in 1868 and delivered technical control to a  newly formed GPO ( General Post Office ), over  time this group became BT ( British Telecom ) . You can read more about the BT Group over on Wikipedia. One interesting  aspect of the BT group  from a technically minded perspective was their decisions  in  regards to technical and physical  delivery of services which have stalled, delayed or restricted the growth of the Internet and Internet speeds .  Again the ability for other businesses to compete with BT in providing new telephone lines and faster network speeds is restricted by  overbearing regulation and management.

The Internet has, until recently, avoided too much UK Govt interference. Other than Censorship laws there has been no clear involvement by the UK Govt  in controlling access to the Internet or websites.  That was until the introduction of the Digital Economy Bill. I shall not re-iterate the many reasons why the Bill itself is a poor piece of legislation. Instead  you can visit The Open Rights Group and consider the issues.

What I wished to draw your attention to is the current trend in attempting to regulate and manage the provision of internet services with the same well meaning and apparently innocent regulations which ,in a similar fashion , were introduced to Radio and Telephone services.

It is my view that no government should involve itself defining laws which control its electorate on the basis of how a  private  or public business perceives it is being treated by its customers. Governments should not be protecting the interests of business to the exclusion of  that businesses consumers.  Imagine if you will the time of Henry Ford and the release of his Horseless Carriage. Did the farriers of the time demand the Govt legislate to protect their businesses from the perceived loss of income to people owning cars and driving them?  A daft argument in the absurd abstraction but one that demonstrates that the Music and Media  industry having successfully ensured control over Radio Waves and Phone lines now wish to control regulation of access to the Internet in a similar fashion.  Write to your MP, write to your Statesman and demand they stop this interference now.

I take the view that if the Conservatives will not actively debate and block the Bill then I am no longer willing to consider voting for them. The Internet is a resource in contention between its users and predatory businesses and we must do what we can to ensure that the same Internet and communication freedoms we experience today are there for our children to enjoy tomorrow.

Thanks for reading, now please go write to your MP.

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Just as the 11th Dr returns to the screen and makes a grab at the youth market.

I shall be at EasterCon talkin Science Fiction and Fantasy with Fan, Authors, Publishers, Retailers and anyone else who will join me for a pint. Apparently im also taking part in talking about Social Media and twitter things at one of the panels so expect a Ustream stream channel from me at some point on the day.

As usual I shall be sporting my very subtly downplayed Loudmouthman.com TShirt so keep an eye out for it.

Thanks for reading.

If your going to run a group whose purpose is to help business share opportunities and gain new leads and client then you probably want to demonstrate that you have a good understanding of how to use each medium and how to get your message across. What you dont want to do is open a new twitter account on behalf of your group and then automatically post tweets targeted at random twitter users encouraging them to come watch your cool video. There is only one other group on twitter whose use of twitter matches that pattern and they are promoting some pretty unsavoury and malicious sites.

Lets have a look at this twitter account activity. The group have quite appropriately completed their Biography and provided a link to their main website as well as included an Avatar for their account.  That is where all the good things that can say about the twitter account end.

Look at those tweets, “From API” is not such a bad thing  since it means they are using an unregistered program to send messages to twitter. In this case the program in question is gathering random twitter users and sending the rather repetitive message “Thank You for following, See our Hilarious video of the breakfast meeting on the moon at http://bit.ly/51Em61 “.

First of all many of those twitter accounts mentioned ( a mention is the use of the @ symbol followed by the twitter account name ) have not actively followed the account in question. Secondly the use of the mention thanks to Twitters broken implementation of twitter messages means your going to see the tweet in your Mentions list.

There is nothing in the use of this account that suggest that the owners or the video owners have a good understanding of online marketing and social media. Maybe there is an opening in their chapter ?

Like wise the use of the spamming account is not winning friends or influencing anyone in a positive fashion with many other twitter account users asking the group to stop spamming them or to stop using an automated system.

The lesson to be learnt here is the same lesson as always. Be Genuine, Be Real and Be Focussed, you will be forgiven a LOT if you are able to engage and interact with your social networks but you will be the focus of Blogs and Scathing comments if you choose to automate your interactions to the level of a computerised calling card service.

Thanks for Reading.

Update:

I had posted a comment on their YouTube and on their Blog those comments have since been removed. From experience denying, burying and otherwise avoiding a social media issue does not resolve the matter.

twitter, socialmedia, bni

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The punkgenre has a new term, BookPunk. The Bookman pokes at the fat and waddled body of steampunk with its walking cane and leaves it on the roadside with its fresh take on Victorian London without loosing any steam on its way.

The Bookman takes a little of Verne and a little more of Gaimen and wraps the story of Orphan into a tale of personal discovery , romance and action across London Hospitals, Pirate Ships and secret lost islands. Lizard Kings rule as a social elite and books explode in the face of their owners and The Bookman chases and is pursued by the Orphan. Orphan , his name as well as his status, is  Poet living in a London that feels like it may have been created in collaboration between Jasper Fforde and Neil Gaiman every character fills the page with their own vices and histories. The Bookman is a masked Terrorist whose actions motivate Orphan and take the adventure on sea bound adventures more reminiscent of Jules Verne. There  much in the story that reflects familiar concepts and characters which feel most natural as Orphan encounters them and the pacing of the adventure left me turning pages ( well pressing page turn ) and enjoying the voyage.

The Bookman by Lavie Tidhar is available from Amazon and is published by Angry Robot Books

Thanks for reading..

Earlier this month I had the chance to play with the  QNAP TS-410 out of the box this device does what the Drobo should have delivered on a long time ago.

• Built in Network Connectors , two of them at 1Gbit each.
  Meaning it plugs into my network and bonds those two connections into one BIG connection.
• A Media Server.
  All my music, photos and videos were visible to my PS3 and my XBOX and thanks to the above connection I could stream content and upload content and the box didnt skip a beat.
• Rsync duplication.
  I can back up this device to another rsync service either locally or via the internet.
• Bit Torrent Client.
  A web interface where I can pass .torrent files to have them downloaded and available to the mediaserver.
• File Sharing.
  With Users, Groups, Shared Directories etc etc.
• iSCSI Targets
  Making backing up and managing  disk images of other Macs and Windwows PCs a doddle.
• Virtual Slices
  Allowing multiple QNAP devices to be aggregated into one large disk.
• iTunes Library sharing
  Creating a shared library for all my iTunes libraries.
• expandable RAID storage ( in multiple configurations )
  Pulling the same trick as the Drobo I can upgrade the storage in my RAID as I grow my needs.

The TS-xxx range from QNAP has ended my interest in Drobo and I must thank the wonderfully helpful people of Ultimate Storage for their help in getting me a review device. You can follow Ultimate Storage on Twitter as StorageExperts

Thanks for reading.

Back from the break , been off the blog too long but heres whats coming up soon .

Reviews of things like QNAP TS-410 , iPhone Stanza vs iPhone Kindle , New Books from Angry Robot
Discussions of ideas such as Privacy, Blog postings and Networking
Thoughts on how modern technology will change social habits.
more Marmite.

photocredit: Nesster

Thanks to recent work  clients I have returned  to WooThemes.

As you may  already  know WooThemes were responsible for the previous site layout VibrantCMS.  Woothemes have a track record of  solid themes  at the right price for end users. They provide  the best support and theme maintenance available for those Themes and they are top of my list for client recommendations for new wordpress layouts.

Hence the new theme, Coffee-Break which in its minimalist setting gives me a site reminiscent of Posterous whose clean theme leads me to this new layout.

Is it working for you, is this better or is this worse ?

Either way, thanks for reading.

Thanks to the wonderful people at 1000Heads and 3MobileBuzz I have had a chance to play with the 3Mobile MiFi device. It is a wireless access point that uses a mobile phone sim to provide access to Internet via 3s’ data service.

The  advantage to using a Mobile Wifi (Mifi) Device over a traditional dongle is that battery power from your laptop is spared the effort of driving the USB dongle radio and modem. From experience the device has provided me 3 hours of work time vs the previous 1hr 10 minutes. Surfing speeds are  faster since the networking and usb processing are not being carried out on the laptop.

Its a great product , so why the worry ?

First out of the bag, it is not very intuitive. Now I might be being overtly technical here but I would expect some sort of webinterface that lets me know I am connected and whats going on.  To connect the device to your laptop and again to the internet requires several button presses and frankly these are not the easiest things to see negotiate.

The flashing leds on the cover are not on by default ( yes its saving energy but its makes me think its not actually working) and when they are lit the colours are not consistent to an positive experience . Where I expect green for good, red for bad I find blue for connected and red for “its working” but I dont know why.

Taking the above into consideration ( because I hate the phrase “that being said” ) I would at a pinch use this device for the sake that I have no other device to compare it against.

I would hope that future releases take on board some of these criticisms and apply them.

The device is  available as Contract or Pay As You Go from all good stockists , etc.

Thanks for reading.

Ive been following Hak5 since season1 and back then I dont think they even thought of themselves as Season1 primarily driven by Darren Kitchen the show has evolved and grown and is now part of the Revision3 stable of shows. When I get asked “how do you know all this stuff” ( where stuff is something technical ) those are the moments I offer up a silent thanks to the Hak5 team.  This is the show for System Administrators and Operating System developers to pay attention to its appeals to the Hacker and tinkerer in me and whilst its content is inherently technical its spot on in its delivery being neither too vague nor over critical of its topics. Go watch it.

Hak5 – http://www.revision3.com/host/shannon-morse, Darren Kitchen and Matt Lestock

Thanks for reading

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Every WordPress installation that I perform inevitably results in me installing a short list of essential plugins. This is not a blog post about what plugins I install though I would be happy to drop a few hints if people cared. This is a blog post that says;
” I want a WordPress Plugin Store “

If you are a very long term reader of this blog or youve met me in person you know that I am a Open Source Advocate who promotes Ubuntu when he can. Like wise my love for the iPhone is almost Objectum-sexual. What drives this joy is not the end product in itself but the upstream control and oversight of a company or group of individuals who ensure that standards are adhered to and that quality is at least assured in the basic ‘its going to work’ sense.

In the case of Apple this is a paid for model where apps costing nothing to £60 are purchased via the Apple Store and in turn this price point is split between Apple and the developers ensuring that product usage drives revenue and in turn development and a return on investment in that time. Ubuntu repositories are freely accessible though the prestige in having a project accepted and packaged and available drives a certain Kudos or Whufte ( did I get that right ? ) .

Meanwhile Automattic the team behind WordPress provide a Plugins directory managed very much in the style of the Open Source Ubuntu model and leave the choice open to developers to request donations which leads in my case to a lack of focus and interest in ensuring these developers gain some remuneration for their eventual hardwork.

I want an Automattic Store for Plugins that lets me buy plugins to use on a per installation basis charging me pennies in the pound for that opportunity and in turn splitting the cost of that between Automattic and the Developers. Now there would be nothing to stop me just taking plugins and reusing , copying and installing them again and again but I suspect the option to opt in to a WordPress Store account as part of your won private WordPress installation to gain access to the Store Plugins would become very popular.  Or I could be utterly wrong.

Thanks for Reading.

ps. There are a whole bunch of similar stories and conversations around this topic elsewhere this was just my particular link free rant.

Following my previous screencast on configuring your home windows machine to act as a server for secure public surfing ,  Create a Secure Internet Proxy and Private Network.

Here is the “how to” on configuring your laptop to connect  to that server.

These instructions differ from many  examples on the net by including advice on setting your Domain Name Server settings. This is an important step since many “man in the middle” attacks utilise amended Domain Name Server records to point you to a alternative “cloned” sites which act like the original. Protecting your name server lookups alongside your browser communications is the next best level of securing your surfing.

Since creating these screencasts and tackling this topic  I have have been introduced to Coocon App whose community manager DavidCocoonApp has confirmed that much of the issues I have set out to tackle are to be addressed in their product. So please watch this space ( or rather a newer posting on this blog )

As an alternative to all the above you could just use the Log Me In remote desktop access to your remote machine and surf the internet inside that connection although that might not be an easy answer if the machine is shared or if your laptop screen size is markedly different from your desktop screensize.

Thank for reading.

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Bit of a shock for Saturday morning as the Espresso blend  “Fair Trade Organic Beans” from Xpresscoffee ripped away a small part of my forebrain and beat my Saturday sensibilities with a caffeine cat-o-nine tails. As my tweet of the morning put it.

This “Fair Trade Organic” its a deep harsh strong coffee. I think its a little annoyed with me for not treating it right in the morning

To be fair to the coffee I am  sure that the Bialetti Venus Stove Cofee Maker was not the best choice for its preparation and I suspect I was paying for my shortcuts. This coffee wants to be steamed, pressed and pushed. This Coffee wants to be treated with respect and attention and served in small doses and appreciated at length. Rush this coffee and serve it in a mug and your going to be whipped for it.

I will follow up this server end screencast with a tutorial on how to do the same from a MAC or using OpenVPN on a Linux box.

I would appreciate your comments and feedback on this and other tools as well as your thoughts on using Screentoaster.

Thanks for reading

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If youve been reading this blog for a while then you will notice that many recent posts are published by ScribeFire. Also if youve been reading this blog for a while then why not take a break ‘Tiredness can kill’.

ScribeFire ( a Plugin for Firefox ) provides a editing tool for blogposts that manages my several wordpress blog subscriptions as well as allowing me to create content for the site whilst disconnected from the web. It has a strong , and ever improving, feature set and it feels like it reduced blogging fatigue by making the content creation process easier. . Yes I hear you say but you can do that with notepad or word or just a Moleskine what  makes ScribeFire better ?

Like many tools in my daily gadget lifestyle ScribeFire was initially tested with the view to managing existing posts and pages, what dveloped though was the appreciation that ScribeFire would let me create content for my blog(s) and when connected to the Internet I can upload those entries read for publication all without the cut/paste and re purpose hassle of connecting to the wordpress editor whilst online. I can open a new post when sitting on the train and save the note for publication. I can pull up previous posts and pages and link to them and other content and store this work for later revision and publication. Indeed many of these posts are written in batch days or weeks in advance and scheduled for publication to keep that blog monster fed.

Indeed I am sitting on a train approaching Horsham and typing this into my browser saving the note and opening a new one for my next new post.  If your using Firefox and blogging on any level go have a look at ScribeFire and give me your own feedback and experiences.

Thanks for reading

A Change of pace in this blend as the Rainforest Alliance Espresso Beans leap from their packaging and assault the nose with an aroma that climbs up the nostrils and kicks the fore brain into action. The blends suggests an exotic and lush blend of dense flavours and the colour and oils on these beans are like the markings on those tiny tree dwelling frogs, here be danger if consumed without warning.  As my I twittered on the morning this is a coffee that your going to remember your first time with.

“Oh my ! This Fairtrade Rainforest Espresso from @xpresscoffee is like the first passionate toe curling kiss of a new lover.”

A Special mention should goto the Bialetti Venus Stove Coffee maker which brewed up the grounds and left the kitchen with memories of house hunting and property selling.  These beans are the first to arrive on my must have list of blends to grab from XpressCoffeeUK

There are plenty of political war films out there that  tread the well worn and cliched path of Americans winning the war. Its a breath of fresh air when the  British Producers, Writers and Directorial team of Leofwine Loraine  and brother Tristan Loraine  and Sue Gibson ( Amazing Grace / Hear my song ) bring a Political Thriller that focuses on financial and political misdirections in a modern theatre of war. 31 North 62 East

The film follows the potential consequences a British Primeminister choosing political capital and financial reward over the lives of its armed forces. Trading a Special Forces unit in return for the peace of a Saudi King.  The victims of a political machine who exist as pawns in a larger govermental cat and mouse game play their parts  and at times I am reminded of those BBC Thrillers from the eighties your following the plot not the characters and its going to wrap up well. The  concept is solid and the delivery paces itself well but this is no Tom Clancy or Dan Brown “Megabucks production” nothing will explode but there will be times when you will be squirming in your seat.

The Film was produced on a budget of $3.1Millon was  shot on Location in Jordan and my own home town of Horsham and it  arose out of Cannes 2008  where Tristan Lorraine sought Funding for ‘Shadows From the Sky’ said by many to be the Erin Brokovich of the Skies. This debut is intended to lead the way to that film and I for one look forward to seeing what Tristan does next.

Thanks for reading.

I seem to be making regular trips to London, long train journeys interspersed with Internet connectivity and table space. There is no doubt that the iPhone helps cut down on the boredom factor but I begin to wonder for my sanity when I find myself taking time to organise my screens by category. it leads me to wonder if there is an App for organizing my screens.

Published from my iPhone using the wordpress iPhone app

Update:

Of course the new version of iTunes has a screen and application manager for the iPhone.  A big step forward but I want to this on the iPhone directly.

I promised people that one day I would actually write down these ideas and present them in a more human readable format so here goes. Feel free to mix up, mash up , mediate up the ideas or just ignore them

These are by no means fixed or ‘required’ rules and theres no official guidelines to say that this is any better than any others but from Observation, Experience, Experimentation and Evaluation I would say that these ‘rules’ provide an excellent guide to getting started in Social Media.

1. Arrive

You cant take part in the conversation if your not at the event so you need to Arrive , Sign up , Login , Observe. There is however more to signing up to a service than just a Username, Email address and a password. Consider the following when you Arrive at a new Social Networking Site.

Be Human, Be Genuine and Be Clear.

When choosing a Username for a site avoid using numbers or unusual characters in your name. You might want to add a space or use an underscore to create a more readable name but in the long run your making it hard for mobile users to interact with you. Further if you try to include Numbers or Initials into your Username then your probably going to be mistaken for a Robot or an Auotmated process rather than a human.

I use Loudmouthman because everywhere I go I sign up as Loudmouthman as a result people seeing Loudmouthman on a website are more likely to believe it is me. Further it stand out better than NikButler or NicholasButler. Its going to be easier to find Loudmouthman in Google than Nicholas Butler.

Whilst I dont always recommend the use of Nicknames for Usernames it does have a ‘added value’ of creating an additional way for people to easily tag and categorise you.

How will people know they have met you before ?

When signing up to a service I try to keep three things the same everywhere

Username : its usually Loudmouthman everywhere

Profile Photo : I have a profile photo I tend to use on every site. its a Picture of me.

Website  : I tend to promote http://www.loudmouthman.com

Have you a clear association with the group or are you an observer ?

Understand your reason for accesing the site and its community. You might just be registering your Name and Username on the site just to ensure that another member cannot steal it away from you. You might be on the site because your looking to overhear the conversations or you might have recieved an invite. However if the group is utterly new to you and theres no one you know on the site then the Rule no 1 to 3 are going to help you integrate better.

2. Listen

Depending on the website your going to have a number of ways to listen to the conversation. We have seen a change to the front page of twitter that now indicates they are firmly moving into the live search and trending data field. For the end user this means there is plenty of ways to locate groups and individuals within a social network who are sharing your interests or ideals and follow them or just add them in.  Listening allows you to find a way to overhear and then start a conversation with a user. its easier than a direct blurting or spamming. Bear in mind here its all about the listen, not the talking.

How to Listen ?

On Twitter you can use search.twitter.com to locate people talking about topics of interest. Twitter searches can be carried out from your profile page and from there you can save searches on your profile page.

On Facebook, Searching for groups to join where discussions match those which you are seeking. Use this listening as an opportunity to go outside your comfort zones. As you add more people to Facebook your going to see groups that they are joining or taking part in. as you join a group that information is shared on your facebook profile for your friends and fans to see. Its a useful way to see popular groups and communities especially mutual friends whom have joined that group.

On Linked-In groups similar to Facebook exist that you can join.

When Listening to groups and individuals use the Follow or Add Friend feature of the social network site to add that person into your group. Some sites dont require a mutual following to communicate ( like Twitter ) others may need them to approve your request. Dont forget to send a short message explaining why youd like to add them.

3. Ask

A good opening gambit in any conversation is to ask a question relevant to the group or community. Staying on topic or picking a topic recent to everyones awareness makes it easier for others to open a dialog with you. In turn their responses to your question will be seen by their friends, followed, groups and this bring you to the attention of a wider audience. All the while you are demonstrating an ability to listen and take part and be human, be genuine and be constructive. People love to have an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge or aptitiude and using a question is an invaluable way to open the door.

Consider your question though. It should not be personal, intergatory or invasive direct questions or ones which in hindsight are inflamatory can lead to you being percieved with a label or defintion you may not have sought.

Many people arrive in social networks and do nothing but Ask and they rarely progress into Provider, Delivers. Whilst they feel that they are consuming a lot of knowledge and understanding it soon becomes clear to the community that these users will constantly take from the community and rarely provide.

4. Provide

It suprises quite a few people that it takes this long in the process to be able to start responding and communicating well within a group. There is a subtle difference however between Provide and Deliver.

When Providing the aim is to answer questions of other users , effectively responding to people acting on Rule 3. you want to avoid using this as an opportunity to promote or spam the user with content core to your reasons for being online. Not every answer needs to be related to how you can provide a service, an answer or a solution.

Providing answers that borrow on the experience of Arriving and Listening within the group. Promoting other users content or directions earns you the respect of the social network in that you are not percieved as being selfish or simply trying to maintain an authority of your own.

5. Deliver

Having taken time to consider steps 1 to 4 of these rules the final process Deliver is where you are able to directly provide content and information that relates to your own agendas. It represents only 1 quarter of your activity in the social network and your conversation and oppotunties should reflect this. Quite a few Users ina social network grow a large community and after a while they clearly become just Deliverers. A large community around then may reflect and provide content around them but these ‘Deliver’ only mentality users soon burn the communication bridges they built.  When using a network to promote your own agenda or opinions bear in mind that the group are more willing to accept and embrace this if they can see evidence of Steps 2 to 4 in your activities.

Summary

Use the rules to build out your interactions with online networks from Linked-in, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and it gets easier to build a credible online profile that people will recognise ( as a brand ) and respect. It will be easier to take part in discussions or launch new websites since the community will add credence and visible history to your involvement.

Thanks for Reading

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Among other projects that have been moving forward in the last few months the Podcast : Social Media White Noise has been quietly ( well for me ) churning out shows and content for several months now.

The premise of the podcast is to take the regular tech conversations that Andy White and myself have and record them as a podcast rather than have Andy spend time asking me some weeks later what was that product ‘x’ that I mentioned or website ‘y’ that we discussed.  So it came to pass that we built Social Media White Noise and several people came to listen. So that was a good thing really.

Thanks for listening.

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Following last weeks Blue Mountain tasting we move onto the Bourbon Beans blend and another weekend of drinking coffee and espousing its virtues like some hackneyed Black Velvet writer. To sum up my experiences from twitter.

“This is like kissing some beautiful demon queen. Little slices of flavour are whipped across my tongue. Bourbon Coffee @xpresscoffee“

When I opened the foil vacuum sealed bag the first boisterous smell to greet me reminded me of some of the better coffee houses I have sat in. The vibe from those beans was fun and the colour of blend once steeping in the cafetiere was a nutty red brown that begged me to find a moleskine and start writing.

Indeed the coffee beans were inviting enough that I couldnt help popping a couple into my mouth and crunching down to get that Coffee buzz kicking off first thing. They look and smell like how you want coffee to greet you first thing in the morning and they fill the rooms with warm memories and the need for Danish pastries.

So go now to the stores of Xpress Coffee UK and order a bag of Bourbon Beans and tell me im wrong ?

Ive written before about Evernote. It is one of a number of online note collecting and organising services which like the system ‘Getting things done’ you either understand why you need it or you learn you cant live without it. I signed up over a year ago and like many others who subscribed to the service my notes remained empty and unused for several months.  This blog post is about how that changed and how Evernote is now as important to my everyday organisation as my Moleskine or my Google Mail.

I should thank Robert Scoble for introducing Evernotes  purpose to me. I cant remember who he was interviewing but when they  demonstrated the ability to take a picture of a business card and how Evernote would tidy the image and index all the words on the card I knew it had an immediate role. It was clear that I could pass all my collected business cards into Evernote and have a indexed and searchable archive of contact details, accompanied by the images of the cards as they were snapped.

What followed was an exercise in Document Image Management as I used a flatbed to scan a collection of cards into tiff files. I then cut and paste each card back out of the A4 image and added them to my Business Cards Notebook folder in Evernote. Within a few hours I could search on phone numbers, names and locations as well as add additional meta information like tags and titles and notes to the cards.

From there the next regular routine usage for Evernote was to grab information from emails and licensing cards and keep a record of software license purchases and codes. Effectively storing a list of serial keys, activation codes and purchase orders for software. Whenever I need a windows license key or a shareware activation code I could just enter the name of the product into Evernote search and find all the notes related to that item.

After this process came the obvious need to use Evernote to track online payments, tax office documentation and purchase orders from suppliers. All the while im letting Evernote carry the workload of indexing and archiving the information that it is gathering from each note.

One interesting outcome of my Evernote usage was integrating Spinvox voice to text feature with Evernotes inbound email. Its served as two usefull applications by setting Spinvoxes notification emails for Voicemail and memo to deliver direct to Evernote it can track voicemails and index numbers and names automatically. Using spinvox memo I now speak the shopping list as I create it then I have a shopping list Memo in Evernote. Each of those lists being archived lets me check previous lists to see if I have missed anything more popular.

A more recent development in my Evernote usage has been the Public Notebook feature which has allowed me to create a ‘Wishlist’ of shopping items found around the web. Here Evernote lends itself to the web2.0 philosophy as I can mash up the different wish lists of separate sites and create a single list of multiple retail websites as well as add additional purchasing information and notes.

After that came the realisation that if I could build a wish list for anniversaries then I could use Evernote to track the various items requires in a complex build ( for example a Hackintosh computer ) to track the items and to note the build costs. Sharing that note book with the community to provide direction and guidance for other users.

The value in Evernote for me has come from its ubiquity to my working environments. It exists as an application for my Windows and Mac desktops and as an IPhone app I can use Evernote as a research tool collecting notes and thoughts on the move and collating them to the desktops when back home.  Id love to see an Ubuntu Linux version for the future but for the moment the webinterface suffices .

One such incidence involved a potential returns issue I thought I would experience with a faulty games console. Having gathered information from the Web and captured and clipped the relevant articles into Evernote on my Mac which mean in turn they would be to hand on my IPhone I went all prepared with Evernote and source materials to defend a claim for a replacement console, only to have the wind blown out of my sails by a very helpful and agreeable member of the sales team. I was more upset that I missed an opportunity to show off Evernote on the iPhone as a tool to win an argument. Still I have it in Evernote so if the discussion of Statutory rights and purchases ever arises im sure it will spring to hand.

Im not a premium user of Evernote since my regular monthly usage rarely exceeds the allowance and my collection of less than a 1000 notes barely scatches the surface of where I can go with Evernote. This though will change as I am beginning to see a use for Evernote as a collaborative tool for the Household Butler as well as with many of my clients.


Im a guilty of not spending as much time in the Evernote community of Blogs and Facebook though in many ways thats a positive for Evernote since im not spending as much time preaching to the choir but praising Evernote to new users. An interesting aspect of which is many I have met have tried other tools and I suspect this is more due to the desire to no ‘apparently’ follow a crowd or in some attempt to be bleeding edge.

My personal practice in using software is to use the tool that gives you the most freedom, the most feedback and the most interaction. If you can integrate a tool with your working habits and get great feedback from service then its going to be a constant use for your working habit without getting in the way of your work. When explaining to a client why it would be useful to them its easy to be flippant ‘oh its the clipboard for your life’ or ‘its a personal organiser that is organised’ but in reality its a magic digital pocket that knows what you dropped into it and can find it when you want it.

There may be many more features in the pipeline for Evernote but for now its ahead of the drag curve in functionality for me with its OCR, Free text indexing, PDF integration, Public and Private Notes, Collaborative shared notebooks and an API as well as import and export functionality. Screen capture and Email reception make short work of capturing the data so what more would I like ? just one more thing.
Id like the OCR’d text for that note to be associated with the note so that I could use Evernote to do some OCR and Document Imaging work for a few more detailed documents.

That being said, you can count me as one of the more vocal proponents for the use of Evernote more in your digital daily life and you can quote me on that.

Now go download Evernote and … thanks for reading.

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when I stumbled upon [1] Screentoaster I didnt ‘get it’ initially. The concept of quickly firing off a recording of my screen with some audio without the ability to edit ( other than pause ) seemed a rather pointless excercise. Which fails to explain why im using it more and more as a tool to progress ideas , demonstrate technology or highlight bugs for developers. Ive recorded a few Screentoaster videos and since Social Media White Noise is heading into realms technical you can expect me to be using it to expand upon ideas with accompanying video following the links.

For you delight a few example videos from the site.

Using iSCSI initiator to connect a Network Storage Device Volume to your Windows XP installation

Configuring MX records for use with Google Apps for Your Domain

Since playing with Screentoaster there have been many other videos ( private ) that I have been able to create as part of either a training, tutorial or fact finding tool that in turn have provided my clients and my own memory with a great point of contact for note taking.

it makes me wonder at what point will screen capture and recording of screen casts become part of the whole operating system ?

Thanks for reading

[1] no really! it was via Stumbleupon !

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I blame Tuttle, well okay I blame @sizemore but mostly I blame 2000AD for all of my more twisted passions for the darker stories of action and warfare. Warhouse isnt going to let me down in this regard and watched  Joseph Morgan in action I am looking forward to the door of Warhouse swinging wide and me grabbing the comfy chair in the corner.

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Those who read my twitter stream will know that coffee and I have a fairly complex and intimate relationship with the mornings. Often my descriptions of that beloved beverage will lead some people to wonder if the coffee and I  dont need a room and some alone time. It comes as a delight then that a suggestive tweet of opportunity should lead to my addiction being encouraged by one of twitters many online brand presences Xpress Coffee.

What came in the post on Friday morning was a box of delights which shall keep my twitterings of caffeinated contentment continuing for many months to come. Lets begin with the content before I discuss the experience.
In the Box I found a Bodum C-Mill Black Grinder and the following bags of coffee beans waiting to be ground. 500g Blue Mountain , 500Gg Bourbon Dark , 500g Italia Espresso , 250g Fairtrade Organic, 500g Rainforest Alliance 100% aribica, 500g Supa Crema and 500g Fairtrade Guatemalan Antigua. A huge box deserves a huge thank you to Xpress Coffee for their generosity.

Xpress Coffee Blue Mountain Beans , as twittered by me

Blue mountain coffee sitting in my mug already I feel like im sitting with a girl whose more used to cocktail parties and catwalks.

Leaving this coffee to steep fills the kitchen with a deep “coffee shop” smell of bitter oils and warm scents that leave me wishing I had invested in some pastries and a large newspaper to read. Though Im settling back with Macbook pro and this blog. Its not a working coffee it feels like the drink you serve when freiend come round to shoot the breeze and talk technology of an afternoon ( hey I have friends that might do that ! )

More on my coffee considerations next week and if you want to join me on this coffee conversation then please visit Xpress Coffee and order Bourbon Dark which will be my choice for next week.

Now I am off to order some airtight containers to put the rest of these beans into before freezing them.

If like me you find yourself creating content for people to work with or to provide clarity to an issue that is otherwise difficult to put into words then your going to be casting about for some semblance of a Screencapture and possibly Screencasting/recording tool. Ive previously mentioned the wonderful benefits of Screentoaster whose multi platform ( Windows, OSX and Linux ) recording tool I already use, probably a little too much. If your a mac use your probably already familiar with Skitch which offers a smart screen capture , annotation and image tweaking tool however its only available on the Mac and as yet there is no answer to my Windows needs.

That was until I discovered Jing from the Jingproject people. It works on Mac and Windows it tracks your screen captures and allows you to annotate still images or record portions of the screen, with audio if desired, and store the results locally on your machine or uploaded to Screencast home page. In many ways the integration of these services along with the multi platform functionality means that this tool, like Evernote and like Screentoaster is now one of my must download installs and there is probably a whole other blog post in just that concept. In the meanwhile go play with Jing and let me know what you thought.

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In an interesting “spin” on the ongoing saga of hidden software practices I was suprised to discover that Tweetdeck may  indeed be using Egyptian outsourcing companies to manage the Tweetdeck column search response times.

“We got the idea from talking to James. The model of removing processing power from the desktop and using human intuitiveness to manage the inbound results to peoples search columns was a no brainer”

Credit : http://www.flickr.com/photos/vitorcastillo/

Frankly I am surprised that given the amount of press such stories have received recently that more of the British Press have not paid close attention to the operating procedures of this fantastic British product.

In an interesting development to this story we note that James Whatley was today spotted in the same city as Iain Dodsworth

Thanks for reading.

I can appreciate that we are putting a high demand on the local council workers who collect and remove our household waste. I can understand the need to make their lives and daily routines as predictable and direct as possible. Every week we drag those bins out to our property line and line them neatly on the left against the greenery leaving space for us to exit the drive way.

Imagine then the constant annoyance at returning in your car to discover the bins like this. Blocking the driveway. Add to the fact that Sharon has to leave the parked car with kids buckled in and wondering whats going on and move those bins back to where they were left.

Is it so terribly difficult to expect that if we are making the effort to make these bins available then the council would in turn make the time and effort to put them back where they found them ?

I am fairly sure I am not the only one to have experienced this ridiculous bin farce and I would be interested in collecting more evidence of Dangerous, Daft or just plain lazy bin replacement.

Thanks for reading.

The title says it all

Thanks for reading.

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The Travelling moleskine project from The Culture Vulture is promoting The Big Draw. ( that has to be the highest link ratio for a sentence ! )

I picked up the ‘Towns and Country’ Moleskine from @Documentally at a recent Tuttle and whilst Im no artist I felt the pictures described in words along with my rather child like depiction of a train should convey my sentiments of rail travel for the modern blogger.

Im taking the book back into London today ( on the train ) and hoping to hand it on to the next contributor.

Im looking forward to seeing the finished article and to being able to say I contributed , if only a little bit.

Thanks for reading.

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Just discovered that @WarrenEllis uses OpenOffice ! There is so much that is right in that idea.

Random catch-up on stuff and things, from this slowly dying Thinkpad X61 that buzzes more loudly and moves more slowly every day. Definitely need to order another Thinkpad next week, now, even though I’m dreading having to deal with a new OS and replace all my programs. I wish I could be zen about it, like Ben Hammersley, and live in Zumodrive and Google Docs. But I need OpenOffice and Final Draft. (And a dozen other things.) (And don’t talk to me about Celtx, I’ve never met a production company with Celtx in their workflow.)

Been an insane work week, in which I have so far produced 2000 words of a booklet, about 20 pages of comics, 3000 words of a novel, and a requested tv series pitch that I can’t even face doing a work count on. 800 words of a WIRED UK column. And I’m pretty sure I’ve forgotten something.

(Said booklet should be, with luck, an actual Thing In The World by the end of the month.)

Project Blacklight got confirmed today. Details will happen down the road, but it’s a very unusual one-shot comics project, working with an old friend, that is experimental in lots of ways. A small thing, that won’t be available in comics shops. I like experiments.

Terribly amused by Zo’s story of how she met her husband, and my complicity therein. I saw her a couple of days before she was due to meet him in Paris, and she was all "aah, nothing’s going to happen." While grinding her thighs together like a cricket. Heh.

Shit, this post’s been in the emblogeniser for two hours, waiting for me to finish and send it because I ended up doing five other things. I press Publish now.

Just discovered that @WarrenEllis uses OpenOffice ! There is so much that is right in that idea.

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These and many other reasons express why I cannot work in an office or a corporation. I am not geared to do this despite learning to do so

Whether it’s establishing new rules or using employee monitoring software, businesses are always looking for new ways to get more “productive time” from their employees. Some companies ban access to Facebook, grab random screenshots of employee workstations, or enforce strict schedules.

But do any of these measures actually work? Let’s take a close look at three common productivity myths and the truth behind them:

Myth #1: Block distracting websites like Facebook and YouTube so employees can focus on their work.

While it’s easy to blame lack of concentration on idle Internet surfing, a study from the University of Melbourne claims that those who surf the Internet for fun while in the office are actually more productive than their colleagues who don’t. Leisurely browsing the web at work may actually increase concentration. According to the study’s author, Dr. Brent Coker, “Firms spend millions on software to block their employees from watching videos on YouTube, using social networking sites like Facebook or shopping online under the pretense that it costs millions in lost productivity, however that’s not always the case.”

Myth #2: Conflicts provide distraction.

It’s common to think that conflicts among colleagues is distracting and encourages them to focus on office politics rather than the work they have to do. But a study from the University of Amsterdam shows that people actually become more focused and find more creative solutions when they’re conflicting rather than when they’re cooperating.

Myth #3: Group brainstorming encourages groups to come up with more ideas.

In theory, when you get a group of people together, they’ll be able to generate more ideas than they would’ve if they worked individually. This belief is what leads to several brainstorming meetings and, sadly, hours of wasted time.

Why is this time wasted? The truth is that most studies on brainstorming prove that it doesn’t work as well as we think it does. In a paper by Adrian Furnham from University College London, he claims that there are three reasons behind this:

• Since you’re working as a group, people tend to lessen the individual effort they give
• Individuals tend to fear negative feedback for their ideas
• You can only make suggestions one at a time, so you keep your ideas to yourself until it’s your turn to speak.

If brainstorming doesn’t work so well, why do businesses keep doing it? According to the same study, people see brainstorming as a way to pool resources, get general acceptance on decisions, and it allows individuals to bring their specialized expertise and experience to the table.

What common productivity myths do you think need to be busted?

Photo by stock.xchng user Szorstki

Related GigaOM Pro content (sub. req.): Enabling the Web Work Revolution

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These and many other reasons express why I cannot work in an office or a corporation. I am not geared to do this despite learning to do so

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no its not Bologna , its Bacon! anyway. Moving on from that thought this new service on my Google Mail probably wont change my inbox zero habits but I am glad to say it will entice more users.

New feature sorts mail into three sections: "important and unread," "starred," and "everything else." The latter isn't spam. It's "bologna." no its not Bologna , its Bacon! anyway. Moving on from that thought this new service on my Google Mail probably wont change my inbox zero habits but I am glad to say it will entice more users.

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Its an article written by an Economics professor which should give it some credence as a work defined by educated and considered thought. The bottom line of the article in reading it is that for every possibly legitimate issue in favour of privacy there are an equal and reasonable issue against it. What the article does not cover is how we can affect each others privacy and how that will be mined.

Comments Its an article written by an Economics professor which should give it some credence as a work defined by educated and considered thought. The bottom line of the article in reading it is that for every possibly legitimate issue in favour of privacy there are an equal and reasonable issue against it. What the article does not cover is how we can affect each others privacy and how that will be mined.

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And so the end of Net Neutrality Begins and its the consumer that demands it. The consumer who will not understand the implications that it is being sold a white elephant.

nk497 writes "A UK ISP is now offering a broadband package just for gamers, which will prioritize their traffic to give them an edge over rival players. Demon Internet has also set up direct networks with gaming companies to boost speeds, and is promising lower latency and a higher usage cap than standard packages. 'Looking at the usage of gamers, it's actually more akin to a small business,' the company said. While paying to get specific content streamed more quickly may worry net neutrality campaigners, Demon says it has enough capacity for its own customers and that's who it's looking out for."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

And so the end of Net Neutrality Begins and its the consumer that demands it. The consumer who will not understand the implications that it is being sold a white elephant.

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George Lucas confirms he will keep screwing with your childhood memories until Star Wars looks nothing like the thing of wonder you remembered it as .

Star Wars Deleted Scene of the Day: Unvieled today at Celebration V, this never-before-seen 55-second deleted scene from Return of the Jedi features Luke activating his lightsaber for the first time in a cave on Tatooine, effectively becoming a Jedi Knight.

George Lucas confirmed the scene will be added back into the film for the Star Wars saga’s blu-ray box set, which will be released (finally!) in Fall 2011.

[gawkertv.]

George Lucas confirms he will keep screwing with your childhood memories until Star Wars looks nothing like the thing of wonder you remembered it as .

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Tom Scott , your my kind of Hero. Now how do I go about placing these all over the BBC website ?

Warning Labels of the Day: Bewildered by the British government’s insistence on slapping warning labels on “any content that involves sex, violence or strong language” but not on sloppy journalism or specious arguments, Geek comedian Tom Scott decided to proactively create a newspaper warning label set himself, and has been spending his days putting them on free papers he finds on the London Underground.

If you want to make your own, Tom has helpfully provided a PDF template for Avery’s Letter-size 5160 labels or equivalent. (A4 13 x 5 sheet template also available.)

[notcot.]

Tom Scott , your my kind of Hero. Now how do I go about placing these all over the BBC website ?

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The Perfect Meme !

Reencatment of the Day: Brandon Hardesty fan Paul Klusman reenacts the “Miracle Max” scene from The Princess Bride with the aid of his cats (in order of appearance) Zoey, Oscar, and Ginger.

[d-a-n.]

The Perfect Meme !

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Morbid of me I know but the fact is we just dont have a good clear grasp as to how to deal with our data when we pass. what do we want to have buried with us ?

Barence writes "One and a half million Facebook users die each year. Twitter faces a similar mortality rate. Yet the social networks have been relatively slow to deal with the uncomfortable business of death. Only this week has Twitter finally unveiled a policy for handling the accounts of dead members. Yet the process for closing the accounts of deceased relatives is complicated, while reminders to follow the accounts of people who have long since passed away continue to arrive, adding to the pain of grieving friends and relatives."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Morbid of me I know but the fact is we just dont have a good clear grasp as to how to deal with our data when we pass. what do we want to have buried with us ?

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Will this be a new service offered by funeral parlours ? Will they offer casket, ceremony, wake and web wind up ?

Twitter now has a policy to help families disable or archive the accounts of deceased loved ones. How does it compare to the policy launched by the much larger Facebook a year ago? Will this be a new service offered by funeral parlours ? Will they offer casket, ceremony, wake and web wind up ?

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vibram Five Fingers for people too soft to actually go bare footed !

On the set, he plays a down-on-his-luck schoolteacher who turns to prostitution to make ends meet. Off the set, Thomas Jane wears the Vibram FiveFinger foot-gloves that have become a geek trend.

vibram Five Fingers for people too soft to actually go bare footed !

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Amazing ! how is this not copyright infringement ?

You already know how to make your own Shake Shack burgers, but if In-N-Out is more your style, food blog Serious Eats has once again reverse engineered this well-known burger so you can make it at home. More »


Amazing ! how is this not copyright infringement ?

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The blog post reads more in the tone of someone upset that someone else can be so happy and unconcerned about connecting with strangers. The author seems angry and annoyed that such opportunities exist and that people use them.

Within the past year, there have been a lot of different things that have surfaced about privacy concerns. Although I normally don’t post anything online that I wouldn’t want anybody to find, I can understand the concerns. Recently, my son was applying for a job, and after getting an interview, they decided not to hire him. They gave the reason that they didn’t approve of things that were posted on his  Facebook.

I had heard of this being something that was a concern to other people, but it was the first time I “knew” that it actually happened.

There have been several times over the past eight months that I had thought about deleting my whole Facebook profile. For a while, it seemed like there was story after story about how the information at Facebook wasn’t kept private. Depending on your settings, it’s true… some people don’t take the time to adjust their settings the way that they should, and end up leaving a lot more information “public” than they probably should.

Another concern of mine is Twitter. The settings at Twitter are not as robust as the way you can lock down Facebook.  Even though people cannot post as much information at once as they can at Facebook, there is still a lot of information that can be taken from anybody’s Twitter profile.

I haven’t thought about deleting my Twitter account, though. I really don’t post enough there to justify it being a concern that I have, personally. However, I have been “blocked” from following a certain person on Twitter. I had tried to follow them on two different accounts (one personal and one business), and he had blocked me on both.

I’m not sure if he (or others) understands that even though you “block” somebody from following you, they can still follow you, just as easily. Just by visiting his Twitter page (even if I’m logged in), I can see all of his tweets, followers, and who he’s following. This includes his location information and bio, and anything that he posts… even when he posts his new phone number, asking people to text him. I’ve even included his RSS stream in the right column of this site, which can be added to any RSS reader, as well. “Hi Art! Email me!”

Twitter does have an option to “protect my tweets”, meaning that only people that are following you can see what you tweet. The drawback to this is that if you actually want more people to follow you, there is no way for possible followers to see what you’ve already posted. It’s an option, but at that point, Twitter becomes more of a supplement to something else, rather than something you can feel free to communicate on.

This is just something that has been on my mind, lately. There’s a lot of things that I have posted online, but nothing that would be considered “private”. Whenever I put anything online, I do it knowing that “anybody” could eventually find it… even possible future employers or lawyers.

The blog post reads more in the tone of someone upset that someone else can be so happy and unconcerned about connecting with strangers. The author seems angry and annoyed that such opportunities exist and that people use them.

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And no one is questioning the first assumption they are all making. The first assumption is that the hundreds of friends made on Social networks are real people. Until their is proof that those connections are genuine then it is just as possible that robots are following robots ! hah

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Researcher Thomas Ryan wanted to demonstrate the vulnerability of social networks, so he created a fictional analyst alter-ego named "Robin Sage." She was a hot 25-year-old with an MIT degree, a résumé that included a job at the Naval Network Warfare Command, and "over 10 years" of hacking experience (she started at age 14.) She was active on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and the like, and soon had hundreds of friends from the U.S. military, the intelligence community, and security contractor firms. Could her looks have had anything to do with her success in duping them? Well, 82% of her "friends" were male...

Computerworld has the full story (via MSNBC).

And no one is questioning the first assumption they are all making. The first assumption is that the hundreds of friends made on Social networks are real people. Until their is proof that those connections are genuine then it is just as possible that robots are following robots ! hah

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Dear Google, what I want is a Share with note ( for Birthday wish list tag )

Nomskulls! I am not a five year old boy, but I am still dancing a little WANTWANTWANT dance right now. It's a silicone mold you fill with batter, then bake, so the "brain" icing was really the choice of the decorator here. One might just as easily cover them with ooze-y blood glaze. (thanks, Susannah Breslin)

Dear Google, what I want is a Share with note ( for Birthday wish list tag )

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So ? When we werent in deep shit up to our ears in debt and we were proposing FOSS as a money saving option it was unsuitable 'then' because, what ?

In an effort to cut costs, British Prime Minister David Cameron has called on state officials to submit proposals on how to save the government money. The newly published list includes migrating entirely from Microsoft products to Linux and other open source software

So ? When we werent in deep shit up to our ears in debt and we were proposing FOSS as a money saving option it was unsuitable 'then' because, what ?

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Kid friendly search ! I believe I have mentioned how search will have to verticalise ( its a word ) if it wants to focus on the audience for its results.

It’s amazing how much awesome technology is available for little kids today. When I was a little kid, I had a Fisher-Price cash register and thought that was awesome. That was until Transformers came around – even today any kid would take Optimus or Starscream over an iPad. Social blogger Louis Gray and others have posted videos of their young kids interacting with his iPhone and even at their young age, the kids seem to know which buttons to press for the desired action!

Russia-based semantic search engine Quintura has released a version of their Kids search engine for the iPad and iPhone. I’ve included a sample screenshot from the app below. The search app uses Quintura’s cloud technology to refine the results for a search query. From the overview, “The cloud features most popular concepts that we pick up from the texts from most relevant web pages. This helps you define the best direction for further searching and refine your query.”

Quintura uses a manual selection process for the search results to make sure the available sites are kid-friendly.

The Quintura Kids for iPhone/iPad app is available for an intro price of $1.99.

Find more stories about: iPad, iphone, mobile, Quintura, search

CenterNetworks Partner: Get your business cards scanned and transcribed with CloudContacts.

Kid friendly search ! I believe I have mentioned how search will have to verticalise ( its a word ) if it wants to focus on the audience for its results.

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Dolphins are really gay sharks

This weekend I watched Glee for the first time.

All 22 episodes. Back to back.

Haven’t done that with a show in a while.

I now completely understand why everyone has been quoting Jane Lynch’s Sue Sylvester at me.  But for me the real breakout character is Brittany as played by Heather Morris.

She gets perhaps the least lines* per episode and none of those episodes in the first season hinge on her character, but every single line she does get out (“When I pulled my hamstring, I went to a misogynist“) absolutely floored me. It’s an utterly charming performance.

Glee is easily dismissed as an opportunity to tap into the High School Musical/Normals Have Talent audience but the writing, especially the dialogue, is first rate. It’s not quite in the same league as The Gilmore Girls (which I still rate higher than The West Wing) and it’s no Veronica Mars, but I was only half joking when I described it as Battle Royale with Journey songs instead of sickles.

Odd that the Joss Whedon episode was only luke-warm and it’s a shame that the Lady Gaga/KISS episode slipped a little on one of the central character’s big moments, but overall it was a stupendous run. I guess I’ll catch the second season in more conventional sized bites with interest. The way an audience chooses to consume media does effect the experience.  I think I would have enjoyed the final season of Lost a lot less if I’d allowed it to be spoon fed to me rather than saving the entire season and then watching it in three hour chunks (more on this subject later).

I seem to be the last person on the planet to catch up on this, but if you’ve yet to visit William McKinley High School do give it a whirl. Like Ugly Betty it carves out a new niche for itself effortlessly.

Oh, and here’s the real thing for any Fugazi fans out there:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBqRwmdzSQQ

*and thanks to @robertbrook for this link.

Dolphins are really gay sharks

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I was with this blog post right up until "they are trying to lure authors on the rocks and shoals of vanity publication"

Apart from the terribly twisted metaphors ( since I believe its rocks and 'shores' ) there is a certain level of snobbery in the sentence that reeks of the suggestion that only certain publishers and authors can give you a legitimate launch and that any other self publication is all but vanity.

Does this mean every bloggers is simply a self editing narcissist ?

So I went to the I Write Like site, subject of the post just below, and entered this text:

asdp0o pvpm eropms spe pebps.

And it told me I write like James Joyce.

Not even trying? Not even rational! Therefore, I asked myself, what's the scam? So I looked at the rest of the text on the results page:

Great job! Do you want to get your book published?

"I have personally read through thousands of book proposals in my career as a publisher and agent. I know what these professionals are looking for--and what they are not looking for."
-- Michael Hyatt, Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Learn how to secure a book publishing contract!

That little bit includes two links, both to the same page: http://michaelhyatt.com/products/ebook-writing-a-winning-book-proposal

Yep, it's SEO. And they're using social engineering to get those links wide-spread and high in the Google stats. Helpful little cut-n-paste code to put in your blog!

But wait! There's more!

Go over to that advertised page, and you'll find a pair of $19.97 e-books by the above-said and afore-mentioned Michael Hyatt. These books promise to tell you such insider secrets as how to "avoid the three items you should NEVER include in a fiction book proposal." Wow, I can't wait to find out.

So, who's Michael Hyatt, and what is Thomas Nelson?

Do you all recall Harlequin, and their recent dip in the vanity pool? Harlequin wasn't the first or the only formerly-legitimate publisher to go down that road with Author Solutions. No, that honor goes to Thomas Nelson. But, since Thomas Nelson is a "Christian Publisher," no one noticed at the time. Indeed, Thomas Nelson's journey to the dark side is even sleazier than Harlequin's. While Harlequin created a new imprint, "Harlequin Horizons," as their vanity brand, Thomas Nelson used the name of an existing and formerly legitimate imprint, WestBow, for theirs. Thus, anyone checking up on the publisher's name before submitting would find a long history of reasonably-selling books by known authors.

This "I Write Like" site isn't remotely legitimate. No, they aren't trying; or, anyway, they aren't trying to analyze writing samples: They're trying to lure newbie authors to the rocks and shoals of vanity publication.

I was with this blog post right up until "they are trying to lure authors on the rocks and shoals of vanity publication"

Apart from the terribly twisted metaphors ( since I believe its rocks and 'shores' ) there is a certain level of snobbery in the sentence that reeks of the suggestion that only certain publishers and authors can give you a legitimate launch and that any other self publication is all but vanity.

Does this mean every bloggers is simply a self editing narcissist ?

Shared by Loudmouthman
one of the core concerns as a parent is that we have become indoctrinated into believing that we cannot allow kids to play unsupervised.

A social networking site aimed at 6 to 8-year-olds is the latest indication that children are spending increasing time on computers. one of the core concerns as a parent is that we have become indoctrinated into believing that we cannot allow kids to play unsupervised.

• How one twitpic connected a brewer with the consumer.
• Revamped Apple TV (iTV) due out soon – a game changer?
• Do you .Reply on Twitter ?
• Google releases Priority Inbox.
• The X-Boxroom podcast – Nik’s new podcast

Recorded at Beeches Cafe, Piries Place, Horsham, UK.

On the day that we spent 5 minutes deciding what the "on the day that" was going to be: How one twitpic connected a brewer with the consumer. Revamped Apple TV (iTV) due out soon - a game changer? Do you .Reply on Twitter ? Google releases Priority Inbox. The X-Boxroom podcast - Nik's new podcast Recorded at Beeches Cafe, Piries Place, Horsham, UK.

On the day that Nik forgot how to count and thought today’s show was episode 45:

• Dealing with Death in a Digital World - Facebook memoralizes accounts.
• Twitter follows suit in dealing with the deceased digital content.
• Warning Labels for Bad Journalism Tom Scott with warning labels for the rest of us.
• Google buys digital currency firm Jambool – Is this the next step towards an stock market for indexes?

Recorded at the Utopia Cafe, Gardner Street, Brighton.

On the day that Nik forgot how to count and thought today's show was episode 45: Dealing with Death in a Digital World - Facebook memoralizes accounts. Twitter follows suit in dealing with the deceased digital content. Warning Labels for Bad Journalism Tom Scott with warning labels for the rest of us. Google buys digital currency firm Jambool - Is this the next step towards an stock market for indexes? Recorded at the Utopia Cafe, Gardner Street, Brighton.

On the day that Andy was late because his daughter was in the shower after he got back from his run:

• News for 12 Year Olds – it takes readers to correct them
• Research detained at US border and questioned about wikileaks
• Hak5 podcast
• How is Nik Getting on with Flavors.me ?
• Are you a Ninja, a Guru or a Roadie?

Recorded at Horsham Station Caffe, Horsham, UK.

On the day that Andy was late because his daughter was in the shower after he got back from his run: News for 12 Year Olds - it takes readers to correct them Research detained at US border and questioned about wikileaks Hak5 podcast How is Nik Getting on with Flavors.me ? Are you a Ninja, a Guru or a Roadie? Recorded at Horsham Station Caffe, Horsham, UK.

On the day that Andy nearly fell asleep and Nik kept getting distracted by things out of the window:

• Race Online 2010 – @MarshaLaneFox wants you connected.
• Green councilor bollocked for putting already public council meeting video on YouTube
• The Govt and Facebook - never mind your privacy , here comes Statesbook!
• Is Screentoaster dead or not?
• They work for you
• Andy’s new podcast on podcasting

Recorded at Add the colour, 64-65 North road, Brighton.

On the day that Andy nearly fell asleep and Nik kept getting distracted by things out of the window: Race Online 2010 - @MarshaLaneFox wants you connected. Green councilor bollocked for putting already public council meeting video on YouTube The Govt and Facebook - never mind your privacy , here comes Statesbook! Is Screentoaster dead or not? They work for you Andy's new podcast on podcasting Recorded atnbsp;Add the colour, 64-65 North road, Brighton.

On the day that we finally left Horsham, and ventured into wider territory:

• Twitter followers get models replaced with real women
• AT&T make plans into Social Media
• O2 Ireland starts censoring the web
• Why ICanStalkU isnt about privacy
• Young lad detained by Police in Romford after taking an image of a cadet unit

Recorded at Number Nineteen, Unit 19, Lintott Square, Southwater RH13 9LA.

Update

Mayhemic Labs responded to my comments about ICanStalkU

On the day that we finally left Horsham, and ventured into wider territory: Twitter followers get models replaced with real women AT#38;T make plans into Social Media O2 Ireland starts censoring the web Why ICanStalkU isnt about privacy Young lad detained by Police in Romford after taking an image of a cadet unit Recorded at Number Nineteen, Unit 19, Lintott Square, Southwater RH13 9LA. Update Mayhemic Labs responded to my comments about ICanStalkU

On the day that was Sunday and not a Monday we rant and rave about:

• ACTA – Written Declaration 12 aka WD12, needs more signatures in European Parliament
• Data.GOV Govt Data open for evaluation
• Call for Open Data Developers the cabinet are looking for developers
• Data Validity – Does data age, is there a cost in keeping it?
• Andy proposes a Moore’s Law for the importance of the Internet

Many thanks to our special guest today, Jamillah Knowles.

Recorded at Destination 100, 100 St. Georges Street, Brighton.

On the day that was Sunday and not a Monday we rant and rave about: ACTA - Written Declaration 12 aka WD12, needs more signatures in European Parliament Data.GOV Govt Data open for evaluation Call for Open Data Developers the cabinet are looking for developers Data Validity - Does data age, is there a cost in keeping it? Andy proposes a Moore's Law for the importance of the Internet Many thanks to our special guest today, Jamillah Knowles. Recorded at Destination 100, 100 St. Georges Street, Brighton.

On the day that Andy accidently put his had in some bird pooh – but the show carried on:

• Google Getting into Stock markets – The ultimate Index.
• 5 Problems with Measuring Social Media - A concise view to the matter of metrics
• Read It Later – Saving the Web for Mobile browsing.
• Flavors.me – Aggregating your online presence.

Recorded at at The Conservatory Cafe, Horsham Park, Horsham (yes I know we recorded here a while ago but it’s now under new management).

On the day that Andy accidently put his had in some bird pooh - but the show carried on: Google Getting into Stock markets - The ultimate Index. 5 Problems with Measuring Social Media - A concise view to the matter of metrics Read It Later - Saving the Web for Mobile browsing. Flavors.me - Aggregating your online presence. Recorded at atnbsp;The Conservatory Cafe, Horsham Park, Horsham (yes I know we recorded here a while ago but it's now under new management).

On the day that Nik got up very early to watch the Lost simulcast:

• The Lost Finale Simulcast
• Google TV a net broadcast standard
• Internet video to surpass broadcast video within 10 years say the Diffusion Group
• QuitFacebookDay .. Time to Jump Ship  to Diaspora?

Sleepily recorded at the Off Beat Cafe, Sydney Street, Brighton, UK.

On the day that Nik got up very early to watch the Lost simulcast: The Lost Finale Simulcast Google TV a net broadcast standard Internet video to surpass broadcast video within 10 years say the Diffusion Group QuitFacebookDay .. Time to Jump Shipnbsp; to Diaspora? Sleepily recorded at the Off Beat Cafe, Sydney Street, Brighton, UK.

On the day that we had a huge hung parliament:

• Thank you to Paul Hadley (@hadleypaul ) for his Sponsorship.
• We are no more than 4 degrees apart:  Technology Review covers Korean analysis.
• Pulse Marketing incriminated by their Google docs
• Great motivational social media stats video from Erik Qualman
• Where time of day you post is important
• Niks new website – ijudgedabookbyitscover.com
• Privacy on the Internet
• Great photo app for iPhone – Best Camera

Recorded at the Capitol Cafe, North Street, Horsham, UK

On the day that we had a huge hung parliament: Thank you to Paul Hadley (@hadleypaul ) for his Sponsorship. We are no more than 4 degrees apart:nbsp; Technology Review covers Korean analysis. Pulse Marketing incriminated by their Google docs Great motivational social media stats video from Erik Qualman Where time of day you post is important Niks new website - ijudgedabookbyitscover.com Privacy on the Internet Great photo app for iPhone - Best Camera Recorded at the Capitol Cafe, North Street, Horsham, UK

• Nik has touched an iPad! (and he liked it)
• Startup Whisperer asks: Is SEO Dead?
• If it is , then how to Get back your book: Disabling Facebook Personalisation.
• No More Floppies : Sony Killing its Diskette
• How Digitally Engaged are the Parties ?

Recorded at Temptation, 56 Gardner Street, Brighton.

On the day that Andy was particularly knackered after his run, we present: Nik has touched an iPad! (and he liked it) Startup Whisperer asks: Is SEO Dead? If it is , then how to Get back your book: Disabling Facebook Personalisation. No More Floppies : Sony Killing its Diskette How Digitally Engaged are the Parties ? Recorded at Temptation, 56 Gardner Street, Brighton.

Clearly the most dangerous thing in the universe is "Anyone who listens to my ideas !"

What is truly terrifying is the con trick this article pulls. making everyone look in the direction of privacy and safety whilst never once looking over at the other hand that covers up the large amount of CCTV and corporate data gathering that has been occuring for decades. The true issues are not in our choices to share and extrapolate within a community but the issues are in the increasing lack of liberties and freedoms which we should be seeking to embrace.

We gain more than we loose from services like Gowala and Foursquare. We gain more as a community able to see and watch and care about each other. To recognise when a friends mobile maybe checkin somewhere unusual or that a friend has not checked in at all.;

we should not have to be told to 'worry' about what people think of our use from social activities. If we are to be judged and have our jobs affected by our own social choices then it is liberty that is eroded here not privacy.

In using social location services I provide a degree of alibi and security for my finances. How could I be making a purchase at a store in syndney if I have just checked in to a conference in san diego ?[1]

I constantly am lead to wonder , why are the press , why are politicians so concerned with our privacy in regards to these applications which people choose to use and yet blatantly uninterested in CCTV and Corporate Data mining ? Is it possible the loss of control over our privacy is their biggest concern and not ours ?


[1] yes there is the internet shopping

One short example: http://www.ethosmarketing.co.uk - its wordpress as pages and it works very well for the client as is.

What was I getting the blame for ?

/signed

When we rave about the iPad and extol the wonders of iPod and excite ourselves over the convenience of streaming media to our entertainment centers the above is what we will lose. I know I have said it before but when we move to accessing media in a device we remove some valuable social signals ( such as the one above ) that inform us about our fellow man.

When we pack away all our books, music and movies into devices and away from the observing eye of a stranger we remove the chance for opinions to be formed about us. Gone are the opportunities to roam the shelves of new friend and by reading or listening habit alone asses the future relationship with the individual. Gone are the buses and tubes packed with readers demonstrating a wave of popularity for one author of the season.

All of the above that you have discussed will be lost "like tears in the rain."

What to expect ? I think we have already seen the start just as the Govt ended. Thousands of Geeks paying attention to parliamentary process and seeing that is was found wanting. I believe the largest part of the Digital Election will be Geeks getting out the message that we will be watching closely from now on.

Hello Peter, it will appear on Ustream but please keep an eye on the twitter hashtag #livecon on the dat. We will launch and advertise the channel at that point. This avoids people trolling up the Channel on Ustream in advance which should hopefully reduce the trolls in general. Although now I have said this I shall no doubt incur the wrath of murphy. Thanks for dropping in the question and as ever if you have any queries do drop in here or ask me @Loudmouthman

In my local Parish Council there was a concerted effort to consider a Website provider that would cost us at least £1500 a year for our website. It took me several meetings and explanations to point out that we could get a better , far more able and standards based website by using Wordpress which would cost us nothing more than the £90 a year hosting fee we were currently paying for. I won my argument but its clear that people believe you have to spend money on websites and they have no real understanding why they believe it.

yes , because we all clearly are individual loners whose homes are unprotected and unoccupied by the evidence of our checking in ! but this is hardly new news. back in the 90s we were instructing staff not to put details of their absence in their vacation messages since it highlighted long terms of absence which indicated a potential theft target. The site is clever only in as much as it made mashable write about ti.

As I see it Danacea is taking the Author signing concept and making it far more like the Backroom Band experience. The effect of the events is an intimate atmosphere void of the anonymous desires of playing to a huge crowd. This new form of singing experience that Danacea brings to Forbidden planet put more than a face to the Author and publisher and in a community that is technically and socially already well connected the ripples of this may not be seen from the initial pebble drop.

I hope forbidden planet[dot com] through Danacea continue to experiment in this space since the fans are still sitting on the edges unaware that they can step up and say hello and take a little more time with the people whose work they already greatly admire.

One question I would ask of Jim though is "how do you perceive how Ebooks will change the book signing market? "

Danacea , this So.me post which is So.Everyone is So.you. thank you.

and me @loudmouthman = "A Witty Remark" not as high scoring as ViddyFiddler

Thanks for republishing. Its a Question I have asked other authors , if you watch my Vimeo stream on the content you'll see Charles Stross and other others respond. When I asked Neil Gaien on this his view was Authors would sign the kindle directly.

Out of interest did you have any trouble posting this to draft from your blackberry ? no ? oh well !

In the meanwhile I would first say Best Of Luck to you good sir and as many have pointed out dont believe the full time employment hype. The only person looking out for your next move is you. Youve gained some valuable credit and experience in being both the pinata and pressman for Spinvox and I for one am going to miss the presence of our Orange Cubed headed overlords.

Enjoy the down time and I look forward to you being truly really mobile in the future.

All the best.

Loudmouthman

It seems no one learnt their lessons from the Vacation response forms which Spammers are also reselling on to interested parties.

You missed one type of media that is so often overlooked because of its antiquity and its robustness.

Books

However I think a more subtle point about ownership is overlooked thanks to people being hung up on the guilt aspects of ownership.

Ownership and display of property provides a mechanism by which the owner can define their interests and social commitments to other members. Its a way of saying "hey I think this stuff is cool". in turn it helps others define if they want to make a commitment to a social relationship with you. Are we going to get along? do we share the same interests ? do we have the same goals ?

Media might be archaic but digital doesnt answer the question. How will you know if you'll like me ?

I dont think they exist !

Oracle buying Sun for MYSQL is a red herring. Sun have been trying ( and failing ) to own open source projects for several years now. You only have to look to the last failed attempt. Star Office which subsequently became OpenOffice as it forked and evicted itself from Sun. Likewise MYSQL hasnt stopped in its tracks since Sun took over the team. This is because Open Source Software is not equal to the development team. Buying a team does not result in owning the licenses and when code like MYSQL gets into the discussion this is ever more so.

No Oracle in doing this are ensuring they have a hardware platform to support their very strong and enterprise capable databases. They can stop debating, cajoling and negotiating with Microsoft in order to gain support on a PC platform. They will cut MYSQL free and focus on delivering boxes in the same way that apple do. Well defined software on well defined hardware.

This is some interesting research. As a Parish Councilor I have used twitter only in terms of education and discussion of local govt issues. Ive also used Seesmic, Phreadz and Twitter in conjunction with Twitter and Facebook to spark conversations. Follower numbers are not a reflection on popularity since a large percentage of follows are automated connections, group accounts and twitters who are no longer active or using twitter.

I am interested though why you linked to all the other councilor and twitter accounts and not mine ?

Thanks for the interest.

ps.
Also using Google Alerts and Reader help keep a councilor informed.

This may be why Reuters are now experimenting with getting Bloggers into the news rooms at newsmaker events

http://ourmaninside.com/2008/12/14/politics-and-social-media/

I see some instant parallels to how Apple approach 'getting the news out' and how Reuters are doing the same.

Or as I have been apt to comment its time to JFDI. Social media is a smart application of communication online but you actually have to Do stuff with it for it to get any value back.

Well said indeed

Phil thanks for the commentary and the critique im going to link from the wiki to here. .
I think you missed the comment at the start of the event where I explained to people that we would be streaming and I explained quite clearly "If you dont want to appear live on the internet then this is probably not an event you want to be at" I agree though that it is something that makes me wonder how we can manage privacy vs broadcast in a live public environment like that. Good work on Eventca.st though I thought it was a bloody marvellous toolset.

Bloody marvellous idea, count me in

Wow if people could comment on policies, ideas , issues as discussed in staff blogs they would be national advisors each and every one. Can you imagine your country as run by the sort of people who comment on Digg, on Slashdot or even the Onion ?

This is one of the closest articles to a point I keep making about 'Whats Next' ( http://www.oreillygmt.co.uk/2007/07/the-new-thing-i.html ).

For me the next bg growth in killer apps and business opportunities will not be in feature based applications for task orientated activities. Its going to be in utilities and small applications that knit the meta data about the information in ways tha create context to those viewing it.

The Tagging, Location Reporting, Reviews, Twitters, Photos and Video posted live from an Event when brought together by common associative data will be another level of use which as yet we are all unfamiliar with working with.

Whilst this may sound like the mad ramblings of a early morning blog commenter bare with me and look at your post, your talking about the output of many different applications and how they are knitted together. So consider this post filed under a new Evernote notebook titled 'People who are seeing the next big thing'

Right now I need another coffee.

Cheers Chris.