MySpace and YouTube: Web 2.0 for Ordinary People

MySpace and YouTube: Web 2.0 for Ordinary People: "By tim Paul Boutin makes a compelling case that YouTube and MySpace show what it takes to bring Web 2.0 to ordinary people: 'The secret to success is to make everything one-button easy, then get out of the way.' He makes a few overblown points, claiming for example that Flickr has plateaued at a level not much higher than Slate (completely missing the logarithmic nature of the Alexa graphs on which he makes that assertion.) But his overall thesis is strong. "

YouTube is now bigger than Flickr

YouTube is now bigger than Flickr: "See the graph: People have more fun watching TV than a photo album. Maybe the couch potato just won."

Likely direction of social networks

Likely direction of social networks: "Earlier Robert Young described social networks as double-edged swords for media companies. In this article about the unintended consequences he paints a potential “nightmare” scenario and predicts what the future of P2P-based social networking services may bring. The media players need to understand that P2P that’s embedded into social networks is a very different animal than previous generations of P2P, and the issues surrounding piracy are far less insidious and much more manageable."

The rise of viral video

The rise of viral video: "I am not sure if this article in The Guardian of April 19 was blogged here yet. 'Broadcasters cannot quarantine the viral video outbreak', by John Gapper [by way of Demos] Things used to be a lot simpler for mainstream broadcasters in the old days before internet video sites existed. It is difficult now to recall the era before YouTube and Google Video. Why, it must have been a good, oooh, four months ago. Even by the standards of the internet, the rise of viral video has been rapid. Since YouTube launched in mid-December (with Google Video following in January), there has been an explosion of strange, funny and weird video clips that anyone can watch online. Most are made not by broadcasters and advertisers but by people messing around at home. "

YouTube and the neglected art of lip-syncing

The range of material on the Web site YouTube is almost literally incredible—it's like the largest talent show in the history of the world crossed with your boring uncle's home video collection. You can see virtuoso guitarists playing TV theme songs, college guys pretending to be repulsed by ice cream, a robot dancer who might actually be a robot, and (for some reason) a girl eating an apple. There are kids' bands covering inappropriate songs, James Lipton reciting bad rap lyrics like they were Keats poems, and endless footage of George Bush's awkwardness at press conferences. If you like home video of iguanas, you have about 70 choices. The site has no organizing aesthetic or agenda. It's a kind of anti-TV-network: an incoherent, totally chaotic accretion of amateurism—pure webcam footage of the collective unconscious. It can be a little overwhelming. And its users add 35,000 videos every day.
By Sam Anderson
Posted Friday, April 28, 2006, at 12:06 PM ET

A grand unified theory of YouTube and MySpa

Sites like Friendster and Blogger that promote sharing and friend-making have been around for years with nowhere near the mainstream success. I've got a different theory. YouTube and MySpace are runaway hits because they combine two attributes rarely found together in tech products. They're easy to use, and they don't tell you what to do.
Source: Paul Boutin, Slate, April 28, 2006

Deconstructing participation

Ross Mayfield has come up with a way to deconstruct the concept of participation, peeling it back so that is has some granularity. Not all participants participate with an equal level of engagement, as illustrated in the Power Law of Participation Ross came up.
Source: Dan Farber, Between the Lines, a ZDNet blog, April 27, 2006
URL: http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=2943

The promises and challenges of an Apple DVR

The promises and challenges of an Apple DVR: "Apple DVR speculation is practically on a lunar cycle, hot one week then gone the next. Is an Apple DVR imminent?"

Documentary on radical free school - inspiring

Documentary on radical free school - inspiring: "Cory Doctorow: This YouTube video is the trailer for a documentary called 'Voices from the New American Schoolhouse,' which chronicles the radical education practiced at the Fairhaven School in Upper Marlboro, MD. Fairhaven appears to be a classical free-school, in which kids self-govern, design their own curriculum, and tutor their peers. I went to publicly funded schools like this from grade four to graduation, and they were the most important factor in the way I conduct my own adult life. Attending schools like this teaches many kids to run their own lives, blazing their own trail, inventing their own careers, and trying anything. Useful skills in a world where any job that can be described is likely to be outsourced. The documentary is narrated principally by the school's bright, well-spoken students, who are eloquent and passionate advocates for open education. Link (Thanks, Danny!) "

Convergence in the Academic Realm

Convergence in the Academic Realm:
"For those of you who follow this blog regularly from the academic world, you all know the struggles of interdisciplinary interests in academia. And for those of you from industry or from fan communities or just with a general curiosity, you can imagine how the idea of convergence at it is taking place in the media industry is in some ways being mirrored in the academic realm. (...) Henry Jenkins, in his new book Convergence Culture, warns about what is called "The Black Box Fallacy," where people believe that everything will just become one. Journalists fear the "uberjournalist," that corporations are going to try to make one person do broadcast, print, Internet, etc. But these situations are not what convergence is, and the same is true of academia. Blurring distinctions doesn't mean that the anthropologist, the literary critic, or the historian doesn't exist. It just means that we will have a more open flow of communication."

Is Yahoo Really competing with TiVo in the DVR market?

Is Yahoo Really competing with TiVo in the DVR market?:
"Last January Yahoo introduced the brand 'Yahoo Go,' and spectators were told that the company would be offering interactive video services to the public free of charge. But what's Yahoo!'s real strategy?"

Apple patents for: Wireless iPods and TVs, iChat whiteboard, more

Apple patents for: Wireless iPods and TVs, iChat whiteboard, more:
"Apple Computer has recently filed for patents on several interesting technologies that cover iPods wirelessly communicating with TVs, an online teleconferencing whiteboard, an integrated sensing display, and virtual keys of a touch-screen virtual keyboard."

Steven Spielberg's Secret Project Could Take 3-D Inside the Movie

A technological breakthrough can take the viewer inside the movie, write John Harlow and Jonathan Leake
Steven Spielberg, the most influential visionary in U.S. films, is involved in patenting what Hollywood has been dreaming of for decades, three-dimensional movies that can be viewed without using special glasses.
Spielberg, who pioneered the blockbuster with Jaws and computerized special effects with Jurassic Park, believes the technology for plain-view 3-D films has finally arrived.

What is the future of podcasts?

What is the future of podcasts?
Like blogs, podcasts are all the rage these days. But what is the future of this communication tool? I can't give you a definitive answer, but you'll find below why podcasts can be attractive for publishers and somewhat less appealing for consumers. Several research companies estimate that the future is bright for podcasts in terms of audience and dollars. But because podcasting is almost not searchable and doesn't encourage interaction, this is not the right medium for me.
Fonte: Roland Piquepaille's Technology Trends

HDTV Ready for Third Dimension

A new 3D HDTV system designed by NTS, NHK Technical Services, will be ready for deployment some time next year, according to Stuart Uleman, NTS senior engineer and media planning for the system.

At the NAB show the company demonstrated the technology on a number of flat panel plasma screens as well as a 202-inch DLP projector system. Each projector had a polarizing filter in front of it to isolate the light for the glasses.

“Each projector is a regular 1080p projector,” says Uleman. “But for the TV sets the HD is encoded for 3D and the sets have a polarizing filter in the front which creates the 3D effect.”

http://www.multichannel.com/info/CA6328635.html#6328645

Copyfight documentary opens in NYC tonight

Copyfight documentary opens in NYC tonight:
"Cory Doctorow: Twila sez, ''Alternative Freedom' will premiere TODAY in New York City's east village at the Two Boots Pioneer Theater on April 27 and run until May 3. The event is sponsored by the NYU freeculture group. The night of the premiere the directors (Twila & Shaun) will be doing a Q&A to discuss the film. On Satuday, Lawrence Lessig will introduce the film and talk afterwards.' While Congress changes our copyright laws under the behests of a few powerful corporations, individuals across the United States are losing their digital rights. Activists are working together to change this oppressive regime and create an alternative of freedom. Two filmmakers uncover the most important legal battles of our time: Copyright Law and Digital Rights Management. Featuring interviews with DJ Danger Mouse, Lawrence Lessig and more."

Forget 1080p HD, Ultra HD 4320p television is demoed

Forget 1080p HD, Ultra HD 4320p television is demoed:
"NHK is showing Ultra High Definition Television at the NAB Conference. With 4,320 lines of resolution, Ultra HD has 16 times more pixels than the best HD available today."

Channel Frederator and Fan-Generated Content

Channel Frederator and Fan-Generated Content:
"Today's Metro here in Boston had a great story on Channel Frederator, which lists itself as 'The World's Original Cartoon Podcast.' The site, for 'mature audiences only,' produces cartoon programming for adults, a market that founder Fred Seibert feels remains unjustly underserved. What's so interesting about the podcasted cartoons is that they not only produce their own work but also accept work from amateurs, which--if good enough--becomes distributed by Channel Frederator, making it a true community of production where the line between cultural producer and fan becomes a little hard to distinguish. The editorial function remains with the producers, who decide what does and what does not get distributed, but Channel Frederator seems to get that fans want content generated by them to not just be considered ancillary but to be featured as well, at least the best of it. Amber Ray's story in the Metro, 'Fan-cast-ic,' mentions that some viewers of the site complains about the sometimes-amateurish quality of some of the fan-generated content, but th"

World's editors examine newsroom challenges

World's editors examine newsroom challenges:
"Dan Gillmor and Robert Thomson pitch in to 2006 WEF report"

When MySpace members die

When MySpace members die:
"In an article titled Web Sites Set Up to Celebrate Life Recall Lives Lost in the New York Times today, an overview is given of what has been happening online when members of the vibrantly networked MySpace are suddenly no longer alive to participate. This is a look at networking that evokes sadness, but may add to understanding of the role and impact of virtual connectivity that increasingly pervades our lives."

Catalog of nearly 1 million BBC programs online

Catalog of nearly 1 million BBC programs online:
"Cory Doctorow: The BBC has posted an online interface into catalog of 946,614 BBC radio & TV programmes, dating back 75 years -- searchable by category, cast and crew. This is a treasure-trove of data. Link to catalog, Link to Tom Loosemore's commentary (via Ben Hammersley) "

Americans on the internet

Americans on the internet: "This Pew Internet & American Life Project report says,'surveys fielded in 2006 show that internet penetration among adults in the U.S. has hit an all-time high.While the percentage of Americans who say they use the internet has continued to fluctuate slightly,our latest survey,fielded February 15- April 6, 2006 shows that fully 73% of respondents (about 147 million adults) are internet users,up from 66% (about 133 million adults) in our January 2005 survey.And the share of Americans who have broadband connections at home has now reached 42% (about 84 million),up from 29% (about 59 million) in January 2005'. Internet Penetration and Impact"

Being there

Being there: "This Guardian article looks at a 'gadget that lets you pat the dog,squeeze your partner and hug the children,without the inconvenience of having to be there.The invention was developed by researchers who believe the pace of modern life has dramatically cut the time we spend showing affection to family members,including pets.Simply slip your significant others into specially designed jackets, and you will be able to pat,stroke or hug them from anywhere in the world where there is an internet connection.The jacket was revealed yesterday at the CHI2006 technology conference in Montreal, an international gathering of experts working to push the boundaries of computer and internet-enabled devices. It comes with a doll which, when touched, records the exact sensation and beams it wirelessly to the internet and on to the jacket, which moves to mirror the feeling'. Jacket made to measure for love from afar "

To blog or not to blog

To blog or not to blog: "A very interesting analysis of Paul Miller on Trevor Butterworth article about blogging in the FT Magazine. Butterworth argued - through a series of interviews with the blogging literati - that blogging has overstayed its welcome and isn't quite as revolutionary as everybody seems to think it is. Miller responds that Butterworth is mistaken in his 'blogophobian' approach, or at least misses the point. Saying blogs are bad is like saying the telephone is evil. Yes, all technology comes with its own biases and rules that shape social uses of it. But blogging rules are pretty good, or at least pretty democratic: it encourages debate, it encourages decentralisation, the barriers to entry are very low. Now, I recognise that each of those comes with downsides, but I think the overall effect is very positive. Blogs aren't causing the shift away from newspapers - hundreds of forces are busy doing that (the narrow-mindedness of many media professionals for one) - but they are accelerating it, particularly for people in their teens and twenties, the people who were walking awa"

Participatory Media — Put Your Hands in the Air

Participatory Media — Put Your Hands in the Air: "The Economist says personal or participatory media is changing media and society in a major and profound way. We at SMITH have been calling using the term “personal media” and could not agree more. Kurt Anderson says investors should give sites like us lots of money. Meanwhile, Sarah Hepola has picked a funny time to stop blogging. Doesn’t she know she’s at the cusp of society-changing millions? Tags: smithmag, kurt, anderson, economist, hepola, slate, web, 2.0, Read the new SMITH magazine: Your stories. The personal, raw, honest, memoirs, brushes with fame, close encounters, and almost famous. Everyone has a story. Everyone is a SMITH. "

Yahoo Launches DVR Service: Yahoo Go

Yahoo Launches DVR Service: Yahoo Go: "Yahoo launched Yahoo Go today, a DVR and general Microsoft Media Center competitor based on the recently acquired Meedio technology."

'Fans who share music aren't thieves'

'Fans who share music aren't thieves': "Important musicians such as Barenaked Ladies and Avril Lavigne have formed the Canadian Music Creators Coalition to among other things, support fans being sued by the Big Four Organized Music cartel. In their first white paper, the artists say, 'Fans who share music are not thieves or pirates. Sharing music has been happening for decades.'"

BBC modifica site à volta da Web 2.0

BBC modifica site à volta da Web 2.0: "A BBC anunciou planos para mudar o seu site, pondo-o a funcionar à volta da Web 2.0: The BBC today unveiled radical plans to rebuild its website around user-generated content, including blogs and home videos, with the aim of creating a public service version of MySpace.com.Ashley Highfield, the BBC director of new media and technology, also announced proposals to put the corporation’s entire programme catalogue online for the first time from tomorrow in written archive form, as an “experimental prototype”, and rebrand MyBBCPlayer as BBC iPlayer. Acrescento: Nesta onda, ver o site que o Sérgio Nunes recomenda nos comentários e também reboot:bbc.co.uk - reinvent the bbc.co.uk homepage. Já agora, o discurso de Mark Thomson pode ser lido na íntegra aqui.E o press release da BBC está aqui."

2006 será o ano dos media online?

2006 será o ano dos media online?: "A PROPÓSITO do artigo em cima e das mudanças na BBC e não só, vale a pena ler: 2006 Will Be a Tipping Point for Online Media. "

BitTorrent Closing in on Mainstream

BitTorrent Closing in on Mainstream: " Dave Winer: Next steps for BitTorrent. Breadth of support is the most important thing BitTorrent needs. We need easier and more servers and clients, more non-infringing content, and more commitments from the tech industry, government, and eventually, of course, the entertainment industry. It’s a very rational, open technology, quite useful, and with a little more effort it will become a fixture in the toolkit for Internet developers, publishers and users."

BBC unveils 'bbc.co.uk 2.0' radical new online plans

BBC unveils 'bbc.co.uk 2.0' radical new online plans: "Massive revamp of the site with the aim of creating its own version of MySpace.com. BBC iPlayer - At any time you will be able to download any programme watch it on your PC, move it across to your TV or mobile phone. And from tomorrow internet users will for the first time be able to search their back catalogue as far back as 1937"

What is the future of podcasts?

What is the future of podcasts?: "What is the future of this communication tool? I can't give you a definitive answer, but you'll find in this long post why podcasts can be attractive for publishers and somewhat less appealing for consumers. And because podcasting is almost not searchable and doesn't encourage interaction, this is not the right medium for me. Read on... Links: Blogs for Companies, Primidi, ZDNet"

New technology may be changing the human brain

New technology may be changing the human brain: "Is technology changing our brains? neuro-biologist Susan Greenfield asked this question of the House of Lord that affects all of us. ' In just a couple of decades, we have slipped away from a culture based essentially on words to one based essentially on images, or pictures. This is probably one of the great shifts in the story of modern humans but we take it almost for granted. There can be little doubt that the structures, never mind the surface form, of the English language are changing fast. The process of traditional book-reading, which involves following an author through a series of interconnected steps in a logical fashion. We read other narratives and compare them, and so 'build up a conceptual framework that enables us to evaluate further journeys... One might argue that this is the basis of education ... Traditional education, she says, enables us to 'turn information into knowledge.' Put like that, it is obvious where her worries lie. The flickering up and flashing away again of multimedia images do not allow "

Channel 4 aposta na interactividade

Channel 4 aposta na interactividade: "NÃO SEI se é uma resposta directa às iniciativas da BBC, mas a verdade é que o Channel 4 está mesmo a lançar-se nos novos projectos para aumentar a interactividade com os telespectadores, principalmente através da Web."

Howard Rheingold video of talk on cooperation studies

Howard Rheingold video of talk on cooperation studies: "(Via Networked Publics) Annenberg Center has released the video of the talk I gave on April 3 about the work I have been doing with Institute for the Future on Cooperation Studies: Video from the lecture is available here Video for Apple Video iPod only is here (right click on the link, then download it or save to disk) Audio of the lecture is available here The lecture is also available in PDF form at his site with an accompanying jpeg file"

Maker Faire photos

Maker Faire photos: "David Pescovitz: BB pal Scott Beale of Laughing Squid posted his first set of photos from MAKE: Magazine's big Maker Faire happening this weekend in San Mateo. If you're in the area, please come by today! I was thrilled not only by the hundreds of projects and demonstrations but also the many thousands of people there of all ages walking around with wonder and delight in their eyes! Photos above: Jeffrey McGrew and Jillian Northrup of Because We Can, Mr. Jalopy's World's Biggest iPod, and one of the Faire's happy attendees. Link to Laughing Squid post, Link to Maker Faire, Link to MakerFaire-tagged photos on Flickr "

Why MySpace is a Waste of Humanity

Why MySpace is a Waste of Humanity: "Using the power of Google searches, it's possible to prove why Myspace.com is a failure of humanity and swamp of degenerate youth. A depressing study of a hilarious problem."

BBC reforça participação dos espectadores

BBC reforça participação dos espectadores: "A BBC continua na linha da frente das iniciativas para a participação dos cidadãos. Vale mesmo a pena seguir o link. "

Complexity and Social Computing

Complexity and Social Computing: "[via Social Synergy Weblog] Matt McAlister asks a great question in his recent blog post. He writes: 'I've mentioned before John Battelle's historical view of the search user interface which I really like. He compares it to command line DOS which was followed by the visually rich Mac OS. The OS GUI created a powerful layer of abstraction on top of the hardware which then created an explosion of activity in personal computing. So the question is, what new layer of abstraction will alter the way we think about information flow and create a similar explosion of activity on the Internet?' Matt references a paper (PDF), written by Steve Burbeck, that compares biology and computing. Matt writes: The Internet has altered our view of the computer as an all-powerful tool through breakthroughs like standard web services (HTTP) and common messaging protocols and formats (TCP/IP and RSS). It looks more like a multicellular organism. (quoted from Burbeck's paper) 'Multicellular organisms thrive because their cells specialize and collaborate in far more complex and information-rich ways t"

The RIAA vs. the EFF: Redefining copyright for the digital age

The RIAA vs. the EFF: Redefining copyright for the digital age: "This is great run down of the arguments on both sides (EFF and RIAA). What exactly are the rights granted under copyright law and how do you really define distribution? Good read."

CustomerMade conference streaming in a few hours

CustomerMade conference streaming in a few hours: "David Pescovitz: Denmark's Innovation Lab and O'Reilly Media are hosting the CustomerMade conference tomorrow, April 20. It starts just a few hours from now Denmark time. (Previous post about CustomerMade here.) For those of us who couldn't make it to Copenhagen, the Innovation Lab is streaming the proceedings on LabTV Live beginning at 8:30 GMT (12:30am PST). CustomerMade should be a great appetizer for MAKE's big Maker Faire in San Mateo this weekend! From the CustomerMade site: The outsourcing of key business functions – from textile production to software - to low cost labour countries is one of the key trends of the past five years. The next wave of outsourcing is starting to take place in the heart of the home market: the market itself is taking over all phases of production, from concept development and design to finished product. The phenomenon of ‘user-driven innovation’ goes beyond do-it-your-selfing, customization, and personalization. It’s no longer a matter of choosing between models – customers are designing the very "

Clever t-shirt typography spells "hate" - "love" in mirror-writing

Clever t-shirt typography spells "hate" - "love" in mirror-writing: "Cory Doctorow: This t-shirt spells out 'Hate' until you see it in a mirror, then the same cleverly formed letters spell out 'Love'. I don't know if this t-shirt is for sale or merely conceptual/art, but I think it's terrific. Link "

IM around the world

IM around the world: "'Eighty-two million people,or 49 per cent of the European online population,used instant messaging (IM) applications to communicate online in February,according to a study from Comscore Networks,'DMeurope reports.'In comparison,69 million people in North America,37 per cent of the online population,used IM during the same timeframe.Interestingly,the analysis showed that IM is most heavily used in the Latin American region,with 64 per cent of the online population using IM in February'. Europe leads North America in IM use – report"

Web 2.0's Startup Fever

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Web 2.0's Startup Fever
Software toolkits and cheap hardware have led to the comeback of the garage startup. But this time the boom is more rational.

By Wade Roush

If you're Web-literate, you can organize more and more of your life around Web-based tools and services given away by a host of young startups. You can keep your social calendar at Eventful or Upcoming, organize your to-do items at Gootodo, store a gigabyte's worth of documents at Box.net, read the news (or write your own) at Newsvine, find hours of video entertainment at YouTube or JumpCut, create and share Web bookmarks at Diigo, create podcasts and audio memos at Odeo, publish blogs at Wordpress or Xanga, and share your photos at Flickr or Buzznet -- or Riya or Bubbleshare or Zooomr. All for free. And that's just the beginning of the list.
http://www.technologyreview.com/InfoTech/wtr_16688,300,p1.html

Video-Sharing Website Has Growing Audience

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Video-Sharing Website Has Growing Audience
Now starring on the Internet: YouTube.com.

By Associated Press

SAN MATEO, California (AP) -- Internet video sensation YouTube.com seems like a startup straight out of Silicon Valley central casting.

A year ago, co-founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen were in between jobs, a pair of twentysomething geeks running up big credit card debts as they tooled around a garage trying to develop an easy way for people to share homemade videos on the Web.

Now they are flirting with fame and fortune, budding media moguls in a new entertainment era that relies on unconventional channels like YouTube -- by some measures, the leading video-sharing site, one that has cultivated a huge audience while testing the bounds of creativity, monotony, copyrights and obscenity.
http://www.technologyreview.com/TR/wtr_16686,323,p1.html

Grassroots photojournalism: See Me TV & 24 Hours

Grassroots photojournalism: See Me TV & 24 Hours: "Via Picturephoning Since 3 launched See Me TV in October, it has had more than a million downloads a month, reports The Guardian. 'Now it is about to launch 24 Hours, claimed to be a 'world first' service for would-be journalists that I have been testing. Its motto: 'Break the news and spot celebs wherever you are and make money too.' ... The point is that we are only at the start of what may turn out to be a grassroots revolution. It is rare for the average person to witness a major incident, but there will be hundreds of others there with cameraphones at the ready. As phones become more powerful and easier to use - so will photo-journalism improve.' (Thanks Mark Smith)"

Beyond Broadcast Gathering: Blog and Details

Beyond Broadcast Gathering: Blog and Details: "We’re helping to convene Beyond Broadcast 2006: Reinventing Public Media in a Participatory Culture, a gathering on May 12-13 at the Berkman Center (Harvard Law School), where we will: explore the thesis that traditional public media — public broadcasting, cable access television, etc — face a unique opportunity to embrace new participatory web-based media models — podcasting, video blogs, social software, etc — and create a stronger and more vital public service. It’s shaping up to be an excellent event. See this page for registration information. "

Parem as rotativas!

Parem as rotativas!: "A REVISTA New York acha que as páginas de bolsa não deveriam ser as únicas a ser enviadas para a Web, no caso do The New York Times. Segundo este artigo, todo o jornal deveria passar a apostar mais no online e desistir mesmo do papel. E há analistas que acham que é isso mesmo que vai acontecer não apenas ao The New York Times, mas a todos os jornais…"

A televisão rebentou?

A televisão rebentou?: "JEFF JARVIS escreveu no seu weblog uma interessante análise sobre a decisão da Disney (noticiada ontem) de disponibilizar, gratuitamente, muitos dos seus programas na Web para download sem limites.Os episódios conterão os seus próprios anúncios, que não podem ser eliminados e, segundo Jarvis, podem significar o fim da televisão tal como a conhecemos: TV has finally exploded. And if other media — newspapers, magazines, and even online companies — don’t watch out, they may lose the broadband internet to TV companies."

Having a Faceparty

Having a Faceparty: "This Guardian article says 'Britain's teenagers have a secret.The money spent by media companies buying up well-known internet chatrooms such as Friends Reunited and MySpace has missed the target.New figures show that the busiest community website is the unheralded Faceparty.Teenagers are so obsessed with the site that last year it saw more traffic than Yahoo's email service,Tesco's website and Amazon.Only eBay,Google and Hotmail are viewed more often in Britain'. Just face it,girls:MySpace is like so totally over "

Grassroots photojournalism: See Me TV & 24 Hours

Grassroots photojournalism: See Me TV & 24 Hours: "Via Picturephoning Since 3 launched See Me TV in October, it has had more than a million downloads a month, reports The Guardian. 'Now it is about to launch 24 Hours, claimed to be a 'world first' service for would-be journalists that I have been testing. Its motto: 'Break the news and spot celebs wherever you are and make money too.' ... The point is that we are only at the start of what may turn out to be a grassroots revolution. It is rare for the average person to witness a major incident, but there will be hundreds of others there with cameraphones at the ready. As phones become more powerful and easier to use - so will photo-journalism improve.' (Thanks Mark Smith)"

A TV Net Breakthrough, But…

A TV Net Breakthrough, But…: "Reuters: Disney to make TV shows available free on Web. Walt Disney Co.’s ABC Television will offer some of its most popular shows, such as “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost,” for free on the Internet in a two-month trial, the company said on Monday. Advertising revenue will support the trial run on ABC.com, with advertisers AT&T Inc., Ford Motor Co., Procter & Gamble Co. and Universal Pictures already signed up. This is an extremely big deal if ABC keeps the experiment going and modifies the model a bit. The force-fed advertising won’t fly, ultimately, because viewers just won’t want it. (I’d imagine that employers are not going to be thrilled, not if people in cubicles start spending parts of the day watching TV episodes.) It is impossible to imagine the previous regime at Disney letting this happen. Robert Iger, the new CEO, is plainly a different breed — and he deserves some kudos for pushing the broadcast envelope. "

Beyond Broadcast Gathering: Blog and Details

Beyond Broadcast Gathering: Blog and Details: "We’re helping to convene Beyond Broadcast 2006: Reinventing Public Media in a Participatory Culture, a gathering on May 12-13 at the Berkman Center (Harvard Law School), where we will: explore the thesis that traditional public media — public broadcasting, cable access television, etc — face a unique opportunity to embrace new participatory web-based media models — podcasting, video blogs, social software, etc — and create a stronger and more vital public service. It’s shaping up to be an excellent event. See this page for registration information. "