Archive for October, 2006
October 23, 2006 at 7:05 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Today I started playing with the recently launched
MyESPN service. It is actually pretty neat. The service is kind of like the mega-popular Start Page service
NetVibes, except it is a bit more closed and is focused on sports. Here is my core dump of thoughts on the service:
- Super smart to have a fantasy module
- Should integrate Start Page accounts with other service accounts
- Need more widgets than simple RSS readers
- Love the fact that it gives you content modules for teams
- Am not a fan of registering before doing anything cool
- Would be neat to import Widgets from outside ESPN
- Would be neat if ESPN Widgets could leave the ESPN "zone"
- Ads on a startpage...when will NetVibes follow suit?
Is this the beginning of a larger trend towards established media companies launching module-based, personalized aggregation sites? Media companies are already hot on building, or buying, social network capabilities. If they made moves to create module-based platforms that would be consistent with that investment trend.
Regardless of their inclination, it remains to be seen whether the introduction of vertical-focused, start page services by media companies will fly with users. My guess is that in high-involvement categories, it might work out well. However, one might argue that - in the short run - content providers like ESPN are better off simply syndicating their content as Widgets to existing aggregation sites (NetVibes, Live, Google, PageFlakes, MySpace, Blogger, etc) until they figure out the terrain. I suppose they will ultimately have to try both approaches to see what mix makes the most sense. Although the personalized web application front is a bit like the Wild West, one thing is for certain, media companies definitely are starting to think big things about those little Widgets.
technorati tags:
netvibes,
myespn,
widgets
* username: hoomanradfar
October 23, 2006 at 6:05 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
So remember how I said that
Reverbnation was doing some
cool stuff with Widgets? It turns out that I am not the only one that thinks these guys are on to some pretty rad stuff.
Pete Cashmore had a
good post discussing their Widget strategy, stating:
But one of the best surprises is their [reverbnation's] far-reaching widget strategy: for now you can grab any show schedule and post it to blogs, MySpace, hi5, Piczo et al, but they’ll soon add the widget logo next to photos, blogs, press pages and the tour maps on artist pages. You can see an example of the show schedule and email submission form on this MySpace page. Distributing the different parts of the site through widgets is essential when MySpace has pretty much become the center of the music universe - bands may use ReverbNation’s FanReach tool to manage their email newsletters, but continue to have a MySpace page. The obvious omission here is a MySpace music player - syndicating the music itself to other social networks would make a lot of sense.
Congrats on the good vibe, guys! Also, I am glad you had the chance to discuss the whole trademark issue with Senor Ivan from
Snipperoo.
technorati tags:
reverbnation,
widgets,
mashable,
web2.0
Disclosure: Clearspring is working on some tests with Reverb! :)
* username: hoomanradfar
October 22, 2006 at 4:44 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Fellow Widgi-fans, if any of you are going to be in San Francisco the week of
Widgets Live and Web 2.0, I would love to meet. In particular, I am interested in meeting widget developers, tools creators, and any other folks that are contributing interesting things to the space. Some good folks have already been kind enough to reach out and I hope to meet many more new friends there. If you are going to the conference, drop me a comment/email and I will try to circle back with you. Bye-bye.
techorati tags:
widgetslive,
widgets,
web2.0,
conferences
* username: hoomanradfar
October 12, 2006 at 7:35 am · Filed under Uncategorized
In a
previous post, we traced the brewing discussion pertaining to a potential Widget Conference. Well, it seems that this is no longer a mere discussion. Dare Obasanjo, the accidental progenitor of the event, announced that
Widgets Live will take place the same week as the
Web 2.0 conference.
The first ever conference dedicated to widgets, gadgets, and modules will take place on Monday, November 6, in San Francisco. The one-day conference will capture and summarize the emerging widget economy and allow developers, business leaders, and content producers to collaborate and better understand how they might participate in syndication at the edge of the network.
The conference is being produced by the ever-vigilant,
Om Malik, and self-titled, syndication geek,
Niall Kennedy. Should be am absolutely blast. Buy your tickets for the conference
here. Hope to see all my fellow Widgi-fans there.
technorati:
widgetslive,
widgets,
widgetcon,
conference
* username: hoomanradfar
October 9, 2006 at 4:14 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Reverbnation is quietly building a service intended to make the lives of bands around the web easier. Their offering combines social networking with some valuable hosted services such as finding venues, planning tours, and connecting with other bands. They are currently hard at work preparing to launch their beta on October 31st.
One thing that caught my attention as a Widgi-holic was how they empower bands to make it really easy to deploy their information across the web to sites like MySpace, Purevolume, etc. Specifically, they do so by providing a section on their site just for - you guessed it - widgets! As you all know, having widgets is swiftly becoming a de facto requirement for most services online today.
Expect to see some cool stuff coming from these cats in the near future. They are a good group. Although Jed still owes me some tickets for their release party.
p.s. Since the great
blog destruction of 2006, Jed has since invited me. I am now officially cool. :)
technorati tags:
reverbnation,
widget,
musicservice,
socialnetwork
* username: hoomanradfar
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