Yahoo! 360 Impressions

Sun, 27 Mar 2005 17:16 UTC

As I mentioned earlier, I had the privilege of meeting Esther Dyson and briefly discussing Yahoo! 360. Here’re a few links to blog posts by others who attended what I’m calling the “360 summit” that Yahoo! hosted on Thursday:

• Joyce Park (a.k.a. Troutgirl) shares her experience at “the big Y!” and applaudes Yahoo! for making a service that may bring more women into the blogosphere
• Danah Boyd gives a list of features that 360 will have, as well as expresses her concern for the divide between the lack of features for “techgeeks” and the target novice users and how the word “blog” may scare off the newer folks

• Esther Dyson shares her thoughts on how 360 should not “presume to know what interests [she and her friends] might share” and that 360 should allow the community to shape what it becomes

  I find the prospect of this service fascinating, and I can’t wait to see what becomes of it.

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N-TEN NTC Wrap-Up

Sat, 26 Mar 2005 3:19 UTC

NPower Gang
Originally uploaded by kables.

Really only a two-day event, the NTC wrapped up with a closing reception and a few words from the new N-TEN director. The crowd of nearly 800 attendees had thinned down to only a hundred or so, and I was left alone to fend for myself, so I found Andy and the NPower gang (since I had met them earlier through my boss) and decided to go out to dinner with them.

Conferences can be tiring events even when you’re not working them; this is apparently an observation I share with many others—I heard this mentioned more than once in conversations at the reception. Another recurring statement was that the conference should’ve been at least one day longer. There are simply too many sessions offered side-by-side, and many had to flip coins to pick the ones they would attend; the “Tag This!” session about Flickr, del.icio.us, etc. was itself a standing-room-only crowd.

Though there were many sessions that did not interest me (finance, fundraising, etc.), there were equally as many that did pique my interest (technology policy, blogging, trends, OSS, etc.). I didn’t expect to find such a diverse converence geared toward managers and techies alike; I expected it only to focus on the managers. I also didn’t expect to come into contact with such high profile individuals in the Internet industry.

In addition, I was amazed at the eagerness and readiness to accept open source technology that these nonprofits exhibited. Many of them, though not from technical backgrounds, were excited by the prospect—and this shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s not the money that they may save in licensing fees. It’s the politics of it, rather.

Open source at its heart is about political change. It’s about volunteers being moblized to collaborate and create something that is meant to benefit all of society. It’s about supporting a cause that is not driven by profit and commercialism. And while I have nothing against making a profit or the capitalistic society in which we live (indeed, I embrace it), I see a distinct value in welcoming this technology and promoting it. I see it as progress, while capitalism can stall progress even though that is not supposed to be at the heart of its nature. To me, progress is a good thing—especially when we all benefit from it.

So, I’m excited to see nonprofits in this country embracing the open source movement. I’m thrilled to see them interested in blogging and how that can help them connect with others and spread their message (whatever it may be). I’m ecstatic to see them discussing policy and how it affects them (Grokster, Patriot Act, etc.). Finally, it’s interesting to see them consider and discuss how emerging Web technologies like Flickr and del.icio.us might be used to their benefit.

For more information and posts about the N-TEN NTC, please check out the nten05 and ntc del.icio.us tags.

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Discussing Flickr With Esther Dyson

Fri, 25 Mar 2005 13:34 UTC

Esther Dyson (of ICANN and EFF fame, among many other things) gave a sort of informal interview this morning at the NTC in Chicago. The interview had this “fireside chat” feel to it with two antique-looking chairs seated at angles on the stage, plants surrounding them. You could tell they were trying to evoke some sort of cozy atmosphere. I’m not sure whether the atmosphere went over well, nor did the interview; the interviewer did not seem to steer the questions in the direction suggested by the title of the plenary: “What’s New. What’s Next. What Matters.” Then again, I was too busy going through my feedreader to pay much attention.

While reading through my blogroll, I had sort of a serendipitous moment. I was reading Jeremy Zawodny’s Flickr Analogy post (from yesterday), when I realized that the very same Esther Dyson that sat upon the stage here in Chicago was in Sunnyvale at Yahoo! headquarters only a matter of hours ago, and she had met with Jeremy and the other folks at Yahoo! about Yahoo! 360 and Flickr, which Yahoo! just recently acquired.

After the interview, during which no mention of Flickr was made, I made my way through the crowd to talk to Ms. Dyson to ask her about Flickr and Yahoo! 360. She seemed surprised at the question and admitted that she would’ve been pleased to discuss it during the plenary had the forum been of a different focus. She said that Yahoo! unveiled the entire beta project to them and that she wasn’t told to be hush-hush about anything. Nevertheless, it was difficult to gain an understanding of how the 360 service will be much different from services like Live Journal. It seems that the biggest difference will be the involvement of photographs—at first, Flickr will not be integrated, but this will be an eventual progression (likely a reason that Ms. Dyson was asked to attend, since she is a Flickr investor).

Afterwards, I attended the “Tag This!” session where del.icio.us and Flickr were heavily discussed, among many other interesting and innovative Web technologies.

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Name Dropping at the NTC

Thu, 24 Mar 2005 23:57 UTC

So, I could shoot myself in the foot for forgetting to bring my digital camera for this trip. Before walking out the door, I distinctly remember hearing my wife say, “Don’t forget to take the camera; I put it with your stuff.” But what do I do? I forget within moments to grab the camera. What’s more is that I would’ve loved to have had my picture taken with a few people I’ve met while here. So, I’ll use this time to drop a few names of the more prominent (IMO) and, to me, fascinating figures I’ve met:

• Mena Trott, co-founder and president of Six Apart—Mena did a great presentation on how NPOs can utilize blogs to connect with donors and volunteers. I was able to meet her and blabber my way through a stupid-sounding interview of very broad questions that left her asking, “Now what was it you wanted to know?” Why do I always do this? I need to go back to Interviewing 101.
• Michael Palage, ICANN board member—I ended up sitting next to Mike in a session about Nonprofit Technology Policy; unbeknownst to me, he was a board member for ICANN—what a fascinating role! He’s been a member since the beginning, and we were able to have a good but short conversation after the session. He’s a great guy.

• Henri Bergius, co-founder and spokesman of the Midgard Project—I met Henri in the hallway and had the gall to ask him why Midgard is so damn hard to install. He was very approachable and proceeded to discuss the application with me. Plus he’s from Finland; I wonder if he knows Linus?

  In addition to these three folks, I want to give a special thanks to the guys from Chicago PHP for taking a night to hang out with me. Thanks Richard, Colin, Jim, and Scott; I had a great time. Look me up next time you find your way to Atlanta.

  I took the train up to Wrigley Field and walked a few blocks from the stadium to the restaurant where I met everyone. Again, I could shoot myself in the foot for not having my camera.

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Mena Trott Speaks at N-TEN

Thu, 24 Mar 2005 17:33 UTC

It’s clear from Six Apart’s acquisition of Live Journal, Yahoo!’s purchase of Flickr, the Yahoo! 360 service, and Microsoft’s MSN Spaces service that the blogosphere is changing. Jeremy Zawodny posted yesterday a few of his thoughts on where he thinks the future of certain blogging software and services is headed. It’s a fascinating topic to consider.

Today, I had the pleasure and privilege of hearing Mena Trott, co-founder and president of Six Apart, deliver the opening plenary for the 2005 Nonprofit Technology Conference in Chicago. While I wouldn’t characterize her as an excellent public speaker—she seemed a bit ruffled and unprepared, though this was most likely due to the loss of a computer only days ago and the use of a new one she purchased only yesterday—the talk on using blogs to connect with potentional donors/volunteers was interesting and captivating. I often find this topic fascinating and it’s awe-inspiring to see how a blog can transform someone from an average, anonymous citizen to a great voice for change—or just a popular idiot.

Trott began blogging in 2001 with the intent of gaining a sort of celebrity status. She didn’t think she would be able to gain this status otherwise, so she chose the Internet and blogging as the medium by which she might acheive her goal. In short, it worked. In those days (only 4 years ago), there were fewer blogs, so it was easier for one voice to stand out from the crowd, and hers apparently did.

Since then, the blogosphere has grown from about 10,000 weblogs to nearly 8 million in the U.S. alone. Trott attributes this phenomenal growth to a variety of factors, including 9/11, the War on Terror and with Iraq, the 2004 election, and, most recently, the tsunami disaster. Throughout her presentation, she made a conscious effort to steer away from plugging her software (Movable Type) and services (Type Pad, Live Journal), though it is clear that Six Apart also has made a substantial contribution to the advancement of blogging through such innovations as the open specification for trackbacks.

According to statistics provided during Trott’s presentation, over 32 million Americans regularly read blogs today, 40 percent of which are college graduates. These readers generally have an annual income that is 30 percent higher than the national average (an average of about $58K). They are people who get involved and can be generous—they are looking for a cause.

Blogging has become an international phenomenon with the largest base of bloggers in the U.S. and Japan, with Europe catching on quickly. Blogging has made otherwise apolitical citizens very aware and active in politics. It has aided in spreading the message of activist causes and charities. Furthermore, blogging connects people and makes them feel a part of something greater. Says Trott, “Blogging is about sharing experiences with a community who cares.”

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Brain Bulb, The PHP Consultancy, Launches

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 17:38 UTC

Today, Chris Shiflett announced the launch of Brain Bulb, his new PHP consultancy. His new venture is already showing signs of great success, and the future looks promising. I thought I’d take a moment to promote him.

Here’s what Chris had to say about the launch:

I am very happy to announce the launch of Brain Bulb, a company that I’ve been planning for over a year. It’s purely a PHP consultancy, and this is a reflection of my faith in PHP’s promise. While it offers a few services already available elsewhere (development, PHP training, etc.), there are a couple of services that are not so common:

• PHP Security Audits
• PHP Support Contracts

Good luck, Chris! Here’s wishing you great success.

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PHP Get-Together in Chicago

Thu, 17 Mar 2005 17:33 UTC

Thanks to Richard Lynch and Chicago PHP, it looks like we’ll be having a nice PHP get-together in Chicago next Thursday night, March 24 at 6:00 PM CST. Details follow:

THURSDAY MARCH 24 @ 6 PM
Uncommon Ground, 3800 N Clark
http://uncommonground.com
Good Food / Drink / Atmosphere

Uncommon Ground is not downtown, but only a short L ride away.
Red Line to Addison (Wrigley Field).
Walk 2 blocks Northwest on Clark.

Apparently a good little crowd from Chicago PHP will be there. It’s just an informal get-together with no agenda. Hope to see you there!

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N-TEN NTC and Penguin Day Chicago

Tue, 8 Mar 2005 18:05 UTC

This is sort of a continuation of yesterday’s post. I’ve received one comment, and I intend to respond as soon as I hear from several others.

In addition to attending Penguin Day Chicago on the 26th, I’ll also be attending the N-TEN Nonprofit Technology Conference, which occurs on the 23rd through the 25th (before Penguin Day). I’m interested in seeing whether anyone who programs any PHP at all, whether professionally or as a hobby, would like to get together in Chicago sometime on that Thursday or Friday night (the 24th or 25th). I’ve posted a message to the N-TEN wiki that tells a little bit about what I’d like to do, but, in short, it’d be a very informal get-together for drinks and/or dinner and a random discussion about PHP—we’ll just start out talking and see where it takes us.

I’ve also sent the following e-mail to the organizers of Chicago PHP:

Is Chicago PHP still meeting regularly? If so, I was wondering if some of the folks involved with Chicago PHP would like to get together for an informal “social” on the evening of either March 24 or 25.

The N-TEN conference is taking place during that time and Chicago Penguin Day will take place on that Saturday, the 26th. I’ll be attending both events, and I am greatly interested in hanging out with and networking with other PHP folks while I’m in the area.

If any of your members will be attending these events during that time and want to get together or if you guys just want to get together for drinks or something, then please let me know. I think it’d be a great opportunity.

So, the invitation is open. Please contact me if you’re interested.

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Penguin Day Chicago

Mon, 7 Mar 2005 17:22 UTC

I will be attending Penguin Day Chicago (a conference for non-profits and open-source developers to network and “demystify free and open source software for social change organizations”) and am interested in whether anyone else from the PHP community will be in attendance. The conference is on Saturday, March 26 and is offered for the low price of $60 to individuals.

Please contact me if you’ll be there, and perhaps we can meet up sometime on Friday night (my plane leaves at 8pm on Saturday, so I won’t be able to get together then).

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