Wired have decided to close Listening Post and Underwire. They are citing a great deal of overlap among Listening Post, Epicenter and Underwire so there is a wisdom to concentrating our fire where it will have the most impact.
Wired have thanks approximately 12 writers who have worked on the blog and it still hasnt been fully confirmed if they will be completely out of a job or not.
This seems to be a very strange move from Wired. It might have just been better to slowly move the Listening post material into another niche instead of just closing down the 40th most linked to blog in the world according to Technorati. I really do think it is a shame because I have been really loving the Listening Posts articles over the last year or so, and if the writers ever need somewhere to write please contact me, because we also have another blog over at RouteNote in which we are always on the look out for writers who can help musicians in the current climate.
Twitter is a microblogging platform that has been really making some strong improvements in the lats year or so. I’m sure there aren’t too many people who don’t currently know about Twitter (that is if your interested in tech). Twitter is basically a huge IM service in which you can only message 140 characters at once, you also able to follow other people and talk with them directly. It is basically a new type of MSN or Yahoo Messenger.
Google Reader has for a long time been my RSS reader of choice. The design has been simple, easy to use, lots of customisation options, ability to group and more.
Last week Google released a new version of Google Reader and I thought I would take a little time and review it for everyone.
(old)
(new)
Key changes include collapsible navigation, updated look and feel, friends get promoted and more bundle feeds.
Friends get promoted
Shared items have grown up and gotten their own section in the navigation pane. You can collapse this entire section and use the title to see everything your friends have shared, or leave it open to track friends with shared items. (Don’t forget that you can add new friends in “Sharing settings“.)
More bundled feeds!
Previously Google has some default bundles that you could subscribe too, in a variety of areas. Previously this was very limited and there were only about 10 areas. Now they have added huge amounts of bundle feeds for pretty much every major niche. If you go to “Browse for stuff” then you can see bundles.
Collapsible Navigation
Each section of the navigation pane now has its own options menu and minimize/maximize controls. You can collapse each major section of navigation down to one line and focus on only the things you choose to use.
Updated look and feel
The look and feel has changed a lot in this new version of Google Reader. I personally would have liked it if there was an option to return to the old version or at least have a variety of versions. The new version is very neutral, with white and a very light blue being the main colours. However, I find post a lot harder to read in this new version. Recently Gmail received a variety of themes in which users could choose from, I really hope this isn’t too long in coming to Google Reader. Overall
Overall the changes to Google Reader were needed, except in the case of changing the colour scheme. I think the colour scheme changes are definitely a step backwards, but this can be changed when hopefully they release a themes range to choose from.
Blogs.com owned by Sixapart has launched a new blog directory. The blog directory is very similar to Blogged.com, providing news from the blogosphere for different sectors with an attached blog directory.
Blogs.com has been a great success from launch and has some great traffic already to the site. However, when I look closer at the site it seems they it is very basic and isn’t providing too much insights, so why such high traffic numbers. For one it is very hard to get your content shown on their, so doesn’t show true news from the blogosphere, just selected information. Additionally, I have submitted Crenk three times to their direct and I don’t even think they have referenced my site yet!
The design itself is very limiting and only allows them to show a certain amount of information on every page. Additionally, when it comes to finding more interesting sites in a particular niche, I think this just doesn’t happen at all. It is hard to find their directory and they don’t seem to want to show information from various blogs, just stick to the top blogs that everyone has already heard of.
Profy is probably the first technology related blog I ever read. Since initially launched in September, 2006 Profy has built a loyal readership among startup owners, engineers, bloggers, investors, and general tech-savvy audience.
In the last few months Profy has been having problems keeping its authors, but since then Svetlana Gladkova has taken over the editorial status and the blog seems to be rising again. About three months ago Profy had a redesign and Im really liking the new look, except for the logo change!
Profy release about 3 or so articles per day and these articles are rich in analysis and also hot off the press when related to technology news. I would like to see them get some more authors on board and also incorporate the old green style back into the site. Additionally, they are not promoting the blogging platform they launched about six months ago. However, that all being said, Profy is one of the leading technology blogs on the internet, and it is a must subscribe!
Where do you head to find technology company information? Currently, there are a lot of technology blogs that provide company directories, but I think there are two key players that stand out in this sector and I’m sure their pageviews will sore in the coming months and years. Those two players have to be Crunchbase and Tradevibes.
Crunchbase is the company directory from the superblog Techcrunch. Crunchbase is build on a wiki type system and instead of just writing about companies and collect data, Michael Arrington thought it would be a good idea to actually put it all together and make some more money from it. Crunchbase has a great look about it and it brings together information from some of the most well-known companies. On Crunchbase you can find descriptions of the company, funding information, location and telephone numbers, competitors and staffing information. I would like Crunchbase to find new ways to make money apart from advertising, like a highlighted company feature.
Tradevibes has a bit of a different layout, but essentially it is the same concept with the type of wiki development. Tradevibes provide a similar set of information as Crunchbase but it also has additional features, such as a fantasy exchange game, voting system on companies, and forums. The design on Tradevibes is actually a bit cluttered and there seems to be a lot of products that have simply just been put together to add features, instead of developing something in house that matches the site. For example, the job board in the left column from SimplyHired.
Both of these companies are leading the way in this niche, however there still seems to be a lot of issues in terms of design and integrating information that is actually needed, without information overload. It would also be nice to see integration with several technology blogs to provide news about each of the companies in the database, but so far even this seems to be limited.
Here at Crenk we are keen to help as many startups as possible to get their voices heard. Crenk will now be offering a new form of free advertising.
In the sidebar on every Crenk page we now have some free advertising spots to give away to startups every month. I’m not too sure currently how many spots we will be offering, but will probably be around 6.
Who Can Submit To Get A Free Ad Slot: Any startups (doesn’t matter how big or small)
Slots Available: 6
How Often Do They Change: Monthly. 1st of every month we will have some new startups to try
How to Apply: Send us an email (tips@crenk.com). Subject: Crenk Startup Promotion. Add a link to your startup and a review of approx 50-100 words. Additionally, an Ad that is 125×43
The aim of this promotion is to allow startups some free advertising, while promoting useful services to our readers.
We hope you like this new idea, and we look forward to bring you some great startups you have never heard of.
Just two days ago, www.feedheads.org was brought to my attention. There are plenty of RSS Reader sites out there, but Feedheads offers a different experience by not reinventing the wheel, but rather attaching itself to an already popular social site, Facebook.
At first glance Feedheads is nothing fancy. It almost reminded me of a Craigslist-like site which little to know aesthetics and a focus on information. Personally I don’t care what a site looks like as long as it’s informative and easy to find what I need, the bells and whistles are just icing. So don’t turn away from Feedheads until you’ve given it a try.
To log into the service you need a Facebook account, and you must allow Facebook to provide access to the site, but once you’ve gotten through the set-up you’re logged right into full access for Feedheads.
I admit at first glance I saw no need to really delve into it since there was no social aspect, but attaching to Facebook makes it very different from other RSS sites. From within the site you can introduce your contacts to stories, have them vote on their favorites and even have them join your networks. You’re given the opportunity to view the stories by three categories, “New”, “Top in 24 Hrs.”, and “7 Days”. A separate link will provide you with the days most popular tags, which is useful for a quick at-a-glance of the days topics.
If you’re a heavy Facebook user and you’re looking for new ways to make that your one stop shop for friends, news, and other information, give Feedheads a try. If you’re stuck on looks then perhaps looking elsewhere would be prudent, Feedheads is definitely for the purist.
There are so many social networking sites out there at the moment, but I really find it amazing that the older generation still haven’t caught on to this new phenomenon. Social network sites are amazing because they let everyone communicate with their friends, find people they haven’t seen for a long time, and network with people who have the same interests as them.
I thought I would put together an article that will help the older people find some social networking sites that will actually help them connect with people. So here they are, the top 5 social networks everyone should join.
Myspace – Myspace is the largest social network in the world. They have more users than any other and surprisingly the majority of their users are over 30. Myspace has a key focus around the music industry. If you are looking for a band to listen to or just find out when their next concert is on, then Myspace is the place to find them. Myspace also allows users to customise their own pages, so you can make it look as colourful or as bland as you want. However, I also think this can be the sites downfall from time to time, because I really hate looking at pages that are just either too over the top, or music starts playing, or just unreadable.
Facebook – Facebook is one of the best social networks in the world for actually finding people. Profiles are not customisable and their platform is very clean and slick. They arent focused on pushing through the pageview like Myspace, more importantly they focus on interactions and how users use their site. Facebook has has huge growth in international markets recently, so if you are trying to find a long lost penpal in China, then you might have a chance with Facebook. Facebook is for older users and users who normally have at least a degree. Im not always sure if that is a good thing or not.
Bebo – Bebo is a social network that has just been bought by AOL. It has a strong presence in Ireland and the UK, but predominantly for the younger generation. Bebo also has a focus on bands and artists, but this social network doesn’t really stand out from the crowd. Pages are customisable on the site, but nothing over the top like Myspace.
Hi5 – Hi5 is a social network that is being used a lot by the older generation. It is a social network that is growing in nearly all markets, but doesn’t really have a focus. Hi5 when first launched spent a lot of time trying to spam as many people as possible into joining. That tactic seems to have worked and their are now millions on users online. Hi5 would be a good place to head to find out if your older friends are online, but I would spend a lot of time using this site.
Orkut – Orkut is under the huge Google umbrella. Orkut is a great social network with a huge following in South America as well as other non-english speaking countries. Orkut has a very slick design (as you would expect from Google), plus it seems to be growing in english speaking countries by the day. This social network used to be closed, but now it is completely open and anyone can join.
So those are the top 5 social network sites you should join! Make sure you join and use them when needed, but don’t get to addicted.
Last year AOL paid $275 million for Tacoda. Now, according to Venture Beat, AOL is dropping the brand and rolling the technology into Platform A’s Ad.com unit. This is a move that shows that AOL are trying to actually combined their Ad.com/Platform-A, but are they going about this in the right way? Im also curious to find out what AOL might be doing with the Tacoda technology, because other companies and myself including would be very interested in licensing this technology from AOL! I must admit that these days im sick to seeing ads from Ad.com and other remnant networks, simply because there is no targeting and I know that the publishers are earnings a crazy low CPM for the ads. Thus, the industry is not benefiting from this, neither the publisher, only the ad networks!
Crenk has joined forces with TradeVibes which will see all of the Crenk articles directly syndicated into the TradeVibes database.
TradeVibes is an ever growing company database. The companies posts information about vairous companies, and detailing everything from their address to competitors to its management. In each profiles in the right column it allows the user to stay up-to-date with the news about that specific company. The news is currently being gathered from a variety of sources, such as Techcrunch, RWW and now Crenk.
We have previously written about TradeVibes when they came out of beta. They have since made some big improvements and im looking forward to seeing their site improving in the future.
SocialThing! is our inaugural partner for Crenked Out! Crenked Out! offers free invites to unique products for Crenk Readers. SocialThing is basically a lifestyle or content aggregator. With most people these days having 2 social network profiles, possible a blog or two, a twitter account, pounce account and more, it is hard to keep up with all this information. SocialThing is trying to provide the product that will bring all of these profiles together in a simple environment, which will allow the users to not only keep up-to-date on all their content but even make some connects that werent previously possible.
SocialThing! has been nice enough to offer 300 invites to Crenk readers. First come first served, so head here to signup.
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