MySpace News Beta - Great, but Just One Problem...

MySpace has launched a news aggregator called MySpace News.  Although it has similar features to other social news sites, and was predicted to be a major competitor to Digg.com, it is a little different from Digg, in that there is currently no "friends" feature, there are a lot more news categories, there is no membership (users do not have an ID), and users do not submit stories – they simply vote on what stories are available through the feed.

 

Even though MySpace News is owned by MySpace, users of the news beta are not required at this time to have a MySpace account to vote on stories, and there is no way to know who has voted on a story to make connections with other users with similar interests. (On the plus side, there is also no way to accumulate cyber-stalkers, since no one knows who has voted for which stories.)

 

The aggregator is very good, and I have been pleased with the stories I'm finding in my favorite sections.  Using MySpace News is very easy; just go to http://news.myspace.com, select your categories, and start reading and voting.

 

It might actually replace some web users' current social bookmarkers or news aggregators, except for one problem:  Many places of business, schools, and libraries have blocked MySpace…and this includes the MySpace News Beta.  For MySpace News to ultimately be successful, they will have to find a way around this.  My suggestion?  Change the name.

 

JennSierra

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Digg
Jenn Sierra (author)
MySpace News
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How much of an Internet addict are you?

Take this test to find out.

But then, if you even have to ask, you probably know the answer already!

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Internet addicts
the human condition

"Oops! That wasn't supposed to happen! © Google 2007"

Okay, I'll admit it: 1389, a/k/a the editor of this blog, is the worst Internet junkie on the planet. Among other things, I have upwards of thirty feeds coming into my Google Reader account alone, and when I'm out somewhere, I pick them up on my cellphone with Google Reader Mobile, which is currently in beta test.

Normally, Google Reader Mobile works surprisingly well, even on a cellphone screen not much bigger than a postage stamp.

This past Friday, I clicked on a feed link and got the mysterious message shown in the header of this blog entry.

Obviously, this is not the most helpful error message - neither for the tech support staffer nor for the end user. If any of you happen to know anything about this message, please post a comment here!

More to the point: my attention was especially drawn to the fact that Google included a copyright notice in a message that is such a painfully ironic summation of the human condition.

After all, who among us has not said, or at least thought, the same thing?

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Iran to filter "immoral" mobile messages

Apparently, as in Saudi Arabia, too many frustrated Iranians have been using cellphone instant messaging to circumvent the restrictions on communications regarding sexuality, and on contact between the sexes.

See this story from Reuters.com.

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censorship
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the human condition

What is Web 2.0?

By JennSierra

 

I'm currently in the final stages of my Ph.D. program (Instructional Design for Online Learning), and the topic I've chosen for my dissertation is "The Learner Profile for an Online Social Networker." My particular area of interest for research is the role of Web 2.0 in online education and training.

 

When I explain this to friends and acquaintances, the question inevitably arises, "So, what, exactly, is Web 2.0, anyway?" Good question. The best person to answer this question is Tim O'Reilly, the person who coined the term. For his explanation, see What Is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software.

 

Web 2.0 affects our lives online in the form of blogs, online citizen journalism sites (social news), wiki's, folksonomies, social networking sites, collaborative bookmarking sites, podcasts, aggregators (e.g., RSS), semantic web, collaborative software, and other online scenarios in which users create and share content such as graphics, news, information, technology, creative writing, software, photos, and videos. The original World Wide Web gave us the opportunity to share information by posting what we had to say, and by reading what others had to say. Web 2.0 takes that concept to the next level, by giving us the opportunity to collectively influence what information is available and how the information is distributed to ourselves and others.

 

Because of Web 2.0 technology, there is a growing body of knowledge online that is taking on a life of its own, and it is very influential. If we are interested in the accuracy of the information that is being distributed online, we need to have a voice in this increasingly important global discussion. We need to understand and utilize Web 2.0 if we want this body of knowledge to at least partially reflect our values, attitudes, respect for history, and vision for the future.

 

JennSierra

 

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Time Magazine asks: "Who's Really Participating in Web 2.0?"

This article in Time Magazine looks at the folks who actually provide, comment on, or edit the content that drives the social web.

One important observation is the small proportion of users who upload or edit content on social news websites, as opposed to those who merely visit and view the sites. Pareto's famous 80-20 law doesn't apply to the social web; the proportion of users who contribute content is far smaller.

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social news
Web 2.0

TV and radio ads compete with spam

Television and radio commercials - and not only those low-budget late-night ads - are looking more and more like those offers for fake Viagra, boiler-room get-rich-quick schemes, and worthless diet products that seem to clutter everyone's email.

Billionaire blogger Mark Cuban warns that showing these ads, which are nothing but ripoffs of the consumer, will hurt the reputation and the brand value of the radio or TV station.

In the article Ripoff Commercials = Stupid TV Stations and Networks, Cuban argues that, if a station hasn't sold an ad slot to a quality advertiser, it would be better off not running any ad at all instead of running this garbage. Can't argue with that!

Commenter Trey Tomeny says:

A great observation, Mark. It is especially appalling that so many of the commercials that air on talk radio are for highly questionable get rich quick schemes. Those shows are the product of individual hosts who seem to value their integrity, and then apparently sell it to the highest bidder during the breaks.

By the way, Mark Cuban's blog offers a mobile website - try it and see!

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TV and cellphone signals may provide GPS backup

This article from NewScientistTech.com explains how various characteristics of television and cellular phone signals can be used to pinpoint one's location.

It's more complex and more situation-dependent than using standardized GPS location signals, but on the other hand, it could be a lifesaver for the military if the GPS system is down or is being jammed by an enemy.

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cellular
GPS
military

Foreign cyberspies exploit Microsoft Office

This article in USA Today gives you even more reasons to be careful about opening email attachments. Be advised that cyberspies can be from any country, and they may be looking for your competitive business secrets as well as military or infrastructure data.

Update: Microsoft patches Office, IE 7 flaws.
Make sure that you have installed these patches on your system!

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Covering social news and Web 2.0

Hi!  Nice Moblog.  I noticed the article on writing about social news...are you going to have a social news section?  I'm always looking for good info on that.

Jenn Sierra
www.jennsierra.com

I'm glad you like it.

Instead of sections, Blogger offers labels, which are more flexible. I already have defined a tag for 'social news'. Just click on the label to view them all!

I'd like to welcome you to this blog as a co-author, and I'm looking forward to receiving more posts from you!

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Humor: A blog with funny cat and kitten photos

Rippin' Kitten is another Blogger blog. As the name implies, this one is all about cats.

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Using a proxy IP address for web-surfing privacy

This Computerworld article explains some available options and suggests ways to get started.

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privacy
proxy
tech tips

Do YOU want to write about social news sites?

Here's your chance to have your say!

Hi,

I'm David Cohn, aka Digidave on Digg and Netscape -- and I often write about social news sites for Wired, NewAssignment or my blog.

I'm writing to you because I know you are interested in social news sites like Stumbled Upon, Reddit, and others.

And that's exactly what we are trying to cover at Assignment Zero, a collaboration with Wired -- and you can help. With just 10 minutes of your time, you might just end up in Wired.

We are trying to do networked journalism -- anything you contribute will be like notes on a reporters notebook. Everything is licenced under the creative commons -- and a Wired magazine writer, Jeff Howe, will produce a large feature using this reporting. If he uses anything you produced, he will link back and give you credit. He may even quote you -- who knows.

In addition to research, we also have writing assignments -- and Wired has agreed that any writing assignments that meet their editorial standards could get published on Wired news, so it might be a neat way to become a writer for Wired. You can contribute in 10 minutes -- or if you have more time, you can pick up a writing assignment.

And one of the topics that we are covering is " Social News Sites: The Crowd is the Editor, Duking it Out Over the Day's Top Stories." It's an interesting story, no? Editors used to decide what the most important news of the day was. Now, collectively we decide - and we can decide by whatever measures we want.

It's real easy to contribute -- Just visit this page and click to join the team.

The editor of this page is Christine Riedel, a senior news producer at AOL. And there are already people who have signed up to be members of the team.

If social news sites aren't your thing, we have other topics (from music, to cars, science and film). You can see the entire story shaping up from the homepage just under the latest blog post, or you can search by your interest here.

So what are we looking for? We have specific assignments. Questions about weaving together a timeline of Digg, or looking for other examples of social news sites, explaining what Netscape's meta-journalism is -- Anything is helpful. You can even just re-submit old blog posts that you have written as filed reporting.

Why? Not only to get your name in Wired (or any other blog or news organization that also dives into our reporting) -- the real reason why to do it -- because we are trying to figure something out. Social news sites proved that people want to engage with the news -- directly. Well, here is a way to engage in it too -- by helping to produce it.

And if you have a blog -- why not invite your readers to help you out too? It's an interesting way to engage your readers in a new way. Instead of telling them what's important, you will be inviting them to join you in an ongoing investigation. It will be a challenge in some sense, can you and your readers come together to tackle a specific subject together? You will meet them on a new playing field -- and I bet they'll appreciate that.

Anyways. If you have questions or concerns or anything of that nature -- don't hesitate to email me: david.newassignment@gmail.com

This is a project I really believe in (and I know it can work) -- and as someone that has been swept into social bookmarking for the same reason -- I think you might find some value in it too.

Best,
David Cohn
dcohn1@gmail.com
AssignmentZero.com
Digidave.org

Update: First Take on Assignment Zero

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Humor: Ireland declares war on France

We're all on Paddy's team at the Harp Pub!
Ireland declares war on France

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alcohol
humor

Mobile computing on a budget

This moblog shows what can be done with minimal equipment.

Analyze wrote:

Very nice....you are obviously well connected using mobile devices. What are you using...Blackberry, Treo...? If you don't mind sharing, how much do you have to pay monthly for your internet / mobile phone plan? I'm thinking of getting one. Cheers...

1389 replied:

Actually, I have an ordinary bare-bones Sanyo SCP-7000 cell phone with a 12-key pad, no camera. Nor does it come with any music or video playing features. It's enough for me to type email, including this message!

I don't know offhand what the basic plan costs, but the add-on for unlimited web access, email, and IM is $15/month. The unlimited access through Sprint is what makes it all possible.

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Analyze (author)
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Shared hotspots are on the way

I saw this story at breitbart.com:

Time Warner customers get shared Wi-Fi hotspots

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mobile computing
tech industry
WiFi

What's a moblog, anyway?

According to Wikipedia:

Moblog is a blend of the words mobile and weblog. A mobile weblog, or Moblog, consists of content posted to the Internet from a mobile or portable device, such as a cellular phone or PDA. Moblogs generally involve technology which allows publishing from a mobile device.

Learn about Blogger Mobile here and here.

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Missing blog post header or labels?

If you see a blog post without a header or keyword labels, it's because you are seeing a post that is still "under construction." In other words, the header and labels haven't been attached yet.

I submit some of my posts directly to this blog by instant messaging from my cellular phone. This is called "moblogging" and it lets me post content almost immediately.

These posts will have the posting time and date. However, they won't have headers or labels (a/k/a "tags") until I edit each post to fill in the headers and select the labels.

And yes, I even use Blogger to do some of the editing directly from the cellphone. For short blog posts, I have just enough memory in the phone if I reload the browser before I begin.

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About 1389 Blog
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What this blog was like when it began...

1389 is my nom de guerre, and I am the editor of this blog. I am an IT professional, living in the in the U.S., with thirty years' experience, mostly on IBM mainframes.

I am blogging my thoughts, impressions, and concerns, as well as tech tips and news, mostly from my mobile phone. The phone is a Sanyo SCP-7000, text-only at this time.

This blog will address some technical matters, along with anything else that seems interesting or useful.

There are frequent posts from other authors who have been invited to participate.

If you are wondering why this blog uses such a spare and simple design, it's because it allows this blog's website URL to be used from both a conventional browser and a mobile phone or PDA. That means you can navigate, read, and post comments on blog entries from your mobile device. It avoids the need to build a separate mobile interface. If the main blog page were to have graphics, scroll boxes, or other trimmings, it would require much more memory, and it might also require features that are not implemented on all mobile devices.

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About 1389 Blog
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IBM mainframe
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More about 1389 on this blog.