Skeptic over at Dead “Twenty” – inside joke– ran an impressive post today regarding the ideas, benefits, and consequences of blogs taking VC funding. I’ll run a few excerpts, but make sure to jump over there and read the full article. He starts by asking, “So the question is, can bloggers successfully build businesses that are worth funding?” Then continues, “An even better question is: why raise the money?” His post explores the market as well as high profile funded…
Reaching the Blogosphere Part Duex – working with enthusiasts to attract customers
My article…Part 2 of who-knows-how-many in a series to help up-and-coming PR professionals (and those verterans who are wondering when the hell blogs became part of the PR mix) just ran on Forward Moving. “Blogger relations is an important addition to a PR program because enthusiast bloggers within a given community/market can strongly influence consumer behavior. According to Technorati, it is tracking more than 51.5 million blogs, of which, many are speaking to and advising your customers on their next…
Lifebits, the Future of Personal Content Sharing?
A friend of mine let me know about his latest venture. Alex Limberis is the CEO of a new Silicon Valley startup, Lifebits. Lifebits is a personal content sharing service that makes it easier for the average consumer to capture, catalog and share their digital memories. Alex and company are genuinely excited about this service and it will formally launch within the next couple of months. Lifebits aims to solve real problems for real consumer that capture a lot of…
China Opens Halfway House for Internet Addicts
Reuters ran an interesting story this morning. Mainland China opened its first halfway house for Internet addicts, which offers teenagers counseling, books — and the use of computers???? The shelter can hold four minors for one-night stays, which is intended to provide a sanctuary between them and their parents. Since online gaming has exploded in China over the years, an estimated 14 million people have jumped in to feverishly accelerate the growth. Even with a halfway house, it’s simply no…
Travelers Take Flight to World Wikia – a Free, Editable Travel Directory
Gil Penchina of Wikia just gave me a heads up on their latest announcement. Travellers and contributors to its recently launched World Wikia project have already compiled over 1,000 original articles in less than one month. For those unfamiliar with the launch, World Wikia is a free, fully editable worldwide guide of places to go and things to do. The home page for World Wikia greats visitors, “Welcome to World Wikia a free travel directory that you can edit.” It…
Web 2.0 Bullsh**t Generator
Alright, while we’re at it…guess who holds the number one spot on Blogpulse? Nope, not TechCrunch, it’s the The Web 2.0 Bullshit Generator™ brought to you by Emptybottle.org. According to the homepage, “The web is getting hot and sweaty again, and the dollars are flying almost as fast as the bullshit.” That statement couldn’t be more accurate. As someone working in PR and writing for this site, you have no idea how many of these verbs, adjectives, and market disruptors…
Web 2.0 Logo Creatr Climbs to #15 on BlogPulse
This is a hilarious and painfully accurate parody of the unique world of Web 2.0 logos…although we’re missing lime green here. The Web 2.0 Logo Creatr by Alex P. has created a small frenzy on the web and managed to climb to # 15 on the latest BlogPulse analysis report. When asked why he created this site (by himself in a mock interview), Alex P. responded with, “This is meant to be a parody of Web 2.0 Logos. While they…
Laughing Squid – The Valleywag / TechCrunch Peace Accord
Photo credit: Scott Beale Thank you to Scott Beale of Laughing Squid for the TechCrunch7 reference earlier… From Laughing Squid: “Monkey Notions has made an excellent video about the Valleywag / TechCrunch Peace Accord using my photo of the now famous, less-than-enthusiastic handshake between Nick Douglas of Valleywag and Michael Arrington at the TechCrunch 7 Party.” Quoting Brian Solis on Flickr: TechCrunch7 Party $100,000 Open Bar $50,000 Picture of Mike and Nick shaking hands, Priceless… Tags: nick douglas, valleywag, techcrunch,…
Frank Quattrone – The Rise, The Fall, The Rise 2.0?
Photo credit: AP via SFGate Finally, some closure is this case which has spanned years, two separate trials and millions of tax-payer dollars… According to the Associated Press, former investment banker Frank Quattrone reached a deal today that eliminates the need for third trial and more importantly, allows his criminal case to be dismissed. Also, NASD – back in June – dismissed all charges against Quattrone. You may remember the details of the case, but if not, Quattrone joined Credit…
NMRCast #5 – On Air with "For Immediate Release" Regarding New Press Release Template
Last week I joined Chris Heuer, Shel Holtz, and Tom Foremeski for the latest edition of the NMR (New Media Release) for Shel Holtz’s popular For Immediate Release (FIR) podcast. The NMRCast #5: “The Content Episode,” is available online here. In This Edition: New Media Release wiki Free Josh Wolf wiki XPRL working group website Google Groups mailing list for New Media Release discussion (please join!) Content summary:Participants: Chris Heuer, Tom Foremski, Brian Solis, Shel Holtz. The discussion covered the…
