Techcrunch
CallWave Delists From NASDAQ; Fuze Meeting Rises From The Ashes
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It's not easy to launch a successful WebEx competitor. Most businesses have long since established their "system" for dealing with web meetings, using old standbys like WebEx or GoToMeeting. And those businesses that are willing to venture into the unknown have had plenty of cheaper alternatives to choose from, like DimDim, for quite a while. But that isn't keeping CallWave from launching one of its own, dubbed Fuze Meeting. And while it's not going to be an easy space to compete in, Fuze Meeting doesn't disappoint. As far as startups go, the history of the company is pretty unique. CallWave was founded in 1998 and went public in 2004, trading on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol CALL. After reaching a peak soon thereafter of over $15 per share, the stock dropped steadily, dipping as low as 50 cents early this year. Deciding to cut its losses, the company delisted itself from NASDAQ on Monday after buying back shares from public shareholders at a 44% premium over the current market value and paying out a total of $10 million. CMO Patrick Moran says that the company did this on its own accord, and that its hand wasn't pushed by any banks or VCs. CallWave will soon change its name to Fuze Box to reflect its new position as a startup.
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Outsource Your Beta Testing To Prefinery (Invites)
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The beta testing stage can be the cornerstone to the successful development of a new site. And many startups have to conduct and implement beta testing of sites, surveys and analytics internally, which can be an daunting task when you are launching a site. Prefinery lets startups outsource the whole beta invite process, from start to finish. Prefinery is offering 100 TechCrunch readers with beta invites to test the site. You can sign up here. Use the invitation code "TECHCRUNCH" when signing up for the service. Prefinery's ambition is to create a valuable first experience for beta testers and to help startups in collecting and organizing information that will result in a better product. Prefinery will do anything and everything when it comes to the beta testing process. The service will create a splash page for your product, generate an HTML sign-up form with fields and survey questions, create an automatic welcome e-mail/message, take signups into a queue, approve users, and trigger invite e-mail. The service will also generate invite codes and assign quantities.
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Microsoft And Linux Hold Peace Tweets
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Okay, it's not exactly the Camp David Summit that took place in 2000 between the Israelis and the Palestinians, but sometimes the littlest gestures can go a long way. A couple of days ago, upon hearing that Microsoft had officially joined Twitter, the official Linux account sent out a tweet welcoming them. "Welcome to Twitter, @Microsoft!," they said. The tweet sat unanswered for over a day, and it seemed like Microsoft may never answer. But about a few hours ago, they did. "@Linux thanks, nice to be here," they replied.
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Video: 50 Cent Confronts Sexman
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I don't recall how the YouTube user Pruane2Forever, aka "Sexman", came on my radar, but I definitely remember a few of his videos from a couple years ago. (Here's a old favorite — Not Safe For Work.) Basically, it's this kid who does movie and new media reviews that are (or at least used to be) unintentionally hilarious. These days, he apparently has quite the following on YouTube, as he has over 150 videos that range in popularity from tens of thousands of views to over a million. One of his most popular ones was a video from 4 months ago in which he calls out rapper 50 Cent. Sexman wonders how 50 still has "street cred" after doing endorsements for Vitamin Water, makeup and dildos (I'm not kidding). "What else is he gonna do? 50 Cent diapers for your little gangsta?," Sexman wonders at one point. He concludes that 50 Cent is "just a media whore!" Well, 50 Cent has responded. Yesterday, the rapper posted a video alongside Sexman, who apparently flew from Canada to New York to meet up at the rapper's request.
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TechCrunch50: You Want Advertising? We’ll Give You Advertising
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Despite our best intentions, it looks like the DEMO v. TechCrunch50 war will continue, even with DEMO under new management. In 2007 we launched the first TechCrunch50 event - a place where companies can launch to rabid fans and tech press. These launching companies are the stars of the show, and they don't pay a cent to attend. We thought DEMO's longstanding policy of forcing launching companies to pay a $20,000 fee was ridiculous, and led the conference organizers to make decisions based not on the merits of the startups but simply on who was willing and able to pay. Not only do we let startups launch for free, we give the top one a $50,000 prize. Our conference has grown rapidly - nearly 2,000 people attended TechCrunch50 last year while DEMO languished in San Diego with a paltry few hundred. To be fair, our events were on the exact same dates, so they were hit doubly hard. This year we moved our dates to give them some breathing room. We thought we were done battling DEMO. But today DEMO announced that they're giving away a "massive" prize - $2 million in advertising credits - to the top two startups at the event. The press is eating it up, saying that TechCrunch50 looks paltry in comparison. Of course, there's a catch. The "advertising" is remnant stuff on IDG properties (IDG owns DEMO) and will certainly be priced at rate card. They'll also charge for creative and other expenses. Meaning there is very little actual value. I'm guessing that the amount of advertising actually delivered would be in the tens of thousands of dollars of value, at best. And, of course, every startup launching still needs to pay to launch. But whatever. You want adverting? We'll give you advertising.
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Crunchnotes
Sam Sethi: The Lawsuit
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Description: Many of you know all about Sam Sethi, the former TechCrunch writer who left after a disagreement and then went on to create BlogNation. Two days ago Sethi filed a lawsuit against us for libel and other issues. As we always do, we’re posting the litigation threats and will continue to fight the litigation [...]
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ETA Bombs Spanish Newspaper
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Description: The ETA may or may not have a legitimate goal in demanding Basque independence, but bombing a building full of journalists is no way to win karma points or influence people.
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Sarah Lacy Book Tour - I’m In
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Description: Sarah Lacy, the author of the book “Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good,” is thinking of doing a book tour. Start things off here in Atherton, Sarah. I’ll do the first one at my house. See my interview with Sarah on the new book here.
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We Don’t Do Reprints
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I’m going with what Mathew Said
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Description: I already picked one blog fight today. So on the other issue, I’m going with what Mathew Ingram said.
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Mashable
HOW TO: Discover and Get Feedback On New Web Apps
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Description:
This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark.
Name: Launchly
Quick Pitch: Launchly showcases new websites to an audience to help site owners get the attention and feedback necessary to succeed.
Genius Idea: It’s hard to stand out and get attention for web applications and new websites. You can build a Twitter app over a weekend and get no traction because you don’t know where to promote it. Or maybe you need some feedback and advice on your newly launched website. Launchly does this, but instead of just showcasing a startup and letting it fall by the wayside, Launchly allows apps to resubmit new iterations and build on their ideas.
Essentially, Launchly is a Digg for startups. You submit your site to Launchly and include a short sentence description, a long description, the type of feedback you’re seeking, screenshots, related tags, and you can be up and running on the Launchly homepage. After that, it works a lot like Digg, in that users can rate your website up or down, comment on it, and share the webpage via Facebook, Twitter, and Digg. This can really affect how visible your web app is on the site.
The key to Launchly though is the iterations feature, which allows you to take the feedback you receive and submit a new version of your website to the service. This allows for a new round of feedback once you’ve made upgrades. You also receive some analytics on Launchly user engagement and social media buzz.
The catch, of course, is that this service isn’t free – the lowest-priced plan costs $40, with more expensive and feature-rich plans coming soon. The price is understandable, when you consider that valuable feedback can make or break a website. However, Launchly is very new itself and thus hasn’t hit the critical mass necessary to really get the community needed to justify the cost yet.
Launchly’s value is directly correlated with its community. As it grows, the value of a launch on the website will grow, but this also means that in its early stages, it is tough to shell out $40 for such little visibility. Launchly would do well to focus on building a strong community and offering promotions or discounts to startups to get the ball rolling. If it can gain enough momentum, there could be some real value.
Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark
BizSpark is a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.
Entrepreneurs can take advantage of the Azure Services platform for their website hosting and storage needs. Microsoft recently announced the “new CloudApp()” contest – use the Azure Services Platform for hosting your .NET or PHP app, and you could be the lucky winner of a USD 5000* (please see website for official rules and guidelines).”
Reviews: Digg, Facebook, PHP, Twitter
Tags: launchly
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A Special Summer of Social Good Thank You
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This week we ran a special Summer of Social Good charity promotion and many of you got involved. Mashable and the whole Summer of Social Good team would like to thank everyone who donated, tweeted, retweeted and showed their support. While the promotion might be over now, because of the great response we will be doing this every week rolled into our Monday announcement posts for donors over $20 and $100. Just make sure to read the rules and forward your receipt to SocialGood at Mashable.
On Monday we have a special fun week planned involving video and prizes, so make sure to stay tuned to @Mashable and @SocialGood for details.
Our $100+ Donors:
Shannon Raybold
Twitter: @skraybold
Facebook Causes: United Against Malaria
Facebook Causes: Nothing But Nets
Twitter: @uamalaria
Chris Bennett
Twitter: @chrisbennett
97th Floor: www.97thfloor.com
BlvdStatus: www.blvdstatus.com
Firefox Add-on: Social Media for Firefox
Steve Haweeli
Twitter: @SteveHaweeli
WordHampton: www.WordHampton.com
DishingOnDining: www.DishingOnDining.com
Chris Brogan: Shoutout to Chris Brogan
BuzzEdition
Twitter: @BuzzEdition
Twitter: @BCCF
Facebook Fan Page: BuzzEdition
Facebook Causes: Black Card Circle Foundation
Jeff Elder
Twitter: @JeffElder
About: Biz and Tech columnist at The Charlotte Observer
The Broprah Show: Broprahshow.com
Skafish
Twitter: @Skafish
Blog: Skafish Blog
Facebook: Facebook Profile
CollaborateMD
Twitter: @CollaborateMD
Facebook Fan Page: CollaborateMD
Blog: CollaborateMD Blog
Susan’s Soaps
Twitter: @SusanSoaps
Store: SusanSoaps.com
Blog: Susan’s Soaps Blog
Facebook Fan Page: Susan’s Soaps & More
B. Johansen Newman
Twitter: @JohansenNewman
Barbara Johansen Newman: johansennewman.com
“Thinking Out Loud” Blog: Cats and Jammers Studio
Design Blog: Design Rocket
Frank Barry
Twitter: @franswaa
Blog: NetWits Think Tank
Blog Post: Social Media For Nonprofits
Blog Post: Social Media Strategy: LIVESTRONG and the Summer of Social Good
Our $20+ Donors:
Michelle Farabough (Google Profile)
Thanks to the Summer of Social Good Sponsors
Thanks to Zappos and MailChimp for sponsoring the Summer of Social Good. Their generous sponsorship covers the campaign and event costs, so that 100% of your donations and ticket sales go to the fund.
“Visit Zappos.com and outfit your life with a new head-to-toe wardrobe for men, women, and kids! Step into all the clothes, bags, shoes and more from all your favorite brand names! Plus, enjoy our 365-day return policy, fast & free shipping, free return shipping & 24-hour customer service!”
“MailChimp is a powerful, easy-to-use email marketing service. You design, me deliver.
We make it easy to send email newsletters to your customers, manage your subscriber lists, and track campaign performance. Unlike some of our competitors, we don’t ‘dumb things down.’ We take extremely powerful tools that sophisticated marketers use (like segmentation, a/b testing, and ROI tracking), and we make them accessible to anyone.”
Thanks to our Summer of Social Good Partners
Thanks to the following partners for lending their generous support to the Summer of Social Good.
Reviews: Facebook, Mashable, Twitter
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Michael Jackson’s Memorial: The Biggest Web Event in History?
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The web’s response to the passing of music legend Michael Jackson has been staggering. Social media was pounded with tributes last Thursday after the news broke, but next Tuesday could be a huge test for the entire infrastructure of the web, when the memorial for Michael Jackson will take place.
The tribute and remembrance of the late King of Pop occurs next Tuesday (July 7th) at 10:00 AM PT at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Beyond the 17,500 tickets that will be given away to fans and the millions more that will converge on downtown L.A., the memorial will be live streamed free via the web and media outlets across the world.
This event will almost certainly shatter records for the biggest single live stream ever, and could be one of the biggest worldwide media events in history. Will the web be able to handle it?
The details
The splash page of the Staples Center
Although details are sparse, CBS News does a good job of breaking down the information currently available. Here are the key points:
- The memorial will occur at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. 17,500 tickets will be randomly drawn in an online lottery available until 6 PM PT July 4th. Only U.S. residents qualify
- 8750 names will be selected Sunday, each of which will receive 2 tickets to the memorial
- There will be a simulcast in the Nokia Theater
- There will be a free live stream on the Internet available to all. Details on how the stream will be distributed are currently unavailable
- However, we suspect that thousands of stream will be available from media companies and live stream services around the world
The demand was so high for these tickets that the Staples Center website has had trouble staying up, and in fact took down almost every non-essential image and menu to keep the website up. This could be a prelude to the worldwide response we’ll see next Tuesday.
What will Jackson’s memorial mean for the web?
If you remember back in January, there was another historic event that blew us away: the Obama inauguration. Here are some of the staggering numbers from CNN and Facebook.
- 200,000+ status updates through the Facebook integration on CNN.com
- 3,000 people commented on the Facebook CNN feed per minute
- CNN served 13.9 million live video streams globally in about 6 hours
- Don’t forget about the millions of other live streams and TV viewers that watched worldwide.
Now, throw all those numbers out the window, because Michael Jackson’s memorial is almost certain to utterly overshadow Obama. Not even Obama consumed 30% of Twitter and set traffic records at Yahoo.
With the world mourning and a specific time and place set for the memorial, we may very well see the entire web converge on this one event. There will likely be thousands of streams worldwide via platforms such as Justin.tv and Ustream (the latter of which has a deal with CBS to stream events like this one). It’s also certain that Twitter, Facebook, and the social web will be booming with commentary on the event.
How many people will watch Jackson’s memorial? Can the web’s biggest players handle the massive traffic that will ensue? Will there be enough bandwidth? Could this event be the single media event in history? The answers to these questions will not only be a testament to Jackson’s impact on the world, but may very well set records that will last in history.
Perhaps most of all, the web will allow people to come together to celebrate Jackson’s life, no matter who they are or where they live.
Reviews: Facebook, Twitter, ustream
Tags: jackson memorial, justin.tv, michael jackson, ustream
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Geocaching Down, Too
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Today a fire hit a major datacenter in Seattle, taking money processor Authorize.Net down. This has caused many web-based financial transactions to grind to a halt, but Authorize.Net isn’t the only website that’s gone offline today.
Another popular website has fallen, Geocaching.com, a worldwide GPS-based treasure hunting game, leaving thousands of people trying to figure out just what’s going on and why it went down. Wikipedia explains the game’s worldwide reach:
Geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunting game in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers (called “geocaches” or “caches”) anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a small waterproof container (usually a tupperware or ammo box) containing a logbook and “treasure,” usually toys or trinkets of little value.
Geocaches are currently placed in over 100 countries around the world and on all seven continents, including Antarctica. There are over 820,000 active geocaches in the world right now.
While the fire may or may not be responsible for this specific outage (we cannot confirm), it’s clearly had an effect on the entire web. Even Microsoft’s search engine Bing was affected, specifically Bing Travel.
We will provide updates on Geocaching and Authorize.Net as we receive the information.
Tags: geocaching
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Shooting at Arlington Apple Store [News Video]
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A somewhat distressing tech story today: a female employee at the Arlington Apple Store was shot in the shoulder this morning by a man who rang the doorbell at the back of the store. Fortunately the employee is said to be recovering in hospital. It’s thought the motive was attempted robbery.
According to ABC7 news, the shooting happened shortly after 10 a.m. at the Apple Store located at 2700 Clarendon Blvd. A search for the suspect is underway.
The Washington Post adds that the suspect is “a black male, between the ages of 35 and 45, with a medium build and facial hair. He was last seen fleeing the area on foot, wearing a light-colored, short sleeve shirt, light-colored long pants and a dark baseball cap. He was carrying a handgun.”
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eHub di Emily Chang
The Photographer’s Ephemeris
Date Published: 2009-07-04T01:47:00-08:00
Description: Ephemeris is an Adobe AIR application for photographers, primarily those who take landscape vista’s and need to calculate accurately the times of sunrise and sunset to achieve that perfect shot.
Tags: Photography
gdgt
Date Published: 2009-07-03T06:38:00-08:00
Description: A new kind of technology site -- a social gadget platform that enables you to connect with the community through your gadgets, and connect with your gadgets through the community. It's a place for you to engage with your devices and hang out with people who are as passionate about their gear as you are. (Disclosure: Emily Chang's company, Ideacodes, did the design for gdgt)
Tags: Electronics, Reviews, Ratings, Ranking, Social web
Tripntale
Date Published: 2009-06-30T07:23:01-08:00
Description: Helps you showcase your travel with maps, photos, videos and journals.
Tags: Publishing, Travel
Philtro
Date Published: 2009-06-29T07:21:01-08:00
Description: Lets you rate tweets so you can find the most interesting, relevant tweets first. It's like a spam filter for your Twitter account. Currently in private beta but eHub users can get immediate access via the link.
Tags: Twitter
Task.fm
Date Published: 2009-06-26T07:19:00-08:00
Description: New web based reminder app. uses semantic technology to provide a simple and intuitive way to create sms, phone and email reminders. Unlike every other "reminder" app, Task.fm doesn't require the user to enter the event, date and time. Rather, the user can enter a string such as "meeting with bob next tuesday at noon" and the task.fm does the rest by extracting the vital info required to create a reminder. The site was created by a 21yo Australian entrepreneur.
Tags: Organizing and cataloging
Del.icio.us
More thinking about blogs rather than Blackboard
Date Published: 2009-07-04T02:35:05Z
Description: Stephen Downes
Tags: educação opinião stephen downes education web2.0 blog blogs
www.lesliefisher.com : Handouts
Date Published: 2009-07-04T02:35:00Z
Description:
Tags: technology web2.0 resources necc09
mybooo.com
Date Published: 2009-07-04T02:33:41Z
Description:
Tags: desktop web2.0 online storage collaboration
Handouts and Downloads | Discovery Education Speakers Bureau
Date Published: 2009-07-04T02:31:20Z
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Tags: handouts web2.0 discovery halldavidson hall_davidson resources howto
Useful Tools
Date Published: 2009-07-04T02:30:58Z
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Tags: beta apps webware downloads software community web2.0 reviews
