Blippr is self-proclaimed to be the easiest method for discussing, discovering, and organizing media with your friends. This Twitter-like service allows users to post reviews and comments on books, movies, music, and more; in 160 characters or less. However, this causes me to question the quality of the submitted revie... More >>

Blippr is self-proclaimed to be the easiest method for discussing, discovering, and organizing media with your friends. This Twitter-like service allows users to post reviews and comments on books, movies, music, and more; in 160 characters or less. However, this causes me to question the quality of the submitted reviews. Well, the founders of blippr must have questioned this as well, and have refrained from allowing users to review electronics or other similar products, needing much more than 160 characters for a useful review.<br /> <br /> The blippr user interface is intuitive and easy to use. Users can also search through reviewed material if they are interested in picking up a new book or catching a new movie. An interesting fact is that blippr has now partnered with 12seconds to allow users to post 12 second video reviews on the material, an exciting concept. I see great potential in this service, but a successful revenue model might be tricky to implement.<br /> <br /> Blippr has also made connections with facebook, friendfeed, twitter, Plurk, and jaiku; adding to its "community feel" and compatibility with already popular social networks. Since its beta release, blippr has seen a steady growth in registered users with a huge peak in September. The Blippr staff has also been closely watching the means of communication observing what users are saying about their platform. They have been watching so closely that blog posts and twitter comments have been addressed by the staff within a day or two, a pretty amazing response. This might be the effort needed to keep spreading the word and attracting users.<br /> <br /> Blippr represents an interesting mix of innovation and creativity, now the only factor missing is the money. I assume that the major form of revenue could come from contextual based advertising or through a "Recommend" feature, allowing users to view items they might enjoy, according to the reviews posted; and enabling users to purchase them online as well. This might be the biggest hurdle for blippr to overcome, creating a revenue model. I could see great use for this platform, which has made it fun to review products and quickly recieve the opinions of others around the world, but I would worry about making ends meet to maintain the site and pay the bills simultaneously. << Less

At one point in time, Quotably was heading the movement towards creating a twitter-based service that enhanced the Twitter experience. Following conversations on Twitter became extremely confusing and sometimes even impossible. Quotably's goal was to organize the "Tweets" by author and relevance, and that is ... More >>

At one point in time, Quotably was heading the movement towards creating a twitter-based service that enhanced the Twitter experience. Following conversations on Twitter became extremely confusing and sometimes even impossible. Quotably's goal was to organize the "Tweets" by author and relevance, and that is what founder Ben Tucker accomplished through the use of XMPP feeds.<br /> <br /> However, Twitter soon shut down their feed to third party services except for a couple Twitter favorites, and Quotably was not one of them. This began the quick demise of the Quotably platform. Even while it was still in service, it was deemed inaccurate, but users still swarmed to it since it was one-of-a-kind at the moment; and any help to decipher Twitter conversations became useful. Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time until Quotably would crash, for the competition was growing, and more specifically, Summize arose. Summize was able to do what Quotably set out to accomplish, but accurately. Summize was also allowed access to the feeds after it had been cut off for most other services. Inevitably, it would be natural of Twitter to add its own search feature to resolve the clutter issue, for that would eliminate a great deal of the competition. So, Summize was then acquired by Twitter.<br /> <br /> Despite its downfall, Quotably did in fact represent great market value, for it started the movement and awareness of the need to organize Twitter conversations. From a business standpoint, Quotably was sure to fail. It was not producing revenue since it lacked a revenue model, and without incentive, the effort to sustain Quotably was sure to diminish. However, this is where the beauty of a startup lies - in the level of innovation that comes as a result of them, causing a revolution in its own market. Quotably sparked the rapid movement towards the development of the search feature Twitter now owns. Though it did not make any profit, this was Ben Tucker's passion project, therefore he is most likely happy with the enormous outcome of his actions. << Less

TryMyFashion is a micro-blogging website similar to the notorious Twitter, but with a more specific target audience - fashionistas. Now fashion gurus, or wannabes, can keep friends, or the world, updated on what they are wearing, the current rumors, and fashion news instantly. Not like you can't do this on an already e... More >>

TryMyFashion is a micro-blogging website similar to the notorious Twitter, but with a more specific target audience - fashionistas. Now fashion gurus, or wannabes, can keep friends, or the world, updated on what they are wearing, the current rumors, and fashion news instantly. Not like you can't do this on an already existing platform with a respected reputation and a large userbase, oh yeah... Twitter, but I digress.<br /> <br /> TryMyFashion represents a good concept, but it is not quite unique. Had this been released before Twitter and other micro-blogging sites, then it could have been considered something totally new and innovative, but that isn't the case. It does have plenty frequently submitted text notices, but unfortunately only the same set of users are seen submitting these lines, time and time again.<br /> <br /> This new platform may truly turn into an exceptional communication tool for fashion information or it may simply become an outlet for individuals to brag about their fashion sense and greatness. I'm expecting the latter. Regardless of the outcome, this platform has already started to become a bridge for shameless plugs and advertising to make their way to a computer monitor near you. In order for TryMyFashion to be successful, this needs to be addressed, since users would only want to see useful information.<br /> <br /> TryMyFashion is still new and it will not be fully released until March 1, 2009, but it has a long way to go before it can be considered a contender in its market. It does claim to supports the ONE campaign to raise public awareness on the issues of global poverty, hunger, and disease; but I cannot see how this tool can contribute to such a campaign nor benefit from this status. Most importantly, TryMyFashion is lacking a revenue model, but the founder, Patrick Phelan, has something in mind.<br /> <br /> Phelan is currently working on a Facebook and iPhone application that will support the service he is providing. He has a background in Retail Data Marketing as well as Consulting with ad agencies and entertainment organizations like MTV. He plans on using his relationships to build a revenue model based on contextual advertising, with clothing and accessories retailers, I assume. However, I doubt this will be enough to enter the market and attain a strong position; and until he comes up with a revenue model, TryMyFashion will not be seeing any profit. Much is still left unanswered for the future of this platform, therefore, as of now I would have to stick with a lower than average rating for the interesting attempt but rather incomplete implementation. << Less

Six Apart is a company with an extremely innovative outlook and a highly qualified staff. They have been enabling individuals and companies to create blogs and communities on the web since 2001, when it was merely two adults working from their apartment on dollarshort.org. It is highly likely that most of us have alrea... More >>

Six Apart is a company with an extremely innovative outlook and a highly qualified staff. They have been enabling individuals and companies to create blogs and communities on the web since 2001, when it was merely two adults working from their apartment on dollarshort.org. It is highly likely that most of us have already been using one of Six Apart's services or platforms, for they are the creators of Movable Type, TypePad, Vox, and TypeKey; as well as the long time owners of LiveJournal. <br /> <br /> - What are they doing right? -<br /> <br /> Six Apart has put forth a sure-to succeed strategy through the recruitment of intelligent individuals, good at what they do. They have a clearly defined target audience, online social network users and companies looking to benefit from blogging platforms, which is rapidly growing together with their market opportunity. In fact, the number of US social network users has grown from 60.3 million in 2006, to almost 95 million today. This represents a rapid growing market for Six Apart to play in and exercise its abilities. Six Apart has also expanded on a global scale, partnering with Namics in Switzerland, Nifty, NTT, and Hitachi in Japan, and The Guardian, VNU, Le Monde, Liberation, M6 TV Channel, and Neuf Telecom in Europe.<br /> <br /> - Show me the money -<br /> <br /> Originally, they solely made their profits through their weblog publishing system, Movable Type, until it was relicensed on December 12, 2007 as free software under the GNU General Public License. However, they were also receiving donations from their users until they began to receive funding from the Japanese venture capital firm Neoteny and others. As the company expanded, Six Apart began to develop their other product lines, sold LiveJournal to Moscow based Sup, and gained enterprise customers such as Johnson & Johnson, Warner Bros, Lifetime TV, and Pricewaterhouse Coopers, amongst others.<br /> <br /> Six Apart has also greatly developed their Media Solutions team, managing the ad-space real estate and its revenue. They control the local space on their homegrown products and still manage the ad-space for LiveJournal. Also, outside companies hire Six Apart's Media Solutions team to manage their ad-space and aid them in creating profitable partnerships.<br /> <br /> - But isn't the blogging hype over? -<br /> <br /> Yes, the initial "hype" is over, but that isn't to mean that their blogging products and its usage are no longer needed. Six Apart has matured and has learned to adjust to the market. They are benefitting from turning to social networks, since such networks still use their blogging platforms; and as more people use social networks, there is more to be expressed on individual blogs.<br /> <br /> - Where are they headed? -<br /> <br /> The market Six Apart once began in has quickly expanded and even transformed from pure blogging to community generating. Since then, Six Apart has created many unique technologies such as OpenID and acquired smaller companies such as SplashBlog and Rojo. These events have made Six Apart an industry leader and provided them with the resources needed for continued success. They have always understood the possibilities of enterprise-level blogging and have leveraged their skills to prosper in this market. In fact, the \"Global Enterprise Web 2.0 Market Forecast: 2007 To 2013\" says that corporate Web 2.0 spending will reach $4.6 billion by 2013. This report has also named Six Apart as a major industry player. Therefore, Six Apart will continue to help our community in the creation of blogs and in reaching out to desired audiences. They will also continue to revolutionize the changing course of communication that the blogging world has created. << Less

Rapper RZA (pronounced Riz-uh), a founder of the Wu-Tang Clan, partnered with Chesspark to bring us yet another online Chess platform, WuChess. Their vision is definitely very ambitious, lending the youth a platform for developing their "life strategy skills" while enjoying a long time gaming classic and acce... More >>

Rapper RZA (pronounced Riz-uh), a founder of the Wu-Tang Clan, partnered with Chesspark to bring us yet another online Chess platform, WuChess. Their vision is definitely very ambitious, lending the youth a platform for developing their "life strategy skills" while enjoying a long time gaming classic and accessing Hip Hop exclusives, but seriously for a $48 membership? I don't think so. <br /> <br /> WuChess claims that their platform is perfect for hip hop lovers since it offers "exclusive mp3 downloads" and celebrity appearances to play against you online. Well, rarely has free mp3 downloads of the "exclusive" nature ever been a driving force for modern day consumers to quickly spend $48 on such a silly product. <br /> <br /> Wuchess does represent a great attempt with some potential, but here are the reasons why it won't work:<br /> <br /> 1. There are plenty other online chess platforms available for everyone; and you are sure to find other hip hop lovers on there as well.<br /> 2. Who is to say that these celebrity appearances (which manifest themselves as merely a name on your screen) are legitimate or even exciting to users?<br /> 3. The gameplay itself isn't something users are excited for, since the original chess pieces have been changed to WuChess' own images of ninjas, temples, and the WuTang icon among other symbols. This means users will need to get used to the new pieces before playing to the best of their abilities.<br /> 4. WuChess' goal was to guarantee a competitive platform, but they definitely do fall a bit short here since there aren't many members on WuChess yet.<br /> 5. $48 to play a game that can be accessed totally for free on hundreds of sites with many active members doesn't sound too appealing.<br /> <br /> A noteworthy fact is that WuChess does plan on giving a portion of their revenue (10%-20%) to Hip Hop Chess Federation's scholarship fund. A strategic move probably put in place to simply allow users a reason to justify the spending of $48, not a sincere feeling of social responsibility. Though I wish WuChess the best, I don't expect this to become the next best thing for hip hop lovers or chess addicts. << Less

Will a 12 second video be the breakthrough you need for your singing career? Will a 12 second pitch be the turning point for your company? There is only one way to find out, posting your 12 second clip on 12seconds.tv! Founders Sol Lipman, Jacob Knobel, and David Beach have brought to us an innovative communication pla... More >>

Will a 12 second video be the breakthrough you need for your singing career? Will a 12 second pitch be the turning point for your company? There is only one way to find out, posting your 12 second clip on 12seconds.tv! Founders Sol Lipman, Jacob Knobel, and David Beach have brought to us an innovative communication platform that is nonetheless their labor of love. <br /> <br /> While I was skeptical at first, I quickly realized the potential this startup represents. Yes, 12 seconds is a tight window of time, but it removes the stress out of finding compelling material to keep viewers entertained. Most vlog posts and YouTube videos run for longer than they should anyway. It also encourages users to find new creative energy to post mini videos which would probably not exist if the 12 second limitation did not exist. <br /> <br /> 12seconds.tv also gives users incentives to post new videos and a creativity booster through their daily challenges. It is definitely fun to participate in these challenges and users are often rewarded for their involvement. 12seconds' innovation has helped it evolve in ways unforeseen. This site has a community of over 10,000 loyal and passionate users making it a truly unique experience. The user response has been surprising for many different reasons. For example, the Roger Smith Hotel uses 12seconds to post their daily lunch special, an implementation that the founders did not expect but are extremely happy with.<br /> <br /> The success has been such that there is even an iPhone application available to allow iPhone owners to post their own 12 second clips from wherever they find themselves. 12second.tv has also partnered with blippr, a micro-review website, TweetDeck, a Twitter client, and Phreadz, another vlogging service, adding to their compatibility and user availability. Be on the lookout for many new creative posts and innovative video clip implementations that would not exist if it weren't for 12seconds.tv! <br><span class=\"add_review\">On 01/05/2009, Michael added:</span><br> I felt it is noteworthy enough to mention that 12seconds.tv is in fact a side project; the creators have other jobs that pay the bills and they have yet to accept any VC money. It is very interesting how successful this project has been, despite the fact that it is a side dish without venture capitalist funding. Kudos to the founders for working on something they are passionate about, resulting in such a fun and innovative Web 2.0 tool. << Less

As a frequent visitor at TechCrunch, I can tell you that it is an exceptional blog bringing us all the news on Web 2.0 products and companies. TechCrunch has many times been among the first to review new products and reveal important news; always with an excellent interface and efficient layouts. According to Technorat... More >>

As a frequent visitor at TechCrunch, I can tell you that it is an exceptional blog bringing us all the news on Web 2.0 products and companies. TechCrunch has many times been among the first to review new products and reveal important news; always with an excellent interface and efficient layouts. According to Technorati, TechCrunch is the fourth most popular blog on the net, topped only by Gizmodo and The Huffington Post.<br /> <br /> TechCrunch went through an interface redesign earlier this year, optimizing the user's experience while on the site. The new design helps the page load much quicker and looks less cluttered. This layout is much more logical and the navigation has been made even easier, which I didn't even think was possible. The older layout featured each blog as full posts, but now they are only shown as excerpts, helping the reader browse through the headlines and snippets before choosing what interests them.<br /> <br /> TechCrunch has become a premier blog together with the other blogs in its network: CrunchGear, CrunchBase, TechCrunchIT, MobileCrunch, and TechCrunch UK. This has become the blog of choice for many internet users, giving it a leading position in its market. In fact, many new web start-ups can even trace their success to a TechCrunch review, showing us how powerful this site has become. I predict TechCrunch will continue to impress us and expand its influence in the Web 2.0 world. In fact, they should give out some cool TechCrunch T-shirts just for the heck of it; maybe we\'ll see some Twitter posts boasting the next best thing in fashion since bell bottoms. << Less

Blogging has now evolved to a quick-and-dirty stream of consciousness expressed in many different forms such as links, quotes, and pictures. This new form of creative expression has been called tumbling, a term coined by a blog post at RedHanded.hobix.com. (More >>

Blogging has now evolved to a quick-and-dirty stream of consciousness expressed in many different forms such as links, quotes, and pictures. This new form of creative expression has been called tumbling, a term coined by a blog post at RedHanded.hobix.com. (http://redhanded.hobix.com/inspect/tumbleloggingAssortedLarvae.html) Tumblr has made tumbling extremely easy and lots of fun through their user-friendly online platform. <br /> <br /> Tumblr has many features that have led it to its success and denotes its innovative potential:<br /> <br /> - Mobile access - post text and photos from a phone through an email address<br /> - Mobile browsing - mobile-friendly URL for viewing your tumblelog on-the-go<br /> - Mac widget - instant Tumblr access without needing a browser<br /> - Partners - YouTube or DailyMotion video incorporation through its URL<br /> - RSS feeds - easily add your Flickr, Last.fm, YouTube, and other content to your tumblelog<br /> - Tumblverse - unique world map showing you where users have been posting blogs from, in real time<br /> <br /> However, Tumblr might have just been lucky or the makers were completely genius. This platform is a prime example of a good idea well executed at the right time. Had Tumblr been launched after the development of Vox and other related services, I doubt it would have entertained any success. Nonetheless, Tumblr now has a large following and many loyal users posting daily, maintaining its success and encouraging new users to join.<br /> <br /> - Random noteworthy facts -<br /> <br /> Users are unable to make posts private; it is there for the world to see and you can't do anything about it. There is no way for other users to provide feedback in the form of comments, as is the norm with other services of the same nature. However, there is the ability to fully customize your style through HTML, yielding some pretty impressive themes. Users can also choose their own URL in the form of title.tumblr.com<br /> <br /> I would like to see where Tumblr is headed in the future, in light of all the new blogging/vlogging/tumbling sites that have been released and will continue to roll out. I expect it to continue to be an industry leader and innovator but they must keep up the work in order to maintain their current position. One thing is certain, Tumblr must be grateful for its original users since they are probably the main reasons others continue to join. << Less

Anymails is a creative attempt at bringing a visual experience to your email inbox. It has put forth an innovative twist on the current text-based systems. Designed by Carolin Horn as her thesis at the Dynamic Media Institute at the Massachusetts College of Art, her objective was to offer users an alternate experience ... More >>

Anymails is a creative attempt at bringing a visual experience to your email inbox. It has put forth an innovative twist on the current text-based systems. Designed by Carolin Horn as her thesis at the Dynamic Media Institute at the Massachusetts College of Art, her objective was to offer users an alternate experience of their email world. Microbes were used as the live icons representing each message.<br /> <br /> Each microbe species represents a different category, such as school, work, family, etc. Then within each species the microbes could be larger or smaller, showing the message's age; as well as other characteristics denoting different attributes. Anymails has an interesting grouping feature implemented when a certain "animal" is chosen. When you click on a microbe, a text box appears with information about the email and other related animals swim next to it forming a group. The user has full control of how to allow microbes to group, by sender, delivery date, size, etc. <br /> <br /> The creative outlook Anymails represents seems to substitute for its usefulness. I don't expect to see people using this, if it ever becomes commercially available. This can be an interesting project to work on, but once it is completed, it will have nowhere to go. Especially with the amount of email traffic the average user experiences today, Anymails does not seem like a practical way of viewing your messages. Most users want to quickly scan what a message is about, many times deciding within seconds if it is even worth opening. Though extremely innovative, Anymails makes this process complicated and has little, if any, market value. << Less

Ever since smart phones, such as the iPhone, Tmobile Dash, and Google's G1, have become mainstream, there has been little difference between an SMS message and an IM. Globaltel Media is further bridging the gap between the world's 1.5 billion internet users and the 3.3 million wireless devices with its new IM-to-SMS pl... More >>

Ever since smart phones, such as the iPhone, Tmobile Dash, and Google's G1, have become mainstream, there has been little difference between an SMS message and an IM. Globaltel Media is further bridging the gap between the world's 1.5 billion internet users and the 3.3 million wireless devices with its new IM-to-SMS platform, Cherple. <br /> <br /> Cherple allows you to go onto their website and send IM invites to any cell phone through SMS messages. You can then commence an IM-like conversation after the invitation has been accepted. Cherple's interface is extremely user-friendly and intuitive. It is very simple to use and will have you chatting away in no time.<br /> <br /> This service can render itself extremely useful in a vast number of situations. If you're home and don't have an unlimited SMS plan, you could use your computer to text your friends. If your phone dies and you charger is nowhere to be found, then here is your solution. This could also be a useful tool if you lose your phone, are at work and can't be seen on your phone, or are simply bored.<br /> <br /> The one question I did ask myself is why will Cherple succeed if AIM, meebo, and other similar services have already offered this feature? The answer is far simpler than you might expect; merely because those services were not able to make this feature popular and therefore it might not have seemed easy to use. However, Cherple does have a couple other differentiators. Cherple has created downloadable platforms for Windows and Mac, as well as applications that work within Myspace and Facebook, an exciting implementation of this PC-to-mobile communication service. The only major limitation is that it is currently only compatible with US mobile phones. <br /> <br /> I am anxious to see where Cherple is headed. Hopefully they will broaden their service and allow the communication with all phones on a global scale. If they manage to make this possible, Cherple just might be the next best thing since the telephone. << Less