Hospital Patients and Live Publishing

I'm between conference sessions, so no time to comment, but there's an interesting post at TechieNewsCentral.

Balancing UGC Value & Editorial Value

As User Generated Content becomes prevalent, the means to trim out the crap become increasingly interesting. Voting is one (see Netscape, where “News” has a default view of user comments & votes – burying the rest of the article).

Think of small-town papers, historically: as gossip runs amok, a professional journalist & editor present their “truth.” Official media has always been a 2^nd channel, next to UCG.

So, conceptually, how do we balance the value (editor vs. UGC)?

In March I posted about a British newspaper gives you two sliders to sort the news. I found I liked to compare the two extremes (most read vs. editor picks); that was more valuable to me than either one of the options alone.

And, WeShow, a British-based Video recommendation site launched last week – where editors bring you videos (from YouTube & everywhere else) that you might find valuable. So much for the (often lousy) user recommendations on YouTube.

BTW – I found this video on making XP run faster on WeShow.

Auto-Suggest Search (it's a feature)

I have the Google Toolbar on my FireFox browser, I’ve watched it guessing what I’m typing.

Type "duke," for example, and it shows you a list with

"duke university,"
"dukes of hazard,"
"duke nukem,"
"duke Ellington," and
"duke power."

It’s especially helpful when you’re not sure what words to search for to get the best results. (If your Google toolbar doesn’t do this, you need to get the latest.)

I have told people about it, marveled at it, and wondered why it isn’t on all search interfaces—only realizing today that indeed, other platforms are standardizing to it.

Yahoo! announced the feature release, though it sounds more like an upgrade.

Google explains the feature here, but strangely, still won’t add it to their primary page (Google.com) – instead, you have to go here (or, get the latest toolbar).

Of course, the good news is, they’re not selling advertising placement in these suggested search strings, such as “duke Ellington – buy his albums here”

Btw - Google would like your feedback: mailto:labs+suggest@google.com.

Plaxo Pulse

As I posted recently, I’m playing with Plaxo to integrate my contacts from Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo, AOL & MSM – and loving it.

I also noted that the one drawback seems to be that it’s not an email client.

However, somehow I completely overlooked the “Pulse” feature.

I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s clearly a pretty cool idea for a contacts manager – it’s like an automated RSS manager for any info they ‘post.’ Even if it’s lousy on Plaxo (TBD), seems like this is a feature that has legs.

Here’s the blurb:

Introducing Plaxo Pulse

People you know are creating great online content every day: photos, blogs, wishlists, playlists, profiles, and more. Until now, this stuff has been difficult to discover – and even harder to stay on top of. Pulse brings it to you — automatically, from the people you know, based on what they publish online (and how they choose to share it).

We're currently getting content from:

• Plaxo profile updates
• Blogs
• Flickr photos
• Amazon wish lists
• And more coming soon...

So, can I share stuff too?

You bet! Just tell us the places where you’re posting content online that you want to share. For each one, choose how broadly you want to share it. Then, whenever you post new content, we deliver it automatically to all the right people.

Why don't I have an iPod? I suppose Internet radio.

Internet radio has matured to a notable level. You can listen to it on from any PC, or (with some cash) devices in your car or home. Samsung has phones designed to work with some services (ironic, since cell phones use radio waves). I don't have one, but every time i go running i'm thinking about them...

But you know Internet radio is mainstream when congress has enacted a law preventing it from too freely competing with big media lobbyists. In response, the "Radio Equality Act" has followed, and may overturn this seemingly silly situation.

For those who haven't tried Internet radio, I recommend it. Live365 allows 1000's of users to create "radio stations" directly from their computers, and you can surf and choose which you like. TIVO users will find it there (yes, Internet radio on your TV). Pandora.com & LastFM.com other listeners' preferences and feedback to predict what you will like--try it! After you discover new music, with a few clicks you can easily buy it off Amazon or iTunes if you'd like. (I ordered Lily Allen from Amazon, via Pandora, just yesterday.)

In my experience, TIVO users lament the (vast) lack of "instant replay" buttons in the world--I miss it my car radio, in the movies, talking with my kids... (and where's the Pause?)

But I admit, instantly generating a "radio station" based on the song i'm thinking of (ie, Planet Earth, Duran Duran) and then discovering new music (based on other listeners' tastes) is coming to be a primary expectation for radio. And now, in my car, i miss that too. (I haven't yet spring for Internet Radio in my car.)

When my new CD arrives, I'll be driving exclusively with Lily Allen for a while.

But why no iPod? Afterall, i was addicted to my Creative MuVo almost 10 years ago.

I suppose...

1.) Been there done that (ala MuVo)

2.) Who's got time? Just turn on the radio!

Synch Your Online Life directly w/ phone (Plaxo strikes again)

Ouch. Plaxo does it again.

I was thinking about ramifications of my 9 yr-old Palm database synchronizing with my employer’s Outlook Exchange server (my memos, my tasks, my 1100 contacts with various notes attached…) and I set out to define a “best alternative.”

The Web2.0 conference has left me hungry to move to a purely web-based existence. That and just being fed up with PC options (nothing affordable works; nothing company provided is private)…

A friend swears by GMail, and leaves a browser open all day (she works for a fortune 500 company & can’t just “do anything” on her laptop).

GMail could never replace my (overkill) use of Outlook, with my task lists, memos, etc.

But this Plaxo interface… Online, I’m beginning to think I could do more here than I could in Outlook. Plus, as I wave over the icons in the footer I see Plaxo (online) synched with my Gmail

But that leaves the problem of synching with my Treo – what can I synch my Treo to that Plaxo would update? Plaxo doesn’t support Palm.

Then I found this: Plaxo Mobile Plus.

You select which contacts (from, say, 1100) to synch to your phone. It’s 1 click from in the address book (per contact). I can’t tell yet if you could synch all to your Treo (would make more sense).

It’s not available for Treos yet, but the Chat Tech said it will be “soon,” but pointed out several options, including a WAP-based reader that should work right now. It won’t let you write changes to your online data, but you can browse it.

Anyway, looking forward to extending my (great) Plaxo experience to my Treo.

PS – the one oddity I’ve realized with this model is that Plaxo has chosen to not compete with all these platforms – in the area of email. So, you can manage & edit your calendar, contacts, tasks (w/ categories), memos (NO categories)… AND you can “click to call” w/ an online IP solution. But you can’t EMAIL. (Weird, eh?!) Click over to GMail for that.

Social + User-Generated-Content = Group Editing MindF***

I posted on Noah Kagan's blog this morning, some thoughts i've had about this conundrum:
How do you let a group of people edit something online, while delivering the most value to each person. At risk of being too complicated (my eternal criticism), i always come back to envisioning individually managed perspectives (or, views) of a data-set of contributions & edits.
Noah has posted about a timeline site, Xtimeline.com. Reminds me of some of the genealogical software i've seen (with meager attempts at collaboration, in those cases).
Will be interesting to see where this (timeline site) goes.

TalkBean: Online ESL (live) Marketplace

Okay, this takes the cake. Slapping my forehead (doh!) for not thinking of it myself. Of course!!!

For all you ex-pats & ex- ex-pats (ie, you sold out and came back to the states…), you’ll get a kick out of this.

Credit to Rafe Needleman, who blogs about it here and says:

“At a conference today about South Korean tech companies, I got a demo of TalkBean, a marketplace that connects people who want to learn English with those who can teach it.”

As well…

“Working in TalkBean's favor is its technology. The site connects students to teachers via voice, video, and text chat, and there's a screen-sharing window for exercises (text or drawing) where tutors can mark up a student's work. There's a nice scheduling system.”

I’m guessing this too technically demanding for the $100 Laptop, but I think this is an interesting candidate for what sorts of software or activities will be popular on those devices (other than games – a segment that reached 217M users recently (Comscore)).

More about Virtual Reality on the web

I hadn’t seen Greg Sterling’s July 9^th post when I posted what I did yesterday, but he was also thinking about the virtual world that’s creeping up on us.

 

He points out this introductory video to Second Life, and a few other links.

 

Maps Becoming 3D Games

Just a quick note to point out recent improvements “Virtual Space” has taken toward better representing our physical space.

I’m talking about online maps.

1.) Google: 3D building plans are appearing on Google Maps (e.g. Denver). Google acquired SketchUp, a web-based, 3D modeling platform (from Boulder, CO) in Mar-06, and in Jan-07 released a version tightly integrated with Google maps. With that announcement, they ushered in an era of User Generated Blueprints, to be offered up right in their maps:

This release further integrates Google SketchUp with Google Earth and the 3D Warehouse, streamlining the sharing of 3D models with users around the globe. Google Earth now features a default "Best of 3D Warehouse" layer that showcases the most realistic, detailed models from Google SketchUp users. Additionally users can now create and contribute to user-designed 3D Collections in the 3D Warehouse such as "Stadiums of the World."

Here’s a video to give you a sense, if you don’t have Google Earth installed.

2.) Prevalence: Now that we’re used to Satellite View maps, most online map platforms are going farther (or, getting nearer)…

a.) A tilted view has been offered by Microsoft (12/05, Live.com’s “Bird’s Eye View”), requiring photos taken from airplanes at angles.

b.) “Street View” is the term for photos used from roaming cars. If you haven’t tried it on Google, you should. (start here) This week a higher-resolution MapJack got some press – it looks great, but is only in a few cities so far.

A friend recently said this isn’t scalable, and can’t be kept up to date. I would argue it’s completely scalable, and once little boxes are stuck on Taxis & Truckers (paying them $10/mo, or giving them free navigation help), combining a cheap GPS cell phone & digital camera, maintaining a digital photograph fabric anywhere near streets should be quite simple.

3.) More interestingly, is the advancement right now of 3D digital animation. A Microsoft exec said at a conference I was at last year that they only got into the XBOX business to explore 3D interactive user interfaces – and are now bringing it to online maps.

The two tricks here are (a.) building up a base of the 3D data (every street?!), either constructed from photos or from users submitting 3D building designs (or a combination), and (b.) making it useful to the masses (not just a geek toy). As for making it useful, again, basic building designs are already creeping into the maps we use, and appearing at an angle (…Denver).

As for 3D, EveryScape has been showing off some animation of downtown San Francisco, which even allows you to enter buildings and look around. (worth a glance) They’re trying to launch national coverage (?) by end of year.

Thinking ahead…

Think of a current Website that has a “Getting here from the North” static map image with driving directions (ala MapQuest). Next to it is another one, “Getting here from the South.”

Now imagine an embeddable 3D map widget, displaying how to navigate… 3D animation of taking Exit 21 (smoothly gliding down an off ramp), pausing at the stoplight and turn right… Kind of useless printed, but if you know the area very well, it may give you such a clear understanding of where you’re headed you won’t even need to print it.

Obviously, entering a “From” address would provide a custom driving experience – in 3D animation.

Stick *that* on your website.

And, send *that* to your phone.

I’m waiting to scroll my way down San Francisco’s Union Square in Google’s 3D world, and see graphical dots in front of each business that indicate user ratings & reviews. I could look each direction, scanning for a good restaurant. I request that all good lunch restaurants be visually highlighted. And of course, I could “surf” these streets with an (actual) friend, with us appearing as avatars to the other – “follow me…” But I guess I’m just thinking about the future of Yellow Pages websites.

My Little Black Book's on Steroids (serious data integration for normal folks - at last!)

I'm giddy after installing the new Plaxo Beta, and synchronizing my Outlook, HotMail, Yahoo and Google online accounts. It worked better than I dreamt it could – dreamt for about a decade now. Heck, I’m going to synch it with my Linked-In next.

If you've managed an address book on 2+ devices like a PC + phone or Outlook + Online Email, you’ve undoubtedly had some problems keeping them synched. (I have.)

And if you've ever been caught away from home, writing email on a friend's or café PC, you've realized you don't know every contact's email (or phone number) by heart. (I have.)

Enter Plaxo: a 3^rd party synch solution. They just figure out how to get your data in & out of all these other platforms – that’s all they do. If you let them, they’ll keep them all up to date.

A year ago I tried Plaxo, and ended up uninstalling it 6 months ago when I thought it was slowing down my Outlook / Windows. (It wasn’t.)

I reinstalled it tonight, using their Beta, and I can’t believe it.

The most impressive tool was the “De-Duper” deduplication tool available when you upgrade (which I did). This upgrade has a free 30-day trial (requires credit card). It told me I had ~400 clear duplications (from my Outlook + Hotmail + Yahoo + Google), and ~600 partial duplicates that it would walk me through merging. 600?! I carefully observed the first 15, then trusted it to do the rest automatically.

This wizard was remarkable. It lay the duplicates side-by-side for me to see, comparing like fields to like fields, and it showed me how it proposed to combine them into 1 final set of records. In cases where there were 4 different emails, it just picked the most common, and put the rest in the notes field (which is what I would have done). It seemed to know what records (ie, email addresses) were the most recent, but I haven’t confirmed that. It just kept getting it right.

So, my Outlook on my PC is now automatically synchronizing with all these other online services. My calendar is synchronized with Google’s. And, if I ever wish I could view my Outlook tasks and memos online (as well as the contacts and calendar), I can log into Plaxo.com and see it all.

Bravo.