Mypopspace

Go out and VOTE!

2008-02-05T14:33:00.000-08:00

2007-09-27T10:35:00.000-07:00

According to eMarketer, 24% of the 34.3 million US child and teen Internet users will visit virtual worlds once a month in 2007. This will rise to 34% in 2008 and by 2011, 53% will do so. Emarketer

TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation, an online brokerage company, said one of its databases was hacked into and the personal information for more than 6.3 million customers was stolen. The company found malicious code in one of its databases. DM News

According to the latest figures, 250,702 of the total purchased were standalone units, while 75,943 Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core bundles have also been snapped up. That’s a total of 326, 645 in just ten days. Next Gen

Compete introduced its Search Analytics solution to fill an unmet need for marketers at both large and small companies — the need for affordable and robust search tools that can have an immediate impact on online and overall business strategy. DM News

Users can also obtain an anonymous credit card with no name or account number on it, something that could cut the risk of identity theft, fraud and problems stemming from lost or stolen cards, Revolution said. Reuters

“We believe great advertising is interrupted all the time,” said John Lack, co-founder and chief executive of Firebrand. “We curate the best TV commercials and promotions -- connecting consumers directly with their favorite brands in an integrated environment.” New York Business

Facebook has overtaken News Corporation's MySpace site as the highest-traffic UK social networking site with 6.5m unique users last month, according to data published today by Nielsen//NetRatings. media.guardian.co.uk

Among the more than 120 arrests announced on Monday in what the authorities called the largest steroids crackdown in the nation’s history, five men charged in a Connecticut sting stood out not for what they were peddling, but for where they were suspected of doing it: on MySpace.com. NY Times

Democratic contender John Edwards will be first presidential candidate to dive head-first into a "presidential dialogue" jointly hosted by MySpace and MTV Thursday. Wired

David Burden, managing director of Daden Ltd, said: “This is an example of the power of Second Life, and virtual worlds in general, in providing a shared visualisation system....offering possibilities for both the consumer and for business operations and scientific research. Being able to walk around data, and view it with others, can bring out insight and analysis that would be impossible in 2D systems, or PC-based 3D systems." Flightglobal

Good use of Twitter?

2007-07-25T17:35:00.000-07:00

News/Web 2.0/Website/Twitter
Found: twitter.com

Due to a power outage in San Francisco, many popular web 2.0 websites went down for several hours yesterday, sites like Craigstlist, Technorati, Yelp and Six Apart's VOX and Typepad. While most sites just waited patiently for the power to get restored, Six Apart was busy sending out updates via twitter.

Six Apart's twitter stream says it all:

An update on today's outage: http://tinyurl.com/2bebg4

TypePad blogs are back up; LiveJournal and Vox and the TypePad application are under way.

More at http://status.sixapart.com/ 04:50 PM July 24, 2007 from web

http://status.livejournal.com/ has LiveJournal status info, and we've got details back up on http://status.sixapart.com/ as well. 04:13 PM July 24, 2007 from web

http://status.sixapart.com/ is back up, and will be updated as we progress. 03:44 PM July 24, 2007 from web Power is being restored to our data center, and TypePad, LiveJournal, Vox are each bring brought back online carefully. 03:13 PM July 24, 2007 from web

TypePad, Vox, and LJ are unreachable for many due to a power problem @ hosting facility, also affecting Technorati and Craigslist.

Top 10 Facebook Apps: Work

2007-07-25T16:07:00.001-07:00

Social Network/Facebook/FB APPS
Found on: readwriteweb.com

Using an open application platform, developers now have the ability to access and use Facebook's user data and ever since it's launch back in May, nearly 1800 apps have made it's way onto the popular social network - eek!

I stumbled onto a great top 10 list of FB apps that are specifically designed for work. Josh Catone from readwriteweb.com put it together and fyi; this is just the first of five categories that Josh will be breaking down for us, so be sure to check back for more.

ReadWriteWeb post:

As part of Facebook Week here on Read/WriteWeb, I am going to be taking a look at the top applications on the Facebook platform. With nearly 1800 apps, the platform has been a runaway success for Facebook, and the most popular ten applications reach over 46 million users. I'm going to be breaking those 1800 apps down to the top 50 across 5 categories (10 in each). This is a completely subjective list, so not everyone will agree with our picks and I encourage you to debate them in the comments.

There are a lot of duplicates on the Facebook platform (i.e., there are at least 10 apps for cataloging books!), and some duplicates even share the same name. In that case, as with the rest of this list, I just chose the one that stood out to me as the best. Today's list deals with apps for work.

NEWS: Roam Un-Free

2007-07-24T18:56:00.001-07:00

News/Social Networks/Second Life
Found on: msnbc.com

HiPiHi's 38-year-old CEO and founder, Xu Hui, has some ambitious goals; not only does he want his new virtual world, HiPiHi to be China's answer to Second Life, but through strategic partnerships with U.S., Japanese and other foreign firms, he plans to establish discrete virtual continents and then have them all linked to Second Life, creating a vast metaverse - the big question being: will China's government actually allow him to do it? I guess only time will tell.

MSNBC Post:

Zhao Gang surveys his nearly empty virtual world, and finds it to be good. Zhao is head of the tech team that built HiPiHi—China's answer to Second Life. With the virtual world's basic landscape complete, one of Zhao's jobs these days is to wander HiPiHi, schooling roughly 10,000 ethnic Chinese from the mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore who have been specially invited into the test phase to help work out the kinks. The "residents," as they're called, roam, swim and fly around the new world. Zhao approaches two avatars for a chat. Face to face with the virtual world's Master Builder, they have an urgent question: "Can you tell us how to change our clothes?"

NEWS: YouTube/CNN Presidential Debate - Tonight

2007-07-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

Web Culture/YouTube/Videos
Found on: Youtube.com

In a matter of hours, the first of two Democratic Presidential debates will be underway, a debate that will be driven entirely on questions submitted via YouTube . The debate will be broadcast live on CNN tonight at 7 P.M. Eastern time - hmm, this could either be totally groundbreaking or utterly ridiculous.

YouTube Post:

This summer and fall, YouTube, CNN and a few engaged and engaging citizens will make political history by having the presidential candidates answer questions submitted via YouTube videos.

The first debate will feature the Democratic candidates on July 23rd in Charleston, South Carolina. Submit your question for the Democrats between June 14 and July 22 (the earlier the better). The CNN political team will choose the most creative and compelling videos, and if yours is one of them, you may get the chance to fly to Charleston to watch the debate live and offer your reactions afterward on YouTube's political video blog, Citizentube.

Video: Sushi

2007-07-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

Web Culture/YouTube/Videos
Found on: Youtube.com

It's over eight minutes long but sooooo worth it!

Youtube Stats(as of this post):

Views: 1,009,266
Comments: 820
Favorited: 3292 times

Some of my favorite comments:

Nate6333
Are these pure Japanese people. For some reason they look like they have some white in them .

bayervon
p.s. instead of arguing, some of you, especially the antagonistic ones trying to demean the others, should
invest your time in learning basics of ENGLISH GRAMMAR and taking advantage of that junk spam to increase your penis sizes as that's a pretty good explanation for your inferiority complexes expressed through insipid racist and other incompetent remarks.

Thanks for the link Jacob - yo yo!

NEWS: FaceBook’s First Acquisition: Parakey

2007-07-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

News/Social Networks/Facebook
Found on: techcrunch.com

Why would Facebook, currently the hottest property on the Web want to make Parakey, the "web operating system" created by Blake Ross their very first acquisition? Simple - Facebook is in the process of transitioning from being a Social Network into the first Social Operating System - right?

Techcrunch.com post:

Their first acquisition: Facebook has bought Parakey, the yet-to-launch “web operating system” created by Firefox co-founders Blake Ross and Joe Hewitt. The price isn’t being disclosed, but Facebook should be issuing a press release this afternoon.

Parakey was founded in 2005 and raised a seed round of financing from Sequoia Capital (although this was never confirmed). There is a good background story on Parakey, which will include both browser and client software, here.

No posts for awhile...

2007-06-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

Gone fishing, literally - in Washington State fly fishing with the in-laws, see you guys in a couple of weeks.

- pop!

Stylehive bookmark of the week: Fisheye Camera

2007-05-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

Web Culture/Social Shopping/Stylehive
Found on: stylehive.com

Here's a kick ass fish lens camera for only 50 bucks - now you can take some crazy pictures of your friends when their all up in your grill - so necessary!

Description: Enter the world of extreme close-ups. The only camera in the world with a built-in fisheye lens, this two-tone beauty features a sweeping 170-degree field of view. Barrel distortion compacts your photos to appear as if inside a glass ball: the center bulging larger than life, the borders wrapped to a circular edge. Each 35mm camera includes premium glass optics,
built-in electronic flash powered by one ‘AA’ battery, wrist strap, and editorial booklet.

Tags: cameras,gadgets

URL: veer.com

Spinlets private beta program!

2007-05-23T17:18:00.000-07:00

Web Culture/Web 2.0/Website
Found on: spinlets.com

I love getting invited to private betas, they make me feel important and well liked, well liked by other important people that are also well liked...uh okay, I'm totally being facetious, but I do get a lot of invites and not all of them are blog-worthy but this little guy, this little guy is pretty cool.

Spinlets post:

Spinlets are embeddable chunks of code that let you take content anywhere. Create your own "mash-ups" by bringing your favorite YouTube videos, Flickr photos or iMeem music to your blog or personal page. Spinlets work with MySpace, TypePad, WordPress, Blogger, as well as most other blogs, sidebars or webpages. No downloads or plug-ins are needed and they're free.

NEWS: Justin.TV Network Launches: More Shows to Come

2007-05-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

News/Social Networks/Videos
Found on: techcrunch.com

Using a process called "lifecasting" sites like Justine.TV and Ustream.tv are taking off and reality television just made a huge shift over to the web. Both platforms provide a network and a set of tools to create your very own live show using a webcam.

Techcrunch.com post:

24/7 reality online TV show Justin.tv has has turned into a bit of a mini-phenomenon since launching just two months ago.Their apartment was raided by the police, and they were later evicted by their landlord. They were on the Today Show. Justin has hung out with famous rappers. They’ve taken extravagant dares from their audience, and a crowd always surrounds Justin and his ubiquitous camera. Hundreds of adolescent viewers watched (sort of) as Justin had sex on the show, although users were left with a black screen and silence until the Justin.tv team started playing porn music. The site has been far more successful so far than the founders anticipated.

Damn twitter cat!

2007-05-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

Social Networks/Web 2.o/twitter
Found on: twitter.com

Twitter cat has taken over twitter again - for the love of god already, someone get that damn cat out of the server room!

twitter post:

Whoops! We're either deploying new features or there was a slight network hiccup (an issue we're working through). Please click here in a few seconds and you'll be back to Twitterin' in no time!

NEWS: Companies try eBay to sell themselves

2007-05-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

News/Web 2.0/ebay
Found on: news.yahoo.com

Looking for a deal on a Web 2.o dot-com? Well look no further - USATODAY.com is reporting that there are plenty to be had on the popular auction site eBay.

USA Today post:

What do Beanie Babies, Pez Dispensers and troubled Internet companies have in common? They're all for sale on eBay.

More than 10 dot-coms have recently sought buyers on the popular auction site. Search engine DigForIt.com sold for $25,400 this month after promising bidders "great revenue potential." SynapseLife, an online calendar and organizational site, sold for $60,000 despite warning it had "no advertising revenue."

NEWS: Europeans predominate in Second Life - study

2007-05-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

News/Social Networks/Second Life
Found on: reuters.com

Before you log into Second Life again, you might want to consider brushing up on your German, because chances are you'll be speaking to one -- Guten Tag Avatar!

Reuters post:

Second Life was born in the United States, but 61 percent of its active residents are Europeans, a study by research firm comScore said on Friday.

The number of active German residents exceeds the number of active residents in the United States, although growth rates in the U.S. are the highest worldwide, said comScore, which
specializes in measuring various kinds of Internet usage.

More than 6 million user accounts have been created in Second Life, up from about 1 million at the end of 2006, but the number of active users is far lower.

NEWS: Digg.com User Revolt

2007-05-02T22:57:00.000-07:00

Web Culture/YouTube/Videos/Digg
Found on: Youtube.com

HD-DVD crack code on Digg results in multiple users getting kicked off the site and banned - then all hell breaks loose.

Youtube Stats(as of this post):

Views: 214
Comments: 3
Favorited: 3 times

Bonus link:

Kevin Rose Speaks out

NEWS: 'Second Life' User Numbers Don't Quite Add Up

2007-05-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

News/Social Networks/Second Life/Users
Found on: foxnews.com

Clay Shirky just completed a four-month study on the number of users in Second Life, based on his findings, Shirky claims that the actual number of regular users are less the 200,000 versus the 3.2 million Linden Lab reports to have...numbers don't quite add up?

FoxNews post:

How many people use "Second Life"? Not as many as you might think.

In December, New York University lecturer Clay Shirky launched a one-man Web crusade against the widespread misrepresentation of "Second Life"'s popularity, claiming most publications — including PC Magazine — were inadvertently overstating the number of users.

When reporters ask how many people are using "Second Life," the folks at Linden Lab typically respond with the number of "residents," and most reporters assume that "resident" means "unique user."

But as Shirky points out, a resident isn't a unique user. A single user can create multiple virtual residents. "Second Life"'s popularity is significantly smaller than the press claims, and though Linden Lab won't tell us how many people are really using the service, Shirky thinks he's finally gotten to the bottom of things.

NEWS: NBA Headquarters Unveiled in Second Life

2007-05-02T05:58:00.000-07:00

Social Networks/Second Life/Sports
Found on: nba.com

With it's multiplayer games, retail stores and a variety of other features designed to draw repeat visitors, the NBA unveiled their Second Life "Headquarters" on Tuesday - anyone up for a game of HORSE?

NBA.com post:

The NBA announced the launch of NBA Headquarters, a new virtual destination featuring a variety of innovative and interactive NBA elements in Second Life, the popular 3D online world with nearly six million residents. The announcement was made by NBA Commissioner David Stern during a recent media event conducted in the NBA Headquarters.

The NBA’s 3D virtual destination, developed with The Electric Sheep Company, a leading creator of 3D virtual world content and solutions, will provide basketball fans and Second Life residents with access to comprehensive features including the T-Mobile Arena, broadband video of classic NBA games and highlights, and an opportunity to have their picture taken with the NBA’s championship trophy in the Toyota Larry O’Brien Trophy Room.

Additionally, in Second Life fans will be able to purchase NBA and WNBA jerseys and merchandise for their identity or avatars at the NBA Store, walk along a special path highlighting the 50 Greatest NBA Players and participate in a variety of basketball activities at the NBA Jam Session.

NEWS: AdMob 'Plugs in' to Mobilize the WordPress Community

2007-04-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

Web Culture/Blogging/Marketing/Mobile
Found on: businesswire.com

Could mobile ready versions of blogs powered by Wordpress be the next big thing to hit the blogosphere?

Businesswire.com is reporting that mobile web developer extraordinaire, Andy Moore is working with AdMob, to launch a free mobile WordPress plug-in that may do just that.

Businesswire post:

Mobile innovator Andy Moore of Web2Txt has teamed with AdMob, the world's largest mobile internet advertising Marketplace, to launch a free mobile plug-in for popular blogging tool WordPress. The new offering will enable the global WordPress blogger community to both go mobile quickly and then immediately start to monetize their content from advertising revenue. The announcement was made today at Ad:Tech 2007 in San Francisco, California.

WordPress is a popular open source blogging tool used by thousands of blogs including top ranked TechCrunch, MobileCrunch, Venturebeat and Schobelizer. Andy Moore of Web2Txt, a dotmobi certified mobile web developer, has built a plug-in to enable WordPress bloggers to extend their reach by publishing for mobile phones. The WordPress plug-in integrates AdMob code that gives bloggers the option to include ads in their posts.

NEWS: Burnett, MySpace get political

2007-04-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

Social Networks/Myspace/Politics
Found on: variety.com

Emmy-award winning television producer Mark Burnett has teamed up with Myspace to launch "Independent" a new hybrid online-reality-social network-television show.

A quick shout out to my boy Yau Man - hope you win!

Variety's post:

Mark Burnett Prods. is partnering with MySpace to discover the modern-day Mr. Smith.

The two entities are behind “Independent,” an online project targeted to become a full-fledged TV series built around a search to find the next great politician.

The show, timed to the 2008 elections, hasn’t yet been pitched to networks. It comes with a $1 million prize … and a catch: Winner must donate the money to a political cause or use it to run for office.

“This is the ‘American Idol’ of political action,” said Burnett development head Roy Bank. “We’ve been exploring for a while how to do something in and around what is going to be the topic on everyone’s tongues next year — the elections. We wanted it to be legit, and there’s no greater democracy in play right now for people in their 20s than MySpace.”

INDIE FINDS FOR YOUR UNCOMMON LIFE

2007-04-29T17:03:00.000-07:00

Social Networks/Myspace/Profile/Blogger
Found on: Popyourit.com

MissMalaprop.com is the brainchild of Mallory, a 23-year-old indie craft enthusiast living in New Orleans.

MissMalaprop is an indie driven, community based blog that showcases independent artists, designers, eco-friendly products and what’s really going on in New Orleans, her hometown.

MissMalaprop’s blurbs:

MissMalaprop.com spotlights the best in independent designers & artists, eco-friendly and sustainable products, New Orleans & Gulf Coast based businesses and issues, and people & organizations who are working to make the world a better place.

I believe that one person can make a difference and that everyone can be that person.

Twitter of the Week - Swimming with the fishes?

2007-04-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

Social Networks/Web Culture/Twitter
Found on: twitter.com

Admiral Ackbar is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, he's basically a giant talking squid. Ackbar (that's what his friends call him.) also happens to be one of my favorite twitters that I follow, but since he hasn't made a new post in almost a month now, I'm thinking he's probably dead and swimming with the fishes somewhere - bummer.

Ackbar's last post:

Picking up distress signal from inside a strange nebula. Taking in the fleet.

Some other memorable posts:

Just received transmission from an old friend. I can get a free Y-wing if I signup for a few free trials and get six friends to do the same.

The Imperials have just delivered a large wooden horse to our shipyard. What a great gift. Moving it into the base now.

Random Flickr Slideshow 4

2007-04-25T18:10:00.000-07:00

Social Networks/Flickr/Photos
Found on: Flickr

Embedded Flickr Slideshow 4 (photos of random people, rockstars and things - fun.)

I leached these great photos from Delineated's Flickr set

It's our one year anniversary!

2007-04-24T07:50:00.000-07:00

Mypopspace is celebrating it's one year anniversary today!

I can't believe it's been 12 months and a little over 400 posts since my very first blog entry.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my wife Molly (aka Mangopopstar) for tolerating all the late nights and the geeky dinner conversations about web 2.0 and how social networks are going to take over the internet - love you hun!

I'd also like to thank everyone who's sent an email with either a kind word about the site or encouraging me to continue.

Thanks for your support -pop!

Twitter mashup spotlight of the week.

2007-04-24T06:39:00.000-07:00

Social Networks/Website/Twitter
Found on: twittervision.com

This week's Twitter mashup spotlight is called Twittervision:

It's a real-time geographic visualization of posts to Twitter and boy is it ever addictive.

Like Twittervision? Follow David Troy the mastermind behind the mashup.