TechAddress

Comedy Central’s Indecision2008 to Get Live and Chatty With Meebo on Election Day

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:48:33 +0000

Comedy Central’s signature fake news programs, “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report,” are focused firmly on the final stretch of the race for the White House. A glance at Indecision2008, the network’s website devoted to the year in campaign coverage, will reveal as much.

For those who feel that on-demand video clips aren’t satisfying enough to have on Election Day, however, the network has tapped the Web-based IM engine Meebo to power chat rooms on Indecision2008 to enable live discussion among its users.

In addition to the standard set of Meebo rooms provided for visitors, Comedy Central will host a live blogging session featuring Patton Oswalt, a regular of the American standup comedy circuit, and it will also present interviews with correspondents of “The Daily Show.”

Naturally there will be an attempt by various broadcast and cable-based networks on November 4th to seek out the most viewer engagement possible for the final hours of the election. And with Comedy Central’s fairly recent enhancement of its websites to cater to increased demand for video content, it seems to be a sensible course of action to introduce live communications to the Indecision2008 channel.

As Meebo and Comedy Central explain, their partnership for Election Day is intended “to increase user engagement and time spent online.” So long as enough awareness is made about the new features (the network will market the availability of chat rooms through on-air promos on November 4), real-time chat could well be the next best thing to a 24-hour style news video broadcast.

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Meebo Community IM to Launch on Flixster; Looks Just Like Facebook Chat

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:31:33 +0000

Source:Mashable!

Flixster will be deploying Meebo Community IM later this evening. The product, which has been in the works since early this year, allows Flixster users to chat with one another using Meebo from inside of the Flixster interface, with a service that looks remarkably similar to Facebook Chat.

Users get a buddy list showing which of their Flixster friends are currently signed on, their statuses, and notifications of their recent activities, such as rating movies. The instant messaging conversations take place within a taskbar that will reside at the bottom of the Flixster UI – just like on Facebook. Here’s a demo of how it works:

While the Flixster experience is completely private labeled, conversations can be popped out and carried over into the Meebo UI. Likewise, your Flixster friends will be part of the buddy list you see when logged in on Meebo.com.

Flixster is the first site to launch Community IM, but Meebo recently announced several other major partners, including MyYearbook, Tagged, and Piczo. On Meebo’s Vimeo page, there is also a demo for a Flickr integration, though it’s not clear if and when this will launch.

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AOL Dusts Off AIM for Mac with a Visual Refresh and a Beta Tag

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:35:19 +0000

Source:Mashable!

Tootsville is a new virtual world for children ages 6-14 that’s very similar to Disney’s online cash cows ToonTown and ClubPenguin (which they purchased for $700 million).

The reference to Disney is important to note because monetization is obviously extremely important to Tootsville. This is evident by the fact that kids cannot really do many of the fun things the site has to offer without their parents ponying up some money on a monthly or annual basis.

These premium accounts range from $5.95 per month up to $57.98 annually. Here are some of the things your kids CAN’T do unless you upgrade to a premium account: Walk on 2 legs, Dress up your toot, buy clothes or furniture, decorite your house, attend special events, collect pivitz, play premium games and safe chat with friends. I know, then what CAN they do? The answer: not a whole lot really.

Speaking of money, since the characters in Tootsville are a bunch of colorful elephants, the currency they use is in the form of peanuts. Kids get a bunch of peanuts if their parents subscribe to the more expensive premiere plans, naturally. This is important because this is what they use to buy objects such as clothes for their elephant or furniture for thier house. Some might say this is a good way to teach children the value of money and how to spend wisely.

On the positive side of things, the site is full of bright colorful worlds and loaded with activities (some are even free!). Kids can easily chat with other “toots” and checkout places together. The good news is that there are ways for kids to earn peanuts by doing certain things. For example, by going to the water fountain (see image above) and making a wish you quickly make 19 peanuts.

Tootsville’s goal is to mix educational lessons with entertainment as displayed throughout the site. The Tootering program is scheduled for release for spring 2009 and the Teacher’s Pet Program will emphasize the fun in learning, at home, and in the classroom.

If you’re a parent with children that enjoy playing online, then safe sites like Tootsville and the ones from Disney provide a service that’ll provide fun for kids and peace of mind for parents. When you look at things that way, then the small cost of membership is well worth it.

Source:Mashable!

This week’s release of AIM for Mac 1.0 Beta might strike some as strange, given the fact that it’s 2008 and Mac OS X users have had years to grow accustomed to things like Apple’s iChat client and third-party creations like Adium, both of which have support for the protocol. But AOL insists that it is “one of the most requested applications from our users.” Because AIM for iPhone has been a popular download, apparently.

To be frank, there isn’t anything thoroughly impressive about this release - at least not in the way of outstanding features. While the company offers a Windows-friendly client that provides things like VoIP and video chat, as with many other messaging services on the Web, including Skype, users of AIM for Mac 1.0 Beta will have to remain satisfied with file transfers, AIM groups and AIM Blast groups and connections to AOL mailboxes and so forth (Just to note, personal experience has routinely shown the inability to successfully transfer files via AIM.).

If nothing else, AIM for Mac 1.0 Beta can simply be thought of as an option for those Mac users searching for AOL branding and find its heavily aged and underdeveloped predecessor, AIM 4.7 for Macintosh, too old and too tired and not thematically sufficient to run with other Tiger- and Leopard-level applications with at least some semblance of visual congruity.

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Digsby Integrates LinkedIn and Improves Performance

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:32:12 +0000

Source:Mashable!

Digsby, the universal instant messenger, email and social network aggregator, has announced some very good news regarding their desktop application. After countless complaints from users about the application being a resource hog, Digsby spent the last few months improving the memory management capabilities of their product. So much so that they proudly claim that they believe their app utilizes up to 75% less memory than its predecessor. If this is true, and we have little doubt that it is, then Digsby could see a tremendous increase in membership.

RAM usage wasn’t the only enhancement they made. They also state that the user interface will render twice as fast because of critical changes they’ve made to the architecture, improving the GUI responsiveness and CPU utilization.

In addition to all of these performance enhancements, they also implemented the usual boatload of bug fixes which will only make the platform more stable.

As far as new features go, they addressed their number one request which was support for the ever popular LinkedIn. Users can now get full newsfeed and alerts from LinkedIn from their Digsby account. They can even set their status message from there.

For those unfamiliar with Digsby, the service competes in the same space as multiprotocol IM clients such as Pidgin, Trillian, Adium, and Miranda. They also cross beams with social aggregators such as FriendFeed, Flock, SocialThing, and Fuser. Why so many foes? Well, it’s because Digsby dips their toes in so many streams. Not only can it let you chat with all your friends on AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk, and Jabber, but it also lets you manage your email from several different email systems as well as access many of the most popular social networks from one place. This includes status updates from your friends and messages they’ve sent you. Also handy are the widgets you can embed on your website.

Digsby has made some bold statements with this release. The proof will be in the downloading and installing very soon. Eventually, the people will be heard (once again) and we’ll see if Digsby has indeed vastly improved their ambitious platform.

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Bebo IM Was Removed Days Ago and Nobody Seems to Care

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 22:30:15 +0000

Source:Mashable!

If the feelings of the most outspoken Bebo users are any indication, Bebo IM, the relative equivalent to Facebook Chat, has few fans. Very few.

What was introduced nearly one month prior to today to a notably negative reception by network members, Bebo IM was, according to employee Mike Watts, temporarily removed for maintenance 9 days ago. The same message was delivered 5 days ago. And hardly a peep has been made about the disruption. A look at recent talk on the Bebo Backstage shows why. The consensus might best be summed up in words of commenter Ross: “don’t bring it back, it sucks.”

Though the reasoning for the verbal opposition to Bebo IM may not encompass all users, it seems to be the case that users would tolerate the option of an instant messaging system, if it could be put in place or removed as the individual user sees fit. But of course if respondents were to keep the service off, Bebo, owned by AOL, would see quite a number of members disregard the development. Bebo then gains little love for IM no matter the direction it takes with the component. (A Bebo App by the name of Live Chat, alternatively, lists 24,770 users.)

With that in mind, is an IM service on board a social network purposeful on the whole? Or is it a needless distraction? Is it all about implementation? How does Facebook Chat stack up? Is the way MySpace IM functions more appealing?

How much do you miss Bebo IM? ( surveys)

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Cisco Snatches up IM Biggie Jabber Inc

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:36:20 +0000

Source:Mashable!

NetLog first appeared on the scene in 2007, and is notable for being the first multi-language and multi-country social network to work with OpenSocial. With a network that spreads out over 20 countries and has users that speak more than 20 languages, this was a big deal. Now NetLog is moving on to the next phase of its development plan. It has opened up its translation and localization capabilities to third-party developers.

One of the features of NetLog is near instantaneous translation into each language it serves. This means that with access NetLog grants, an application developer has the ability to reach a localized audience in their native language. This makes it easier for developers to create globally accessible applications and helps ensure success.

NetLog also has what they call a “credits economy.” The developers are being granted access to this as well. This seems to work as a way to make money in a way other than through advertising revenues on the NetLog network. I was unable to find any hard data stating what kind of revenue could be expected, but it seems to operate in a way similar to the iPhone App Store, allowing developers to charge credits for their applications or offer them for free.

If you are a developer wanting to work with NetLog, the network is accepting applications that it determines add value for their members. Learning a bit from Facebook’s mistakes, they are denying applications access that require the user to leave the site, install the application or invite friends. That’s a refreshing change from applications requiring users to spam their network on Facebook and MySpace.

NetLog seems to be going about this the right way. Not only that, the value of their translation and localization features for developers could be a huge boost in getting those applications a global reach. It will be interesting to follow NetLog’s use of OpenSocial and the newly opened door for developers and see what accomplishments and new ideas spring from it.

Source:Mashable!

Cisco is frequently one to write checks for things it has not made itself but indeed wants as its own. Aside from its rise as one of the critical elements of the telecom boom, it’s made quite a name as an acquirer of things big and small. The latest name to be taken under Cisco’s wing is Jabber, Inc.

Indeed, the brand that has made itself into something of a white-label-esque marvel through XMPP-enabled services such as Google Talk and Facebook Chat, is being purchased by Cisco for an undisclosed sum, and will provide its buyer “rich aggregation capabilities to users through both on-premise and on-demand solutions.” Distilled into more commonly acceptable speak, this essentially means an infusion into Cisco’s WebEx Internet conferencing solution, among other facets within its portfolio.

WebEx as many have understood for some time, is also a Cisco acquisition. It purchased the Web software specialist in 2007. With Jabber the company offers a sizable, if not precisely calculable hint at what it wants to accomplish insofar as growth in its enterprise-based collaboration services.

As a good number of us on the end-user front have learned, a construction such as Jabber allows for a very user-friendly, very adaptable experience. A trial of the abovementioned free instant messaging clients will show this. The Jabber, Inc property in particular, however, which which functions the open instant messaging technology, has shown itself to be well enmeshed in business and large-scale operations, serving bigwigs like Sun, Adobe, Akamai, Bank of Ireland, BT, and several US government entities, including the Department of Homeland Security. If ample money is to be made in the land of XMPP, it is in this sector specifically.

Again, it is unclear what Cisco’s investment-to-gain ratio is at present concerning the Jabber purchase, but it is presumably the case that the engagements it will rank as a long-term boon to its general strategy to serve the widest swath of clients possible.

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Cisco Picks Up Jabber for Collaboration, IM

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:30:52 +0000

Source:TechCrunch

Yahoo is transitioning to a new layout for its SearchMonkey results, which can be customized by outside developers as part of Yahoo’s Open Strategy. The new design features deep links, which are horizontally aligned under each result’s title and the image is now featured on the right-hand side. With the new layout, the SearchMonkey team (whose leader is departing), believes it can create higher clickthrough rates for app developers.

Current SearchMonkey developers and partners will be happy to know that apps built using the previous template will automatically work with the new template, but a one-page best practices document will accompany developer materials to help them provide an optimal user experience.Source:TechCrunch
Seedcamp, the European-wide competion for startups, ended on a high this week, naming a record seven winners rather than the five they originally set out to award. The seven will each get €50,000 seed funding from Seedcamp’s conglomerate of venture backers, but the stake in each startup will vary, along similar lines to the Y-Combinator model. Source:TechCrunch

Cisco announced today that it has acquired Jabber, an open-source IM and presence protocol used by Google Talk and Gizmo, for an undisclosed sum.

Cisco will try to use Jabber as a means of improving its messaging offerings in the business world. Jabber’s technology enables collaboration across a wide array of presence systems such as, Microsoft Office Communications Server, IBM Sametime, AOL AIM, and Google, which made it an ideal target for the company.

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eBuddy Mobile Adds Facebook Chat

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:31:10 +0000

Source:CenterNetworks

This morning I was using the mobile version of eBuddy and I noticed that Facebook Chat was listed on the menu. This was the first time I saw Facebook listed in the options. I spoke with eBuddy CEO Jan-Joost Rueb to confirm that the Facebook Chat listing was new. Basically he confirmed that Facebook Chat is in a soft-launch period and that they will publicly announce the launch in the coming weeks. Rueb also noted that J2ME and Ajax versions will be updated soon.

While I had Rueb on the line (he’s in Amsterdam) he shared that eBuddy mobile has been downloaded over 7 million times and is beating Google Maps in downloads (based on GetJar rankings). Once eBuddy publicly announces the Facebook Chat launch, this should help increase their total downloads and usage time even further.

Editor’s note: eBuddy is a CN sponsor.

Special Alert: CenterNetworks Conference Coverage:
– DEMO
– Techcrunch50
– Event and Interview Videos

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