Archive for March, 2006
« Previous EntriesDeep Thoughts About the Web
Friday, March 31st, 2006I've been online since 1995 (pre-Netscape) and consider
myself a creature of the Web (obsession to e-mail, willingness to try just
about any Web 2.0 application/service, blog-oholic, etc.) but I was blown away
impressed earlier today by a presentation given by Jeff Cole, who
is director of the USC Annenberg School Centre for the Digital Future. (The
event was sponsored [...]
Are Blogs Coming In From the Cold?
Friday, March 31st, 2006My column in the National Post this week takes a look at Time Inc.'s recent hiring of Andrew Sullivan and Ana Marie Coxe to write for the magazine and the Web site. The big question is whether Time's embrace of blogging and bloggers suggest blogging is coming out from the cold. If this is, in [...]
Zennstrom Bails on VON Canada; Vonage Savaged
Friday, March 31st, 2006This shouldn't really come as a surprise but Niklas Zennstrom has pulled out of his VON Canada keynote that was scheduled for next week.(hat tip to Jim Courtney). He'll be replaced by Stefan Oberg (who?), Skype's v.p. of product development. Zennstrom's disappearing act comes days after Skype, Janis Friis and Zennstrom were sued under RICO [...]
Rejoice Couch Potaotes: Slingbox Goes Live in Canada
Thursday, March 30th, 2006After months of speculation - well, at least a couple blog posts and bunch of click-throughs - the Slingbox is being sold in Canada. So rush down to your local Future Shop, Best Buy or London Drugs store and slap down C$299. I had big plans to install my Slingbox last weekend but had to [...]
Google's Insatiable Appetite for Cash
Thursday, March 30th, 2006So Google is raising another $2-billion to meet demand as it prepares to join the S&P 500. Why? The company already has a $8-billion war chest so it's not like it needs the money. And if index-focused investors have obligated to buy stock for their portfolios does it mean Google has to play nice and [...]
The RIAA's Russian Nemesis
Thursday, March 30th, 2006While the RIAA has been on a legal jihad in recent years, a growing number of consumers have been using allofMP3.com. The Russian-based service sells albums for $1 to $2.50 - depending on their popularity and the bitrate quality selected. Apparently, the company has been allowed to operate because of Russian copyright legislation, which lets [...]
Lunch with WordPress's Matt Mullenweg
Wednesday, March 29th, 2006I was already impressed with WordPress but after having lunch with Matt Mullenweg today, I'm even more so. Within all the hype surrounding Web 2.0 and blogs, Mullenweg has insight, intelligence and perspective that belie the fact he's 22-years-old. Our chat, which included a sun-drenched walk down Yonge St., touched on a variety of topics, [...]
Internet Adoption Losing Steam
Wednesday, March 29th, 2006According to new Ipsos Insight study, the global online population climbed just 5% in 2005, compared with a 20% jump in 2004 - while expections for 2006 are, at best, modest. While some markets are still seeing robust growth, Ipsos believes adoption in Canada and the U.S. (72% and 71% regular usage respectively) may have plateaued. For high-speed [...]
The Timing of the Deal
Wednesday, March 29th, 2006Has Facebook missed the M&A boat? An executive with the social-networking service apparently told BusinessWeek the company is seeking a $2-billion takeover deal after turning down a $750 million offer earlier. Of course, you can ask for the stars and the moon but it's a mute point if no one makes the right offer. Facebook's [...]
Web 2.0: Post-Newsweek Thoughts, Facebook
Tuesday, March 28th, 2006In light of Newsweek's discovery of Web 2.0, I had an "enlightening" chat with one of Kijiji's Canadian managers yesterday. It went something like this:Me: "So what's Kijiji's business model? How does it make money?"Them: "We don't have a business model. Everything on the site is free."Me: "Oh, then I guess Kijiji is a real [...]
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