Profile of Allen Stern

News & Commentary Posts: 91

Articles by Allen Stern

Did Twitter Miss Their Goal-den Opportunity?

7/3/2010
As the World Cup nears the final championship game, did Twitter miss an opportunity to kick the winning goal for the messaging service?
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WordPress 3.0 Released

6/17/2010
WordPress, the popular blogging platform, has released the 3.0 version to the public today. Here's a list of the new updates and additions to WordPress 3.0.
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Internet Week New York Startup Demo Recap

6/11/2010
This week brings the third-annual Internet Week to New York City. Four new web startups took to the stage in a fast-paced, lightning round of demos at the NY Tech Meetup.
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A Simple Way To Protect Your Online Privacy

6/3/2010
The Facebook CEO took to the stage yesterday to discuss how the current health of the company and to answer questions about how Facebook handles privacy. Here's one way to easily handle privacy related to sharing content online.
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Two Services Creating Interactive Weddings

5/20/2010
Two new companies are aiming to help couples create interactive weddings and involve guests like never before.
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How To Use Social Lending

5/18/2010
If you are having trouble obtaining a loan from your local bank, social lending could provide an alternative way to obtain the funds you seek.
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My Favorite Transit Apps

5/9/2010
I love public transportation and would like to share some of my favorite web and mobile transit applications with you.
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Suggestions For Twitter Anywhere

5/1/2010
At the Twitter Chirp developer gathering last month, Twitter launched their new, "@Anywhere functionality." I'd like to share my first experience using the service and some suggestions for improvement.
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NYC And Philadelphia Transit Goes Real-Time

4/17/2010
Earlier this week, the NYC transit authority announced their first real-time content. Both NYC and Philadelphia are testing real-time transit information that will help take transit into the future.
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Is Your Car The Next Platform?

4/5/2010
We are already familiar with a variety of developer platforms including the iPhone, Android and now the iPad. After the demo I received from Ford last week, I started to wonder if the car is the next developer platform.
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Are The CMS Wars About To Heat Up?

3/23/2010
I had the chance to meet with Drupal CMS creator Dries Buytaert at the SXSW conference last week. After the chat with Buytaert, I started to wonder if a CMS war is on the horizon.
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Vonage Targets Offshore And Overseas Usage

3/6/2010
I have been a Vonage customer for years and was surprised at the latest promotional email I received from the VOIP firm last week.
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The Google Buzz New User Experience

2/25/2010
Last November I took a look at the user experience for a new user who attempts to access Twitter.com. Now I'd like to provide the same new user experience overview for a person attempting to use Google Buzz.
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Could Sharing Your Location Impact Your Employment?

2/18/2010
Lately we've read reports about people losing their job or not receiving a job offer because of what they write about on their blog or post on one of the social networks. But what about the new location tools like Foursquare and Gowalla? Could using one of these services be the quickest ticket to a pink slip or a non-offer?
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Is Facebook Just An Upgraded Version Of AOL?

2/10/2010
Facebook has been making the news nearly every week with the launch of a new or updated feature or service offering. The more I look at Facebook, the more it reminds me of what AOL offered in the early-90s.
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Here's Why I Will Purchase An iPad

2/3/2010
One week ago, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the iPad. Here are my reasons why I want an iPad and why it will be a big hit for mainstream consumers.
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Global Social Media Week Kicks Off Monday

1/27/2010
If you live in one of the six cities participating in Global Social Media Week, next week is jam-packed with parties, networking and educational events.
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How I Research Products Using Online Review Sites

1/20/2010
Here's how I use a variety of online review sites to help determine if I should purchase a product I am interested in.
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Privacy Is All About The Benjamins

1/11/2010
The big chatter this past weekend was, once again, about Facebook's privacy changes. Why shouldn't Facebook do what nearly every bank in America does?
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Will 2010 Mean The End Of The Full RSS Feed?

1/4/2010
As social media grows as a traffic driver to blogs and news sites, will 2010 be the end of the full public RSS feed?
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Five Tech Startup Predictions For 2010

12/26/2009
It's that time of the year again when everyone provides their predictions for the upcoming year. I'd like to take a look at five predictions for 2010 related to tech startups.
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Done.io Helps You Focus On Your Task List

12/13/2009
I keep my list of items I need to complete on a piece of paper. Actually a few pieces of paper. A new application launching this weekend aims to help me (and you) increase our effectiveness.
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Two Predictions For DNS In 2010

12/6/2009
Earlier this week Google announced the launch of Google DNS. I'd like to share my two predictions for DNS in 2010.
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Top Resources To Save Big On Cyber Monday

11/29/2009
I am ashamed to admit it but I am a deal hunter. I'd like to share my top resources so you can save actual money on Cyber Monday.
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Does Ellen Following Me Mean Twitter's A Fad?

11/22/2009
Earlier this month talk-show host Ellen began following me (and other tech people) on Twitter. Did her move display something more than just a simple follow?
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Let's Watch Twitter Become FriendFeed

11/16/2009
It seems the hot Twitter news these days is that the service might be slowing in U.S. traffic growth. More importantly, is Twitter continuing to creep closer to FriendFeed's feature set?
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OfficeMedium Offers An Intranet And Collaboration Service

11/7/2009
A new player has entered the Intranet and collaboration space. OfficeMedium aims to help small businesses with their team business and communication needs.
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Why Do Companies Fail?

10/24/2009
Every week I read about another company that has closed its doors. Many news outlets are quick to report on the closures but rarely there is an analysis on why they failed.
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Friendfeed Traffic Drops Post-Acquisition And The First Employee Departs

10/17/2009
When Friendfeed launched, it was supposed to be the ultimate sharing service that was going to beat Twitter. So why is traffic to the service down post-Facebook acquisition?
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Kosmix Offers An Online Content Aggregator

10/10/2009
Finding content about a topic can sometimes be difficult. Valley-based startup Kosmix aims to help you find related content quickly and accurately.
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Hunch Helps You Make Decisions

10/3/2009
Hunch aims to help you make the right decision about questions in your life. I wanted to learn more about this new service so I met with co-founder Chris Dixon.
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7 Ways To Save Money On Business Purchases

9/26/2009
I'd like to share seven of my simple business travel and expense tips for startups that I've picked up over the years. It's critical in the current economic climate that we maximize every dollar spent on goods and services.
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Sprouter Provides A Collaboration Community For Entrepreneurs

9/18/2009
Toronto-based Sprouter provides a networking and collaboration community for entrepreneurs. This morning I met with Sprouter founder and CEO Sarah Prevette to learn more about the service.
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Fixing Login Inconsistencies In Google's Services

9/12/2009
Over the past few weeks I've been keeping track of the different ways each Google service handles login procedures. I would have thought that once I am "cookied" by a Google service that all services would authenticate my session in the same manner but this is not the case.
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Old Wordpress Sites Exploited And Security Questioned

9/5/2009
Apparently this weekend, a major exploit attack has been taking place on old versions of self-hosted blogging platform Wordpress. If you are using Wordpress for your blog, you should update immediately.
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Health Care Reform: Let's Fix The Technology First

8/29/2009
It seems these days you can't put on the TV without every channel discussing health care reform in the U.S. The more I think about it, I believe we are doing it wrong. We should begin by fixing the technology then layering the new plans otherwise we will be in the same situation we are in now in just a few years.
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DIY Usability For Startups

8/22/2009
Earlier this week I attended a meetup about customer development for startups. A presentation was provided about upgrading customer usability without breaking the bank. I'd like to provide a recap and share my thoughts on the event
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Introducing Cash For Clunkers: The Website Edition

8/15/2009
By now we've all heard about the U.S. government's "cash for clunkers" program for automobiles. Today I'd like to propose a similar program for small business websites.
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I Don't Like Inline Text Ads

8/3/2009
The big news last week was regarding the partnership that Yahoo and Microsoft entered into. Paul McDougall noted, "Microsoft's search tools will appear on Yahoo's sites while Yahoo takes on sales role." I've seen some inline text ads that have me a bit worried about the new partnership.
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How FriendFeed Will Generate Revenue

7/27/2009
Earlier this month FriendFeed launched the next version of their API service. It got me thinking about how FriendFeed could generate real revenue and become a real-time search leader.
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Three Services To Help You Move More Effectively

7/17/2009
Moving across the street or across the country is always a pain. I've moved several times over the past few years and have found several services to make the process easier and more affordable.
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Real-Time Product Launch Recap

7/10/2009
A variety of companies launched (or updated) services today that are all attempting to become leaders in the "real-time" space. Here's a recap of some of the services.
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Will FriendFeed's New Search Equal More Real-Time Spam?

7/5/2009
Social message board service FriendFeed announced the launch of their new search engine this week. Will this new search engine see a huge increase in spam?
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Is Text The Only Way To Hold A Conversation?

6/27/2009
Audio podcasts haven't seemed to take off like some expected. Video is great as a broadcast medium but it too hasn't taken off for conversations. Is text the only way to hold a conversation online?
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Is Bing Hurting Advertisers With Categorized Results?

6/19/2009
Where possible, Microsoft's new Bing search engine provides categorized search results. The concept appears to be a good for users but what about for advertisers?
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Hakia Tells Bing That They Invented Categorized Search

6/10/2009
Earlier this month Microsoft launched their updated search engine named Bing. Search startup Hakia claims they invented "categorized search".
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Two Apps To Get Your Food Fix On The iPhone

5/25/2009
I don't know about you but many times I walk into the supermarket and have no idea what I want to buy so I wind up eating way too many hamburgers. I've recently found two iPhone applications that can help with creating a wide range of tasty recipes.
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Wordpress 2.8 Beta Hits The Internet

5/16/2009
At the end of 2008 I wrote about the launch of Wordpress 2.7. The 2.7 version provided a brand new administration interface plus a variety of other changes.
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Sobees bDule Desktop Combines Facebook, Twitter And Twitter Search

5/8/2009
The social media/networking desktop wars continue to heat up with more applications popping up that offer the ability to interact with popular networks from outside the network itself. The newest entrant is bDule from Sobees.
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Two Options To Find An Open Desk For Rent

5/2/2009
Back in November I wrote about coworking and wondered if the economic downturn would help to push coworking further or if the trend would slow. Let's take a look at two services that help match renters with available space.
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Gotta Go? These Three Bathroom Finders Can Help

4/25/2009
Sometimes you need to find a public restroom while out and about. In some cities, it's easy to find a bathroom, while in others -- including New York City -- it's pretty difficult. Here are three tools that can help you when you're in need.
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I've Been Exploited

4/18/2009
Earlier this week, I converted my main blog from the Drupal content management system to Wordpress. Within 24 hours, I was exploited.
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A Reminder To Think Before Submitting

4/15/2009
Last November I posted an article titled, "Always Think Before You Submit." It seems it's time for a refresher.
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Three Applications That Monitor Real-Time Analytics

4/4/2009
Back in February I wrote about the importance of monitoring real-time analytics for your product, service or blog. Now I'd like to share three applications that provide real-time analytics and statistics.
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The Importance Of Word-Of-Mouth Social Sharing For Startup Success

3/28/2009
During my corporate days, one of my requirements on every promotion we ran was that there was a way to share the promotion with a friend. For nearly every promotion, sharing was the number one referral to the promotion. The key was to make the act of sharing as easy as possible. Why is word of mouth marketing so important today?
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SXSW Video Discussion And Demo Recap

3/21/2009
Last week I traveled to Austin, Texas for the SXSW Interactive Festival. I'd like to share some of the videos I recorded throughout the week.
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What's SXSW All About?

3/14/2009
I am here in Austin, Texas, for the next week covering the SXSW Interactive festival. What's SXSW all about and why do I find it relaxing and jam-packed at the same time?
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Why QR Codes Could Help Save Print Advertising

3/7/2009
I am a marketer who loves what Quick Response codes can do for marketers and consumers. What are QR codes? Can these new bar codes help print marketing regain some ground lost to online marketing?
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Do You Backup Your Blog?

2/28/2009
Yesterday I reported on an apparent hacker attack on the iMedia Connection site. It appears the site must have been hit hard as it is down over 48 hours. What are you doing to make sure your blog is backed up in the case of a hacker attack or server outage?
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Hungry? Here Are Ten Ways To Order Food Online

2/21/2009
Today there are many ways to order food online. Sometimes you want food immediately and other times you are willing to wait a couple of days for the perfect meal to arrive. I'd like to share 10 of my favorite sites to order food online.
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The Importance Of Monitoring Real-Time Analytics

2/15/2009
When I first started working with Web analytics packages back in the mid-90's, we were lucky if the data was only a day old. As the years moved on, analytics packages have moved closer to real-time but most still lag behind the current moment. Why is real-time tracking so important?
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Is Your Brand Socially Protected?

2/7/2009
Nearly every week a new social media service launches. Is your brand protected?
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If You Have a Startup, You Must Have A Properly Utilized Blog

2/6/2009
Last night I spoke at the Ultra Light Startups event in NYC. The majority of the time was spent offering some suggestions to the entrepreneurs in the room about how they can improve their startups. One of my top suggestions is to make sure you have a blog.
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Will We See Live Streaming Conference PPV This Year?

1/31/2009
Over the past couple of years, more and more conferences have been providing free live streaming to viewers at home. There are always arguments both for and against live streaming. Some feel that it takes away from those who have paid thousands of dollars to attend a conference. Others believe it offers an opportunity for those at home to interact.
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Can Virtual Goods Work For Scrapblog?

1/24/2009
When I spoke with Scrapblog CEO Carlos GarcÍa last year, he described the service as "a way to create multimedia scrapbooks." I liked the service then because it knew that users alone wouldn't be enough to generate sustainable revenue. This weekend it is launching the next phase of its business model.
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There's Web Work Out There Now Go Get It!

1/23/2009
Over the years as I travel around the country, one of the most popular questions I am asked is whether I know of anyone looking for help with their website. Internet marketing consultants ask me, developers and designers ask me, and search engine optimization consultants ask me. There's plenty of work out there, you just have to know where to look.
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What's Next For Jaiku And Dodgeball?

1/17/2009
Earlier this week Google announced that several products will be shut down or will be modified. Included in the list were two social services: Jaiku and Dodgeball.
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What To Include In A Product Or Service Pitch

1/11/2009
In the last column, we looked at the optimal time for sending out your product or service pitch. In this column, I'd like to share what I like to see included in a pitch for a product or service. I think it's important to spend time on the blogs and news outlets you want to get covered by to see if they outline what they look for in submitted pitches.
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The Best Time To Pitch Your Product Or Service

1/7/2009
One of the most popular questions I am asked is when is the best time and/or day to pitch a tech product or service to bloggers and reporters. There are absolutely better times than others and I'd like to share my thoughts and ideas as you move closer to launch. In future columns, we will explore the right content to include in a pitch.
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Will FriendFeed Be Able To Reach The Mainstream Internet User?

1/3/2009
This weekend there has been a lot of chatter about FriendFeed and where the service needs to move to grow out of its core user base of early adopters. For those of you who haven't tried FriendFeed, think of it as a new-style forum based on a person's activity across the Web.
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Ten Excellent Language Translators And Resources

12/28/2008
I've spent the last few years attempting to learn German. Initially, I attended German language classes at the Goethe Institute. Last year, I moved to a new city with no Goethe Institute and my schedule made it nearly impossible to find a class that would fit my schedule. Naturally, I turned to the Internet to continue my education, and here are 10 tools to translate content and interact with others who speak German.
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Initial Thoughts On WordPress 2.7

12/24/2008
Back in October, I attended an event where WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg provided a demo of the upcoming WordPress 2.7 release. I captured the demo on video and it has become one of my most popular videos to date. Here are my thoughts on the 2.7 release and why WordPress always seems to think about publishers first.
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Two Predictions For 2009

12/21/2008
As 2008 comes to a close, I'd like to share predictions for the technology space in 2009. The predictions are: more utility-based Web applications will launch and mobile usage will grow but content won't be monetized.
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Is There Anything Twitter Can't Do?

12/18/2008
As Twitter has grown in popularity, the number of ways this communication tool can be used are endless. No more is it just about telling your friends what you had for lunch or that your makeup won't stay in place for your video blog. No sir! Twitter has so many uses that I'm wondering, is there anything that it can't be used for?
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Five Ways To Manage Your Finances Online

12/13/2008
As the U.S. economy continues to slow, I am often asked for advice on selecting an online financial management tool. Here are five tools that can help you completely manage your finances and find ways to save more and spend less. Some of the tools provide a social networking layer which can tap into help from your friends and family on financial management.
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Six Great Ways To Save On Holiday Shopping

12/7/2008
Most people that know me know that I am a deal hunter. I've been this way for years and refuse to shop online without some sort of discount code. Here are six methods I use to save money when shopping online. I hope you find them beneficial during this holiday season.
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With Pownce Gone - Who's Next To Be Acquired?

12/3/2008
Earlier this week we learned that short messaging service Pownce was closing shop. I shared some of the reasons I believe it closed. For a long time, Pownce was considered the second most popular short messaging service behind Twitter. With the Pownce closure, I started to wonder...who's next to be acquired?
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Looking At Twitter As A News Source

11/29/2008
If you are into online technology, you've certainly heard of Twitter by now. It seems many tech blogs can't get enough of how great Twitter is. The scene reminds me a bit of Facebook about 18 months ago. Apparently there's nothing Twitter can't do. In addition to people sharing that they just rode a horse; watched a video; cleaned their apartment; ate a hamburger or took a shower, now Twitter is being utilized as a key news source.
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Why Hulu Will Eat YouTube's Lunch

11/23/2008
Saturday night, YouTube held its inaugural "YouTube Live" concert where a number of mainstream artists played and sang along with a few YouTube stars. Mogulus estimates that there were 700,000 concurrent viewers of the YouTube live stream. Sounds like a large number until you realize that most TV shows have millions of viewers.
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I'd Buy That Twitter For A Dollar

11/21/2008
The question going around the early adopter circle this week is whether Twitter users would pay for their accounts and if so, how much would they be willing to pay. Rob Jensen has analyzed a survey which shows that most people who replied would rather see the service go away than pay for it.
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Obama Says Yes We Can Use YouTube

11/14/2008
When I first heard that President-elect Barack Obama would be using online video to distribute his weekly addresses, I was excited. It's great to see that he wants to engage the nation across both video and audio. I assumed that the videos would be posted to the whitehouse.gov and change.gov websites.
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Web Services Alert You To Speed Traps And Red-Light Cameras

11/14/2008
When I was in college, a large whiteboard was placed in the campus center where students would post locations on the highways where cops would sit and wait for speeders. Everyone would copy the list for their route before they headed home. Today there are services online that can provide real-time updates of where the speed traps and red light cameras are located.
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Will The Economic Downturn Push Coworking Further Ahead Or Will People Head Out?

11/9/2008
When I speak with Web developers and designers who have lost their jobs over the past few months, many of them tell me that they are considering going out on their own and launching either a consultancy or a startup. As the discussion continues, about half of the group say they will look to begin the process at a coworking location versus working at home or at a coffee shop.
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Sexy Web Browsing On A Windows Mobile Device

11/6/2008
In late 2007, I purchased a Windows Mobile-based smartphone. The top issue I heard from friends before I made the purchase is that the browsing experience was nothing like the Safari browser on the iPhone. I knew that I wanted the ability to blog from the mobile if needed and so I wanted a device with a keyboard. The first month was exactly what my friends said it would be...miserable Web browsing.
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Always Think Before You Submit

11/2/2008
Over the past 10 years, I've written and spoken about the need to "think before you submit." What I mean is that when you say something online, it will be stored forever and can come back to bite you years later. With a blog it's relatively quick to post and once the post hits the RSS feed, it's pretty difficult to take the post back.
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Are Bots On Twitter Hurting Overall System Performance?

10/29/2008
If you use the "real-time short messaging service" Twitter, you know that over the last year there have been many performance issues. So many, in fact, that users have created a name for the outages, called the "fail whale." I started to poke around and began to wonder if bots running on the Twitter network could be causing some of the system performance issues on the service.
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The Startup Culture: Silicon Valley Versus New York

10/25/2008
One of the questions I'm asked most often on both coasts is "What's the difference between the startup culture on the East Coast and those on the West Coast?" I'd like to share some of my thoughts on the differences. I have noticed that both coasts have very active startup communities with events on nearly every weeknight.
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Site Search Provider Gets Patent And Enters U.S. Market

10/21/2008
Adding a site search to your Web site or blog can increase traffic and readership by allowing readers access to stories around a topic or subject. Many companies provide site search functionality, including Google, Eurekster, and Lijit. Today another company has entered the U.S. market and it's bringing along a freshly issued patent.
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Baby On The Way? These Five Web Services Can Help

10/18/2008
As more people share their lives online, a natural extension is to share information with friends and family about a baby, both pre- and post-birth. We've seen many Twitter births over the past year. But what happens when you want to share more information and media? A handful of new companies aim to create the ultimate baby website.
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Blog Comment Replacement Service Gets Boost

10/14/2008
Blog comment replacement services have been very popular over the past year, with more companies sprouting up offering to make commenting and comment management easier. One of these companies is JS-Kit, which has announced today that it has raised $3.6 million in a new Series B round of funding.
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What's Next For WordPress?

10/8/2008
WordPress is a popular blogging platform that's available in a variety of versions, including: self-hosted (WordPress.org), hosted (WordPress.com), and WordPress MU for multiple blogs on a single installation. The current version of the blogging software is 2.6.2 and the hot talk around the blogosphere is what's coming next for WordPress?
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