Month: February 2011

Live blogging Eric Schmidt at the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting

I'm one of the four hosts of this year's IAB conference, and kicking off the event is a keynote from Google's Eric Schmidt. I'll be updating this post as he speaks, so stay tuned…. Eric is wearing a vneck sweater and looks quite dapper. Executive Chairmanship agrees with him (not…

eric-schmidt-web-20.jpgI’m one of the four hosts of this year’s IAB conference, and kicking off the event is a keynote from Google’s Eric Schmidt. I’ll be updating this post as he speaks, so stay tuned….

Eric is wearing a vneck sweater and looks quite dapper. Executive Chairmanship agrees with him (not that I know anything about that…).

Eric starts by hitting “Morning Joe” who said that computers are “cold companions.” Eric says he’s wrong. “Computers do what computers do best, humans do what humans do best.” A “net win for humanity.”

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The Rise of Digital Plumage

Before we go out, my wife will often ask "how are people dressing tonight?" I'm never quite sure how to answer – at least for her. In essence, she's asking me to read the room we'll be in, and then translate the social nuance of that room to her…

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Before we go out, my wife will often ask “how are people dressing tonight?” I’m never quite sure how to answer – at least for her. In essence, she’s asking me to read the room we’ll be in, and then translate the social nuance of that room to her choice of clothing.

While I certainly pay attention to what I wear, I’ve come to the point in my life where choosing clothes for a social night out isn’t that big a deal anymore. Women, or perhaps my wife in particular, seem far more attuned to the symbolism of social dress than I (perhaps that’s why it takes them so long to get ready!). It’s not that I don’t appreciate a well tailored jacket – I do – it’s just…well I know what I like, and I like things simple. If you’ve seen me speak at a conference, you pretty much know what I look like at dinner on a Saturday night. Instrumenting the nuances of my social dress pretty much comes down to “white shirt or black?” and “those jeans or these?” (Though I will admit to a weakness for shoes.)

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Do We Trust The Government With The Internet?

As you all know each day I summarize links I find worth reading, toss in a few lines of offhand commentary, and send it out as "Signal." So far a few thousand folks have subscribed to it, and while it's not exactly Pulitzer material, it's fun to do and…

apple-1984.jpg

As you all know each day I summarize links I find worth reading, toss in a few lines of offhand commentary, and send it out as “Signal.” So far a few thousand folks have subscribed to it, and while it’s not exactly Pulitzer material, it’s fun to do and it is a nice way of forcing myself to not just read the news, but think about it as well.

Last night, quite late it turns out (I had a dinner), I once again sat down to do Signal. The first piece I came across (from the WSJ) sparked something of a rant in me. I’m going to re-post it here, for this audience, to see if it sparks any kind of response.

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Signal Roundup: 2.18.11

I missed rounding up last week's Signal, forgive me. This week is a pretty good one though, ending as it did with something of a philosophical rant around "what is government in the age of the Internet." Enjoy. Friday Signal: What Do We Do With The Internet? Thursday Signal:…

signal logo.jpgI missed rounding up last week’s Signal, forgive me. This week is a pretty good one though, ending as it did with something of a philosophical rant around “what is government in the age of the Internet.” Enjoy.

Friday Signal: What Do We Do With The Internet?

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Google, Social, and Facebook: One Ring Does Not Rule Them All

When I read Google announcements like this one, An update to Google Social Search, I find myself wondering why Google doesn't just come out and say something like this: "We know social search is important, and we're working on it. However, we don't think the solution lies in working…

Screen shot 2011-02-17 at 11.01.57 AM.png

When I read Google announcements like this one, An update to Google Social Search, I find myself wondering why Google doesn’t just come out and say something like this: “We know social search is important, and we’re working on it. However, we don’t think the solution lies in working only with Facebook, because, to be honest, we think social media is bigger than one company, one platform, or one “social graph.” We’ve got a bigger vision for what social means in the world, and here it is.”

Wouldn’t that be great?

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Hey Apple, We’ve Got a Better Way

Google's timing isn't coincidental: A simple way for publishers to manage access to digital content (Google Blog) Google announces "Google One Pass" – "a payment system that enables publishers to set the terms for access to their digital content." Google doesn't have the iPad/Phone monoculture, but it's got reach, it's…

Google’s timing isn’t coincidental:Screen shot 2011-02-16 at 9.34.28 AM.png

A simple way for publishers to manage access to digital content (Google Blog)

Google announces “Google One Pass” – “a payment system that enables publishers to set the terms for access to their digital content.”

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This Is News? JC Penney and Link Farms

As I read this NYT story on JC Penney's black hat link farms, I felt like I was in a way back machine – I mean, five solid pages of copy about … old school low-rent link-spam sites? Really? I dunno, if this is news, the news is getting stale….

nytgoog.pngAs I read this NYT story on JC Penney’s black hat link farms, I felt like I was in a way back machine – I mean, five solid pages of copy about … old school low-rent link-spam sites? Really?

I dunno, if this is news, the news is getting stale. The never-ending battle between Google and link-buying outfits is as old as search itself. The story told in the Times’ piece sheds absolutely no new light on the tale, despite leading with lines like “the digital age’s most mundane act, the Google search, often represents layer upon layer of intrigue.”

I read the piece eagerly, expecting that it would turn up a smoking gun – proof that either someone at JC Penney knowingly paid black-hat search optimizers, or proof that someone at Google knowingly looked the other way as JC Penney, a major Google advertiser, employed these tactics. Either would have been big news.

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Is Google Going After Conde Nast?! Nah.

Yesterday Google unveiled "Google Weddings," a site that ostensibly competes with what insiders in the media business understand to be a particularly lucrative niche: Bridal publications. Magazines and websites such as Brides.com are cash cows for the likes of Conde Nast, Hearst, and others, and usually top the lists…

wedding.png

Yesterday Google unveiled “Google Weddings,” a site that ostensibly competes with what insiders in the media business understand to be a particularly lucrative niche: Bridal publications.

Magazines and websites such as Brides.com are cash cows for the likes of Conde Nast, Hearst, and others, and usually top the lists of publications with the most ad pages on an annual basis.

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will.i.am at Signal LA

I've interviewed will.i.am before, but this conversation at Signal LA earlier in the week was my favorite of the day. will.i.am is a remarkable thinker and as you can see from our conversation, he's much, much more than "just a musician."…

http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1

I’ve interviewed will.i.am before, but this conversation at Signal LA earlier in the week was my favorite of the day. will.i.am is a remarkable thinker and as you can see from our conversation, he’s much, much more than “just a musician.”

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