Web 2.0 Watch: Create your own Social Web Apps with Ning

For many, Web 2.0 is based on community and sharing online. Ning provides a platform to create your own social Web application in minutes. Ning promises that you can create:

• Your own photo or video sharing website (like Flickr, Shutterfly or YouTube)
  
• Your own group or social network (for your friends or school)
  
• Your own reviews site for anything (like Citysearch or IGN )
  
• Your own ratings or voting site (like Hot-or-Not™)
  
• Your own marketplace (like Craigslist for your own group)

All this can be achieved by cloning and modifying existing Ning apps, or, for the developers out there, delving deeper into writing some code.

I browsed around some apps on Ning, and although very compelling, they all looked virtually identical. Sure, the tools may be there to modify to your liking, but it doesn't seem to be the norm right now.

With maturity, Ning could become a great launching pad for some good social Web ideas, but they must first make it even more accessible for non-developers and provide easy to use customization tools to allow each app to stand on its own. This is one to keep an eye on.

Second Life's creator answers protesters

Philip Rosedale, Linden Lab CEO and creator of online virtual world Second Life, writes in his blog about SL's third birthday, the protesters, and the future. He makes some interesting points, which make me think he's either a true visionary, or a little bit on the crazy side. Probably a bit of both.

Second Life turns 3 today...amidst protests from residents

The online virtual world of Second Life turns 3 years old today. Unfortunately, in-world protesters promise to bring the festivities down a notch.

Recently, Linden Lab, the makers of Second Life, changed their policy of requiring a credit card as age verification to sign up. Many residents are concerned that this is going to let in a rash of griefers and script kiddies that frequently cause problems by scamming people and causing grid crashes.

The protests today are designed to get Linden Lab to rethink their new "no credit card" policy to minimize the influx of teen sign ons. Linden Lab also runs a teen only grid for Second Life, and that's where the teens belong, according to the protesters.

To me, this is a case of art imitating real life. When large groups of people get together, there are always conflicts, and the vocal protest. In this case, they may just have a point, but I will not support the protests during SL's birthday. It's supposed to be a celebration. Let's make it one and save the whales another day.

10,000 Miles!

My 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid just reached 10,000 miles! My average MPG since I bought the car is just under 50. Not bad!

Now I have to do something about that "maintenance required" light that came on. I'm thinking duct tape.

Low usability = high annoyance. Duh!

Sandra Rossi of Computerworld Today (Australia) mentions in her article, What Users Hate Most About Web Sites, that a web site that is hard to use causes people to get annoyed and leave the site.

So what do users hate? Ads, complexity, confusion, distractions, wordiness...you know, the things that everyone hates about anything. What I find interesting is that articles like this make good design principles seem like a revelation. It's not brain surgery, people. It's common sense. If you don't like a wordy, ad-filled web site, there's a good chance many others feel the same way.

Flock browser beta launches...raises more dough

Flock is a Mozilla based browser with additional features, including photo integration with Flickr or photobucket, social bookmarking integration with Del.icio.us or Shadows, a blogging tool, enhanced search and an RSS reader.

As a matter of fact, I am using the beta right now to write this post. Check it out

Blogged with Flock

My new design/usability web site

I figured it was about time to create a site dedicated to my work and professional life. Let's face it, if we don't promote ourselves, don't expect anyone else to!

With the launch of http://ed.caggiani.com/, I have managed to put together my philosophy of good design, which I call the R.A.I.D. Philosophy of Good Design. Visit the site to read what R.A.I.D. is all about.

The site is still very much under construction, so don't expect too much...yet.

Get your Windows Vista today!

Windows Vista, Microsoft's next operating system, is still in beta. But Microsoft just announced that it has opened the beta to the public with its Windows Vista Customer Preview Program (CPP). Are you brave enough to try it?

Stream of photo-consciousness...

A friend at work just sent around this link, and I have to say this is one of the coolest things I've seen.

Imagine a picture...now imagine every pixel in that picture being another picture. Now imagine being able to zoom in and see those smaller pictures, and as they get closer you see that they are made up of more pictures...and now prepare to spend quite a while clicking and clicking and clicking.

Simply cool. Try it yourself (NOTE: Macromedia Shockwave plugin required)

Linux still not ready for desktop primetime

Many people in Silicon Valley tout the benefits of using Linux instead of Windows as their desktop operating system of choice. It's faster, more secure, and way cheaper. So why hasn't it overtaken Microsoft in the desktop OS war?

Mark Golden of The Wall Street Journal
puts several Linux distributions through their paces and tells us why. What does it boil down to? Compatibility...specifically with multimedia hardware and software. Have an iPod? You will have to work extra hard to get it to work on Linux. Want to see online streaming video? Not just a click away.

Something not mentioned in this article is how Linux works with the latest PC games. The short answer: It doesn't. The latest hot games are built for Windows and use DirectX technology, something not easily or successfully emulated. Being a gamer, this immediately negates the option of using Linux for me.

Now don't get me wrong...Linux is a wonderful OS that has its place. That place is in the background, running servers. It wins hands down.

Web 2.0 Watch: Logos galore

While browsing Zimbio portals (see my previous post), I came across this large image of Web 2.0 company logos, which was housed on Flickr.

The discussion around it pointed me to web2logo.com, a site that simply posts linked logos to hundreds of Web 2.0 companies.

In the current climate, like a smarter, more mature version of the '90's dot-com growth period, a living visual map of the growing landscape is a welcome addition.

Plus, the fact that I found this site via the Zimbio : Flickr : Web2logo.com trail, proves that information sharing and self-publishing can lead one down paths of discovery only available to humanity relatively recently.

The Wild West was fun, but it got better when they invented plumbing.

Web 2.0 Watch: Zimbio launches!

Zimbio launches!
What is Zimbio, you ask? They call themselves "...the network of public portals created by people like you."

What does this mean? To put it simply, it's a site where any user (or "guru") can create a Web 2.0 information and communications center for any topic under the sun...complete with a blog, member photos, links, feeds, forums, chat, and more. The best part is that each portal grows with the help of Zimbio's user base.

This is a sign of the times...when technology, communication and social networking are coming together to form exciting new ideas and services. Zimbio has set itself apart from other offerings by integrating many of today's hot Web 2.0 buzzwords into a usable, fun, and potentially informative service. Check it out!

IE7 Beta 2 released

The official IE Blog announced that IE7 Beta 2 is now released. This is a quote from their blog:

We acted on a lot of the feedback and bug reports from the previous public releases. In particular, I feel good about changes we made based on reports from web developers around some CSS behaviors, application compatibility feedback, reliability data (yes, we do analyze the information that comes when you click “Send Error Report”), and user experience feedback. People on the team will post additional details about changes over the next few days.

I think it's definitely worth a look!

I don't need no stinkin' RAZR!

Being Hispanic, I felt it was my obligation...my duty...to carry a blade of some sort. Well Samsung allows me to carry one that is allowed through airport security.

It's the Samsung A900 (affectionately known as "The Blade"). This is Samsung's answer to Motorola's ever popular RAZR. All I have to say is...Joo better don't tek it away from me or I'll cut you, my freng!

The specs are quite similar to the RAZR...same thin profile, bluetooth, 1.2 megapixel camera, etc. But for my personal uses, I see the A900 as the better phone. I am a Sprint customer, so this phone gets me access to Sprint's high speed EV-DO network. This means I can pair my phone to my laptop (bluetoothedly) and surf the 'net at near broadband speeds anywhere Sprint's EV-DO service is available. Lucky for me, it's all around Silicon Valley.

Coupled with a Jabra BT500 bluetooth headset, I can geek out with the best of 'em...or look like a crazy guy mumbling to himself who has a hearing aid. Do I care? Remember, I cut you, mang!

I just discovered that my new phone can take dictation from me and it will write what I say to it!

This is being posted from my new samsung A900 EV-DO mobile phone. More to come!

'Second Life' gets an $11 Million Dollar boost

The online virtual world known as Second Life has just announced an $11 million round of funding. This will allow Linden Lab, the creators of Second Life, to expand deeper into foreign markets, hire more personnel, and improve their infrastructure.

Second Life currently has about 165,000 users, a drop in the bucket compared to other popular MMO's (Blizzard's 'World of Warcraft' has 6 million). But users are passionate, creative, and mature. It's not your typical quest driven fantasy world. It's more of a virtual canvas for creative digital artists, socialites, and programmers to get together and share ideas, talents, and have fun...maybe even making a buck along the way.

I highly suggest visiting Second Life and becoming an active member. It is free to join and you only need to pay if you want to own land. While you're there, checkout our virtual pet dogs :-)

Rare Monty Python interview online

This blog posted a rare 1975 interview with members of Monty python. If you're a fan, you must check it out!

Zombie MMO in the works

Tired of the same old fantasy online games? Well, it looks like a new MMORPG is in the works called Exanimus (Latin for "without life"), which is based on the horror genre. It's still in pre-production, so there are no screenshots or anything, but this is an interesting game to keep an eye on!

Unfolding the Origami mystery

CNET posted some sneak peek pictures of minitablets that Microsoft and Intel are working on as the mysterious Origami project. Very tantalizing!