Disqus - Latest Comments for rod

Re: The latest craze: Clipboard Roulette

rod — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 07:02:51 -0000

That's awesome. I would lose *every time* however, as my clipboard is all mind-numbing VBA code. :(

Re: MSFT and Yahoo: two icebergs, roped together

rod — Fri, 04 May 2007 11:23:51 -0000

Good call, great metaphor. My own thinking is along the same lines:

...would these two battle damaged, beleaguered companies be able to successfully execute on an acquisition or a merger? I tend to think not: even if the execution was successful, the act would consume so much organizational resources from each for so long that their market positions would erode badly in the meantime as their business languishes while integrating.

Re: Can Amazon take a bite out of Apple?

rod — Thu, 17 May 2007 11:24:46 -0000

I think the notion of ecosystem de-emphasizes the most compelling part of the Apple-iTunes-iPod user experience: Simplicity. One interface to manage your purchases, you music at home, your music on the go, access the store, etc. With Amazon, there's going to be different interfaces for shopping, managing your collection, managing your "to-go" player, etc. - multiple apps, files here and there, etc.

Unless I see something compelling from Amazon, I'll stay with iTunes, and I'm willing to bet most other people will too: it saves me time, and makes what used to be a logistical PITA simple.

Re: Can Amazon take a bite out of Apple?

rod — Thu, 17 May 2007 12:44:58 -0000

Fair enough; when I hear ecosystem, I think of the iPod industry that has sprung up around the brand - accessories, etc. that extend the "iPod-ness" beyond the core user-experience. - hence my comment :)

Re: Desktop Tower Defense totally rulez

rod — Tue, 29 May 2007 10:25:34 -0000

Too bad adsense is failing them.

http://techfold.com/2007/05/28/when-adsense-fails/

Re: iLike: Riding the Facebook tsunami

rod — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 11:05:35 -0000

Wow - I wrote some thoughts a while back on F8/facebook trying to become the next microsoft by building the platform on which the next generation of online software will be built. At the time I wasn't 100% sold that it would actually come to pass, but stories like this are solidifying my opinion in favour of Facebook's ability to execute. When businesses like iLike can be built and be successful on the back of a social network platform without fear of MySpace-esque reprisals (bannings, etc) - you know you've got something.

Re: Is Google getting serious about mobile?

rod — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:36:51 -0000

Google has appeared to be stretched thin for sometime, both in terms of updating their core products, and making use of acquisitions. I wouldn't think a buy of this type signals anything more than a speculative hedge buy on Google's part. JMHO.

Re: Is Zillow building a ghost town?

rod — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 12:59:29 -0000

Is there really potential for hyperlocal blogging, etc., or do we just wish there was? How much interaction does the average person have with their neighbors as it is? How much interaction do they want with their neighbors?

What channels are most effective at enabling neighborhood-level conversations?

The web is good at bringing far-flung groups together - the long tail, etc. I'd suggest that hyper local groups self-organize and manage organically as much as they need to, simply by virtue of proximity. As demonstrated by the examples noted, attempting to web-ebable these communities is tool without a need. IMHO.

Re: A "citizen journalism" trifecta of failure

rod — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:25:29 -0000

Interesting to see that in many cases citizen journalism requires similar structure to traditional journalism to thrive; i.e.: the way the end state of Assignment Zero was described made it sound like a regular MSM outlet with editors, topical departments, set assignments & deadlines, and so on.

In one sense, this shouldn't be a surprise for anyone. Say what you will about the merits of MSM, its had several hundred years to evolve to its current state.

It seems that the imposition of structure is an all or nothing proposition: either there's no agenda, or there's a comprehensive structure set-up to achieve an agenda. Agenda without structure flatlines. Structure without a consistent agenda results in push-back - as was the case with the Digg HD-DVD key fiasco.

Interesting times!

Re: If Technorati can beat Google, why can’t Microsoft or Yahoo?

rod — Wed, 23 May 2007 10:38:06 -0000

Its certainly an improvement, but I still find the Technorati algorithm to be confusing at best - i.e.: if I search for "techfold" (my blogs name), I get a mix of my own posts and others that have mentioned me: shouldn't there be a conceptual split between pages FROM techfold, and pages that MENTION techfold? Of course, I could say the same thing about Google, thought goog's clustering is better.

My other thought: funny that you suggest "small is good" - given that one of the primary critiques of 2.0 is that many startups are just "features" not businesses. IMHO you're right: features can be a successful strategy, as Technorati & Pageflakes are demonstrating.