Disqus - Latest Comments for Alex Hammer

Re: Not necessarily a Ron Paul sycophant but . . .

Alex Hammer — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 10:41:50 -0000

See also:
Ron Paul's Winning Message
http://ronpaul.wetpaint.com/page/Ron+Paul%27s+W...

Re: Fred Wilson Dot VC

Alex Hammer — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:35:14 -0000

Is there more to this post? Congrats re: Disqus investment. I'm still waiting for resolution (tech solution from Disqus help) so I'll be able to install across my 14 blogs (had problem doing so).

Re: We Need A New Path To Liquidity

Alex Hammer — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:40:18 -0000

This is the most thought provoking post that I have read in awhile, in part I'm sure due to the informed nature of the writer.

A few thoughts:L

- The nature of capitalism is such that these type of acquisition events are going to continue
- The key question is how do Internet properties retain their momentum (product features, user base, integration with parent company) post acquisition. YouTube comes to mind. Although the monetization hasn't been figured out yet, they continue to excel as part of Google. And Flickr as part of Yahoo. So it very clearly can be done.
- Using YouTube and Flikr again as examples, companies have been smart in regard to branding. Many everyday people do not know YouTube is part of Google, nor that Flickr is part of Yahoo. And it's better that way.
- Large behemoths (the big 4: Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, AOL) that can operate best as startups (is Brickhouse Yahoo's effort? can't remember) will have the competive advantage
- Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL, we must never forget, exist within the overall marketplace, and as a result are subject to market disruption. It is to their compeitive advantage, obviosuly, to extract full market value out of their acquired properties, for competitive advantage. As Microsoft took on giant IBM, the startsups of yesterday and today (Google vs. Microsoft, Facebook vs. Google and Friendfeed vs. Facebook) will always be in their face pushing that competitive challenge.

Re: We Need A New Path To Liquidity

Alex Hammer — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:45:54 -0000

Very insigtful thinking!! As they say, it's always about the incentives (being properly aligned).

Re: We Need A New Path To Liquidity

Alex Hammer — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:48:16 -0000

Investors can inded be part of the solution in regard to maintaining innovation post acquistion, and in fact it may turn out that they are central too it. They have both the vision and influence to be a (if not the) determining factor.

Re: Fred Wilson Dot VC

Alex Hammer — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:32:04 -0000

Cool concept - nice description.

Re: I Got Lucky

Alex Hammer — Fri, 30 May 2008 17:33:04 -0000

Fred is a genius. He is the real deal and I think about the very best in the business.

As the saying goes (to paraphrase) "those who succeed find the conditions for success. And if they can'f find them, they create them"

I like the tuna fish story. That sounds like me.

Re: Blogging's Dead, Long Live Blogging

Alex Hammer — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:22:10 -0000

There will always be individual niches, and I think significant ones, but at the same time it's never helpful to swim upstream against a current that is very strong.

In this world of constant FAST change, including and in fact especially in the Internet, blogging, and social media spaces (and others), those who adapt early and well survive and thrive.

You can guess about the others.

Sentimentality is fine (and good). But it's a hobby (which is fine as well). It's not generally a business.

Re: Blogging's Dead, Long Live Blogging

Alex Hammer — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:26:14 -0000

When the Paid Content's and Silicon Alley Insider's of the world begin seeing cash, the future is even much brighter for the innovative, well run networks.

Re: When Will A Comment Be Treated Like A Post On Techmeme?

Alex Hammer — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:58:23 -0000

THE CONVERSATION WILL OVERRIDE THE CONVERSANT. In other works, the participating audience will rise in importance relative to the broadcast. This is the phenomenon of participation (e.g. participatory journalism), crowdsourcing, etc.

Wikipedia is an (already) classic example. The content is the aggregate (always changing) of the (participating) audience. Twitter and Friendfeed and Facebook and other services have elements of this as well.

Prediction models (including for investing) tapping into "the wisdom of crowds" will gain prominence. As another prominent example, the joint computering sharing worldwide looking for extraterrestrial life built a supercomputer in scale that dwarfed the two largest existing computers in existence in the world, one from the US and one from Japan.

Re: Fred Wilson Dot VC

Alex Hammer — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:31:20 -0000

"The art of the possible" makes a CEO (or presidential candidate) visionary and effective.

Re: Fred Wilson Dot VC

Alex Hammer — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:33:56 -0000

Wal-Mart, Amazon - Scale never hurts. Google will buy whatever expertise they do not already possess or wish to develop.

Re: Venture Fund Economics

Alex Hammer — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 10:30:31 -0000

Very useful and illuminating post.

I am not a VC so am not sure the standard practice, but it seems to me that while, far from being completely scientific and predictable, a VC firm could (potentially) model well potential rates of return from an investment with a well developed (and finely tuned) (set of) algorithms that take into consideration, among other factors, current and historical returns in that sector, types of exit(s) available and predicted, predicted strength of team and operations, market opportunity filtered by assessed competence relative to competitors etc.

Not to say that investing isn't also an art, but in any complex phenomenon being able to quantify into (accurate) predictivfe models is important.

Techmeme is used because it distills what is important/popular with readers, and people argue about how well and accurately it does this.

EFFECTIVE ALGORITHMS SEPARATE VALUE FROM NOISE. One thing that they do not inherently do, however, is integrate vision and disruption, those types of variables - highly important - need to be included as well.

Re: Venture Fund Economics

Alex Hammer — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 10:54:22 -0000

Theoretically, such algorithms can be devised via reverse-engineering. You look at the ROI results of your or others investments, and then you work to identify and quantify the contributing elements to that result. You keep tweaking the algorithm until it best fits (predicts) the result. Then you move on to other results to see whether the algorithm just created also (best) predicts this other result, whether it needs to be further modified, or whether this new result requires its own separate (but perhaps related) alogorithm

Re: Venture Fund Economics: Gross and Net Returns

Alex Hammer — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:06:02 -0000

This and the preceding post are some of the most illuminating VC blog postings that I have ever encountered, providing great insight.

I am not a VC so I do not know the evaluative mechanisms and standards utilized, but it seems to me that algorithms could be developed to predict investment ROI success. Using reverse engineering, one could look at the investment results of one's (or others) investments, and then work backwards to determing what were the apparent charateritics and elements contributing to that result (and then test this algorithm against other results, seeing how well it fits and tweaking (or coming up with a new algorithm) for, for example, separate classes of investments.

Areas that might be assessed/measured in such algorithms might include: historical and current rates of return in that sector, assessed exit avenues available and their payoffs, strength of team and operational capability, competitive analysis in regard to the percentage of value obtainable in market (or desirability for purchase or other exit) relative to competitors, etc.

Not that it is pure science by any means. The art pieces include, among other considerations perhaps, notions of vision and disruption.

Techmeme employs an algorithm (which people argue about) in terms of defining what are popular/influential tech stories that has made it in some sense, a go to informational predictive model. TechCrunch presents a framework (model), always evolving, that guides readers' expectations (as well as tech entrepreneurs) in regard to how value will be measured.

PREDICTIVE (AND THUS WITH INVESTMENT FINANCIAL) SUCCESS IS, IT SEEMS TO ME, HEAVILY TIED INTO THE ABILITY TO EXTRACT VALUE FROM NOISE. That is what the above models are attempts to do.

Re: Venture Fund Economics: Gross and Net Returns

Alex Hammer — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:46:54 -0000

I respectfully disagree. If major Wall Street firms can spend huge sums of resources on predictive models for financial modeling of incredibly complicated markets, why cannot VC's do the same? Predictive modeling of a limited set of investments in such a fashion would be far simpler than what is done elsewhere (heck, even the leading baseball GM's are employing advanced statistical models for ballplayer selection etc. to significant advantage)

Re: Venture Fund Economics: Gross and Net Returns

Alex Hammer — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:51:20 -0000

Science is all about testing hypotheses to see how they correspond with reality, and continually making refinements such that our theories (in this case algorithims) result in greater predictive value (or at a minimum, perhaps, seek to maintain a degree of predictability (tread water) as markets evolve).

Re: Crunchbase SMS Interface

Alex Hammer — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 10:18:39 -0000

Crowdsourced and participatory databases are a good idea for content creation, and the SMS will, I would think, aid in regard to viral marketing. Michael Arrington is an incredible expert on both integrating his products, and then marketing them to the world (brand creation and extension).

Re: FriendFeed gets interesting (Scripting News)

Alex Hammer — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:11:42 -0000

The list of early adopters is an impressive lot. Loooks promising. I agree, nice features.

Re: Comments in Twitter? (Scripting News)

Alex Hammer — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:25:08 -0000

The number one question perhaps, asked in so many different variations, is how conversations best do (vs. not) provide value, and what types of web services, and overlap and integration related to that, is involved in this.

Re: Seesmic and Disqus sittin in a tree (Scripting News)

Alex Hammer — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:13:19 -0000

Is anyone else confused by the Seesmic dashboard? I may not be that bright, but in the few minutes that I devoted to it after signing up (thanks Loic for the invite) I saw options for creating video messages but I couldn't figure out how to install Seesmic in my blogs.

Re: Facebook knows who you are, and that's worth more than you think

Alex Hammer — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:16:55 -0000

Bret Taylor and Paul Buchheit are each geniuses. If it is true as has been said elsewhere that Google is the next Microsoft and Facebook is the next Google, then I would add that Friendfeed is the next Facebook.

Re: Why I follow thousands of friends on Facebook, Twitter, Friendfeed and Seesmic

Alex Hammer — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:26:49 -0000

This is fascinating. I also like Facebook chat - the immediacy of it - and thought that it might be more utilized by others than it appears to be. The organizing function that is going on around social media continually raises the bar in regard to how much information can be processed by others, and thus how much will be.

Re: Sponsored post by Robert Scoble

Alex Hammer — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:10:01 -0000

I realize that the algorithm to Techmeme is its "secret sauce" and I'm sure a trade secret (as it should be). But Gabe needs to do more to discuss, in general tems, what the algorithm uses as criteria. I haven't seen much on this and I've read, over time, many people questioning what the criteria of the algorithm are.

Re: Scoble seeking to be acquired by Microsoft

Alex Hammer — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:22:07 -0000

The "funny" thing is, if you want to term it that, is that Scoble is worth a great deal -- via his writing, videos, followrs, influence throughout the communities etc. Not that it would be easy to put an exact dollar figure on that, to be sure, but it is sizeable. By personal brands standards, huge.

Re: Experimenting with Google App Engine - Bret Taylor's blog

Alex Hammer — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:41:05 -0000

Bret,

Congratulations on the start of your blog. I have seen Scoble's (very fine) and other interviews of you, and you, in addition to Friendfeed, are amazing. You are not only someone who "gets it" in terms of putting the pieces together (product, personnel, marketing, background, etc.) but you're in the right space and are evidencing superior execution. If Google is the next Microsoft and Facebook is the next Google, Friendfeed (watch out Facebook) is the next Facebook. You'll be as rich as Zuckerberg will be (and maybe Page and Brin), and as much in a leadership industry position.

Re: louisgray.com: The StatBot Launches to Analyze Blog, Web Trends, Statistics

Alex Hammer — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:59:21 -0000

Yuvi is an incredible talent for his age, and it is great that you are working with him. StatBot is great but I couldn't find a feed at Yuvi's blog. Thank you for the Toluu invite, I love Toluu. Howevere, I wanted to send you this message from Toluu but didn't see a way to do that. Then I wanted to send you this message from Minggl, which I think may be even better than Friendfeed, but I realized (big mistake) I didn't have you yet on the Minggl supported services (which doesn't include Toluu). Glad you've made a big splash onto the scene. You are talented and I'm very sure here to stay.

Re: louisgray.com: Participate. Participate. Participate. Repeat.

Alex Hammer — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:51:48 -0000

Good post. I would add that participation needs to be done intelligently (i.e. with some discipline and focus, not scattered). This should be obvious, but among some of the A-listers (not Louis), it isn't. I'll explain. It's not about the number of followers that are listening to your message, or even how many you follow (although that is better) nor even about the number of comments that one makes. It is about, rather, how intelligently one is turning noise into actionable information, for both ourselves and others. People trust us and link to us as a valuable resource, for example, if we cut through the crap (pardon the term) -- no one can keep up with the entire blogosphere - and act as a relevant filter (but not too stringent) for the most relevant, useful and/or interesting material. Just as time is a critical resource (maybe moreso than money, because money can be replaced but time can't. One dollar is the same as another, but a lost moment cannot be recaptured), so is attention. Don't be an attention whore, letting everything into your mind (or trying to be all things to all people). Technology serves business and human needs, not the other way around. When the order is reversed, people feel stressed and overwhelmed. When it is in the correct order, people feel empowered.

Re: louisgray.com: The Social Media Feature War is the Wrong War

Alex Hammer — Wed, 07 May 2008 00:33:14 -0000

Yes, but...You forget that Friendfeed popularity has come at the expense of Facebook (not that Facebook is going anywhere). As quickly as Friendfeed sprung up (and Twitter, and Facebook also for that matter), it won't be the last. The other day I was following Scoble on Qik. He may be still doing those, I'm not sure, but not it's a Seesmic revolution. The landscape always evolves/shifts/changes.

Re: louisgray.com: Just Like High School: Your Blogging Clique Will Move

Alex Hammer — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:05:16 -0000

Louis,

I applaud your leading blogging efforts. Not only are you on top of the emerging top sites (thanks for the Toluu invite, that is one I really like), but you go so far out of your way to promote talent on the way up (as your post indicates, Yuvi of Statbot another great example). Community is currency. People talk about the digital divide, what about the friend divide? Look how many sponsors Arrington (TechCrunch) has leveraging their contacts for information and exclusives, Scoble with Fast Company and Seagate could be just the beginning (if friends and community influence and penetration are a currency, then Scoble is (or could be) RICH.

Re: http://www.louisgray.com/live/2008/05/socialmedian-is-growing-rapidly-in.html

Alex Hammer — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:23:34 -0000

How do you find all these sites. Do you find them all on your own, or are you tapped into a network of collectively even early adopters??

Re: louisgray.com: Where Are They Now? A Look at A Dozen Services That Debuted Here

Alex Hammer — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:29:46 -0000

Louis, very impressive record already!!

Re: louisgray.com: Blogging 2.0 Causing Friction With 1.0 Bloggers

Alex Hammer — Mon, 19 May 2008 10:59:19 -0000

The most influential bloggers, like Louis, and Duncan and Robert, and Michael (I bet even with first names many if not most of you know who each of these are - that says something of interest in and of itself) use their effecient processes and networks to QUICKLY aggregate, but even more importantly insightfully interpret, the noise of the blogosphere and the web.

We should pay them for this (and we do with our web traffic and links etc.)

Louis gets it. He has his finger clearly on the pulse of the major issues. And he is promoting and including and integrating many interesting and informative others, so the user can wade through it also oneself to draw one's own, and additional, conclusions.

Re: louisgray.com: Toluu Embraces Twitter With New Integration Option

Alex Hammer — Mon, 19 May 2008 11:22:46 -0000

Toluu is great (thank you Louis for the Toluu invite) and this news makes it better. Caleb is a great guy also.

IMO, Toluu should defintely include more statistical and most popular related information. While it is already a great discovery tool, enhancing such features would be appreciated by those very busy who want to find new things most quickly (as opposed to the stumbleupon type stroll through the park). Include both, I would suggest, for both audiences.

Re: louisgray.com: Continuous Parallel Attention: My New Reality

Alex Hammer — Thu, 22 May 2008 21:53:19 -0000

This is very very interesting. I personally believe that some people have a greater ability to do this (parallel attention) than others (I'm sure this skill can be improved also with practice).

Attention, in a world where information well processed is king (and speed is money), is a very valuable skill.

In a world of accelerating returns (the rate of change, the rate of new information is itself increasing) these skills are paramount.

That said, there is a point of diminishing returns. Errors occur when one is distracted (as do car accidents, a form of accident, when one is distracted). People need adequate sleep to function optimally (and even live longer and healthier) etc. In short, overall, while more is indeed more, at some point in the curve it reaches the point where more starts to become less.

There is also quality of life. If it is difficult to do this, which it can be, some will opt in and some will opt out.

Good analysis in this post -- very thought-provoking

Re: louisgray.com: Continuous Parallel Attention: My New Reality

Alex Hammer — Thu, 22 May 2008 22:03:49 -0000

Also, in terms of errors, redoing something ultimately takes more time in the long run (same with relationships or any area where we repeat mistakes). It is important to push ourselves, I believe, including in attention, to maximize our output and increase our skills, but life also has limitations, and we're wise, I believe, when we heed them also.

What I try to do, not that I claim to be so great at it, is not hit home runs but hit a lot of singles (if one makes solid contact and hits a home run, all the better). One's health (and peace of mind - which entails different things for different people) is, I believe, the foundation of one's work (and life) house that can last a lifetime.

I've overreached in life, trying to hit those home runs, I think we all have. Tim McCarver, the renowned baseball announcer, asked what makes a winning broadcaster states "Let the game come to you". While still pushing oneself (often hard) I definately agree with that advice.

Re: louisgray.com: FriendFeed Friday Tips #2: Using the Bookmarklet

Alex Hammer — Sat, 24 May 2008 11:23:05 -0000

Very nice post (as usual). I use the Friendfeed bookmarklet, and like it (it is simple and effective). One question I ask myself as I find pages of interest on the web, is do I want to use the Friendfeed bookmarklet to send them directly to Friendfeed, or do I want to instead (I use Twit.io.us I think it is termed) to send them to Twitter, and then Twitter information is picked up by Friendfeed. A couple of considerations in this regard. Twitter has higher adoption still than Friendfeed. I have significantly more people (but still not a lot) following me on Twitter than on Friendfeed. So if I post directly to Friendfeed, the people just on Twitter but not on Friendfeed never see it. If I post to both, it's repetitive on Friendfeed, which could annoy people, and of course it is also too time consuming to post to both. If I just post to Twitter (which sometimes I do do) that seems to be ok but seems less direct and less in line with my goal of Friendfeed being the primary service (for me) as opposed to Twitter, which I enjoy also.

The larger issue, to me, is whether Friendfeed is going to add more structure to discovery (e.g. popularity lists by overall members or specific members that are of interest to me) so that I can find the things that I want faster (eliminate unwanted noise - create better filters - time is money - hide function just a tiny baby step). Not that it will be a complete AI, but I want some sort of Friendfeed smart agent that can be set up to know what type of information that I want and grows smarter through use. Otherwise it has too much of a stumbleupon feel. No knock on that service, which is also a good one, but too random for my preference. I don't consider it efficient.

This same principle applies also to feed readers. I migrated largely from Bloglines to Toluu (and My Yahoo before that) because of the discovery element. But again, it is too roundabout (I won't say random), too time consuming and too inefficent. I want the discovery to be smart. I want it to get to know me. I have the same problem with Minggl and Snakr, the randomness of it, but those don't bother me as much because they are adjunct services that function autonomously (without my taking additional time except to glance down as they scroll across) on their own, so as the information comes up that I want I follow that. Now if you could combine this automatic functionality of Minggl and Snackr so that the results come to me instead of me taking up my time going to (searching out) the results, and combined that with intelligence to make discovery smart, then you'd have the killer app. I don't think I'd ever stop using that (as compared to the present state of what else exists currently).

Re: louisgray.com: Sarah Comes Home, Making Our Family Whole

Alex Hammer — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:36:00 -0000

Very hearty congratulations!! In addition to a great family life (including facing the challenges), I think that you've made your blog come even more alive in a personal way.

Re: louisgray.com: Social Media Experts are the New Webmasters

Alex Hammer — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:32:40 -0000

Expertise is valuable. Integrated and networked expertise is POWER.

Wayne Gretzky's success (as he explained it) was that he doesn't skate to where the puck is, he skates to where it is going ot be.

As a result, don't look at who is most prominent on the scene. When the top players start going under the radar, often they've moved to where the puck is going to be.

Re: louisgray.com: Techmeme and TechCrunch's Detractors Prove It's Hard to be On Top

Alex Hammer — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:12:18 -0000

Great post Louis as usual.

I realize that the algorithm to Techmeme is its "secret sauce" and I'm sure a trade secret (as it should be). But Gabe needs to do more to discuss, in general tems, what the algorithm uses as criteria. I haven't seen much on this and I've read, over time, many people questioning what the criteria of the algorithm are.

Re: louisgray.com: Alex Hammer: The Most Web 2.0 Savvy Politician?

Alex Hammer — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:33:25 -0000

Louis, Thanks for the interview:
http://www.louisgray.com/live/2008/05/alex-hamm...

Re: louisgray.com: How One Would-be Web Friend Turned Into a Stalker In Months

Alex Hammer — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:34:20 -0000

Louis, thanks for the interview: http://www.louisgray.com/live/2008/05/alex-hamm...

Re: louisgray.com: How One Would-be Web Friend Turned Into a Stalker In Months

Alex Hammer — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:42:21 -0000

Not that you need it but you have my permission to identify that that is me (to which this post refers). Suffice to say that there are two sides (or more) to every story, and I'm not going to get into that ditch.

Best wishes.

Re: louisgray.com: How One Would-be Web Friend Turned Into a Stalker In Months

Alex Hammer — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:51:54 -0000

My two comments below on your site to your post. Best wishes, Alex
Alex Hammer 8 minutes ago 1 point
Louis, thanks for the interview: http://www.louisgray.com/live/2008/05/alex-hamm...
Alex Hammer 5 seconds ago 1 point
Not that you need it but you have my permission to identify that that is me (to which this post refers). Suffice to say that there are two sides (or more) to every story, and I'm not going to get into that ditch.

Re: louisgray.com: Is There Less Funding Or Are Startups Just Cheaper?

Alex Hammer — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 09:36:57 -0000

Louis is very smart to have such thoughtful individuals contribute to his blog. Great strategy.

Re: What do Louis Gray, Thomas Hawk, Duncan Riley, Cyndy and Mona talk about on FriendFeed?

Alex Hammer — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 11:01:12 -0000

This is very good.

How about a semantic extension so we can see what words go with what other words (e.g. are the Friendfeed words associated more positive than those associated with Twitter, or vice versa). Is that possible?

Re: Fighting mockery

Alex Hammer — Tue, 15 May 2007 10:44:21 -0000

See Also:
Blog This: Ron Paul Explodes Across Google, Campaign Site, YouTube, Technorati and more. The mainstream media (MSM) has been ignoring Ron Paul's spectacular rise (see story for stats and details) across the Internet's top websites. With enough bloggers blogging the details of Ron's incredible online success, the mainstream media will then have to cover it. Wide blogging coverage can break this MSM silence.
See in Digg

Re: Spreading the message

Alex Hammer — Thu, 31 May 2007 11:29:51 -0000

See also:
Ron Paul Wiki - The definitive source for all news and sites related to Ron Paul!
http://ronpaul.wetpaint.com/

Re: It’s Time For FriendFeed To Kill Twitter

Alex Hammer — Sat, 24 May 2008 10:17:17 -0000

I've noticed in my own usage that my increased use of Friendfeed does seem to come at some expense to Twitter (and also Facebook). Twitter has become more transparent/descriptive of their uptime and architecture issues on their blog. That's not as good as fixing their problems, but it's a start. One of Friendfeed's major advantages (but not the only one) is the ease of threads that promote conversations (also merging of data across networks). However, every social network in the feed space is catching up with each other, so advantages tend to be short lived, and Friendfeed, while extremely innovative and with good execution (Bret Taylor and Paul B are brilliant) still is at a funding/scale disadvantage. Will be interesting to see how Friendfeed scales, who invests in the company (and how much) etc.

Re: Paris Hilton not supposed to be out of jail

Alex Hammer — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:17:17 -0000

See also:

Paris Hilton handcuffed, taken to court
http://thetopstories.blogspot.com/2007/06/paris...

Revealed: Paris Hilton's glamorous police mugshot
http://thetopstories.blogspot.com/2007/06/revea...

Re: 2008/05/02/friendfeed-is-awesome/

Alex Hammer — Fri, 02 May 2008 09:07:45 -0000

There are at least 2 possibilities:
1) These sites aren't serving real (basic) human needs, so the masses ignore them or try them and don't like them, or
2) The masses do not yet well see what needs they do and can serve, and over time and as the early adopters add to their success via these tools others - more of them - will want them also.

Every early technology, as Scoble recently articulately pointed out and others have as well, at the beginning has appeared only "geekish" (my, not his term) before going mainstream. Some technologies stay geekish and never reach mainstream adoption. What determines mainstream adoption? Read Geoffrey Moore's "The Chasm" which is the classic defining work detailing that journey (technology lifestyle adoption) is the must read for anyone interested in that process.

Re: Making Business Sense of Social Media

Alex Hammer — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 01:24:41 -0000

Who you know has always been - of course - one important component of success. But now with everyone networked online to the nth degree, one must (if others agree) occasionally take a step back to analyze and reanalyze from time to time, what networking approaches one is taking and wishes to take to be most productive.

Is it better to have more friends, or fewer? What do you say to your friends? Do you talk to more than one at a time. I'd love for some really highly networked people, maybe a Scoble or Arrington, to write a chapter, maybe a book on this topic. Not only how they built up their networks and utilize them, but what it all means (from their perspective).

Re: Loving my FriendFeed

Alex Hammer — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:01:06 -0000

It does have a lot of great people there!! Feels like the Facebook initial excitement not that long ago - opportunity to see in greater detail what others of interest are doing and interested in.

Re: Loving my FriendFeed

Alex Hammer — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:04:15 -0000

I'd say also that services of this kind offer a real "business intelligence" in a broad, but competitive advantage type of way. It provides the filter (still a human controlled one, a smart agent or AI could be much smarter potentially) that allows the most desired bits of information to become quickly known.

Re: The TechMeme killer or the Google Reader killer?

Alex Hammer — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 23:25:18 -0000

Friendfeed co-founder Bret Taylor - API weeks, not months away; Duncan Riley criticism "completely valid"
(title is from my blog (above) but link below is to original interview source:
http://www.lastpodcast.net/2008/03/17/interview...

Re: How many services do we need?

Alex Hammer — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:24:31 -0000

Many services are evolving so quickly, that it is difficult to determine sometimes who the winners and losers may eventually be, which makes it difficult to determine which to keep and which to jettison.

Re: Mike Arrington’s dream team has wrong goal

Alex Hammer — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:36:07 -0000

Michael Arrington’s Rant - Good but What’s Missing? The User
http://techleaders20.blogspot.com/2008/03/micha...

Re: The secret to Twitter

Alex Hammer — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 11:27:46 -0000

From this post:
"At some point I thought it was important to get lots of followers. But lately I’ve been telling people that the secret to Twitter isn’t how many followers you have, but how many people you are following."
Exactly! Not enough people understand this. Scoble is a very bright individual.

Re: The secret to Twitter

Alex Hammer — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 11:32:54 -0000

Re:
"Dan: it’s not hard to listen to 15,000. Just get Google Talk and watch the posts roll over your screen. Now, keep in mind, I only do that for a couple of hours a day. I use the “replies” tab to see people who talked to me. I use various Twitter search engines to follow people who are talking about something specific. I use FriendFeed to see a smattering of other things that happen throughout the day (best posts get commented on, which brings them to the top).

Comment by Robert Scoble — March 24, 2008 @ 7:37 am"
Robert, if you offered a class in regard to maximizing the use of Twitter and other social networks, think about how many people would love to take that? (anyone that wants to get ahead and learn from the best). This blog, Scobleizer) is an informal class (dialogue I know) anyway.

Re: Where has Scoble gone?

Alex Hammer — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:45:49 -0000

Scoble is a genuis. This may be part of a plot to suck even more people into Friendfeed, further accelerating his leading network.
In all seriousness, Robert is extremely flexible and able to well integrate the new into the older. That, even more than being a voracious early adopeter, is, I believe, a key component of his great success.
PS I found this via Friendfeed. Even though it's one of the first reads on my feedreader, still saved plenty of time.

Re: Who has the most clicky audiences? Valleywag or FSJ?

Alex Hammer — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:26:17 -0000

We added feeds to both Valleywag and and FSJ (and Scobleizer!) and Techmeme, TechCrunch, Digg, Boing Boing, Mashable!, ReadWriteWeb, Ars Techina, Gizmodo, Endagadget, All Things Digital and GigaOm Network (Hope not too promotional, Scobelizer is (after Techmeme and Techcrunch) my first read daily.

Re: Mashable interviews me on stage at Community Next conference

Alex Hammer — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:29:03 -0000

Great interview Robert. You are as articulate and composed as you are knowledgeable. Cashmore seemed, in my opinion, to be a bit too promotional on his part.

Re: Mashable interviews me on stage at Community Next conference

Alex Hammer — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:31:20 -0000

I was interested also about your comment in the interview that if one wants to be central to the conversation one must be there in the first 15 minutes, to attain central links etc. (and then the Google audience etc. comes in after that) and the effect that formal editing processes plays within that (basis of the interview question). So much that could be explored there.

Re: How our digital lives are spreading out

Alex Hammer — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:56:03 -0000

Sometimes things go down to the lowest common denominator. Bloggers were already thought to be (by some) less serious than MSM, and now the blog is too long.
Years ago people had face to face conversations and read books, etc. Radio became an important factor (more passive), then TV (passive, shorter attention). I think that some of this fracturing of attention is really a multitasking, due to a proliferation of information and information overload.
Good luck in Amersterdam. Robert, you are everywhere (not only in the blogosphere but real life too). You're not cloned are you?

Re: How our digital lives are spreading out

Alex Hammer — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:59:39 -0000

Robert, by moving from Microsoft to PodTech to Fast Company, as most recent example, you've demonstrated a willingness to be at the cutting edge -- to be at the forefront of the digital divide as opposed to the back end. Wherever the growing action is (true early adopter and key influencer) there you will be.
As a result, you're not tied to a certain app or platform, including blogging. No one can swim against the tide of where the market is going (think Wall Street), one would be trampled to ignore public sentiment -- but we must avoid also, if you agree, becoming like the politician who does everything by poll in regard to what is popular and advantageous at the moment. Leadership, including tech leadership, also involves advocacy based upon principles as well. Of course the two approaches are not mutually exclusive by any means.

Re: Writing a killer blog

Alex Hammer — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 13:55:29 -0000

Robert, you are a smart man, with a good sense of balance (perspective) along with your extreme dedication. You may amount to something (lol, as you already very well have).

Re: Not productive enough? Turn off the Internet

Alex Hammer — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:57:09 -0000

Technology can be a double edged sword, sometimes enslaving as much as it frees If one is very disciplined, one can use technology rather than have it use us. But of course, as with every good interaction, (human as well as tech) one must be able to say no as well as yes. As they say, the no gives meaning to the yes.

Re: Era of blogger’s control is over

Alex Hammer — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 17:44:12 -0000

Louis is probably my second favorite blogger (after Scoble). Mr. Gray is new (in terms of my discovery) but very perceptive and articulate and very informed (well ahead of the curve). Scoble is all of these things as well in my view.

I agree that the most forward thinking bloggers, and content producers in general, will want their content to be "stolen". Not necessarily stolen, but to reach the largest audience. Hoarding is isolationism. It doesn't work in economics, and it doesn't work in blogging. But one's content is one's currency, so such "pilfering" must have guidelines. Sharing with attribution is one thing. But if the attribution is missing, at a minimum, then the content creator does not benefit from the wide distribution (someone else does). This is clearly wrong.

In the future hopefully conversations will continue to evolve. There is no reason that we shouldn't have a device such that we can instantly see and communicate with (across mediums: visual, voice, text, even video) those whom we are "conversing". Content then becomes an enabler to comments which becomes an enabler to real interactions. Comments and comment streams are not real interactions (or at the most superficial level), but they could, in the future I hope, really lead to them.

I'm increasingly hearing the term, but I still don't know what a bitchmeme is. Anybody?

Re: Twitter and inadequacy (er, the great friend divide)

Alex Hammer — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:13:23 -0000

Having friends online bears a strong analogy(similarities) to having them offline in the real world. You provide value. You receive value. The more value you can provide, the higher order level of friend you attact. As stated, just like the real world.

I like Scoble's emphasis on numbers, to reach a critical mass, but also on quality over quantity. Quantity without quality is just noise. It is, as the expression goes, "a whole lot of nothing". Quality with quantity is real power. You have a cross section of really influential people to draw upon and from.

Re: Ray Ozzie delivers with Live Mesh

Alex Hammer — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:59:00 -0000

Great post. You really tied it together in a way that details the major areas of functionality, the potentials of what Mesh can do and what it means, etc.

Re: I’ve redesigned

Alex Hammer — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:20:32 -0000

Congratulations on the redesign. It looks fabulous, IMO. Between Scoble and Arrington, they are going to make each other rich (at least in traffic) with all the "controversy". Hmmmm. That said, they are two of the hardest working individuals anywhere. Robert is genuinely kind to people across the board. I like that.

Re: The really interesting FriendFeed page to watch

Alex Hammer — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:27:46 -0000

Robert is a true leader because he not only leads by example, which yes (I believe) is the most powerful force and contributes to his great success, but he very very gently (some others use a sledghammer) shows how some other successful individuals but "so-called leaders" (my, not his term) are lacking in terms of similarly optimizing that success.

When I ran for Governor of Maine, I wrote an article on my views of leadership: http://www.magic-city-news.com/Alex_Hammer_88/E..., in part mentioning some famous sports heroes (Joe Montana, Michael Jordan and others) and how they attained success through famously bringing out the best (in different ways, including motivating) their teammates and those with whom they are involved. Life is participatory. Success is participatory. Scoble gets that in a massive way. He knows that the more that he helps others to succeed -- the more that there is a participatory give and take and exchange - the more that he will succeed as well.

And it's paying off in spades.

Re: Twittering the earthquake in China

Alex Hammer — Mon, 12 May 2008 07:50:48 -0000

Robert, you had predicted a huge surge (and scaling issues) with Twitter in the event of a California major quake (perhaps almost any natural disaster I would think). You and I had discussed (or I had to you anyway) some of the implications of Twitter and other services in emergencies, and scaling issues etc.

Re: Facebook has a point where it comes to your privacy

Alex Hammer — Fri, 16 May 2008 09:33:07 -0000

This is a highly thoughtful post. I also love Minggl. I like the fact that with Minggl you can message people at the same time across social networks (e.g. Facebook, Twitter), that means if you have different friends on different services that you want to reach in one message you can. I think that's pretty neat - the integration is important (I don't know if other services besides Minggl offer that yet, maybe they do but haven't seen that). Anyway, I think Facebook stopping their data from Google Friend Connect is a major blow to Google Friend Connect. How social is your site if your Facebook friends are not included in your friends list? BTW, I think John Furrier is a great guy, I know him fairly well.

Re: Mike Arrington is Right, Facebook is Wrong

Alex Hammer — Sat, 17 May 2008 10:31:35 -0000

The larger issue is that Mike Arrington (can be) (an effective) bully, including to his own people (Robert a member of TechCrunch hosted Gillmor Gang)

Link (including Arrington attack on Scoble):
http://techleaders20.blogspot.com/2008/01/micha...

Robert is too much of a nice guy to fight fire with fire, and is trying to find other tactics with Arrington, it appears, to get his points across.

Re: Why FriendFeed won’t go mainstream (Part I)

Alex Hammer — Mon, 19 May 2008 09:07:10 -0000

Very thoughtful as usual. There is a well known saying, which I believe in, (and which I think applies generally here), that people overestimate change in the short term, but underestimate it in the long term.

That is one reason why, for example, some startups advance a strategy or technology only to see a later big pocketed entrant scoop up that now created market and make the big profits.

Think Dell Computer, as one example. They're famous for waiting until strategies mature and then scooping in (as opposed to doing their own innovation). It's how they keep their costs down (of course famously their direct model was another).

In regard to the adoption of friendfeed, in the social network space, innovation is increasingly rapid. Witness how Google Friend Connect, Facebook Connect and MySpace's offering all were announced in the same week.

Bret Taylor, Paul B. et. all (up to 8 company employees last I heard) are extremely talented and driving innovation. If they can get significant funding (I'm not sure what the revenue stream for Friendfeed is planned to be, but with Page Views they can do advertising, search deals etc.) they can attempt going forward to be a competitor of note with those (currently much) larger competitors. Robert's point of this post (one of them), that the space in which Friendfeed currently competes is circumscribed (limited) which limits their growth, is a good and interesting thesis, but perhaps fails to fully appreciate the evolving needs of users (past: who could ever need their own computer (maybe it would be useful only for recipes, etc.)! who needs to be online, who needs email!). Everything starts out geeky and has major hurdles (Geoffrey Moore Moore "Crossing The Chasm") before going mainstream. Also referred to as "The Valley of Death".

Ultimately, if services add value and productivity to early adopters, they can be adapted to, or adopted by, (over time) key influencers (important or big purchasers) and then the mainstream.

The noise issue is also interesting. As productive as Scoble is (and he is extremely productive) he has to, if he agrees and wishes to, find a way to monetize/output his major brand to the degree that others (e.g. Arrington, Denton, Battelle, Huffington) have done. Within the right circles Scoble is as well (or more well) known, but he is a solo act (though he engages many in dialogue etc.). The noise factor can be one limiting factor in that regard. We need to cast a wide net in order to catch the important information and also to make sense of it when we have, but we also need the filters to increase efficiency and productivity. Arrington and Scoble are each strong personal brands (Calacanis would be another). But TechCrunch and Mahalo are businesses, while Scobleizer and FastCompany (Robert Scoble) TV are more mere extensions on a personal brand level. Arrington is not now, importantly, personally out trying each new thing -- he started writing from that vein -- but now importantly his TechCrunch writing staff does that!!

In regard to Friendfeed features that may limit it's growth, VC's and other investors tend to bet on the management team even moreso than the product(s) involved, because the market is changing and evolving so quickly, that every company (some more than others) is in the process of morphing and change. The best people will have the greatest chance of winding up on top whether the market winds up, and smart investors realize this.

Re: Why Microsoft will buy Facebook and keep it closed

Alex Hammer — Mon, 19 May 2008 09:39:01 -0000

Very popular post already (as it should be). The implications of these issues are huge. (I also like the cartoon). The most important fact from the above, I believe, is that there is a huge chasm between what Microsoft would like to be able to do, and what it will in fact be perhaps able to do.

In the past it was regulators that kept Microsoft in check, because competitors were trounced. Recently, however, Yahoo! put the kibbutz on a Microsoft proposed megamerger (purchase), despite major outcry and pressure. Similary, Microsoft can't just buy Facebook because it wants to. If Facebook decides that it does wish to sell (rather than staying independent and going public route) Microsoft would have a mega mega competitor for the purchase with Google (and secondarily also Yahoo). I'm not at all sure that Microsoft would win that.

Microsoft has made many purchases (including a relatively recent one for $6 billion) but that does not necessarily alter the landscape as well. Markets are so large, so multifacted etc., and innovation and catch up occurs so quickly, that gaining and keeping a competitive advantage is so difficult.

Also, users are more powerful, making companies less so. The Data Portabiliy issue is an interesting one. I do not agree with Arrington (expressed on The Gillmor Gang etc.) that key influencers/early adopters (namely Arrington and those like him) can force the companies to be fully open. Users have power but they don't have all the power. Companies retain some power, and they won't be totally dictated to (they'll appease and negotiate, but make sure that they still retain some competitive advantages etc. -- the smart and able ones anyway).

And it should be that way -- a balance I believe. Companies are not inherently evil. They employ people. They offer services. That is the heart of capitalism. But they also require - like governments or politicians or any souce of power - checks on their activities.

Re: Why FriendFeed will go mainstream (Part II)

Alex Hammer — Mon, 19 May 2008 10:47:04 -0000

I want to be Robert Scoble. He gets it!

Bret Taylor is smarter than Mark Zuckerberg, and Zuckerberg is a f------ genius.

Paul B. is the real deal also (I don't know the others in Friendfeed).

With the social network space evolving and morphing so rapidly (every major company playing continual catch up with every other) I agree with Robert's implication that the best teams will win.

Training at Google for the Friendfeed founders -- and what these individuals produced there -- an extremely good harbinger.

I also like Robert's mention about the database as a competitive advantage. Threaded conversations do not only provide value to users, which they definately do. They also become a data mining bonanza.

Friendfeed potentially has the best minable inforation (Facebook not bad either) but they have to show they can leverage it in a way that is simple, intuitive and useful for users. Robert indicates (I think) that they are working to do this.

Robert does this also himself by detailing clearly above the compelling arguments (and data links to support and illustrate) of why Friendfeed is - already! - ahead of the game.

The fact that some influential early adopters don't even realize this fact yet, however, illustrates also how far Friendfeed also has to go. They haven't even been sold as a better option (Twitter still ahead in that realm) with the majority of key early adopters. But they are a company moving in that direction pretty quickly.

Re: Showing off the World Wide Talk Show to Media Bistro

Alex Hammer — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:08:48 -0000

What is Asterpix? Snackr I found recently I like. Glad your talk got a good reception. Don't forget Minggl, which I know you've also talked about previously.

Re: Scoble has a productivity problem

Alex Hammer — Tue, 27 May 2008 12:01:19 -0000

Thougtful as always.

Re: Twitter blames its users

Alex Hammer — Fri, 30 May 2008 11:15:20 -0000

Twitter's (uptime) incompetence might be tolerable were it not coupled with their arrogance.

I've read such incredible things about Evan, so that doesn't make any sense.

Re: Clearing the air with Twitter

Alex Hammer — Sat, 31 May 2008 21:46:02 -0000

The best part, in a terrific interview, is the shot of Scoble's Friendfeed T-Shirt while in the Twitter office!

All seems well for the moment in the Web 2.0 world (that is a good thing).

Now over to Gillmor Gang to listen to the just released show with Friendfeed founders Bret Taylor (genius ++) and Paul B. (he may be as well).

Re: Patrick graduates to high school

Alex Hammer — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:16:41 -0000

Congratulations for him!!

Re: iPhone 3G?

Alex Hammer — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 09:51:19 -0000

Great post (as usual). Very informative. For people like me who are not that technologically knowledgeable about the mobile space, a few words in regard to exactly what 3G is and why I've been hearing it is so important (what it means in the evolution, what new capabilities or features etc.) would be helpful. I believe that I read that there are more cell phones (or phones in general) in use in the world than PC's . That is interesting.

In regard to Friendfeed breaking news earlier than TechMeme, that is interesting as well. I know with the China earthquake, Robert's focus on Twitter being the newsbreaker. In general, is the news that is being broken (or arriving early) on Friendfeed arriving from Twitter (or some other outside source from Friendfeed), or is it being inputed directly into Friendfeed?

Re: How is technology changing the world of Washington D.C.?

Alex Hammer — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:44:37 -0000

Robert is everywhere, and a great guy. The reason that I started Politics 2.0, http://www.politics-20.com is to explore in depth that cutting edge between politics and technology (including all the web 2.0 features - all the good stuff).

Barack Obama is solidifying (with discipline and expertise) the online winning principles that Dean (and others) contributed to building.

It's a new landscape, and a new disruptive frontier!

Re: The changing power in Washington DC

Alex Hammer — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 12:53:02 -0000

Barack has been well ahead of the field in regard to "new school" elements. However, he employs both new school and old school elements (including in fundraising) both, so don't let anyone try to fool you on that or minimize it.

Barack Obama does embody, I believe, a new type of politics, but it is not completely without spin (even if it is, from my view/examination rather reduced from what often sees in politics from others).

Re: Has/How/Why tech blogging has failed you

Alex Hammer — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:29:27 -0000

This is a treasure trove, as always. Organize the blog post in topics with headlines throughout the post, etc. It will take twice as long to write (half being editing) but will be more readable to more people and attract more people. Editing just as important as writing.

Re: Has/How/Why tech blogging has failed you

Alex Hammer — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:30:34 -0000

At the highest levels, less is more. The 80-20 rule. Expand on the gems and let someone else make their profit on the scraps.

Re: Hitting a nerve…

Alex Hammer — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:30:57 -0000

Robert is my online hero (honestly).

Re: The Silicon Valley VC Disease

Alex Hammer — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 16:34:44 -0000

Robert, you have a lot of compelling points, but because the VC's are higher up the risk chain they have to be higher up on the reward chain also, and target larger markets that can have potential higher ROI.

Successful VC's need to have had, or at a minimum understand, successful entreprenurial experience.

Many successful VC's will tell you that they pick the winning team, not the winning market. This is because markets evolve so rapidly, and the right team will find or create the right space. The right space without the right team, conversely, can evaporate in a nanosecond.

Re: Getting things done over at FastCompanyTV

Alex Hammer — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:19:19 -0000

This is a great post. FastCompanyTV, with Robert, is becoming a go-to site for those who wish to remain on the cutting edge and learn the latest from the greatest minds. It's too much, in fact, for me (or probably anyone) to all get through.

Re: Front-row seat to John Edwards sex scandal

Alex Hammer — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 09:29:30 -0000

Wow. Good reporting.

Re: What do the freaking tech bloggers want?

Alex Hammer — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:37:15 -0000

1. It's a two way race, if that is the proper word, between Robert Scoble and Michael Arrington in terms of who has their finger most on the pulse of the tech industry (and related influences), at the deepest and most influential and penetrating levels. Roberts knowledge is broader, Michael's is a bit more A-list focused and (only very slightly) more influential (IMO). They each are masters at separating value from noise by integrating well huge amounts of information.

2. Robert has paid his dues for a long time (as have most of those at the top) and walks the walk. He knows what he is talking about and he has helped a great number of people and reports fairly. He's in the business for the right reasons and has a great perspective and balance on things. He's also much better tempered (but tough) than a few other of his peers.

3. Robert is a great marketer hinself. Look at the Scoble brand (apart from FastCompany, Microsoft etc which he brings along - of course they have their own major brands).

4. Robert is advancing in his marketing sophistication quickly. Look at all the buzzwords and references (and facts and factoids) included in the right context and manner. Headlines break up the material and a conversational writing style engages the reader.

5. This post is too long. While that itself may be good for Techmeme or other services many readers cannot sustain attention this long. A part 1 and a part 2 might be helpful.

Re: Google still has a sense of humor

Alex Hammer — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:14:18 -0000

Anyone that competes with Google should be, and I'm sure is, worried.

Wouldn't yopu be?

Re: The expo war over startups

Alex Hammer — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:33:39 -0000

Well written and gives insight into dynamics involved.

Re: Zuckerberg: Facebook’s “intense” year

Alex Hammer — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:21:40 -0000

Robert, talk with you soon.

Re: New friendfeed: Twitter that moves? Facebook filtering before Facebook?

Alex Hammer — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:34:21 -0000

I said this months and months ago, but bears repeating (built upon existing phrase). If Google is the new Microsoft and Facebook is the new Google (i.e. the next next thing), then Friendfeed is the new Facebook (we'll forget about Twitter for the moment). As I said then as well, Bret Taylor, Paul B. and co are geniuses.

Re: How FriendFeed Can Teach You About Your Friends

Alex Hammer — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:05:59 -0000

This is a very strong post. Very informative!

Re: I Love the Smell of Parody in the Morning

Alex Hammer — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 11:33:14 -0000

See also:
Ron Paul - The $20 Million Man
http://ronpaulnewsblg.blogspot.com/2007/12/ron-...

How Paul Could Change Race - Wall Street Journal
http://ronpaulnewsblg.blogspot.com/2007/12/how-...

Ron Paul as Vice President For Barack Obama
http://ronpaulnewsblg.blogspot.com/2007/11/ron-...

Re: Time To Change The Lens: Media As A Service

Alex Hammer — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:30:09 -0000

In this on-demand world the customer is in charge, and will only pay for (or engage) in what has value. The day of bundling unneeded products and services is and will be dwindling to a close.

We're providing a similar "political campaign as a service" format and value driven delivery in our Gubernatorial contest in Maine.

Re: WaPo's Social Media Guidelines Paint Staff Into Virtual Corner; Full Text of Guidelines

Alex Hammer — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:36:25 -0000

Editorial page editor Anthony Ronzio (@ronzio) of one of Maine's largest daily newspapers used his Twitter account to post this about me (I am a candidate for Governor of Maine): @amycasey If this continues, @justinnxt should bring out a hammer of his own: http://bit.ly/1Asuzr

I believe strongly in free speech, but felt that Ronzio had crossed the line and called it out as such.

I feel that the best practices of use in social media are in their infancy and quickly evolving, so all sides may need to have a little flexibility and give and take as these develop, but stay responsible.

Ronzio had been responding to this article and my associated comments etc.

http://blogs.pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/n...

Re: Obama's Campaign Steals MySpace Page From A Supporter

Alex Hammer — Thu, 03 May 2007 09:54:35 -0000

Latest Media Coverage of Obama MySpace Story

Excerpts and links from the New York Times, TechPresident, Washington Post and Huffington Post
http://hammer2006.blogspot.com/2007/05/obama-my...

Re: Call Me A Cynical Jerk...

Alex Hammer — Mon, 14 May 2007 12:01:01 -0000

See also:
Exclusive: Obama retakes web traffic lead from Ron Paul -
Paul still leads Clinton, Edwards, Romney, Giuliani and McCain
http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Obama_retakes...

Re: Isolationist Vs. Non-Interventionalist, What's The Difference?

Alex Hammer — Mon, 21 May 2007 12:22:04 -0000

See also:
Ron Paul Repasses Obama in Web Traffic and Extends Web Traffic Lead Across Major Presidential Candidates
http://hammer2006.blogspot.com/2007/05/ron-paul...

Re: Shine On, Shine On Yahoo Soon, Before the Buy

Alex Hammer — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:57:05 -0000

Well written and analyzed, Kara, as always.