Most people do not realize how ping notification services (“ping beacons”) can negatively affect user experience for a blog tool vendor. Blog authors usually welcome the publicity but are not sure who to blame when something goes wrong, if the user even knows what went wrong and where. Let’s start with some background on the process of a ping notification (“ping”). The blog author hits the “Post” button, publishing his or her blog entry to a publicly available website. The blog tool retrieves a listing of specified services that are either platform-defined defaults or user-specified preferences. The blog tool attempts…
Category Archives: Weblog platforms
WordPress.com
WordPress.com is a new hosted version of the popular open-source software WordPress. WordPress.com builds upon the WordPress 1.6 codebase including new support for multiple users named WordPress MU to describe its multi-user capabilities. Developer Donncha O’Caoimh has been busy adding new multi-user capabilities to WordPress. WordPress MU features improved user management, categories shared across an entire install, and a redesigned drag-and-drop editing interface. Bloggers will soon be able to signup for their own hosted WordPress installation at WordPress.com but until then the service is invitation only while hardware comes online and everything is properly configured. If you would like to…
Movable Type 3.2 is here
Six Apart released the final version of Movable Type 3.2 today, almost a full year after the release of 3.1 on August 31, 2004. New feature highlights: A detailed user manual. New templates allow default markup compatibility across all Six Apart properties. Trusted commentors, junk folders, and simpler individual archive templates help authors fight spam while jumping through less setup hoops. SpamLookup is a bundled plugin. Reworked administrative interface including color icons and list actions. Bundled with an OpenID server as an extra feature. Atom 1.0 template is included while the RSS 1.0 template has been removed. Separate configurable…
Blogs as an e-mail replacement
While at a cafe on Friday afternoon I experienced a new use for TypePad. I was at Ritual Coffee Roasters in the Mission district of San Francisco Friday afternoon when I noticed a gentleman transferring notes from a notepad to entries on his TypePad blog. His girlfriend is currently in Africa as a humanitarian aid worker and he created a password-protected TypePad blog to keep in touch. Blogging had replaced e-mail as their most reliable form of communication. How do you communicate with someone when you are unsure when they will have access to the Internet in one form or…
Movable Type 3.2 includes free license for unlimited weblogs
Mena Trott just announced a new license structure for Movable Type 3.2: “all users will be entitled to unlimited weblogs. This goes for free users, as well.” Six Apart’s current pricing structure allows an unpaid user of Movable Type up to 3 weblogs with unlimited weblog licenses available for a Personal Basic license fee of $70. The change makes sense as it allows Six Apart to track all of its licenses based on the number of authors. Tags: movabletype…
Odeo receives venture capital funding
Odeo just announced a funding round led by Charles River Ventures and joined by Amicus Ventures and 14 individual investors. Individual investors Emanuele Angelidis Francesco Caio Ron Conway James Hong Don Hutchinson Mitch Kapor Josh Kopelman Joe Kraus Mike Maples Tim O’Reilly Dave Pell Ariel Poler Barbara Poggiali Ed Zschau No word yet on the total amount investor or who sits on the board. Tags: odeo, podcasting…
PodShow receives $8.85 million series A round
PodShow has received $8.85 million dollars in venture capital from Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers according to today’s Private Equity Week Wire. The board is currently comprised of John Doerr and Ray Lane from KPCB, Jerry Newman of Bear Stearns, and angel investor Ram Shriram. PodShow was created by Ron Bloom and Adam Curry last year. The PodShow strategy podcast from April provides more information on the company and how they plan to expand. (financing tip via Jeff Clavier) This investment is a big deal for podcasting and user-generated distributed media. I have not really been following…
News Corp buys MySpace parent company for $580 million
News Corporation announced it will acquire Intermix Media, Inc. for $12 a share, or approximately $580 million in cash. Intermix is the parent company of MySpace.com, a popular social networking and blogging service with over eighteen million members. News Corporation is an international media conglomerate and consisting of Fox, Sky, DirectTV, New York Post, and Harper Collins. Intermix Media recently settled a spyware suit with the State of New York for $7.5 million dollars. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter pending shareholder approval. MySpace.com is attracting 2 million new registered users every month according to chief…
Atom 1.0 template for Movable Type
I just finished my Atom 1.0 feed template for Movable Type. I believe it is compliant with the Atom 1.0 specification and my feed validates according to Feed Validator. Movable Type template My Atom 1.0 feed I will not switch my blog’s advertised Atom feed from 0.3 to 1.0 until Bloglines, NetNewsWire, and NewsGator support Atom 1.0 format. Tags: atom10, movabletype…
Movable Type 3.2 is coming
Guess what? There will be a new version of Movable Type sometime in the future. Six Apart will talk about some of the new features in the latest version of their software sometime between now and when it’s released. They are sure you will enjoy the upgrade. Yep, that’s a summary of a real announcement from Six Apart. No big surprise that there is a new version that will contain new features so I’m not really sure the point of the announcement other than admitting the versioning of the next release. Tags: movabletype…