Display by Label: Web_2_0

I've got a Tumblr blog and a few new content feeds, which I wanted to tell you about.

But first, if you've been reading this blog for a while, I have to take a moment to ask: Are you okay?

Would you like some aspirin? A drink?

A few Xanax?

Jesus.

Some of this shit has been pretty depressing lately. Maybe you should try reading something more uplifting, like the ASPCA Web site.

Or maybe not. Maybe you like it this way. In which case, I applaud you. For knowing what you like. Bravo. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Now, about the feeds: Many of you arrive here via RSS feed these days. So I finally came to the conclusion that instead of bringing any and all content streams here to this blog, it made much more sense to keep nicolasix separate, and direct its content—and all other content streams—into one separate RSS feed. So, for those who like the feed option, you can continue to only read the nicoalsix feed if you like, or you can also subscribe separately to other content (like my Twitter feed, for instance, or the new Tumblr feed — they're all listed up top when you click the RSS icon.) Or, and this is the main point of this post, if you're a glutton for punishment, you can simply subscribe to the master feed, where any content I ever create, now or in the future, even if I write it from some other planet, will be aggregated and served up via RSS. Even if nicolasix dies, whatever other content I may have will magically appear there. You won't ever have to subscribe to another feed from me. Ever! How great is that? Thank you, Yahoo Pipes, for making my Web 2.0 self-publishing pipe dreams a reality.

Okay, that's out of the way, now a note about the Tumblr blog, Looky, Looky!. Tumblr has let me get back to blog basics. I can just post random things here with no regard to theme or context. I find this lack of forethought freeing. According to some, it's what blogging is all about. I don't know if I believe that, but if it's true, I guess that makes my Tumblr blog a real blog's blog. I don't know what that means, but it sounds good, doesn't it? (See, it's working!)

Okay. That is all. Thanks for reading. I'm happy you're here. And if you still want that drink and Xanax, let me know.

link to this | comments (6) | File:  Web_2_0  Publishing  Ho_Hum  Blog 

Google's "Presentation" is here. I realize Google's office application suite isn't going to be for everybody. But for my purposes, which are relatively small and non-sensitive in nature, it works really well. Now I can finally stop using NeoOffice, which I find annoying to work with, and more than a bit buggy. (Look at me: complaining about free software).

link to this | comments (3) | File:  Google  Web_2_0 

A neat little primer on the history of the Web, so far. (via sparkle)

link to this | comments (0) | File:  Web_2_0 

I've been investigating project management solutions lately, both for myself and for a client. Of course, the big player in this field, and a favorite among Digerati, is 37signals' Basecamp product. It's adored. Venerated. Worshipped. However, a new contender entered the field about a month ago called activeCollab, and it's attracting fans and stirring up the pot a little bit.

activeCollab is only in 'alpha' release, so there are obviously some kinks to work out, but it's definitely usable and people are already putting it in production environments. Take a look at some of the buzz. It has 1459 Diggs. Some people are refering to it as a 'Basecamp Clone' as well as a 'Basecamp Killer.' I'm not sure either of these labels really fit the bill. First of all, even though activeCollab shares a lot in common with Basecamp, the creator, Ilija Studen, has definitely taken his own approach to the functionality, making the 'clone' label a little unfair. As 37signals' Jason Fried himself points out, "[Calling activeCollab a clone] would imply it had exactly the same features, design, and implementation. That's obviously not the case. This is competition."

As for being a 'Basecamp Killer,' I think it's a little too quick to be using words like that. There are going to be audiences for each product. Not to mention that, at this point, Basecamp is a superior product. It is more stable and offers more functionality than activeCollab. (In my installation of activeCollab, a couple of features don't work, including uploading files and sending email. But part of this may be because I'm installing on IIS, which isn't recommended.) So Basecamp still has an edge on activeCollab, but it's also a product you have to pay for. And the fees are not inconsequential.

activeCollab is still under development and, while what has been released so far is excellent, there is much more work to be done. Still, there are two things that separate activeCollab from Basecamp which could make it desirable to many users. First, you can install it on your own servers. Second, a fully-functional installation is free. For people like me, these are Great Things. I like anything that I can run on my own servers. (Call me a control freak. It just feels better when I host things myself.) And the fact that activeCollab is free, well that doesn't hurt much, either. Let me be clear, if activeCollab sucked, I wouldn't even mess around with it, regardless of whether or not it was free. But activeCollab doesn't suck. It's pretty freakin' good already, and will probably only get better. I'm willing to pay for quality products, and I will gladly donate to activeCollab when a working 1.0 version comes out.

So, for my own use, I'm leaning on the side of activeCollab. I can do with the minor technical glitches, and while I like Basecamp in general, I've always felt 37signals' pricing was a bit high. That said, I'd still recommend Basecamp to anybody who needs greater functionality and can afford it, or for whom installing the activeCollab code is either not possible or not desirable. For those people, Basecamp will continue to be the way to go, probably for a while to come.

Right now, 37signals can get away with inflated pricing because they have something helping them out called 'hype.' But products like activeCollab will help balance all that out. Now, what would really stir things up is if Basecamp released code that developers could install on their own servers (and use for free), and if activeCollab offered fee-based hosted accounts. That would make things pretty interesting.

link to this | comments (2) | File:  Web_2_0  Tech 

JF of 37signals thinks I should put a 'higher value on my success,' which apparently means spending $19 on his downloadable book full of his ideas (many of which I've heard already) and printing it out on a hundred some-odd pages of my own paper.

I'm all for self-publishing (obviously) and I'm even for charging for content, but as the face of publishing changes, people should be careful not to supplant the arbitrary prices set by 'big publishing' with their own over-inflated prices that seem justified because of a belief in one's own hype.

(Thanks, Virginia for the original post.)

link to this | comments (2) | File:  sxsw  Web_2_0 

Will we ever run out of cool ways to use Google maps? Even though it's not in DC yet, I love this site.

link to this | comments (0) | File:  House  Web_2_0