Monday, November 18, 2002

Udell and others on Internet Microclients Jon Udell picks up and comments on a themicrocontent_client.php">piece by Anil Dash on the emergence of microclients on the Internet. I like the microcontent idea. It strikes me, though, that perhaps there won't be a single all-purpose client, but rather a diverse collection of little tools that flourish at the intersection between a services-rich Internet, and an integration-savvy desktop. The concept and reality of web services intersecting with rich and smart clients is right on the money.  But today even these applications are still browser contained.  While folks can build desktop-resident Internet software, it's still too challenging. But it raises other more interesting questions --- will these microcontent applications result in a flurry of new software on desktops, creating management and maintenance challenges for IT and end-users?  To what degree does this fly in the face of the centralized management benefits that have driven so many applications (and nearly all content) into the network? I'd be interested to hear from folks what kinds of content and applications they'd want to use through microclients? [Jeremy Allaire's Radio ] Sherlock 3 and Watson are microcontent applications, but more to the point, microcontent apps that bring the content to me, instead of me going to find the content myself. 10:23:26 AM

Information Convergence Phil Wolff has some interesting speculations about the future of blogging in his post titled From .blog to converged client." An excerpt: "Blogging is a form in transition. Personally, I think blogging as a form will merge with all the other forms of digital expression. With email and IM first. With voice/video conferencing, streaming videos, browsing, and PowerPointing later. Watch it change: as more people blog from their foto-mobiles as devices start to blog ("My car's day") as audiobloggers create radio shows and videobloggers create televsion programming as Sims characters start to blog. Moving forward, see a convergent software client emerge. Source: evanwolf group, 2002.... We're on our way. Blogging tools are starting to interact with email and sounds. PIMs are managing contact information across multiple applications. Community and collaboration features are as critical to games as traditional gameplay. I'm calling it: 2003-2005 will see many clients converge, weblogs among them. The challenges? Immense. The rewards? Many and rich. The fun? Deep and lasting." [a klog apart] Lots of implications. Lots of opportunities, especially for people that specialize in organizing information. Like, say, I don't know... librarians. [The Shifted Librarian] I see a future version of Entourage having both an RSS aggregator, and a weblog editor built-in. For me, this means that blogging becomes much better integrated into my personal working style. 10:20:15 AM

Online Ad Spend Increasing for Third Straight Month Primezone: AdZone Research Reports Web Ad Spending Climbs for Third Straight Month AdZone Research Inc. (OTCBB:ADZR), a pioneering Internet surveillance technology solutions provider, and an advertising research firm that tracks advertising on some 2,700 Websites worldwide that make up more than 95% of all Internet advertising revenue, today said that in the month of October, advertising spending on the Internet grew for the third straight month. The value of Internet advertising in October was $1.34 billion, up 3.4% from September. Ad spend is up and consumers are biting as shown in this post on the topic of holiday season online spending. [marketingfix] A glimmer of good news for all the still-believers in online content :-) 10:11:41 AM