Om and Niall PodSessions

Om and I sat down on Saturday to talk about blogging and RSS technologies. We talked about the industry from the point of view of a beginner as well as aspiring professionals. Om asked most of this week's questions.

This week's podcast is 21 minutes in length and a 9.7 MB download.

Show notes

1. Why are blog systems so complex? We mention server-installed software options Movable Type and WordPress, hosted services such as Blogger, TypePad, and WordPress.com, and desktop clients such as Sandvox.
2. Om wants more integration of the people reading and commenting on his blog. Why don't we see more activity in this space? We talk about centralized comments available through TypeKey, hosted comments and TrackBacks on Haloscan, and reader-submitted story suggestions via del.icio.us.
3. Why don't more people integrate bulletin board software instead of comments? I mention about bbPress and phpBB as two forum options.
4. What are some of the newer blogging tools? What do they offer? ExpressionEngine and Ruby on Rails powered Typo are two systems worth a look for advanced users.
5. What are some of the ideals of a conversation tracking system?
6. Why can't I establish trust networks for reading and creating content on my blog? I mention new initiatives such as Six Apart's Project Comet and Yahoo! 360 that allow restricted reading and writing.
7. How can blog authors get over their fears of CSS and have some nice templates? I mention Six Apart's StyleCatcher theme browser and the WordPress theme browser as two easy to use styling options.
8. How can I monetize my RSS feed? I mention text ads, blog ads, and image ads placed within your item description. Feed management tools such as FeedBurner is one option for easily adding advertisements without touching template code. I mention ad-blocking CSS built-in to aggregators such as NewsFire and commonly available for news aggregators such as FeedDemon and NetNewsWire. Some sites such as Daring Fireball offer benefits for paying members such as full posts in feeds.
9. How can you publish your own ads and promotions in your feed?
10. Can I make my feed display look more like my web site? What styling options are available? Yes, you can style your feed for increased branding and consistency with your site design.

One correction: ExpressionEngine is powered by PHP, not Perl. It costs $150 for non-commercial use and $250 for commercial use.

I hope you enjoy the podcast and the extended show notes! Join us next week for timely news and analysis from the week's technology news.

Posted by Niall Kennedy at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Om and I sat down to discuss mobile phones, companies and technologies behind the networks, and the emergence of specialty MVNOs in search of their niche.

Summary: We don't like the new Cingular rebranding as AT&T but I like the new logo. Om thinks MVNOs are expensive and a bit of a fad. While we both like the latest gadgets and ample wireless bandwidth, Om is loyal to his SIM card and I am interested in phones with broad market adoption.

This week's podcast is 19 minutes and 16 seconds in length and 8.9 MB in size.

Brands mentioned

• Boost Mobile
• Cingular
• Sprint
• T-Mobile
• Verizon Wireless
• Virgin Mobile
• Voce

Devices mentioned

• Blackberry 7130e
• Firefly
• Motorola PEBL
• Motorola Q
• Motorola RAZR V3c
• Nokia 6102
• Nokia 6682
• Nokia 770
• Nokia 8801
• Nokia 9300
• Nokia 9500
• Samsung A900 "The Blade"
• Samsung T809

Tags: blackberry, boost, cingular, mobile, motorola, nokia, samsung, sprint, tmobile, verizon, virginmobile

Posted by Niall Kennedy at 11:40 PM | Permalink

I sat down with Om Malik tonight to record the latest of our weekly podcasts. We sat across the table from each other in a quiet room instead of using Gizmo Project and you can tell the difference in the quality of the audio file.

This week's podcast is 8.9 MB in size and 19 minutes and 15 seconds in length.

We spent most of the podcast talking about startup companies in the Bay Area. Last week Om and I became well aware of the new bubble forming in the valley. I shook my head as I saw two new companies with Google Maps markers in their corporate logo fail to elaborate a business strategy or exit. Many companies seem built-to-flip to Google, Yahoo!, or MSN, and it gets a bit frustrating. On the other hand, I like hearing stories of employees smothered by bureaucracy leaving their small company, creating an innovative solution to the problem, and being bought by the same company. The Robot Co-op is like that, but still able to operate outside of Amazon.

Other topics covered include what Om and I think Google, Yahoo!, and MSN are looking for in a potential acquisition, discussion of previous companies such as Android, MessageCast, Lookout, and Flickr, and current acquisition targets such as Riya.

Next week Om and I will talk about mobile phone hardware and technologies.

Tags: google, microsoft, yahoo

Posted by Niall Kennedy at 2:18 AM | Permalink

This week Om and I discussed mapping technologies, mobile phone use, and Microsoft's new online strategy.

The audio file of our discussion lasts for 19 minutes and 39 seconds and is a 9.1 MB download.

I hope you enjoy. Please leave comments with your input for future episodes.

Topics discussed:

1. Flash-powered Yahoo! Maps
2. Flash on mobile devices
3. Google Local for mobile powered by J2ME.
4. Windows Live Local
5. Bill Gates and Ray Ozzie memos.
6. Windows Mobile 5
7. Xbox 360

Tags: google, localsearch, microsoft, msn, windowslive, xbox, yahoomaps

Posted by Niall Kennedy at 11:50 PM | Permalink

I use voice over IP applications such as Skype and Gizmo Project but I don't follow industry developments in the same detail as Om Malik and his broadband blog. Om and I tried out the podcasting abilities of Gizmo Project tonight with a 19 minute discussion of the current state of voice over IP (VoIP). We talk about some of the industry basics, news of the week, and where the industry as a whole is headed.

Click here to download the 8.7 MB MP3 file.

Topics covered:

• Skype vs. Gizmo Project
• Dialing out to a phone grid
• Microsoft Windows Live Call
• Cost per lead and cost per acquisition business models for business listings combined with VoIP
• Packet prioritization for carrier voice traffic
• VoIP consumer hardware
• Internet Voice Campaign and other consumer adoption initiatives

Tags: comcast, gizmoproject, skype, sonus, timewarner, voip

Posted by Niall Kennedy at 12:15 AM | Permalink