Web 2.0

What you wiki is what you get

If you're thinking about creating a wiki page -- a Web resource that you or others can edit -- check out the newly-released Wetpaint, which features the most user-friendly interface for a wiki that I've seen so far.

Wetpaint is a hosted wiki, like JotSpot. It allows you to set up a page on any topic you want, and then let other people add to it or improve it. But unlike the famous Wikipedia (and some other commercial wiki tools), when you want to edit a Wetpaint site, you do it in a what-you-see-is-what-you-get interface. You don't … Read more

Gcast: Even easier than PodOMatic

A reader to the News.com version of my last post pointed out that there's an even easier podcasting tool than PodOMatic: Gcast. While Gcast doesn't offer the record-from-your-PC function of PodOMatic, it makes it incredibly easy to podcast from your phone. It literally took me three minutes from hearing about the service to posting my first cellphone podcast.

I wouldn't want to record podcasts from a phone too often -- cellphone audio quality varies from completely awful to just acceptable, for one thing. And Gcast doesn't have all the useful options and controls that PodOMatic … Read more

PodOMatic: Now everybody's a podcaster

At the Under the Radar startup love-fest last week, I was critical about the podcasting companies presenting. I believe that an individual can only absorb so much linear spoken-word audio during a day. Music is different - it can be played in the background. But most podcasts require attention, and most people just don't have much to spare. For my part, on most days I listen to CNET's Buzz Out Loud and maybe an NPR podcast during my commute, and after that I have no time left for other 'casts. It's a shame, but that's the … Read more

The new Yahoo Photos has the right mix of features and ease of use

There's a new Yahoo Photos Web site in closed beta right now. By June 21, Yahoo plans to post it on photos.yahoo.com. I got access to a very buggy preview, and with Google's Picasa Web Albums fresh in my mind, took it for a spin.

Yahoo Photos is a joy to use. While not perfect, it offers a superior experience to most photo sites.

For example, the upload tool, which runs inside a browser window, allows you drag photos, or entire folders, into it. It previews your images, tells you how long it's going to … Read more

Netscape's Digg killer is actually something very different

Netscape.com, now an AOL property, is a content portal that millions of people visit. But it's also old school, very Web 1.0. The new Web 2.0 model is to have users discover good online content, and share it with the rest of the community. That's what the technology site Digg (and others) have done: replaced editors with the wisdom of the crowd. That's what it looks like Netscape is trying to do with the new Netscape.com, now in beta [news story].

But this new site, as it is currently designed, is something other … Read more

EBay taps JotSpot for member wiki

EBay on Wednesday introduced a wiki, built and hosted by JotSpot, and a blogging service aimed at EBay buyers and sellers.

EBay Wiki is a Web site where EBay's registered users, which number about 193 million members, can contribute and discuss EBay-related matters, such as selling tips.

The wiki was developed and will be hosted by JotSpot, a company which has developed a platform for writing wiki applications.

"This represents another milestone in the coming of age of wikis," said Joe Kraus, JotSpot's CEO. "This concept is reaching a much broader audience."

Kraus said … Read more

Google finally puts Picasa albums on the Web

Google launched a new beta of Picasa on Tuesday [news story]. Its biggest new feature is the capability to post pictures directly from the application to a Google-hosted Web album. It's about time. Picasa has become the PC-based photo manager for many people, and many of them have become frustrated that you need a separate non-Google service to post photos online. I was one of those people. So I was looking forward to Picasa Web Albums, and gave it a try as soon as I got access.

At first blush, integration appears quite good. You create an album by … Read more

Three sites that tell stories with places

At the Where 2.0 conference, execs from three companies in a row got up and presented their view of the next consumer publishing phenom (or so they hope): geo-focused consumer content. Each of these companies has launched a site that collects stories associated with peoples' relationships to places.

Platial is a "user-created atlas," in the words of co-founder Di-Ann Eisnor. Users can create maps showing their adventures through cities, their favorite travel spots, and so on. One popular user-created map is a trail of tears: Stories of longing, missed connections, and tragic break-ups attached to particular locations. … Read more

Toronto or San Jose: Where am I, anyway?

I'm at the Where 2.0 conference in San Jose. Unfortunately, the Loki location finding software on my laptop, which I raved about in a previous blog post, thinks I'm in Toronto. Probably the conference team picked up its WiFi access points from an office or event in Toronto and shipped them down here. At any rate, it's ironic, given the topic of the conference, but more importantly than that, for a few moments Google thought I was in Canada, and sent me to the Canadian version of the site (www.google.ca) when I tried to … Read more

Publish your media to anywhere, from Fabrik

We are slowly -- too slowly -- moving towards unified storage: One interface to access our data no matter where it is, be it our computer, a file server we own, a cell phone, or a hosted storage service somewhere on the Net. We need unified storage because managing the file systems and keeping track of what's where is getting way out of hand.

One small step towards unified storage is coming from Fabrik, a startup run by ex-Maxtor exec Mike Cordano. Fabrik wants to be your one and only file system. It doesn't quite succeed at that, … Read more