VentureBeat

Psst. Got a secret? Share it on Twitter anonymously — eBay VPs do

Among other things, Twitter is a thought market. In the same brief, fleeting moment you can whisper something in someone’s ear — or mutter it under your breath — you can commit it to the web via Twitter. And with that, the service provides you with the feeling that you can say what’s on your mind and hear what’s on the minds of others. You don’t necessarily have to provide any explanation or context the way… Continue Reading

Former Windows chief wants to be a rock star. Really.

Iconic tech gurus are often dubbed “rock stars” for their stellar performance — as in, “you know that guy Neil in product? He’s a friggin’ rock star.” But if you entertain the metaphor in the literal sense, you get the stuff mediocre Saturday Night Live (SNL) skits are made of — which is why I have to hand it to longtime former Microsoft Windows chief Jim Allchin for the courage it must have taken him… Continue Reading

Who’s your Shorty? Final round of voting for Twitter’s finest starts today

The Shorty Awards, which honor 2008’s “best producers of short content” on Twitter, now have a benefactor — the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which will grant each of 26 winners a $1,000 prize to travel to New York and attend the February 11th awards ceremony.

The Knight Foundation (@knighfdn) is known for having instituted the annual Silver Knight Awards (which both Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos and I share the honor of having… Continue Reading

Who did Apple hurt with its Macworld announcements?

[Disclosure: The author previously worked at Flickr, one of the companies mentioned in this story.]

In yesterday’s keynote address at Macworld, Apple unveiled a series of software product upgrades that will potentially encroach on the territory of a handful of startups and larger companies. Should you be worried?

What iPhoto might maim

For starters, one of the big announcements revolved around changes to iPhoto, which, sometime this month, will add people- and geo-tagging functionality. The people tagging works… Continue Reading

Twitter, YouTube among the new propaganda tools of the battle in Gaza

In discussions about the conflicts in the Middle East, one of the consistent, sensitive points of debate has revolved around the question of media bias in covering any related events — which is why the adoption of online communication mediums like Twitter and YouTube in the chatter around the most recent Gaza conflict is both timely and interesting.

Tweet the press (conference)

In reading up on the current situation, you may have chanced on the Israel Defense… Continue Reading

Psst! (not-so) insidery Twitter secret revealed

Today’s #2 trending topic on Twitter, #twittersecret (second to Shorty Awards), set off my internal alarm: Has someone finally leaked Twitter’s confirmed plans for monetization (aka world domination)?

No such luck. Today’s big “secret” is, if anything, an awkward non sequitur: Your direct messages on Twitter need not be limited to the 140-character standard set for your updates; apparently, they can be as long as 255 characters, as unearthed by Twitter users davidalston and lebrun.

There. Now… Continue Reading

The Shorty Awards: Like the Oscars, but for Twitter

Finally — A way for those who wax poetic on Twitter to be recognized for their witty banter. Like officially. Indeed, it’s time for the Shorty Awards.

The Shorty Awards honor the world’s top Twitterers. From now ‘til midnight December 31st, you can nominate as many people for as many categories as you’d like. Yes, that’s right, you can create your own categories. The New York-based organizers — Sawhorse Media’s Lee Semel, Greg Galant, Adam… Continue Reading

Sad news hits the airwaves: Layoffs at NPR

It’s a sad day. We saw Yahoo! go through its second mass layoff in under a year. And now it’s being reported that National Public Radio — of which shows including All Things Considered, Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me and Car Talk have attracted a wide audience via iTunes — has eliminated 7 percent of its workforce, or 64 positions, and canceled two shows, News & Notes and Day to Day, in what is the organization’s first major… Continue Reading

Le Web: Like a web conference, without the web

I didn’t go to Le Web. No offense to Parisians, but I much prefer visiting Europe in the non-winter and non-conference months. Still, I know some folks who were headed there with much excitement, so I figured I’d tag along virtually (can one still use that expression?) via blog and Twitter feeds. After all, it was Europe’s largest web 2.0 conference, with 1,800 entrepreneurs each forking over €1,500 for the chance to demo their startups… Continue Reading

Founders: Relieve your geek guilt with this Spouse 2.0 Day gift guide

Startup founders are notoriously busy — so preoccupied, they might neglect their families and friends along with things like food and sleep. They wander around pensively in their fleece-n-jeans uniform, embodying the quintessential state of “busy” Seinfeld’s George Costanza could only aspire to encapsulate.

This is why those who choose to love the people who run startups have the reputation of getting the short end of the stick – the little, if any, surplus energy… Continue Reading

The way we’ll watch? The Wall Street Journal (doesn’t) predict the future of movies

“Get ready for a lot more ways to catch a movie,” Sarah McBride, Wall Street Journal staff reporter, writes in an article entitled “The Way We’ll Watch.” So I grab that bucket of popcorn I have sitting around for moments like this — y’know, for when I get to learn about the future.

Will I be able to watch 3D movies on an iPhone? Will movie theaters start renting out space on a BYODM (bring-your-own-digital-movie) basis?… Continue Reading