Yahoo's RSS Updates

John Furrier talks to Yahoo's RSS managers Scott Gatz and Ethan Diamond. Yahoo's Alerts were a key part of the discussion.

Scott brings up some of their research numbers, citing that roughly 31% of Internet users are now using RSS and some of the places they want to use it is for immediate notification, which is where their Alerts product comes into play. Client KnowNow's eLerts launched at Web 2.0 this year (available for free download), addresses the same need, which is a fabulous win for consumers needing to receive time sensitive information instantly.

Obviously mobile is a natural fit for this in the future, so you could be updated via a SMS alert on your phone and other handheld device. They also discuss Yahoo email and instant messenger notification, i.e., a window will pop up and say, “Hey we’ve got a message for you, would you like to read it?” And they'll have RSS integrated into email.

Diamond gives a few examples: "people sit in front of their email clients all day long. They get not just email, but photos from friends. They get favorite bookmarks or links from friends. So having news be a part of that and not making people leave their mail client is a good idea. It is natural. The second part of is that when you read a news story I think the most common activity you perform, besides sort of absorbing the information, is sharing it with friends. If you are inside a web browser it is always awkward to find or email this article link… if it exists at all. If you are inside of a stand alone RSS reader or aggregator, you don’t have your contacts there. Whereas, if you are inside your email client, you have got your entire address book. You can select a post and share it with a friend and have address auto complete."

Location, Location, Location.....

Wisconsin Technology Network publishes a piece by Chris Shipley that talks about location, location, location - and does location matter for start-ups and emerging companies?

While I think location matters less than it used to, being in the heart of a technology belt DOES make a difference. I moved from an area that was crawling with technology opportunities, at least until 2000. Boston has MIT, Harvard and a boat load of other top notch universities and yet when the bubble burst, nearly everyone I knew, including high profile VPs and CEOs were flipping burgers and not just for a few months.

I lost quite a few friends during that time to other industries and cities around the country - they went to where the jobs were and where salaries were either higher or at least competitive to what they were used to. While some took a decrease in pay, their standard of living actually went up since housing was more affordable in other locations. Except for Silicon Valley of course.

Having made the jump myself in the past year, I noticed a spike in my business because of location. While I had clients from various parts of the country and world when I was in Boston, more and more technology companies seem to want to work with me, now that I'm based in the heart of Silicon Valley. I'm also finding that East Coast companies are considering west coast marketing and PR representation because its great for them to have someone "in the middle of the fire."

So sadly, I do think location still matters. I love being in the fire myself but loathe the frills that come with it - property prices, traffic and the struggle for balance, particularly when every event seems to be scattered with trimmings -- and conversations -- from the tech world.

The article points out that "the infrastructure to support technology development – broadband connectivity and plenty of caffeine – is available almost anywhere." While this is true, I think its harder to get Stanford and MIT grads to move to the middle of Kansas......or sophisticated marketing savvy pros to head to rural towns, where the only choice for greens on the menu is iceberg lettuce. There are other considerations of course, including the quality of schools, cultural diversity and airport access.

Having said that, and while I agree that location still matters more than not, people are tired of expensive and hectic lifestyles and looking for alternatives. While I could likely live in a few other cities and towns in the U.S., I'm not sure how I feel about the increased time on airplanes to get to the people and events I need to be at.......in my business, they tend to be in major technology hubs, SF, San Jose or New York.

I do look forward to a day however, where I can set up shop in two locations permanently. Perhaps one is Silicon Valley but instead of having a bi-coastal office, perhaps my second home is in Costa Rica or Hawaii. I think I could get used to that.

San Francisco Yoga

While the Cambridge Mass. Baron Baptiste yoga studio was close to my house in Boston, I rarely went because it was often too crowded and parking was impossible. It's great for flexibility and endurance however and there are so many more reasons to add yoga to your life than not.

I discovered a few great finds in my new San Francisco hood, including Bernal Yoga on Cortland Street and Pretzel's School of Yoga in Portrero Hill. Check this out:

Also check out Body of Work, an Ashtonga yoga studio on Folsom, Yoga Tree, Soma Yoga, Yoga Garden, and The Mindful Body.

There are also high-end spa-like places that offer yoga in the city, such as International Orange on Fillmore.

Strawberry Smokes

Birthdays are funny things, especially as you get older.....there's bound to be a phase (maybe I'm entering it??) where you find yourself trying things you didn't think you would do anymore, perhaps because in some odd way, it winds back the clock for a moment or two. A reflection. A memory. An 'a-ha,' yes I remember.

Last night, I met a fabulous woman in her twenties from the Phillipines who is visiting relatives in San Francisco for a couple of weeks. Did I lecture her on the evils of smoking? I'm not entirely sure, but I think there may have been a tad of 'kind' lecture in the exchange. Is there such a thing as a 'kind' lecture?

She had a box of flavored DJ Mix cigarettes. Where have I been for the past decade? (they're not new). Sixth Sense reviews Iced Green Apple back in July of 2004. A September 2005 Special Report on Tobacco Still Targeting Kids talks about the R.J. Reynolds campaign, which launched a series of flavored cigarettes, including pineapple and coconut, lime, winter warm toffee and winter mochamint. See Cuddle up with Cancer release from Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.

As much as I hate everything there is to hate about smoking and more, I found myself intrigued enough to ask her for one before I left the lounge. I quietly slid it in the elastic of my pants, curious of the huffing and puffing experience with strawberry flavors and scent.

In the UK, there is even a place where you can order kits to make your own strawberry cigarettes online.

Did I mention that birthdays are funny things, especially as you get older? And that you try things you never thought you'd ever do again? Like an inquisitive college student, I found myself on my balcony early this morning smoking a strawberry flavored cigarette. It did bring back 'a-ha' moments from living in Europe, my tiny Earls Court flat in London, the courtyard where friends from various parts of the world would contemplate philosophies that would improve humanity over a cigarette and espresso. It was indeed another time.

Pending GPS

I haven't purchased my new GPS system yet, but I'm getting close. After being late last night for my own birthday dinner --because I found myself in a car with friend Adrienne heading 280 South rather than into the city -- it is time. Long overdue I might add.

Jingle Networks at Kelsey

Clients Tom Latinovich and Scott Kliger (both founders of 1-800-FREE411) will be speaking at this week's Kelsey Group conference in Reston VA: ILM 05 (Interactive Local Media). ILM is Kelsey's main local search marketing and advertising conference.

Scott will discuss new opportunities in location-based targeting with representatives from Digital Envoy, Feeva and Earthcomber. Tom's focus will be on wireless along with product management from MapQuest, InfoSpace, AOL Mobile, Google Mobile and Action Engine.

The wireless panel will be a roundtable/QA format, moderated by Kelsey Group analysts.

Discussion points include:
--whether the monetization model of wireless is dependent on a user model that will drive the greatest adoption.
--there are now more wireless handsets in the US than fixed-lines and everyone sees the need and opportunity of delivering mobile, local search on wireless devices. What’s taking so long?
--what is the optimal user experience? And what is the greatest single impediment (or top few) to getting there?
--given all the existing complexity and many moving parts of the wireless world, how many years away are we from a wireless user experience that will truly drive mass adoption?
--are there non-US examples that are instructive for the US market (where usage and/or monetization scenarios hold lessons for carriers and content providers)?
--what’s the role of PPCall in a wireless advertising environment? Under what circumstances is this likely to be attractive to advertisers?

Also, Jason Dowdell, EVDB's Brian Dear, and representatives from Intelliseek and Insider Pages will talk about user generated content and communities.

FREE411 in Newsday

New York Newsday covers client Jingle Networks today. It talks about how 1-800-FREE411 works and mentions other services as well, many of which plan to launch next year.

Thanks JD

JD - thank you thank you thank you.

GPS for Birthday

I decided a couple of days ago to buy myself a birthday present this year - a desperately needed device that I think everyone should own. You got it - a GPS navigation system. I spent a couple of hours playing with the Tom Tom 700, and the Garmin 2720. Magellan has a few highly recommended models, but frankly, I don't think the user interface is as nice.

The Tom Tom is small, light and portable, but doesn't give you street names verbally as you pass them and the Garmin does. I'm leaning towards the Garmin as a result, but one other fun feature that I like about the Tom Tom is the ability to program a variety of different voices, including a British male and female. It also has a half gig more than the Garmin. More on my experience after the grand purchase.

Brandy & Castor Oil Conditioner

There's something about getting older that is particularly hard for women and although I think of ways to turn back the years -- at times -- another birthday is around the corner - you know, that day that reminds us that we're getting older and adds another number. Ray emails me and tells me that a longevity package is on the way and others remind me that that we're all ten years younger than the last generation.

True perhaps, but I'm starting to see a few gray hairs in the middle of my head, and my eyebrows are less bushy year after year - have you ever noticed that as you get older, your eyebrows get thinner? A Russian woman I met recently told me to buy some castor oil. I'm thinking "castor oil? isn't that what my great grandmother had in the house for constipation."

Maybe, but apparently it helps your eyebrows grow back. I ask a Walgreens pharmacist if she knows anything about this and does that mean men who are losing their hair should rub castor oil on their heads? No, she says, try brandy. Brandy. I think I'll try the castor oil first!!