The Dynamics of Web-Based Social Networks

Interesting research from Jennifer Golbeck…

 

“Social networks on the Web are growing dramatically in size and number. The huge popularity of sites like MySpace, Facebook, and others has drawn in hundreds of millions of users, and the attention of scientists and the media. The public accessibility of Web–based social networks offers great promise for researchers interested in studying the behavior of users and how to integrate social information into applications. However, to do that effectively, it is necessary to understand how networks grow and change. Over a two–year period we have collected data on every social network we could identify, and we also gathered daily information on thirteen networks over a 47–day period. In this article, we present the first comprehensive survey of Web–based social networks, followed by an analysis of membership and relationship dynamics within them. From our analysis of these data, we present several conclusions on how users behave in social networks, and what network features correlate with that behavior.”

 

Volvo Promotes Digital Radio

According to a statement made yesterday by iBiquity Digital, Volvo will be the first car company to offer HD Radio in nearly all its models in the U.S.  Factory-installed HD Radio will be available starting fall 2008 as standard or optional equipment on eight Volvo models…

NY Times: Pay Me For My Content

Here’s a great article by Jaron Lanier from the NY Times.  Favorite quotes below…

 

“There's an almost religious belief in the Valley that charging for content is bad. The only business plan in sight is ever more advertising. One might ask what will be left to advertise once everyone is aggregated.”

 

“Affordable turns out to be much harder than free when it comes to information technology, but we are smart enough to figure it out. We owe it to ourselves and to our creative friends to acknowledge the negative results of our old idealism. We need to grow up.”

Rhapsody Launched New Player

Rhapsody America has recently announced the availability of its new Wi-Fi-enabled PMP called the Ibiza.  Haier America is the hardware manufacturer and supposedly it’s running Linux…However, the 30GB Ibiza is only available at Amazon, but 4GB and 8GB flash-based players are reportedly coming.  [The players will carry price points of $329, $229, and $249.]

Web Video: Move Over, Amateurs

From where I’m sitting, the handwriting is written on the wall and the tide is starting to flow away from user generated content…here are a few good nuggets from Businessweek:

 

• "What we found out is, we don't need the classical user-generated talent when we have the Hollywood talent that wants to work with us" says ManiaTV CEO Peter Hoskins

 

• Over 57% of U.S. Internet users say they have watched or downloaded online videos, according to a July study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. But they're not flocking to home videos. According to the study, viewers are most interested in news videos, followed by comedy bits and television shows.

 

• "A year ago, if you did a search for a professional video, you would be able to watch a clip or a bad pirated version," says Suranga Chandratillake, CEO of video search site Blinkx. "Now you are able to watch a real show."  Professional content grabs significantly more money. Chandratillake says advertisers will pay $60-plus per 1,000 views to incorporate their ads alongside professional video content. They'll pay around $7 to associate with user-generated videos, depending on the piece. And some brands have shunned user-generated video outright for fear of being unwittingly associated with videos that make their brands look bad.

 

• "Advertisers are a bit more reluctant to trust the user-generated stuff.… They feel better aligned with the professional stuff, and that is driving a lot of these changes," says Burst CEO Jarvis Coffin.

 

Sony BMG, Yahoo Ink Online Video Deal

Sony BMG Music Entertainment has inked a licensing deal with Yahoo that clears the way for people to upload files with music or video content by the record company's artists to Yahoo. [Surprisingly, Yahoo does not currently have any video-filtering technology in place, but the agreement marks the first time Yahoo has reached a deal with a major recording company over licensing content in user-created videos…]

DivX Bets Big on H.264, Buys MainConcept

This is pretty newsworthy for everyone out there actively licensing video codecs….

 

“With the deal, DivX is acknowledging that the open standard H.264 is becoming a codec of choice when it comes to high quality video — be it broadcast video, streaming Internet video, video on mobile phones, or on consumer devices like next-generation DVD players.”

 

http://newteevee.com/2007/11/16/divx-mainconcept-h264/

 

 

Low-cost platform opens new market opportunities

PRESS RELEASE: Wi-Fi Radio for $15? 

 

Sounds pretty promising….

 

 

AMG's History

Here’s a good overview of AMG’s history and culture…

 

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071111/ART10/71110025

 

 

Samsung Opens 1st Retail Store

Looks like they’ve taken a page out of Apple’s playbook…but fast forwarding, rolling out multiple locations could prove to be a smart move!

 

http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/MailHome.asp?datePublish=2007/11/13&pages=PD&seq=201

 

 

Internet Radio and Copyright Royalties: Reforming a Broken System

Here’s a great summary post on Information Technology & Innovation Foundation’s website about Daniel Castro’s 13 page report.  While it was written last May, it is still VERY relevant…

Google announces Android open platform for mobile devices

Press release, November 6; Eric Mah, DIGITIMES 

Google has announced Android, an open platform for mobile devices, in a posting on the company's website on November 5.

Google says that it developed Android in cooperation with the Open Handset Alliance, which consists of more than 30 technology and mobile leaders, including Motorola, Qualcomm, HTC and T-Mobile. The goal in creating Android is to enable an open ecosystem for the mobile world by creating a standard, open mobile software platform, stated Google.

The Android platform includes all of the software to run a mobile phone, including an operating system, user-interface and applications, according to the company.

Google says that Android will complement, but not replace, its longstanding mobile strategy of developing useful and compelling mobile services and driving adoption of these products through partnerships with handset manufacturers and mobile operators around the world.

Google plans to release a software developer kit (SDK) for the platform soon and said that partners should be releasing phones based on Android in 2008.

 

Music Rights Regime Needs Updating, Should Embrace New Technologies

Here’s a great post from the Center for Democracy and Technology:

(1) Music Rights Regime Needs Updating, Should Embrace New Technologies
(2) Shortcomings of Existing Music Licensing Law
(3) Controversy over Private Copying
(4) Key Principles for Reform Efforts