Some say this is the most interesting new thing since Napster.....

At least, that's what the Industry Standard thinks....

What am I talking about? Blogger!.

It's free software you can use to post time-stamped paragraphs on your web site -- instantly without any fuss or hassle.... Kind of like putting up a live instant diary (at least that's how I think of it)....

Here's the article by the Industry Standard about Blogger[/i]....

And if you want to create your own "blogs" (time-stamped paragraphs of your thoughts uploaded instantly to your web site), Blogger is available at http://www.blogger.com/ :)

Seems like a simple idea, yet apparently a lot of people are going wild over it (particularly teens)....

- Dien

Hi,

Seeing the blogger site generates some ideas, eh?

Like...

Y'all could use a Blog for your Study Group.

A Blog could be used for tutoring writing.

A $10 a month webhoster + blogger = a dedicated server + GeekLog (and it's even better, since if crackers get into your Blog, they'r in blogger's server, not yours).

Blogger's a way to reach a particular demographic.

Blogger's a way to get hits.

Hope this was useful, though I'd better reserve some ideas I thought of.

Best,

-Boyd

Hi,

This site is smart, wonderfully designed and quite useful.

The link is:

http://www.stormwerks.com/linked/ The site is called usr/bin/girl which I think is cool...

It's a good world if you're smart.

Best,

-Boyd


usr/bin/girl

Dien,

Very interesting. The wheels are starting to turn for ways to make money with this! :-)

Ron


Get a free booklet "1001 Unusual Ways People are Making Money and How They Are Doing It!

..A friend told me that blogger has fallen on hard times . . .only one employee left. Another example of great technology ...but not making any money.

Here's another service similar to blogger.

http://editthispage.com/

Ron

Ron,

Blogger's mistake was improper use of assets. They should have made people give them a complete profile before letting them use the service. Then blogger should have sold the account profiles as many times and in as many ways as they could.

Best,

-Boyd

> ..A friend told me that blogger has fallen
> on hard times . . .only one employee left.
> Another example of great technology ...but
> not making any money.

Hi Ron,

Yes it's an all-too-common story....

In reality, the high-tech business is generally a high-risk, high-reward game.... Often the pioneers of new technology are not the ones to reap the most benefit from it, as others later come along later and do better....

(A clear example is Microsoft - which bought Q-DOS from another company and renamed it MS-DOS, while Q-DOS was itself a clone of the CP/M operating system by Gary Kildall and Digital Research.... Gary Kildall and Digital Research saw no profit from Microsoft's use of the copy-cat operating system, even though Digital Research was the technical pioneer. Digital Research was even considering suing Microsoft for copying its software, but it didn't since it knew that it would then also have to sue the giant IBM.)

I think there has to be a distinction between technical pioneers (those who develop the technology) and commercial pioneers (those who develop it and distribute it so that the market wants it and will pay for it). That's because often the two types of pioneers are not the same companies....

(Just thinking out loud...)

- Dien

I think part of the problem is that everyone was giving away everything free on the net to build brand and to generate money from advertising.

It's worked for a few but has failed for almost everyone else.

The problem with giving away everything free is it conditions people to think they never have to pay for your product...that's part of the problem of free ezines. (something I'm phasing out)

If blogger and other companies would have sold the benefits of using the service/product using real marketing, in the beginning they would have got people to pay for it. That might have given them the base to build a sound business.

Ron

> Hi Ron,

> Yes it's an all-too-common story....

> In reality, the high-tech business is
> generally a high-risk, high-reward game....
> Often the pioneers of new technology are not
> the ones to reap the most benefit from it,
> as others later come along later and do
> better....

> (A clear example is Microsoft - which bought
> Q-DOS from another company and renamed it
> MS-DOS, while Q-DOS was itself a clone of
> the CP/M operating system by Gary Kildall
> and Digital Research.... Gary Kildall and
> Digital Research saw no profit from
> Microsoft's use of the copy-cat operating
> system, even though Digital Research was the
> technical pioneer. Digital Research was even
> considering suing Microsoft for copying its
> software, but it didn't since it knew that
> it would then also have to sue the giant
> IBM.)

> I think there has to be a distinction
> between technical pioneers (those who
> develop the technology) and commercial
> pioneers (those who develop it and
> distribute it so that the market wants it
> and will pay for it). That's because often
> the two types of pioneers are not the same
> companies....

> (Just thinking out loud...)

> - Dien

Hi Dien!

I came across blogger about a month ago during one of my wild rides. :o)

As I read over the site, I became more puzzled about the big deal.

I mean, I can have it use a template I create. So I know HTML.

I tell it to load this new entry onto my website using MY FTP program.... which I had to know how to set up in the first place.

So, seeing as I needed to know some HTML and needed to know how to configure a ftp program, why on earth do I need blogger???? I may as well add the new text to my page and reload it... after all, that's all blogger does.

It's not as if blogger is Web Logging For Dummies or anything.

But hey... I don't understand why millions of people want Furby, Tickle me Elmo, Cabbage Patch, Pet Rocks, Baby Mugs and Fireplace videos and so on. So what do I know HA!

Of course, I could have read it wrong. :o)

Michael Ross.

Hi,

Good points, Michael, but blogger shines because it establishes a level communications playing field for circles or groups, the constituency of which is likely to have vastly different technical skills.

Just my opinion...

Best,

-Boyd