This post I’ve finally tidied up and published – I started writing it during the release of the Widgetbox Blog Network. I’ve been wanting to have a blurb out there about what I do.
I’ve had one slight gripe when I try to explain where I work and what do I do here out in the Bay Area: widgets. Most people, both technical and non-technical grasp the point of what a widget is – an embeddable piece of content that could be placed anywhere on the web. Where I work, we provide a gallery and syndication platform for our users. For the developer, one can create or “widgetize” their content and watch it spread through social networks or the open web. For the consumer, we have high SEO (PageRank 8 anyone?) which puts us in the first few search results if you look for ” widget”.
Simple, and seemingly unexciting to any technical power user. Why would I want to add little “things” to my blog, people ask me. Many see them as clutter or complain that it adds little to no value. There is also the issue of the majority of widgets seem to have a rapid popularity growth and depreciation as the content is outdated or as users constantly re-tool their sites.
I have the solution! Its called OpenSocial!
What about OpenSocial? Isn’t that supposed to be the Holy Grail of pushing little web widgets around the web? Not exactly. If you’re a social network, you not only want value for your users but you want interactivity between them. There is a ton out there and a even more being formed to center around some sort of core product that another network does not have. Most wannabe networks are “growing” with the hope that they are just as open with an API and follow-the-herd idea of promoting user-generated content. If OpenSocial is able to embed itself in every major network, they will become nothing more than federated identity providers.
It’s with this I’ll try to narrow down Widgetbox’s place on the web – we add value to publishers. The idea of widgets being helpful for a consumer makes sense when you are rapidly sharing content via tweeting, IMing, and e-mailing, but that is only secondary to who the original target is. It is the content owner who starts it the wave. The Blog Network, evolving as I write, represents a way for a widget to provide value by consuming and spreading content.
Oh, for those that are interested, here’s a cat widget.
Categorized in san francisco, widgetbox and widgets
I’ve been fairly lax about writing since arriving out in San Francisco at the end of June. Some of it is reasonable – setting up new apartment, beginning a job at a startup, and attempted to explore the vast number of restaurants and bars that exist around me.
Recently, my perspective has been shook up a bit. The economy has taken a downturn and will most likely be limping along, if not getting worse, for the next six months. I felt like being at a small tech company with funding, was akin to having immunity. Not the case at all. Being part of a Sequoia-backed company, the message was crystal clear – monetize! The accusations that scaremongering is taking place is summed up well by Fred Wilson: “If they shouted fire, it was in a private room not a theater.” The deck that was leaked with slide after slide of downward slopes was not filled with projections, but with current data. The lack of commentary with the deck has been causing many to flip out thinking the end is near for small companies. It will be for those that still believe they need to grow a user base for a something dubbed the “next cool web thing” when no viable business plan is on the table. For the rest of us, it’s time to get real.
I know I’ll look back at what took place over the last few days and do my damndest to remember what was going through my head at this time.
Categorized in productivity, startup and vc
In SF – piecing a life together. It may be busy but its still the calm before the storm of crazyness.
Categorized in san francisco
Officially graduated. Leaving shortly for the long drive back to Boston.
Categorized in RIT, graduating and life
This past weekend was the third BarCamp held at RIT, BarCampRochester3 and I had hanging over my head being one of the hosts pulling it together mostly in the last two weeks leading up to it. I’ll put up pictures on Flickr (tag: barcamprochester3), but as for now my snaps are on Facebook. As for slides, I was going to tweak them for my Public Speaking class as I have an “informative presentation” to give this week and I’ll put them up via SlideShare and post it here along with a presentation made for my Grid Computing “class”.
I think the best part of the event is the type of people we attracted to it – smart, interesting and dedicated individuals that wanted to learn from others and it is those people who take the reigns. I felt like there were so many great people there and I was able to talk to many but not all of them. Aside from the event being a fun place to learn about cool subjects, its the perfect networking event. Chatting it up with those who I will see again out in SF was great and talking about the current and future state of web applications (coincidentally my talk) kept me energized for the entire day. Well, that and the wonderful Coke products we bought (RIT is a Pepsi campus) like Hi-C! I mean come on, it was a huge hit and completely brought us back to the carefree days of running around outside after elementary school was out.
I’d also like to give a big shout-out to those who were able to come, specifically those not in the area like Jordan Sissel (SF), Jason Morrison (Boston), David Recordon (SF), Justin Thorp (DC) and John Resig (Boston). Many people were psyched at how well it went and although I may be leaving, others are ready and willing to pull together an even bigger one come this fall. So glad that I was able to be a part of it before I go – definitely can’t wait to particpate in more meetups!
Categorized in RIT, barcamp and networking
