I’m really really sick of piss poor applications being distributed and more importantly represented by corporations. I think the enterprise space is the largest culprit here. So many applications do the bare minimum. If Apple had not released the Macintosh, we would have been content with a non-gui interface. Innovation drives society, and so many companies try to get away by doing the bare minimum or not innovating just “because they can”. One example is Blackboard, an online Learning Management System (LMS). This product is a piss poor user experience. Navigating the software as a teacher, and also as a student is a joke. The interface is 1997 happy. Somehow this company gets away with charging universities millions of dollars a year. If I were a VC, I would invest right now in a team that could innovate like madmen in this space. Besides the PR On-Demand Solutions space, I think the LMS space is a place that an incumbent with horrible usability, design, and a lack of innovation can be destroyed. To make matters worse, great tools like the Yahoo User Interface library is available FREE OF F’N CHARGE. In closing, I’m going to leave a list of standards that users and customers should start holding companies to:

1. Usability
2. Design
3. Innovation
4. Customer Support
5. Holding conversations with their community
6. Giving back to the community in the form of education and development resources (OPEN UP YOUR APIS).

[tags] blackboard, publictivity, web 2.0, lms, usability, higher standards, apple, macintosh, mac, yui, yahoo ui, yahoo developer network [/tags]

Don’t spend tons of money subscribing to expensive databases and market research lists. Most universities offer these databases to their students free of charge. Hoovers, LexisNexis, Factiva,etc. are all there and usually for free. If you’re a student-entrepreneur (student-athlete was so 20th century), take advantage of this. If you’re not a student entrepreneur, find one of your friends who probably is. Take a trip to the school of business library, and get whatever you need. At close to 40k a year for a good college education, milk your college resources for all they’re worth.
[tags] web 2.0, publictivity, college, university, hoovers, lexisnexis, factiva, research, university of miami, umiami [/tags]

Within the company, I am known to dabble in Microsoft Paint in order to make a visual representation of how I envision a certain aspect of our software. I then pass on this crude — yet surprisingly effective — “sketch” to our developer so that he can then laugh at me and my artistic efforts. After a good laugh, he can then interpret what can be considered abstract art (I bet the MOMA would kill to get their hands on some of my work) and create what I was trying to convey to him.

Ok, so where am I going with this? Just today, I stumbled upon the most impressive feat I have ever seen done on MS Paint. This guy really puts me to shame. With my audience, I share the video. Enjoy.

[yt]fdaWsTWDpCc[/yt]
[tags] MS Paint, Paint, Microsoft, art, modern, car, web 2.0, publictivity, moma, abstract [/tags]

Don’t get me wrong, 2006 was an amazing year for the Tech and Web community as a whole. Acquisitions were happening, startups were being created like wildfire, and a lot more. If you boil it down to the core though… Innovation was dead in 2006. Here’s a few reasons why:

1. Me-Too, Me-three, Me-TwentyFive!- That’s right, it was nothing, but a gold rush to be the next youtube, flickr, delicious, or myspace. How many clones popped up in this time? there was zero innovation as well. Adding a twist or adding a niche, is not innovation, sorry people.
2. Widgets- Widgets rock, I love them, and think they have a bright future. once again, widgets are nothing new. I’s the exact opposite: take something you have somewhere and transport it. Everyone was focused on harnessing MySpace that they forgot it’s possible to build a company of your own.
3. Business Models- The business models were horrible. They were either: adsense, flip to google, or live off of VC money and figure it out later. This doesn’t work. Your product should be as equally as innovating as the way you’ll be making money. Remember… you are still running a business.
4. What the hell do you do?- Too many startups that are unfocused and can’t even figure out what they do, let alone innovate. I’ve been down this road before (not with publictivity), it sucks.
5. Bloggers- They’re writing just to appease the blogger A List. The same way press releases are/were filled with hype, crap, and glossy quotes is the same way companies are building their products around what bloggers think. cmon.

Here’s why 2007 will bring innovation:

1. Deadpool- Most of the companies doing things on the list above will enter the deadpool. Weve already seen a ton of companies enter the deadpool in the past month or so. It’s the economy, and yes startups bust their ass, but yes some fail.
2. Focused Venture Money- the Venture guys finally know what they want. Yay!
3. Acquisitions Pay Off- The whole acquisition frenzy by GYM finally starts to integrate. That whole peanut butter mess is going to be cleared up. The innovation we saw in 2005 will now enter the DNA of the big guys. Sweet.
4. We’re At The Dawn of a New era- Does anyone else have that gut feeling? The really big and important things are about to happen.
5. Web 2.0 Dies out As a Term- I hate this term, and try to use it as little as possible. It’s used once in our investor pitch, and i only tag my blog posts Web 2.0 because it gets more readers. No term will replace it… hopefully.

[tags] web 2.0, innovation, startups, blogging, publictivity, 2006, 2007, tech, venture capital, deadpool [/tags]

(For those that didn’t get the Austin Powers reference, please go rent the movie.)  Hi.  I’m Frank Astor, President of Publictivity, Inc. and Jason’s business partner.  This is my introductory post where I will, for the first time, present myself to the blogging world.  This is quite an exciting event for me.  I have been letting Jason do all the blogging for the company so far, but I thought I would add my two cents in every once in a while.  Not only do I want our readers to get to know me, but I also have an opinion on a variety of topics that I would like to share as well.  Now, I’m not claiming that my posts will be anywhere as interesting as Jason’s have been — he has done a great job so far, and i’m just a “blogging rookie” — but hopefully they’ll peak your interest more times than not.

With that said, I leave with only a brief introduction.  My first “real” post will most likely come in a couple of days or so.  I hope you all don’t lose sleep in anticipation.  Please don’t…  you might be seriously disappointed.

[tags] Introduction, Frank Astor, Publictivity, rookie, first post, first blog entry, web 2.0, Austin Powers [/tags]

There are open source Diggs, Wikipedia (technically the foundation is open source, but you know what I mean), ECommerce, Forums,Photo sites, etc. Why has no one organized an open source version of facebook/ myspace that is clean, nice, and allow plugins? Seriously, this could be huge. Just a random idea that I’m throwing out there, that will hopefully jump start it. I love open source software. Contact me if you’re working on this or have some ideas. This way anyone could add a social network or community to their site.

Update: I know about PeopleAggregator, but it isn’t what I’m talking about exactly.
[tags] open source, pligg, digg, wikipedia, forums, web 2.0, publictivity [/tags]

Wow, it is going to be one hell of a week for the blogsphere. Seriously, the three largest industry conferences/ trade shows/ events are all happening this week. Every single one is huge, and provide some great announcements. Here are a few of the things I’m looking forward to from each of the conferences:

CES

• XBox 360 IPTV. This was actually just announced.
• Some pretty crazy HDTVs
• SlingCatcher by slingmedia. I still haven’t really looked into SlingMedia yet, but I think I should. I’ve got a few hundred to spend at circuit city this week. Maybe I’ll pick one up.

Detroit AutoShow

• 2008 Cadillac CTS.  The current model CTS was my first car.  I’ve been a Cadillac fan for quite some time.  I think this car is going to be beautiful.
• Acura Advanced Sports Car. This is the next generation NSX. It’s about time.  The last NSX, just discontinued in 05, was made to compete against the Ferrari 348. Cmonn, give the F430 some competition.
• Jaguar X-CF Concept. This is basically the next generation S Type. The preview pictures are amazing.  I’m a Jaguar loyalist, and I hope this saves the brand. Long live the queen!

MacWorld 07- This is the BIG one. Time for my predictions.

• IPhone- It has to come out now. No more waiting, no more anticipation,etc. I want it, you want it, it’s time.
• iTV- All the prementioned goodies, a name, YouTube integration (chad hurley on stage, im calling it), and HD everything
• Macbook Pro Updates- it’s about time… sadly.  I just spent a lot of money on a new one in April. Theyre way faster now. i yi yi
• More movie content- Most major studios will be on board along with the iTV announcement
• Apple DigiCamera- Insider rumor I heard today from a decently reliable source. Expect it to be wifi, replace isight, and have some other cool goodies.

[tags] web 2.0, macworld, ces, detroit auto show, autoblog, jaguar, acura, microsoft, iptv, xbox live, engadget, cadillac, cadillac cts, xcf, acura, iphone, itv, apple digital camera, macbook pro, publictivity, weblogs inc, win [/tags]

Okay, so the Web 2.0 conference has lost its hype. I mean Summit, my bad. Miami has never had a conference like this, especially with so many big name players in town. Carlos and I are considering this the KickStart To 2007, The Year of Miami. Here’s the link to the information on the conference. The WeMedia Miami Conference taking place from February 7-9 at the University of Miami is going to really focus on information you need, and really let you interact. It’s not going to be 2 days of fluff and egos promoting their companies. It’s going to be raw, in your face knowledge. I’ll let you read it for yourself to really understand. We’re organizing some very cool afterparty and socializing events for the 7-9. Also, if you’re coming into town and need a place to crash, transportation, or a hotel just let me know, I have you covered. This is where you need to be, no questions asked. And as promised, the discount code for 200 dollars off: IFO-SCRAP.

[tags] miami, wemedia, wemedia miami, conference, february, web 2.0, publictivity, scrapblog [/tags]

So, for the past few days and for the next couple of weeks, our schedule is packed with meetings and great people.  I love meetings, since I feel people bring the most out when surrounded by great talent. Well, today was completely free of meetings. That’s right, nobody for lunch, dinner, or inbetween. So I decided to get work done in a creative and very relaxing manner: on the beach. That’s right, mid-january, 80 degrees, and working on the beach.  We’re about to hire, and a few other companies down here are. If you’re interested in an amazing atmosphere, contact me, we want to hear from you.  If you’re looking to do something entrepreneurial, start it here, contact me. The talent is coming out of the woodwork, the investors are getting up to speed, and things are about to take off. Later on, I’ll post about where we see the Miami Web Community making its first big stand into notoriety, and attracting talent. Scoble, think how much more enjoyable podcasting would be. Tell PodTech to start an office down here, and broadcast from here once every few weeks. :-).  Just my two cents.

PS- One slurpee at a time at Wet Willy’s…
[tags] miami, web 2.0, beach, publictivity, meetings, scrapblog, miami community, scoble, podtech [/tags]

vs.

Okay, so I’ve been a Wii advocate, and still am in many respects. Their PR campaign was unbelievable, and the system is truly innovative. Despite all of that I returned my Nintendo Wii for an XBox 360… and I could not be happier. That’s right, I could not be any happier. At first, I felt somewhat arrogant, since some little kids could have had the Wii instead. When I returned it, I made sure a wii hunt obsessed mother purchased it for her kids who really wanted one. So here is my reasoning behind the returns:

1. Gimmicky vs. Quality Games- I loved the Wii controller and the setup at first. Wii Sports dragged me in like none other. Then on Christmas, I thought about it: this is ridiculous and gimmicky. I don’t want to sit and wave my arms around like abumbling idiot. The game choices were, well pretty bad: Excite truck? wtf. I bought Zelda, and didn’t like it. Just not my type of game. The same way I don’t like Disney movies, is the same way the game choices turned me off. I’m not 15 anymore. Don’t get me wrong, Wii will beat PS3. I’ve owned an xbox before, and the games on the 360 were just 10 levels above. Gears of War, Rainbow 6, Project gotham Racing,etc.
2. Content Is King- I LOVE the content available on XBLive. I’ve spent hours playing demos, getting trailers, clips, and paying for HD content. holy crap, it’s amazing. This is the stuff made of dreams. If they add a large amount of content to their library, I’d be scared as shit if I were apple. They also have movie rentals, something I wish itunes did.
3. Multiplayer- I’m sorry, but XBLive is a monster. I love playing online, and Wii can’t offer that right now. I don’t have friends who come over to play video games. I’m no longer 14. It just adds a dynamic that is not to be believed.
4. HD Has Sucked Me In- I just bought an HD LCD Tv. I want to play the games in HD and watch HD content. It really is something else. Wii can’t provide me with either. Sorry.
5. Halo 3- Killer Game. enough said. Halo 3 is going to suck in the miniscule amount of free time I have. Halo 3 is the tipping point for me. there was no way i was gonna miss halo 3, and no way id buy both a wii and 360
6. Digital Living Room- It does everything. Seriously: DVDs, download hd content, trailers, plays amazing games, internet capability, plays my music for parties, and even orders my food (not yet).
7. Possible Replacement For iTV- I have no need for iTV as of right now. Unless they add a killer app or two, I probably won’t get it. If anything curiousity and apple fanboy in me will get it. Apple just really has a problem on their hands. Wii is sitting in a corner crying.
8. PS3 Sucks- Just had to say it. It brings nothing to the table. Wii has it’s differentiation method and 360 does as well. PS3 is just expensive and useless.

[tags] publictivity, web 2.0, ps3, xbox, xbox 360, wii, nintendo, msft, microsoft, apple, returning wii, aapl, sony, playstation 3, video games, console wars [/tags]