Dell Inspiron Mini 12... Tasty!

I love the form of the MacBook Air...But I really do prefer Windows to Macs....

I know - I am out of the loop on that front. I am one of two Windows users at Widgetbox and beRecruited's back-end was all written on old Mac products.

But the Apple's form really is tempting / tantalizing; and Dell doesn't match it until you get into the very expensive range.

That's where the Dell Inspiron Mini 12 comes in: it starts under $600! That's worth it right there for portability. I can't wait to get my hands on one of these:

Previews from the leaders: - Engadget - Gizmodo - Laptop Mag

JibJab + High School Musical 3 = Perfect Viral Marketing

If you have kids - you probably took them to see Disney's High School Musical 3 last night...And if you have kids - they probably will put JibJab's new HSM3 widget on their MySpace pages.

This is what viral marketing should aspire to be: - customizable - engaging - fun and re-watchable

... and it clearly has a business model behind it! Furthermore - the branded experience is what makes the widget enjoyable and attractive. I have shown this to several people now and the reactions are instant laughter... followed by a rush to create their own video!

Well done JibJab!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

InGameNow App Officially Live in iTunes: Go Install!

The InGameNow App officially went live in iTunes just seconds after the Red Sox lost to the Tampa Bay Rays (so I got some joy out of the night!). I invite you to visit iTunes (or search for "ingamenow" via the App Store on your iPhone), install the app and use it. I'd also love to get any and all feedback!

Core components of the app:

- Live integration with InGameNow: seamless posting and pulling - Automatic scores / posts updates - Dashboard of games that are “InGameNow” (screen shot below) - Full schedule and browse accessibility by league and team - Ability to set and monitor favorite teams

Live screenshots:

Get the InGameNow
iPhone Sports App

I'm Baffled By the New Sprint & Dan Hesse Commercial

This new Sprint commercial, featuring CEO Dan Hesse, seemingly runs during every inning of the MLB playoffs. It baffles me too: - why is he sitting at a diner talking about cell phones and to a camera? - why, in the HD version, is half of his head cropped off? - why does he sound so un-enthusiastic when talking about how cell phones have become mini-computers? If he can't get excited - why can consumers? - finally, why isn't a phone (preferably a smartphone) shown in the commercial?

How about a Techmeme Jr. (or Techmeme Minor League)?

I love Techmeme. And I've written as much many times before. I also have noted that the Techmeme Headlines are increasingly being written by major blogs and brands. Meanwhile, other bloggers have written that Techmeme should expand their sources to more, lesser-known blogs.

While I'm not sure I agree (there is value in having established, big sources), I do think that the following idea has merit:

Techmeme, Jr.

Think of it like a minor league system for Techmeme where lesser-known blogs are featured and big brands like TechCrunch wouldn't be included (after all, they are included on Techmeme.com). As a minor league system typically works - it would act as a showcase for upcoming talent and, should an author or source grow popular / credible, it can make it's way into a regular on Techmeme.com.

This is powerful for a few reasons:

- The readers who want more depth out of Techmeme now have a avenue - Those readers add a social value to Techmeme and create a community (see YCombinator / Technews for a great example) - Those users would act as talent agents for Techmeme.com - And consequently help Techmeme discover new talent / blogs and grow their sourcing

Personally, I'd probably use Techmeme Jr. more than Techmeme.com because I already read TechCrunch and Engadget. I want to discover new content that is already credible and relevant.

Widgetbox and Yardbarker Release Yardbarker Network Widget

When Widgetbox launched its Widgetbox Blog Network, we announced Yardbarker as our partner and exclusive blog network. I've worked with Yardbarker closely with beRecruited and InGameNow - in fact, Anette joined the Yardbarker team a few months ago. Yardbarker now has over 650 blogs in their Yardbarker Network (YBN) and the new YBN Widget dynamically features content across their network. The widget is configurable based on league and team. For instance, you can choose Top Headlines (shown below) or a Red Sox specific widget (we intentionally disable the Yankees widget... joking).

Widgetbox is working with other partners to create similar widgets and networks based on their current audiences, publishers and/or websites. If you operate a series of blogs - Widgetbox can help connect them through a similar, branded widget. Likewise, if you have a network of users / publishers, we can work with you to connect their content, grow their traffic and monetize your widgets. Please contact me directly if you are interested in working with Widgetbox:

More All Sports Articles

Is Google Reducing Their AdSense Payouts & Increasing Their Take?

Om Malik's "Why Google’s Partners Should Be Worried" is by far my most interesting read of the last few days specifically because it's a sentiment that I've heard quite a bit of recently... and, if true, it is very important news:

Google’s partners however, should gulp hard, for the Mountain View, Calif.-based search and online advertising company is keeping more and more of its online ad bounty for itself. You can see that from the three metrics: revenues from Google-owned sites, revenue generated by partner sites and the traffic acquisition costs. Google’s partners’ piece of the pie isn’t growing that much...

My view is that given that the partner share is essentially flat while Google’s share is up: that means Google is shifting more of its advertising inventory to its own pages where it doesn’t have to share the goodies with partners. its own pages have no content cost and hence are better in terms of making money.

I have talked to a few partners in the past and they are all saying that Google has been slowly squeezing their share. I shouldn’t expect anything else - Google has to keep up the revenue growth game or its whole game falls apart. it spends too much money and it needs to in order to stay ahead of microsoft. so in turn it needs to make a ton of money — whatever it takes.

I don't agree with the math Om used to justify his argument - but I too have heard what Om has: "Google has been slowly squeezing their share." I have also heard sentiments that it the "slow" squeeze sped up once the economy and stock price fell in recent weeks...

One thing is certain: when your partners don't have a clear understanding of your rev-share (99% of AdSense publishers don't know their take) - Google has the ability / flexibility to do this...

iPhone Now #4 Worldwide Handset, 103mm AdMob Ad Requests in September

I've written a fair amount about delivering engaging emails - and just provided a great example of how not to... ironically as demonstrated by Apple.

AdMob is among the best at delivering valuable, insightful emails about the industry and their platform. Each month, AdMob sends a "Mobile Metrics Report" which really distinguishes them as leaders in the mobile space - both as thinkers and ad providers. The September report is available online and there are some fascinating nuggets. I encourage you to read the full report as it is clear that the mobile advertising space is growing remarkably fast - and it is being powered by smarter phones, bigger screens and better bandwidth. These trends will continue:

* The number of monthly ad requests in the AdMob network tripled over the past 12 months from 1.6 billion in September 2007 to 5.1 billion in September 2008. This growth is widely distributed with 34 countries sending more than 10 million requests in September 2008, compared to only 16 countries in September 2007.

* In the US, 16 of the current Top 20 devices are new from September 2007. These new devices, such as the Samsung Instinct and Apple iPhone, deliver an improved mobile web browsing experience including larger screen sizes, faster network connections, and other enhanced capabilities. However, the Motorola RAZR and KRZR are still the top two handsets in the United States today.

* Worldwide, the Apple iPhone is now the number 4 handset after the Motorola RAZR, Nokia N70, and Motorola KRZR. There were 103 million requests from iPhones worldwide in September 2008.

Apple Delivers 3 E-Commerce Emails in 2 Hours... Seriously?!

In the span of two hours, I received three emails from Apple to the same email address: A little overboard? Verging on spam? Three unanswered emails from anyone within two hours is overkill... let alone from a merchant.

Honestly I find this more than annoying: I think it's particularly audacious during a time of economic pain - asking me to "give employees and clients" the gift of an iPod? Then following up with a $229 Apple HD TV ad? And finally a promotion for new movies that I should watch on the newly purchased iPods and Apple TV.

- Give the gift employees and clients want to get. - Announcing HD TV shows on Apple TV. - New Video Spotlight: Indiana Jones, South Park, War, Inc., Dane Cook, and more

The only thing that would aggravate me more would is an email commemorating a Tampa Bay Rays World Series appearance - like when they sent me a "Celebrate the New York Giants Super Bowl Victory" email....