Archive for the ‘Blogs + Wikis + Podcasts’ Category

I’m looking at Windows-based RSS readers. Sigh! This has all come about due to incompatibilities between Macs and PCs which has required I start using my little Windows notebook more. It is lighter, noiser, fast and incredibly annoying. (And, this really is another story…)

I tried Newsgator for a week but just couldn’t handle the navigation of hundreds of feeds via Outlook. And I simply hated the complexity of adding a feed. NetNewswire really makes this simple on the Mac. It was also pretty expensive and I couldn’t see any value in all the web integration.

This week I am on to Feeddemon. I’ll write a full review on the different readers given this is one of the most common recommendations I get asked for.

At the end of the day I am with Stowe, none of these really reflect the way we interact with Web 2.0.

AdAge reports that reading blogs is costing US businesses. Here are some of the highlights:

• U.S. workers in 2005 will waste the equivalent of 551,000 years reading blogs.
• Currently, the time employees spend reading non-work blogs is the equivalent of 2.3 million jobs.
• About 35 million workers — one in four people in the labor force — visit blogs and on average spend 3.5 hours, or 9%, of the work week engaged with them, according to Advertising Age’s analysis.
• Time spent in the office on non-work blogs this year will take up the equivalent of 2.3 million jobs. Forget lunch breaks — blog readers essentially take a daily 40-minute blog break.
• There is strong evidence of workday blogging. Server traffic for Blogads, a network of sites that take ads, spikes during business hours, reflecting page views on about 900 blogs. FeedBurner, a blog technology company, also sees a jump in work-time hits.

Blog breaks? What a great idea! The assumption of course is that reading non-work related blogs makes you unproductive. Sometimes unproductive acts – like taking a break – are the very acts that make us most productive and give us new insight.

I do think a huge amount of time gets wasted on the web every day – whether blogs or just mooching about. There are a great number of blogs that can help workers use their time better and become more mindful of what will make them more productive or not – even if that means taking a blog break.

What AdAge doesn’t touch on is for more training of workers on how to get the most out of the web and blogs. There are all kinds of techniques for catching yourself zoning on digital content and surfing about. Simple tools like a good RSS reader make the blogsphere a very productive place to be.

Ok, stop wasting time and get back to work.

Hillarious… I actually did think about trying a Beggin strip. They look like bacon (kind of), they really smell like bacon (really), and Gabby (the dog) goes wild for them. But, I’m going to listen to Steve and back off until another day when we’ve totally run out of food… just joking.

Making my way back to the US this evening I was lucky enough to fly on Air New Zealand’s revamped 747s. It is simply stunning what they have achieved in business class. British Airways similar product upgrade pales in the face of this brilliant combination of design and branding.

The upper deck – once reserved for business class only is now a combo of business class and premium economy – with more business class downstairs. Premium economy looks great – lots of leg room with three-up on one side and two on the other. Business class seats face into the plane on an angle. They are so stunning I’m stumped as to why they even call it business class. It warrants another label. Superb Class maybe. They should have taken a feather out of Virgin’s cap – when redefining air travel, change what you call it.

Many things distinguish this from traditional business class, one of which is a second small seat in front of the main which doubles as a foot rest and guest seat should they want to join you for dinner. Word is that they had Recaro – the makers of premium auto seats – make the brown leather seats. They are amazingly comfortable. Each seat is cocooned with a polished white laminate wall which gives off a brilliant glow when the overhead light is on. This not only provides real privacy but really cuts down the noise. And when its time for bed, they lay flat, really flat. Better still, the flight attendants make your bed, laying a mattress cover over the seat along with duvet.

A generous flat panel entertainment system sits snugly into the wall. Wasn’t thrilled to see a Windows CE boot screen for ten minutes or so – or with the warning from the pilot that we shouldn’t push the buttons too much or else a crash might result warranting another ten minute reboot. But hey, no worries, they had people on board to help. Can’t imagine that will last too long and thankfully this is all Windows CE runs on the plane. Hopefully they’ll get the bugs worked out over time. Saying that, the system worked fine for me and provided a modest selection of movies.

About all the plane was missing on the technology front was WiFi – reading Ross’ recent entry that would have been incredible – but hey, there is only so much you can do mid Pacific anyway.

Air New Zealand has always provided superb food and wine. Arguably the best in the air. Now it’s even better. They continue to deliver uniquely New Zealand flavors that marks them as one of the few airlines that it’s worth waiting for the meal.

It’s rare for me to rave about any travel experience but this is just superb. Every hotel proprietor in NZ should take flight with Air New Zealand and then head home with ideas on how to implement what they have done in the air. I just spent a few days at the Stamford Plaza, Auckland and once inside the hotel could have been in any US chain. Once on Air New Zealand there is no question where you are – in the best business class in the air.

Based on a review in the NYTimes this morning it looks like No Place to Hide – Robert O’Harrow Jr. and Chatter, Dispatches From the Secret World of Global Eavesdropping, Patrick Radden Keefe, will be worth a read. Digital privacy is quickly becoming a defining issue – if not the defining issue – of the decade. So who does have your information and what are they doing with it?

In the past five years, what most of us only recently thought of as ”nobody’s business” has become the big business of everybody’s business. Perhaps you are one of the 30 million Americans who pay for what you think is an unlisted telephone number to protect your privacy. But when you order an item using an 800 number, your own number may become fair game for any retailer who subscribes to one of the booming corporate data-collection services. In turn, those services may be — and some have been — penetrated by identity thieves. – William Safire

I’m buying and will let you know what I think. Thanks to Diana for the pointer.