links for 2007-10-23

The L.A. Times wildfire map shows updated info.

Google Maps: Southern CA fires
Great Google Map from the LA times showing updated information on the Southern CA wildfires. Red fires are burning, green are contained. Click on flame icons for the latest overview info. (tags: maps disaster community tools local interactive tidbits+fodder journalism journogeek)

Comcast Blocks Some Internet Traffic – New York Times
“Comcast actively interferes with attempts by some of its high-speed Internet subscribers to share files. AP confirmed interference via nationwide tests. The most drastic example of data discrimination by a US ISP. Comcast computers masquerading as users” (tags: net+neutrality nefarious access business problems research)

Comcast Is Pretending to be You | Susan Crawford blog
“It’s as if you entered a room with an enormous “Loser” tag on your forehead, unbeknownst to you. You could circulate, but no one would talk to you. Or someone who sounded like you jumped on your phone call and said “We need to hang up now.” (tags: blogs news security sharing spoof traffic net+neutrality business access nefarious problems)

MySpace’s Strategic Error: New Era, Old Mistake – Silicon Alley Insider
“MySpace (NWS) is making the same strategic misstep that has crippled Internet leaders since the dawn of Internet time: Embracing that old-media crap about “content being king.” (tags: business social+media social+networks services problems strategy)

Knight Digital Media Center: Total Community Coverage in Cyberspace
Cool event coming up that covers: “Latest research on how various demographic groups engage with the internet, ensuring your content reflects the interests and voices of all of your community members, and more.” I’ll be presenting one of the sessions. (tags: events community tools research)
Debatepedia
“Wiki of the Intl Debate Education Assoc. – “Wikipedia of debate and reasoning”. Debaters, students, experts, and citizens can co-create an encyclopedia of debates, pro and con arguments, bodies of supporting evidence, and stances of relevant actors.”(tags: wiki debate critical+thinking resources adversarial)

PJNet – Blog – Jason Calacanis Cold to Local Newspapers as Business
Video interview: “Calacanis, CEO of Mahalo.com, a human powered search engine, and previously the co-founder of Weblogs, Inc. which sold for $30 million to AOL, talks about the future of local journalism. He thinks it is a tough business model” (tags: tidbits+fodder video interviews newspapers news+biz business local problems)

Google’s Long-Term Challenge: Keeping The Fire Alive – Silicon Alley Insider
Google should: “Start firing its weakest 5% of employees every year, even if these employees are doing a satisfactory job. Consistently invoking the competitive “stick” instead of just a carrot works wonders for overall excellence, drive, and morale.” (tags: search business career)

IPC buys trustedreviews.com | PDA: The Digital Content Blog | Guardian Unlimited
“Publisher IPC had paid an undisclosed sum for trustedreviews.com, a 4-year old product review site staffed by 12 journalists. Cover 19 areas of gadgets and consumer electronics. All staff-written, as opposed to consumer-led reviews like Reevoo.com.” (tags: business reviews publishing journalism deals tidbits+fodder)

MediaPost Publications – Shaping Or Breaking Brands – 10/22/2007
“62% of consumers read consumer-written product reviews onlinet. Of that group, over 80% say they have been directly influenced by the reviews: either influenced to buy the product they were researching, or switch to another brand.” (tags: branding brands influence+ecology influence reviews business marketing economics content+strategy tidbits+fodder)

MediaPost Publications – Online Ad Bubbles And The Future Of The Search Economy – 10/22/2007
“Bubble Forensics Begin With Following The Money: While the outer form of the online ad industry has changed much since the late 1990’s, its inner logic, especially how money flows through it, bears an uncanny similarity to the pre-bubble era 1997-2000.” (tags: advertising business economics trends analysis tidbits+fodder forecasts)

CondeNet’s Modest Facebook Success – Silicon Alley Insider
“Nothing wrong with experimenting, and to Conde’s credit, that’s what they say they’re doing. They’ve recently started selling ads on the app, via their nascent Flip social network.” (tags: publishing business social+media social+networks experiments tidbits+fodder magazines)

Doc Searls Weblog · Getting out of Live Search hell
“Live.com used to have a great map search that yielded very nice 3-d images of the landscape — much better than what you’d get with Google Maps. Worked on every browser I tried. Alas, this now appears to be a Windows-only thing.” (tags: search tools geography maps problems)

Beating the big guns on the Disney beat
“Last week Disney announced a $1 billion-plus revamp its California Adventure theme park. LA Times detailed the plans, saying the plans were “first reported on WSJ.com.” Actually, it was reported months earlier, on a site called MiceAge by Al Lutz.” (tags: citizen+journalism business journalism mainstream+media competition tidbits+fodder)

Tonawanda News – OUR VIEW: Feds forgetting bloggers with bill
“What the bill says is that any unpaid journalist could be subject to federal questioning if a story broke and the feds wanted access to those who tipped the journalist. That’s just not fair to the independent journalist.” (tags: journalism blogs law government free+speech career problems mycoverage AmyGahran)