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twitter/prohiphop subscribe: feedblitz |
ProHipHop: Business Hip Hop Press Business Matters Mix Sneakers & Fashion Urban Gossip/Rumors News & Search: World Cypher |
Headlines to Your Site or Blog: Widgetbox ProHipHop Network |
Hip-Hop News Plus Tupac Shakur Info |
I've just added a translation button from Convey This to the ProHipHop left sidebar that allows for translation of the full page in many different languages.
Right now I'm feeling the Hindi translation of ProHipHop.
That script rocks!
Let's hope it's a relatively inocuous translation.
I was happy to find out that Guy Kawasaki's Alltop, the news headlines aggregator, now has a dedicated Hip Hop page with all sorts of great sources including ProHipHop.
By the way, Moe Arora helped create the hip hop section. So go bug him if you don't like the choices!
Social media network Bebo announced a new DanceJam widget for their site along with related contests and giveaways.
On a separate note, after some earlier ups and downs, DanceJam appears to be developing increasingly solid traffic.
Muxtape, a popular streaming mixtape creation site, was shut down and is now planning to relaunch, according to a statement currently on the site's homepage, as what is essentially a different project:
"Muxtape is relaunching as a service exclusively for bands, offering an extremely powerful platform with unheard-of simplicity for artists to thrive on the internet. Musicians in 2008 without access to a full time web developer have few options when it comes to establishing themselves online, but their needs often revolve around a common set of problems."
"The new Muxtape will allow bands to upload their own music and offer an embeddable player that works anywhere on the web, in addition to the original muxtape format. Bands will be able to assemble an attractive profile with simple modules that enable optional functionality such as a calendar, photos, comments, downloads and sales, or anything else they need. The system has been built from the ground up to be extended infinitely and is wrapped in a template system that will be open to CSS designers. There will be more details soon."
Check Muxtape for further details of his negotiations with music labels, why he's heading in this direction and to keep an eye out for the official relaunch. Sounds like an interesting service though there are a wide range of related projects already out there.
Emergent Alternatives for Muxtape Fans:
Frederic Lardinois describes Favtape as "Muxtape on Steroids." Which is good, I guess.
Marshall Kirkpatrick takes a quick look at MixTube that uses YouTube as an audio source.
Official Sites:
Muxtape
Favtape.com
MixTube
I was checking out my Twitter subscribers for ProHipHop and for Hip Hop Press and I have to say you're quite an awesome collection of folks. It makes me feel like I'm getting something right around here.
Seeing who's subscribed in the context of Twitter gives one a much stronger sense of who's interested than does RSS or email newsletter subscriber lists. So I wish they'd take their claim to be a "communications utility" a bit more seriously and add RSS subscription options to the basic service.
Twitter's still very much in an early adopter phase and, though the tech crowd has already swamped the scene, tech savvy individuals in areas like urban media and marketing haven't yet become a crowd creating opportunities for networking that will become more difficult if the service reaches the mainstream. So now's better than later to get on board if you're all about having that digital edge.
It's great to have you folks subscribing via Twitter and I hope my current approach to headline writing is serving you well.
chartreuse reminds me that I prefer consuming tweets in edited form.
If you're into data mashups and the like, you may be happy to know that MTV has made available a music video Content API, or application programming interface, that will give web developers access to MTV, VH1, CMT and Logo music videos.
Check out Programmable Web's API Directory for more music API's.
Wikipedia:
Application Programming Interface [API]
I was happy to see the new Blogs.com launch because good tools for blog discovery tend to benefit all sorts of blogs including my own.
Since it's a new site, I wasn't that surprised to find that ProHipHop wasn't yet part of the mix, assuming this little propaganda machine passes muster, but I was quite surprised that a search for hip hop featured sources like Idolator, The Huffington Post and MTV's Buzzworthy blog which are all fine enterprises but can't really be considered hip hop blogs.
Fairly similar results can be observed for:
african american
halle berry
urban gossip
I did find their 10 Popular Hip Hop Blogs list but wondered at the odd mix of active, somewhat active and quite dead blogs. However they're all quite relevant to hip hop and that's a good start.
To help Blogs.com with the no doubt difficult task of discovering worthy hip hop and urban blogs, please submit your favorites at their site.
Information's emerging on the shutdown of Muxtape.
The RIAA's been watching Muxtape for awhile though they haven't mentioned users so far that I've heard.
But here's a nice business detail.
Fred Von Lohmann, a "senior intellectual property attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation", says they may have a "strong legal defense" as a "'safe harbor' for sites that host material on behalf of users, which is the same defense used by sites like YouTube."
Problem is, it costs a lot. Fred says that such a case could typically incur legal fees of $2-3 million. That's a high cost for a service without much in the way of revenue streams:
"There are several things I'm working on. One thing I added recently was Amazon affiliate links, and the conversion rate has exceeded my expectations. People are buying music they're discovering on Muxtape, which is exciting. I haven't totally ruled out ads, but for now I'm focused on ways to generate revenue that are more harmonious with Muxtape's nature and purpose."
And that's exactly what many web 2.0 pundits would have told them to do.
Hey, they could always set up a tip jar!
Muxtape is down:
"Muxtape will be unavailable for a brief period while we sort out a problem with the RIAA."
I tend to agree with Rizoh's thinking and am hoping the best for all you hip hop Muxtape makers.
Compete Visitor Graph for RushmoreDrive.com
I've been getting hits recently from searches for Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. and variations to a post about his appointment to CEO to IAC's then far distant Black community website.
After poking around, I realized that RushmoreDrive turned out to be that portal, a site that underwhelmed when it launched a few months back. So I checked the Compete stats and discovered that RushmoreDrive's been outperforming a lot of related Web 2.0 efforts but hasn't really been getting much press.
Oddly enough, the searches leading folks to my Johnny Taylor post were due to Johnny Taylor's appearance on Steve Harvey which led to a sudden surge of traffic in Mr. Taylor and RushmoreDrive's general direction.
But judging from the Compete stats, never a perfect guide but an ok proxy, RushmoreDrive was already a success story, though one would want to evaluate how that traffic was generated before making too many assumptions.
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
RushmoreDrive Launches: Search, News & Jobs Portal for Black Community
Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. New CEO of IAC's Far Distant Black Portal/Network
Dem Southern Folkz Perform Together Via Open Labs Gear
Computer music company Open Labs recently organized a rather heartwarming demonstration of some of their capabilities by making it possible for two members of Dem Southern Folkz in Dallas to perform live with their third man currently deployed in Iraq:
"For the Dem Southern Folkz performance, Alridge and Kinfoke performed in the Open Labs studio in Austin, TX., while Sgt. Benjamin chimed in through a large, flat screen TV next to them, using his Open Labs MiKo [live from Iraq]."
Open Labs are creators of the Timbaland Special Edition MiKo and NeKo.
Stan Schroeder posts about "MP3 Discovery Tool" Muxtape Stumbler and also mentions Muxtape search engine MuxFind.
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Hip Hop Muxtapes: A List of Streaming Playlists
Keep up with the Notorious B.I.G. on Twitter at twitter.com/NotoriousBIG.
This is one of the funniest bits of hip hop humor I've encountered in a while.
Thanks to AaronM of Metal Lungies.
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Twitter's Down But Here to Stay: So Get Started
Now that Twitter's getting serious funding, with Amazon's Jeff Bezos on board, I'm guessing that they'll work out their little downtime problem and have a chance to become a much broader phenomenon.
I don't use Twitter myself, though both ProHipHop and Hip Hop Press have Twitter feeds, but lots of other folks in hip hop and the music industry do. In fact, just the other day, I was informed that an up-and-coming blogger first distinguished herself with some "moves on Twitter"!
So, if you're trying to sort out this Twitter thing, here are some resources to start you off via College @ Home.
Ina's Blog:
Twitter - A Beginner's Guide
Stepcase Lifehack:
Twitter: Use it Productively
Disruptive Conversations:
Why and How I use Twitter
Scobleizer:
The 10 rules of Twitter (and how I break every one)
Once you're signed up, you'll need to have some folks to which to tweet or to simply follow:
Twellow: The People Search That Twitter Should’ve Built
And once you're addicted, you'll have to deal with the downtime issue:
Twitabit.com - Letting you tweet when twitter is down
Twitter is dying. Summize and Twiddict are trying to keep it alive
But there's so much more Twitter fun possible as Mashable reveals:
TWITTER TOOLBOX: 60+ Twitter Tools
Twittermania: 140+ More Twitter Tools!
And if you're still wondering, "where's the money?", see what intrepid early adopter Marshall Kirkpatrick had to say late last year:
Twitter is Paying My Rent
Now if we just had an Urban Twitter...
Update:
But what if Twitter's as dead as hip hop?
That makes this outdated hip hop twitter directory [via Rafi Kam] as good as up-to-date!
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Follow Biggie Smalls on Twitter
Truly Compelling Reasons to Twitter, Seriously
As previously rumored and speculated upon here at ProHipHop, Kim Osorio is joining Global Grind as Vice President of Content:
"Global Grind...today announced that it has named Kim Osorio to post of Vice President of Content. Osorio, a 10-year hip-hop veteran in publishing, was most recently Executive Editor at BET.com. Prior to that she was the first female Editor-in-Chief of the Source Magazine."
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Kim Osorio Leaving BET for Global Grind?
Global Grind Seeking BET Employees?
Big news for Global Grind as they secure a deal with Glam Media to launch a:
"Managed Vertical Network (MVN) of sites and blogs for the hip-hop community anchored by Global Grind as a part of Glam Media's Entertainment Channel. This hip-hop based vertical network will have extensive content from Global Grind and will also include other hip-hop based blogs and websites. Global Grind will recruit the best sites and blogs to the co-branded publisher network, while the Digital Primetime(TM) brand ads will be managed by Glam Media."
This news certainly supports my position that their attempt to acquire talent suggested they were moving towards original content.
I wonder if new paid content will be part of this vertical's "extensive content from Global Grind" or is that content more links to framed websites filled with other people's work like on GG's current site?
Still, Global Grind has taken a huge leap towards a business and content model that makes sense. Now let's see what they do with it!
Official Site:
Glam Media
Michael Miraflor looks at ThisIs50.com's use of Kyte's video platform in building their social network.
Official Site:
Kyte
Romeo and Akon have made their next single, Get Low Wit It, available for free download at AmieStreet.com till June 17th.
The only odd thing is that the AmieStreet.com press release is claiming this as an "exclusive" when it was already dropped online for the Get Low Wit It Dance Video Contest.
Hope AmieStreet.com didn't put out too many Web 2.0 promo bucks for an exclusive that was widely available online over a month ago.
Word is spreading that one or more Global Grind (globalgrind.com) employees may be leaving and that virtually all of the active posters are employees with multiple accounts.
Since the only people I know with prior connections to GG would probably give me a "no comment" at best, I can't confirm these rumors, but I'm sure some of my readers can!
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Global Grind Rumors & What is Schmuck Insurance?
Global Grind's Navarrow Wright & Failures in Web 2.0 Communication
Global Grind Reboots, Abandons Opening Position
Looking Back at 360HipHop, Considering Global Grind
Muxtape Nation:
(80) East
RIPPED OPEN MIXTAPE #1 [via GRANDGOOD]
HIPHOP remember it?
iPod Shuffle - 04.17.08
LYNNELUVAH
PASSIONOFTHEWEISS
Muxin' with Jay Dee aka J Dilla
THAT'S WHAT'S UP!
Hip-Hop Is Read
And you don't stop...
chill out and listen
TRAILOFBROKENMICS
Volume 3
QN5
Hip-Hop Muxtape
"filtering out muxtape.com for that good hip-hop ish"
Lynne d Johnson asks:
The Muxtape Buzz — How Long Will It Last?
Got a hip hop muxtape?
Drop a link in the comments!
Update:
rizoh.muxtape.com
THE NOVASLIM MUXTAPE
nation of thizzlam
Press Release:
Imperial Records Chooses Votigo For Fat Joe Video Contest
At Votigo:
Fat Joe's Video Contest
Press Release:
Wyclef Jean Partners with Shopit to Offer Exclusive Merchandise to Fans
At Shopit:
Wyclef's Profile & Store
[Correction & Update: I originally mentioned Testbot when it was Testbet that was being difficult. See the update below for further evidence suggesting that both Testbet and Joyous are Global Grind operatives.]
I finally had the time to listen to the Black Web 2.0 interview with Navarrow Wright, CEO of Global Grind.
Wright makes a convincing case that the Global Grind crew is committed to proceeding based on the actual feedback and actions of Global Grind users and I think that's evident from the development of the site.
While listening I started taking another look at Global Grind and found that they had launched the Global Grind buttons and badges that Wright said were coming back when he was interviewed and that's an important move.
I went ahead and dropped a suggestion on their Feedback page that they pursue getting their buttons included in both Add This and in Feedburner's FeedFlare service since I use those in my feeds and would like people to be able to add my posts to the flow of news at Global Grind, just as would any web publisher in the hip hop space.
Along the way Wright dropped a comment that renewed my concerns regarding Global Grind's approach to marketing and communication. He reveals that he was reading the comments at Black Web 2.0, probably at this post, and found that they seemed to be discussing usability quite a bit which he claims as a great interest as well.
Yet Navarrow Wright declined to participate in these conversations or to assign an official Global Grind rep to the task.
This lack of involvement is particularly puzzling given that the above post at Black Web 2.0, my own critiques and those of a man named Clarence, all had a thoughtful approach and all were hijacked in some form by an entity known as Testbet, though Testbet saved his or her attacks on Clarence for the Black Web 2.0 comment space.
I should note that Testbet enacted attacks at ProHipHop on other posts under both Testbet and other pseudonyms but that they all seemed to ensue from my critique of Global Grind.
The only other defender of Global Grind at Black Web 2.0 was someone else basically unidentified, going by "Joyous", who wrote like a corporate press flak.
[Update: Testbet and "Joy" also showed up at Liz Burr's site.]
At ProHipHop, such patterns are assumed to indicate the likelihood that the commenter or commenters are connected with either Global Grind or Russell Simmons in some form and that goes for both the underhanded attacks as well as the uptight corporate attitude. By the way, I didn't come into this game making such assumptions, rather I developed them as working tools through the observation of hip hop marketing in general and of Russell Simmons' various enterprises in particular.
However, putting that aside for the moment, why would Global Grind pass on the opportunity to join in conversations on demographically relevant blogs and allow a truly negative communication debacle to ensue?
Obviously I don't believe that there's only one way to participate in Web 2.0 dialogues, though I'm not satisfied with my current solution, but when a serious conversation that's relevant kicks off in public, anybody claiming Web 2.0 status is not only making an old timey mistake in not participating but is displaying a bit of cluelessness in the space.
Since I loosely tie all such communication into the realm of marketing, I feel compelled to mention that the only official communication I received that stated that Global Grind was launching was a postcard!
I swear, it was such an odd thing to receive, like something my Aunt Beattie would come up with that "flabbergasted" actually does a nice job of summing up my response. But it was such a polite move, again in an old timey way, that I couldn't bring myself to criticize it publicly at the time.
However it seems to fit a pattern of oddball marketing and communication approaches that have marked Global Grind from the beginning.
I hate to close on a catty note but it's a good thing they've got serious funding if they're going to have to learn everything for themselves rather than benefitting from the lessons of others who are successfully navigating the world of Web 2.0 communication.
Nevertheless, if they get those buttons on FeedFlare, you'll be seeing them in ProHipHop's feed and on the individual posts.
Update regarding Testbet and Joyous:
Why didn't I think of checking Global Grind itself for clues to the identity of testbet and Joyous?
None of the profiles at the page describing the Global Grind crew match these names but check this out:
Stryker is one of the top GG contributors for the last 7 days [Top Contributors are listed in the sidebar].
Testbet posted his/her email as stryker@yahoo.com and then came at me under another pseudonym that I identified by the style of attack and the idiot's use of stryker1@yahoo.com as the email.
Coincidence? Sure, could be. NOT!
Joyous aka Joy is another of the top contributors.
Neither Joyous nor Stryker are identified beyond these profiles.
[Update: Here's Testbet. He's a top Commenter but they were having problems with their Commenters code yesterday.]
Navarrow Wright says in the interview that Global Grind employees have been seeding these systems yet none of the employee identified profiles show up in the Top Contributors list.
The exceptionally active GG Content appears to be the only official profile for the "GG Curation Posse" in the Top Contibutors which I assume is intended to represent all GG employees who "curate".
So what are the odds that Global Grind operatives are posting under pseudonymous profiles to make it appear like there are more active participants than exist?
Very, very high given that such tactics were widespread before GG came on the scene. Not such a big deal, when all is said and done, except for the poor behavior of Testbet and Joyous on other people's sites.
To be honest, I can't really blame them. They have VC's to which they must answer and that means there's a timeclock tick, tick, ticking away.
Comments to: clyde(at)prohiphop(dot)com
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Rumor: Global Grind's Heading for the Dead Pool?
Global Grind Reboots, Abandons Opening Position
Looking Back at 360HipHop, Considering Global Grind
The ProHipHop News Center Offers Top Hip Hop, Art, Lifestyle, Business and Web 2.0 Blog & News Mixes with Portable Feeds and Customized, Grabbable Search Widgets
Raleigh, NC (Jan. 29, 2008) - ProHipHop, the web's core resource for hip hop marketing and business news, now offers a rich selection of blog and news sources for entertainment seekers and news junkies operating on the breaking edge of digital society. The newly launched ProHipHop News Center also provides a central location for those wanting to keep an eye on such characters!
The ProHipHop News Center presents news mixes from the top hip hop magazines, websites and blogs as well as related blends on themes ranging from sneakers & streetwear to entertainment marketing to the business of blogging.
Each news mix has a customized grabbable search widget of the originating sites and is available as an RSS feed or through multiple subscription options ranging from email to Skype.
Possible Uses for the ProHipHop News Center:
Scanning daily blog posts and news items for entertainment or information gathering.
Discovering world class blogs and news sources.
Gathering or subscribing to feeds and widgets for access elsewhere.
The creation of the ProHipHop News Center brings together lessons learned in such projects as the netweed Web Directory (netweed.com/directory) and World Cypher (worldcypher.com). It is intended to expand ProHipHop's news services beyond the daily blog posts at ProHipHop and related press releases at Hip Hop Press (hiphoppress.com) to offer a more complete news gathering and information service in one central location.
ProHipHop News Center:
http://www.prohiphop.com/news.html
To suggest sites for inclusion in the ProHipHop News Center:
http://www.prohiphop.com/comments.html
About ProHipHop:
ProHipHop (prohiphop.com) is a hip hop marketing and business news blog written by Clyde Smith. Launched in 2004 in San Francisco, ProHipHop is currently headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Press Contact:
Clyde Smith
clyde(at)prohiphop(dot)com
919-809-6401
Pras Michel is holding an Eventful competition to bring his documentary Skid Row and Pras to five cities for special screenings.
I might say something more about that but I'm diverted by the ridiculous press release headline that gets bogged down in somebody's obsession with claiming to be the "First-Ever User Generated Film Screening Competition" which is a buzzword stretch given that there are currently 2627 demands for "movie" though a lot of them look like sp@mmy marketing efforts.
Not that the press release actually addresses the topic of the headline. In fact, it's a decent release but the headline is opportunistic in a silly manner which is unfortunate given that Skid Row is an interesting project.
Previous ProHipHop Coverage:
Skid Row Documentary Starring Pras Opened Friday
It's a soft launch tonight for the ProHipHop News Center.
Everything is ready except for the custom search engines and they should be done by daybreak EST.
Then it's the hard launch coming at you!
Hmmm, that doesn't sound quite right but there will be a press release and I'll have things to say in a ProHipHop post and so forth and so on.
Till then.
Update:
5:30 am and I was a half hour from being done when Typepad goes down for an hour.
So much for web services, SAAS, computing in the cloud and so forth. For the consumer, mission critical web apps are still a long ways away.
Let's hope it's up long enough so I can finish the stupid search engines for this stupid news center.
Update 2:
I think I'm done with this first round but I can't tell. Let me know what you think, folks, when you have a moment.
Update 3:
Now that I've had some sleep I wanted to drop a quick note about what's up with the News Center.
I will be reaching out to folks that are included so they know they're in there but if you don't want to see your feed included, write me and I'll remove it ASAP, no questions asked. That's your right even if you've made a feed freely available to the world:
clyde(at)prohiphop(dot)com
I am running only partial feeds and the only live links are back to the original posts. Even though a lot of these people put out full feeds with graphics, that's not something I would ever use without permission.
I'm going to officially launch next week just because of how the pr and general attention cycle works. Plus, that part's a lot of work as well and deserves some focused attention.
Beyond that I'll be tweaking what's up, adding more to some of the thinner sections and introducing new sections as well. That will mean both more hip hop resources as well as more categories in general. I'm definitely open to suggestions but I'm also building in relationship to what you could the ProHipHop Universe of Awareness, i.e. this is what I keep up with or would like to keep up with to follow both hip hop and the ever changing social and business climate in which hip hop operates as so many of our activities move online.
I know not everybody will dig the format cause we all like to get info in our own ways but it's already affected my news gathering and given me a deep resource to browse to see what other bloggers are up to. So I'm quite happy with it and hope it can give folks another news option for regular use or for simply discovering sources and feeds for use elsewhere.
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
ProHipHop Launches the ProHipHop News Center Featuring Top Entertainment, Lifestyle and Business News Blogs
Global Grind (globalgrind.com) is no longer pursuing the task of introducing Flash/Ajax start pages to the masses.
Now it seems to be combining recommended and popular items with selected newsfeeds.
A lot of startups start one place and end up in radically different ones so abandoning their initial position as stated to the press at launch is not inherently good or bad though it does suggest it wasn't working.
This version is a bit more understandable at first glance than GG 1.0 but I wonder if active members got a warning that they were going to lose their start pages. I'm registered but did not receive any kind of notification so I don't know what's up with that. Maybe there weren't enough to be concerned.
Update:
I should note that there is a Digg-like angle involved and some related design but I think it's a mistake to label Global Grind a Digg clone though perhaps the hope is that the news ranking aspect will become more important as members get involved.
Angela Benton at Black Web 2.0 has an interesting take though I find it questionable:
"While I wasn’t opposed to the startpage concept, in fact Black Web 2.0 readers are probably in the minority when it comes to familiarity with Web 2.0 concepts, I think the user experienced may have been to advanced for the majority of GlobalGrind users. Switching to a more familiar design model could serve as an important lesson learned. What works in mainstream web use is in fact perhaps 1 to 2 years away if not more within our minority demographic. What do you think about GlobalGrind’s redesign? Is it simpler to use? Is the Digg concept still to foreign for the demo?"
I'm not really buying the "dumb it down" argument. As I've argued previously, Global Grind did not actually present a more newbie friendly version of Netvibes, they just said they were and their claims were taken at face value. Their user interface was actually less newbie friendly and focusing on hip hop content couldn't change that.
Blaming the audience on this one suggests more of a failure of analysis than a pragmatic response to the limitations of that audience.
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Rumor: Global Grind's Heading for the Dead Pool?
Global Grind's Navarrow Wright & Failures in Web 2.0 Communication
Looking Back at 360HipHop, Considering Global Grind
del.icio.us is a core tool for me but I've been considering exploring alternatives.
I'm wondering what kind of social or private online bookmarking services people are finding of use so fill me in if you have a moment.
Edgeio, a Web 2.0 jobs classified service that was the initial driver of ProHipHop Jobs, has joined the TechCrunch Deadpool.
This must have been a sad moment for Michael Arrington, TechCrunch founder, who was also a cofounder of Edgeio. Now Arrington is opening up a bit about what killed Edgeio:
It seemed like every board meeting I was saying the same thing - stop spending money, stop hiring, stop. I was out voted, and the company followed its own path. The fact that they ultimately failed, though, doesn’t mean I was right. The investors felt that the time to spend and try to grow was now. It doesn’t matter that Edgeio failed, what matters is that it is the right approach if you are trying to make something big. If you want to be conservative, don’t be a silicon valley entrepreneur.
Michael's slant in this post comes partly from his observation that pre-crash entrepreneurs are playing it way too safe with current efforts but one has to ask what were they spending so much money on and just how big could they expect such a limited product to get?
I got onto Edgeio fairly early and it quickly became obvious that it was not well designed for general use by web publishers. The biggest issue was that I could not screen advertisers. People could buy advertising on my site and the only way I could remove them was if they violated Edgeio's terms of service. My publication's values had no place in the process.
My queries and concerns were treated politely but I basically recall that the person with whom I dealt couldn't really see what I was getting at or why that would be considered a necessity. I got a strong sense that Edgeio was so deeply embedded in the assumptions of the techie subculture that they couldn't really see what the rest of us needed.
Suffice it to say, I wasn't going to be charging $200 a pop for job listings on ProHipHop and I wasn't going to make myself vulnerable to some nut who could afford whatever I would have charged. Maybe that would have all worked out fine but it indicated a serious disconnect between the folks at Edgeio and the realities of web publishers outside of their milieu.
So, sure, Silicon Valley is about taking risks for the big payoff and it's fine that Arrington's taking a positive view about things but I think what he's done with TechCrunch is the way to go:
What I saw happen to startups in the first bubble makes me hesitant to raise money (we never have), hire too many people, or generally spend money (our offices are still in my house). I think less about growing the business sometimes than I do about losing what we’ve built so far. That’s part of the reason why I hired Heather as CEO to take over the business side of things. She’s conservative, but knows when its time to take risk and grow the business.
He didn't overextend or build too fast and he brought in others to cover his weak spots moving forward. And TechCrunch is now much more than a blog, it's an important media and events company.
Edgeio launched in an incomplete (i.e. beta) version that was missing key elements (call it [crippled] beta) and then found some way to run through what was probably more money than all my web projects have required over the last 6 years. So far nothing indicates that the story of Edgeio was about taking risks so much as it was about making mistakes.
But it did get ProHipHop jobs launched and, though that started me down a path that got rather muddled, I'm pretty clear about what should focus it once I have time to return to that task.
So, Edgeio's dead yet TechCrunch is bigger than ever and we have plenty for which to thank Michael Arrington.
Thanks!
Mike Jones - Watching The Frappr Map
This is a unique cosign for Frappr's social map though Mr. Jones finally gives up shouting out to each location.
More such Mike Jones Hip Hop 2.0 moments can be found on Mike Jones' YouTube Channel.
For the extreme fan:
Mike Jones Watches the Mike Jones YouTube Channel
I'm happy to announce that Netvibes invited me to create one of their Universes and the initial result is the cut and paste ProHipHop Network @ Netvibes that combines my main content feeds with visual material from other sources.
There are some other possibilities including gaining additional control of the design and creating a widget with all my content feeds. I'm focusing on getting the widget next and hope to continue with whatever else they have to offer.
The Universe startpage is basically a Netvibes startpage made public and they will be opening this option up to the general public at some point. Definitely one of those things to do, like so many other Web 2.0 sites with an open web aspect, whether or not you plan any further involvement with Netvibes.
Update:
Actually it looks like you can now apply for Netvibes' various programs via the right sidebar on their Ecosystem homepage.
Netvibes is also my biggest single source of ProHipHop newsfeed subscribers with 216 subscribers prior to the debut of the ProHipHop Network.
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
ProHipHop Network Widget Available for All Websites
Netvibes Releases ProHipHop News Widget
www.flickr.com
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I can tell this widget thing ain't going away and I actually have a backlog of interesting widgets to post so, here it is, the birth of ProHipHop's Widgets Category presented by SugarSkull!
Widget by Flickr badge.
Lynne d Johnson shares two pieces on the hip hop/urban portal scene, circa 2000, that she wrote for publications helmed by Jason Calacanis.
She also offers a challenge:
Let me know how much any of this sounds familiar.
The big comparison here is obviously 360HipHop and Global Grind (globalgrind.com):
Both were founded or cofounded by Russell Simmons during a heated period of Web-related M&A activity.
Each concept involves a content play from different generations of the web. 360HipHop focused on editors selecting the content while Global Grind has users selecting the content.
Each company attempted to position themselves as the key starting place or destination for those seeking hip hop.
360HipHop is said to have overreached its users by being too cutting edge with technology.
Global Grind doesn't seem that technically out of reach though a Google search currently returns the following:
Global Grind - Incompatible Browser
Oops, Global Grind is not accessible in your browser yet. We are still building this out, however in the meantime try to launch the site in Firefox or ...
www.globalgrind.com/ - 3k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this
But there are obvious differences as well:
Bloggers still reference 360HipHop as an example of what not to do.
Bloggers aren't talking much about Global Grind.
Additional issues with Global Grind:
The current landing page, if you don't have one of their cookies installed, does not reference hip hop or anything else related to their stated positioning.
If one clicks through without choosing content, the article currently featured is titled "Hillary Snubin' Sikhs??" under the section heading "The News You Need".
If one searches Google for sites that link to www.globalgrind.com one gets around 36 results.
I don't know what exactly to make of the last point. It's been puzzling me since they launched and that number certainly doesn't reflect the coverage that I've seen but I haven't yet dug into Google watcher blogs to try to figure out what may be happening.
However, the content related points seriously undermine Global Grind's attempt at positioning itself as one's core destination for hip hop. I appreciate the fact that there are no garish graphics on display but hip hop is not the place to be coy with one's intended audience.
If you read the coverage that appeared mostly on tech and business websites when Global Grind officially launched, you'll see that they were also strongly targeting such sites with the message that Global Grind would take the Ajax and Flash powered start pages like Netvibes and Pageflakes out of the realm of geeks and into the mainstream.
Combine the somewhat unfocused content with the fact that a site like Netvibes may initially make more sense to newbies than does Global Grind with the fact that GG focused their biggest publicity wave on tech and business media outlets with the fact that we've heard no announcements regarding great leaps in membership numbers and you get a business headed for a similar fate as 360HipHop.
Sure, there are many differences as well but 360HipHop was a success for those who sold it and Global Grind seems likely to follow that route except for the fact that it doesn't appear to be gaining traction and that nobody really seems to care enough about Global Grind to even come out and bother dissing it.
I'll be honest, I've actually avoided heavy criticism of Global Grind because I wanted to see what they could do without making any kneejerk assumptions regarding Russell Simmons' involvement.
But my most consistent feeling has been that Global Grind would fail. It's certainly not over yet and they could very well prove me wrong but that's always been my core response.
As I mention in passing above, there have been no follow-up announcements of great gains at Global Grind.
One of the things I've learned following hip hop related companies is that many can get a lot of buzz initially but, if things aren't working out, they just stop making announcements and quietly disappear.
This pattern of initial buzz and quiet disappearance is one I've noticed most frequently with businesses tied to Russell Simmons. That's due in part to the fact that he wants in on everything, he can get publicity for whatever he does and he's employed a consistent pr strategy of covering up failures.
Such a pr strategy usually works out quite well, in part, because hip hop business news is usually dealt with by entertainment reporters and they ain't looking back for failures that no one's talking about.
On that note, whatever happened to:
DOD?
DefJamMobile?
Yoga Live?
I'm particularly interested in talking with folks who know the backstory on the demise of DefJamMobile.
On the publicity tip, I was initially impressed by the tech media coverage gained by Global Grind but I was always underwhelmed by their outreach to hip hop sites or to any audience of likely users.
In retrospect the outreach to tech media now looks more like a pr strategy focused on investors rather than users.
It's smart to include tech media if there's a tech angle whether or not you're looking for the big buyout but doing so without a strong campaign focused on your potential user base after one has already received serious funding positions one for failure. To get bought, you've got to have something people want. At this point in time, a niche site using me-too technology needs a rabid user base.
Absent something startling and fresh, Global Grind may actually end up a bigger failure than 360HipHop because not only does it not meet people's actual needs or desires but it may well not reach a successful liquidity event.
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Rumor: Global Grind's Heading for the Dead Pool?
Global Grind's Navarrow Wright & Failures in Web 2.0 Communication
Global Grind Reboots, Abandons Opening Position
BusinessWeek has a lightweight celebrity focused Hip Hop 2.0 article and slideshow.
Take a look and tell me if you think that's even worth mentioning. I think I need to stop promoting MSM outlets that don't actually add to the conversation cause we're past the point of waiting for the media to take hip hop seriously enough to cover it and now need to start pushing for the media to take hip hop seriously enough to cover it well.
[Note: BusinessWeek is basically a business-themed entertainment media company so maybe I should just give them a break...Not!]
Fortunately there are a few points worth considering.
Point of Interest 1:
Photo of Russell Simmons on a traditional phone with a cord and everything!
That's funny because I've always meant to do a blog essay about how the signifier of the hip hop businessman began with Russell Simmons and the cellphone. Almost all his early candid coverage showed him with a cellphone and he epitomized the early hip hop businessman.
Then the cigar became big and you could pick a lot of candidates from Suge Knight to Jay-Z.
Now I'd have to consider if Russell Simmons is about to change the signifier game again or whether or not that landline is just another anachronism like the Pimp Cup.
Point of Interest 2:
AllHipHop is Hip Hop 2.0 now?
That would work if there was some kind of rational reason for its inclusion or some passing reference to online forums being a precursor to social networks but AllHipHop is described in the article as "multimedia-heavy" and in the slideshow as "one of the original hip-hop destinations on the Web". The writer isn't even trying.
But why bother with such details? Chuck Creekmur's a successful black entrepreneur living in New York and that's Hip Hop 2.0, right?
Point of Interest 3:
There's a Global Grind spam comment below the article!
Dumbness or a competitor setting up a competitor?
Have a real interest in Hip Hop 2.0?
Take a stroll through ProHipHop's Hip Hop 2.0 and Social Networks categories.
For a wider range of hip hop social networks, check out:
Hip Hop Social Networks: XXL, Indie HipHop Online, DaHoneyHouse.com?, RapHappy, Loud.com, Global Grind?, iNTERNETS CELEBRITIES?, List of Priors
By the way GrandGood says AllHipHop is the winner among the beauty pageant slideshow participants. All I've got to say is that, by the time they're done, DanceJam should stack way more skrilla than any of these other operations [i.e. DanceJam will outperform its Hip Hop 2.0 competitors].
Taking a Closer Look at AllHipHop:
I decided to take a closer look at AllHipHop after checking out this nice press release rewrite in which it's revealed that "AllHipHop.com has learned" about this press release.
Hip Hop 1.0 tricks aside, if you scroll down you'll see that AllHipHop has added comments to their articles and that's a Web 2.0 thing for a news site to do.
They also have an embeddable Amazon store and that's kind of 2.0ish.
AllHipHop might actually be an interesting choice to consider how older sites are making the transition to a Web 2.0 world.
TuneWidget for Troya
I've been checking out ReverbNation and their services for artists after being informed of their new TuneWidget and I think they're well worth a look for indie artists.
If you go to Troya's ReverbNation page you'll see a group of tabs right below the first blocks of information on the artist. Those are a good way to get a sense of some of what you can do with ReverbNation though I haven't looked closely at the full range of tools now available.
The widgets offered to artists are clearly quite useful with the above TuneWidget the most recent offering and, as you'll see if you click through from Troya's page, additional widgets include Music Players in two sizes as well as some nice Show Schedule widgets with a tour map option.
Why I chose this artist's widget in case you're wondering how to pitch ProHipHop:
I decided to choose an artist from Wilson, NC when picking out a TuneWidget because I've been looking quite closely at their attempts to encourage development in their Historic Downtown and because they are installing city wide municipally owned fiber optic internet access throughout the city.
That would be hard to pitch since you wouldn't know that.
I picked Troya because she was the only woman in the small group of Wilson, NC artists at ReverbNation.
That's easier to pitch. I support women in hip hop at almost every opportunity so they get privileged when I pick something like a widget or an album cover for a post.
However, if you've followed ProHipHop's coverage of such things, you'll probably realize that one of the best ways to get an artist featured on the site would be to tell me about a really awesome service that I haven't covered. That way your widget is the one I feature and all my other little quirks get taken out of the equation.
Know what I mean?
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