In part 1 of this series, I discussed the many ways to add value to your blog and cement your brand to your readers — essentially your customers and prospects. In part 2, I get a bit personal, offering some tips I’ve used to build my personal direct marketing blog and others.
As a direct marketing consultant, blogging has been a powerful tool for me as part of my overall networking strategy. While I do plenty of in-person networking, I much prefer the newfangled way of using my blog and social media to drive lead generation and ultimately customers my way.
So here, follow these steps. And shhh, don’t tell anybody about this, OK?
1. Figure LinkedIn prominently in your strategy. Link your blog to your LinkedIn profile page. This is very easy to do via the blog publishing platform WordPress and LinkedIn’s Blog Link application.
2. Join as many LinkedIn groups as you can. Try joining groups that complement your skills. I belong to many direct marketing groups. But graphic design agencies can recommend my services as well, so I belong to some graphic design groups, too. Get the picture? Once you join the groups, use LinkedIn’s news feature to add your blog posts. The maximum number of groups an individual can join is 50, according to LinkedIn.
3. Use the LinkedIn discussions feature. This feature, which enables you to comment on other posts in the LinkedIn groups to which you belong, adds value to your groups. When posting a comment, always add your blog’s URL. Make sure your answers are relevant and not spammy.
4. Use LinkedIn’s Q&A feature. When I started my blog, I used the Q&A function to ask people to check out my blog and tell me what they thought. You’d be surprised how many people did. Ask people to do the same for your blog, as well as critique it and offer advice on design, content and marketing. Also, answer questions that you have a good feel for, always add your blog URL and be relevant.
5. Add the appropriate links to your LinkedIn profile page. You can add up to three links, according to LinkedIn. I have links to my blog, Twitter feed and (eM+C sister publication) All About ROI magazine column.
6. Make sure your blog has RSS, and it’s in a prominent position on all pages. People will subscribe to your blog.
7. Use Twitter to tweet your blog posts. I also use FriendFeed, Biznik and Plaxo to do this. These social networking services allow you to join groups and use similar tactics to LinkedIn.
8. Use LinkedIn’s status feature. This enables you to update people on your blog posts.
9. Send your blog posts to your Facebook connections. Join Facebook groups, and push out there, too.
10. Use feeds such as Technorati and Delicious. This blog search engine (Technorati) and social bookmarking web service (Delicious) will help you distribute your blog to the masses.
Wow, I gave away the farm here. A final thought: Blogging and promoting your blog is a “give-to-get” experience. The more you give, the more you get back.
Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Blogging Primer – WHAT to blog for success
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THE POWER ELITE AND THE SECRET NAZI PLAN PARTS 1-4
Filed under: direct marketing | Tagged: blog tips, blogging, business communications, catalog marketing, direct mail, direct marketing, direct marketing management, e-commerce marketing, Gilbert Direct Marketing, Jim Gilbert, linkedin, mail order management, multichannel marketing, Social media, web 2.0
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4 Responses
Lori Boyce, on August 24th, 2009 at 5:14 pm Said:
great advice, Jim. Thanks for the great tips.
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madrozie, on August 24th, 2009 at 8:32 pm Said:
Pretty cool post. I just came by your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed browsing your posts.
Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon!
00Rate This
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Eric Peterson, on August 25th, 2009 at 7:38 am Said:
Thanks Jim. Not only is it nice to see these valuable tips summarized in one post, but it’s also nice to know they are actually working for you. Our company blog has been neglected and we’re about to perform resuscitation. Parts 1 and 2 are excellent references.
2009/08/21
Clean Energy Industry Feasting on Stimulus Pie: Pending Legislation Ultra-Critical
As the U.S. is muddled down in the healthcare debate, the bills in Congress dealing with revolutionary energy policy hang in the balance and hesitancy resides in the renewable energy industry over the ultimate future market size for cleantech. Even though the Recovery Act and subsequent stimulus funding has initiated future clean energy plans, the cleantech community is curiously awaiting a decision on key legislation such as the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) or Cap-and-Trade bill and a national renewable energy portfolio standard (RPS), which will both be the game-changing bills, which will set the future course of how the country utilizes energy.
Stimulus grants are designed to offer an approximate maximum five years of funding, while the cap-and-trade and RPS policies would essentially be permanent. Furthermore, many states are also awaiting the decision on a national RPS, not to over-commit themselves to a higher clean energy target or state RPS than what may be required nationwide. However, it is possible that some states may lose out on the opportunity to attract relevant supply chains and green job growth in-state and be required to purchase geothermal power, for instance, from a neighboring state’s utility provider or other resource, until they are able to develop more renewable resources.
Nonetheless, the Recovery Act is helping lessen the blow of an industry-wide solar cell supply glut and creating new agreements that are leading to new orders by customers. The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced a Stimulus program to award $2.3 billion in tax credits, which are available for two years or until the funds have been exhausted, for manufacturers of advanced clean energy equipment. This Clean Energy Industry Feasting on Stimulus Pie: Pending Legislation Ultra-Critical August 20, 2009 program applies to but is not limited to wind, solar, biomass, geothermal , electric vehicle,
advanced power grid systems, energy conservation, and greenhouse gas emissions
technology companies. The Recovery Act has enabled a new tax credit program by
authorizing the Treasury Department to offer developers with an investment tax credit of 30% for facilities that manufacture energy equipment of this nature. Companies whom receive grants are expected to receive payments within 180 days of filing for the credit. For more information on the program and application, an Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit site has been posted.
Similarly, the Treasury and DOE announced in July the availability of a payment in lieu of tax credits for facilities that produce renewable energy- a program that is hoped will result in more than $3 billion of stimulus for energy development in rural and urban communities.
In the state of Arizona, a related solar process equipment tax incentive bill denoted as SB 1403 was passed this summer, but the state lacks a significant driving force for the conversion to clean energy sources or energy efficiency, since it possesses one of the least aggressive RPS of only 15% by 2025 from both a percentage and time frame perspective, as observed at this DOE reference site. Currently, Arizona, having one of the highest solar power potentials nationwide, derives nearly half of its power from coal.
The state of North Carolina is taking its state-mandated RPS seriously and getting ahead of the curve in preparation for a potential more aggressive national RPS. At this time, the state requires the utilities to satisfy 12.5% of its customers’ power needs with renewables or energy efficiency by 2021. Moreover, the law requires incremental increases in the amount of solar energy implemented, starting at 0.02% of the electricity sold by 2010 and rising to 0.2% by 2018. This policy has prompted Charlotte, N.C- based Duke Energy, one of the largest power companies in the U.S., serving about 4 million customers, to take matters into their own hands
and develop a large-scale solar portfolio.
Clean Energy Industry Feasting on Stimulus Pie: Pending Legislation Ultra-Critical
August 20, 2009 Similarly, more than 800 megawatts (MW) of solar power plants announced across the country in 2009, according to GTM analyst Daniel Englander, emphasizes the increasing trend of power utility providers to own and operate their own solar assets. These companies are deciding to own and operate the projects due to the financial uncertainty surrounding many solar companies during the inventory glut and because they can obtain better finance offers, due to their more consistent revenue streams, allowing them to reduce their cost of capital.
In the case of Duke Energy, the utility received approval in May from the North Carolina Utilities Commission to move forward with a $50 million agreement to install 10MW worth of solar energy systems in the state, which is equivalent to the power target for approximately 1,300 homes. These solar systems will be installed starting later this year on the roofs and grounds of homes, schools, business parks, shopping malls, and even industrial plants. It is expected that the installations will range from about 2.5 kilowatts on residential rooftops to more than 1MW on open land or attached to industrial facilities. The power will be fed into the electrical grid and participants will be paid for use of their roofs or land, according to the size of
the installation and amount of power generated at the site. It is definitely an interesting business model compared to feed-in tariffs, which are prevalent in Europe.
The typical model of sporadic solar residential installations across the U.S., where surplus power created is returned for a credit, does not generate a significant strain on the current power grid system. However, high concentrations in one area could lead to imbalances on a circuit. By analyzing the data from the 10MW project, Duke Energy is poised to gauge the limits of its electricity network and avoid potential disruptions in the case of larger scale endeavors. The strategic placement
of solar installations closer to the demand or customer actually contrasts with the agenda elsewhere of constructing massive solar farms for harnessing electricity and taking advantage of economies of scale that way. Perhaps, this is a way of simplifying grid dynamics and reducing complications with adjusting power levels as needed at solar or wind farms based on
the less consistent stream of power from renewable energy sources. Furthermore, this model of meeting a RPS will receive serious consideration in the development of
smart grid technology.
Duke Energy has ruled out using concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) plants, which are becoming the preferred option for solar farms. The company is considering both silicon and thin-film solar modules and is still determining options for various installations. Thus, any localized solar power source initiative will have deleterious effects on companies such as Phoenix- based Stirling Energy Systems or Abengoa Solar, who are building plants in Arizona. In addition, many companies such as Oerlikon Solar and Applied Materials are counting on an increased
Clean Energy Industry Feasting on Stimulus Pie: Pending Legislation Ultra-Critical
August 20, 2009 trend toward solar farms and have designed their business model around offering turn-key solar power plants including all the necessary process equipment.
In comparison to historical data across the industry, Navigant Consulting released its annual report Analysis of Worldwide PV Markets and Five-Year Application Forecast 2008-2009. This report noted that grid-connected solar applications, as opposed to stand-alone signs on roads, etc. are the largest and fastest growing of all of the solar market segments, with an 80% share of global volume in 2004, an 82% share in 2005, an 86% share of total volume in 2006, and a 94% share of total volume in 2008. Furthermore, the fastest growing sub-set was the commercial sector of primarily investor-owned (>1MW) operations on fields and roof-tops.
The coupling of government legislation, maturation of industry trends, and the urgency of demand will determine the face of the solar power and overall clean energy industry in the U.S. and other countries, as they pursue a green revolution.
In order to receive email alerts on future Green technology and business articles, please subscribe on my homepage and/or follow me on Twitter.
Representative image of Stimulus pie (media.point2.com).
Source reprinted from solarfeeds.com
Stimulus grants are designed to offer an approximate maximum five years of funding, while the cap-and-trade and RPS policies would essentially be permanent. Furthermore, many states are also awaiting the decision on a national RPS, not to over-commit themselves to a higher clean energy target or state RPS than what may be required nationwide. However, it is possible that some states may lose out on the opportunity to attract relevant supply chains and green job growth in-state and be required to purchase geothermal power, for instance, from a neighboring state’s utility provider or other resource, until they are able to develop more renewable resources.
Nonetheless, the Recovery Act is helping lessen the blow of an industry-wide solar cell supply glut and creating new agreements that are leading to new orders by customers. The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced a Stimulus program to award $2.3 billion in tax credits, which are available for two years or until the funds have been exhausted, for manufacturers of advanced clean energy equipment. This Clean Energy Industry Feasting on Stimulus Pie: Pending Legislation Ultra-Critical August 20, 2009 program applies to but is not limited to wind, solar, biomass, geothermal , electric vehicle,
advanced power grid systems, energy conservation, and greenhouse gas emissions
technology companies. The Recovery Act has enabled a new tax credit program by
authorizing the Treasury Department to offer developers with an investment tax credit of 30% for facilities that manufacture energy equipment of this nature. Companies whom receive grants are expected to receive payments within 180 days of filing for the credit. For more information on the program and application, an Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit site has been posted.
Similarly, the Treasury and DOE announced in July the availability of a payment in lieu of tax credits for facilities that produce renewable energy- a program that is hoped will result in more than $3 billion of stimulus for energy development in rural and urban communities.
In the state of Arizona, a related solar process equipment tax incentive bill denoted as SB 1403 was passed this summer, but the state lacks a significant driving force for the conversion to clean energy sources or energy efficiency, since it possesses one of the least aggressive RPS of only 15% by 2025 from both a percentage and time frame perspective, as observed at this DOE reference site. Currently, Arizona, having one of the highest solar power potentials nationwide, derives nearly half of its power from coal.
The state of North Carolina is taking its state-mandated RPS seriously and getting ahead of the curve in preparation for a potential more aggressive national RPS. At this time, the state requires the utilities to satisfy 12.5% of its customers’ power needs with renewables or energy efficiency by 2021. Moreover, the law requires incremental increases in the amount of solar energy implemented, starting at 0.02% of the electricity sold by 2010 and rising to 0.2% by 2018. This policy has prompted Charlotte, N.C- based Duke Energy, one of the largest power companies in the U.S., serving about 4 million customers, to take matters into their own hands
and develop a large-scale solar portfolio.
Clean Energy Industry Feasting on Stimulus Pie: Pending Legislation Ultra-Critical
August 20, 2009 Similarly, more than 800 megawatts (MW) of solar power plants announced across the country in 2009, according to GTM analyst Daniel Englander, emphasizes the increasing trend of power utility providers to own and operate their own solar assets. These companies are deciding to own and operate the projects due to the financial uncertainty surrounding many solar companies during the inventory glut and because they can obtain better finance offers, due to their more consistent revenue streams, allowing them to reduce their cost of capital.
In the case of Duke Energy, the utility received approval in May from the North Carolina Utilities Commission to move forward with a $50 million agreement to install 10MW worth of solar energy systems in the state, which is equivalent to the power target for approximately 1,300 homes. These solar systems will be installed starting later this year on the roofs and grounds of homes, schools, business parks, shopping malls, and even industrial plants. It is expected that the installations will range from about 2.5 kilowatts on residential rooftops to more than 1MW on open land or attached to industrial facilities. The power will be fed into the electrical grid and participants will be paid for use of their roofs or land, according to the size of
the installation and amount of power generated at the site. It is definitely an interesting business model compared to feed-in tariffs, which are prevalent in Europe.
The typical model of sporadic solar residential installations across the U.S., where surplus power created is returned for a credit, does not generate a significant strain on the current power grid system. However, high concentrations in one area could lead to imbalances on a circuit. By analyzing the data from the 10MW project, Duke Energy is poised to gauge the limits of its electricity network and avoid potential disruptions in the case of larger scale endeavors. The strategic placement
of solar installations closer to the demand or customer actually contrasts with the agenda elsewhere of constructing massive solar farms for harnessing electricity and taking advantage of economies of scale that way. Perhaps, this is a way of simplifying grid dynamics and reducing complications with adjusting power levels as needed at solar or wind farms based on
the less consistent stream of power from renewable energy sources. Furthermore, this model of meeting a RPS will receive serious consideration in the development of
smart grid technology.
Duke Energy has ruled out using concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) plants, which are becoming the preferred option for solar farms. The company is considering both silicon and thin-film solar modules and is still determining options for various installations. Thus, any localized solar power source initiative will have deleterious effects on companies such as Phoenix- based Stirling Energy Systems or Abengoa Solar, who are building plants in Arizona. In addition, many companies such as Oerlikon Solar and Applied Materials are counting on an increased
Clean Energy Industry Feasting on Stimulus Pie: Pending Legislation Ultra-Critical
August 20, 2009 trend toward solar farms and have designed their business model around offering turn-key solar power plants including all the necessary process equipment.
In comparison to historical data across the industry, Navigant Consulting released its annual report Analysis of Worldwide PV Markets and Five-Year Application Forecast 2008-2009. This report noted that grid-connected solar applications, as opposed to stand-alone signs on roads, etc. are the largest and fastest growing of all of the solar market segments, with an 80% share of global volume in 2004, an 82% share in 2005, an 86% share of total volume in 2006, and a 94% share of total volume in 2008. Furthermore, the fastest growing sub-set was the commercial sector of primarily investor-owned (>1MW) operations on fields and roof-tops.
The coupling of government legislation, maturation of industry trends, and the urgency of demand will determine the face of the solar power and overall clean energy industry in the U.S. and other countries, as they pursue a green revolution.
In order to receive email alerts on future Green technology and business articles, please subscribe on my homepage and/or follow me on Twitter.
Representative image of Stimulus pie (media.point2.com).
Source reprinted from solarfeeds.com
Mighty Scope a little tool to inspect PCB`s
http://www.schmartboard.com/index.asp?page=mighty_scope
Have you ever wanted to get a closeup look at a PCB, solder joint, or anything else? Magnifying glasses may work...but not always. Have you ever needed to photograph a circuit to send to a coullege. We have the solution for you. We loved this so much and found so much value internally that we decided to make it available to our customers. I am talking about the Aven Digital Mighty Scope. This is a 10X to 200X digital scope that allows you to take snapshots or video in a 1280 x 1024 resolution. It is a very nice product for only $199.99
Posted by Neal Greenberg
Have you ever wanted to get a closeup look at a PCB, solder joint, or anything else? Magnifying glasses may work...but not always. Have you ever needed to photograph a circuit to send to a coullege. We have the solution for you. We loved this so much and found so much value internally that we decided to make it available to our customers. I am talking about the Aven Digital Mighty Scope. This is a 10X to 200X digital scope that allows you to take snapshots or video in a 1280 x 1024 resolution. It is a very nice product for only $199.99
Posted by Neal Greenberg
2009/08/18
Future of Organic and Printed Electronics
3rd edition of OE-A Brochure "Organic and Printed Electronics" published
The 3rd edition of the OE-A Brochure "Organic and Printed Electronics" including functional giveaway demonstrators was published at LOPE-C 2009. The brochure will give you an overview about the OE-A Roadmap, the demonstrator project and a lot of information about OE-A members and the VDMA.
The inlay, included in the printed version of the brochure, shows various examples of organic electronics and demonstrates impressively the potential of this emerging technology. The new OE-A Roadmap gives answers to questions about the applications that will be launched in the next several years, about production processes and materials needed and about hurdels to be overcome.
Contents of the 3rd edition:
Welcome to the Organic Electronics Association
OE-A Roadmap for Organic and Printed Electronics
Organic and Printed Electronics: OE-A Demonstrators Illustrate the Potential
VDMA Productronics - Rich Diversity in Lively Markets
Get into the Flat Panel Display Business with DFF
Company Profiles
Competence Matrix
Members of the Organic Electronics Association
An electronic version can be downloaded here. For a free print version please contact karen.strauch@vdma.org.
The 3rd edition of the OE-A Brochure "Organic and Printed Electronics" including functional giveaway demonstrators was published at LOPE-C 2009. The brochure will give you an overview about the OE-A Roadmap, the demonstrator project and a lot of information about OE-A members and the VDMA.
The inlay, included in the printed version of the brochure, shows various examples of organic electronics and demonstrates impressively the potential of this emerging technology. The new OE-A Roadmap gives answers to questions about the applications that will be launched in the next several years, about production processes and materials needed and about hurdels to be overcome.
Contents of the 3rd edition:
Welcome to the Organic Electronics Association
OE-A Roadmap for Organic and Printed Electronics
Organic and Printed Electronics: OE-A Demonstrators Illustrate the Potential
VDMA Productronics - Rich Diversity in Lively Markets
Get into the Flat Panel Display Business with DFF
Company Profiles
Competence Matrix
Members of the Organic Electronics Association
An electronic version can be downloaded here. For a free print version please contact karen.strauch@vdma.org.
2009/08/06
This message will self-destruct
This message will self-destruct
Aug 4th 2009
From Economist.com
A new way of keeping private correspondence private
AP
WHEN Barack Obama became American president, one of his first tussles with White House lawyers was over whether he could keep his beloved BlackBerry. (Yes, he did.) The reason why the lawyers were wary was that e-mail cannot be destroyed. People do not know where the information they are sending is being stored and when, if ever, it is deleted. Such unknowns make it possible for seemingly long-gone data to turn up in a court under the order of a subpoena, or worse, in the hands of a hacker. On August 13th, though, a team of computer scientists led by Roxana Geambasu of the University of Washington, Seattle will unveil to the 18th USENIX Security Symposium in Montreal an e-communications system that destroys messages soon after they have been sent.
The technique devised by Ms Geambasu and her colleagues uses one of the least secure areas of the web to store encryption keys that self-destruct after a certain period. Peer-to-peer networks, or P2Ps, originated in the late 1990s with the rise of music-sharing networks such as Napster and KaZaA. Individual users would log on and allow other people to download music from their computers while simultaneously downloading music for themselves. In recent years P2Ps have become vast file-sharing networks for information in all its forms. Dr Geambasu and her colleagues realised that because computers logged on and off P2Ps at a fairly steady rate, they could use these networks as places to store encryption keys temporarily.
The researchers developed a piece of software called “Vanish”, which encrypts information before it is sent, breaks the encryption key into pieces and then sends the bits out to randomly selected “nodes” created by computers that are logged on to the P2P network. Once sitting on a node, the pieces of the key wait for another copy of the Vanish software to access them in order to read the encrypted message. However, the pieces of key do not remain on the P2P in perpetuity. When a computer is disconnected from the network, the node it formed ceases to exist and any encryption-key data stored there are lost.
This means that, in the first few hours following the dissemination of a key, the number of pieces required to make a sent message readable can easily be gathered. However, as time goes by and more computers on the P2P are disconnected, the encryption can no longer be cracked and the message in effect self-destructs. At the moment, the message lasts for about eight hours before vanishing but Dr Geambasu suggests that this duration could be extended or diminished by adjusting the number of pieces of key sent out.
Past systems designed to encrypt e-mails all relied on ways of storing their keys safely. Government agencies, however, have found ways of making computer companies hand over those keys. The new software leaves nothing to hand over, so it looks as if it will be able to make old messages completely unreadable. Perhaps the ultimate measure of how secure the system really is will be whether Mr Obama himself ends up using it.
Aug 4th 2009
From Economist.com
A new way of keeping private correspondence private
AP
WHEN Barack Obama became American president, one of his first tussles with White House lawyers was over whether he could keep his beloved BlackBerry. (Yes, he did.) The reason why the lawyers were wary was that e-mail cannot be destroyed. People do not know where the information they are sending is being stored and when, if ever, it is deleted. Such unknowns make it possible for seemingly long-gone data to turn up in a court under the order of a subpoena, or worse, in the hands of a hacker. On August 13th, though, a team of computer scientists led by Roxana Geambasu of the University of Washington, Seattle will unveil to the 18th USENIX Security Symposium in Montreal an e-communications system that destroys messages soon after they have been sent.
The technique devised by Ms Geambasu and her colleagues uses one of the least secure areas of the web to store encryption keys that self-destruct after a certain period. Peer-to-peer networks, or P2Ps, originated in the late 1990s with the rise of music-sharing networks such as Napster and KaZaA. Individual users would log on and allow other people to download music from their computers while simultaneously downloading music for themselves. In recent years P2Ps have become vast file-sharing networks for information in all its forms. Dr Geambasu and her colleagues realised that because computers logged on and off P2Ps at a fairly steady rate, they could use these networks as places to store encryption keys temporarily.
The researchers developed a piece of software called “Vanish”, which encrypts information before it is sent, breaks the encryption key into pieces and then sends the bits out to randomly selected “nodes” created by computers that are logged on to the P2P network. Once sitting on a node, the pieces of the key wait for another copy of the Vanish software to access them in order to read the encrypted message. However, the pieces of key do not remain on the P2P in perpetuity. When a computer is disconnected from the network, the node it formed ceases to exist and any encryption-key data stored there are lost.
This means that, in the first few hours following the dissemination of a key, the number of pieces required to make a sent message readable can easily be gathered. However, as time goes by and more computers on the P2P are disconnected, the encryption can no longer be cracked and the message in effect self-destructs. At the moment, the message lasts for about eight hours before vanishing but Dr Geambasu suggests that this duration could be extended or diminished by adjusting the number of pieces of key sent out.
Past systems designed to encrypt e-mails all relied on ways of storing their keys safely. Government agencies, however, have found ways of making computer companies hand over those keys. The new software leaves nothing to hand over, so it looks as if it will be able to make old messages completely unreadable. Perhaps the ultimate measure of how secure the system really is will be whether Mr Obama himself ends up using it.
2009/07/28
Cartoon Network Opens Door For Wave of New Business Opportunities
A popular cartoon channel has unwittingly become the catalyst for a new wave of disruptive businesses. Recently the Supreme Court declined to consider overturning Cartoon Networks v CSC which informally is known as the "Cablevision" case. It was a legal battle between video and music companies and a cable operator who wanted to provide a DVR (digital video recorder) service with the equipment in their central offices instead of in each subscriber's home. Normally DVRs are expensive to deploy and limited in expandability. By centralizing the equipment, Cablevision could quickly and cost effectively deploy the service to their customers plus easily upgrade at any time. Media companies alleged recording and playing back material from Cablevision headquarters instead of on a local setup box was a copyright infringement. The courts eventually concluded that it was legally permiss ible, because the customers were making the recording and Cablevision was acting as a store proprietor with a "photocopier on the premises". Cablevision has said they will take advantage of this ruling and soon offer a cost effective DVR service to their customers.
This favorable ruling on behalf of Cablevision also opens the door to a wide range of potential new features and services which can smartly record media. The following are a few product ideas I came up with that could be launched under the protection of Cablevision:
Primetime Recording - Capture all shows from the major networks, or your favorite channels every night from 8-11pm. How often do you find yourself at work listening to others talk about a great show or episode that you missed. Imagine a "Primetime Recording" option which would capture all shows during the 8-11pm hours on the major networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, etc). This service would save those shows for 2-3 weeks and then automatically delete them if no action was taken.
Multi-channel Recording - Simultaneously record 5-10 channels. Newer set top boxes can record 2 shows at once, but if there is a sporting event (for example) airing during your favorite primetime shows, multiple recording options would be a plus. Having the recording done at a central location means you're not constrained by your set top box, thereby making it possible to record 5 or more shows at the same time.
Smart Recording- Your DVR knows your viewing habits and captures shows automatically. Today, DVR systems are largely manual with the user having to specify each show they wish to record. Sometimes you can pick a keyword, but ideally a DVR should examine your behavior and automatically take action. By the 4th episode of the Dog Whisperer, your DVR should know to record all future episodes even if the show switches networks, i.e., from Discovery to the National Geographic Channel.
My Own Channel - Automatically assemble a channel of personal favorites. Instead of requiring hopscotching between channels, your DVR tracks the shows you watch and creates your own personalized channel . For example, my "MR" playlist would be my favorite shows identified by what I had previously recorded or viewed. There could even be multiple channels like the "MR sports channel" (local sports programming, cycling, NBA, but NO soccer or golf), drama (realistic crime shows), mindless, silly reality shows, comedy specials, etc. This would provide more value from the voluminous 600 channels my cable company currently pumps to my house.
Music Recording - Record hours of music for on demand listening. Most cable and satellite systems offer radio channels such as MusicChoice or XM, but if you don't like the particular song that's playing, there's nothing you can do about it. Using a DVR, you could keep a buffer of 20-40 hours of your favorite music programming on hand so that it's available whenever you want to play it. Since your music will be recorded, you can fast forward songs you don't like, or listen to songs you like over and over again. Similarly, there are hundreds of online webcasting stations which could be recorded for users, creating an expansive music listening experience. Previous efforts have been hampered by legal uncertainty, but the Cablevision case clears that up considerably.
Auto-recording Players - Any media player I use (RealPlayer, Quicktime, radio in my car, etc.) should automatically collect media I encounter and add it to my personal collection where it would be available anywhere.
Anywhere Access - Listen or watch on multiple TVs, PCs or mobile phone. Today when I use my DVR, I can only watch the recorded shows in my house on the TV that recorded the program. However, if the recorded material is located at a large data center instead of my living room, I can watch my programs anywhere. I can view them from any TV in my house and since it's easy to connect to the Internet I can view them from my PC at work, my laptop when I travel, or even on my mobile phone. Since my cable bill is $160/month it seems reasonable to expect my programming to be accessible from wherever I am, on whatever screen I might have in front of me.
Social TV Experience - Use friends to get more value from your media. Since your friends typically have similar interests, useful information could be gleaned by looking over their shoulder at what they're recording and watching. Once recording happens on the network then the data collected can easily be shared with others. This could guide you to interesting material, help you find new friends, or even make suggestions as to what programs to avoid.
I'm often asked my opinion on new business opportunities and feel that it makes sense to look at these new services that are now legally permissible due to the Cablevision ruling. AT&T's Uverse TV service is already capitalizing on this opportunity by moving more functionality to it's main office so all TVs can view recorded programming. They also permit (as does DirecTV) recording from any web browser. For my company, MP3tunes, Cablevision is a great precedent that confirms our vision of "your music everywhere." There's an additional legal challenge to watch from a net based video service in Singapore. RecordTV lets Singaporeans record programming from 5 hidef video channels broadcast across this island nation. As with Cablevision, media companies say it's an infringement, while RecordTV says consumers are doing the recording. Let's hope Singapore courts agree with US courts.
--MR
michael@michaelrobertson.com
This favorable ruling on behalf of Cablevision also opens the door to a wide range of potential new features and services which can smartly record media. The following are a few product ideas I came up with that could be launched under the protection of Cablevision:
Primetime Recording - Capture all shows from the major networks, or your favorite channels every night from 8-11pm. How often do you find yourself at work listening to others talk about a great show or episode that you missed. Imagine a "Primetime Recording" option which would capture all shows during the 8-11pm hours on the major networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, etc). This service would save those shows for 2-3 weeks and then automatically delete them if no action was taken.
Multi-channel Recording - Simultaneously record 5-10 channels. Newer set top boxes can record 2 shows at once, but if there is a sporting event (for example) airing during your favorite primetime shows, multiple recording options would be a plus. Having the recording done at a central location means you're not constrained by your set top box, thereby making it possible to record 5 or more shows at the same time.
Smart Recording- Your DVR knows your viewing habits and captures shows automatically. Today, DVR systems are largely manual with the user having to specify each show they wish to record. Sometimes you can pick a keyword, but ideally a DVR should examine your behavior and automatically take action. By the 4th episode of the Dog Whisperer, your DVR should know to record all future episodes even if the show switches networks, i.e., from Discovery to the National Geographic Channel.
My Own Channel - Automatically assemble a channel of personal favorites. Instead of requiring hopscotching between channels, your DVR tracks the shows you watch and creates your own personalized channel . For example, my "MR" playlist would be my favorite shows identified by what I had previously recorded or viewed. There could even be multiple channels like the "MR sports channel" (local sports programming, cycling, NBA, but NO soccer or golf), drama (realistic crime shows), mindless, silly reality shows, comedy specials, etc. This would provide more value from the voluminous 600 channels my cable company currently pumps to my house.
Music Recording - Record hours of music for on demand listening. Most cable and satellite systems offer radio channels such as MusicChoice or XM, but if you don't like the particular song that's playing, there's nothing you can do about it. Using a DVR, you could keep a buffer of 20-40 hours of your favorite music programming on hand so that it's available whenever you want to play it. Since your music will be recorded, you can fast forward songs you don't like, or listen to songs you like over and over again. Similarly, there are hundreds of online webcasting stations which could be recorded for users, creating an expansive music listening experience. Previous efforts have been hampered by legal uncertainty, but the Cablevision case clears that up considerably.
Auto-recording Players - Any media player I use (RealPlayer, Quicktime, radio in my car, etc.) should automatically collect media I encounter and add it to my personal collection where it would be available anywhere.
Anywhere Access - Listen or watch on multiple TVs, PCs or mobile phone. Today when I use my DVR, I can only watch the recorded shows in my house on the TV that recorded the program. However, if the recorded material is located at a large data center instead of my living room, I can watch my programs anywhere. I can view them from any TV in my house and since it's easy to connect to the Internet I can view them from my PC at work, my laptop when I travel, or even on my mobile phone. Since my cable bill is $160/month it seems reasonable to expect my programming to be accessible from wherever I am, on whatever screen I might have in front of me.
Social TV Experience - Use friends to get more value from your media. Since your friends typically have similar interests, useful information could be gleaned by looking over their shoulder at what they're recording and watching. Once recording happens on the network then the data collected can easily be shared with others. This could guide you to interesting material, help you find new friends, or even make suggestions as to what programs to avoid.
I'm often asked my opinion on new business opportunities and feel that it makes sense to look at these new services that are now legally permissible due to the Cablevision ruling. AT&T's Uverse TV service is already capitalizing on this opportunity by moving more functionality to it's main office so all TVs can view recorded programming. They also permit (as does DirecTV) recording from any web browser. For my company, MP3tunes, Cablevision is a great precedent that confirms our vision of "your music everywhere." There's an additional legal challenge to watch from a net based video service in Singapore. RecordTV lets Singaporeans record programming from 5 hidef video channels broadcast across this island nation. As with Cablevision, media companies say it's an infringement, while RecordTV says consumers are doing the recording. Let's hope Singapore courts agree with US courts.
--MR
michael@michaelrobertson.com
2009/07/23
EARTHQUAKE PROTECTION
Researchers at the University of Liverpool, UK, have developed an
`invisibility cloak' that protects buildings from earthquakes. The
seismic waves produced by earthquakes include body waves which travel
through the earth, and surface waves which travel across it. The new
technology controls the path of surface waves, which are the most
damaging and responsible for much of the destruction which follows
earthquakes.
The technology involves the use of concentric rings of plastic which
could be fitted to the Earth's surface to divert surface waves. By
controlling the stiffness and elasticity of the rings, waves traveling
through the 'cloak' pass smoothly into the material and are compressed
into small fluctuations in pressure and density. The path of the
surface waves can be made into an arc that directs the waves outside
the protective cloak. The technique could be applied to buildings by
installing the rings into foundations.
Sebastien Guenneau, from the University's Department of Mathematics,
helped develop the technology. "This work has enormous potential in
offering protection for densely populated areas of the world at risk
from earthquakes. The challenge now is to turn our theories into real
applications that can save lives - small-scale experiments are
underway," said Guenneau.
Read more here: http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20090723A2
`invisibility cloak' that protects buildings from earthquakes. The
seismic waves produced by earthquakes include body waves which travel
through the earth, and surface waves which travel across it. The new
technology controls the path of surface waves, which are the most
damaging and responsible for much of the destruction which follows
earthquakes.
The technology involves the use of concentric rings of plastic which
could be fitted to the Earth's surface to divert surface waves. By
controlling the stiffness and elasticity of the rings, waves traveling
through the 'cloak' pass smoothly into the material and are compressed
into small fluctuations in pressure and density. The path of the
surface waves can be made into an arc that directs the waves outside
the protective cloak. The technique could be applied to buildings by
installing the rings into foundations.
Sebastien Guenneau, from the University's Department of Mathematics,
helped develop the technology. "This work has enormous potential in
offering protection for densely populated areas of the world at risk
from earthquakes. The challenge now is to turn our theories into real
applications that can save lives - small-scale experiments are
underway," said Guenneau.
Read more here: http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20090723A2
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