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I guess it had to happen

Back in June we put out a Press Release on Surfulater, which unfortunately didn’t get much coverage. I did however create a new opportunity for Spammers who must harvest e-mail addresses on Press Releases, but that’s another story for another day.

Over the weekend I was doing some Web searching and came across a mention of the press release and a link to it. The “I guess it had to happen” bit is the web site was all about surfing of the kind you do in the water, not on the web, and it was an Italian web site to boot. 🙂

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Google Base is coming

Google is trialling a new service named Google Base that allows people to post and make searchable any type of content. You can post events, housing, jobs, products, second-hand vehicles etc. This seems like yet another step in Google’s relentless march for domination of the Net.In a description on the Google Base site, the company described the service as

Google’s database into which you can add all types of content. We’ll host your content and make it searchable online for free. 

To quote Infoworld

The service could put Google in competition with online auctioneer EBay Inc., which recently bought a minority share of Craigslist Inc., a classified listings site, observers say. EBay, based in San Jose, Calif., bought a 25 percent stake in San Francisco-based Craigslist, which covers a wide range of categories from jobs and apartments to used cars and personals. 

Other comments mention the rumoured Google Office and how you’ll be able to use it to edit content you place in Google Base.Google wants your car listings, events, etc. at ZDNet covers some more ground. I’m sure we will all be hearing a lot more about this is the coming days and months and like everything Google does we’ll watch and wait with interest.

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Personal Knowledge Management

I’ve stumbled across several interesting articles on Personal Knowledge Management recently. The first is by Steve Barth entitled The Power of One and was published in Knowledge Management Magazine. Steve’s article discusses the importance of implementing knowledge management systems within an organization and includes information I’m sure will be of interest to all Surfulater users.

Personal knowledge management (PKM) involves a range of relatively simple and inexpensive techniques and tools that anyone can use to acquire, create and share knowledge, extend personal networks and collaborate with colleagues without having to rely on the technical or financial resources of the employer. Implemented from the bottom up by one knowledge worker at a time, these techniques can increase productivity and enthusiasm and help to build momentum that can overcome the technological and social barriers to top-down, enterprise-wide KM initiatives.

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Information overload is a fact, not a theory, and there is evidence that most people lack the skills or tools to keep up in the Knowledge Age.

Steve talks about Personal intellectual capital and how employees can increase their value both within an organization and in a broader sense by using PKM techniques.

Getting a grip on the shifting mass of information is an important tactic, but using PKM techniques and tools, individuals can go farther, to enhance their abilities and career potential. Effectively managed personal knowledge assets become the currency of personal intellectual capital.

Surfulater is being used by a diverse group of people to collect and manage all sorts of information and of course build and retain knowledge. This article should be of interest to all Surfulater users, especially those using it within an organization.

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Web 2.0 Conference 2005

If you are involved or have an interest in software or web development you have most likely heard mention of Web 2.0. I started hearing about Web 2.0 earlier in the year and to be honest I don’t have much of a feel for what it is about just yet, apart from it being the next big thing happening to the Web.

Earlier this month the Web 2.0 Conference 2005 was held in San Francisco and from what I’ve read so far it would have been a great conference to attend. I’ve just finished reading a brief wrap up of the conference titled The Future Of The Web over at Information Week. Here are a few quotes I found interesting.

Jeff Weiner, senior VP of search and marketplace at Yahoo acknowledges that the Web 2.0 concept, much discussed of late, has been overhyped. But, he adds, there’s something to it.

If you take O’Reilly’s analysis at face value, the “Web 2.0” is about lots of things that client-server computing, or even the Internet, for the most part, hasn’t been. Instead of pages that load, it’s about sites that feel like software. Instead of software that runs in a browser or on a cell phone, it’s about apps that span devices. Instead of being all about content from Web producers, it’s about content being produced by people everywhere: blogs, wikis, digital photos. Web 2.0 is about viral marketing instead of advertising, though that sounds suspiciously like 1999. And it’s about the power of networks and the ability to deliver better results as more people use a service (think Google’s search, Amazon .com’s ratings, or Technorati’s blog commons).

Aaron Ricadela’s take on a 12-page treatise by Tim O’Reilly on what version 2.0 of the Web really means.

It’s either the start of something cool–or Internet Bubble 2.0. Maybe it’s a bit of both. Thomas Claburn

The article is well worth reading. It will be interesting to follow Web 2.0’s progress and see where Surfulater fits into it.

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We’re back from abroad

We are back from our big trip to Europe and getting back into the normal swing of full time work again. We did have a fantastic time and were fortunate to visit a treasure trove of amazing places. A very few highlights include Pont du Gard where Cherryl said I had an epiphany and she was right, Provence in general, Cinque Terre, Chianti, Florence and especially Venice. When you go to Venice make sure you visit Palazzo Ducale and grab an audio player. We visited many fine Churches, Cathedrals, Galleries and the like but Palazzo Ducale really stands out for me. The Borghese Gallery comes in a very close second though.

Our Notebook PC’s and other technology behaved well while we were on the road and we were able to provide near our usual high level of support, keep all the wheels in motion and our customers satisfied. This was a worry before we left and I’m reassured now that we are back that all of our planning and preparation paid off.

We are certainly rested, refreshed and enlightened and looking forward to getting back to work on the next release of Surfulater. Customer feedback is very good with so many of you telling us what a great program Surfulater is. A heartfelt personal thank you to you all. And please do keep the comments coming.

Finally a quick hello to everyone we met on our travels. Lets hope we catch up again some day somewhere.