Microsoft Popfly Asks if You Have Enough Flair
“Express yourself” is the slogan for Microsoft’s newest (currently in alpha) development project called Microsoft Popfly.
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Learn to Develop Widgets
If someone was to ask me what I think they should focus on to take advantage of the opportunities web 2.0/3.0 may offer, I’d say:
learn about all the widget platforms and how to develop and create widgets
and you should start with Netvibes UWA (universal API), Vista, and (just recently) Facebook’s API. Learn thir API’s and how to create widgets/gadgets for them.
One of the most difficult parts of creating a new online presence or website is getting enough attention and getting enough people to see it. For all the success stories out there, there are far more failures and companies that could not get enough traction to survive or build enough volume to matter.
Creating widgets for pre-existing platforms is a really good way to tap into existing user bases. If you create a widget people like, you can enjoy the benefits of going viral within a specific network or userbase, without having to build that userbase yourself.
This morning’s Facebook API announcement is huge. That’s a killer opportunity If I’ve ever seen one. If you’re looking for what others have created, check out Facebook Application Ratings, and Nick’s All Facebook site.
Check out widgipedia and widgetbox, learn the differences between browser widgets and desktop widgets, and dive in. Web 3.0 is all about widgets. If you can get a head start on that, you’ll be doing well in 2008.
Help Me Crush Guy Kawasaki’s Truemors
Earlier this month Guy Kawasaki launched Truemors, a website that lets anyone post and vote on rumors. The launch was covered by Techrunch and other high profile web 2.0 sites and the subsequent enthusiasm around the web was fairly muted. So here’s my response:
I am throwing down the gauntlet and creating a competitor website to challenge truemors.com with a better-executed version of a rumor submission/voting site.
Go Retro - Build a Web 1.0 Site
Is it too early to go retro and build a web 1.0 site yet? You know - just to be cool. Like wearing 60’s clothes in the 60’s was really cool. Wearing them in the 70’s was NOT, then wearing them a few decades later was really cool again.
The Google Real Estate Shakedown
Last month Google started penalizing a number of real estate websites that had previously ranked well for competitive phrases in their respective cities. Two large networks (website providers) that had numerous sites penalized were Advanced Access and Real Estate Webmasters. The biggest reason seems to have been interlinked state directory pages filled with agent to agent reciprocal links.
Recently Matt & crew had sent out some warnings that suggested thin-content pages were going to get hit & there have been plenty of suggestions that search engines consider these agent to agent directories spammy.
