Read/Write Web writes:

I get a lot of product pitches by email every day, but few of them are
really compelling enough to grab my attention. But this one did, perhaps because
it is a product that promises a much-needed media tracking solution. In this
case, podcasting statistics (and later video-blogging). From the SONR
homepage:

\\\”SONR (Sonar) is a media tracking tool for content providers. Specifically
geared towards podcasters (and later, publishers of video content), SONR\\\’s goal
is to provide detailed information on how listeners interact with your
content. Currently, most podcasters only know when a listener has
downloaded their content, but with SONR\\\’s media player, providers can now track
how much of their podcast was listened to and what the user did while
listening.

The SONR media player also gives listeners a playlist of your content so they
can easily find other work you\\\’ve published. There is also the ability to add
flags to your podcasts so that users can immediately jump to sections of your
file that they find most interests in, a table of contents of sorts for your
podcast.\\\”

[emphasis mine]

This is something that has been needed in podcasting for a long time - ways
to put metadata into your podcast AND track usage. I know Marc Canter for one is going to
be very pleased about that!

The only catch is that users need to listen to your podcast on the SONR app.
But you can embed your podcast file in your webpage, so that it opens using the
app. The process is explained on the
About page:

1. You create an account as a content provider (of audio podcasts).
2. You add your podcast information to our system.
3. We create a link that you use in your HTML to launch our player with your
   content.
4. You add that link to your HTML, for listeners to click on.
5. Once a listener clicks on the link (from your site), the player launches and
   streams your MP3.
6. Our player creates the needed information to track every second of your
   audio file, and begins tracking which actual seconds have been listened to.
7. Flags (or your audio\\\’s Table of Contents) are loaded in (if available),
   after the MP3 has fully loaded.
8. Any user interaction is recorded and saved (Pauses, Rewinds, Etc.).
9. Once the user closes the player, the data is saved in our databases
10. You return to our site and check the recorded stats for your podcast.

Sounds very promising! Future plans include video stats, \\\”customizable media
players\\\” and a desktop client.

I’ve been testing NewsAlloy, a free, feature rich and very fast Ajax reader (zero page refreshes). All power-user features are included - tagging, pinning, river of news and folder-based viewing, easy digg and del.icio.us submission, and good search capabilities. I also like the keyboard shortcuts.

If the speed holds during user ramp up (a big if as the site has only been up since around December 1, 2005), this could become a cult favorite. However, this is not for RSS newbies.

Pete Cashmore wrote about them right after launch in December.

There’s been lots of talk about the possibility of “Bubble 2.0,” which (so far) appears to be taking a lot of ideas from the original dot com bubble, and using dynamic HTML to make it look cooler (it moves! in a browser!). While it’s true that some of these second attempts are doing things much more intelligently this time around, an increasing number are not. Once the money starts flowing (and, if you hadn’t noticed, it’s flowing), it seems that “lessons learned” get tossed out in favor of doing anything possible to jump on the gravy train. The only problem is that we’ve seen how this train ride ends, and it’s a train wreck that we’d all probably be better off avoiding. Still, if you want to revisit the signposts of years past, here are two more: it’s suddenly fashionable again to put your startup in “stealth mode.” Stealth mode is a silly term for it. Being quiet about what you’re doing certainly can make sense — especially early on when you’re still figuring out the details of your messaging and positioning. However, too many startups use stealth mode as a buzz builder — as if not telling people what you do deserves more attention than having an actual product. It’s that second use of stealth mode that tends to cause over-inflated expectations. The second bubble sign is when the failures of the original dot com bubble return from the dead to try to make it again. In this case, it’s “boo.com,” whose only claim to fame these days was how spectacularly it flamed out. However, in a bubble era when “any publicity is good publicity,” the larger the failure you’re trying to resurrect, the more publicity you’ll likely receive. So, come on Webvan, Kozmo and others. It’s time to come on back. All you need to do is use AJAX and it’ll make people forget to ask if you have a business model.

Tagging…can cut through the online clutter to deliver more relevant bits of information. That is because many versions allow users to search only sites that other people have already deemed useful. It also makes it easier to find desired information again. Users says tagging services can simplify online endeavors like shopping for a new road bike or acoustic guitar because they allow a prospective buyer to quickly access saved information.

While tech-heads have been using the method for the past year or so, tagging is now moving into the mainstream. Silicon Valley heavyweights — along with a number of new upstarts — are now putting major resources into developing tagging services. Last month, Yahoo Inc. bought the popular tagging site Del.icio.us (pronounced “delicious”). Now, the Sunnyvale, Calif., company says it plans to allow Del.icio.us users to access their tagged links through My Web 2.0, Yahoo’s own tagging site.

One new site, Shadows.com, allows individuals to save their favorite Web sites under keywords that others can also search. The site, launched last October by the co-founders of Pluck Corp., based in Austin, Texas, attracts more than 275,000 unique monthly visitors, according to comScore Networks. Last week, iLor LLC of Lexington, Ky., launched PreFound.com. Like other bookmarking sites, it allows its users to upload pages they want to save into their own profiles or share them with the public.

The rumors and all the Web 2.0 buzz is making my head spin. Earlier this morning I read that Yahoo was in serious talks to buy Digg, the pretty young thing among the social bookmarking sites. Kevin Rose, one of the founders of Digg.com refuted the rumor. End of the day, Kevin Burton says that he has heard from two folks that Yahoo is offering $30 million for Digg.com.

I am wondering why would Yahoo do this deal so soon after Del.icio.us acquisition? If there is any truth, and I mean a really big “if,” then why didn’t they buy Digg.com in the first place? I am totally erring on the side of caution on this one, and going with what Russell had posted earlier this morning. (Artwork by Russell, of course!)

Thomas Hawk says: “As it turns out this is probably not the case and this will go down as another of those rumors that was just that, a rumor.”

Anne 2.0 writes great stuff, and today gets to some core questions about reading lists and OPML. A reading list is more than a compendium, I think it’s got to be curated the way an art director chooses paintings for an art exhibit (as if I knew how they do that). As a reader, I want the effect to be subtle. All of a sudden I’m getting much better info about gadgets, even pointing to stuff from those sources. But I’d never have thought to subscribe to the feeds. Luckily I know an expert in gadgets and he did a reading list for people like me, people who dabble, who enjoy gadgetry, but haven’t committed much time to the subject. So while it’s great that you have an OPML of women in technology (it would make a fantastic directory) it probably isn’t a great reading list. But what do I know. This is all so new. Keep on writing and I’ll keep reading (and commenting).