links for 2010-10-04

  • Kevin: RWW looks at two tools for location analytics, GeoIQ has created a new product that "will now automatically create dashboards showing developers where, when and how their apps are being used along with meaningful statistics and metrics". Another service in beta, Fourscore, will show the rate of turnover in 'mayor-ships' of users of the location-based network Foursquare and also the volume of check-ins. It only works for Foursquare now, but when services become popular, analytics providers soon follow.
  • Kevin: Reuters announces the creation of a commenting system that awards commenters for positive contributions, allowing them to graduate from being trust to expert users. I think it's a great first step in creating better commenting experiences for readers. In terms of Reuters, I wonder if they will one day create a system that builds reputation on specific topics as well. This would seem to me to be something that makes sense given the nature of their readership. For instance, a person with experience in equities markets might know little about bonds. I think this is a logical step. Completely open commenting systems don't manage mass participation well. People must display commitment to build a reputation.
  • Kevin: An interesting view of the movie 'The Social Network' with a view on internet entrepreneurship by Lawrence Lessig. "Instead, what’s important here is that Zuckerberg’s genius could be embraced by half-a-billion people within six years of its first being launched, without (and here is the critical bit) asking permission of anyone. The real story is not the invention. It is the platform that makes the invention sing."
    Lessig's review is insightful in terms of how old media doesn't quite understand the internet as a platform.
  • Kevin: If you'd like to see how Tumblr can be useful for some good aggregation blogging, check out these 12 media Tumblrs from Mashable. I definitely like the accounts from The Atlantic and Pro Publica (Officials say the darnedest things). I'll have to check out the one from The Economist and NPR's Fresh Air, two bits of media that I quite enjoy.