uberVU brands its API as ContextVoice – launches a free and a paid service
Written on 19th June 2009
8 COMMENTS 
Mircea Goia, Next Web US Webtipr
uberVU, the conversation tracking service in the same class as Backtype or Artiklz, just launched ContextVoice, an API that tracks comments from social sites around a URL close to real-time.
ContextVoice is actually a packing of the uberVU API which was has been in use for quite sometime. Because people have increasingly begun to use the API for areas the developers hadn’t initially imagined, uberVU decided to spin it off as a separate service (”conversations as a service“, as they call it).
By tracking this whole conversation in one place using ContextVoice in close to real-time (Twitter is (more…)
Tracer – find out what’s being copied from your website
Written on 21st April 2009
1 COMMENT
Mircea Goia, Next Web US Webtipr
Thanks to Hacker News I found out about a tiny service called Tracer that helps you track what’s being copied from you website.
How does it do it?
After signing up with them you are given a piece of Javascript code to insert between the <body> tag of your website (if you have a blog then you can paste it in the “footer.php” page and it will appear on all of your blog’s pages).
You can see and analyze the source of the Javascript code here : http://tcr.tynt.com/javascripts/Tracer.js (don’t worry, you don’t have to paste that big Javascript into your webpage! You will get another code which is a lot less).
See it in action on MyTestBox.com.
Highlight some text there (or text and image) and, when you release the mouse button, look at the status bar…you will see how the script intercepts the event and connects to the Tracer website right away. That means your action was recorded. The same happens when you right-click on the highlighted text and copy it into the computer’s memory. Paste it into a text editor or email. You will see the backlink the script adds to that copied text. When you click that link you’ll be redirected to the original webpage with the section that was copied highlighted for easy reference.
You can login to your account and, on the dashboard, you can see what’s copied (text or/and images), the total number of monitored pageviews, the number of the words copied, and the total number of how many times a user selected or copied from you page.
I see the usefulness of the service but there are certain things than can certainly be improved.
1. The user copies the text and paste it into an email (or a webpage). However the backlink to the original post can easily be removed by the user. How will Tracer prevent that from happening?
2. On the reporting side if would be useful if snippets of the copied text could be added as a reference so you can look on Google or Copyscape to see who used that snippet on his webpage (at least).
Anyway, the service is still in beta so it’s likely to still see improvement.
To see a demo of the service click on this link http://tracer.tynt.com/tracer-demonstration .
It seems the service has been online since last March but only recently has it seen traffic skyrock(according to Compete).
CheapTweet – find the best deals based on user ratings and Twitter conversations
Written on 17th March 2009
13 COMMENTS
Mircea Goia, Next Web US Webtipr
Because it’s all about Twitter these days I’m presenting you another application using Twitter API: CheapTweet.
What this application does is to scour the Twitter conversations and find the best sales, discounts and coupons people are talking about on Twitter and collects them so visitors can search for, vote on and save these deals. CheapTweet currently has more than 150,000 deals from thousands of stores, from the very large to the very small.
The companies have now another medium to promote their products (hopefully, not spamming) and users have yet another way to find more info about the products they want (without too much noise).
Hope it will help you too. If yes, let us know your experience in the comments.
This service is the brainchild of Appozite, a company based in Austin, Texas (USA) founded by Hayes Davis and Jenn Deering Davis. They build tools integrating ecommerce and social software.
Will this be the end for The Pirate Bay?
Written on 17th February 2009
12 COMMENTS
Mircea Goia, Next Web US Webtipr
Get the popcorn and let’s watch the battle. The court battle, that is, because The Pirate Bay (should I put the link to their site or not?) was finally dragged to the court this Monday by the Swedish authorities, The Guardian says.
The Pirate Bay is the most known torrent (BitTorrent) tracker out there (over one million of them and 22 million users). As we all know, many of these torrents are illegal because it allows to download free software/music/games for which you would otherwise have to pay.
The Pirate Bay doesn’t host any of these free media but it indexes (like Google does) the torrents which tracks to these media. It indexes also legally downloadable media (again, like Google does).
The lawsuit is led by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and they are claiming 100 million dollars in damage. The founders of The Pirate Bay – Fredik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg and Peter Sunde Kolmisoppi – could face two years in prison. But that’s not all. The dotcom millionaire Carl Lundström, one of the donors of The Pirate Bay, is also charged.
The Swedish police and the US government wanted repeteadly to shut down the service but without much success.
Could this trial be the end on The Pirate Bay, at last?
UPDATE
According to TorrentFreak 50% of the charges against The Pirate Bay were dropped in the second day of the trial. Fredrik Neij, one of the founders, said that the prosecution misunderstood the technology, and told the court that the evidence doesn’t show that the Pirate Bay’s trackers are used.
So, the prosecutor had o drop all charges relating to “assisting copyright infringement”, so the remaining charges are simply ‘assisting making available’. “Everything related to reproduction will be removed from the claim,” he said.
Let’s see what the next day will bring up…
Austin, Texas has a technology startups incubator starting from today
Written on 30th January 2009
5 COMMENTS
Mircea Goia, Next Web US Webtipr
Following YCombinator of San Francisco-California, Techstars of Boulder-Colorado now Austin-Texas has a startup incubator called Capital Factory (from today).
The program is 10 week summer long and was founded by the local entrepreneurs like Joshua Baer, Sam Decker, Bryan Menell, Brian Beard, Jason Cohen, Pat Condon, Chris Sherman. These will select 10 finalists from a pool of applicants and from these will, eventually, pick three winners (this will be announced on April 13th).
What those three winning companies will get?
It seems they’ll get a slightly better deal than either YCombinator or Techstars offers (at least financially): $20,000 in cash (in exchange of 5% of the company) and weekly mentoring sessions with a select group of proven, successful technology entrepreneurs (other perks are included)
The program runs from May 22nd to August 7th with August 14 being the Demo Day where the chosen companies will showcase their products.
YCombinator’s success in funding early stage startups prompted others to replicate it around USA, Boulder-Colorado being one and now Austin, Texas.
Austin is a great place for technology startups having almost all what it needs for a startup to thrive: infrastructure (startups will use Tech Ranch Austin), talent (University of Texas is there), venture capitalists (Austin Ventures is one of them), small town feeling (although it has 1,6 million inhabitants) and nice weather (no winter).
What it doesn’t have is the close proximity to the ocean (like Silicon Valley-San Francisco has) or to the mountains (like Boulder has). The ocean is like 2-3 hours away (driving) and that shouldn’t stop people who want to enjoy the water. But the closest mountains are like 12 hours away (driving) and that could be a problem if you crave that (which rules out spending weekends skiing – unless taking the plane comes to the rescue).
Austin was known before as a technology hub among other “celebrities” like Silicon Valley, Boston, Seattle, New York being a central location for companies like Dell, 3M, HP, AMD, Applied Materials, Cirrus Logic, National Instruments, Samsung, Sun. This gained the city the nickname of “Silicon Hills”. There are also pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
It is also known as the live music capital of the world and that’s not a small thing. Almost everybody likes music but not everybody gets to see artists perfoming live on the city streets.
I visited Austin last spring and I liked it (I have stayed only one day though).
The city feels more european than many other american cities and, for an european like me, that’s a plus (I’m not forgetting my roots).
I hope to hear about companies who originated from Capital Factory’s incubator and have done good things.
Dutch meta search engine takes privacy very seriously
Written on 30th January 2009
3 COMMENTS
Mircea Goia, Next Web US Webtipr
More and more the privacy of web surfers became a big concern. Not only for web surfers themselves but also for the service providers (ISPs, websites, etc).
One piece of the trail a web surfer leaves behind, as he navigates or uses web services, is the IP address.
This IP (Internet Protocol) is a tiny string of numbers like 234.12.102.15. There are millions of combinations! Every computer which gets on the Internet has this type of address which identifies each of them in the crowd (usually, assigned by the Internet Service Providers).
Most of the common users are not aware of this. However, that’s not the case of the service providers. Many of them use to get and store the IP addresses of the users so they could make their technology better, because the law requires them to, or just because that’s what they wanted.
Google used to retain the IP addresses indefinitely until the voice of privacy activists became too loud. Now it keeps that data for about 9 months. Yahoo keeps it even less: 3 months.
But one search engine (meta search engine, in fact) doesn’t keep it at all. That’s a Dutch search engine ixquick which became the first to operate in this way, according to The Register.
The Article 29 Working Party, which is a committee made up of the privacy watchdogs of the European Union’s 27 member states, said last year in a report on the issue that any company that kept logs for longer than six months risked falling foul of data protection laws.
See the details here (PDF file).
We salute the way ixquick approached this problem!
Get your startup company listed fast on KillerStartups.com
Written on 27th January 2009
21 COMMENTS
Mircea Goia, Next Web US Webtipr
Many have heard about KillerStartups.com, a place where startup companies are reviewed and listed.
According to Compete.com (which measures only US traffic) they had almost 600,000 unique visitors last month. If you double that you kinda have an idea of how much traffic receives overall. Alexa ranks the website on 8,599 position in the world (2,784 in USA). Not to mention there are over 13,000 RSS subscribers.
So, it’s a pretty well established website.
Now, the question is: How to get listed there? And fast?
Ernst (the former, now, editor-in-chief of TheNextWeb) was excited about the avalache of the new Swedish startups which made it to the web recently and wondered when KillerStartups will pick them up and review them on its website.
Well, Ernst, here’s how you can do it :) (you can also let those new startups know how they can do it by showing them this post).
I am showing my experience here. Others may have different experience (better or worst).
Yes, they have a form which you can fill in and submit. Chances are that they won’t react immediately or at all to that (that was my case).
So, I looked from where they get their news or tips, their source of information.
If you look in the image below you will see the “Source” of the news. Among other sources there is Techcrunch, Readwriteweb, Mashable, Webware. I’m not focusing on these because it’s quite hard to attract their attention (I’m sure they are pounded with many daily requests so they won’t publish them all). I’m talking about the other sources, less obvious.
In my case it was Launchfeed.com (although I don’t have a startup but a blog).
I listed my blog there and voila! In 2 days (if I remember well) Killerstartups picked it up.
But there are other sources there where you can get your startup listed quite easily and thus getting KillerStartups attention right away.
Those sources are presented below.
1) Launchfeed (www.launchfeed.com)
Go to “Submit,” then fill out the form in order to announce your launch. You need to have an English-language site, otherwise they won’t approve your submission. I used Launchfeed to announce my site (although my site is older than 1 month) and Killerstartups.com picked it up in the next two days.
2) SimpleSpark (www.simplespark.com)
Simple Spark is the place to find and share a new world of web applications. Your website/service/application can be listed here, too. Click on “Add Apps to Spark,” then open an account.
3) Listio (www.listio.com)
Listio is a user-driven directory that allows you to submit any web 2.0 application for others to discover, rank and comment on. When you submit a new application, it will be placed in a “pending” area until an editor reviews and publishes it. Looks like a Digg for web applications. Click on “Submit a web 2.0 app link” to create an account.
4) Go2web20 (www.go2web20.net)
This is a Flash directory of Web 2.0 applications. You can send them an email by clicking on “Suggest.”
5) Lo-Fi librarian (www.lo-fi-librarian.co.uk)
This is a blog created by a Master Degree student in Library and Information Studies from UK. You can contact him/her by email and try to have your website listed on his/her site.
6) FeedMyApp (www.feedmyapp.com)
This is another web applications listing site but without a voting system. Click on “Suggest a Site” link and fill out the form (no account needs to be created).
7) Emily Chang eHub (www.emilychang.com/go/ehub)
eHub is a personal initiative of Emily Chang (a well know web designer) where she lists web startups. You can submit a site, service, or news on her “Submit a Site” page.
8) MOMB (http://momb.socio-kybernetics.net)
The MoMB (Museum of Modern Betas) is a site dedicated to listing web-based applications on a beta trip. This site is in an alpha version, but you can contact them by email (see About).
9) SociableBlog (www.sociableblog.com)
SociableBlog is a social networking and social media blog which offers the latest news, articles, and video on social networking, social media, social community, and social software worldwide. You can let them know about your service/website by clicking on the “Submit News” link (but you have to register first to use this form).
10) DemoGirl (www.demogirl.com)
Molly McDonald is the editor-in-chief of this blog (which belongs to VPOP Technologies INC www.vpop.net ). If she thinks your service is good enough, she will build a screencast of it and feature it free of charge on her DemoGirl website. You can drop her a note (see “About DG”).
11) Rev2 (www.rev2.org)
Rev2.org is a weblog dedicated to profiling new Web 2.0 startups and technologies, as well as providing in-depth analysis on the state of this industry. Send an email with your announcement to one of the editors (see the About page).
12) WebDev 2.0 (www.webdevtwopointzero.com)
They present a variety of sites which they think are useful for their readers. Go to “Submit a site” to submit your site to them for review.
13) Dzine blog (www.dzineblog.com)
Dzine blog is all about designs. Here you will find inspirational designs and some good tips in logo, graphics and web designing. Contact the owner (Contact page) and tell him about your website (especially if you have a great looking website).
14) Ziipa (www.ziipa.com)
Ziipa is a visual search engine which accepts website submissions. Just go to “Suggest” and fill out the form. They will review your submission and approve/reject it.
Note: I have chosen only those that accept English-language sites, but there are many others (Spanish, German).
After being listed in KillerStartups I had a spike in number of visitors during 2-3 days. Another advantage is that your URL may get bookmarked on social media websites like Delicious and others like that which can also drive traffic to your website.
Let us know if you have the same success getting listed on KillerStartups!
And if you want startups to know about this then bookmark and share this article.
Truphone upgrades its iPhone/iPod Touch application in the next 24 hr
Written on 26th January 2009
6 COMMENTS
Mircea Goia, Next Web US Webtipr
If you are using Truphone iPhone/iPod Touch application (it’s free, by the way) then you know that this software lets you place an international or local call by using the Internet as a carrier rather than using your regular carrier. In other words, Truphone for iPhone/iPod Touch is a VoIP application.
The iPhone application is useful especially when you travel abroad and you don’t want to pay your carrier’s sometime outrageous roaming fees (Truphone fees are much lower).
To use it you need to have Wi-fi access for you iPhone. If you don’t have Wi-fi access you can still use it using the carrier’s network but with Truphone prices (routing the call using Truphone Anywhere).
The application doesn’t run only on iPhone/iPod Touch devices but also on some other devices like Nokia, Blackberry, HTC, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola.
What’s the news here?
Well, Truphone will upgrade its application for the iPhone in the next 24 hours (automatically) by adding some requested features like:
1. Instant Messaging (IM)
IM will be added, meaning that you can have two-way IM conversations with MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk users.
2. Google Talk Calls
You can now make and receive calls using Google Talk.
3. Twitter Integration
Recently launched, if you have a Twitter account you can tweet to your heart’s content, and see your friend’s latest tweets.
The company also plans for Skype integration (calling and IM) in a next upgrade.
How to use the new features?
These are the steps according to Truphone:
a) Tap the ‘IM’ or ‘IM/More’ screen in the Truphone menu bar
b) Select ‘Setup’
c) Select the type of IM account you want to setup (GTalk, MSN and Yahoo!)
d) Enter your account details and sign in
e) Press the ‘Back’ button on the top left of the screen
f) Select ‘Friends List’ and then tap the required IM tab
g) Check that the friend you wish to chat to is online (their icon will show as green in the display), and start chatting awayYou only have to do steps A to E once for each type of IM account. Entering the ‘IM’ or ‘IM/More’ screen after this will sign you in automatically.
To make Google Talk calls, select Google Talk, select your Friend from the Friend List, and then select the call icon.
Instructions on using Twitter can be found by selecting the Twitter ‘t’ icon in the ‘Tru Friends’ screen.
I used their application for placing calls from US to Romania (cellphone to cellphone) and I must say that their prices are near the international calling card I was using before (Truphone is a bit more expensive but not with much). The connection was quite good – only once I had a bad connection solved by calling again.
I’m looking forward to test their new software additions.
Do you use Truphone? What is your experience with it?
Magento team Europe tour: Netherlands, France and Germany
Written on 20th January 2009
5 COMMENTS
Mircea Goia, Next Web US Webtipr
The Magento team (which is behind the pretty popular e-commerce software MagentoCommerce) is excited to start the New Year with a European tour with stops in the Netherlands, France, and Germany. This is a great opportunity for them to engage with the innovative and enthusiastic members of their European community.
They look forward to hearing from you and learning about how Magento can become a part of your toolbox and online eCommerce operations.
Visit the links provided to get information on how you can be a part of the discussion.
- January 27, 2009 – Utrecht, Netherlands
- February 2, 2009 – Paris, France
- February 3, 2009 – Paris, France
- February 5, 2009 – Leipzig, Germany
MagentoCommerce is an open-source e-commerce software developed by Varien (Varien is located in Los Angeles, USA and was established in 2001).
It’s a PHP/MySQL solution with a new approach to online e-commerce (you have try it to see it – especially the administration section).
So far, the software was downloaded more than 600,000 times and it was declared the Best New Project by the community at SourceForget.net 2008 Community Choice Awards.
MagentoCommerce’s direct competitors includes Zencart, Cubecart, osCommerce and other open-source e-commerce software.
US venture fundraising is going to take a rest for a while
Written on 20th January 2009
1 COMMENT
Mircea Goia, Next Web US Webtipr
Now, there are many bad news out there regarding this crappy economy (there are also some good news too: here and there).
This is another one on top of the bad news list and regards to “oil” which makes up part of the economies function (at least in US): venture capital.
National Venture Capital Association reports (according to Reuters) that in Q4 the fundraising dropped about 71% from the same period in 2007 (3.8 billion vs. 11.7 billion in Q4 2007) and a substantial decline comparing with Q3 2008.
For the whole year 2008 the funds raised were in amount of $28 billion comparing with the year prior ($35 billion).
The champions of venture capital funds in 2008 are Sequoia Capital ($929 million raised), Austin Ventures ($900 million raised), Essex Woodlands Health Ventures Fund ($892 million raised). There were 18 funds that raised worth $500 million or more.
There were only six IPO exits last year (the worst in 30 years), 260 M & A transactions (the worst in 5 years).
The largest IPO of 2008 was Rackspace Hosting ($187 million). All but one of 2008 IPOs are trading below their offering price.
The largest M & A transaction of the year 2008 was EqualLogic, Inc, a developer of storage area network solutions, which was purchased by Dell, for $1.4 billion in January (the largest of the Q4 was the purchaing of Bill Me Later, online payment solutions provider, by eBay – $945 million).
“The most significant impact of the US financial crisis on the venture capital industry has clearly taken place in the exit markets,” said Mark Heesen, president of the NVCA.
As it looks now, the trend could continue in 2009 also until the exit markets re-open and the pipeline is cleared. Let’s hope that pipeline is cleared sooner rather than later.
How are the things in Europe?
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