Web & AI Analyst
I founded the tech blog ReadWriteWeb in April 2003 and ran it until October 2012. During my time running the business, it was well known for its cutting edge content (“What’s next on the Web”) and its influential global audience. At its peak, RWW was ranked among the top ten blogs in the world by Technorati.
I’ve archived all of the posts I personally wrote. There’s also a year-by-year list, featuring links to the Wayback Machine.
Despite GroupOn’s stock price struggles this year, online commerce is a market ripe for disruption. OpenSky is a relatively new e-commerce site that is getting buzz and gaining traction, thanks in part to the presence of celebrities like Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi. OpenSky started off tapping Twitter for inspiration (you “follow” celebrities with similar … Read more
Today location check-in app Foursquare unveiled a new design for its iOS and Android mobile apps. It now focuses on recommending places for you to go, based on your current location. It’s also more social. This is a sensible pivot, but Foursquare is not yet at the place it needs to be. My usage of … Read more
Since ReadWriteWeb was acquired by SAY Media in December, we’ve been busy beefing up our editorial and writing team. Today I’m pleased to welcome Fredric Paul and Ted Greenwald to our growing team. Fred as our Business Editor, Ted as a Senior Editor. The two will be based in SAY Media’s San Francisco office, alongside … Read more
“Study the past if you would define the future.” Confucius, Chinese philosopher. In this new ReadWriteWeb series, we look back on products that were important innovations of their time. But this isn’t merely nostalgia. As Confucius said, we’ll make it relevant by identifying lessons to apply now and in the future. We start with a … Read more
You’ve got a new piece of content you want to share, but where do you put it? Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, Pinterest, your WordPress blog… all of the above?! With these and many other options to choose from, posting on the Web can be confusing – even a little stressful. But never fear, ReadWriteWeb is … Read more
YouTube has come to define the era of online video, so let’s take a look at its most popular videos of all time. Our latest update has Justin Bieber still at number one with Baby, which was the first video to earn a half a billion views. Also of note is Jennifer Lopez’s music video … Read more
One of the most interesting statistics in Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends presentation was that in India, the world’s second largest Internet market, the Mobile Web surpassed the Desktop Web during May 2012. A closer analysis reveals that a) mobile only passed desktop during weekends; and b) India’s mobile stats are vastly different from any other … Read more
Today at the D10 Conference, star analyst Mary Meeker gave her latest presentation of Internet Trends. You can download the presentation here (PDF), or view it at the bottom of this post. It’s well worth spending time perusing the whole presentation, but here are the main takeaways. Get ready for lots of re-imagining and proof … Read more
Today, Google announced two new computers, the latest Chromebook laptop and a new desktop machine called the Chromebox. After reading Jon Mitchell’s thorough review, it became apparent that there’s now very little difference in user experience between the Chromebook and a traditional laptop (for example, one from HP that runs on a Windows OS). Should … Read more
94% of American wineries surveyed by ABLE Social Media Marketing are on Facebook and 73% are on Twitter. The study, done in December 2011, shows that American wineries are active in social media and that it’s producing results. 47% of US wineries said that Facebook helps them generate sales (72% sell wine on their website). … Read more
Microsoft is finally killing off the confusing “Windows Live” brand. It’s being replaced with a renewed focus on Microsoft’s biggest piece of software – the Windows OS – together with a new and all-encompassing identity system named “Microsoft account.” Windows Live has been Microsoft’s online branding since it was unveiled back in November 2005. But … Read more
Sometime over the next 12 hours, the SpaceX capsule Dragon will rendezvous with the International Space Station for the first time. It’s streaming live on UStream and you can watch it here. To prepare you for this historic event, we’ve profiled the stellar career so far of SpaceX founder Elon Mask. The rendezvous is the … Read more
shopfront: the front side of a store facing the street; usually contains display windows (Dictionary.com) Yahoo’s search app Axis, launched earlier today, is being marketed as “a new kind of browser.” It’s not a browser though, it’s an app that is available on PC, iPhone and iPad. On the PC, it’s a plug-in (which is … Read more
Statistics show that we are watching fewer videos on YouTube. However, we are watching longer videos and subsequently spending more time on the site. YouTube is changing. But it’s also looking over its shoulder at Facebook, which looms as a big threat should it acquire Viddy or Socialcam. To celebrate its seventh birthday, YouTube boasts … Read more
File this in the “we-try-it-out-so-you-don’t-have-to” category. So.cl is a derivative social network that may be useful to students, but it won’t fly elsewhere. Over the weekend, Microsoft opened to the public an experimental social network called So.cl. It’s a mix between Google+ and Storify. Users are encouraged to search for information about a particular topic, … Read more