This site is an interesting blog posting about the new site LA.confidential. It is a blog hosted by the news conglomerate that holds USA TODAY and a handful of other new outlets such as TV stations etc. One concern point in the article is that by design blogs are counter government, corporation, or any other type of centralized control. The blog gives the user control and a blog being hosted by a major news corporation … hmmm A very interesting read.

Blogs, Journalism and Non Disclosures

You know weblogs have made it as legitimate form of journalism when PR agencies and Corporations include them in the non disclosure agreements. Here is one I got this morning. (Names of Parties deleted)

Representatives from _______ will be demonstrating and/or providing me with a beta copy of ____ and I agree to keep all mentioned dates, product features and other product information not yet available to the public under embargo until a date subsequently provided by __ Corporation, or its designated public relations representative, ___ . The embargo includes print, broadcast, electronic and Internet publications and blogs, and verbal disclosure. Certain product features may be released from the embargo prior to the _______ launch; in this event, ___ will communicate the exact terms via email.

Next wave for blogging

Is there a future to blogging? Well, here’s an article that suggests that blogging has room to innovate and evolve. The author suggests that it’s time for blogs to begin digging into niche topics and narrower markets of people: local discussions or just relevant, timely information about specific topics. Like cancer? Maybe. Like Relay? Maybe.

And technology is not standing still. Still out on the cutting-edge, but coming to a screen near you is video-blogging (aka, vid blogs and vogs). Instead of just pontificating in writing, now you can stimulate or bore people with your own news channel.

Where’s this going? Who knows, but the tools and opportunity to experiment with communication on an unprecedented range is expanding like the Big Bang. If you’re waiting for it to settle into something proven or to stop evolving, I wouldn’t recommend holding your breath.

Orkut users on a map

This link will take you to a map that shows where the users of Orkut live, based on their zip codes. My understanding is that this is not an Orkut sanctioned activity. The value in this can be the visualization of RFL volunteers using Seibel as a database for the same type of information. On the same note if this is not sanctioned by Orkut it is scary to see who has access to the database.

At the bottom of the mpa eter your zip code in the first box and leave the second box blank. Then go to the top right corner and see the useres in your area.