technology
MixedInk Goes Public With Its Digg-Like Collaborative Document Creator
MixedInk, a document editing site that allows large groups to democratically create a single collaborative document, has launched its service to the public. The service fuses concepts from Digg and popular wiki sites to create a unique document creation tool that is ideal for groups far larger than you’d normally encounter in the workplace. In conjunction with today’s public launch, the site has also partnered with Slate to create a community-written inauguration speech for President Obama, which will be published on the site in two weeks.
While there are quite a few collaborative document services available (including Google Docs, Zoho, and the just-announced new version of iWork), most of these services focus on letting a small group of people interact. Unfortunately, these services are clumsy for large-scale collaboration with groups of more than a dozen or so people, as it becomes difficult to reach a consensus and certain sections are repeatedly overwritten.
MixedInk from MixedInk on Vimeo.
MixedInk is taking a different approach to collaboration, allowing users to draft their documents using a Digg-like voting system. Instead of constantly editing the same document, users are invited to submit their own versions, which can then be voted on and rated by their peers. As they they read drafts submitted by others, users can mouse-over the passages they like most and incorporate them into their own submissions (the system will also suggest popular passages as you write using keyword detection). Over time, the most popular passages and versions float to the top until the entire group is satisfied and voting ends.
MixedInk probably won’t be useful for small groups (it would probably be easier to pick up a phone), but for larger scale initiatives it could become a great alternative to traditional Wiki systems, which often use confusing versioning systems. The system has already been put to the test on some very large-scale documents: over the summer the technology was used by the Netroots community to write its platform.
The service is available for free to users who create documents on MixedInk’s site, with a premium version available for branded enterprise solutions and possible integration into other sites.
Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors
New Tool: Sync FriendFeed Comments With Disqus
Carter Rabasa of Cubanlinks.org has created a must-try tool for FriendFeed users looking to sync comments on their websites or blog posts (via Disqus) with the corresponding entries on FriendFeed. The alpha version of the tool is a javascript client that requires a download, but the just released FriendFeed/Disqus Comment Sync v.2 is a hosted version (no download required) that automatically syncs comments across both platforms every hour.
To set it up, start here. Enter your Disqus API key (or click the available link to get it), select the correct site for syncing, add your FriendFeed name and remote key, chose between one way sync options or a full sync, and save. That’s it. From now on every time someone comments on your blog post, the same comment will appear on the matching thread of the FriendFeed entry and vice versa.
I just set up the full sync between my blog and Disqus, and the sync seemed to work without a hitch. Now my blog entries will definitely get noticed on FriendFeed when someone comments on my blog. Given that FriendFeed’s algorithm incorporates comments and likes to determine popularity, the ability to sync between platforms is fantastic tool for helping bloggers get the maximum attention and recognition from all FriendFeeders and Non-FriendFeeders alike. It kind of seems like the FriendFeed Comments Wordpress plug-in might be obsolete now.
Additional FriendFeed Resources From Mashable- Top 10 Web Applications for Friendfeed
- HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Friendfeed
- 7 Desktop Applications for Friendfeed
- 7 Essential Greasemonkey Scripts for Friendfeed
---
Related Articles at Mashable | All That's New on the Web:
Movable Type Plugin Connects FriendFeed Comments With Your Blog
Plaxo and Disqus Announce BFF Status
FriendFeed - Does It Enrich The Conversation Or Add To The Noise?
Disqus Wants to Own the Commentsphere; It Just Might
Disqus Video Comments Go Live, Powered by Seesmic
Disqus Raises $500K; Adds New Community Pages for Blog Comments
Disqus Challenges CoComment
The Price Of Going DRM-Free: Apple’s Hidden $1.8 Billion Music Tax
Nearly two years ago, Steve Jobs published an open letter to the music industry calling for the death of DRM (digital rights management). He convinced EMI to ditch DRM back in April, 2007, but the three other major music labels held out. Until today. Now all the songs on iTunes are DRM-free, or soon will be.
And, with that, the DRM era of digital music finally can be put to rest. (Amazon’s MP3 store has been selling DRM-free tracks from all the major labels for a year now already). The labels were likely holding out for other concessions from Apple, such as variable pricing (which they got), and the Apple also thankfully convinced them to sell songs over cellular data networks to iPhones for the same price as they could get them on their computers.
But it looks like the labels prevailed in sticking it to consumers on one last point. Anyone who wants to upgrade their entire existing iTunes Library to DRM-free versions of the same songs, can conveniently do so with one click. But it is going to cost you 30 cents a track to do so. That’s right, you have to pay again for songs you already bought. Let’s see, 6 billion songs X 30 cents = $1.8 billion in potential upgrade fees. That’s a music tax, plain and simple. No wonder the music companies finally relented.
It still won’t save them.
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Sony's VAIO P ultraportable revealed
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/hardware/First_photo_of_Sony_s_VAIO_P_ultraportable';Chicklet keyboard, check. Tiny pointing nub, check. Looks like this is Sony's Vaio P series ultraportable on display at CES. By on display we mean, on display as these shots were taken off the display monitors here at CES. Engadget was first in the world to reveal the P from the FCC specs so it seems only fitting that we bring you the first authenticated pictures dontchathink? The Sony Picturebook... it lives again at CES!
Gallery: Sony Vaio P revealed
P.S. Sorry for the blur, best we could do before the security hammer came down across our knuckles.
Filed under: Laptops
Sony's VAIO P ultraportable revealed originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsWhat’s Behind Phil Schiller keynote? Joy of Tech Fills us in
Windows 7 Beta: First Impressions
Altering a Terminator's mission by altering the state of Terminator::Head.injured?
Debian 5 release approaches... binary blobs included
6 Social Search Engines to Start 2009 | Online Marketing Blog
Tags: search socialsearch
Posted by: ravimohanv
Twitdom » The Twitter Applications Database
Tags: twittosphere
Posted by: eniope
Twitter Phishers Also Targeting Facebook
MacBook Pro 17-inch first hands-on (update: video added)
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/MacBook_Pro_17_inch_first_hands_on'; Yep -- it looks just like its little brothers! Feels like 'em too, except the obvious bit of heft added by that 17-inch display. Of course, they don't have that sweet, gigantic battery inside, or that matte display option (until we torch Curpertino, of course... in love). Video after the break!
Update: Added another video. It'll be exciting, we promise!
Gallery: MacBook Pro 17-inch first hands-on
Continue reading MacBook Pro 17-inch first hands-on (update: video added)
Filed under: Laptops
MacBook Pro 17-inch first hands-on (update: video added) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsMySpace to Shutdown Flektor?
Flektor, the slideshow creation tool that MySpace acquired in 2007, might be on the chopping block. A source close to the company tells us that employees were informed in a meeting today that Flektor is being dissolved as of this Friday.
The acquisition of Flektor made a lot of sense back at the peak of widget mania. MySpace was a huge outlet for posting widgets, and by acquiring Flektor, they’d also be a leading destination for creating them. At the time, we wrote: “[Flektor] allows everything from photo hosting, slideshow, video editing, web cam broadcasting (ala UStream), in-stream quizzes and polls as well as IM and media storage. For something that tries to be so much, they do fairly good job at it.”
Alas, in 2009, it’s all about identity management (MySpaceID) for third-party websites and in-house application platforms. Thus, as MySpace attempts to cut costs along with everyone else in the new media industry, eliminating Flektor wouldn’t be a huge surprise to us, though we’d expect the technology to still be used in some capacity, perhaps as integrated applications on MySpace (the company’s slideshow and poll apps can already be found there).
We’ve asked MySpace for comment and will update when we hear something.
Update (12:20PT): Another source confirms the rumor, noting that the changes are part of a broader plan to integrate Flektor technology on MySpace. Additionally, the source says that “most” employees will still have jobs with the company.
---
Related Articles at Mashable | All That's New on the Web:
Flektor Live
MySpace & MTV Presidential Candidate Diaglogues This Week!
Done Deal: MySpace Parent Acquires Flektor
MySpace/MTV Presidential Dialogues Debut Today
Breaking: MySpace and MTV Partner for Presidential Debate Series
MySpace-Flektor - Problem for RockYou, Slide.com?
Flektor and MySpace Officially Unite
