MEDIABLITZ

Web 2.0 Asia ...

Ever not be able to access a site and you don't know if something is up with your computer or if the site is actually down for everyone? I learned of this cool tool that helps you determine whether its you or them without having to ask a bunch of people to test it for you. Appropriately enough it's called Down For Everyone Or Just Me and that is exactly what its URL is. I love it when that happens. I learned of this from @pistachio on twitter.

Because the economics of the publishing business are changing, HarperCollins is experimenting with a new imprint that won't accept returns from retailers and will pay little or no advances to authors. They won't pay for desirable shelf-space in brick and mortar stores but instead will concentrate most of its sales efforts on the Internet and share profits with authors. The new venture is expected to publish about 25 titles a year, emphasizing shorter hardcover titles priced at about $20. It's run by Robert S. Miller who is leaving Disney's Hyperion, an imprint he founded in 1991. Read the whole story at the WSJ

Ross Mayfield talks about the offline web experience (ie the client based experience). Seesmic is a personal video sharing web site that makes recording and publishing person web videos easy and Thwirl is a client based application for Twitter which basically means that you can interact with Twitter from a client seperate from a web page. Seesmic plans to make the Thwirl client it's primary skin. The use of the word "acquire" is interesting, the exact finance facts aren't being released but the German developer now works for Seesmic.

ReadWriteWeb which is a site that I like but find it hard to look up previous articles has a piece today on " How To Break The Techmeme Habit ". I actually hate Techmeme and don't find it useful because basically it shows a lot of the same thing. For instance they list a headline and then 50 other blogs where you can read the same story. I find the headlines old and the relevancy doesn't seem based on anything important. This article lists several other services including Elite Tech News Reddit.

I was showing a friend Twitter and asked users to explain what it was. These are the wonderful answers I got very quickly. It was amazing. zjjtrans Twitter is an information pool like a network of walkie-talkies. BeckyMcCray More bad quotes at my Favorite Tweets http://is.gd/45o verso @ apenny more than IM, less than email. But with a megaphone BeckyMcCray Twitter is the Chameleon of Social Networks. It changes to match your needs at any moment. Conversation, Info, Announcements @ sass zachw http://tinyurl.com/384n2f <-- common craft: twitter in plain english lisamer Hi to you @ penny and your friend. It's hard to describe Twitter; its charms announce themselves through use more than demonstration. BeckyMcCray “Twitter germinates, where Facebook merely incubates.” from @ danlight on SxSW http://tinyurl.com/39zqs3 BeckyMcCray "It's like LinkedIn had a cocktail party." - @ NewMediaJim sioksiok Twitter is an onl...