Google today launched an official blog about the social web. Mendel Chuang, Product Marketing Manager for Google Friend Connect, writes:

“We think the web is better when it’s social. …[W]e are developing tools to make ‘any app, any site, any friends’ a reality….

“We will write about social initiatives within Google, such as Google Friend Connect, as well as community efforts like OpenSocial. We plan to share some success stories, present tips and tricks, provide updates when there are new developments, and much more.

“And we want to hear what you have to say. … Tell us about what you’ve been doing to make the web more social, what you’ve seen others successfully do, or simply what you think about our posts. We look forward to hearing from you and keeping you updated on Google products that are helping the make the web more social.”

Google has their hand in every imaginable kind of Internet activity, from maps to advertising to video to email to the Android mobile phone and beyond, and more developers than you can shake a stick at. Yet they seem to have stumbled when it comes to the social web.

As SocialMedia.com explains, “Google Friend Connect lacks adoption and OpenSocial hasn’t pushed the envelope, but rather enabled a kind of application arbitrage, where the money making apps are ported to MySpace.” While Google has slowly (and bumpily) rolled out their social web offerings, other companies’ apps like Facebook and OpenID have taken an early lead in user adoption.

For the most part, this new initiative has been greeted with a cautious-but-positive reponse. However, ReadWriteWeb’s Marshall Kirkpatrick gives voice to some of our (possibly paranoid, possibly well-founded) concerns that “Google is Big Brother just waiting to happen. The company indexes the bottom of the ocean, the web, the view of the front of your house and an increasing number of peoples’ genetic makeup. That’s not something to take lightly.”

It’s heartening to see Google’s Social Web Blog inviting reader feedback and participation from the outset. Time will be the test of whether user input will drive the content on the blog, and be reflected in Google’s social web offerings as well.

Podcast network Wizzard Media announced that it has signed an agreement with Attention Span Media LLC to distribute the studio’s “Sock Tube Presents” movie parody show.

“Sock Tube Presents” is a series of movie parodies starring tube sock puppets. (The current feature is a sock puppet rendition of “Slumdog Millionaire.”) Kara Swisher of the Wall Street Journal has written in her “Boom Town” blog: “I actually think they are almost better than the real thing.”

Their spot-on parody of surfing bank-robber movie “Point Break” is embedded, above.

Chris Spencer, Wizzard Media CEO said, “By specializing in creating engaging, high-quality original content, [Attention Span] have a unique and fresh way of entertaining an already large and growing fan base.”

Attention Span Media is also the producer of “Dorm Life”, an award-winning comedy series about the life and times of college dorm dwellers. Dorm Life currently ranks as the #1 all-time most popular web series on Hulu, with a second season due to launch in March of this year.

Late last year, podcast network and hosting provider Podango shut down rather abruptly.

We heard from Podango cofounder Lee Gibbons yesterday, with an update on what is happening with the Utah-based startup:

I hope this message finds you well. This email is to update you on Podango’s situation.

After seeking funding from both traditional and nontraditional sources for over a year, the founders of Podango have elected to sell. We have a handfull of suitors, but we don’t want to sell quietly with people later saying, as they did with Odeo and Podtech, “gee, if I had known I would have…”

You have repeatedly been generous to Podango, so I thought it couldn’t hurt to bring the situation to your attention.

We are going to close the bidding pool on the 10th and move quickly to bidding, then closing.

Interested parties should contact [Podango co-founder] Doug Smith (doug [at] Podango [dot] com).

We tried to follow up with some more probing questions, but, 18 hours later, still haven’t had a response. With the bidding deadline zooming up, we thought we’d pass this scant information along to our readers.

We’ll update you when and if we have more information.

Apple has set up an online survey to find out how recent buyers of Apple TV make use of their box and what they do and don’t like about it in an effort to improve the system.

The online survey asks for demographic information, then asks you about how frequently the use Apple TV for various tasks, from renting movies to viewing photos to using it for home movies and with MobileMe Gallery.

If you’re a fan, or even a wannabe fan of Apple TV, check out the survey here.

Note: Apple has now taken the survey offline. : (

via Apple Insider

Today marks a milestone in podcasting.

The Kansas City Weather Podcast celebrates its fourth birthday today. With nearly daily episodes since its inception, it has more episodes produced (1325) than all but one podcast.*

This morning, I asked KC Weather Podcast creator Ed Roberts about starting his podcast’s fifth year.

It seems like a momentous occasion, a podcast going on continuously, for four years.

“The Kansas City Weather Podcast started on February 9th, 2005. It kind of caught me by surprise.,” Roberts laughed. “It’s hard to believe that I’ve been that long already.”

“In addition to the podcast, I often provide live coverage of severe weather [like today, interestingly enough] and other active weather events on my website.

What is the attraction of producing a daily podcast? And what do your listeners get that they don’t get from an old-media tv or radio forecast?

“While I give out a weather forecast, which has become somewhat of a commodity these days, I’ve been told that my personal insights, enthusiasm, availability, and honesty have continued to set me apart from Joe Forecaster here in town. While I’ve had offers to produce the podcast for other cities in the US, there’s something to be said about experiencing the weather right along with all your listeners.

And your podcast contributed to your decision to do another weather-related venture?

“Yes. Thanks in part to my visibility with the podcast, I launched a weather consulting company (LRC Weather) on November with 3 other weather folks in town, and it has been going very well.

You put out a weather podcast almost every day. Have you ever tallied up how much time you’ve spent?

“All totaled, I’ve probably put in around 4000 hours into the podcast over the years. That’s over 166 DAYS. Unreal… I really must be crazy.”

The KC Weather Podcast feed is here, and its Twitter feed is here.

*(KC Weather Podcast creator Ed Roberts informs me that 100 Word Stories has more episodes, but also had a 9-month head start.).

Todd Mundt, longtime public radio guy (and a favorite former Iowan) who writes as The Mediavore, is featured today in a CNN Money article about Americans’ changing media consumption habits.

Mundt’s changing media consumption habits are reflective of similar changes taking place throughout many U.S. households. Many families are economizing on entertainment costs, as they eliminate monthly cable and satellite subscriptions, and abandon renting and buying DVDs, in favor of free and low-cost alternatives.

As the article notes, Mundt canceled his cable TV, and scaled back on renting DVDs from Blockbuster. Now he gets his entertainment via cheap (or free) streaming video sites. Mundt keeps up on TV shows via Hulu.com, and streams rented movies via the less expensive Netflix.

Mundt estimates a monthly savings of $50 or more, getting his entertainment over the Internet connection he’d already have for computer Web access anyway.

Media Post predicts that “domestic pay TV growth is expected to slow to 5% in 2009 from 11% last year” and explains that the proliferation of free and on-demand content is a big factor in slowing pay-tv growth to a crawl. In fact, they argue, “the surge of free and on-demand content online … is devastating ad-supported broadcast television and … erod[ing] cable’s subscription business.”

Amazon.com today introduced Amazon Kindle 2, the new reading device that offers, in their words, Kindle’s “revolutionary wireless delivery of content” in a slimmer, sleeker package. The book reader retails for $359 and is scheduled to ship beginning February 24. Amazon is taking pre-orders here.

Amazon enthuses that the new Kindle model has a longer battery life, faster page turns, storage capacity that is seven times larger than the original Kindle, sharper images, and a new “read-to-me” feature. Users can choose reading material from among over 230,000 books are now available in the Kindle Store, including most of the current New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases. Those bestseller titles for the Kindle typically sell for $9.99.

The Amazon press release gushes, (italics mine),

“Over 1,200 blogs are available on Kindle today — up from 250 when Kindle launched. New blogs added to the Kindle Store recently include the Wired blogs, VF Daily and James Wolcott’s Blog from Vanity Fair. Blogs are updated and downloaded wirelessly throughout the day so Kindle customers can read blogs whenever and wherever they want. Wireless delivery of blogs costs as little as $0.99 each per month and includes a free two-week trial.”

The new Kindle looks sleek and snazzy, but the Kindle is still a closed, proprietary system. Amazon now offers a range of DRM-free music — why not DRM-free books as well?

And yes, Kindle users can now access to five times more blogs than before, which is nice. But that access, which is free on other Internet-enabled devices, costs the Kindle user. A dollar per blog, per month. Which would cost me hundreds of dollars a month, to do something I currently enjoy for free (on several different Internet-enabled devices).

And access to 1,200 blogs is puny in the face of the tens of millions of blogs that are out there.

What do you think about the new Kindle?

More about Kindle 2 specs and features after the break –

It was a nice surprise last week to hear podcasting event pioneer Brian Russell being interviewed on American Public Media’s Marketplace program.

As you may remember, Russell organized one of the first “open space” podcasting conferences, PodcasterCon, back in January 2006 (about 8 months before the first of dozens of PodCamps debuted). He was also an early adopter of podcasting, at Audio Activism.

In addition to setting the stage for volunteer-organized conferences with agendas determined by participants, Russell is also founder of Orange Networking, a nonprofit working to foster equal access to the Internet.

But the focus during the Marketplace interview, however, was Russell’s newest community-centered venture, Carborro Creative Coworking. CCC calls itself a “professional shared workspace with a community atmosphere.”

I talked with Brian recently to ask him about CCC, to have him explain the connection between podcasting, podcasting unconferences, and the more entrepreneurial work of founding a coworking center.

The link to Brian Russell’s interview on Marketplace (and a transcript of the piece) is here.

Elisabeth McLaury Lewin: I was so happy to hear that you’d been interviewed for Marketplace Innovations’ story about coworking. For me it was that glad feeling of connectedness with someone I know, getting recognized for the creative things they do.

Brian Russell: Thanks 🙂

Elisabeth McLaury Lewin: I’ve been reading on Twitter for awhile about your preparations and plans to put together a coworking space in Chapel Hill (well, Carborro, actually).  What inspired you to launch Carborro Coworking?

Brian Russell: I’ve been primarily inspired by Tara Hunt, of Citizen Space, and Alex Hillman, of Indy Hall. Plus the Coworking Google Group has been amazing.

But my main inspiration has been the community of Carrboro and Chapel Hill. When I moved here, I was immediately immersed in local activism by Ruby [Sinreich, activist, writer, and Brian’s spouse]. So as my relationship with her grew, so did my love of these two towns. They have three things that Richard Florida says attracts people to communities: Technology, Talent, and Tolerance. I associated these values with the people who live and work here. The big force that brings people here is the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

So as I grew to really LOVE Carrboro, I fought hard to retain its tolerance. One incident of blatant racism by a out-of-town property owner convinced me I needed to be more involved.

So to add to my personal activism, I became a business owner. This may seem a contradiction. But people who want to do good in this world have some powerful tools at their disposal if they can build successful companies.

Because Ruby and I plan on raising children here, and making this place our home for many years, I decided to think in decades instead of just years. This helped my ability to be tenacious. It is because of my new family that I take risks and plan to participate in my community for many years to come.

Elisabeth McLaury Lewin: How did you segue from organizing PodcasterCon to this latest project?

Brian Russell: It wasn’t a straight path. But the practice of organizing a community event like PodcasterCon taught me a lot. Right now, one of the most important things I do is set up many little recurring unconferences. (aka meetups). This way, many more people get to learn and have fun all year long.  As opposed to the one weekend a year.

I just like to party with geeks actually. 🙂

Elisabeth McLaury Lewin: How long ago did you begin planning this venture? Who else was involved, and how did they help?

Brian Russell: I spent over two years planning and preparing. I’m the sole “business” person. But Ruby has helped me a lot by listening to me go on and on about the idea and the stress of running a business.

Carrboro Alderman Dan Coleman was the person who suggested I investgate my idea further. Jamse Harris, the Economic Development Director for the Town of Carrboro convinced me to write a business plan. It was through his help that I made it through the Town’s revolving loan fund.

Elisabeth McLaury Lewin: What pieces had to come together in order to open your coworking office?

Brian Russell: A plan, funding, a lease, furniture, customers, and lots of work.

Elisabeth McLaury Lewin: Can you tell me a little about what a typical day looks like at Carborro Coworking?

Brian Russell: Right now no day is “typical”. But some similarities between days do exist. I come in and brew coffee every day we’re open.

Often, regular Office Coworkers come in early and get to work. Then, part-time and full-time coworkers sit down and do their work. Its a real ebb and flow.

In the evenings, the space keeps going with events several nights a week. Often weekends are busy, too, with different kinds of trainings, code sprints, and parties. All in all, it’s quite active and professional. I expect it to become even a bigger hive of activity in the months ahead.

Elisabeth McLaury Lewin: What kinds of work do your coworkers do? Do most of them come in every day?

Brian Russell: We have freelance and full time software developers, a few small Internet startups, several freelance writers, one international businessman, a few real estate agents, and even a documentary film maker.

Elisabeth McLaury Lewin: The Marketplace story talked a little about how the place lends itself to collaboration and sparks cooperative projects among otherwise unconnected coworkers. Could you talk a little more about the working environment, and some examples (formal or incidental) of when coworkers pitched in together on a project?

Brian Russell: There is a lot of collaboration going on. Some of it involves sharing information and work on various software programing tasks.

Other folks are asking each other for leads on people to interview for articles. During lunch time there are often energetic conversations that inspire us. Several of us are collaborating on business ideas in various stages of development. Then in the evenings people learn from each other and develop friendships.

Community and trust building is key.

Elisabeth McLaury Lewin: What else do you want Podcasting News’ readers to know?

Brian Russell: Local is global. Getting involved in your community is a great way to make a difference. Not just for others but for yourself. If you want something help someone else find it. That will bring it to you that much quicker. I’m living this and its true!

Photo credit: Abbyladybug

Internet media platform Boxee announced today that their iPhone remote application has been approved by Apple. Soon the remote application will be available (free via the App Store), and will give users a more powerful tool for navigating Boxee.

The announcement was just a brief blurb on Twitter, without a lot of detail, so we asked Boxee’s PR guy, Andrew Kippen, to fill us in:

We’ve heard from Apple that they’ve accepted the remote, but it’s not in the [iPhone] App Store yet…

The boxee remote app has been in the works for a while now.  We originally released it via Cydia for jailbroken iPhones. We are excited to see it in the App Store.

It’s by far the easiest way to navigate boxee and input text – one of the major hassles of searching with a normal remote.  Using a WiFi connection to a laptop, desktop [computer], or AppleTV running boxee, the boxee remote app allows users directional movement, ok and back buttons. The remote also allows text input via the iPhone keyboard as well.

Our goal is to allow people to run boxee on their existing hardware, and this is one more way we’re making it easy for people to run boxee on hardware they already have.

This will nicely enhance searching for content and navigating through Boxee, which is a fairly versatile, powerful media platform. We also hope that they’ll soon improve their support of and compatibility with Apple TV (which is currently a pretty klunky hack to operate).

UK dance record label Toolroom Records has two podcast series that are worth a listen, if you like house music. Toolroom founder and DJ Mark Knight hosts a monthly show featuring full tracks from some of the label’s artists, remixes of other songs, and a minimum of news and banter. It’s mostly music.

A second Toolroom podcast series is published weekly. This “Toolroom Knights” show is mixed by Toni Jarvis and hosted by Pete Griffiths, and features different tunes and remixes of Toolroom tracks and artists.

Artists on the Toolroom Records AFTC, Dirty Vegas, Dave Spoon, and Funkagenda among others.