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Category: Features

CLIQ promises additional reporting features

Rick Turoczy on October 16, 2007

CLIQ, the dynamic blogroll widget built by Portland-based StepChange, continues to roll through its public BETA. And word is that initial feedback has provided some valuable guidance.

Personally, I’ve been happy to have another source for stats on what types of articles people like to read. That’s why the upcoming features at which StepChange hints are extremely intriguing:

We are re-working Reports to be more specific to what’s going on with your particular CLIQ Widget (“How many times it was viewed”, and “What posts were clicked on”). And we’re also working on a way to ‘show’ how readers are moving between the blogs within your CLIQ.

CLIQ is currently in public BETA. For more information or to sign-up for the BETA, visit the CLIQ site.

Platial uses new API for latest build, new look

Rick Turoczy on September 18, 2007

Portland-based Platial, one of the original social-mapping and map-mashup sites, has announced that the latest build of their mapping tool has completed BETA testing and is now available to the general public.

While the most obvious changes are to the Platial interface, the most interesting part of the release—at least from my perspective—is that it marks the first build on the new Platial API.

It’s also the first major release on our new code framework Chris and Jake developed using our new api which Chris pretty much single handedly created

Some stability issues have been addressed under the hood, as well:

The reason we’re all so excited is that both the code base and the UI are more solid than ever (also lots of back-end tweaking and turning are targeting content eve[n] more effectively!). This was a methodical build and is just the first on the new solid framework which is going to allow us to be even faster and even more responsive to our amazing users!! Now that the Platial platform is for a good part established we can finally obsess over the details.

Platial enables anyone to find, create and use meaningful maps of Places that matter to them. The goal of the site is to connect people, neighborhoods, cities and countries through a citizen-driven common context that goes beyond geopolitical boundaries.

Tweet! SplashCast announces Twitter integration, Columbia Records deal

SplashCast, the Portland-based media company that enables anyone to create a media channel out of practically anything they have lying around the house—video, music, photos, narration, text, as well as RSS feeds, PowerPoint presentations and PDF documents—has announced a groundbreaking new feature for their SplashCast player: integration of Twitter.

Rick Turoczy on September 13, 2007

SplashCast, the Portland-based media company that enables anyone to create a media channel out of practically anything they have lying around the house—video, music, photos, narration, text, as well as RSS feeds, PowerPoint presentations and PDF documents—has announced a groundbreaking new feature for their SplashCast player: integration of Twitter.

SplashCast now offers the only media player online that allows quick, inline messaging to Twitter. Your viewers will be able to click the Twitter icon in your players, provide their username and login and then enter a message to be sent with a link to your channel to their entire network of friends on Twitter. Think Twitter’s just for the early adopter tech crowd? Readers of Sally Forth in the Sunday comics and viewers of the MTV Video Music Awards might disagree.

They also apparently signed a deal with some little record company called Columbia Records.

http://web.splashcast.net/Skins/candc_wide.swf

That deal carries with it two additional technology features that benefit all SplashCast users, but Columbia-act Coheed and Cambria will be the first to use the new features:

FanCast, our new mobile publishing feature, will allow the band’s fans to upload photos, audio files and video from their mobile phones to the Coheed and Cambria channel.

The second feature that will be deployed first on Columbia Records artist channels is live chat. Fans will be able to discuss whatever is on their minds in real time with our new in-player chat functionality.

I know, I know. I led with the technology.

I realize that the SplashCast deal with Columbia Records is huge. For both the company and the awareness of the SplashCast player. Not to mention Beyonce. And Bruce.

And, this is huge for Portland, as well. More and more the music mecca, this deal meshes incredibly well with the local culture.

All good points. And all worth congratulations. But I stick to my lead for three reasons:

  1. SplashCast is the first media delivery application to embrace the power of Twitter as part of its core feature set.
  2. This marks a decided move beyond simply “publishing” media to facilitating media distribution and promotion.
  3. I guessed this Twitter integration was coming.

Additional coverage of the SplashCast announcement can be found on the SplashCast blog, Center Networks, TechBizMedia, and Mashable.

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