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Category: Oregon

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.

Attensa releases new RSS readers, cleans up blog lint

Rick Turoczy on September 13, 2007

Attensa, the Portland-based You Software spin off that focuses on tools surrounding RSS technology, has released new versions of their RSS readers.

You can download the new enterprise-quality RSS feed readers for Windows, Mac and Microsoft Outlook at no charge immediately from the Attensa Web site. The three new Attensa feed readers are built using consistent AttentionStream™ technologies, architecture and user experience to provide business users with a complete set of tools for receiving, managing and reading critical business information delivered through RSS, Atom and XML web feeds.

Attensa also appears to have recently refreshed its blog design to focus on its main content, clearing off links to areas that have been relatively stagnant. (I didn’t want them to think that had gone unnoticed. It’s a welcome change.)

For more information on Attensa technologies and its AttentionStream concept, visit Attensa.

JanRain releases Pibb for Facebook

Rick Turoczy on September 12, 2007

You may know Portland-based JanRain as one of the leading local proponents of OpenID. But you may not know that they also have a few applications under their collective belt.

One of those applications—their IRC-like Pibb application—has recently been ported to Facebook.

This communications conduit has the potential to be incredibly useful for those folks looking to tie Facebook communications to the rest of their online communications. (Like say for instance, keeping your Facebook comments and your blog comments all in one place.)

By adding the Pibb Facebook application to your account you can easily tie together two end points of your social graph, Facebook and Pibb. Once you add the application to your Facebook account, you will easily be able check for new messages and connect with your Facebook friends on Pibb and vice versa.

Sounds like a useful Facebook addition. (For a useless Facebook addition, feel free to join the Silicon Florist group on Facebook.)

For more information, see the blog post announcing the launch of Pibb on Facebook.

(As an aside, with both JanRain and SplashCast supporting Facebook applications, I’ve got to assume there are others of you out there building Facebook apps. Yes? No? Well, if you’ve got a Portland-built Facebook app, link it up, below, or drop me a note. If enough folks respond, I’ll post a roundup.)

Meet: BarCamp Portland Meetup, September 27

Rick Turoczy on September 12, 2007

The BarCamp Portland Meetups are the more informal, more frequently held siblings of the annual BarCamp Portland gathering. The next meetup is scheduled for Thursday, September 27 at Jive Software.

The intent [of the BarCamp Portland Meetups] is to get a group of cool people interested in technology together to chat over drinks on the fourth Thursday of every month. Anyone working in high-tech is welcome to attend.

For more information or to RSVP, see the Upcoming page.

AboutUs grows new skin

Rick Turoczy on September 12, 2007

More news from AboutUs, the Portland-based business-listings wiki. Seems like only yesterday they were outgrowing their old location. Now, they’re outgrowing their old skin and spiffing up the AboutUs wiki, as well.

We’re quite excited about the new look. As we discussed the other day, the leaf logo and the NewSkin are intended to reflect the alive and growing AboutUs community, and make us feel wholesome and rooted in the whole world. We’re happy with this direction for the community and are glad you’ve joined us.

To see the new skin in action (it is out of BETA and has replaced the default skin), visit AboutUs.

Silicon Forest Universe: Get yourself into orbit

Rick Turoczy on September 12, 2007

Have a hard time visualizing the Silicon Forest? Maybe the Silicon Forest Universe can help.

The Silicon Forest Universe tracks the massive celestial bodies in the Portland-area—like Tektronix and Intel—and the startups that have launched because of them—which slide into an orbit around the originating company.

Brings “spin off” to a whole new level, doesn’t it?

Well, now that you know what it is, what’s in it for you?

I’m glad you asked.

Apparently, universal shifts are underway. And those cataclysmic events are your gain. You’re invited to launch your own planet.

Heike Mayer was a PSU student in 2002 when she helped create the original. Now a Virginia Tech professor, Mayer is working with PSU’s Sheila Martin (from the Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies) and a host of regional technology associations to update it.

That’s right. It’s like our own local version of the International Star Registry. Or maybe Virgin Galactic.

Either way, if you’d like to get your startup into orbit, head on over to another Portland-based startup, Survey Monkey, to fill out the Silicon Forest Universe survey.

I’m looking forward to seeing you among the stars.

(Hat tip to the Silicon Forest blog)

Silicon Florist: One month as the florist

Rick Turoczy on September 12, 2007

Excuse me, if you will, as I step out of character. I wanted to take a second to chat with you.

Don’t look over your shoulder. You. Yes, you. Please, read on.

Right around a month ago, I decided to try a little experiment.

I felt the local coverage of small technology startups was somewhat lacking. I mean, I could thumb through international coverage on sites like TechCrunch and Mashable for once-in-a-blue-moon postings on Portland-area companies. And, I could read about larger startups in The Oregonian.

But none of those was really hitting the mark. So I decided to quit being part of the problem. And I tried to do my little part to help solve it.

That solution, from concept to first post, took an earth-shattering 35 minutes. And the Silicon Florist—a blog covering the small startups in and around Portland, Oregon—was born.

And so here we are, one month hence. And I’ve been pleasantly surprised.

No, that’s not true.

I’ve been shocked. Shocked with the reception. Shocked with the kind notes. Shocked with the participation.

I think I’ve struck a nerve. And I hope that I’m providing a valuable service for you readers out there.

I also thought it might be valuable to provide a little recap of what has happened in the past 30 days or so. I’m not setting any records, but I am seeing some interesting stuff.

Stats

  • 70+ posts
  • Flirting with 100 RSS subscribers at times. The current count is:
  • Nearly 2,000 visitors
  • 37% returning visitors
  • 70% of traffic comes from referring sites (Thank you to all of you who showed Silicon Florist the link love!)

Top cities by visitors

  1. Portland
  2. Seattle
  3. Beaverton
  4. Troutdale
  5. New York
  6. San Francisco
  7. Los Angeles
  8. Washington, DC
  9. Hillsboro (C’mon Hillsboro! Yeesh.)
  10. Atlanta

Top posts

  1. KATU Portland-blogger invites blanket the area
  2. Goboz launches Digg for Portland
  3. Roundup: KATU Portland-blogger meetup
  4. Jive Software secures $15 million… and moves blog to Clearspace
  5. Grabb.it releases incredibly cool interface for iPhone
  6. To-do: Name that stealthy Portland startup
  7. Video: OpenID and Digital Identity
  8. Reminder: Digital Identity and OpenID, tonight
  9. Rumor: Goboz looking to take on CitySearch
  10. Ignite Portland?

Portland-area blogs, groups, and products mentioned

Finally, thank you for reading. Thank you for subscribing to the feed. Thank you for sending your tips. Thank you for your participation.

I’m looking forward to continuing this little experiment as long as it remains interesting to everyone involved.

Ignite Portland has sparks beginning to fly

Rick Turoczy on September 10, 2007

It looks like there’s been some activity over on the Ignite Portland site. It’s no longer reporting a 403 error, and the blog is at the very early stages of taking shape.

If the site doesn’t exactly do it for you, maybe the Ignite Portland Facebook group is more your speed? (If so, you might want to join the Silicon Florist Facebook group, while you’re there. Or not.)

Ignite Portland will be fashioned after Ignite Seattle:

Ignite Seattle is a geek event that combines on-site geekery, sharing, and innovation (and drinking).

The Ignite Portland team is still in the planning phase, but given the folks involved, it promises to be a must-attend event.

More news as it becomes available.

To-do: Name that stealthy Portland startup

Rick Turoczy on September 7, 2007

It’s Friday. Isn’t it? It is right? I’ve kinda lost track of time.

What’s that? It is? Okay, great. In Portland, too? Okay, cool.

Ahem.

It’s Friday, so why not give yourself a little treat?

Ryan Williams of NetworthIQ fame has a new project in the works. It’s stealth. Super stealth.

Well, that’s what I’m claiming, anyway. Because the project doesn’t have a name. And in my book, you can’t be much more stealth than that.

Worse yet? He doesn’t quite know what to call it.

So you get to help.

Which is the best domain name for a site that aggregates feeds from traditional and social sites for a city?

  • socialmetro.com
  • metbuzz.com
  • vibelocal.com
  • localsignal.com

Exercise your inner-entrepreneur—or your outer one for that matter—by swinging by Ryan’s blog, Web things considered, and placing your vote. Or suggesting a new name.

[Update] Ryan was nice enough to drop by a provide a link to the work-in-progress. Might provide a little more inspiration for your vote.

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