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Category: Sites

Grabb.it redesigns, incorporates personal MP3 tumblogs

Portland-based Grabb.it, the service which has the potential to help catalog Web-based MP3s for music lovers everywhere, picked a rather inauspicious date to release a new version of the Grabb.it site. But they’re not fooling around.

The new site now enables anyone to create tumblog posts based on the MP3s they grab.

Grabb.it is the group music blog where anyone can contribute. Sign up to create your own personal mp3 blog about songs you love and to send your posts to services like Tumblr, Blogger and Facebook.

This new feature holds promise, both as a way of allowing users to easily create reviews of the tunes in their respective libraries and—hopefully—as a means of increasing the reach and promotion of the Grabb.it service to active tumblog and Facebook types.

What’s a “tumblog“? I’m glad you asked. According to Wikipedia:

A tumblelog (or tlog) is a variation of a blog that favors short-form, mixed-media posts over the longer editorial posts frequently associated with blogging. Common post formats found on tumblelogs include links, photos, quotes, dialogues, and video. Unlike blogs, tumblelogs are frequently used to share the author’s creations, discoveries, or experiences while providing little or no commentary.

Other noticeable changes to the Grabb.it site include a highly simplified UI and a very slick, intelligent bread-crumb trail.

For more on the MP3-finding service and its new tumblogging capabilities, visit Grabb.it.

Portland on Fire: Slow social networking

Some people get married and then push everyone else to get married. Some people do the same thing with having kids. Me? I submitted my Portland on Fire profile, and now I expect everyone else in town to do it, too.

What’s Portland on Fire? I’m glad you asked.

Portland On Fire is a daily discovery of PDX people. The site introduces you to a person in the Portland, Oregon (PDX), area every day. Reach out and connect. The site was created by Raven Zachary and launched on January 1st, 2008. Early profiles [focused] on individuals in the tech and creative arts communities in Portland, but there is no reason why it must stay focused in these areas. The talent pool in Portland is large and diverse, and this site hopes to make this fact evident.

Portland on Fire has been described as “slow social networking.” A profile a day. That’s not really too much to ask, is it?

And I have to admit, it’s really working for me. Here are some of the interesting folks that I’ve met (all virtually and some in person), thanks to Portland on Fire:

  • Jessica Neuman Beck
    Designer, writer, crafter, geek
  • Paul Bingman
    Web programmer, film junkie, railroad movie consultant
  • Ben Bradley
    Soon to be the former Captain Bradley
  • Larissa Brown
    Mommy, knitter, knit designer, author, artist, runner, friend
  • Bill Burcham
    Technologist, craftsman, inventor
  • Joel Burslem
    Founder of the Future of Real Estate Marketing blog
  • Jennifer Cloer
    Information junkie, wife, friend, sister, daughter, aunt and colleague
  • Mara Collins
    Mother, Wife, Philosopher, Blogger
  • Serena Davidson
    Free-Range People Photographer, Geek Magnet, Entreprenuer, Chocolate Fiend
  • Selena Deckelmann
    Sysadmin, Event Organizer, Chicken Keeper
  • Melissa Delzio
    Designer, Artist – can sing greek alphabet, has squeaky hicupps
  • Kurt Deutscher
    Chief Technology Evangelist, Portland Native, Jazz Drummer
  • Audrey Eschright
    Crafty geek
  • Daniel Etra
    Nourishing complexity + digging deep for real solutions
  • Sioux Fleming
    Technologist, computer threat security evangelist, avid camper, cat person
  • Dawn Foster
    Community Manager, Event Organizer, Blogger, Podcaster, Vegan, and Technology Enthusiast
  • Adrienne Fritze
    Mom, artist, social entrepreneur, risk taker, passion monger, creative freak
  • Lyza Danger Gardner
    Introspective, Inquisitive and Surly: Portland Native Eschews the Humdrum
  • Sarah Gilbert
    Finance blog editor, writer, photographer, knitter, mama
  • Mark Gross
    Linux kernel engineer, open source tinkerer, robot builder, intellectual wanderer
  • Hideshi Hamaguchi
    Concept creator, strategist + designer who cannot draw pictures
  • China Z. Hamilton
    Artist & world traveler turned advertising student
  • Sam Keen
    Coder, Event Organizer, Open Source Enthusiast, Geek
  • Justin Kistner
    Online marketing strategist, web designer, and Rock Band drummer
  • Sam Lawrence
    Chief Marketing Officer, Jive Software
  • Kent Lewis
    Search engine marketing guru, recovering entrepreneur and family guy
  • Steve Libbey
    Novelist, guitarist, personist
  • Melissa Lion
    Professional Writer: Fiction, Food and Sex
  • Jadene Mayla
    Plant-lover, artist, zombie movie fan, ecstatic dancer, and writer
  • Kathleen Mazzocco
    Independent public relations consultant
  • Aaron Meyers
    Level 1 Dad LFG PST
  • Todd Mintz
    Eclectic Search Engine Marketing / Internet Marketing Specialist
  • Wende Morgaine
    Educator. Connector. Innovator.
  • Steve Morris
    Entrepreneur, startup coach, hobbyist technologist, former DJ
  • Matt Navarre
    Relational database developer, guitar nut
  • Lynne Joy Nesbit
    Relentlessly curious, business owner, artist, psychotherapist, mother, feminist, believer
  • Chris O’Rourke
    Father, husband, geek and general nuisance to computer problems
  • Bram Pitoyo
    Account planner, creative researcher, brand strategist & most other things
  • Paige Saez
    Interaction designer who likes ubicomp, conceptual art, painting, digital anthropology
  • Craig Schwartz
    Entrepreneur, raconteur, agent provocateur, bon-vivant, gadfly, sapient primate
  • Eva Schweber
    Cat herder, baker, recipe whisperer and dairy goat herder (retired)
  • Urban Scout
    Post-apocalyptic anti hero… With a blog!
  • Greg Sorber
    A technical writer who is decidedly non-technical
  • Gary Walter
    Quintessential 5th gen Portlander on a road not taken
  • Amy Sample Ward
    Lover, blogger, activist, biker, dreamer, worrier, lover
  • Raven Zachary
    Technologist, open source industry analyst, event organizer
  • Nick Zolotko
    Star Wars nerd with a hint of normality

But, honestly, for as interesting as all of these folks are? I’d still like to meet you. So why don’t you head over and fill out a profile? I’m looking forward to reading about you, soon.

A (Portlander’s) profile a day, that’s all we ask

Portland-based Open-Source guru, BarCamp champion, and Legion of Tech‘er, Raven Zachary, has started the new year off on the right foot by launching Portland on Fire, a new site designed to profile one member of the Portland community each day.

Why? I’m glad you asked. (And I’m glad Raven provided an FAQ for this one.)

Current online social networks are ineffective channels to meet new people. This site will help to facilitate networking. I was working on a project in the late 90’s called ‘Great Minds’ – a global profile site of amazing people. This is an implementation of that idea focused around the amazing people in the Portland, Oregon, area.

For more information, visit Portland on Fire or see additional coverage of the effort in VanPortlander. To participate, prepare and submit your profile. Or, if you’re just looking forward to reading about some interesting folks, grab the Portland on Fire RSS feed or follow @portlandonfire on Twitter.

I’m looking forward to reading more about you one of these days.