Ramblings from a Social, Zealous, Fashion Loving San Diego Chick.
Techcrunch shared this video today called “The Rise and Fall of Twitter” - pretty funny parody. Took me a minute to get over the fact that it’s taken from a WWII movie but pretty good nonetheless. Thanks Techcrunch & Nicholas Deleon (the creator).
I am super stoked about this site - WebVet (recently launched and covered on Techcrunch earlier this week) an online resource and help-center for pets. It’s similar to WebMD in that it provides a platform to research physical and emotional symptoms but now it’s specifically for your beloved pets. YAY! Not only does it provide a portal for medical conditions & research but it also provides breaking news coverage, lifestyle and human interest stories, and a way for you to connect with similar pet parents. It’s a very comprehensive resource for pet owners and I know I’ll definitely use it when I’m curious or in need to learn more about a symptom or condition Malibu may be experiencing. Like why is my dog so hyper? Can somebody explain that to me, please?! 
No but in all honesty I’ve personally tried to search for insights on food/skin allergies, flea meds, etc. for Malibu and I can never find a reliable resource - I’m sorry but Yahoo! groups is not exactly my first choice for pet medical advice … WebVet provides me that one-stop place for my research. Thank GAWD!
Of course if your pet is experiencing severe symptoms go to your vet immediately - “WebVet does not diagnose, suggest treatment or editorialize but rather provides news, information and fact-based education to pet owners. WebVet strongly encourages all pet owners to consult with their veterinarians on the best course of action for their individual pet.”
If you had 12 seconds what would you say? Well that’s exactly what 12seconds.tv wants to know. Conceived and developed by some fellow nerds in Santa Cruz, CA – 12seconds.tv gives you the opportunity to update what you’re doing through 12 second video clips.
In a nutshell …
Like how you update Twitter with small blurbs throughout the day, 12seconds is the best place online for video status updates. It’s a super easy way to share what you’re doing with your friends and family using short video clips. You can use your web cam or mobile phone. Show your friends where you are, share your thoughts, or tell them how you’re doing – 12 seconds at a time. Genius!
I am almost out of beta invites – but if you want to see if I have any left please comment below or dm me through Twitter and I’ll for sure try to hook you up.
Alex Funk, Me, Gema Torrenes
I never seem to fail to have a GREAT time at our Happy Hour 2.0 events. The people are awesome & always welcoming, the booze is free, the venues rock and the photographs always come out eerily professional (thanks @Viss!). Last night’s Happy Hour 2.0 was not an exception and along seeing the same tech friends I usually do - I met a few new peeps who seemed enthusiastic to party alongside yours truly (and I mean that in the most pompous way ever. lol.) and see what the San Diego tech community is all about.
So thanks again to GWaveConsulting for hosting a kick ass event at a kick ass venue (you’ll see the pics of the view - which was amazing)! If you would be interested in hosting a San Diego Happy Hour 2.0 in the future, get in contact with me and I can send your info to the right person in charge. Bottoms up!
Night view of downtown San Diego
Petco Park view
A few days ago an individual reached out to me regarding a San Francisco event called “Startup Camp” - an ‘un’conference meetup where startups, web authorities and VCs come together to network, pitch, compete and share ideas over 2 days. It’s actually a pretty cool concept, so here’s the info:
Sun is also hosting a free event called “Startup Camp” in San Francisco (May 4-5, 2008) to allow startups to participate in an un-conference networking event to hear from some web 2.0 authorities, meet other startups and apply to Sun’s Startup Essentials Program. The event also includes SpeedGeeking (which I thought was a pretty funny concept), where startup founders can compete in the Best Startup Contest by presenting a 5-minute pitch of their business to VC led groups of peers.
Confirmed guests include: Pete Cashmore, Jonathan Schwartz, David Berlind, Om Malik, Matt Marshall etc. This event is a great way for startups to network and discuss ideas.
In addition to Startup Camp, Sun and Mashable.com have partnered to present “The Startup Review” on mashable.com which is a daily feature/review of a new startup to help spread the word on unique and emerging ideas throughout the community.
I’ve received mention that so far the event is going very well. I’ll keep you posted on outcomes & take-aways from this event…
It’s still surprising that a majority of Internet users don’t know what Web 2.0 is. Ya, they are submersed in it everyday - but a lot of people still don’t know what it means, what it represents and how it evolved from 1.0. As apps are developed, as more and more people understand the thinking of 2.0 and as corporate businesses become more social media hungry - I see a lot of revolt from the web/tech industry for the Web 2.0 reference. I also see a lot of chatter about 3.0, 4.0, etc…
But as any marketer knows - it’s all a bunch of artificial hype to get more investors to invest, more businesses to pay, and more users to buy into. Whether the 2.0 term remains the web’s flagship product or fades away into oblivion in the next few years remains a question to me (and quite frankly, I don’t really give a damn about the term itself anyway). And as the term becomes more and more mainstream - the less and less the power users, web/tech industry and geeks will continue to use it. After all, we’re always looking for something bigger, better and more exclusive. Right?
So F the 2.0 term. Who really gives a flying crap if we reference 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 or 10.0? Web 2.0 isn’t just a term. Web 2.0 is a way of life. It’s a mindframe. It’s the way we connect with eachother in the web community. It’s the way we feel, handle business, carry on our lives through digital & nondigital experiences. UGC, Sharing, User Control, Blogs, etc. etc. I could go on forever. Web 2.0 is an association we make with a revolutionary online experience and how we create relationships within these online territories and carry them out into our everyday lives.
Whether 2.0 is filtered through happy hours, lunches, dinners, parties - who gives an F if we use the 2.0 term as association? Let me put it this way; if I announced a Web Meetup versus a Party 2.0 - which would you prefer to attend? Knowing what you know about 2.0 - the community aspect, the hard-work and focus, the way we do business through cutting edge design and development. I see no contender against 2.0.
If you like it or not - 2.0 is a reference point, a mindset, and lifestyle. 3.0 will be the same as will 4.0…etc. I am PROUD to say I am a 2.0 Geek and I will continue to promote, attend and rally with 2.0 events and parties! While others sit on the sidelines and only jock eachother on social networks - I will be out networking, thriving within my community, and standing up for what I believe the web is…and oneday will be.
The Crunchies 2007 are tonight! With 110,872 votes cast for the finalists, the competition is steep and the winners will leave there glorified! Bummer I’m not going to be up in San Francisco to attend but I’m still going to keep on top of the winners and list them here as soon as I find out! I was talking to Zivity CEO, Jeffrey Wescott who asked me if I was attending the awards - dammit I’m not! However I did vote - and I’m hoping my choice for Best Overall will kick ass!
GO TWITTER!!!
Every once in awhile I’m going to post some of my blogs from dt onto here (if they’re worth of some extra coverage that is). I think this web app deserves some extra glances.
GENOCO launched an iPhone/iPod Touch application that allows users to order and purchase Starbucks drinks from your device and ridding yourself of the Starbucks line. Hmm, quite intelligent and seemingly irresistible to a Starbucks lover. The program looks pretty sick with a very sleek interface and QuickPay transaction system - so you don’t need to fumble through your wallet for dolla dolla billz yo (Ok, please cut me off from the coffee now).
I think it’s pretty sweet. I just want to know how the no-line function works. Do you order when you’re in the store and then it magically appears at the Barista bar? I’m sure you still have to wait in line to actually pick up your drink, but at least you only have to wait in one line! I haven’t downloaded the app yet to my iPod Touch but if you’ve tried it at a Starbucks store I would love to get some insight of your experience.
Here are a few links to screen shots of the app - looking Apple-sexy as usual.
