Sunday, July 23, 2006

Doc Searls: "I thank Edwards too." 

Okay, here's a feature I want to implement, to connect directory pages with a page on the wiki. I want to generate a URL into the wiki, and then when someone clicks on it, and the page doesn't exist, the wiki offers to create it for you. I tried this with PB Wiki, to see if it works, I thought it might, but alas it doesn't. Is there something I need to put on the URL to get it to offer to create a page? Do other wikis have this feature? Here's a screen shot of a page with the wiki link. And here's a shot of the page it links to. 

I'm learning a lot, as I start working on the podcast directory. For example, I didn't know that NBC News provides the full Nightly News with Brian Williams in podcast. This is quite useful, I'm almost never around to watch TV when the news is on, and frankly it's a waste of human bandwidth for me to watch the news. I can listen while doing other things. Until now the only daily news I was getting via podcast was the News Hour with Jim Lehrer.  

I wonder if the media organizations are watching this. I've created, by hand, the OPML files for NBC and the NY Times. This is something they must actually do for themselves, because I won't know when these files need updating. But I don't mind helping get things started, that seems to be my job. If you need some pointers, please get in touch, or join the directory editors mail list if you can.  

New directory branch for Dutch podcasts. 

I've gotten a bunch of emails asking how to add a site to the directory. Because we're going slow, and I'm sort of feeling my way through this, there is no way. I've started lots of directories, some that work, some that became disorganized messes. I've learned that the only way to end up with something good is to go slow. That said, I'm not going to be able to do what everyone wants me to do, so that will create the need for more directories. That's fine and good and right. There shouldn't be one directory any more than there should be one weblog. But if we do things right, the atomic units will be small enough so that they can fit into lots of different structures. So topics like New York or Minnesota podcasts are small enough to fit in. So far, sorting by geography seems to work. Of course that's just one way to organize. 

Ole and Lena jokes never go out of style. 

A year ago today, a drive along the Charles River in Cambridge. 

You did know the flamers were coming... 

Here's a dark cloud on the podcast directory project. I don't know who the guy is, but I'm not a gatekeeper, route around me, please, right now. If you're going to flame about it, let's see if people really want the directory enough to stand up to the BS. I'm just doing a directory, it's not the only one, not by any stretch of the imagination. And the OPML that people generate for my directory can be included in any other directory. What I'm contributing is promotion and an example for people to copy. If people would rather I didn't, no problem, I've got plenty of stuff to do.

New Spa Per 

Are you tired of pros, like the New York Times, writing "Web log" when the correct word is weblog or blog?

Both are in common usage, they're even in the OED, so why does the Times persist in knowing better?

How would they feel if we wrote about their product as a New Spa Per? Nahhh, that would be immature.

Maybe they could accept blogging for what it is, and stop messing with the name.