Morning Coffee Notes

“Starbucks coffee notes, actually done in the morning, featuring the authors of Hacking Netflix, Micro Persuasion, Orbitcast. Random stuff, kind of memorable, New York blogging, public relations, gnoing to Gnomedex, OPML.” Dave discusses the growth and evolution of RSS, OPML, and other web technologies. He expresses frustration with companies like Yahoo and Google that he feels are not collaborating enough with the broader community. The group also discusses the blogging community in New York versus other cities, the challenges of getting traditional media to engage with bloggers, and ideas for more informal blogger meetups and events. Overall, the conversation provides an insider’s perspective on the early days of the blogosphere and the ongoing dynamics between established players and the grassroots online community.

“Yet another New York coffee notes, this one with Kosso, live from the bar in the Millenium UN Plaza Hotel. We talked about tools for creating and managing podcast feeds in Flash, and lots of other random stuff. Goofy and technical.”

“An interview with Florida neighbor and author Jerry Vass, marketing/sales guru, and future blogger and podcaster.” Jerry discusses his experience with writing and publishing. The traditional publishing process is slow and inefficient. He considers himself more of a short story writer than a book writer, and is thinking about starting a blog instead of finishing his current book project. He believes the publishing industry is outdated and that blogging could be a better way to share his ideas and connect with readers. Jerry also talks about his background in sales training and how he focuses on effective communication rather than just sales tactics.

“A singing podcast, Dave’s rendition of It’s A Small World. As usual, appreciate it for its flaws!”

“Music and Red Couch answers about blogging, RSS, and who knows whatnot.” Dave answers questions sent in by Shel Israel. He discusses his history with blogging and the origins of RSS. He started blogging in the late 1990s as a way to communicate with a community he had created, and saw blogging as a way to bypass the traditional media that he felt did not accurately represent the software he was developing. Dave was an early pioneer of RSS, working with Netscape to create a standard format, and he describes the process of collaborating with them to establish RSS as the dominant syndication format. He reflects on the challenges of establishing standards and the importance of being open to adopting others’ ideas rather than stubbornly pushing one’s own.

“Part II of answers to Shel Israel’s questions for The Red Couch book he’s working on with Robert Scoble. Also a bit of music from USA for Africa (1985). One of my neighbors is sitting outside my window, so I felt self-conscious. No matter. ;->”

“Starbucks coffee notes with Phil Torronne and Beth Goza in Kirkland, WA.” Dave discusses various technology topics, including the potential for podcasting on XM satellite radio, the challenges of copying DVDs to portable devices due to DRM, and the capabilities of the Archos portable media player. They also talk about the benefits of open platforms that allow user-created content, like the example of World of Warcraft mods. Additionally, they explore the convenience and potential of devices like the SPOT watch that can receive RSS feeds and notifications.

“Idea processing software and how it relates to production software. Just some of the thinking behind the OPML editor that I’m working on.” Dave discusses his work on “idea processing” software, which he sees as a different category from traditional “productivity” or “production” applications. He explains that idea processing software, like outliners, allows users to easily organize and rearrange their thoughts, in contrast to paper-based methods. Winer notes that hierarchical structures and recursive data models are common in software, and he believes formalizing these concepts in a general-purpose “idea processor” could be valuable. He is currently working on developing OPML and other tools for this purpose, and invites listeners who are interested in idea processing to share their thoughts and experiences with him.

“A Morning Coffee Notes podcast done on the Archos on the beach, while tanning. Only ten minutes, but packed with stuff about weblogs.com, KYOU and podcasting for love.” Dave is recording a podcast from the beach in Florida, where he is enjoying the warm weather and relaxing. He discusses some recent updates he made to weblogs.com, including adding extended ping functionality. Winer also mentions his plans to release an application called iPodder.root that will allow people to easily download podcasts without needing to understand how to program Frontier. He then criticizes a segment on the Talk of the Nation radio show where the host could not understand why people would create and distribute podcasts for free, arguing that people do it for the love of it and because it’s fun and interesting, not just for money. Winer plans to submit this podcast to the San Francisco radio station KYOU that is experimenting with distributing podcasts.

“This evening’s podcast is 17 minutes of a tropical thunderstorm over the Atlantic Ocean.” Dave describes a dramatic thunderstorm on his porch, with lightning flashing over the Atlantic Ocean. He comments on the spontaneity and authenticity of early podcasting, recalling a memorable moment when a listener named Raymond Port recognized Winer’s podcast while driving on a Dutch freeway. Winer suggests that the personal, unscripted nature of podcasting is what makes it special, in contrast to the commercialization that some have tried to impose. He expresses excitement about an upcoming trip to New York and an event at the Guggenheim Museum, where he plans to do more podcasting. Throughout, Winer is captivated by the powerful thunderstorm unfolding outside his window.

A birthday breakfast podcast in Bayside with my parents, Dr and Dr Winer. We talk about idea processors, Macs, eBay, buying and selling online.

“Discussion at a Nashville restaurant with Hoder and Brendan Greeley about podcasting, context, making money, including a run-in with a Channel 2 camera crew. An interesting discussion.” Brendan shared his cautious support for podcasting, noting both the potential for creativity and the abundance of low-quality content. The conversation explored the personal and contextual nature of blogs, with the speakers emphasizing the importance of building relationships with readers rather than just delivering information. They discussed the challenges of monetizing blogs versus pursuing creative fulfillment, and the political implications of blogging, especially in restrictive societies.

“The difference between broadcasting and podcasting, and a request for ideas about the first podcasts that will be broadcast, on KYOU-AM in San Francisco.” Dave tells us that the radio station KYOU AM in San Francisco is planning to broadcast podcasts, and has asked Winer to provide the first podcast to be broadcast. Dave is excited about this opportunity, but wants to get feedback from the podcasting community before proceeding. Winer is interested in exploring the artistic and creative potential of using a high-powered AM radio station to amplify podcast content, but also acknowledges that podcasting may not need to be broadcast and wants to hear the community’s perspective.

“Lots of singing, one idea, not much more. A Windows reboot. A bunch of philosophy. Thirty minutes. Amazing.” Dave tries to play some music on his computer.

“I was driving from the beach to Gainesville, and got into an argument with the voice navigation system in my brand new Toyota Sienna minivan.” Dave is driving and arguing with his voice navigation system, which keeps trying to route him the wrong way despite his knowledge of the correct route to Gainesville. Dave ends up taking a detour and getting lost, but eventually finds his way back on track. Throughout the drive, Dave listens to classic rock music, and comments on the scenery and landmarks he passes, including the St. John’s River and the town of Palatka. Dave’s destination is the Central Florida podcasters meetup in Gainesville.

Podcast of my presentation at Pisa, Italy, “User communities and their tools.” Dave discusses the concept of the “unconference” that he developed for blogger conferences, where the focus was on discussion and tapping into the collective intelligence of the audience rather than traditional panels and speakers. He explains how the internet has enabled a shift away from centralized control of information and communication, allowing users to bypass traditional gatekeepers and create and share content directly. Dave argues this has led to an explosion of information and creativity, as the costs of production and distribution have plummeted. He believes this shift represents a return to a more decentralized, user-empowered model that was lost with the rise of mass media, and that this change is a significant evolution that can help solve global problems through increased creativity and participation from all.

“A brief response to Chris Lydon’s pilot for his Open Source radio program on Public Radio International.” Dave listened to the pilot episode of the new radio show “Open Source” hosted by Chris Lydon, and wanted to share his thoughts. Winer discusses how he prefers a more casual, rough style of podcasting rather than highly polished radio production. He argues that creativity and authenticity are more important than technical perfection, drawing an analogy to a child’s artwork. Winer encourages Chris Lydon to embrace the more casual podcasting style, rather than being overly critical of audio quality. He also sends well wishes to Adam Curry for the debut of his new show on Sirius satellite radio.

“On today’s podcast I ponder the possibilities for tomorrow’s broadcast podcast for KYOU-AM in San Francisco.” Dave is preparing for a podcast broadcast on KYOU and is considering different options for the content. He reflects on the changing media landscape, with users becoming their own content creators, and how this will impact the political system in the future. He is open to becoming the “Dick Cavett of the podcasting world” and engaging in more interviews, but is waiting for Skype to improve its recording capabilities.

“A Morning Coffee Notes for broadcast on KYOU in San Francisco. Notes about blogs and podcasts, the origins of podcasting, how it relates to professional reporting.” Dave’s thoughts on the differences between traditional journalism and blogging/podcasting. He discusses how bloggers and podcasters can provide a more personal and unfiltered perspective compared to mainstream media, which often tries to appear objective but ends up being narrow in its coverage and political leanings. Dave’s argues that transparency about one’s biases and beliefs is more important than strict objectivity, as it allows the audience to better understand the context and interpret the information. He also touches on his experience covering the 2004 Democratic National Convention as a blogger, and the criticism he faced for not sounding like traditional journalists. Overall, he advocates for a more diverse and authentic media landscape enabled by new technologies like podcasting.

“About two conversation-starters, non-disclosures, what I can and can’t tell you. Advertising in RSS and turning the conversation around in drive-time Bay Area.” Dave reflects on the excitement and energy around new technologies like the web in the 1990s, and how that same sense of possibility exists with podcasting today. Winer also criticizes the model of public radio, arguing that it is not truly “public” as listeners have little ability to influence the content. He expresses satisfaction that podcasting has enabled more direct, unfiltered communication from individuals, using the example of a commuter podcasting his drive-time thoughts. However, he’s is unable to share details on two new “conversation starters” he had planned to discuss, due to non-disclosure agreements with other parties involved.