Wiggio: Streamlined Group Management

Wiggio showed up on my RSS feed of the del.icio.us Hotlist today, so I thought I’d give it a go. Billed as “a totally free, online toolkit that makes it easy to work in groups”, Wiggio’s yet another web 2.0 site that makes you wonder how you managed life before it existed.

Similar to Google Groups, Wiggio facilitates sharing and storing information in a user-friendly way. While Google Groups offers tools for publishing and design, Wiggio focuses more on communication. For example, live chat and live poll results give group members the opportunity to meet without ever physically meeting. I can see this being extremely useful for college students stuck in groups for core classes, where members may be scattered across campus at any point in time.

For those people who still communicate via voice, Wiggio offers conference calls through Rondee. Having not heard of Rondee until now, this aspect really stood out to me. It just seems really handy to have this feature built in.

Other than the weird Halloween color scheme, I really like what Wiggio has to offer. Unfortunately, I can’t think of any use I could have for it in the near future. I’m out of school, not in a band, and I don’t organize dance troops. Looks like I’ll just have to hyper-organize my friends…

Welcome Home, Grace!

Today I got a sweet little kitten from my co-worker, Pete. He has a couple litters running around his property and was nice enough to let me take a kitten home.

She’s really mellow, but does explore when she feels like it. I decided to name her Grace, partially because so far she’s pretty graceful, and partially after Grace Slick (a nod to Eugene culture).

She likes sleeping in my lap, and on her towel in a shoe box, but can be very vocal when awake. Her nose is a little sniffly, so I’m going to watch it, and take her to the vet if it doesn’t go away soon.

It’s been too long since I’ve lived with a cat, so I’m really looking forward to my relationship with Grace.

They Call Me “Mad Dog”

After finishing my internship with KATU in Portland, I finally graduated from OSU in New Media Communications and was lucky enough to get hired as a production assistant at KVAL in Eugene the next day.

So far they’ve let me run teleprompter, cameras, and floor direct. Eventually I’ll train on booth stuff, but for now they need me in the studio.

Apparently there are too many Jennifers at KVAL already, so veteran floor director, Pete, decided to call me “Mad Dog” instead. I think it fits well enough.

So far I’m really enjoying KVAL. Overall it’s a fun environment, and I’m getting some great experience and learning a lot. Now if they’d just make me full time…

Finally Connected!

Behold! I am now able to access the Internet from my apartment!

Under Construction

Arrrgh! I just moved to Eugene, and haven’t gotten Internet access at home yet, so now that I actually have some time to update the blog, I can’t get on a computer long enough to do a proper job.

Stay tuned. Updates to come.

New AMNW Website Now Live!

AM Northwest just switched web servers (again), and the site promises to be better than before!

Check it out to see what I’ve been updating every day.

Flickr Introduces Video Sharing

I haven’t had a chance to play with it yet, but I just read that Flickr is now allowing video uploads. They’re limiting it to 90-second videos, but for the Flickr model, this sounds just about right.

From what I can tell, the quality is ok, and the sharing is super-easy: it even helps you embed video on your own site (not WordPress, though).

YouTube is great, but its structure and organization are awful. I already love Flickr, and I think the integration of video is a logical step.

For examples of what people have already put up, check out their video beta group.

Free Streaming Television Content!

I read about Hulu several months ago in TV Guide, and thought it sounded great. For as long as YouTube has been around, people have been uploading and viewing copyrighted content. Well, after hunting and taking down illegal video, content providers are finally figuring out how to give audiences free video.

From the Hulu about page:

We hope to provide you with the web’s most comprehensive selection from more than 50 content providers including FOX, NBC, MGM, Sony Pictures Television, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, and more to deliver premium programming across all genres and formats, television shows, feature films, and clips. Watch full-length episodes of current primetime TV shows such as The Simpsons and The Office the morning after they air, classics like Miami Vice and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and clips from Saturday Night Live, Nip/Tuck, and others. Hulu also offers full-length feature films like The Usual Suspects, Ice Age, Three Amigos!, and The Big Lebowski as well as clips from films such as Napoleon Dynamite, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Devil Wears Prada and many more. Hulu is free and ad-supported — available anytime in the U.S.

All the video can be embedded and shared on sites like Digg, del.icio.us and Facebook, and you can even select in and out points to embed or share a certain clip. Mature content is only available to registered users (where a birth date is required). So far screenshots are allowed, but there’s no option to download.

The amount of content offered is incredible for only being around for a year. And with even a moderately fast Internet connection the streaming and quality of the video is pretty good.

I can’t wait to see how this one develops! Owned jointly by NBC Universal and News Corp, I wouldn’t be surprised if the other two networks figured out a way to get involved soon. Or even Apple, for that matter.

This model is the future of video. Hulu is where it’s at!

AM Northwest

I just started interning at AM Northwest at KATU in Portland. So far it’s a lot of memorizing procedures and policies, but still a lot of fun.

Check out this video to see the people I get to work with.

Watch the show weekdays at 9 on KATU channel 2!

Jott is Hott

So, I’m trying out this new thing called Jott. www.Jott.com. Check it out. listen

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