Technology News: Wikis

Clicker Charts the Seas for Online TV Surfers
November 12, 2009

Clicker Media on Thursday publicly launched Clicker.com, its programming guide to Internet television. This comes less than a year after the company began building what it describes as the "ultimate programming guide for Internet television." Clicker catalogs the broadcast-quality movies, music videos and Web videos available online on more than 1,200 networks.

Google Wends Its Way Into Web Annotation With Sidewiki
September 24, 2009

Google on Wednesday launched Sidewiki, a Web annotation tool that serves as a comment forum for Web pages. Sidewiki ranks entries according to their relevance, as determined by Google's own algorithm. It will also place those comments on Web pages that carry the information which sparked the comments. Google Sidewiki appears as a browser sidebar.

The Post-9/11 Internet: A Breeding Ground for Anger and Lies
September 11, 2009

It has become a morbid habit for me every Sept. 11 since the attacks: I soak up all the media I can about that day in New York City. I put on DVDs, seek out TV shows on the History Channel, scour the Web for any new videos. My real focus in on the broadcast coverage of that day, watching anchors and reporters react to the second plane hitting, the Pentagon's smoke streaming, the towers falling.

Sprint Gives Android a Hero's Welcome
September 04, 2009

Android is finally getting a little more wardrobe variety. It's also moving out into new U.S. carriers. Sprint is the latest wireless company to jump in with the Android crowd; it'll start selling the HTC Hero this October. The Hero looks to be a pretty capable handset. It's loaded with Google apps, of course, plus a pretty big camera, a touchscreen, video features, WiFi and expandable memory.

Wikipedia to Tinge Suspect Entries With Orange Cast
August 31, 2009

Wikipedia plans to roll out a new feature with the goal of enhancing the site's credibility. Called "WikiTrust," the optional feature color codes entries based on reliability, according to a Wikipedia page describing the new development. The color-coding tool gives users a "check text tab" that reveals author, origin and reliability of the text.

Clash of the Consoles Gets Down and Dirty
August 28, 2009

Congratulations, patient cheapskates: You've won the waiting game. Now you can get a well-equipped video game system for a somewhat reasonable price. The two most-advanced consoles on the market have dropped in price over the last few days, just in time for all of that back-to-school homework to get ignored.

Wikipedia's New Editorial Line of Defense
August 26, 2009

It appears that Wikipedia's reputation as the Internet's open source encyclopedia -- where any and all can contribute -- may itself be in need of some editing. Media reports quote a spokesperson for the Wikimedia Foundation, which manages the user-generated site, as saying that the English-language version will soon start experimenting with designated editors.

Jimmy Wales and the Slippery Slope
August 04, 2009

Jimmy Wales, cofounder of Wikipedia, recently attempted to pressure ECT News Network into killing or drastically revising an article that was not to his liking. In an illuminating series of no fewer than 17 email messages, Wales demanded, threatened, wheedled and implored in a dogged effort to accomplish one thing: to get us to change our story.

Tea Parties, Pirate Ships and a Kayak: A Summer at Sea
July 02, 2009

For seven months, a New York Times reporter named David Rohde was held prisoner by Taliban kidnappers. However, you wouldn't learn that from reading The New York Times -- or even Wikipedia, for that matter. In addition to other news organizations, the Times reportedly asked Wikipedia not to publish information on the abduction.

Wikipedia and the Kidnapped Reporter: Censor or Savior?
June 30, 2009

For seven months, New York Times reporter David Rohde was held by Taliban kidnappers. During his captivity, both his newspaper and Wikipedia kept quiet about his plight. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales reportedly agreed to a request from The New York Times to delete all references to the kidnapping on Rohde's Wikipedia entry.

Collaborating in the Cloud: Q&A With PBworks CEO Jim Groff
June 22, 2009

Cloud computing is remaking just about every software category -- and project management is no exception. In the on-premise software era, collaboration was limited by the technology of a particular firm, as well as the security requirements of a particular industry. That was then, of course.

The Rise and Fall of Traditional Journalism, Part 3
June 01, 2009

The shift from highly centralized corporations to distributed, networked "clouds" of micro-businesses is a hallmark of the Internet age, and it finds its expression most clearly in the rise of social media. Social media services can best be thought of as ad hoc organizations of contributors providing media content of some sort over the Web. The variety of such services is stunning.

Google Unleashes Web App Tidal Wave
May 29, 2009

The same developers who gave you Google Maps now think they've come up with the single best way for users to navigate all the communication and collaboration tools they currently use on a computer. Judging from some early tech press/blogger reaction Google Wave may indeed have the ability to take on not only the most popular office applications but also the hottest social networks.

Whither Wikis? The State of Collaborative Web Publishing
April 29, 2009

A long time ago -- meaning, of course, three or four years in Internet time -- wikis came to represent the best of the true democratic, user-generated nature of the Web. The collaborative writing/editing of a wiki meant that all voices could be heard, but majority rule would prevail.

Yahoo Hones Ad-Targeting Tools
February 24, 2009

Yahoo is fine-tuning its online advertising platform with the launch of three new tools designed to help advertisers target ROI on their advertising spend more effectively. One way Yahoo is doing that is by combining its search and display ad strengths in a single offering.

Bringing Up Open Source, Part 2: The Consumer Side
January 21, 2009

The expansion of open source into new markets is prompting consumers to notice alternatives to traditional computing habits. Personal computing power now puts so much opportunity into the hands of consumers that previously impossible activities are possible without exposure to proprietary software.