If there is one thing that everyone knows about, it’s advertising. No matter where we look, there always seems to be a thirty-second television spot, billboard, or conveniently placed Coke can within eye shot. While that sort of bombardment does have the tendancy to be annoying at points, it could always be worse. We could be living in the media obsessed dystopia of Max Headroom. In the series, advertising is present in three unique, highly diverse ways. On today’s installment of Twenty Minutes into the Future, we will take a look at three techniques and discuss how each are being used in today’s culture.

Technique #1: The Cheviot Method

Championed By: Ben Cheviot (George Coe), founder and president of Network 23.
Thesis: People first, ads second.
Explanation: According to the “Cheviot Method” of advertising, it is imperative to remember that it isn’t robots and/or lemmings watching these ads. It’s people. If “advertiser A” uses their predetermined ad time to insult the viewer, or if they try to do to much, the viewer is less likely to return. If such behavior keeps up over time, the viewer will simply “give up” and simply stop caring about your product or service. By treating people like people, not only do you get the viewer to care about the product, you make hem more willing to investigate other products or services that have your name on it.
In-Show Result: Network 23 is consistently number one in the ratings.
Real-World Example: Anyone who tows the Free Line concept practices this advertising method.

Technique #2: The Grossberg Method

Championed By: Ned Grossberg (the late Charles Rocket), the president of Network 66 and Cheviot’s mortal enemy.
Thesis: People exists to buy things, so they might as well be buying those things from us.
Explanation: When this particular advertising method is employed, the consumer essentially becomes secondary to the items that are being shown on the screen. Although the company involved might see a initial spike in “audience participation,” the numbers will actually be lower overall. To compensate for this, the advertiser/network is forced to employ a variety of gimmicks in order to coerce people into coming back for more. In the show, these gimmicks ranged from ridiculous (”Watch 66 in your sleep! You can do that now!”) to horrifying (one second long “blipverts” that had a nasty habit of making fat people explode) to the downright bizarre (a reality show about the life and times of super genius infants).
In-Show Result: Grossberg is made to look like a fool on a fairly regular basis; network ratings go down sharply.
Real-World Example: Any company labeled as an “evil corporation” has been accused of using this advertising method at least once in their existence.

Technique #3: The Zik Zak Method

Championed By: A fairly mysterious, multi-national corporation called “Zik Zak.” While it is implied that Zik Zak makes everything from furniture to prescription drugs, the company’s main products are soft drinks and fast food.
Thesis: People?! Who cares about people! Buy our stuff and quit complaining!
Explanation: People who employ this kind of advertising structure simply do not care about anyone or anything other than their product. It really doesn’t matter if people get “inconvenienced” or even find themselves in a sticky situation. They still bought the product. The “in-world” example of this tactic is the NeuralStim, a “free bracelet” that caused people to crave cheeseburgers. In the case of our hero, Edison Carter, the bracelet made him nearly die from overspending.
In-Show Result: The “faulty” bracelets cause Zik Zak to nearly go bankrupt.
Real-World Example: In a fictional TV show, it’s called a “NeuralStim.” In the real word, it’s called “malware.”
Special Note: During my research, I ran across three very different organizations that call themselves “Zik Zak.” Please keep in mind that the comments above only apply to the fictional corporation, not to the these real-life entities.

Our Advice: The “Cheviot Method” is the only way to go. As I said a few days ago. These are your people. Never forget that. Your customers (and everyone else, for that matter) will thank you in the long run.

Anyone who lived through the late 1980’s ought to remember Max Headroom, the hyperactive, pseudo-CGI “head in the box” portrayed by actor Matt Frewer. The Max Headroom character was everywhere in those days, from music videos to ads for Coca-Cola and seemingly everything in between. What many people don’t remember, however, is the science fiction program that bared the character’s name. This was not the lovable, wacky Max that called Cinemax and England’s Channel 4 home. This Max exists in a world where the major television networks are in charge. Because of this, such every day items as the off switch and the mute button are deemed to be illegal. Televisions are everywhere, including bathrooms and junk yards. Simply put, no one could ever escape the grip of the mass media, and the people like it that way.

Working within the confines of this odd, “Network-meets-The Matrix” world is Edison Carter (also portrayed by Matt Frewer), ace reporter for the highly-rated Network 23 and the “basis” for Max Headroom. It is his mission to bring his viewers the truth, no matter the situation. In the show’s fourteen episodes, Emerson and company does everything from thwart a sentient supercomputer to blowing the lid off of a dangerous subliminal advertising scheme run by Bill Maher, using nothing more than quick thinking and a heaping helping of brutal honesty. The viewer, both physically in the show and otherwise, are constantly reminded that the world is a better place thanks to people like Emerson Carter and his “computerized” alter ego. As long as there are people fighting for the truth, there really is nothing to worry about.

In many ways, we are approaching this basic existence, only with a different concept serving as our vice. Instead of thriving on a flashing picture, we are addicted to information. I don’t just mean the “TMZ/Perez Hilton” style celebrity gossip columns. I mean anything. Pick your topic — President Obama, professional wrestling, U2 — and I bet there is someone, somewhere talking, tweeting, or blogging about it at this very moment. We need to know about what is going on, and we need to know it now. Take the recent “best of seven” series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic for example. Five years ago, we would have had to wait two to three days to hear former Laker Shaquille O’Neal talk about his former team. Thanks to Twitter, we heard it minutes after the Lakers cliched the NBA title. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that this kind of “instant feedback” can become addictive.

Now despite what some might be thinking, things really aren’t all that dire. Our world isn’t based upon the idea of two-way television sets or networks that can make commercials so compact that they make people’s heads literally explode. We’re simply talking about the delivery of information, not a re-creation of 1984. It’s human nature to want to know what is going on around us. Exploiting that desire, on the other hand, is something else entirely. It all comes down to priorities. Those who put more effort into their advertising than their content are more likely to alienate their audiences than the people who put their “product” front and center. By ignoring the very thing that got you into this very situation to begin with, the writer/blogger/YouTube “star” is actually sending a message that your fan base’s mouse click means more than their physical presence. Who cares if the content is good nor not? You clicked the link. It’s your loss.

While it might seem like a good idea now, turning your audience into a group of mind-numbed automatons randomly clicking things will not help you become a success in the long run. The trick, if you want to call it that, is to adopt what I like to call the “Edison Carter” approach to content creation and maintenance. It all breaks down to three basic principles:

1. Your users are more than just a group of random mice clicking a white box. They’re people. Your people. Always keep that in mind when developing your content.
2. Stay genuine to your cause.
3. Stay open to the needs and concerns of your user base.

Do this, and the world just might become a better place. If you don’t, well … let’s just say living in an “off switch-free world” is not anyone’s idea of a good time. Be sure to come back tomorrow for part two of our three part series. Until then, this is Brad Fallon signing off for Network 23 the Free Line.

As I mentioned yesterday, I have finally installed KDE onto my laptop. It all seems to be working properly … in a way. Let’s start from the top and go down from there.

Konqueror – It runs, but that’s about all that it’s doing right now. What’s the point of having a “premiere league” web browser when half of the tools and features that users depend upon aren’t available? Take this very post, for example. Usually when I type up this fantastic, award winning (hint, hint) blog, I use the standard WYSIWYG (”what you see is what you get) setup that is provided by WordPress. For reasons that I have yet to comprehend, that very setup is not available in Konqueror. I am therefore stuck using the bare bones HTML editor. I might be able to fix things eventually, but I’m not necessarily optimistic at this point.

JuK (Media player) – Nothing plays. I can see the title of the track scroll back and forth, but I can’t actually hear any music. After checking a few sound card settings, I went back into the program, hoping for a better result. Unfortunately, all I heard was dead air. I looked through the various options, hoping against hope that I would stumble across a “configure player” link. What I did find, however, was an option that allowed me to configure various audio shortcuts. While it’s a nice tool to have on hand, it is not exactly what I’m looking for at the present moment.

Kile (Word processor) – Despite reports to the contrary, KOfiice is not installed by default. In its places sits Kile, a self-described “LaTex front end” with an eye for power. For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about right now, LaTex is based around the idea that the English tongue should have a programming language of its own. Despite what you might be thinking right now, a “programming language for text” is actually a decent idea. Making that language editor the default word processor, on the other hand, is not. Hoping to salvage my time today, I immediately closed it and started looking for the Windows version of KOffice. Sadly, it isn’t available for Windows users anymore. Oh bother…

Overall: I will be totally honest here: there is a reason why KDE for Windows is not better known. None of these programs have been designed with the “traditional user” in mind. At this point in time, I can argue that almost everyone, even seasoned Linux users, will loathe this collection of programs. Playing with these “applications” isn’t even a good way to pass the time, let alone as a way to get some work done. So as it pains me to say it, stay far, far away from KDE for Windows. You’ll be glad that you did.

The trek through our “virtual basement” continues on undaunted. Needless to say, it just gets stranger and stranger from here…

Service #1: Issuu

Website: http://issuu.com
Wiki Link: http://www.freelinereport.com/wiki/Online_Documents/PDF
Service: Multimedia PDFs
First Impression: Hmm … This is interesting…”
Ease of Use (Out of ten): 9
Positives: Incredibly easy to use and surprisingly powerful, Issuu turns your “boring,” run-of-the-mill PDF files into a nice presentation piece within moments.
Negatives: The default formatting — think “magazine” here — might not exactly mesh with your own “personal vision” of what the end file should look like.
Overall (Out of ten): 8
Service #2: BlogStar

Website: http://www.blogstar.com/
Wiki Link: http://www.freelinereport.com/wiki/Video_Services
Service: User-run online television network
First Impression: “It’s like if YouTube was actually organized … and with less copyright infringement.”
Ease of Use: N/A
Positives: Organization is key here. Everything you could ever want is laid out in several nice, neat sections.
Negatives: To many, the best part of sites such as YouTube and DailyMotion are the load of “free” intellectual property. You will not find that here.
Overall: 7; “It’s not my thing, but it’s interesting nonetheless.”

Service #3: DeepDyve

Website: http://www.deepdyve.com/
Wiki Link: http://www.freelinereport.com/wiki/Search_Engines
Service: Search engine for the “deep web“
First Impression: “I don’t see why this is any different than a regular search engine. [Pause] Ohh … that’s new…”
Ease of Use: 7; “The dark web isn’t designed for the novice user.”
Positives: We were able to find things that we didn’t even realize existed anymore. In our test, for example, we found the patent for HD DVD players, a blow-by-blow description on how to make artificial bacon bits, and the official TechTV site for the old Max Headroom television show. (TechTV hasn’t officially existed for five years.)
Negatives: Some users might find a service such as this to be a bit overwhelming.
Overall: 7

Service #4: Bakumatsu Koshashin Generator

Website: http://labs.wanokoto.jp/olds
Wiki Link: http://www.freelinereport.com/wiki/Graphics_Software/Photo_Editing#Photo_Editors
Service: Photo Editor
First Impression: “Make sure that you click on the ‘English’ link. It helps.”
Ease of Use: 8
Positives: The Bakumatsu Koshashin does only one thing — turning new digital photographs into black and white classics from the 1940’s — but it does it well.
Negatives: The English is rather hard to read at times. At one point, for instance, we received a message telling us that our photograph would be deleted in “two and three days.”
Overall: 10 (for photography buffs); 6 (for everyone else)

Service #5: 20-Goto-10

Website: http://www.workvsplay.com/web-stuff/my-web-based-stuff/DOS-in-your-browser
Wiki Link: http://www.freelinereport.com/wiki/Operating_Systems
Service: DOS … in a web browser
First Impression: “I wish I remembered more DOS.”
Ease of Use: 4
Positives: It’s a fun time waster for anyone who likes fooling around with fairly outdated technology.
Negatives: You really cannot do much outside of search Google at this point.
Overall: 6; It’s great as a proof of concept, but that’s about it.

The never-ending comedy of errors that is Twitter’s attempt to monetize continues in earnest. Citing that he was hit with “an offer [he] couldn’t refuse,” Twitter co-founder Biz Stone announced Friday that two news investors will be joining the team — Benchmark and Institutional Venture Partners (IVP). While no official numbers have been released, those close to all three parties say the deal weighs in at $35 million. At press time, Stone and his team are planning to use the cash to fund and build various “revenue-generating products.” As many fans of the Free Line know, monetizing Twitter has been somewhat of a hot topic as of late. Last week, Stone mentioned in an interview that corporate clients might have to pay to use the microblogging service in the near future. He then quickly rescinded the comment, chalking it up nothing more than a bad case of “thinking out loud.”

In other news, Google Japan has issued an apology for paying bloggers to recommend their products. The practice, which is banned under Google’s own Terms of Service contract, was “unearthed” by two bloggers last week. “At Google, we believe in being open and transparent with our users,” Senior Marketing Manager Koji Baba said in a statement. “We would like to apologize for this episode, and express our gratitude to the community of users and bloggers who brought this to our attention so that we could put a stop to it.” Many users have questioned the sincerity of the apology, saying it was more of a PR move than an admission of guilt. So as punishment for its deeds, Google Japan lowered their PageRank from a nine to a five. Neither the length of the punishment, nor the reaction to it, are known at this time.

The controversial exploits of Google Japan isn’t the only thing that the front office has to worry about. Google Radio Ads, an experimental service that promised to bring the Google way of doing things to traditional radio broadcasts, will be shutting its doors. Those close to the situation cite the questionable economy, combined with a growing interest in online audio advertising, as possible reasons for the move. At press time, Radio Ad’s last day is May 31st.

Not all news coming from One Infinite Loop is bad, however. High profile subsidiary YouTube has signed a new content deal with Sony BMG. Under the terms of the deal, YouTube will make an undisclosed, “upfront” payment to Sony, then split any resulting revenue in half. Aside from saving hundreds of tributes videos from receiving the “silent treatment,” the agreement protects the wealth of rare and interesting clips that call the service home. Among the artists receiving the proverbial “stay of execution” are Billy Joel, Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, and Rick Astley.

And finally: Despite what some might tell you, there’s more to web 2.0 than just business. Every now again, we need something a bit more lighthearted and entertaining. That’s where the Bakumatsu Koshanin Generator comes in to play. The Bakumatsu Koshanin Generator is an interesting new photo service that specializes in giving your cutting edge, 21st century snapshots a quaint, 1940’s makeover. Using the site could not be easier: just choose the photo you want to alter and press the “convert” button. Within seconds, your pictures are transformed into a blurry, black-and-white masterpiece. Simple and interesting, the Bakumatsu Koshanin Generator lets you take a fun little trip to the past while staying firmly rooted in the present.

Given the questionable state of the economy, it’s only natural for businesses to “cut back” on unneeded services and whatnot to save a little money. Even a powerhouse like Google is running into a few “issues” that they need to take care of. The online megastar has announced the discontinuation of several services, including Google Video, Google Catalog Search, and a few invite-only beta tests. In many cases, the now defunct services were considered to be “relics,” a specialist in a field already dominated by another Google service. As with all Google related shutdowns, the teams involved are giving users a few weeks to “finish up” before pulling the plug for good.

In other news, Adobe has put a stop to the practice of in-PDF advertising. Originally designed to add contextual ads to an otherwise ad-free environment, this Adobe/Yahoo co-production wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire. Sources close to Adobe say that the service was scrapped due to a combination of economical and practical matters. Advertisements will no longer be accepted after today, but will continue to run until March 31st. Adobe suggests reloading any affected file after the March 31st cutoff date, as the advertising framework could cause some files to malfunction slightly.

Despite what the previous two articles might have inferred, not everyone is in the process of cutting back. The folks over at Wikipedia have purchased more servers and storage solutions in preparation for the 2009 calendar. “Video file sizes are quickly reaching the dozens and hundreds of megabytes, and the proliferation of high-megapixel cameras means even small photos can take up a few megabytes,” Wikimedia CTO Brion Vibber told tech blog Network World. “The amount of storage actually being used is about 5 [terabytes], but that will grow quickly.” The move comes weeks after the organization’s year-end charity drive, which netted the self-described “non-profit charity” $6 million in much needed funds. According to reports, the new servers will support the site’s fast growing “multimedia” section, which features everything from classical compositions to sports highlights to public-domain documentaries.

Next, WordPress is the king of the blogging services, according to Royal Pingdom. In a poll of the web’s 100 most popular bloggers, 27 say that WordPress is the blogging platform of choice. Despite being the top platform, WordPress only comes in second in the “services” category. That award goes to Typepad, which clocks in with sixteen users. Other services and platforms making the cut include Blogsmith (sixteen users), Movable Type (twelve users), and Gawker (eight users).

And to finish out the week, MySpace is thinking about joining the world of webmail. According to a few “informants” close to the situation, the social networking giant will give every one of their 125 million users a free @myspace.com email address to go along with their accounts. By working things in this fashion, MySpace will instantly become the third largest provider of webmail, behind Yahoo and Hotmail. At press time, MySpace is neither confirming nor denying the report.

Yahoo is entering the world of television, in a way. The embattled Internet giant has unveiled “Connected TV,” a new service that will add Yahoo-powered widgets to a traditional television set. Said widgets will then be connected to a variety of external apps and tools, including Twitter, Flickr, and Yahoo News. Like the previously mentioned ports of Adobe Flash and Adobe AIR, these widgets will take advantage of Intel’s upcoming Media Processor CE line. Several heavy hitters have already pledged their support to the new tech, including LG, Sony, Samsung, and Vizio. Connected TV is expected to hit the public by late summer.

In other news, Google is toying around with an idea that would add geotagging capabilities to Blogger. While the new feature is extremely promising, it is certainly not ready for “prime time,” as they say. Several major bugs have already been discovered, many of which involve the editing and reediting of HTML code. Because of this, Google has decided to add the new tool to Blogger in Draft, a special “preview edition” that features several new tools and abilities. If all goes well, expect to see geotagging integrated into the main site within a few months. For those itching to play around with the tool now, Blogger in Draft is available now for all users.

Elsewhere in Google, search engine bigwig Matt Cutts wants 2009 to be as spam-free as possible … and he needs your help to make sure that it happens. “I’m not going to mention any specific area that would bias you,” he writes. “I want people to independently consider what they think Google should work on to decrease webspam in the next six months to a year.” The response has been massive, to say the least. Since Wednesday, 150 SEO experts and Internet marketers (at press time) have posted their thoughts on the subject, which range from focusing on so-called “duplicate sites” to the removal of those who participate in malicious backtracking. While unique, this isn’t the first time Cutts has went to the SEO community for advice. Similar “call for actions” were posted January 2006 and July 2008, netting the Google webspam team a grand total of 300 suggestions.

Turning to the world of Internet marketing for the moment, noted blogger Bob Bly has written an interesting piece on what makes a marketer truly successful. In 27 Secrets of Internet Marketing Success, Bly discusses the common problems most first timers run into, and what can be done to avoid them altogether. He also takes some time to discuss a few “public domain workarounds” that could become invaluable when selling your product or service. Easy to read and understand, Bly’s piece is perfect for anyone who needs a little help getting the proverbial ball rolling, no matter if you’re brand new to the marketing game or a seasoned pro.

And finally, the gigantic computer malfunction/non-event known as Y2K will be making a comeback, at least according to writer Richard Wilcox. On January 19th at 3:14:07 AM Greenwich Mean Time, an error found in the C++ programming language will cause all 32-bit programs to “roll back” to 8:45:52 PM on December 13th, 1901. While the problem is apparently easy enough to take care of, the true cause for extreme panic slight concern comes from the use of “legacy software” — older software that is still used with some regularity. “Even if every PC in the year 2038 has a 64-bit CPU, there will be a lot of older 32-bit programs running on them,” writes Wilcox. “The larger, more complex, and more important any program is, the better are its chances that that it’ll be one of these old 32-bit programs.” At press time, no insane, irrational panic is planned for January 19th, 2038, but plans can always change.

Another day, another rumor concerning the sale of Yahoo. According to the reports, a private group of unnamed, yet “well-known” Silicon Valley executives and investment bankers are looking into buying the beleaguered search and entertainment firm for roughly $20 billion. The majority of this money would be coming from Yahoo’s on-again, off-again financial dance partner, Microsoft. In addition to repaying the $20 billion debt, Yahoo would also agree to sell its search and and SEO concerns to the Redmond-based computing giant. The investment team, in turn, would completely take over and overhaul Yahoo’s board of directors. The end result would be a company that “plays nice” with Microsoft, all the while maintaining its status as an independent organization. Neither Microsoft nor Yahoo have chosen to comment publically at this time.

Keeping with Microsoft for a moment, the company has reached a deal with US cellular provider Verizon to become their mobile search engine of choice. Microsoft and Verizon will also share revenue derived from both the engine and the resulting advertising, which will net the phone company about $550 million over a period of five years. Many within the industry are surprised at the move, stating that Google, or even Yahoo, would have been a better long term fit for both the company and its subscribers. The exact financial terms of the deal have not been announced at this time.

In other news, social networking powerhouse Facebook has added 50 million new users in just over five months. Thanks to the recent user surge, the network now lays claim to 150 million active users. According to a blog post written by CEO Mark Zuckerman, Facebook has users from 150 countries and territories, including Antartica. ” If Facebook were a country, it would be the eighth most populated in the world, just ahead of Japan, Russia and Nigeria,” he says. While he finds the massive expansion to be a bit mind boggling, Zuckerman is certain that his company will keep expanding. “When we first started Facebook almost five years ago, most of the people using it were college students in the United States. Today, people of all ages — grandparents, parents and children — use Facebook. With 150 million voices and counting, we can’t wait for the rest of 2009, and we look forward to offering even more ways for you to connect with the people who matter most.”

Facebook isn’t the only group on the web reaching the coveted “50 million” mark. According to a report by the Internet Society of China, 50 million Chinese citizens own and operate roughly 100 million blogs. “More and more Chinese want to express their own views about local and international events through the Internet,” ISC deputy Geo Lulin told WebProNews. Like with most media within mainland China, these blogs are heavily monitored by government officials, such as the aforementioned ISC. As impressive as the figure is, it does not take the number of “underground” and “black market” blogs operated illegally into account. The data and methods use to track blog activity are unknown at this time.

Finally, it seems as if OpenID might not be as popular as once thought. The much talk abaout service, which, in theory, allows users to use one log in name for a variety of services, has been dropped by a variety of companies. Many of the programs in question have dropped the service due to low user participation and even lower interest. Others, such as Network World blogger Dave Keams, believes the decline is partially due to the release (and sudden popularity of) Facebook Connect and Google Friend Connect. Although no one is calling for the demise of the service quite yet, its relevance with the framework of web 2.0 is very much in question.

The media tide is shifting yet again. According to a new poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, 35% say that they get their fill of national and international news from traditional print media, a 1% increase from 2007. By comparison, nearly 40% say that they get their news fix from the Internet – a 24% increase. While impressive, the number has yet to come close to traditional television broadcasts, which posted a 70% user rate.

In other polling news, comScore has released the list of the top social media sites of 2008, and the proverbial “king of the hill” is not what you think. According to the research firm, Blogger.com is number one, clocking over 222 million unique users worldwide in 2008. The presumptive number ones, Facebook and MySpace, comes in at numbers two and three, with 200 million and 126 million respective users. Other notables include WordPress (114 million), Windows Live Spaces (87 million), and Flickr (64 million).

Finishing up the “New Years poll trifecta,” both Quantcast and comScore have released the list of top ten Google products of 2008. Much to the surprise of no one, the base Google Search tops both lists. The lists do deviate past number one, however. Quantcast has Google Maps and Image Search coming in second and third, while comScore has the services reversed. Rounding out the top five are Gmail (fourth, both companies), Google Book Search (five, Quantcast; eight, comScore), and Google News (five, comScore; six, Quantcast).

Many fans of the Free Line might remember our report on Bubbles and Fluid, two programs that turn websites into free standing web applications. Well it seems as if the folks at Mozilla are joining the “impromptu web app” party well. Based upon an old Mozilla experiment called “Prism,” the as-yet-unnamed Firefox feature will allow users to convert a site to an application with a click of a button. The new app would then be treated as if it was a traditional software package installed from a disc. Some within the industry see the new feature as a way for Firefox to compete with not only Bubbles and Fluid, but with Chrome, which features a simplified version of the proposed service. The exact release date for the new feature is not known at this time.

Finally, Movable Type creator Six Apart has released the “laws” of social networking add-on Motion – six rules designed to make the new service work properly with the base program. “We believe that the right strategy for connecting your blog or site to the world of social networking is not to select one particular social network to hold all the cards, but to connect to all of the powerful and vibrant social networks across the web,” writes Six Apart associate Anil Dash. According to Dash, it all boils down to the six “Laws of Motion.”

1. The biggest social network out there is the Internet.
2. Mainstream media never changes.
3. Take stock in your present online community.
4. You, and only you, are in control of your personal social network.
5. A good community should lauch with at least a half a billion members attached.
6. “The web is in Motion.”

Follow these rules, he says, and the web is your proverbial oyster. “We can’t wait to see how the open web evolves, continue working to help it evolve faster, and we’re even more excited to see what our community does with these new abilities in the coming year.”

Another day, another abbriveated edition of the Free Line. The full, unfettered version that you have come to love will return soon.

The folks in control of Hulu, the online video site that allows average users to watch television programs for free, are mulling over a plan that would see the service tackle a worldwide audience. Currently, the Fox/NBC co-production is only available to users in the US. “The concept of Hulu is predicated on being a global business,” said Hulu CEO Jason Kilar in an interview with MediaPost. “Our mission statement describes us helping people to find and enjoy the world’s premium content wherever and however they want. That will be predicated on finding the right partners and having a business model that enables us to create value for advertisers, content partners and our shareholders.” There is currently no timetable as to when, or even if, the expansion will occur.

In other news, it seems as if the world of online auctions is about to join the world of microblogging. Called Tweebay, the new service allows users to use Twitter to bid, talk, and comment on various auction items. The only real problem many have with the service is the lack of comments. As many a veteran “eBay” hunter can tell you, the comments section is sometimes the only way one can diferenciate genuine sellers from scam artists. Tweebay is available now to all users.

And finally: Television host and Digg mastermind Kevin Rose has released his list of New Year’s resolutions, and the contents are interesting, to say the least. In amongst the personal (drink wine, learn yoga) and the quasi-professional (make an iPhone game), sits a note that has the Internet talking — build a better Digg. While no one is exactly sure what he is talking about, many within the industry believe that it is a continuation of the “beautify Digg” campaign that Rose has been spearheading for months. Rose, nor anyone else from Digg, has chosen to comment publicly at this time.