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 we mentioned in yesterday’s post, it seems as if 95% of the tech world has two things on their collective minds: smart phones and Twitter. Since I think we have covered Twitter, Twitter clones, Twitter apps, and that goofy “Twitter apocalypse” thing that didn’t really happen to death, we are going focus on the wonderful world of mobile phones. But as you might have already guessed, I am going to do more than just merely “talk” about these phones. I will actually give one of these lucky mobile devices a thorough going over, making sure to tell you everything that you would ever need to know. Let’s face it: “smart phones” such as these could very possibly be the future of mobile computing. If your business isn’t ready for it, you could find yourself in very, very hot water. It is our duty, nay, our mission to make sure that this does not happen to you. Before we begin however, I do have a few notes:

Note #1: While the iPhone is definitely on my “smart phone” shortlist, we will not be doing a write up about it in this post. The reasoning for this is simple: anyone who is anyone already knows about it. We don’t know about any of you, but none of us here are necessarily fans of regurgitating common knowledge.

Note #2: The touchscreen Blackberry that Verizon peddles is all but out of the equation. First of all, it’s a Blackberry. Aside from the touchscreen, there really isn’t much different between the new phones and old “trackball” versions from last year. Secondly, I am not a big fan of Verizon Wireless. While their overall network is a bit better than the competition, it doesn’t justify the bloated, overinflated price that they charge. In short, I can get better equipment at a cheaper price. ‘Nuff said.

…With all of that laid out, here we go…

G1 (Dream)/G2 (Magic)/MyTouch 3G

Manufacturer: Google (OS); HTC (Phone; more phones from other companies will be arriving at some point in the near future)
Cell Network (US): T-Mobile
Open Source?: Yes.
Positives: Having been able to actually use this phone, I have to say that this phone’s biggest asset is the Android operating system. It has more of a feel of a scaled down desktop OS instead one designed for a mobile device. The ability to run a few third-party applications in the background doesn’t hurt things either.
Negatives: there’s something about the physical phone hardware than I just don’t like. It feels “cheap” and really isn’t all that much to look at. If I do decide to go with this phone, I will wait until the myTouch 3G is released in August.

Palm Pre

Manufacturer: Palm
Cell Network: Sprint
Open Source?: Yes
Positives: Palm is finally back. This is the phone that loyal users have been waiting for for quite some time now. While some might be upset at the loss of “classic” Palm OS software library, most will find the available apps to be suitable replacements. (A “classic OS” emulator is available for those who do not.)
Negatives: Not everyone likes the Sprint network.

As you might have heard, Firefox isn’t the only browser that uses the Gecko rendering engine. On today’s browser-centric edition of the Showdown, we take a look at four of the strangest Gecko-based browsers available today.

Browser #1: Sea Monkey

Website: http://www.seamonkey-project.org/
Programmer: The SeaMonkey Council
Special Talent: Looking and acting as close to the old Netscape browser as humanly possible.
First Impression: “No sir, I don’t like it.”
Positives: The nostalgia factor is high on this one. Those who long for the days of Netscape Communicator 4 will find a lot to love here. Everything is exactly how you remembered it, from the low resolution icons to the built-in IRC client.
Negatives: Not everyone was a fan of Netscape Communicator 4.
Overall (Out of 10): 4
Final Thought: “Long live the 1990’s.”

Browser #2: Flock

Website: http://flock.com/
Programmer: Flock, Inc.
Special Talent: Social networking
First Impression: “Oooh … Networks!”
Positives: Those who enjoy social media and networking will no doubt love this browser. Links to all of the major social sites, from MySpace and facebook to Flickr and YouTube, have been given its own frame at the side of the screen. Need to update your blog? Send a tweet? Post something new on Digg? Flock allows you to do all of those things and more without even batting an eye.
Negatives: Remove the social media aspect, and all you’re left with is a slightly modded version of Firefox.
Overall (Out of 10): 7
Final Thought: “Flock is the perfect browser for social networking fans.”

Browser #3: Wyzo

Website: http://www.wyzo.com/
Programmer: Radical Software Ltd.
Special Talent: Downloading interactive media of all shapes and sizes.
First Impression: “Are you sure that I just didn’t load Firefox again?”
Positives: Wyzo is designed to make the free exchange of copyrighted intellectual property as painless as possible. Every file — BitTorrent, music files, photographs … the list goes on and on — is downloaded within the confines of the browser instead of in a separate “downloading” box. Not only does this make things a bit easier for the user, it cuts down on the number of open windows. Wyzo also makes good use of CoolIris, a Firefox add-on that specializes in the dissemination of online video. Thanks to CoolIris, getting to sites such as Hulu and Mevio are as easy as pressing a button.
Negatives: Wyzo looks and acts like Firefox a bit too much for our tastes.
Overall (Out of 10): 7
Final Thought: “It’s interesting.”

Browser #4: Kirix Strata

Website: http://www.kirix.com/
Programmer: The Kirix Corporation
Special Talent: Data analysis.
First Impression: “What the heck is this?!”
Positives: Kirix Strata combines the so-called “traditional website experience” with the thrill of spreadsheet creation and cost report analysis. Despite everything, Strata truly is a nice spreadsheet program that many hardcore accountants will no doubt love. It just happens to be attached to a web browser.
Negatives: We seriously doubt that there is a huge market out there for people who wish to read the Drudge Report or CNN and crunch numbers at the same time. Another thing: Unlike the multitude of browsers we’ve reviewed over the past few days, the full version of Kirix Strata costs a mind numbing $249.
Overall (Out of 10): 2
Final Thought: “It costs that much? What were they thinking?”

- The world of Top-Level Domains has yet another superstar name on its hands — .ME Originally designed for the Eastern European country of Montenegro to signify its independence from Serbia, the fledgling TLD has become a hit with users who wish to give their sites a “personal touch.” According to industry site WebProNews, the relatively new .ME domain has been registered roughly 250,000 times since the initial “sunrise period” last year, and is only continuing to grow in popularity. The .ME TLD is available now through several registrars, including GoDaddy, Afilias, and the Montenegro-based Me.net.

- Despite rumors to the contrary, advertising will not be coming to a Twitter account near you anytime soon. In a post on the official Twitter blog, co-founder Biz Stone says that running banner ads “have always been low on our list of interesting ways to generate revenue.” Still, he’s not quite ready to close the door on ads just yet. Writes Stone: “We say traditional web banner advertising isn’t interesting to us which is true. However, to say we are philosophically opposed to any and all advertising is incorrect… [F]acilitating connections between businesses and individuals in meaningful and relevant ways is compelling. We’re going to leave the door open for exploration in this area.”

- The search engine known as Kumo might be making a public appearence sooner than anyone has ever expected. According to those close to the situation, Microsoft is planning to unveil the much anticipated replacement for Live Search as early as next week. In addition to the new name, Kumo is expected to bring a few much needed “enhancements and innovations” to the table, including the ability to group search results by category. The folks at Redmond reportedly have high hopes for the new engine, which could conceivably put them in the same elite category as Google and Yahoo. Microsoft is currently third in the “search engine arms race” with a disappointing 8.2% adoption rate.

- Cable network ESPN has struck a content deal with YouTube. According to the terms of the agreement, the sports giant will provide the online video megastar/Google subsidiary with original, ad-sponsored material designed to “compliment” the network’s programming. All of the videos in question will be available on the base YouTube site, but will feature a video player designed especially for ESPN. No live games or programming events are currently planned, but many believe that content from the broadband network ESPN 360 will be added in due time. A solid launch date is as of yet unknown.

- Popular music service Pandora has received a major upgrade. Called Pandora One, the new strategy is designed to “reward” paying customers while not “punishing” those who prefer the free-to-use player. Aside from the total annihilation of both banner and audio advertising from the site, the “pay service” has one major thing going for it — a desktop application powered by the Adobe AIR runtime environment. Thanks to the app, users can now stream their music at a higher bitrate (192 kbps), fill that space left by the advertising with fully customizable backgrounds, and more. Critics  point out that while the program does improve the overall desktop experience, Pandora’s penchant for repitition makes long-term use difficult. Others say that the app’s price ($36) might be a bit too steep for many users. Still, there is one thing that almost everyone can agree on: despite its faults, Pandora One is a nice little antidote to the predicable, sanitized nature of most FM broadcasts. Pandora One is available now for all paying customers.

- Popular online movie rental hub and video streaming service Netflix has decided to enter the burgeoning web app game in a big way. The company has rolled out several gadgets, tools, and extensions, all designed to expand and enhance your renting experience. Several major players in the worlds of tech and entertainment are already making their proverbial presences felt, including Facebook, Twitter, and movie review meta-site Rotten Tomatoes. Like with most sites of this nature, each app is able to be sorted by name, ranking, and overall popularity. While it isn’t exactly major of an upgrade, the Netflix App Gallery does add some much needed interactivity to the otherwise “by-the-numbers” site. The new Netflix App Engine is available now for all subscribers. For those who wish to try their hand at programming for the rental giant, a free to use API is also available.

- When discussing modern technology, it’s easy to overlook Silverlight. Although it can’t exactly be considered a “dud” at this point, it’s not a mainstream powerhouse by any means. Microsoft, however, is attempting to rectify that situation … sort of. In a recent press release, the computer giant claimed that Silverlight has been loaded nearly three hundred million times, surpassing the download rates of the Firefox, Safari, and Chrome web browsers. It’s an interesting tidbit of knowledge, provided that you overlook one tiny, little fact: Silverlight is not a web browser. It’s actually a real time multimedia platform, similar to Adobe Flash. While the actual reasoning behind the cryptically worded hype piece is unknown, many within the industry believe it’s a roundabout way to tout the success of Silverlight’s “brother in arms,”  Internet Explorer. Neither Adobe nor any of the browser developers mentioned above have responded to the release at this time.

- As you might have guessed by the multitude of news stories, celebrity comments and late night comedy sketches, Twitter is the “it” web application in the US right now. In its two years of activity, the service has been used to do everything from report on earthquakes in China to insight an Eastern European revolution. Billionaire Mark Cuban uses it to complain about the NBA. Oprah uses it to keep in touch with her fans. President Barack Obama employed it in his most recent campaign. So who is the latest Twitter sensation? Hint: it’s not Moldovan revolutionaries or President Obama. It’s a cat named Sockington. Sockington uses his small corner of the web to discuss topics that truly matter — eating, sleeping, and running from the attic to the dining room and back again. The animal world’s favorite microblogger currently has over 500,000 followers, which is more than controversial baseball star Alex Rodriguez, Vice President Joe Biden, and Neil Diamond have combined. We at the Free Line congratulate Sockington on the achievement. Your catnip is in the mail … possibly.

Being a blogger is more than just typing random words into a blank WordPress page. In some cases, it can make you famous. In others, it can get you fined by the NBA. And in some countries, it just might get you killed. The Community to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has compiled a list of the top ten worst countries to blog in, and as expected, the results are not pretty. “Governments are quickly learning how to turn technology against bloggers,” writes CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. When all else fails, the authorities simply jail a few bloggers to intimidate the rest of the online community into silence or self-censorship.” Topping the charts this time around is Burma, which is known to jail those who disagree with the party line and routinely blocks so-called “subversive” sites.  One of the more surprising entries on the list is Turkministan, which comes in at number nine. President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, who once promised a “free and open Internet” for all, has put in place measures that monitor bloggers, search engine results, and email accounts. Bloggers are expressly forbidden to speak out against the government, and risk having their sites blocked and their “Internet privileges” revoked. Other “high-tech hellholes” include Iran for executing those with dissenting opinions, China for The Great Firewall of China, and Tunisia, whose leaders claim that blogging is “an activity that is unbecoming of our society and is not an expression of freedom or democracy.”

Elsewhere: Despite it’s label as an emerging nation and tech-based powerhouse, India isn’t exactly the most connected country in the world. Roughly 40 million people subscribe to modern broadband Internet access — an impressive number, until one realizes that India’s current population is 1.14 billion people. Still, just because citizens don’t have the latest computers or connections doesn’t mean they have to miss out on web 2.0’s latest trends. Enter SMSGupShup. SMSGupShup is a fairly new microblogging service that is aimed towards those who are unable to appreciate sites like Twitter and Plurk. Instead of relying on traditional websites and the like, this little start up is based upon the fine art of text messaging. There are a variety of things that users can do on the service, from playing games, setting up specialized chat rooms, and even doing a little shopping. Since it is completely text (SMS) based, users don’t have to worry about clogging up a phone line or hanging out in a crowded Internet cafe. As of this writing, there are nearly twenty million people on the service and counting. Interesting and highly inventive, SMSGupShup proves that necessity, much like the late, great Frank Zappa, is truly the mother of invention.

And finally: The Great Linux Experiment continues on without a hitch. Aside from an ever-growing hatred of the KMail email program, Angela’s experiences with everyone’s favorite “Scandinavian penguin” have been largely positive. Her “latest project,” as she calls it, will be trying to get Photoshop CS2 running in the WINE Windows emulator. Expect a report on this fun little trip into madness in a few days time. Until then, we bid you all a fond adieu from the land of penguins and GNUs.

The Great Linux Experiment just keeps on keeping on. In today’s post, we will attempt to describe what it’s like to compile a program from scratch. So follow along with us as we try to get the new “Epiphany with WebKit” browser running in Fedora 10.

Before actually installing the browser, Angela has to install the WebKit rendering engine first. While that might seem easy, it’s not. She first has to load a rather large file directly from Terminal (the command line) before even attempting to put it all together. Since unpacking the thing is taking a bit longer than initially expected, we have the following:

The folks at MTV seem to have modern social media on their collective minds. The former music video station/trendsetter is planning to use the likes of Twitter and Facebook to create a “flagship show” in the style of the now defunct Total Request Live. Like with the previously mentioned CNN program Rick Sanchez Direct, the show will be based around host Alexa Chung’s interactions with viewers that inhabit the various services. The fans will also have an opportunity to submit their own videos to the show. Expect the as-yet unnamed program to debut sometime this summer.

Twitter and Facebook aren’t the only Internet sensations that are currently being eyeballed by MTV. The bigwigs at the network are in talks with controversial ex-WWE World Champion/notorious free spirit Jeff Hardy for a reality show based upon his life. According to those close to the situation, the show will actually be a “big budget” version of The Hardy Show, the surprisingly popular web program starring Jeff, his brother Matt, and mutual friend Shannon Moore. (Like Jeff, both Matt and Moore are full time professional wrestlers.) An air date for the program is unknown at this time.

…And we are back! Unfortunately, the file is still unpacking. While we definitely appreciate the “completeness” of the package, we are beginning to wonder if all of these individual bits are truly necessary. We understand why we would need files labeled as “kernel” or “browser.” The “OS X Tiger” files, on the other hand … now that is a real head scratcher. Needless to say, I think we’re in this for the proverbial “long haul.” In the meantime…

As many of you are quite well aware of, piracy is alive and well on the Internet. While there are those out there who are okay with the practice, most within the industry aren’t exactly thrilled that it’s still happening. Independent game programming house The ACE Team have crafted their own special way to deter the practice: engaging the user in polite, civil dialog. Each copy of their new game, Zeno Crush, has a message attached asking the user if they would consider buying the game sometime in the near future. “We cannot do anything to stop piracy of the game (and honestly don’t intend to do so) but if you are downloading because you wish to try before you buy, I would ask that you purchase the game (and support the independent game development scene) if you enjoy it,” writes the programming team. While it is still a bit too early to see if the rambling, yet genuinely heartfelt, note has affected sales, early word seems positive. Many ardent BitTorrent users claim that they are now planning to actually buy the game, thanks solely to the letter. As always, we will have more on this story as it becomes available.

…And we’re back yet again. Before anyone asks, yes. The file is still unpacking itself. Because of this, the planned install will have to be posted tomorrow. Don’t worry; it will be worth it. Until tomorrow, we bid you all a fond adieu from the land of penguins and GNUs.

Anyone who has turned on a television these days knows about Twitter. There are a plethora of input devices compatible with the system, from the traditional keyboard and mouse setup to your phone’s number pad to even a video game controller. Still, there’s a new input method out there that has all of the others beat: your brain. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have created a system that allows users to access the obscenely popular microblogging service using only your mind. The actual device, which looks like a red swim cap with wires protruding outward, is actually an EEG machine designed to detect the various electrical impulses that occur within your noggin. Those very impulses are then translated into letters, number, and even a little blinking cursor. While it is a promising idea, don’t expect for “psychic tweeting” to become the next big fad just yet. At the present time, the device is only able to handle about eight words a minute. Improvements are coming, researchers say, but they are at least a few years away.

In other news, instant messaging is coming to a Hotmail inbox near you. Users are now able to access their MSN Messenger Windows Live Messenger accounts directly from the mail service’s main site. Despite the added convenience a feature like this brings, those within the industry found the update to be ever so slightly underwhelming … not to mention two to three years too late when compared to the competition. “[W]hat the [heck] took Microsoft so long,” asks TechCrunch writer Robin Wauters. “Hotmail has a gigantic mainstream user base who are not likely going to switch to an alternative webmail service en masse provided Microsoft keeps up with the times. But make no mistake about it: Microsoft is ridiculously late with adding this functionality to Hotmail.” The new feature is now available in several different countries around the world, including the United States, Canada, Germany, and Brazil.

And finally, a recent study claims that most of the music sold on the Internet today is purchased by those who actively partake in illegal downloading. According to the folks at the BI Norwegian School of Management, a “significant amount” of those surveyed say that they are more likely to by a song or an album after downloading it first. Although it might sound odd, the Norwegian study isn’t the first to link peer-to-peer file sharing with legal purchases. According to a poll conducted by the Canadian Record Industry Association in 2006, roughly 73% said that they routinely buy music after downloading it illegally.

Still, not everyone is exactly buying what the BI Norwegian School of Management is selling. “”There is one thing we are not going away, and it is the consumption of music increases, while revenue declines,” EMI record executive Bjørn Rogstad told Norwegian national newspaper Aftenposten. “It can not be explained in any way other than that the illegal downloading is over the legal sale of music.” Rogstad, and those like Rogstad, also point to the weak sales of full albums as proof that file sharing does not help the bottom line. Album sales were down nearly 14% in 2008, with the numbers falling steadily ever since. That said, no one can deny that there is distinct progress being made in this area. In casees such as this, any progress is good progress, no matter how small or insigificant it might seem.

Throughout the year-plus run of the Free Line, wonderful viewers and readers such as yourself have left little notes of wisdom at the bottom of our posts. While all of these comments have been read and discussed, none of them have really received a proper response. This ends now. On today’s award winning episode, we take a dip into our “comments” section to see what you, the reader, has to say.

Web2.0Confused writes:

“There has been increasing interest in http://a.nnotate.com/ http://www.showdocument.com and http://www.bubbl.us, could you recommend a similar, more ‘classier’ version of this programme? I feel they looks rather childish etc for global businesses.”

That we can. For traditional meetings, we suggest looking into Scriblink. Like GoToMeeting and Zapproved, it makes meeting online a completely painless proposition. Unlike those, however, it’s free. 2Collab is also a nice little “sharing” service, but it’s more geared to academic research than inter-office communication. If you’re looking for something a bit more “inventive” however, it would be in your best interest to check out Adobe Buzzword. For those unaware, Buzzword is an online word processor that allows other users to critique, edit, and touch up your work. It’s not exactly pretty to look at, but then again, it doesn’t have to be. Simply put, Buzzword gets the proverbial job done, and that’s all that matters.

In response to our piece about the popularity of Twitter and Digg, George Zlatin writes:

“Interesting that Twitter is becoming more popular than Digg. It seems like all the social media sites are fads. They all die down after a while. Interestingly enough, Google is still around…and more popular then ever.”

Apples and oranges. Google, like all traditional search engines, is extremely passive. To the average user, it appears to be nothing more than a dozen links on a page. That sort of thing has been around for over fifteen years now, and is not showing any signs of slowing down. Twitter, and to a lesser extent, Digg, are most definitely “active” services. They thrive on human interaction. As with all things of that nature, people are bound to get bored and stop paying attention. The key is to evolve with the times. As you probably realize, this is easier said than done. Just ask the folks at Yahoo. (The once popular Yahoo Chat service has definitely seen better days, for example.) Whether Biz Stone at Twitter and Kevin Rose at Digg can avoid those pitfalls and maintain an interesting, long lasting service remains to be seen.

In response to our Firefox Fest ‘08 article, Anonymous writes:

“I tried to get Niche Watch Tool as well as Personas, but both said they were for older versions, not 3.0.1.”

No problem. Just do the following:

1. type “about:config” into the address bar. Ignore the warning message, as you won’t be doing much editing.
2. Right click. When the menu appears, select “New,” then click on “Boolean.”
3. Type (or paste) “extensions.checkCompatibility” into the text box and press okay.
4. If the default value of your new addition is “true,” double click on it. It must be set as “false.”
5. Repeat steps two through four, replacing “extensions.checkCompatibility” with “extensions.checkUpdateSecurity.”
6. Restart Firefox.

That’s all there is to it. It’s completely safe, and works almost every time.