Oatmeal Stout – Justin Thorp’s blog

where we drink up the Web and postulate about its future

Trailer for The Social Network

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Am really excited to see this movie.  What do you think of the trailer?

Written by Justin Thorp

July 20, 2010 at 6:20 pm

Posted in Facebook

Digital Capital Week

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I’m really excited for Washington DC’s very first Digital Capital Week (DC Week), which kicks off on Friday.  DC Week is “a 10 day festival in Washington DC focused on technology, innovation and all things digital in our nation’s capital.”  It’s being co-produced by Frank & Jen at Shiny Heart Ventures and Peter & the gang at iStrategyLabs.

I remember when the current generation of the DC tech community was just 20 people sitting around a conference table drinking beer.   It’s crazy to think that we now have a world-class 10 day festival.   It’s a community that I’m so proud to be a part of.

I’m doing my best to be at as many of the parties as possible but you’ll also be able find me speaking on some panels. There’s two. One is Tuesday, June 15th, at 6:00 PM at 1410Q (1410 Q St NW ) on “Hacking Social Networks in Real Life.” The second is Friday, June 18, at 1:00 PM at the UMC Conference Facility (900 Massachusetts Avenue, NW) on “When Failure and Criticism Are Public.

If you’re going to be there, come find me and say hello.

Written by Justin Thorp

June 8, 2010 at 8:55 pm

Buy a Phone. Join a Revolution.

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Apple really has some master marketers.  Have you seen their iPhone 4 video?  You watch it and you feel like by buying the new iPhone that you’re joining some type of revolution that’s going to change the world.  It really tugs at the heart strings.

Check it out…

Written by Justin Thorp

June 8, 2010 at 8:38 pm

Posted in Apple Inc.

OExchange

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One of the big projects that I’ve been working on here at Clearspring is this open sharing protocol, OExchange.   It goes a long way to get people who share stuff (like us) and places where you want to share (social networks) talking the same language.   This will make it easier for you to share anywhere you want to share online.

Oh and we did an overview video and guess who did the voiceover.  Check it out…

Written by Justin Thorp

June 3, 2010 at 9:23 am

Posted in Clearspring

Kathy Sierra and Gary Vaynerchuk Interview Each Other

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Two people that I HIGHLY respect, Kathy Sierra and Gary Vaynerchuk, sat down at Government 2.0 Expo here in Washington DC and interviewed each other.   It’s a really awesome conversation.  Definitely worth a watch.

Written by Justin Thorp

May 29, 2010 at 3:43 pm

Posted in Uncategorized

Magazines on My iPad

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Recently, we’ve seen the introduction of the availability of  Wired Magazine and Time Magazine on the iPad.  You can download an app and have what you would have gotten before in the dead tree edition.

Here’s what Chris Anderson said about Wired’s launch on the iPad

The tablet is our opportunity to make the Wired we always dreamed of. It has all the visual impact of paper, enhanced by interactive elements like video and animated infographics. We can offer you a history of Mars landings that lets you explore the red planet yourself. We can take you inside Trent Reznor’s recording studio and let you listen to snippets of his work in progress. And we can show you exactly how Pixar crafted each frame of its new movie, Toy Story 3.

I have to stay that I’m really impressed.  It’s a really compelling experience.   It’s just like you’re holding the paper edition.

The only thing that I don’t like is the price.  I pay $12/year for my subscription but you have to pay $5 per issue on the iPad.  This stinks.   I’d bet printing and distribution of the physical magazine is a big part of the cost.  Then, why are the digital and print magazines the same price?

I’m sure the price will change.  When it does, we’ll make an even bigger step to a world where we don’t use physical media.

Written by Justin Thorp

May 29, 2010 at 2:41 pm

Posted in Apple Inc.

My Interview in TECHcocktail

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As promised, I also did an interview with Mark Bebawy from TECHcocktail on community management.  I’m pretty psyched about it.  Check it out and let me know what you think…

3. What advice would you give someone who was thinking of adding the position to their organization?
First, a Community Manager is the face for your company to a whole lot of your user base. It’s a job that’s way bigger than hiring some really green college sophomore who’s going to setup and monitor your Facebook page. Take hiring this position seriously. Don’t settle.

Second, when looking for a Community Manager, look within your own user base. Who’s your most passionate customer? A Community Manager needs to be able to communicate for the company but more importantly empathize with the needs of the customer.

Written by Justin Thorp

May 28, 2010 at 7:03 am

Posted in Community

One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Shows Vision for the Tablet XO-3

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As you know, the One Laptop per Child project is something that’s near and dear to my heart.   I love how they’re making technology and thus the world accessible to young people all around the globe.

Well, they just announced the 3rd generation version of their XO computer which will be a tablet for around $100.  I’m excited to track their progress.

Check out the video…

Written by Justin Thorp

May 27, 2010 at 8:11 pm

Posted in OLPC

Justin Bieber and Why Social Media Rocks

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I’ve haven’t listened to the radio in 5+ years and so have never heard a song by music sensation Justin Bieber but read about the interview with his manager at TechCrunch Disrupt.   He talked about how Justin uses social media.  Apparently, he has 2.7 million Twitter followers.  Here’s a key passage…

He noted that there may be a random girl in Iowa who never thought she’d ever talk to Justin Bieber, then he responds to her on Twitter. “That’s something she’ll remember for the rest of her life.”

Social media has broken down the wall that would have prevented people from connecting before and that’s awesome.

Written by Justin Thorp

May 27, 2010 at 7:31 pm

Robert Scoble’s Interview with RunKeeper

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Yes yes I know that I’m a fanboy for the iPhone app RunKeeper.  Here’s an interview that their COO did with Robert Scoble.

If you’re a runner and have an iPhone or Android phone, you really need to download RunKeeper.

Written by Justin Thorp

May 27, 2010 at 7:22 pm

Posted in iPhone