And I am warming up to him, as well. I pride myself on being a
persistent bastard. But, he takes the cake on that one.
So, with OpenEvents, Marc has outlined who he thinks needs to be
involved and what the steps he thinks should be. He is also looking
for people to step up and support it, and we've both been working
behind the scenes to see who is into it and rally people to the cause.
(him more than me)
The motivating factor for Marc seems to be that it is that
OpenMedia is the "Shining Path" Forward. And I agree that it is the
most virtuous and ideal path that we (as people genuinely interested
in the welfare of other people) could create together. The liberal and
the equal opportunity champion in me, loves his vision of OpenMedia: a
world where big media companies (or even small ones) don't control
what we see... and where we control the flow of information. But, it
is the capitalist in me that treats this effort with excitement and
apprehension at the same time.
There are a few things that excite me about the whole idea:
I am all for mutually beneficial collaboration. In fact, I seek
that on a daily basis with my customers, partners, and other tech
companies. @ WhizSpark, we've relaunched our site recently, and we've
caught the attention of quite a few people in the event's business. I
don't like to call anyone a competitor until they decide they don't
want anything to do with me. (Even if they consider me a competitor, I
would rather come up with something new than start having a tit for
tat "I can do that" too competition.) Nevertheless, I think there are
ways to collaborate with people and other companies that do the same
thing, where both can benefit. And I think OpenEvents is a great way
to make that happen.
Also, we've developed an innovative way of promoting events @ WhizSpark, we are up to several
thousand members, getting about 20 signups a day, and people are
entering events into the system. However, there are obviously event
companies and sites with a bigger pile of events (eg evite, upcoming.org, socialweb.net). So,
sharing event data back and forth, is in our best interests. On the
other hand, though, it is not in everyone's best interest. In fact,
I'd say that it is threatening to the business models of evite
(advertising-based: if everyone has access to the event data, then
they won't get the all of the eyeballs) and socialweb.net (charging
people to syndicate event listings to their website).
And as Marc has said, the state of syndication of events (eg
WhizSpark, RSSCalendar) is improving, but still has a ways to go. What
we are all doing is not flexible nor powerful enough for people's
demands of sharing calendars and event data. Alone, I am confident
that we will get better. But, I imagine that OpenEvents can help us
get there quicker, possibly. Maybe not.
There are a few things that scare me about the whole idea:
Events is a big business... and going to events (small and big) is
at the core of all of our lives....so it effects everyone and everyone
wants to effect it. So, it'd be naive of me to think that with a pool
of event information out there, there won't be 10 new WhizSpark's that
pop-up from someone's garage (that's where we came from: OpenEvents
makes that easier). So, the barrier to entry in this business becomes
lower with OpenEvents. On the other hand, this barrier to entry might
be a great thing for WhizSpark. Del.icio.us and
flickr are having awesome success by
being at the core of bookmarks and image sharing on the web
(respectively) and they have legions of people building cool tools off
of their repository of data.
I also have never been involved in an "open" movement. My
background is corporate America, where too many people sit around at a
table and try to agree on shit... and then don't do anything. I just
envision trying to coordinate an "openevents" movement with a bunch of
people with different vested interests, trying to keep their
strategies close to them, but get as much as they can out of it.
Anyways, that part of it doesn't excite me.
Overall, the idea of OpenEvents excites me more than it concerns
me.
So, what I will throw my 160 pounds behind is:
From the people/biz side:
- Recruiting a few (emphasis on only a few) companies/individuals
willing to help develop the schema
- Share event data between WhizSpark and another event based or
community based site.
From the tech side:
- Setting a standard schema for structuring event data, with a few
companies interested/already involved in the "event" biz. (Making sure
it is compliant with RSS standards.)
- Publish the schema.
Obviously, there are a ton of things that can be done after this
event information is distributed across the web. However, I think that
it is best to let the free market, entrepreneurs, random techies and
other participants in the OpenMedia revolution - to make that happen.
It should be obvious that my interests and my loyalty is with the
success of my company. I have money, time and other people's money and
time invested in this, and my primary goal is to make it a financial
success. As president, a director and shareholder, that is my primary
interest and legal and ethical responsibility.
As long as OpenEvents is complementary to this goal, I am all for
it.
Well dude - let me bring back
some context, sprinkle some juju visionary dust in it, roll it all
up and light a fuse.
a) The example activity outline - WAS OPML code, editable by humans
in an on-line outliner we built called WebOutliner. When
micro-content like that is in such a structure editor - "sure you can
call it eVite - but that's JUST the event and web site aspect of this
actitity."
b) Instead of thinking of mimicing an already stodgy Web 1.0 model
like eVite - think about it as just one instantiation of a new kind of
tool - which spits out 'situated' scenarios faster than Professor
Shirky can dream up his homework assingments.
c) Esther Dyson suggested a spreadsheet like tool for social
software interaction and here's the beginnings of a tool which can
fabricate complex series of interactions - utilzing standards, modules
and oft understood principles (don't we all have music on and play
slides on oiur PCs during parties we throw?) I do.
d) So instead of thinking 'bout JUST the eVite aspects - and point
us backwards - think about what a
shared Events server means - when it's
coupled with on-line communities, shared Reviews, open (our)
media, an identity standard to unite systems together and a tags
standard as a ricohet between live vibrant agents.
Oh yah and a customizable dashboard which uses a container metaphor
to aggregate just about anything in an integrated environment.
I'm delighted to see Scott McMullen use the
term Peter Caputa and I came up with - for some sort of open
standard for events. As new kinds of micro-content emerge, separate
domains are evolving centered around entrepreneurs who live, breath
and sleep with these new kinds of micro-content.
Greetings from sunny San Diego.
Morning after posting Google/Internet Archive, Meet Mr. Event we threw the kids in the
WRX and headed south for some R&R with friends and family.
So now that I've snuck into the local wifi cafe I'm very gratified to
discover more people, projects, and conversations about this events vision. For sake of clarity, from now on I
think I'll start using Marc
Canter'sOpe
nEvents moniker -- seems like the same/right philosophy, and
appears to still be a green-field
project.
Here are just a few additional links I've found related to
OpenEvents vision, although I haven't had time to fully dig through
all this yet:
EventsML, an IPTC
effort for an XML vocab standard for, "event publishing, event
planning, and event coverage."
ESS
the "Event Share Specification" for, "assisting in the
publishing and distribution of event (e.g. meetings, conferences,
holidays) information."
WhizSpark's broader thoughts on social networking and
events
CivicSpace are
some veterans of the Dean campaign building a, "...platform that
empowers collective action inside communities and cohesively connects
remote groups of supporters."
Who What
When Where XML is headed up by Hanan Cohen, who believes,
"people should be able to publish where and when they will be,
and others should be able do discover those facts and arrange to meet
them."
Among many others! I haven't yet digested the
comments/trackbacks/new info, but clearly people are looking and
addressing events from many different angles and biz models. And it's
all "just software," so it's doable. Hard part is
herding cats, aligning interests so collaboration, real work, and
follow-through happen.
Still getting my mind around all this, but I'm looking forward to
continuing to connect with interested and engaged parties. But
my main event right now is quality
time with family until the new year, so I think I'll idle my mind and
keyboard until '05. Have a great holiday if you're still reading
this!
I am writing a series of posts on why OpenEvents is an
Uphill Battle. I am hoping that this rallies some people to
think creatively, and also to realize that if we work together to make
this happen, then we will all will benefit much quicker.
So, The first reason that OpenEvents is an uphill battle is because
the established players have no incentive to share
data. Actually, they have disincentives because there are so
many businesses that depend on the data for their revenue stream.
Whether it's XML or rdf, centralized or distributed - sharing and
building on Events as an open, shared kind of micro-content - is
leaving the station.
Why we need OpenEvents - what's wrong with this feed?
- Conference
http://www.rsscalendar.com/rss/view.asp?k=d6128a5c44f82653361a48
a60cbc47c2 Date: Aug 20, 2004 Start: 12:00 AM End: 12:00
AM
(Note: John's local time)
RSSCalendar is an
exciting new way for individuals and organizations to share their
calendars with family, friends, and peers - utilizing the latest in
"Really Simple Syndication" (RSS) technology, including RSS channel
creation and aggregation. Not only is RSSCalendar easy to use but it
is also easy to administer, and setup is a snap. RSSCalendar is
well-suited for a variety of uses, including:
All of the structure of the Event is LOST! This is a hack, using
the existing RSS piepline - without any standardization on a
namespace.
Would Jon Udell be
happy about this? Or Steve Gillmor?
Why it a good thing to LOSE stucture that's there already?
Why doesn't Peter Caputa IV or
Brian Dear or Acteva or SOMEBODY start an OpenEvents
effort and standardize events schemas - and make sure they can flow
out BOTH RSS 2.0 and Atom.
That's all.
Please.
I'm a bit busy right now.
Digital Harbor Joins W3C; Leading Composite Application Developer Joins Industry-Leading Forum to Participate
Q&A with Peter Kay12/05/2003 07:47 PM By Peter Kay. A subscriber from Honolulu asks, "When I go to Google
and search using words that describe my company, I realize we're
nowhere to be found. ...
Q & A with Peter Kay
Q & A with Peter Kay02/10/2004 02:36 AM By Peter Kay. A subscriber from Honolulu asks, "Why does my
competition list higher on Google? And more importantly, how can I get
listed before them?". ...
Peter Turnley06/22/2004 12:28 PM Peter Turnley One of the
great photojournalists living today. Peter, (and his twin brother
David) have witnessed and documented some of the most important events
in recent history.
Search is on for Peter Pan sequel08/20/2004 08:54 AM A search is launched for someone to write a sequel to bring children's
classic Peter Pan up to date.
Miramax (owned by Disney) acquired the rights to The Lord of the
Rings in 1996 but backed out of the deal in 1998 when Peter
Jackson presented his budget. New Line Cinema (owned by Time Warner)
stepped in and, under producer Barrie Osborne, stepped up to the
plate. The three installments cost a toal of $270M to produce, and
that's before marketing costs were added, not to mention the vaseline
budget for the cameras filming Liv Tyler.
So, here's a toast to the money guys who said Yes to a director
whose pitch must have gone something like this:
I'd like to film one of the most beloved and jealously
protected literary properties in history.
I'd like to turn it into a sword-and-dwarves epic that will
run somewhere between 9 and 11 hours.
I plan on shooting the largest, most complex battle scenes
in history. And you can trust me based on my work in Heavenly
Creatures.
We'll have to invent the most convincing CGI effects ever. In
fact, the pivotal character will be made entirely of pixels. And you
can trust me to bring true humanity to the art of digital acting based
on my breakthrough work in Meet the Feebles.
A work of this scale will require marshalling 25,000 people
over the course of several years. And I think I proved my ability to
do so with Valley of the Stereos.
All hail Peter Jackson! But thanks, for once, to the money people
who took the leap with him.
Peter Bagge on contemporary art08/16/2004 05:40 PM Peter Bagge's excellent 4-page
comic strip rant on the state of contemporary art, in Reason.
Link
Peter Kuper is Porn Again
Peter Kuper is Porn Again03/13/2003 10:22 AM Actual quote by the cartoonist Peter Kuper, spoken during his
childhood trip to Amsterdam: "Dad, t-that woman is doing something to
that pony!" (03-11)
Zap Video: Peter Rukavina12/30/2003 12:04 AM "One of the Zap great Zap oligarchy, Peter Rukavina of Reinvented Inc.
shared his experience working on web tools behind Prince Edward
Island’s provincial election.
Peter Rukavina speaks at Zap
198MB QuickTime - 1hr 2min - Peter Rukavina of Reinvented Inc speaks
at the Zap..." (49 words - posted by steven) no replies
Peter Drucker Archives
Peter Drucker Archives12/07/2003 04:11 PM Peter Drucker, possibly the most famous management writer of all time,
has his own archives at
http://drucker.cgu.edu/DruckerArchives/data/index.htm . There's a
variety of information about him in the archives, including his life,
the titles he's published, and a collection of related...
Peter Yared's grid ambition06/05/2005 11:21 PM If you think you've heard a lot about grids already, you haven't heard
anything yet. Can grids really do more than just split up big
number-crunching jobs across computers? Peter Yared thinks so. With
the backing of Jean-Louis Gassee and...
"Running on Empty" by Peter G. Peterson07/21/2004 07:59 AM Bush's tax cuts have squandered an era of prosperity and doomed our
kids to a crippled economy, argues the former secretary of commerce.
But the Democrats, he insists in this dark and brilliant jeremiad,
have done no better.
Peter Van Dijck?s Guide to Ease �02/07/2005 01:53 AM I still have the same problem with my harddrive. I would pay someone
to tell me how to fix this.
Basically, I have 2 external firewire harddrives, and they work fine
on one compute, but with my laptop (using a firewire card), they
'break' if I write more than a ...
World's Largest Online Library Joins ISTE in Promoting Technology in Education - Questia Online Library and Research Service Joins ISTE 100
PowerBook helped with new Peter Pan film's lush look
PowerBook helped with new Peter Pan film's lush look12/24/2003 11:01 AM Writing for The Hollywood Reporter (and since syndicated by Reuters), Sheigh Crabtree profiles the efforts of
cinematographer Donald McAlpine, whose work on the new production of
"Peter Pan" hits movie theaters on Christmas Day. Crabtree explained
that McAlpine used a PowerBook and a digital still camera to better
visualize the look of the film.
Interview with Peter Jackson on LoTR Bloopers
Interview with Peter Jackson on LoTR Bloopers12/18/2003 02:14 PM erth writes "Newsweek has an interview with Peter Jackson asking him
what he thinks about some of the most famous and/or obvious bloopers
in the LoTR series. ...
Economy: Peter Drucker drops the ball
Economy: Peter Drucker drops the ball01/07/2004 06:27 PM Fortune (sub only). Peter Drucker is great, I typically
love his insightful analysis. However he was dead wrong in a
recent Fortune interview. In the interview, Peter claims that
job losses due to offshoring don't matter because so few industries
are impacted. He reasons
that only jobs that build products where over 20%
of the total cost to produce it are labor costs, are vulnerable.
Further, he adds: these jobs typically don't matter since they
are low paying (like textiles). My response: What about
software? What about all knowledge worker tasks from
accounting to xyz? Not well reasoned Peter, you can do
better.
Peter Wengert - Inside Microsoft Automotive
Peter Wengert - Inside Microsoft Automotive07/28/2004 08:18 PM Mike Hall (remember his tour of the Windows embedded lab?) took his
camcorder over to get a look inside what the Windows Automotive group
is doing.
Peter Morville Launches Findability Campaign
Peter Morville Launches Findability Campaign07/19/2004 02:52 AM Best-selling author and founder of findability.org hits the road with
information architecture and findability workshops in Boston, San
Francisco, and Washington D.C. [PRWEB Jul 19, 2004]
Fan-generated Peter Jackson Hobbit trailer12/09/2003 06:10 AM This is a bloody good fan-generated trailer for a notional Peter
Jackson film adaptation of The Hobbit, cleverly remixing found footage
and footage from the LOTR discs to make a kind of "draft Jackson"
piece that shows how good this movie could be.
Link
(via Kottke) Grok Description matches for Peter Caputa joins in with OpenEvents GrokA matches for Peter Caputa joins in with OpenEvents
Peter Caputa joins in with OpenEvents
The following phrases have been identified by the grok system as matching this entry:
I'd like to film one of the most beloved and jealously
protected literary properties in history.
Peter Bagge's excellent 4-page
comic strip rant on the state of contemporary art, in Reason.