Category Archives: web 2

Newspaper companies can’t unring the bell

Posted on April 5, 2009 by Rakesh Agrawal

American newspapers are in trouble. So far this year, the Rocky Mountain News and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer have shuttered their presses. Tribune is in bankruptcy. My first employer, the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, is also there. Publishers have threatened to … Continue reading →

Posted in journalism, media, newspapers, publishing, twitter, web 2, web 2.0 | 3 Comments

Who needs newspapers?

Posted on March 15, 2009 by Rakesh Agrawal

I read two thought-provoking pieces this week on the decline of newspapers from voices outside the newspaper business and one Really Dumb Idea from a voice on the inside. Author Clay Shirky, Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable: When someone demands … Continue reading →

Posted in journalism, media, newspapers, web 2, web 2.0 | 5 Comments

A tale of two media companies

Posted on December 29, 2008 by Rakesh Agrawal

You’ve got a competitor with deep pockets, huge brand recognition and a lot of traffic that is interested in your content. What do you do? Here are two very different approaches: GateHouse Media is suing The New York Times Co., … Continue reading →

Posted in google, hulu, journalism, newspapers, television, video, web 2, web 2.0, YouTube | Comments Off on A tale of two media companies

Communicating amongst friends: how technology changes human relationships

Posted on September 14, 2008 by Rakesh Agrawal

I realized recently that I’ve been communicating with one of my closest friends over IM for more than 10 years. We talk almost daily, several times a day. I have no doubt that we wouldn’t be as close without the … Continue reading →

Posted in email, facebook, flickr, im, instant messaging, social networking, twitter, Uncategorized, web 2, web 2.0 | 2 Comments

All the news that’s fit to tweet

Posted on August 25, 2008 by Rakesh Agrawal

Local, local, local. It’s the new mantra for news. I was reminded of this last week after the train I was riding in struck a pedestrian. The event was insignificant to all but a few hundred, maybe a couple of … Continue reading →

Posted in journalism, media, newspapers, social networking, twitter, web 2, web 2.0 | 3 Comments

Take my picture, please

Posted on June 18, 2008 by Rakesh Agrawal

I’ve been testing out a couple of relatively new social networking sites lately — FriendFeed and brightkite. Both reminded me of a pet peeve I have about social networking sites: they all want your picture, but they don’t make it … Continue reading →

Posted in facebook, social networking, web 2, web 2.0 | 2 Comments

More Americans get their news from… Facebook?

Posted on June 13, 2008 by Rakesh Agrawal

I found out about Tim Russert’s death today through Facebook. One of my friends had updated his status to say he was “shocked by Tim Russert’s death.” I glanced over at my Google Talk contacts and noticed that two other … Continue reading →

Posted in facebook, im, instant messaging, journalism, media, newspapers, publishing, social networking, twitter, web 2, web 2.0 | 3 Comments

Occasional reader – Airport security, future of journalism, working with Yahoo!

Posted on May 18, 2008 by Rakesh Agrawal

Some interesting reads from the past couple of weeks: The Airport Security Follies (New York Times blog) – Pilot Patrick Smith takes a look at the idiocy of our airport screening processes. Smith argues (and I fully agree) that airport … Continue reading →

Posted in airlines, journalism, media, newspapers, reader, social networking, travel, web 2, web 2.0, weekly reader, yahoo | Comments Off on Occasional reader – Airport security, future of journalism, working with Yahoo!

3D maps meet geotagged pictures

Posted on May 3, 2008 by Rakesh Agrawal

Microsoft’s Virtual Earth has a phenomenal addition to Live Search Maps that allows users to create virtual aerial tours. Here’s an example using pictures from my trip to Kauai: The tours can be exported as a video file and uploaded … Continue reading →

Posted in flickr, geotagging, maps, mashups, microsoft, photography, web 2, web 2.0 | 1 Comment

Yahoo! Local gets Yelpy

Posted on December 13, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

Yahoo! Local has rolled out some new features to increase the Web 2.0-ness of its local search product: RSS feeds. You can subscribe to feeds of all reviews near you. If you find a reviewer you like, you can stay … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, city guides, local search, search, web 2, web 2.0, yahoo, yelp | 1 Comment