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8 this week, 91 all time
1 this week, 13 all time

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Bradley Horowitz
Bret Taylor
Eric Berlin
ian c rogers
Jason Calacanis
Jeffrey Veen
Joi Ito
Kevin Rose
Leah Culver
Loic Le Meur
michael arrington
Robert Scoble
Cains's Comments and Likes - View full feed
Twitter
Loic Le Meur posted a message on Twitter
FriendFeed
Jason Calacanis posted a message
“WSJ: Apple's profit climbed 31% to $1.07 billion in the fiscal third quarter on strong sales of Macintosh computers and iPod music players. Total Sales rose 38% to $7.46 billion. Apple said it shipped nearly 2.5 million Macs during the quarter, up 41% from a year earlier, while iPod shipments grew”
Monday at 1:59 pm - Link
DISCUSS: Apple's profit climbed 31% to $1.07 billion in the fiscal third quarter on strong sales of Macintosh computers and iPod music players. Total Sales rose 38% to $7.46 billion. - Jason Calacanis
Perfect storm Apple is in full upswing, Microsoft is in full downswing. Many of the barriers holding back apple have eroded over the years especially with the conversion to the Intel based cpu and the implementation and support of Boot Camp. I say look for the trend to continue for the next 3-5 years and then slow as segmentation begins to resemble that of other industries. - Geoff Schultz
What a great concept. Create a closed platform, don't let anyone near it, make it a cool design. Rinse and repeat. There are billions to be made being the cool kid. Problem is, they are starting to have big company problems like MS with a fraction of the users. Wait till this thing scales even higher, you guys will wait weeks to activate your 4G iPhones. - Robert Barr
Interesting CNBC factoid; Every 1% of computer market share Apple gains adds $6 billion - Cains
Twitter
Max Kalehoff posted a message on Twitter
Blog
Eric Berlin posted an entry on Online Media Cultist
Should all RSS subscribers “count”?
Monday at 7:56 am - Link
I'd argue FF subscribers are worth more than RSS subscribers, FF users are far more likely to comment on your posts....especially when they keep getting shoutouts ;) - Cains
Totally agree! I guess then there's a question of semantics though i.e. should FF subscribers "count" as RSS subscribers. - Eric Berlin
Twitter
Loic Le Meur posted a message on Twitter
Twitter
Adam Helweh posted a message on Twitter
Blog
Eric Berlin posted an entry on Online Media Cultist
Online Media Cultist hits the 300 RSS subscriber mark
July 18 at 7:21 am - Link
I cleared out my RSS subscriptions yesterday and removed any I get from FF ;) - Cains
Power to you but in my book a feed is a feed is a feed ;-) - Eric Berlin
Blog
michael arrington posted an entry on TechCrunchIT
Google: Where Companies Go To Die
July 16 at 4:54 pm - Link
Is Google stalling or inhibiting the innovation? If they can't do it (lack of bandwidth), don't even let others do it.. Acquire it.. Kill it. Before it becomes pain or yet another disruptive tech to deal with. A typical CEO stratergy? - Umesh Kakkad
Blog
Robert Scoble posted an entry on Scobleizer's Recent Qik Videos
Dan Meis - architect
July 16 at 11:53 am - Link
Very cool NFL stadium model. - Cody Heitschmidt
This guy was a real treat. Designed the Seattle baseball stadium too. - Robert Scoble
link is toast - adolfo foronda
looks like Qik is down. - Robert Scoble
Great video, I'm very interested in the Seoul Dome & his use of Earth sheltering in the new LA stadium. Thanks Robert - Cains
Thanks indeed (and thanks to Marchino for "liking" this :)) - giorgia
Twitter
Robert Scoble posted a message on Twitter
Disqus
Robert Scoble commented on a blog post on Disqus
Re: On Loren Feldman's statement about Shel Israel and FastCompany
July 15 at 11:43 am - Link
"Shel Israel is no longer part of http://www.fastcompany.tv. That is correct. The changes we made to http://www.fastcompany.tv/work... were made due to community feedback, in particular due to Dennis Howlett and Allen Stern's criticism of that show. We made several changes in reaction to their feedback. As to the guy who says "fastcompany.tv sucks" that's great, but why not be constructive? I'm very interested in constructive feedback and am working to make our shows the best available. Today we have several exclusives, including lots of interviews with members of congress. If that's "sucking" well, then, I want more "sucking." This is content no other tech video blogger is bringing to you." - Robert Scoble
you're doing great Scoble. Always engaging content and your site/twitter/friendfeed posts are what I wake up to every morning in addition to my Yahoo! Mail. - Randy Ksar
Show 33 more comments
Thanks, Randy, I appreciate it and will try too bring you great content. Tomorrow I'm interviewing a couple of famous architects in Los Angeles, that should be fun! - Robert Scoble
Can you give any names Robert (the architects)? Ed Niles perhaps? - Cains
I recommend more high quality editing. You know music and fancy images and a deep narrator voice and some quirky jokes and a pretty host. - Bjorn Tipling
The button on coat looks funny - Mário Pires
Steve Jones and Dan Meis. Meis designed the Los Angeles NFL Stadium. Steve designs restaurants. Here's an article about him: http://www.findingdulcinea.com... - Robert Scoble
Bjorn: no matter how much editing we do it'll never be enough. My videos aren't going to be entertaining, the way, say, a puppet show is. My videos are about conversations with people who you can't usually have conversations with. Famous architects. CEOs. Congressmen. Famous photographers. Business innovators. Etc. My focus is always on the conversation and getting you into the room. Not on cool graphic effects or deep voices or well-done music/edits, etc. - Robert Scoble
Awesome. Have they been in Dwell before? I'm sure they have. That magazine is great for architects and the publisher came to Yahoo! to speak last year when I was working there (laid-off in Feb.). - Randy Ksar
Thanks, I'm a fan of Meis. Staples Center was a turning point for arenas and you can see it's influence on many newer buildings. But the new LA stadium looks unbelievable, it's design is unlike of any other venue. For people who haven't seen it, check http://www.losangelesfootballs... - Cains
I feel a sudden inspiration to remark: Robert Scoble is definitely one of the coolest guys I've encountered on the net (and I thank Friendfeed for that opportunity). Incredible energy and curiosity about the world, and indefatigable cheerfulness. I assume he must really be ten guys, because all of his many comments on Friendfeed are thoughtful and sharp as a tack. We need more Scobles on the planet. - Sean McBride
Sean, I really appreciate comments like yours. In a world where it seems so appropriate to just rip everyone to shreds, I wish more people looked for the good in others, rather than just the bad. - Robert Scoble
mr. scoble is something of a genius, an everyman who moves in very special company, an encyclopedia with a human touch ... which is why i come to this page just before bed here in bangalore, to tune in to what is real .... enjoy .... - gregory lent
Robert - I've observed some interesting social dynamics here and concluded that some of the attacks on you are motivated by envy, pure and simple. You've won a large following by dint of sheer excellence and enthusiasm -- the free marketplace at its best -- and that success has come with a certain cost, apparently. In any case, keep Scobleizing on all cylinders and in best spirits, and ignore the petty sniping. - Sean McBride
Honestly, i like the interviews on FastCompany, i think they are unique and i haven't seen anyone else giving us the kind of exposure that you guys bring behind the scene of the tech world. - Nir Ben Yona
Robert, I have to be honest here. I have never watched a full video of yours. ( i should do that sometime). Anways, i think u are one of those interesting guys who respects others opinion and at the same provide ur feedback. You are doing one hell of job, keep up the great work. I like the conversations you initiate, very valuable and thoughful - Omfut
i have a love-hate relationship with your videos. Just about everything you post is interesting and of interesting subjects. The problem i have is the lack of interview skills. Most interviews are choppy and hard to watch, borderline embarrassing because there is no chemistry. That being said, you have a knack for "getting the story" and that's something hard to compete with. If the other part of it can be addressed then you have an untouchable combination. - Carlos Ayala
Carlos: anything actionable that you'd suggest? - Robert Scoble
@Carlos i'm not a media pro but this is exactly what i like about FastCompany, the direct connection with the interviewee, the sincere and open attitude without the over editing attribute that characterizes the "old fashion" channels. - Nir Ben Yona via twhirl
Well, I am by no means an authority on the subject. But I know that watching those interviewers that you admire and imitating what they do, might be a start. Radio interviewers may be an other avenue to look to for ideas. Lately, some of the interviews, mostly political in nature, on NPR have captivated me. They have a knack for keeping the interview and the interviewee, if you will, on track. There is no choppiness to the flow and their voices are very confident and in control. - Carlos Ayala
i apologize for not being able to articulate this any better. - Carlos Ayala
one other thing i want to mention, which may be a key to your flow is this: your interviews/videos seem to come across like spur of the moment. As though you were sneaking up on your subjects. I realize that there is some planning on the back end for everything you do. Maybe a line of questioning that is prepared in some manner and not strayed away from may be something else to think about. This way you do not come off like you just thought of the question that is being asked. - Carlos Ayala
Can we get "Robert Scoble wants more sucking" on a T-shirt, anybody? Wait, no, don't block me! I'm totally kidding! Seriously, Robert -- I think you guys deserve some credit for responding to community feedback. It sounds like you're really looking for constructive criticism and doing your best to ignore people who are being overly critical because it was you an Shel, not because of some of the content itself. Good luck with the new direction of the show. - Omar Gallaga
Robert, do you watch your own shows? All of them? All the way through? - Michael Markman
Not sure that I agree with Carlos. Different interviewers have different styles, and Robert's style is definitely a conversational style. If you listen to him for more than two seconds, you'll hear that his goal is to have an interesting conversation every day. Someone who preferred an analytical approach, or a confrontational approach, may approach things differently. But conversations are...um...conversations, and they could go off into tangents. (Look at this Disqus entry for an example of tangential pursuits.) - Ontario Emperor
@Ontario Emperor I follow what you are saying and I agree with your point to an extent. What I think is happening is that Robert approaches his interviews nervously. His excitement gets the better of him and it is evident. I am not sure how to articulate this any better, but there is an uncomfortable chopiness to the interview that manifests a feeling of embarrassment on my end as the viewer. I still enjoy the video, but I also see that there is a potential there that is begging to be tapped. - Carlos Ayala
I understand both your points but I actually like the conversation style, it just needs a bit of honing (an unfair comparison but Jon Stewart has perfected it). The style is hard to master as while you've got to give your guest room to go a little off-topic, you've also got to try and reign them in when it becomes everyday banter. - Cains
Michael: yes, I watch most of my shows all the way through. Comparing me to Jon Stewart is interesting. Do you know how many writers and producers he has? I was on CNBC and they have tons. Also Donny Deutsch's show often isn't live and they go back and redo parts that suck. I am doing conversations, not entertainment. - Robert Scoble
Writers & Producers don't help when you're interviewing someone. Sure you've got researchers who can help bring up interesting facts about your guest, but when the light goes on, you're on your own. I wasn't comparing you to him exactly, I was comparing the style. Jon never seems above or below his guest, it feels more like a conversation with an audience. - Cains
Robert's conversations aren't always slick or polished, but for me, that's part of the charm -- most of us have hundreds of channels of slick programming, but a lot of that content isn't compelling. Robert's interest and enthusiasm for the guests are apparent, and the shows are kind of like the conversations you'd see in a tech conference hallway. - Dave Pelland
FWIW, I trust Robert in what he is trying to do and will do. Do I always like the bugger nope. Do I agree to disagree with him at times, YES. But at the end of the day, methinks that at the end of his career he is going to be some sort of Larry KIng (CNN), that has interviewed near practically every hot shot in the universe. A tortoise does not move fwd, without sticking its neck out and remember the tortoise always wins the race with the Hare !! AT the end of the day, he's still green. What matters .. - Peter Dawson
<cont> what matters it that he genuinely wants to do shit and move the conversation into the public zone. there is a balance that companies need seek (And also readers) , when they deal with this paradigm. Its a new paradigm, its stuff we don't know how it works, its his neck on the line. I salute him for that. - Peter Dawson
Larry King? OK, Robert doesn't ask Mike Wallace-like confrontational questions, but I hope he doesn't develop King's voice or gambling or marital habits. - Ontario Emperor via fftogo
Cains: that is totally NOT true. A producer DRAMATICALLY affects the quality of the show. I saw this first hand on Donny Deutsch's show. If the producer were not there Donny would suck really badly. - Robert Scoble
Let us all remember we are talking about the medium of the internet, which allows people to do things differently. If we take Mahalo & Calacanis interview as an example, does it comply with national TV standards? probably not, but it sure delivers the information behind the scenes of a company who wants to dominant the searching market, the kind of info i haven't seen in any of the common polished channels. - Nir Ben Yona
<cont> Has anyone seen an interview with Scribd CEO somewhere else? Has anyone seen an interview with Evernote CEO demonstrating his latest iPhone feature in any other place? Has anyone seen a direct interview with Twitter founders the way it was presented on FastCompany? Boy, i don't even think those compelling TV anchors have ever heard about it. - Nir Ben Yona
Robert; Thats a little different. Were you redoing parts of the interview? On some sets thats the norm, on others the interviewer just has an earpiece and the producer will prod/yell if the interview stalls or remind you of a talking point. I'm trying to think of any CNBC live journo that has a conversational style, no name pops up. It's news so it will be more structured - Cains
@ Ontario " hope he doesn't develop King's voice or gambling or marital habits", regardless of his personal shortcomings, the Larry King show is one of strong Revenue streams for CNN and with the highest view rating across time. Suffice to say, that core issue is that we DONT focus on the problem rather thrieve in an envorinment where we take pot shots at a person's shortcoming !! - Peter Dawson
Twitter
Robert Scoble posted a message on Twitter
FriendFeed
Jason Calacanis posted a link
President George W Bush lobbyist in ‘cash for access’ row - Times Online
July 13 at 1:35 pm - via Bookmarklet - Link
want to meet with the president and his staff? sure, $250,000 donation to the library and you're in. outrageous or expected? discuss. - Jason Calacanis via Bookmarklet
Nothing these crooks do surprises me any more. It just frightens me to wonder what they've done or are doing that we don't yet know about. And it feels strange to "like" this post when the content so sickens me. - nicerobot
Show 8 more comments
If you watch the video, he asks for more like $750,000! Only a third of that even makes it to the library. So sleazy. - Ian Linkletter
Yeah, man, the Clintons would never have done anything like this! (Just kidding) Actually, this is yet another body blow to the peoples' faith in politicians. As if that faith wasn't already down on the mat and out for the count. BUT, if you limit politicians to one term, then you create a class of bureaucrats who stay on and REALLY run things. (Example, the state of Montana where the legislature only meets for 90 days every two years.. guess how things get done!) Perhaps the answer is instant execution of politicians found guilty of violating the public trust. That might work! - Frank Derfler
As Kagro X said at dailykos.com "That's bribery. I mean, that's it. That's what it is." - Adam Turetzky
How else are you going to get to talk to high ranking people? Call and make reservations? They're busy people. You give money, you get a little meet N greet while they're fundraising for their party (not on official gov time) and maybe it leads to more talks further down the road. Its nothing new. - Cains
Cains, an elected government works for the people, not the people with the most money. Regardless of whether it's "nothing new", it can still be wrong. Precedence doesn't make it right. Part of the problem with the US government is that money drives decisions instead of what is best for the people. Hardly a democratic republic. That's more like a monarchy. - nicerobot
When party fundraising they are not on government business. Politicans need time off too ;) Its not just an American thing. You want an easy way to meet a politician? Donate to them. How busy would they be if every constituent could just call up and demand some face time - Cains
It's why hierarchies exist. It's why we have local governments, that should be more geared to the needs of the people and the local governments act on behalf of the people to the next level, hierarchically all the way to the top. To give direct access to the top for money circumvents that chain to favor those with money. And, in a sense, government w/responsibility is a 24/7 job. Government has time off from work but not from people wanting favors. - nicerobot
nicerobot; People are jumping to conclusions. The donation got you a meeting with someone, not an agreement to change laws in your favour. Wouldn't all party fundraising be wrong? What about those $7k dinners for presidential candidates? You pay the money to get to meet the person, have a photo and chat for a few moments. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this. - Cains
Cains, you're being naive if you think money and face-time don't come with expected strings attached. If nothing else, it provides an opportunity to plant ideas. Yes, money in politics is wrong and rife for corruption. It's a major problem for a democracy when people with money have more opportunity to speak with an official than someone else without money. If I can pay to get to say something to the president about my pet needs, I have a leg up on others that can't. It's wrong. - nicerobot
on one hand: agree with nicerobot that they are criminals and nothing surprises me. but on the other, this practice (in various forms) ain't new at all. (I'm, i guess, stating a simpler version of what Cains just said.) And having worked and/or moved around in the space a fair bit, I tell you in most instances it's no strings attached. - Anthony Citrano
Also - NR is right - planting an idea is serious power. And big money in politics IS a problem - but the same people who whine about big money in politics won't pony up a dime for a candidate. How can a candidate be a serious candidate without money? And a candidate has two ways to raise that money: big donors or small ones. I'm raising money for a candidate this year and the sad reality is that it's REALLY hard to get small donors to step up. - Anthony Citrano
FriendFeed
Robert Scoble posted a message
“I just received Jason Calacanis' first email "blog." I'm very saddened that he decided to go back to email for a whole number of reasons. Let's talk about them.”
July 13 at 11:31 am - Link
Push model of communication vs. conversation? - Sprague D
Maybe you could start listing the reasons you know - Brian Sullivan
Show 97 more comments
Email seems so closed off - it prohibits growth. At least, that's how I see it... - George Smith
I just received Calacanis' first email newsletter. Which is really his replacement for not blogging anymore. He makes several great points. 1. That commenters have destroyed blogging. 2. That Nick Denton's style of paying for page views instead of smart ideas has destroyed blogging. 3. That he seeks out a more intimate conversation. 4. That email is it. - Robert Scoble
Robert: Please forward them to post@posterous.com. Heheh. : ) - Erhan Erdogan
I am saddened because all of this is true. Except by going back to email he's taken us back to the 1990s where I can't share his ideas with others (he only will accept 1,000 subscribers, he says). He also is cluttering my email stream which is cluttered beyond breaking. Imagine if everyone did email newsletters... - Robert Scoble
I don't know about you folks, but I just don't need any more email. I can't keep up with what I already have. I've started replying to my co-worker's emails with Office Communicator, in an attempt to ease the deluge. You'd think IT folks would know that it's not always necessary to hit "Reply All." - MiniMage via NoiseRiver
I think it harkens back to the glory days of yesteryear when there were email lists like the lockergnome. Maybe it's just nostalgia. I don't have a problem with commentors on my blog, but then, I don't have the numbers that Calacanis or Scoble have either. He says he has a problem and that an email list will alleviate those problems. We'll just have to see what happens and see if his experiment does work. - Jason Shultz via twhirl
Here it is: http://robert_zrxrc.posterous.... -- he already has 1,100 subscribers. - Robert Scoble
FF is the answer, possible a FF' room. Once FF becomes mainstream as a sharing and communication tool bogging activity will decrease significantly: if not FF will become the de-facto “bogging” platform. - Joao
"I'm very saddened" ? what makes you sad and why ? - Peter Dawson
that's one looong e-mail - Dobromir Hadzhiev
Robert - Jason hasn't taken anybody to the 90's except maybe himself. The whole thing smacks of ego anyway. I think better just to ignore Jason (I mostly did that before as well so not much change for me). - Brian Sullivan
Peter: because what Jason says is true. It's why I've slowed down blogging lately. Blogging used to be about discussing ideas. Lately it's been about getting on Techmeme. I share the blame in that part of things. But even while that's been going on I've tried to read many times more stuff than what I write. It's why I still read hundreds of RSS feeds and participate here on FF (I like many, many, many times more items than what I start). But I hate his choice of media. Email is just the worst place. - Robert Scoble
The remark on commenters is disingenuous -- he regularly turned off commenting on his blog when he didn't want to deal with blowback, unlike Robert who rarely disengages. For a guy who made $25 million off blogging, turning his back on the medium seems like bad faith, to me. - Sprague D
funny the other day his max number of "subscribers" was going to be hard and fast at 750 and now it is 1,000 ... as usual he can't seem to make up his mind [edit] now I see it is up to 1,100 - Steven Hodson
I think the cap on subscriptions is interesting. Pushing the scarcity button ("Act now -- supplies are limited!") is considered a fairly low Jedi Mind Trick. [waves hand] Wasn't the cap 500 at first? Then 750? Now it's 1,000? Because you can only have an "intimate conversation" with 1,000 people? hahahahahahah... - Karim
He *is* blogging -- after a sorts. Commenters haven't destroyed blogging, but many comments are noise and add no value. This is where the site owner needs to put on big boy pants and function as an editor. I can't fault Denton for paying for views. How does this affect Calacanis' site? Seeking Intimacy? Oh, the burdens of popularity ... ;-) - Chris Baskind
Brian: I agree with that. I subscribed, but with my luck the newsletter will get thrown into my spam folder. Interesting that many bloggers started out with newsletters (Chris Pirillo and Dave Winer both had famous email newsletters before they moved to blogs). - Robert Scoble
I don't like it , if you limit the communicatin to just who gets your email. Then it's a monologue not a conversation - Kim Landwehr
Another place Jason is right? The need to have one-to-one smart conversations. If I didn't have those every day and just did my blog I'd be one sad puppy. It's the smart conversations that matter. Most of which I don't have an audience for while I'm having them. - Robert Scoble
Robert: Will you go on forwarding these on posterous? : ) I subscribe your posterous. ; ) Thanks for sharing. - Erhan Erdogan
@robert , "Blogging used to be about discussing ideas. Lately it's been about getting on Techmeme." Agreed, but you can't solve a problem with the same mindset that created the problem and that goes to all the A-listers too.. They have always fought / jostled , manipulated the SM streams to get to their way to for google juice, page views/hits. etc Now all of a sudden, its like wait.. whatever happened to the original idea of exchanging ideas ? Whatever happened to passion and integrity ? - Peter Dawson
Erhan: I'll forward them when he has something smart to say. (and I remember to do it). :-) - Robert Scoble
Peter now you know why I've focused so much of my energy on FriendFeed. I'm having a lot smarter conversations here than other places. - Robert Scoble
I'll take the contrarian view: This email was the most relaxed, best, most enjoyable, insightful writing I've seen from Jason in a while. I'm an old school McLuhanite wrt the medium being the message. But sometimes, the message is the message. Sometimes the author is the message. Gotta let an author choose the medium. If this change boosts the quality of Jason's output, I'm glad he did it. - Michael Markman
Scoble: I think you're wrong about blogging being all "about getting on Techmeme." As a blogger in a niche community, I can tell you that the VAST majority of bloggers out there don't care about or plan to get on techmeme. This particular problem (and all of the problems that you mention) lies in a very small subset of the blogging community--the "A-list", as it's put. - Eric Florenzano
Robert: Calacanis's new official blog: http://robert_zrxrc.posterous.... : ))) You may change its name to "calacanissbug.posterous.com" : ))) - Erhan Erdogan
Robert, BUT BEWARE - the same thing is happening on FF too , the platform has changed, however the attitude is the same. http://friendfeed.com/e/2edaf6... - Peter Dawson
Robert, the one thing e-mail is severely lacking is the ability to thread a conversation so late comers don't jump in and ask the same questions that were already asked - or make the same points that were already made. Sure Jason has some points, but I'm not sure the direction he took is the road to travel... It does indeed sound like he wants to 'recapture' something that was lost, but I can't help hearing you (Robert) start ringing the innovation bell rather than what equates to throwing in the towel. - ChangeForge
I blog, comment and email. I have a large target audience - non-tech, non-connected biz owners, who prefer the email format. Of course I invite conversation, and try to direct people back to my blog, but the large percentage of my readers are passive - so email works. - Lorraine Ball
I have to say I agree with Michael Markman on this one. I'm rather enjoying the tone of Jason's writing in these posts. It's brings me back to earlier writing of his that I enjoyed. - Cathy Brooks
I think the move is rather ridiculous. I never really pay much attention to his stunts anyway, but I think that if one-way conversation were what he wanted, he could disable commenting. Perhaps, though, he doesn't want people talking about his "posts" elsewhere, like on FriendFeed. Strange. - Jonathan Sterling
Peter Dawson, really great point. My aim is to find, create, join, or otherwise be part of mindshare... I want to expand my horizons and learn things. I like that I don't agree with everything out there - it gives me room to make a difference or move on. However, I would submit that I fear the Internet is finally starting to mirror the real world... but this is not a cause to despair but a reason to fight harder! - ChangeForge
it seems that the A-list bloggers are exposed to a lot of "A-List Envy/Angst" and a lot of what comes out comes out as vitriol at not being as successful. It's a very negative energy and I could see how it would start to get annoying. I can't blame Jason for being annoyed by it anymore than I can blame you (Scoble) for blocking people who are always dumping negativity on you. That said, I agree with Ted Leonsis that Jason is pulling a Brett Favre, but I do believe the toll the negativity takes is real. - Robert Seidman
Well, it was only a matter of time before this whole transparency, aggregation, data portability thing started to freak people out. Walled garden, anyone? - Karim
I prefer this to: “I'm streaming live right now, come chat! - Jay Tannenbaum
I always thought of a blog as a catalyst to cathartic discussion. While I love reading Jason's work, the mailing list is just a one-way distribution list. I have to use friendfeed, twitter, or another blog to discuss the content. If you're tired of clueless commentators, then moderate the comments. Wait a second. . . .isn't THIS a blog in a way? - Peter Ghosh
Sorry, but while I understand his reasoning, I utterly disagree w/ his solution. We don't need to 'go back to listserve' to have a conversation. In fact, I've been saying for a while now that the reason microblogging sites have done so well is that they really DO facilitate conversation. Blogging is more like lecturing w/ a Q&A session in the comments. Twitter, FF, and other sites have lead us into actual organic conversations. Jason's email is back to lecturing. I won't be subscribing. - Lucretia Pruitt
Peter: I'm still very passionate about having smart conversations and furthering our understanding of the technology that we all use every day. - Robert Scoble
Maybe it's all one big joke. I've learned that Jason and I have different senses of humor. - shelisrael1
I can't believe people actually believe any of this is serious. Calcanis is not retiring from blogging to do email lists. See the truth, see the evidence! - Ben Parr
Instead of talking about it, let's just ignore it. Don't subscribe. We have to make it as clear as possible that we've moved beyond these one-way conversations. - Shawn Farner
Maybe he wants more control over his own conversations? - Omar Vasquez Lima
It was a brilliant move. People who've never heard of Calacanis now do. He is going to be talked about by everyone. Even news organazations are picking up on this. It doesn't matter what you say anymore... it matters how you say it to get in the spotlight. He is a brilliant man in that regards. Can't everyone figure that out. It is all about being in the spotlight. I got that the moment I even saw the first headline. - James Mowery via twhirl
BTW, my aforementioned statements does not conclude that I appreciate such ways of getting in the spotlight. I'm disgusted with it, but it makes the Calacanis brand more widely known. Everyone else is the sucker for constantly talking about it. It doesn't matter if it is true or not. Calacanis already won because we are all talking about him. That is brilliant marketing folks. Think about it. - James Mowery via twhirl
@Karim I have it on good authority (i.e. I made it up) that he kept subscriptions open until 1095 because that's when Scoble signed up. I know, I know, you would have thought he would have done it sooner, but popular opinion is that he wanted to make Jason sweat. - Jason Shultz via twhirl
I think the fact that this move has created as much buzz as it has shows that it is working. How many more eyes will see this now that it will only be delivered to a select few? - zach chisholm
Jason, ha! :-D Somehow I'm sure he'll always manage to squeeze in another subscription or two for the "right" people ;-) I'd have more respect for these caps if they were given as powers of two (512, 1024) -- that way I'd just assume there was some technical basis. lol - Karim
I think Jason has a point. Techmeme and Valleywag have turned an idea culture into a celebrity culture. Trust me, I started to get sucked into the anger and negativity this week, and I didn't like what I was seeing in myself. But honestly? If he wants to push messages and have conversations back and forth without dodging trolls and negativity and egotism, he's got the right idea. If Leonsis is right, I'll be pretty sad. Speaking of Leonsis, LETS GO CAPS!!! STANLEY CUP 2009!!! - Andrew Feinberg
I don't see how you can get involved in 'drama' if you just stay the hell away from valleywag and techmeme - Michael J Cohen
Zach, re "select few," I shouldn't be telling you this, but the Force can have a strong effect on the weak-minded. [waves hand] And please don't tell anyone I told you that, keep it just between the two of us. [waves hand] - Karim
Your going about it wrong... he didn't go "back to email", he decided to use a "distributed push blogging platform". Your so 1.0 with your blog on your server it's laughable ;-). - Robert Accettura
Email blog? *sigh* - Czar D.J. Peterman
We're all discussing it here, Score another for Team Calacanis. He's a great marketer, he creates tremendous buzz in a small community and can keep it spinning. It doesn't matter what medium he uses, he makes it work for him. - Cains
I'm a "single inbox" advocate, and have all my RSS feeds fed to email, so Jason's really just saving me a step. I really wish FF could feed individual comments and posts to email, so I wouldn't have to come here. All these distinctions between blogs, FF, IM, SMS, twitter, email... I look forward to the day when it's all transparent, you simply subscribe to the content rather than the medium, and you choose whichever delivery mechanism you prefer. - Ken Sheppardson
Jason makes some valid points. I don't have anywhere near the audience of many of you, but comments are seriously problematic. On one hand they make writing pretty thankless, because often the only people who comment are ones who want to criticize or attack. On the other, you crave them because you're trying to start conversations. But having said that, I have made a considerable chunk of my living doing PR and I know buzz-building when I see it. That's not a criticism, it's just an observation. - Anthony Citrano
M. Cohen: that's the point. he's (at least trying to) remove himself a step or two from that medium. To be honest, I take more time reading and digesting an email than I do a blog post, because when you send mail to a list, you know who your initial audience is. Another thing? Mailing lists and Usenet (before outlook destroyed threading) had great conversations, better than many blog comments. FriendFeed actually reminds me of a Usenet-Listserv mashup in that way. (continued) - Andrew Feinberg
Most high-traffic blogs have way too many trolls, sock puppets, and other crap to make conversations useful anymore. Does anyone remember Slashdot in the early days? I do (my UID is 4 digits) and I never go there anymore. Why? Sock puppets, trolls, very few good conversations. The medium did not scale well. In many ways, Jason has been out sailing and has spied a FailWhale off his port bow. He's altering course to avoid, but the destination remains the same. Let's hope he gets there. - Andrew Feinberg
This is a personal decision for me and I realize that intelligent folks will disagree with my decision... however, I can tell you that after a couple of emails to the ~1,000 folks on the list I've a) learned more, b) gotten much more response (50-150 really well thought emails each time I send an email so far), and c) there has been no drama/haters. When you reach critical mass in blogging it implodes as the majority of feedback you get is from the haters and the mentally unstable (sometimes both). - Jason Calacanis
Jason: Agreed for the most part, but others on the list can't see the replies that people send to you :( I'd love to learn what you're learning. - Eric Florenzano
Robert - I think it's all a matter of perspective, when it comes to the benefit versus harm of doing exclusively email. I've shared some specific thoughts with Jason, but the overall point I'll make here. For you, it's hard because you're flooded already. For me, it's a chance to break away from what's going on during a day and read some thoughts that are shared to a very small and specific audience. I like what Jason's doing. I just, as I stated to him, hope that he's not cutting off his nose... - Bradley McSpinn
Eric: the responses from the email list to me are 1-to-1 and that is providing me with so much more value than public comments, which i've found tend to be for a) the promotion of the individual, b) the chance to lash out/behave badly, c) some combination of a&b. I'm getting much more considered response because people understand it's one to one... this means i'm more likely to email more--it's a virtuous cycle so far. i wonder what will happen with email 100 or 1,000. will it continue or go away? who knows - Jason Calacanis
I think at some point one wants to blog or write more intimately. Instead of e-mail, I think Ning.com would have been a much better solution. It also puts a face behind the names and they can share too. - Janette Toral
Email may be the worst place, but maybe Jason has something new brewing in email land? - drew olanoff
Jason - I read your email via Robert's posterous. I really enjoyed that post. I'm someone fairly new to this world of the Web. To be honest, my only impression of you is as The Mahalo Guy who tweets about his bulldogs. Didn't realize there was so much more there, especially your trailblazing in the genre. With a closed-off email list, you'll miss a lot of new people. As for Google juice, Techmeme, etc, look to Marc Andreessen as an example. Blogs only on his own time as he tends to his start-up. - Hutch Carpenter
I thought you posted the email message, someone Twittered about that. I think it's about exclusivity, or the perception of exclusivity and accountability, ability to quantify. I think if SAR was still around it would be the only (5 maybe?) email lists i would need to subscribe to, so that was the '90's. As far as the focus on Techmeme, you got to just ignore it. Why do people need to know which 50 stories discuss the same issue? I'm glad it's successful for him. There are haters, always have been. - angela penny