I have DirecTV too, but waiting until late 2009 to get a Tivo? Come on now. I agree with Ed. If I need a PVR I'm getting a Media Center. - Robert Scoble
I've been hearing a lot of people switching to Media Center. My only beef is that I don't want a cable box. If you own an Xbox 360 Media Center is a nice built in extender, along with Vista. - Ryan
but...I love TiVo... How much for a decent media center? - Josh Haley
TiVo as a stand alone company is dying. PVR's from the same company you get media from are pretty good (Comcast, Fios, DirectTV) and much better integrated. Most folks I knew who had TiVo replaced them by now. - Soulhuntre via twhirl
I don't watch much TV, but a card in my PC does just fine, and acts as a PVR if I want it to. - Ian May
I liek the Fios PVR - add in how well WHS works to stream content to my Xbox360 and I am pretty well sorted on this. Next? I want Hulu on the 360 :) - Soulhuntre via twhirl
I love TiVo. Happy to use it everyday, it's been very good to me. Everytime I see someone else's TiVo rip-off, it somehow falls very short. I can't tell why they cant copy it better, but for some reason they don't. TiVo FTW. - Steve Isaacs
if media center allows you to have comcast without the terrible UI, that could be a good solution. DirectTV customer service is so bad- I need to find a replacement when my contract is up mid next year - Tim Connors via mioNews
I am happy with my TiVo HD and may upgrade the series 1 in the other room to a TiVo HD as well. In fact, I bought TiVo stock on Aug. 26 and sold it today, which more than pays for a new unit plus lifetime service. TiVo can't be beat. - Louis Gray
+1 @Steve Isaacs. I had a phase where I used two EyeTV devices with my Mac mini for my HD DVR needs, and it worked fairly well, especially since I could edit and transcode the files as I wished. However, sometimes the set up would fail because of different reasons, like the software encoder process on one of the tuners couldn't handle weaker signals, or for whatever reason a scheduled recording would be missed. I'm back with a TiVo HD and I love it. Rock solid and doesn't take up my computer. - Cheryl Jones
Of course, Elgato recently updated their EyeTV software to have a Season-Pass-like option, and other TiVo-like features, so they might be a good alternative for those not wanting to go with TiVo and are on OS X. I'm sticking to my TiVo for now. - Cheryl Jones
TiVo works best for our household...partly because we can't afford to shell out the big bucks for a Media Center PC...(I know, if I saved my TiVo fees for the next 2 years or so, I could afford one...but then, what would I do in the meantime? Watch commercials? I don't think so.) +1 @Steve Isaacs...Tivo FTW...seriously. - Sean McGee
@Sean McGee - does your cable provider offer a PVR? The are usually relaly cheap as an incremental upgrade. Best of both options. - Soulhuntre
I like my (non-DirectTV) TiVo because unlike the majority of PVRs it doesn't lock me in to a single TV provider. - Kevin Fox
@Soulhuntre: Well, a few months ago, we downgraded to "Basic" cable (20 channels) when we were having financial difficulties...they downgraded our bill, but never put the filter on...so, we're getting Expanded Cable (80 channels) for 12 bucks a month...Now that we can probably afford Digital, I'm reluctant to ruin the "good thing" we've had going for the last 6 months or so... - Sean McGee
Yeah, I won't buy a Tivo. The Verizon FiOS DVR is pretty good, although it does have limited storage (only 180GB). - AlexScoble(Robert'sBro)
Media Center is one Microsoft product I love...can't live without it - jeff
I've brought up the idea of going with a non-Tivo DVR, but the look on Athena's face made me rethink it. Tivo has been such a wonderful part of our lives since our first (version 1) box (that now lives in my father-in-law's living room). I really like DirecTV and hate Comcast. So, my only real option is to wait until the end of 2009 for the new DirecTivo. - Cyrus Lendvay
Comcast with TIVO HD DVR is pretty awesome. 16 gig broadband, plus $299 dvr. Only limit is no Comcast On Demand. Cable cards don't have 2way working yet. - Keith Teare via feedalizr
i could never own a tv. i don't like the way my brain feels while watching it. and the ads don't add to my life, they only steal time. - Gregory Lent
@Gregory I broadly agree with you, and particularly find the medical ads trying to turn me into a hypocondriac very annoying. Thing is, very few people complain, and yet many folks online want ad-free free services, and go out of their way to block ads (which you can't do with live TV). - Ian May
I ditched my Tivo in favor of the built in recorder in my Dish Network box. I'm perfectly happy and saving money too. - David Jacobs
I'm still partial to my Media Center computer recording my favorite shows and then watching them over my XBox 360 - David Cook via twhirl
I'm going to bet that Mike gets a bump in subscriptions based on this post. (Not that you were trying to do that Mike, just hazarding a theory.) - AJ Kohn
AJ, I love the theory :-) Seriously though, this thread is about giving back. I will have a blog post up in a few hours. Mum is the word till then :) - Mike Fruchter
Excellent guest post... Louis the guest bloggers are great, it's very refreshing. - Mike Fruchter
Refreshing as in that it's not me, Mike? :-) - Louis Gray
Louis refreshing in the fact that it gives you more daddy time, and less time blogging for the interim.. Oh now don't even go there :-) - Mike Fruchter
It's probably more definitional -- people equate prominence with remoteness. And the more they think you're famous the less they treat you like a person. That's been my experience at industry parties. Every interaction is someone trying to right some wrong they think you did them. If they didn't like the way you said hello that'll turn into a flamey blog post. Makes you want to have some more distance. People still have 20th century attitudes about fame. - Dave Winer
Applying that kind of thinking to blogging is the most ridiculous perversion. Blogging exists to empower everyone to speak their mind. To then impose a hierarchy on it is to subvert the whole idea! Anyway, look for ways you penalize people for expressing their opinions and you might find some of the more "prominent" people coming back into the flow. - Dave Winer
your chart is wrong (at least for me it was/is) - the n00b stage is where i interacted even more than i do today by a small percentage - Allen Stern
Louis, you've always struck me as a person seeking to hear diverse voices, your "Guest Posts" proves this. Nice way to widen the discussion. - Nice Fish Films
I've never thought of the blogosphere as having a hierarchy. Obviously some bloggers are more interesting to more readers than some others. Some bloggers are simply better at writing - at getting their thoughts onto paper; much the same as some very intelligent people make lousy speakers the same goes for blogging. - Ian May
Definitely not for me. When I was a newb, there was a lot less interaction. Back when I started doing serialized posts on websites, there were seriously about seven or eight people on the internet who'd read that stuff. I was elated when my hit-count went double digits. - Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins
Interesting post Hutch, I claim stage 2 as well. - Shey
n00b here :-) Great guest post (again). - Justin Korn
I second that, I would be on stage 2 .I blog for an outlet, if an audience follows and interacts with me, that's an added bonus. - Mike Fruchter
I'm a n00b. That's why I had Hutch write for me. - Louis Gray
ha, Louis. Branding the chart with the LG logo -- hardly n00bish. : ) - Robert Seidman
*This* is the great friend divide. Scoble got it all wrong. - Benedikt Koehler
Thanks everyone for your comments. A lot of fun doing this. Dave Winer is definitely a Stage 4 guy, interesting to see his perspective. And Mark "Rizzn" - I remember well the thrill when hits went to double digits as well. - Hutch Carpenter
Maybe it's also a country thing. In Germany there are no stage 4 bloggers. That's what I like about blogging in Germany ;-) - Benedikt Koehler
Hutch - Good piece. I would argue that those promoting a specific product engage as many people as possible if they're going to use Twitter or other micro-blogging services (instead of some of the 'nutty' posts that sometimes look really bad). You never know who your next best promoter is. Agree totally that people shouldn't be insulted if they don't get an answer ... the first time :) - Charlie Anzman
I'm blogging in Danish about Social media. I'm trying to get new people interested in the subject and my goal will newer be readers but the conversation and how I can push the Danish marketing community in a new direction. Every comment is still gold to me. I have my niche and I love it. - morten saxnaes
Wow - Seth actually does get out there. Posted a comment to him. - Hutch Carpenter
"I personally read and answer every single email I get " - seth. g - thats so true, I have emailed to him and he responds ! - Peter Dawson
Hutch, though not in called out in the post, in the original thread I did say Seth is *excellent* at interacting. There are different approaches to interacting. Seth posts his e-mail address on his blog, you don't. Neither approach wrong -- just different. As you note, Seth's posts do stand on their own. Maybe there's a blogging opportunity for someone to analyze Seth's posts and try to start the discussion.. - Robert Seidman
first off, it never ceases to amaze me that you can collect so many comments on friendfeed :). Secondly, I am curious how you are able to encourage people to guest post on yer blog, I have several peers with things to say and I have offered my blog as a forum but I have yet to get any takers - gregory
@justin sounds like the digg effect! I was hoping my 'sorry, I have a meeting' post might get this love but I published on iPhone craze day and I didn't get any love... Oh well, keep posting - gregory
Very interesting post and comments! I believe however there is something lacking in the blogging curve. What about people who where lurkers or commentators for a long time and know everything about blogging from a theoretical angle? There is of course a difference between knowledge and practical experience, but doesn't it bring a feeling of false trust/hope for fame for those people? - Laurent Rozenfeld
"Several sources told me TechCrunch has been in off-and-on talks recently with Time Warner’s AOL (TWX), which wants to pay from $20 and $30 million for the site." - Louis Gray via Bookmarklet
Do you think it's a fair price? It seems like a fairly low multiple of revenue when i do my back of the envelope math and factor in revenue from the TC50 conference as well. - Robert Seidman
I don't think Michael and the crew would be all that interested in selling to AOL. But maybe my own bias against AOL is really speaking here. Not to mention, I think Gavin's number is still rather low. I was thinking more 75-90 million. - Marcus
I think Arrington is looking to "roll up" others, not be rolled up himself. - Ben Metcalfe via twhirl
Keith, i don't think your method really works at the higher end. You have TC at about 1/2 what CBS paid for CNET (if I use the 450mm), but if this is anywhere near correct, CNET has more than 4X TC's traffic: http://trends.google.com/websi... - Robert Seidman
I would venture that TC viewers could be monetized at a much higher rate than CNET viewers. - Kevin Fox
I'm not as sure Kevin. CNET has big eyeballs for computer and electronic hardware (HDTV) products -- big ticket items on the high end and video games on the low end. $20-$30mm for TC definitely seems too low though. - Robert Seidman
What would such a sale entail, the domain name and brand or the actual bloggers? - Philipp Lenssen
A business that's based on a handful of personalities could be difficult to sell. The acquirer may fear that those personalties will leave or slack off. Does this apply to TC? I'm not sure. - Paul Buchheit
When a large company acquires a venture-backed startup they will often include a "carve-out" in the offer terms. The carve-out specifies a percentage of the proceeds to be distributed amongst the key employees as a retention inducement. The retention package will specify the length of time the employee must remain, and often include some other goals or metrics which must be hit, in order to receive the package. The carve-out provides strong motivation to make the acquisition work. - Denton Gentry
Ive been sitting on this for 24 hours as well hoping that I'd get some sense from Keith and that these blogs would go away. Someone is feeding him some really dumb advice because privately he defended them. A couple of DMCA's and he'll lose the hosting account as well. - Duncan Riley
I hate sites like these. I know Keith too, don't know why he's doing this. Seems pretty stupid of an idea. Is this the best he can come up with? If so, doomed. Great job Duncan in chasing this down. Thank you! - Robert Scoble
I tend to ignore this stuff, as I expect there will be good guys and bad guys in blogging, and the good guys will win out over time. Duncan is wired differently than I am, and I'm glad he looked into it. - Louis Gray
I am curious to see the follow-up to this story. Should be interesting to see what Keith does from here. - Mindy Koch
Louis, normally I ignore sploggers as well, but it's Keith Teare, not some nameless spammer in a dark room living at home at the age of 28 and has never had a girlriend :-) I also have swapped maybe half a dozen emails back and forward with him about this as well (and yes, someone else was also in on those emails, Scoble will know who), he just doesn't seem to think he's doing anything wrong. The funny thing: I only noticed because I'm subscribed to his FF feed and I was confused why he was posting my posts - Duncan Riley
Try a Google Blog Search using a unique phrase in one of your posts. While I realize Teare stands out, there are hundreds (more?) of these sites out there, monetizing while sleeping. I kinda let it go too. - Charlie Anzman
Should I be flattered or pissed off?! Probably both =) - Ryan Spoon
Duncan: don't tell me that Furrier is involved in this. Keith is friends with Arrington and Furrier, so it's probably one of those two and it sounds more like Furrier. - Robert Scoble
Scoble, Michael's not involved with these, but he was aware of the situation so to speak prior to me posting. - Duncan Riley
Charlie, I would normally agree, but for a couple of reasons: it's Keith Teare so he should know better, secondly he's promoting these stories through FriendFeed (it's how I first found out about these blogs...I saw my own post reappear on his blog in his feed) and other social outlets. Most garden variety sploggers pump the content and leave it at that, Keith is out selling other peoples full content without permission on his site for his gain - Duncan Riley
Scoble: i'm not involved; are you suggesting I'm a splogger? - John Furrier
Keith and I share space with Jeff Clavier, and 3 other startups; By your logic I guess I'll take credit for all of Jeff Claviers great investments :-) - John Furrier
No. I was just asking if you were involved. Glad to see you're not. - Robert Scoble
Scoble, aren't you connected enough where you can just call someone at Google and say "Keith might be a nice guy but his sites are kind of slimy and the pagerank for his sites should take a hit when calculating page rank." That effectively kills all hope of getting more traffic for your content than your own site will get. :-) - Robert Seidman
ok Robert..thanks for clarifying; It was a discussion item in the office today; i've been out this week so i walked in today to ... "I think Scoble called you a splogger.." - anyway I'm familar with keith's project but not involved..it seem cool and i know for a fact it isn't a splog app but i can see how a friendfeed misconfig could cause a 'break' - like a firehose of reposted stuff.. - John Furrier
Solution: fill your RSS version full of AP content. He republishes and has AP and $12.50 a stanza to deal with. - Christian Anderson
It's so cute to see the mavens asking each other who's juggling who's content. For some significant but ignored percentage of bloggers, sploggers are not friends you can ask to knock it off. I think I'll hide this now, because it isn't my world, and that's just too much cuteness. - Wade Dorrell
I've never heard of Teare before- but really, as the article says- if you've gone after other folks for less, why is it OK? - anna
Anna, Keith Teare had a brilliant and beautiful dream. He wanted to become a billionaire with the "simplest" of tricks. If you typed just FriendFeed in your browser, it would automatically go to www.friendfeed.com -- and, they'd charge a fee for this privilige. Keith almost got his wish, but in the end, it didn't quite turn out to be a billion dollar proposition. - Robert Seidman
I remarked that Ballmer and Icahn were running a squeeze play on Jerry Yang from the moment that Icahn entered the fray. There is a slight whiff of vulture capitalism here. - Sean McBride
Watched "Wall Street" last night. Icahn's document is right out of the movie, especially the bits about "our company" and exec pay in view of poor performance viz competitors. - Keith Teare via feedalizr
Marshall - Ballmer and Icahn have a better grasp of emerging Web technologies than Jerry Yang? Perhaps that explains why Ballmer has been so successful in competing against Google. :) - Sean McBride
“Now that the twins are here, it's obvious we won't fit in the Honda Civic or Mercury Tracer. Without breaking the budget (or slashing our MPGs), what car/SUV/wagon do you recommend?”
Toyota Camry Hybrid, maybe? Not as trendy as the Prius, but uses the same drivetrain. The Prius is pretty much sold out until next year, anyway. There's a hybrid Highlander if you really must ... - Chris Baskind
The goal here is to fit four people in, including 2 car seats, plus dragging along stroller, diaper bag, and groceries on occasion. That might rule out the Camry. - Louis Gray
minivans are tangible evidence of evil. - Hao Chen
leave the kids at home, i will babysit - Allen Stern
Allen, given one already works for you, I think I'm looking for someone who wouldn't already be around the kids 8 or so hours a day. But thanks! - Louis Gray
The Camry is roomy for a midsize sedan, and gas prices at the end of a 3 to 5 year note could be pretty shocking. But if you're really hankering for big, you might want to watch the Chevy Tahoe hybrid. GM only sold about a thousand of them in May, and I'd expect discounts soon on the order of $4500 plus plum financing. - Chris Baskind
I have been in love with my Honda CR-V since the day I got it 3 1/2 yrs ago. Hondas rock the family transport thing - as they tend to rank highest in child safety year after year. They were the first with curtain side-airbags standard. Nice to drive w/ great gas mileage and fantastic handling. Converted me away from Saturns. Definitely check out the CR-V. (geez, I sound like a cult member...sorry - but I love that car.) - Lucretia Pruitt
unfortunately, size does matter when it comes to MPG, hence increasing family is inevitably means longer gas bill and more CO2 into common air - silpol
I'd recommend Pilot over CRV; the new CRV is so sporty, it goes down on utility. - Parth Awasthi
I have three children so if we have anymore we are going to have to upgrade as well! - Joe Dawson
Whatever you pic, I recommend that it be very gas efficient. I predict a rise in gas prices ;) - Dustin McLaughlin
No idea if you have them in the US but for our kids (18 mo boy/girl twins, 3 week old boy) we bought a Kia Carens. Room enough to bring along helpful relatives too! - Edd Dumbill via twhirl
Edd, the Carens is called the Rondo in the states. Thanks for the tip. - Louis Gray
The mileage isn't as good as a Civic, but the Toyota Sienna is quite nice. (assuming you're secure enough to drive a minivan :) We used to have a Subaru Forester, which was nice, but babies have a lot of accessories, so it's good to have the extra space. - Paul Buchheit
I am not sure if it is available in the USA, but we are very happy with our Honda FR-V (goes under the name EDIX in Japan), a 6 seater with a reasonably large trunk. With two car seats installed in the back there is enough space left on the third seat for an adult, so when the kids were small one of us could sit next to them on long trips. And with the folding middle front seat, grandma and grandpa can fit onboard too. The 2.2l diesel iCDT has average fuel economy but gives daddy a bit of sporty feeling ;) - Vlado Handziski
Honda have about the most fuel-efficient engines (fact). Now that they also do Diesel engines, maybe something like the Honda CR-V [perspective from a Europe person] - john conroy
Happy Toyota Highlander Hybrid owner here. Handles our two kids and their stuff very well and offers AWD (which we need in our climate / area). Not sure if there's still a tax incentive. Smart driving techniques are getting me 35 mpg. If too expensive, maybe a Ford Escape Hybrid? - Kevin C. Tofel
Yet another recommendation for the Honda CRV. It feels really big and doesn't kill you with MPGs. Minivans typically do not have good MPG, so I can't recommend any. - Rob Diana
I would go with a Ford Explorer. This is my Schwag wagon. - Mike Fruchter
Have you checked out the Honda Fit? It's surprisingly roomy for getting 30mpg (and costs $14k). - Gabe Schaffer
