Disqus - Latest Comments for tonyhung

Re: Site should play nice on your mobile choice

tonyhung — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:09:31 -0000

Well, thanks for the kind thoughts ... hopefully it will be soon.

Board exams and all that.

Funny how things change over time ... I don't see many of the same voices around as much, or in the same places as before. Consolidation and renewal in tech blogging I suppose.

Re: Site should play nice on your mobile choice

tonyhung — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 13:55:56 -0000

Lookin' good Steve.

BTW, good luck with the domain switch.

I was wondering why I was suddenly getting a bunch of new pingbacks from this "shootingatbubbles.com" ... :)

Cheers
t @ dji

Re: Are games becoming the graphic novels of our time?

tonyhung — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 23:36:29 -0000

I don't think they're mutually exclusive -- but I think there's something to be said that the best games do incorporate a heavy story emphasis.

Think Bioware (mass effect, knights of the old republic, jade empire), which I liken to the Pixar of the gaming industry: almost every single game is a bona fide hit with critics and fans alike, and in spite of all the sparkle, they all have heavy duty story elements that would find no trouble translating to graphic novels, books, and movies.

Cheers (and happy holidays)
t @ dji

Re: Fred Wilson Dot VC

tonyhung — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:36:30 -0000

This routinely happens, actually, if the original post is popular enough. And sometimes, as the news evolves, "commenting" posts do become posts, which can, in turn, become headline posts.

Re: louisgray.com: Techmeme and TechCrunch's Detractors Prove It's Hard to be On Top

tonyhung — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:33:28 -0000

I have been watching Techmeme for a long time (long being 2 years), and I have to believe that its much more than inbound links. It either has to be other things like Google Reader shares or Friendfeed shares -- which would be interesting, as no other aggregator (that I know of) uses these kinds of metrics.

The alternative is that Gabe is merely watching what other people are sharing, and adds them himself.

As for Mona -- I think what she wants is a bit irrelevant to the topic at hand, because there are *many* posts in the blogosphere that have intrinsic "worth".

Whether any of them get noticed -- and *how* they get noticed algorithmically -- is what is interesting. If its really an algorithm at all, that is, and not just astute bloggers sharing them or linking to them.

:)

Re: louisgray.com: Techmeme and TechCrunch's Detractors Prove It's Hard to be On Top

tonyhung — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:45:39 -0000

"Unless you're linked by one of the biggies, and continue to be linked by at least moderate or big sites, you won't show up. "

I think this is only part of the picture. There are blogs which show up -- seemingly out of the blue -- with few or no inbound links to any particular post. Or, who are large in their own right, but without any inbound links from high leaderboarders (see: Digital Inspiration over the past two days).

I would love to know exactly how Techmeme seems to pick these out of the air.

Re: louisgray.com: Techmeme and TechCrunch's Detractors Prove It's Hard to be On Top

tonyhung — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:16:41 -0000

I think there's probably not enough being asked about Techmeme's algorithm.

For a blog that's got almost zero links, and is almost 3 days old, there's almost no way an algorithm would *find* it, or attribute it as having any "importance", unless there were other factors at play -- perhaps human factors.

In fact, the only thing that "points" to it at all is Louis "sharing" it via Friendfeed. According to Google, there aren't any inbound links to it all, in fact.
http://www.google.com/search?as_lq=www.pixelshi...

hmmmm .... ;)

Re: Is Tech Blogging Getting Boring?

tonyhung — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:12:42 -0000

Tech blogging is as boring as you want to make it; I think every genre has its black hole topics that never go away. The question is whether you want to engage in it, or find something that is personally interesting -- and hopefully interesting to others as well.

Re: Affiliates Aren’t Just B2B Pimps

tonyhung — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:01:44 -0000

Actually I wasn't commenting on all affiliate marketers, or even some -- i.e. those that practice the art and science thereof.

I was merely referring to the general practice of affiliate marketing.

It doesn't matter if you're promoting Wedding BonBons, Garden Shears, or Internet Marketing eBooks, Autoresponders, Membership Sites or what have you.

If you get a cut of the sale, its really no different than commissioned sales. Its one thing to develop a sense of trust over time, but for many of these individuals, there is absolutely no sense of integrity as to when the shameless promotion begins.

Re: Why today’s solo bloggers may not see Scoble-like fame…

tonyhung — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:24:52 -0000

Uh, oh.

Sounds like the "The A-List Exists" Meme is rearing its ugly head again!

(checks watch) -- its about time, actually. :)

Re: You Don’t Own ANY Conversation

tonyhung — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:23:33 -0000

1. if you're going to get all hot and bothered about it let's hear some names. I was following the meme all weekend, and actually, I don't think I heard any bloggers asking out loud to "own" the conversation. What I did see was Scoble kicking off the debate by making it a "no one should own comments" vs. "don't steal my content" -- two actually very different things. Everyone came down on the "no one owns comments and conversations", including myself.

2. If you want attribution for your work -- well, that's a level of control. What Shyfter did was fairly benign in the larger scheme of things. But if you don't want your content being used by sploggers and if you don't want people remixing and repurposing yoru content and then *renaming* the author, then yes -- you're actually for some level of control by an author over where and how their content gets treated.

Do you think the answer then is by making all of your content private? If everything is for the taking, do you think that your attribution is one of those things? How about your good name -- if people decide to collect your work with someone else's you despise?

Some food for thought on an otherwise quiet Sunday night. :P

Cheers
tony @ dji.

Re: FriendFeed Comments WordPress Plugin

tonyhung — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:06:20 -0000

1. Does it work with WP2.5?
2. Do we have any examples yet?
3. Will it work with Disqus?

Re: What is a blogger worth - what are my words worth?

tonyhung — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:03:45 -0000

Nice rant.

There are many ways to answer that question, but I think that in the end -- providing that it is a goal that a blogger has anyway -- it is up to each blogger to build their brand as big and as bold as each one can make.

To spread their reputation far, wide, and deep, so that its impossible to *not* know -- hey, that conversation *started* with Steve Hodson. I _know_ that because only that cranky mo-fo would *say* that in *that* way.

Its like a great personal brand will transcend where conversations are taking place.

Ultimately, however, it will be up to each blogger to leverage that brand (and whatever may come with it) to each of their personal best, and as you've mentioned, perhaps measuring it with CPM advertising isn't the best for that at all.

But others? New opportunities in jobs, careers, personal growth, meeting new people, traveling, speaking ... well, those endpoints are ... well, endless.

Cheers
t @ dji

Re: Why bother saying anything

tonyhung — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 09:07:12 -0000

Wow ... well, I will take ownership over calling this a bitchmeme (as I clearly *said* this was going to be a bitchmeme).

I totally agree that we do it a disservice by calling a genuine conversation a derogatory nickname, HOWEVER, I thought that by calling it what it was *already* going to be called --> http://twitter.com/duncanriley/statuses/787708091 ... we can take some ownership over this thing.

Since I've been following Techmeme (well over a year now) and participating as I do on it (I'm a bit of a Techmeme whore in the past, I admit it), sometimes I know where these other blogging detractors come from. Blogging bitchslaps are sometimes irrelevant -- but sometimes its not.

Anyway, cheer up mate.
Robert's not such a bad guy, and you definitely are not (or, to avoid the double negative, you do, in fact, Rock)
t @ dji

Re: Shyftr: Feed theft or social news reader?

tonyhung — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 09:06:56 -0000

To second that, the fact that they don't' care either way -- as a commission of silence -- means that they're doing it anyway.

Whether or not such things mean anything, its the principle of the thing, certainly, as I have neither the strength, energy or resources, to do anything about it other than blog about it (sad or pragmatic -- I'll let you do decide! :)

Re: Refocusing The Blog

tonyhung — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 07:41:22 -0000

The irony of the whole thing is that this post, of all posts, has made it to Techmeme
http://techmeme.com/#a080412p5

Gotta love a weekend. :)

{Yeah, once I get around to it, DJI is rebooting too -- which is hopefully sooner rather than later}

t @ dji

Re: Ryerson fails, not Facebook student

tonyhung — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:56:00 -0000

I totally agree. Sad thing is that kids like Chris Avenir get caught in the middle (did I just call him a kid? Wow, I feel old) with real ugly consequences -- that is, not just consequences that are severely ugly, but are actually real. If he gets expelled that is, I think, a Big Deal.

Re: Ryerson fails, not Facebook student

tonyhung — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:30:14 -0000

Not just "fail" -- I believe the appropriate phrase is "EPIC Fail".

Secondly, the bigger academic question is how appropriate is it to have homework assignments that hinge upon anyone "not copying" the answer in this day and age?

It seems ludicrous, because while Facebook was the easiest way to form a study group around this issue, all it does is drive it into the social "underground" into more obscure sites, or simply private online groups, where it can still proliferate.

Cheers
t @ dji

Re: Google News comments: More examples

tonyhung — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:09:13 -0000

Yeah ... I agree that Sanger isn't a "new media orphan". In fact, I start the post by saying "Not that Larry Sanger, co-founder of Wikipedia is anything *remotely* like a New Media Orphan" ... ;)

Cheers
tony hung

Re: Truth vs. traffic: An age-old battle

tonyhung — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:43:01 -0000

Indeed ... the whole principle echoes of how Business2 was rewarding journalists who were blogging based on traffic, and how that might influence what they were going to write.

Or, alternatively, Nick Denton's traffic-based renumeration formula for Gawker.

People act rationally. When you have a stake in things that are strictly based on eyeballs and attention, you obviously do things to get that attention, without trying to compromise your integrity -- too much.

Which is probably what you mean by "tension". :)

Cheers
t @ dji

Re: Truth vs. traffic: An age-old battle

tonyhung — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:24:25 -0000

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not comparing Mike Arrington to a tabloid or a scandal sheet or anything of the sort. I’m just saying that the quest for traffic, and the tension between that and “the truth,” is not a new one invented by the blogosphere.

No?

That's too bad because if you did, it would raise a huge stink, setting the table for another nerd fight, and it would also be the logical extension of this conversation.

:)

No, seriously. Good point. While I was thinking about Mad Cow disease earlier today (totally different topic), I kept on thinking about what all of this meant for the standards that we set for ourselves, when the drive for controversy is essentially a race towards the bottom.

Oh, sure, there's a self-correcting mechanism in place so that we need to have some kind of integrity (lest we be called out by fellow bloggers), but by its very nature blogging (and the reality of how and what people like to read on the Internet) doesn't really reward thoughtful, balanced and nuanced analysis -- if by "reward" you mean traffic.

t @ dji

Re: A Sunday morning snicker

tonyhung — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 14:47:49 -0000

Thanks Steve. I *should* be getting back to work. :)

... but one more thing, before I go (well, two):

1. Interns are first year residents. The idea of doing your royal college exams when you are in your first year are enough to soil any resident's pants multiple times. They only make you write the exams when you're in your 4th year.

2. Can I give you an idea what its like to be an intern? Read this: http://www.neonatology.org/pearls/pimping.html {I am now on the giving end of what pimping is, having been on the receiving end for many, many, many years. :) }

Cheers
t @ dji

Re: A Golden Opportunity for Bloggers

tonyhung — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 14:41:59 -0000

"Tearing" into the Huffpo post? I thought I was merely adding to the genteel conversation. :)

t @ dji

Re: I’m glad Louis Gray called out Mashable

tonyhung — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 14:03:27 -0000

Television stations “rip and read” newspaper stories, but newspapers themselves routinely take articles from wire services like Reuters or Associated Press and use virtually the entire thing, but put their own writer’s byline on it. Sometimes they put a small “with files from” at the end of the story.

... or, mainstream journalists might even be ripping them right out of bloggers posts ... as was I wrote about recently over here: <shameless plug> http://www.deepjiveinterests.com/2008/01/19/are... </shameless plug> with respect to a study done on US journalists recently.

I think, in general, this is a great conversation to have -- a who's watching the watcher's kind of vibe -- and attribution is one of those bloggable topics that really never gets old (mostly because issues around it keep on happening)

Cheers
t @ d ji

Re: In China, citizen journalism gets you killed

tonyhung — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:38:47 -0000

I noticed the same thing. Does getting something on a video phone make you a blogger? I think that's a bit of a stretch.