*New* KickPost
We are working on a new way to discover tech news in real-time. It's called KickPost.
Get Invite

Read/WriteWeb


Cartoon: The Winter of Our Dis-contentToday

contentHave you noticed that we aren't writers any more? Or filmmakers, or video producers, or even musicians or cartoonists? We're content-creators.

Way too often, I hear Web folks talk about "content" as some kind of undifferentiated commodity: "Yep, figger we're gonna need ten, maybe twelve kilos o' content for that page. You got a bulk discount?" Back a cargo truck up to the content silo, fill her up and you've got yourself a website.

Sponsor

But there's actually something interesting about the term - once I get past my visions of container ships laden with content, plying the seven seas. It's a way of dismissing the value of individual creativity, sure. But it can also be a way of capturing the idea that so many of us now communicate in different media, and that digital technology has gone a long way toward democratizing personal expression.

How about you? When you hear "content", do you think of the lorem ipsum that fills in the space between the revenue-generating ads... or something else?

autograph content


Check Out the Companies That Make ReadWriteWeb PossibleToday

sponsors_thankyou-1.pngOur readers know ReadWriteWeb as the blog that's ahead of the technology curve. Our sponsors know us as that, too. Once a week we introduce our sponsors to our readers and let them know a little more about who they are and what they do. You can say thanks to the companies that make ReadWriteWeb happen by tweeting them (see the link below each sponsor) or following them using our Twitter list.

Interested in being a ReadWriteWeb sponsor? Our readers are smart, tech-savvy decision makers; 40% have a graduate degree or PhD, and over 45% play a key role in information technology purchasing decisions. More than 1 million people on Twitter follow us to stay abreast of the latest Web technology trends from around the globe. To find out more about our sponsor packages, visit our advertising page or email our COO.

Sponsor


Skip to info about: Tableau : Data visualization | Crowd Science: Demographic data |


ReadWriteWeb Events Guide, 20 March 2010Yesterday

events_guide.png In the next few weeks, the ReadWriteWeb events guide will take you from New York City, to San Francisco, to Portland, Oregon. Along the way you'll find a conference on search engine strategies, a showcase for startups, an in-depth look at the freemium business model, and a day filled with of social media case studies.

How do you like your events calendar? As a world map? As an iCal (and Google Calendar-importable) file? You can also import individual events using the link beside each entry. Know of something cool taking place that should appear here? Let us know in the comments below or contact us.

Sponsor



22 – 26 March 2010: New York City



Weekly Wrapup: Nexus One, Facebook, Ai Weiwei, And More...Yesterday

weekly_wrapup-1.pngOur top story this week was about bad news for the big guys: Google, Facebook, Digg's top users. As you catch up on the news, be sure to watch the conversation about China, tech and democracy that took place between activist/artist Ai Weiwei, Twitter's Jack Dorsey and ReadWriteWeb's Richard MacManus. We also continued our exploration of the significant Internet trends of 2010, including Real-Time Web, Mobile Web and Internet of Things.

Note: We've refreshed the format for our longest running feature, the Weekly Wrapup. It now focuses more explicitly on the key trends that ReadWriteWeb is tracking in 2010, as well as giving you the highlights from the leading story of the week. Let us know your thoughts on the new format.

Sponsor

Story of the Week: Nexus One's woes, spies love Facebook, top Diggers lose power

nexus_one_logo_jan09.jpg
The Virtualization Wars: Microsoft and Citrix v. VMwareYesterday

RobotWatch this battle unfold. The virtualization wars are just getting started.

On one side we have Microsoft, which announced changes in its licensing structures this week. The change reflects an understanding that the customer wants full access to its virtualization platform and not be charged a tax for that right to access it on a PC, no matter if it is at work or in their home.

And in true fashion, Microsoft is on the attack, Citrix at its side, in a full on fight with VMware for the virtualization market.

Sponsor

On the VMware side, we see a company ready to move into Microsoft's customer base by offering more than virtualization as witnessed with its recent acquisition of Zimbra. VMWare is gearing up to tap into the Microsoft Exchange market by combining its virtualization technology with the Zimbra email platform.

Microsoft Offers Some Flexibility

Historically, Microsoft has charged for separate licenses to access Windows operating systems in a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environment.