Video Post: I_Blog Conference Recap

As we mentioned last week, Axiom's own Dave Sniadak spoke at this past weekend's I_Blog Conference in Perry, Iowa. His "Vasics" of Vlogging seminar helped bloggers understand how to incorporate video into their blogs and make those videos the best they can be. And for those of you who couldn't be there, Dave discusses some of the key points from his seminar and his I_Blog Conference experience in today's Daily Axioms video post.

Foursquare's Nip/Tuck

Not content to stop at just adding new badges, Foursquare continues to roll out updates. This time, they've cleaned up their website with what they themselves called "a little nip and tuck."

The emphasis of the update centers on friend management. The home page now features a Twitter-style stream of your friends' recent checkins and accomplishments. There's also a big "Find Friends" button at the top of the page.

This "Find Friends" feature is perhaps the biggest update to the website, and the most needed. This feature allows you to pull contacts from Gmail, Facebook and Twitter to add as Foursquare friends. Location-based networks like this are much more fun with more friends and a larger network, so streamlining the process of adding friends should bolster users' networks and foster more frequent use.

Managing your network is also a lot easier on the website now, because you can see which friends you have in common with other friends or potential friends. This alleviates the hesitation of adding Foursquare friends you don't know at all.

This is a good move by Foursquare because before this, there hasn't been much use for the website with so much focus on its mobile utility. Also, a more popular website opens up more monetization and advertising options should Foursquare choose to go down that road.

So although these updates are in their early stages, the overall opinion of this little location-based facelift seems to be very positive. Hopefully, this streamlined and improved friend management platform will give the Foursquare website a much-needed identity and purpose.

Will the Dell's Duo be Dynamic or Disastrous?

Last week Dell released a short teaser video for their upcoming Dell Inspiron Duo tablet, which should hit the market by the end of the year.

Obviously, Dell faces the same challenge that every tablet has faced since the iPad was launched. They are trying to not only separate themselves from Apple's hugely popular tablet, but from the sea of other tablet that have dominated technology headlines in recent months.

And what is Dell bringing to the table?

For starters, the Inspiron Duo sports a full QWERTY keyboard in addition to the standard tablet touchscreen. And to get to that keyboard, the Inspiron Duo has a really cool flip lid that turns the touchscreen 180 degress. So what you end up with is a combination tablet/netbook.  It's hard to explain, so I recommend checking out the video for yourself.

The number one question facing technology developers today concerns multifunctional capabilities like this. Do people want a device that does a little bit of everything, or a device that does one thing really well?

The prime example is the tablet vs. e-reader debate. Many feared that the iPad would kill off the Kindle because it could do a lot more in addition to functioning as an e-reader. However, despite a very successful tablet release by Apple, the Kindle is still going strong as well.

Given the success of both product categories, I think that, assuming the Inspiron Duo performs well as both a tablet and netbook, it has a real chance to gain ground in this very competitive tablet market.

All's Fair in Love and Facebook

Nearly 9 out of 10 web users have searched for password hacking methods online, according to a recent BitDefender survey. I'll let that sink in for a moment, but here's why we all need to take notice of statistics like this.

Let's face it, nothing ruins your day faster than having your online privacy breached. Here at Axiom, we've had our Twitter profile hacked, and I personally have had my credit card information stolen. Neither situation was fun to deal with, and both required an overhaul to how I/we set up passwords.

But before you start hyperventilating over the thought of millions of hackers trying to steal your online identity, we need to look at why so many people are apparently interested in password hacking. The answer seems to center on love and relationships.

The survey found that 72% of respondents had wanted to read their significant other’s personal messages. And if you think that ending the relationship would solve your privacy issue, you'd be wrong, because 64% of potential password stealers had thought about exacting some online revenge by changing passwords or information in their ex-boy/girlfriend’s social network account.

So with all of us moving more and more facets of our lives online, the risk of being hacked is obviously going to go up. However, your biggest threat probably isn't some professional hacker with the latest code-breaking program, but the people you already love and trust. I guess Nietzsche had it right when he said, "there is always some madness in love."

Axiom Staffer to Speak at Blog Conference this Weekend

Online video has seen an exponential boom among web surfers since the early 2000's. According to comScore reports, more than 34-billion videos populate the internet, with more than 183-million users consuming that video. With all that video floating around, how are we ensuring that quality content is being created?

Axiom's Creative Director, Dave Sniadak, will be speaking at the I_Blog Conference in Perry, Iowa, Saturday, November 6th to deliver a Vasics of Vlogging seminar. He'll attempt to enlighten bloggers with some tips on how they can not only incorporate video into their blogs, but how to raise the production level a few notches.

Some of the topics Dave will be addressing are the three kinds of vlogs that users generally create, and three key components producers should heed before hitting record for their next vlog. Among other things, Dave will attempt to produce a real-time vlog post with some brave session attendees. Check back early next week for a session recap.