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Further
Furor Over eBay Payment Services
Last week, eBay announced that it would not allow the Google Checkout service.
It also declared that Nochex, another online payment service, would no longer
be accepted. This decision caused as much dismay for some as the Google Checkout
ban did for others.
A
Nail In The Coffin For Windows 98
From this day forward, users of Windows 98 and Windows ME may be on their own.
Microsoft will stop offering updates and support (even of the "paid"
variety) for these products. The company seems to be hoping this will lead to
increased sales of newer Windows versions.
Congdon
Replaced By English Accent
How will Rocketboom's Andrew Baron replace his vamoosing attractive, smart, witty,
and charming anchor Amanda Congdon? The space in front of the upside down map
of the world will be filled by an attractive, smart, witty, and charming anchorwoman
with a British accent. So, ha!
Microsoft
Protects Your Privacy?
Microsoft is offering Windows users a "private folder"-a password-protected
storage space that will make its home on your desktop. There are a few Faustian
catches, though, not the least of which is the requirement to run the Windows
Genuine Advantage program before installing Private Folder 1.0.
Google
Tells Woman Which Arm To Twist
Google may not voluntary provide information on the identity of its advertisers,
but if you have a good case, then the company may tell you how to have the courts
make them do it.
Google:
Click Fraud Fixes Itself
Like John Lennon, Google CEO Eric Schmidt must have received a visit from Mother
Mary, whispering words of wisdom about click fraud. Using an economic thought
model reminiscent of "laissez faire" and "trickle down," Schmidt
said the best way to deal with fraudulent clicks is to "let it happen."
European Expansion for MySpace
MySpace.com, the online
social network, is often a topic I include in presentations
and workshops about social media and social computing. The context is on the
growth of cybercommunities and, in the case of MySpace.com...
ChronoPay Adds Name To Online Crime Fighters
Amsterdam-based ChronoPay B.V., an online merchant account provider for accepting
credit and debit card payments, has joined up with online fraud-fighter, the Merchant
Risk Council (MRC). ChronoPay adds its name to 6,500 online retailers, vendors,
financial institutions and law enforcement agencies that make up the MRC.
The French Oxymoron Called Quaero
In January, I wrote
about Quaero,
a planned European multimedia search engine, the answer
to Google and brainchild of the French government.
Blogs vs. Blog: What Should we be Studying?
A piece just sent to me as part of the Poynter Institute's E-Media
Tidbits email distribution stopped me from working so I could gnaw on it a
bit. This was tough. I'm facing so many deadlines this month that I haven't been
blogging much-or sleeping much...
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07.12.06
Rocketboom 2.0 Delayed, Fans Lash Out
 By
Jason Lee Miller
Rocketboom fans have been hanging on for the next boom since Amanda Congdon's
dramatic unbooming. The next incarnation is now two days late as the world awaits
how the new hostess will handle her duties, and to see if Rocketboom 2.0 will
reach liftoff.
Andrew Baron did some fancy footwork in the aftermath of Congdon's surprise announcement that she was leaving the show to procure former MTV Europe hottie Joanne Colan. After all, you can't replace a hottie with a not-a-hottie - especially since many had attributed Rocketboom's success solely to Congdon.
Rocketboom's dirge was sung throughout the blogosphere upon the announcement as Congdon and Baron kicked the buck back and forth. Whether she was fired or she quit no longer matters, it's all about what happens next.
And so far, what happens next is…nothing. Colan was expected to make her Rocketboom debut Monday morning at 9 AM. Monday came and went with no maiden broadcast and eager fans were met with acknowledgement of the delay and an expectation a Tuesday morning launch.
Meanwhile, Baron reminds the public on his blog how much of the show's production sits squarely on his shoulders:
Fact: Out of all the scripts in the history of Rocketboom Amanda has edited nearly every single one, but over 95% of the scripts on Rocketboom have been written by me.
Fact: Over 95% of the directed episodes in the history of Rocketboom were directed by me.
Fact: I created/incorporated and directed/developed many of the reoccurring conventions of the show such as the clicker, the head turns, the paper throws, the chair spins, etc.
Fact: I have edited well over 50% of all of the episodes.
Fact: I have Produced every single episode.
Fact: I have Published every single episode.
Fact: I have found/picked over 90% of all of the stories that we have ever used.
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What was Congdon doing as Baron boasted? She was being interviewed on MSNBC's Scarborough Country, possibly with a little placement by her new agent over at Endeavor.
Tuesday morning yawned and opened its eyes to a Rocketboom.com server error screen. The world continues to tolerate a "coming soon" update, and finally, after 9AM was long gone, a note from Baron confessing that Congdon may have been a larger part of the show than he had acknowledged:
Rocketboom was obviously very dependent on Amanda's role. Since she left so suddenly, I have tried to get the episodes up and running as soon as possible, though I am not comfortable with the way they are going yet.
It's easy enough to recreate the same thing, the challenge here is to do the next.
If you ever looked to the archives, you may have noticed that there is one episode that has always been missing: the first episode. There is a reason why.
The first thought for some is that it is part of a larger publicity grab, but the web-opera has already attracted perhaps more publicity than Baron could have imagined. A delay at this point is just embarrassing, not suspense.
And what of Joanne Colan? Very little so far. Colan has acknowledged her new position by setting up a weblog where she officially titles herself "Host of Rocketboom.com."
A delay is not a death sentence, at least not yet. But if there are enough diehard Congdon fans like the anonymous commentators on Colan's blog, then the show could be in trouble indeed. These commentators not only have vowed their allegiance to Congdon in the first comments Colan will ever receive, but have even criticized her for being British.
your british ya know with amanda she is american so she can say what she wants but your a foreigner so your comments will just come off as elitist critisism that you have no place saying. oh and one last thing i hope you know that you may call yourself the hostess of RB but i think most everyone on the internet will agree with me that that title shall forever be amanda congdon's.
Ouch. Good thing that comment was anonymous. A few tips: watch your homophones and run-ons; run a spell check; look into punctuation; and speak for yourself. British girls are sexy.
The majority of the commentators thereafter were taken aback by those comments, and have at least wished the new host luck while promising to give her a chance to make her mark.
About the Author:
Jason L. Miller is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.
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