Cateye’s Social Network – World Commute – Measure your Carbon Offset – Verdict: Bridge to Nowhere

Posted on May 16, 2010 by Roger

by aloshbennett

So Cateye has a new product called Cateye Commute. Its a cyclometer that helps you measure your ‘Greenness’ and stuff and it sounds pretty cool. You can read the Wired review of the Cateye Commuter here. I am more interested in the social network that they built to go along with this device – WorldCommute.com.

The basic concept is not new, there are a number of excercise and carbon offset tracking websites out there. However this one seems to combine them both and acts like a Nike+ for bikes. Unfortunately it is not going anywhere.

There are a few basic reasons for this:

Publicity
Networking

Publicity – External and Internal

No one is talking about this site. How do I know this? Yahoo is currently showing 7,000 backlinks. That is sad. Whats worse is that the top result on Yahoo’s list is cateye.com. In voodoo SEO terms this means the strongest link Cateye is getting for their Social Network is from Cateye. Nice outreach. For a topic this hot there is no reason they shouldn’t have government and educational sites linking to them as a way to take resposibility for your energy use. Send Obama a computer and get him to blog about it on the Whitehouse blog or something…

How commited is Cateye to this project? From looking at the Cateye website and its lack of a mention or link to worldcommute.com I would say not very. Currently a search for “site:cateye.com world commute” gives a total of 7 results, on a site with over 1400 pages. The product page for the Cateye Commuter has no link to worldcommute.com. (As a side note there is no link to a Youtube video of how to install the Cateye Commute Cyclometer, or how to use it.)

Networking – As in Social

Cateye knows about Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube, but for some reason it doesn’t want to connect its own Social Network to them. This is perplexing to say the least. Considering the Privacy issues that they bring up during signup, I really don’t want to give you my birthdate, it makes sense to take advantage of the info that people have already given to their existing networks. Also its a pain in the ass to send an individual invite to each of my friends to get them to join me at WorldCommute.com. With all the latest stuff going on at Facebook and connecting sites together this is a major mistake.

Is there a way to sync the info from the Cateye Commute to my computer for upload to worldcommute.com? I assume no as there is no mention of this on the product page. This is a big miss as well considering the rise in various tracking methods on iPhones and Blackberries like Nike+ and AllSport GPS.

Conclusion

Cateye is taking a good direction here in terms of broadening their audience and message but in the end no one is going to use worldcommute.com as it is currently setup. There are 105 groups on the site but each one that I scanned over had less than 5 members. Cateye can make this a success if it can link their Cateye Commute Cyclometer to the site and connect worldcommute.com to the rest of the internet better. If you are running the show at Cateye I would love to talk further on this and help make it a success in exchange for some cash.

FRONTLINE: digital nation – (Get off InterTwitterBook and Watch This now)

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Roger

Within a single generation, digital media and the World Wide Web have transformed virtually every aspect of modern culture, from the way we learn and work to the ways in which we socialize and even conduct war. But is the technology moving faster than we can adapt to it? And is our 24/7 wired world causing us to lose as much as we've gained?

via FRONTLINE: digital nation: introduction | PBS.

Free-Will, Determinism, and PageRank

Posted on May 11, 2010 by Roger

PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves “important” weigh more heavily and help to make other pages “important”.

via PageRank – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Google’s delima: To police content or not

Posted on April 12, 2010 by Roger

Google is popular because in 2001 it gave you results that were relevant and useful for what you were searching for. While the quality of the results has fallen the G is still far better at delivering relevant results than Yahoo or Bing. There are a few posibilities as to why the quality has dropped, here are some that I came up with:

There is a lot more Web to index
People found ways to manipulate the results
Google stopped innovating

The first one cannot be denied. Whether its your cousins blog on the nothingness of nothing or your moms dog sitting business there is just a lot more content out on the Web for the G to index and deliver as a result. Should it be used as an excuse for poor results? I am a Humanities major so I have no clue.

The second one is undeniable and is surrounded by a lot of debate between White and Black Hat SEO techniques. The latest salvo in this argument is Paid Content – Paid Content: the New Paid Link | SEO Book.com. This is a huge discussion and will go on forever. The bottom line is where does the G get to be a policeman and where should it not be one.

The third one is pure conjecture but should always be in the back of all discussions. Yes Google makes a lot of money with ad words because they get to put ads up next to their search results. If the organic results resemble the paid results too much then people wont need to click on Googles ads and they wont make as much money. Besides Buzz what has Google done recently that really blew your mind (perhaps buzz isnt such a great example, a better name might be buzz-kill).

Talk amongst yourselves.

Twitter Updates for 2010-01-11

Posted on January 11, 2010 by Roger

OH: "I never recognize you you're always wearing something different." um yeah they call those clothes… #
Hey cat people: a friend of a client has 2 six month old kittens looking for a home. Anyone? #
Testing my Twitter-MapMyRide.com Connection #

Twitter Updates for 2010-01-10

Posted on January 10, 2010 by Roger

Civiche, Vampiro, two tacos, and a Jamaican and Tamarindo Magaritas. Damn good! — at America's Taco Shop http://gowal.la/s/mM9 #
http://bestc.am/xLpY Taking down a Vampiro at Americas Best Taco #
On way dowtown #phx for Derailed: a celebration of necessity with respite for collagenic needs. #itsAParty #
DJ at Hannys is killing it tonight. Good hip hop and stuff. #
Options in #phx today: watch red birds and meat packers play pigskin or take your pants off and run amok with #noPantsAz… #
RT @patrickem I guess #nopantsaz will be a huge spectator sport tomorrow, hope you all want your picture taken. #
RT @theweaponislove #nopantsaz #
RT @rbcarter Rule to live by: Don't Do Anything In Public That You Wouldn't Put On The Front Page Of The Newspaper. #nopantsaz #
RT @RailLife Is it too early to be thinking about a party @ElectricBrew ? http://j.mp/7tS52E #NoPantsAZ #RailLife #
RT @Lenny_the_dog Everyday is No Pants for me. WOOF! #nopantsaz #
RT @Spinnakerbaybe I'm a man's legs kind of girl. May need to visit the Lite Rail RT @lafinguy: @careypena3tv doing #nopantsaz today! #
RT @ImprovAZ Reminder that #NoPantsAZ is participation only! If you're not going to take off your pants, go watch football instead! #
RT @znewsome Explained #nopantsAZ to my son. His response: "awesome!" Then asked him if he wanted to participate. His response: "no" #
RT @MsHerr less than 4 hours til #nopantsaz goodness! are you excited yet? http://goo.gl/fb/rRF8 #
#noPantsAz prep: copious amounts of homebrewed Cartel Coffee, 23 mile bike ride with massive #shitEatin grin, and #builtToSpill. #
Riding #westphx/#cenpho today up 15th ave to canal then messing around greenfield and such with bombing run down 7th St. #
RT @ImprovAZ @soul4real Pffft! They're doing it in NYC! We got nothing to complain about. Bring your behind to #nopantsaz. (#truth) #
RT @MisterDaH Oh! There is a #NoPantsAZ ! 2 hours to get my balls together (#tmi) #
RT @theweaponislove Looks like I'm going to #nopantsaz all on my lonesome. (never alone for #nopantsaz what stop u at?) #
RT @ImprovAZ @theweaponislove The afterparty is open to all ages. #nopantsaz (party time) #
RT @saynomorgan I'm wearing pants today while taking the train, just because I want to be different. #nopantsaz (#niceTry) #
Gearing up for #noPantsAZ. Amped up on caffeine, if light rail breaks down I will push it into #dwtn #phx. #caffeineFTW! #
RT @bpcarson Dropping my pants in public in the next 40min, guaranteed! #heartsonfire #nopantsaz (#hawtnesss) #
Heading to 19th ave and Montebello light rail stop in 8 min. #noPantsAZ #regionalConflict #westSide! #
Rumor has it that @jmoriarty has bail money for #noPantsAZ. #whatAGuy #
Rumor has it that the party in my pants has the day off for #noPantsAZ #
Arrivng for urban chaos experiment aka #noPantsAZ — at Light Rail 19th Ave & Montebello http://gowal.la/s/2rDD #
Getting some beer with the #noPantsAZ folks at the ever classy — at Hooters http://gowal.la/s/2R8q #
Still doing the #noPantsAZ with a volcano and three women — at Hula's Modern Tiki http://gowal.la/s/dVY #

Twitter Updates for 2010-01-09

Posted on January 9, 2010 by Roger

RT @hardaway Jeez. More people play Farmville than live in the UK (sweetness! I loves me some virtual farm work!) #
And then @evo_Terra took his pants off to prove he was commando… #evfn #jumpTheShark #
http://bestc.am/Q5eMt Happiness is a walk away. #
RT @sheila_dee If you aren't planning on participating in #nopantsaz you are going to wish you had! details: http://bit.ly/85VgFp #
RT @MafiaWarsStrtgy yeah the first rule of farmville and mafia wars is you don’t play farmville or mafia wars (good strategy!) #

Twitter Updates for 2010-01-08

Posted on January 8, 2010 by Roger

Beer at gameworks before avatar at — at IMAX Arizona Mills Tempe http://gowal.la/s/2nYa #
Holy shit there's a lot of people at avatar IMAX! Goddamn! #
Az millls IMAX has sold out every showing of avatar so far. Including tonight! Damn #
Projector at IMAX is having issues. Bathroom break then pitcher of beer then back to movie. Good film. Story so so but effects r retarded! #
I am now custodian of the mens room at IMAX so the ladies can use it. #chivalryIsNotDead #
Someone threw up at avatar. Ewww #
Avatar review: Ze BORING! #
RT @CWaterhouse RT @PHXPhoto: RT @tweetmeme 1/8 – The triumphant return of #evfn at CK’s Grill in Ahwatukee http://bit.ly/5bSWly #
Rumor has it that at #evfn tonight @evo_Terra will be commando. As he is saving clean drawers for #noPantsAZ. #
RT @AlexBerger Maccu Piccu is closed for all of February for cleaning. (redecorating? That stony look is so 1430) #
Star Wars Themed Hoodies http://j.mp/897RmF – when you won't commit to getting Dork tattooed on ur forehead #
Lunch rush! I might suggest they staff up at lunch — at Pane Bianco http://gowal.la/s/2usZ #
Waitin at the bar for #evfn aka "the Twitter group" to show — at Ck's Tavern http://gowal.la/s/b1H #

Twitter Updates for 2010-01-07

Posted on January 7, 2010 by Roger

Second reminder that tomorrow at 10:40pm at Arizona Mills Imax we are getting together to see Avatar. #bringIt #
death to https://www.movietickets.com for being a talking annoying goddamn abomination of a website! #fuckYouandDie #
First addict of the day — at Cartel Coffee http://gowal.la/s/fya #
http://bestc.am/f7YU It's about what you don't talk about #
Knowledge: Cartel roasts on Tues and Thurs, but rests for 24 hours, so freshest is on Wed and Fri. #knowingIsHalfTheBattle #
RT @paulbarron Denny's Former CMO Says Pricing is Key to 2010 Success – which is why he is "former? http://ow.ly/TENN (#zinger) #
Is there a better thrill than when merging actually happens on the highway. I think not #
RT @chuckreynolds #EVFN returns to #phx @CKgrill this friday Jan 8 #tweetup – http://bit.ly/5bJd0k #werd #
RT @evo_terra We're having #evfn at CK's in the 'Tuke this week, @twinklergirl. It's on the facebook page, Yelp, Eventification, #suckIt #
If u need bike work done or a new bike check out Landis Cyclery in Tempe. Those guys rock! #
Long and slow line — at Dilly's Deli http://gowal.la/s/PRu #
Yo @DillysDeliAZ! I recommend staffing up at the Southern ave location in tempe for lunch. The line is so long people are walking away #
RT @lightrailblog Love how my vet/groomer may start van service to promote alternative transportation (I think my brain just crashed) huh? #
Avatar tonight, cycling tomorrow, hiking Saturday, #noPantsAZ Sunday. Arrested Monday? #streakAlive #
Lunch @dillysdeliaz. Dessert @redpear? #
RT @maddiegrant How Will You Make a Difference in 2010? http://j.mp/6dUvPv (generally with subtraction #betterThanADumbAss) #
Went with pound of Cerrado per Ashley from Cartel Coffee. #VeryNice #
RT @uloop_bikes @halfacat Ohio State students can buy/sell bikes on Uloop at http://bit.ly/8O0iz – #osu (uloop? How about @urandom?) #
WTF is TrueTwit validation service? #
RT @michaelgass RT @jimatlwt: What Vegas Can Teach You About Marketing
#lwtweet http://bit.ly/5GnaYy (crack dealers can teach us much too) #
Lemonade and afternoon shade — at Lola Coffee http://gowal.la/s/2×62 #
dropped a gowalla mexican hot chocolate cause it was burnin up my pocket #terribleRhymes #
Kindle DX International is coming soon, you should buy a lot of them. http://bit.ly/5zoPLI (@changinghands dont hate, deliberate!) #
RT @changinghands: Walmazon! – #FTW #MoFo #
RT @GRTaylor2: McNulty: Can I get a Jameson? Bartender: Bushmills OK? McNulty: That's Protestant whiskey! #ilovethewire http://bit.ly/17oPR3 #
OH: If you dont like the track then you are a fucking idiot. http://bit.ly/5WMr1d per @londonelek – Johnny L Evar #
following up new Johnny L with a classic from waaaay back 1994ish? #fucknagesagomate – http://bit.ly/4qcJaR #
RT @shollenback: Anyone have an asbestos inspector they can refer me to? (mmmm asbestos, tasty) #
sometimes i get scared by how much i have forgotten, then i forget what i was thinking about and have a coca cola. #
then there is grooverider remixing 808 state's Pacific which starts jazzy then goes dark – set to stun and 11 – http://bit.ly/8jIqOo #
if you host at #godaddy here is how to upgrade your database to #mysql 5 so you can upgrade to #wordpress 2.9 – http://bit.ly/4UhiO3 #
final reminder – avatar 3d at Arizona Mills IMAX at 9:05pm tonight, you can come if you are cool. srsly. #
oh, nice roller from Logistics – Repitition – http://bit.ly/86nnv5 – goes well with end of day caffeine slow down #
RT @elephantjournal: 90% of elephant reader comments dig @americanapparel's new porn star ad. http://bit.ly/7vL3rK (i like porn) #
this graphic is wrong, but it makes me laugh and poo – http://bit.ly/5gbs6x #
final final reminder for az mills avatar cool people meetup, get there by 8:30 so we get good seats, #thatIsAll #
okay so last track probably lulled you into sleep, lets bring it back up a little tiny bit – http://bit.ly/6BlWU0 #
Friend: Roger you tweeter too much. Roger: Lets go ride bikes. #
I favorited a YouTube video — Logistics – Repetition http://youtu.be/RTS56caQ_yI?a #
its like the onion meets hustler: http://www.viceland.com/ #
wow @intensedebate is more like @intenseFAIL #
ummm so apparently i may have lost the plot around 10:22am this morning… #thatIsAll #
alright i am taking the bastard stance and defending Papyrus. #longLivePapyrus – and i will fight all you designers with one arm! #
rumor has it that #Papyrus brings rejuvination to angels and allows for better urinal flow in elephants #
once upon a time #Papyrus saved jesus' life, unfortunately it didn't show back up the second time. #goingToHellForThatOne #
the last two posts were brought to you by @xlr8r's LA podcast, it is channeling satan – http://bit.ly/5DfH4t #
really good interview with Terry Gilliam – got to page 2 and went bike riding tho – why paginate? plz stop – http://bit.ly/7C390U #
rumor has it that @espressojunky is also @papyrusjunky but found methadone and now is @jesusjunky #stillChannelingSatan in reply to espressojunky #
OH at Safeway checkout: Cashier: thank you Mr. Terrible. Customer: that's Mr. Teribijo. Me: Ha! #
RT @IntenseDebate @halfacat Sorry to hear that. I'm happy to help. (thanks but it's how you login fail redirects ugly) #
RT @Greeblemonkey If one more person says they don't "get" Twitter, I'm going to keep tweeting about how (cont) http://tl.gd/2u60i #
Permanent #ff for @Greeblemonkey! in reply to Greeblemonkey #

Twitter Updates for 2010-01-06

Posted on January 6, 2010 by Roger

RT @arstechnica Apple flirts with a 3D interface for mobile devices – http://arst.ch/c1h #
RT @nprpolitics 3 Democrats Won't Seek Another Term http://su.pr/17VC19 (sweet timing fellas) #
Morning all. What have you done to wake up body and mind today? Run, walk, bike, yoga, and sex are all valid options. #
is @linkedin going for the most secure social network evar? srsly, having to login every 4 clicks is getting old… #
oh yeah and happy #humpDay! #
Reading: The Laws of Disruption- go get it now. #
Mark Twain once said, "I've suffered a great many catastrophes in my life. Most of them never happened." #
Fearing retaliation for smelling like coffee — at Tea Infusion http://gowal.la/s/25Fm #
From now on @jmoriarty is to be known as jeff "what type of underwear should I wear" Moriarty #
Poppa_d what's up? #

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Getting it on till the break o' Dawn!

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