Wordpress 2.7 Scores a Perfect 10

I have always been a major Wordpress fan and used any opportunity to plug both Wordpress.com and Wordpress.org. Now - I have an even greater reason to speak their praises: Wordpress 2.7 is exceptional. I have been using the latest version at Widgetbox's blog for a few weeks - and just recently upgraded this blog to Wordpress 2.7.1.

Mind you I have used countless different versions up to this point - all of which were more evolutionary than profoundly new or different. With the latest version - that changes. For instance, moving from Wordpress 2.3 to 2.7 is almost entirely a new experience (from the interface to the feature-set to the available plugins and so forth).

What strikes me about Wordpress is what also what strikes me about eBay, Google and other web giants:

They have enabled millions of users to create content and create businesses / economies around it. From professional bloggers to (more interestingly....) developers and designers (plugins, themes, etc) - there is an entire economy based off the popularity and flexibility of Wordpress. This was one of the most satisfying parts of working at eBay - enabling millions of people to create value through the platfrom - either directly or tangentially.

Starbucks VIA: Introducing Starbucks' Instant Brewed Coffee

It looks as though Starbucks is chasing the instant coffee market... which is typically aimed at bargain, price-based shoppers (far cheaper than getting a $2-$4 coffee in the stores). Convenience is also a factor as brewing coffee can be a hassle during the morning rush.

But instant coffees taste more like coffee-flavored water than a great cup of joe. Perhaps Starbucks' new VIA will change that (I will update once my free sample arrives). The price per cup comes out to be about 50% of an in-store coffee: a 12 pack costs $9.95 and a grande coffee is $1.85. If the taste is up-to-par - and I assume it will be - this is a great fit for hotel chains and included in-room amenities. It is also an opportunity for Starbucks can also upsell the VIA Tumblr.

VIA™ Ready Brew Italian Roast Coffee by Starbucks Coffee

A big, bold, full-bodied cup of coffee, with an aroma that lingers all day.

We know. We say the words "instant coffee" and you immediately think of something lifeless and flat. No smell. Even less taste.

We're about to change all that. Now you can enjoy our bold and roasty-sweet Italian Roast in an instant. Just tear open a pack of Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew and add water. Let the coffee brew 10 seconds, stir, breathe it all in and enjoy.

It's not instant coffee the way you know it. This is genuine, dark-roasted Starbucks® coffee. 100% arabica and ethically sourced. Isn't it wonderful? There's now an instant coffee that you can start a whole new tradition with.

Perez Hilton Asks for Facebook "Boycott" Amidst Content Ownership Controversy

The buzz on a slow Monday of tech news is around Facebook and who owns the content uploaded / created by their users.

But lost in this is that Perez Hilton covered it early this afternoon... before TechCrunch and linking to Mashable.

Three things strike me about this:

1. Techmeme isn't picking up on Perez Hilton... who may not be a technology blogger - but is more influential than any of the blogs listed in this Techmeme 'discussion'. And perhaps more influential / powerful than all of them combined.

2. Perez's influence - whether it is well informed or not - may well be the kind of pop-coverage that has driven a flurry of bad user feedback. When Perez tells users to "Boycott Facebook" - that is scary and certainly worthy of a well constructed response. Now whether Mark Zuckerberg's letter was a response directly to this (of course not), it is clearly noticed.

3. This really isn't shocking or news... the "complication" of who owns the data is complicated for all major sites and platforms. This was bound to become an issue as Facebook grew in popularity and functionality... and it will pass as well. Users may be upset on the surface - but it will not change their reliance on Facebook or their social network (unless something egregious happens).

beRecruited Helps Bemidji State Football Recruiting Class

beRecruited continues to have great press. Today's Bemidji Pioneer and Post-Bulletin describes how beRecruited helped the Bemidji State's football program recruit players from across the nation:

In this Feb. 4 photo, Bemidji State head football coach Jeff Tesch announces the 2009 recruiting class on national signing day during a press conference at Bemidji State University. Tesch and the Bemidji State coaching staff relied on beRecruited.com to help reach student-athletes and fill their class.

For Collin Stoffel, Internet networking played a big role in picking the Bemidji State football team on national signing day.

Stoffel, a linebacker out of Willow Canyon High School in Surprise, Ariz., took a proactive approach to reach college football through the Web site beRecruited.com.

"For me, I was looking to outsource the information about me any way I could," Stoffel said. "It was a way that I could reach as many coaches as I possibly could."

Similar in Facebook's ability to be an Internet social networking tool, beRecruited.com is a bridge connecting high school athletes wishing to play a collegiate sport to recruiting collegiate coaches.

Each athlete on the site has a personal page that showcases abilities. Coaches can then search the site looking at the database of athletes without leaving the office.

Among the items viewable on Stoffel's beRecruited.com page is his biography, academic achievements, game photos, athletic testing information and football highlight video.

That page was where Bemidji State running backs coach Bryan Stoffel noticed Collin, who is listed at 5-foot-11 and 209 pounds.

"Coach Stoffel contacted me by e-mail initially and told me that he loved my info and loved what he saw on the page," Collin Stoffel said. "He also said he liked my name and it seemed like destiny that I would be coming to Bemidji after seeing that."

NBA Borrows $175M for 15 Teams ($11.66M Each)

Professional sports are not immune to the economic downturn.We saw the Arena Football League close indefinitely. MLB free agents are signing shorter, smaller deals (except for Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia). And several NBA teams are shopping star players to save money (ie the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Hornets.

Now word comes out that the NBA has secured $175,000,000 to help support 15 teams who apparently need the assistance. It will be interesting to see how this affects the trade deadline (expect lots of major contracts to move) and this summer's free agency. The financing comes at over 8% interest - so it is clear that this was a needed move... and considering the NBA's health as compared to Major League Baseball - I wonder what will happen when (not if) MLB attendance and advertising falls... big names and contracts will move quickly and at pennies on the dollar.

The NBA is set to borrow $175 million Feb. 26, marking one of the first league financings since the implosion of the credit markets last fall. The money, which will be available to 15 teams, supplements an existing $1.7 billion leaguewide credit facility that uses the NBA's media contracts as collateral to secure loans for the clubs. The NBA surveyed its teams, and 15 responded they would like to tap into the new borrowing.

While the league said it is pleased to borrow in an extremely illiquid credit market, the deal came at a cost, with interest rates up to 8.27 percent, hammering home the notion that the era of cheap money in sports is over. The 15 teams can use the money for any purpose, but covering operating losses may be high on the list.

Each of the 15 teams can borrow a maximum of $11.66 million from the debt proceeds. -- Sports Business Journal

Sony Closes Metreon Playstation Store

Sign of the economic apocalypse part 153:Sony's landmark Metreon Playstation store is closing.

I walk by the Sony Metreon every day on my way to and from work. And I have certainly noticed the decline in foot-traffic and visitors inside the Playstation store (which sits on 4th Street and Mission). I am surprised, however, that the closure will only affect the Playstation store - after all, the Sony store beside it has always been empty (economic downturn or not). The store is well laid out - but it baffles me as to why you would ever purchase anything directly from the Sony Store when you can buy it online and save dramatically on price and tax. It's akin to buying a movie at Borders or Barnes & Nobles - why would you ever pay $29.99 for a DVD or more for a Blu Ray?

Google Print & Google Radio Closures Are Unfortunate

News arrived yesterday that Google is shutting down their Print and Radio ad systems. It's unfortunate news for brand advertisers and the traditional media formats. An ironic tag-line for Google's Print & Radio Platform

With eBay / Kijiji and beRecruited, I was one of the systems' early advertisers... creating multiple campaigns that ran across dozens of markets' radio stations and newspapers. Google made it simple to craft campaigns, connect with the papers / stations and find talent to create the ad units. Google's traditional media marketplace was as simple as AdWords - but across a far more fragmented, complicated landscape.

I was always wowed by the technology side. But more importantly - it drove results.

Measuring conversion and ROI is harder (obviously), but advertising in Radio and Print (via Google) enabled reach across users that AdWords simply doesn't serve - either via audience or ad format.

On a higher level, this marks an important moment because we are at the intersection of traditional and online media. And as the newspaper and radio worlds struggle with the online shift (and business models) - this was an opportunity to have these worlds meet together. Sure there are tons of issues (fragmentation, pricing models, and so forth) - but simply put, Google Print and Radio worked. And that means I was willing to spend money (and continue doing so) and the stations / papers had access to new campaigns and budgets (without a sales force).

ESPN.com Wants to Make Sure You Know Valentines is Coming

I spend a lot of time on ESPN - particularly their mobile properties... which for big media brands - really are the best available. And while I have been critical of ESPN.com's relaunch, I respect their ability to land big advertising deals (though skeptical of the advertisers' results). Today's campaign is the most in-your-face yet...

If you have somehow forgotten that Valentines Day is on the horizon - ESPN and JC Penny are certain to make sure that you won't forget. After all, about 70% of the homepage is covered in Valentine's promotions. The ads are nicely aligned and build on one another (a major complaint of using AdSense or other contextual networks that result in disjointed units).

I hope that ESPN is getting a very solid CPM deal here, because as a reader, this is a major turn-off. I am all for advertising - particularly on great, free content. But at a point, two things happen:

1. You get irritated, and/or 2. It takes too long to get to the content

beRecruited Growth Continues; Rock Mountain News Coverage

It's been a great couple months for beRecruited. By all measures, traffic and site-usage are ramping very nicely (more than doubling in the last calendar year).

Perhaps more importantly though, our recruiting metrics are growing at similar rates and our users continue to validate the effectiveness of the service. We have had a series of great press mentions and the common theme is pretty simple: beRecruited works for athletes, parents and coaches.

Our latest mention is in the Rocky Mountain News: "Social networking sites let coaches, athletes strike a happy medium":

When national signing day arrives Wednesday, some local athletes will credit beRecruited.com for helping cultivate their college commitments.

"BeRecruited had a big role when I signed with Washington," said John Dalton, a swimmer from Arvada West High School who recently committed to the Huskies. "It helped me get to know the coach more and see what their meet schedule was like."

... "A lot of schools have been contacting me; I can't keep track of how many anymore," said Bla- dek, who probably will wait beyond Wednesday to make her decision. "Just this week, I've talked to three schools already. I try to make sure to update my profile every week or so. Since I'm in club (volleyball) right now and we play every other weekend, my mom takes footage of that and we tried to put it online as much as possible."

"Kirsten Bladek, a volleyball player from Monarch High School, received an expense-paid trip to New Mexico Highlands after contacting the school on the Web site beRecruited.com. The school offered her a scholarship, but she has yet to make a decision."