A long-time friend and colleague of mine, Jeremy Liew, has pulled together some good thoughts around user generated content and structure. Getting the two-way web to actually be two-way has been a long road; finally users are contributing content (blogs and social networks being primary vehicles), but it’s generally loosely structured at best.Jeremy suggests “meaning = data + structure.” I suggest that the meaning itself is getting to content you want; be it a photo, a blog post, a recipe, a news article, whatever…The tech crowd, myself included, tends to look at problems from traditional technology standpoints and subsequently common metaphors like tagging, templating and the like are sought to apply structure, which can then be leveraged to get people to content that they want. It’s not clear whether or not machines will ever be able to do a perfect job of parsing and structuring data for us; thus far, even the great ones (ask.com, google.com, yahoo.com), are far from it.Me.dium is taking an interesting blended approach, combining math with human behavior. By computationally analyzing the combination of users’ behaviors with the content they traverse and consume, we are able to leverage the human mind, and all of its idiosyncrasies and machine eclipsing derivation techniques, to get the content to users that they want. We do this by “recommending” content to users as they surf.A simple example of this is a user seeking information about their favorite sports team. They search for “theirTeam” using a search engine and view a search result or two. At that point Me.dium starts to understand, based on what others have done in the past, what the user’s intent is, and begins recommending other websites that correspond to “theirTeam.”If 10,000 users all started at websiteA when looking for information about “theirTeam” and ultimately spend a lot of time on websiteD, user 10,001 should know that, and skip the middle steps and go straight to websiteD. Of course the steps in-between may be interesting, so we present those as well, but that’s the basic idea.It’s also worth noting that we do this in real-time as opposed to batch offline processing logs of surfing history. The real-time nature of the system allows users to interact with each other based on what they’re doing in the moment, and provides a real-time representation of the internet, as opposed to offline indexes that are generally at least 24 hours out of date (some areas of indexes are weeks and months old). Life happens faster than that. There’s that pesky human element getting in the way again.

Halloween Lover Todd Fancey (guitarist, New Pornographers, Fancey) will be joining us today at 4PM EST / 1PM PST for “Todd Fancey’s Terrifying Halloween RockMe. Session.”

Here’s what Todd’s label What Are Records? released:”Turns out New Pornographer and solo artist Todd Fancey’s a huge fan of Halloween, so we’re making it a special day. First off, we’re giving away one of our favorite songs from his new album “Schmancey,” the appropriately themed “Witches Night,” all week long right here. It’s the story of a young male haunted by an evil ex-girlfriend, so we’re guessing a few of you out there can more than relate.Then, Todd’s going to host the first ever “Terrifying Halloween Interweb Tour.” More than your typical on-line chat session, thanks to me.dium.com, everyone who participates can simultaneously check out the websites and youtube clips that Todd frequents. In other words, you’re gonna get a guided tour through Todd’s world. Scary? Terrifying? Creepy? Only in the best, most fun way possible.The “Terrifying Tour” is a unique chance to get to know more about Todd’s work in the studio and on the road with the New Pornographers, and to check out his thoughts on his dazzling new solo record “Schmancey.”We’ll also travel far outside the indie pop world. You see, Todd’s a not-so-closeted metalhead. So, there’s also gonna be a “Zeppelin Vs. Sabbath” debate, we’ll touch on the Ace Frehley’s scarily funny appearance on the Tom Snyder show with the rest of his Kiss bandmates in ‘79, and discuss Angel Witch, Witchfinder General and Venom.Of course, you’re free to bring your own topics and questions to the party. All treats, no tricks. I think I’m out of cliches. Hope to see you there. Visit http://www.me.dium.com at 4 PM EST on the 31st to participate.”Be sure to join the chat.Happy Halloween!the Dude of Music

The holidays are coming up, and you know what that means…it’s time to empty out that wallet and go shopping! And seriously folks, with the convenience of the online marketplace, who actually physically goes to the stores these days? That’s so 20th century. :)That being said, I’m betting that quite a few of you out there have pulled out that credit card, and cruised the net for that oh so perfect item. To aid in your quest, we’re hoping you’ve used Me.dium to do a bit of online shopping, and if that’s the case, we want to hear from you! We’re looking for those of you who have used our sidebar to get some serious online shopping success!But if we break it down, shopping isn’t what “really matters” this holiday season. If we’re gonna get all warm and fuzzy about it, the season is truly all about staying close to friends and loved ones. Being so, we’re hoping that you’re also seeing some of the interpersonal benefits Me.dium has to offer. With Me.dium, not only are you able to discover new online sites, people, and content, but are also enabled to stay connected to those people in your life who really matter. The world has become a much smaller place with the emergence of the internet, and an even smaller one with Me.dium! We want to hear stories from you about how Me.dium has bridged the gaps that distance creates, and any other “disgustingly cute and sentimental” Me.dium tales.So to recap, ladies and gentlemen, we really need your feedback! We need some great user-stories, and who knows, maybe yours will get picked up and you’ll be famous! (Hey it could happen!) After all, it’s you users who give Me.dium its value, and we’d love to see how our program is working for you! Just respond to this blog, and I will personally hand address an envelope with love and send you one of our ultra-sexy and stylish Me.dium t-shirts. (How tempting is that?) So do it….pretty pretty please? ;)Thanks so much for the input! Your feedback is always appreciated!PS: I’m always up for some Me.dium surfing, and definitely have my wish list ready and available. If any of you would like to shop online with(for) me, I am graciously accepting gifts at this time. Thank you. ;)Me.dium ID: JenniferlaurenXoxo,Jenny

Yep, it’s contest time again in Me.dium

And this time we’ve taken things up a notch by offering five (5) fabulous prizes. Of course, a bigger prize pool means that we’ll have to have a little more fun giving it away, but I’m sure that you’ll manage.We’ve got a handful of questions and an Apple Store account itching to get scratched before the holidays roll around. Just create a video answering that big “What is Me.dium” question (or any of these questions for extra bonus points), submit it to our YouTube group and you could score one of our fabulous prizes.

• What is Me.dium?
• How do you use it?
• How has it changed your online life or surfing?
• Is there really pr0n on my widget?

So what’s in it for you?

First Prize - 2.16GHz, 13″ MacBook

Second & Third Prize - 16GB iPod Touch

Fourth & Fifth Prize - 8GB iPod Nano

Click here for additional details and the official contest rules.

Happy Monday!Finally back in the office with a handful of pictures from Voix De La Ville at the Boulder Theater this weekend.Me.dium sponsored the Halloween/Vaudeville themed event and set up two awesome lounge areas on the theater floor. The party featured DJs from NYC and San Fran in addition to cirque performers doing outrageous tricks while suspended from the ceiling! It was a wild night to say the least.Check out the photos here to get the full effect.Big thanks to everyone who helped out! After many long hours of hard work, everything came out beautifully