Remember, you can check out what’s hot for this Halloween simply by using Me.dium Search.  When searching your keyword, you’ll get results returned back to you that are being viewed and found interesting by others like you.  Whether it’s an idea for a thrifty and creative Halloween costume, or finding a place to get all your party supplies, let the crowds help you out.

As for me?  Well this year I haven’t decided on a great costume yet, but what I DO know is that I want to find whatever party these guys are going to be at:

What are your plans for Halloween?

Check out Me.dium Search, the first crowd-powered search engine. Me.dium’s technology lets the inherent activity of real people - not robotic crawlers - determine relevance.  Your search results will be returned to you featuring websites that have been surfed and found hot by other people in relation to your keyword.  Results will consistently change as different websites become more actively surfed, and you’ll be able to stay updated on what others find interesting NOW.  (You can read a more detailed description here.)

You may still be asking “what can this search engine do that others can’t?”  Well the easiest way to demonstrate would be a quick and easy example. Take a look at “Alice in Wonderland.” Do your standard search, and you get a Wikepedia article as the first returned result.  Great if you’re researching the 1865 novel or trying to get an abridged summary of what it’s all about.  Do that same search with Me.dium, and the top result is Tim Burton’s new motion picture “Alice in Wonderland” which is in the beginning production stages, set to be released in 2010.  With stars like Anne Hathaway, Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter, it certainly has gotten a bit of buzz, and our search engine reflects that.  Chances are that if you’re searching “Alice in Wonderland” (and you’re not writing a college/HS paper,) you’re curious about the new movie.  Why waste time sifting through results, when you can get immediate access to the hottest stories and breaking news?

Me.dium is all about search, and letting real people determine what’s hot right now.  You can influence these results by downloading one of our Me.dium toolbars.  Check it out and tell us what you think!

A few days ago, I received a message from the same founder letting me know that there were some major text changes on the homepage, and that the website was reworded and framed to address some of the concerns that both other readers and I had.  Immediately I took a look at the site and was pleasantly surprised.  Their old tag-line used to be framed as such: *Post your entire homework question, *Get answers to your question, *Buy answers, ace your classes

Now, as you can see, they have changed their homepage text to:

Instead of being described as a blatant site for buying and selling of answers, they have framed it to now be used as a researching and tutoring tool.  The core of the website remains the same, but they have changed different areas of the site to facilitate more “online tutoring” rather than just immediate transactions.  Additionally, in the FAQ there is a question as to whether this site is cheating, to which now the answer is: “We believe that users who write solutions which not only help provide answers but also help teach how the answers were achieved will be the solutions that are purchased more often than not. And for that reason, we believe that Student of Fortune is a teaching and research tool, not a tool for cheating. But it’s up to you how you use it.” Additionally, there are many other wording changes a StudentOfFortune.com that I encourage you to check out for yourself.

So is re-wording really going to stop people from purely buying and selling answers on this site?  Of course not.  There will always be those people who cheat, even with or without the internet.  No website can monitor that.  However, I think that the changes Student of Fortune made really helps them transcend that morally gray area into something that can be seen as legitimate.  If a student has an essay that they’re willing to pay for someone to critique, or is stumped at the tail end of a math problem—asking for help seems like a fair request.  Also, if a student does use this website to cheat, that’s on them—the website is no longer responsible for facilitating cheating because their intentions are clearly stated otherwise.

Although my first critique was harsh, I want to commend the people behind Student of Fortune to being so receptive to feedback.  The person I spoke to was very positive, friendly, and legitimately wants people to use his site as a learning tool.  The fact that they listened to what people were saying and made changes accordingly is something that I think other companies should take a lesson from.

So now that the site has been reworked, would you use it to get help with a school assignment?  Would you still use it to straight up buy an answer?  Is it still cheating, or a useful tool?  Thoughts?

• Kpix (pictures)
• Kflix (YouTube videos)
• the Skoop (where you can share stories featuring sports, dating, and even the erotic)
• Nightlife
• “chicks and dudes” section of the site where you can upload and view other people’s self portraits,
• A national student blog, which seems almost Twitteresque….students across the country post a sentence or two of whatever is on their minds (limit 500 characters.)
• and more

Creator and college senior Brandon Hodsdon made Kollegelife to bring back a space only for university students.  Going to their homepage a message says “Almost 40% of Facebook users are now over 35 years old.  Over 70% are out of college.  Join KollegeLife, meet college students!”

I decided to create an account, and check the site out for myself to see if it had any potential.  I graduated college approximately a year ago, so I just used my old college email address, (which I suppose defeats the purpose of the site, but justified for research purposes.)

While I had some serious issues with the design and the layout of the site, I am not going to focus on that as it just launched a few weeks ago and surely has some kinks to work out.  KollegeLife is supposed to be a one stop shop for students.  Just initially taking a look at it, it seems to be much more about connecting to other random college-aged individuals, rather than networking with already established friends.  The site reminds me of Myspace+Collegehumor.  There are sections where you can check out party pics, look at crazy spring break pictures, and even buy and sell items such as textbooks at the online marketplace. The site seems much more “stereotypical” of what college is depicted as, (hooking up, parties, girls, etc.)

I played around with my profile, and didn’t find it to be very organized.  (On my profile, a video came up with a mountain biking accident…completely random.)  I also couldn’t figure out how to make friends, and the FAQ page was nowhere to be found.  Of course, these are all things that can be fixed and ironed out in time as the site becomes more refined.

It is hard to fully critique this site as many sections are still blank without user-participation. The biggest question is whether this site will actually catch on, when the only new factor it offers is exclusivity.  While Facebook did open its website up to the general masses, today it still has networks and privacy features which users can set up to keep that “exclusivity.”  Facebook is still the dominant social network on the University scene, and I don’t forsee people leaving it anytime soon.  Yes, people were recently thrown into panic mode when the new design was realeased, but the overall format and functions are the same.   Like I mentioned last blog, if a new social network emerges, let it be something original.  I don’t want to see the same things over and over again.  Honestly, I wasn’t too impressed with KollegeLIfe, and the only way I would leave Facebook was if another network offered some incredible new features.   Would you join yet another new network just to have it be college-only?  What do you think about KollegeLife?

And that’s about how I kick-start my mornings Monday through Friday.  (Ok, who am I kidding, it’s the same for Saturdays and Sundays too…just maybe a few hours later.)   I’m addicted.  At some point during my 9 steps today, I came across this article on social network etiquette and it got me thinking…Not only do we have social rules on how to behave in public, but now there are certain social rules on interacting online.  Every day, new social networks pop up, beckoning us to share more personal information to people who may or may not be our friends in the outside world.  For some, it’s a frenzy of getting number of friends sky high, and for others it’s a way to connect with old high school buddies or network within a specific field.  Regardless, it seems hard to remember what life was like without all these ways to connect with others virtually.  With strangers connecting and friending each other out there, are social networks actually changing the definition of the word ‘friend?”

With my morning routine already established, it’s rare for another social network or utility to make the cut.  (It took me a couple of months to really get in the twittering groove, and even now I’m still a novice!)  So how many more ways do we need to share our personal information with each other?  With the general-profiles covered, I’m thinking that for networks to survive, they’re now going to be more about niche networks catering to a specific audience. People are looking for new things to be done, not just the same sort of networks with different backgrounds and fonts. I wish start-ups would stop trying to “out-do” each other with minuscule tweaks changes, and instead focus on something original.  I read in an article last week that the magic number for social networks is 7 as the general public can handle 7 social networks at once.  Any more is just too overwhelming.  For me, this number is closer to 4 or 5.  I’ll admit it, I find most of these sites to be great ways to connect, kill time, keep in touch, network etc, but there comes a certain point when I just can’t keep up anymore.

So I’m curious, with Facebook and Myspace dominating the scene, what would it take for you to join another network?  What would you want to see done that hasn’t been done before? (And what networks can’t you get enough of?)

Thoughts?

Unless you’ve been living without power for the last month or so, you’ve probably heard at least a tid-bit about the release of IE8 Beta 2.  Now maybe you’re a Firefox person, or just unaware of some the cool features that come along with the release.  Now this is a shameless plug here, but at Me.dium, we’re pretty damn excited about being a part of this latest release.  We’ve got a lot of great features to share, so if you are that visual person check out this awesome demo video to see for yourself.

You don’t have to download anything, switch browsers, make any life altering decisions—just sacrafice 2 minutes and 25 seconds to see how Me.dium can enhance your surfing experience with IE8.

For more details, check out our https://me.dium.com/ie8 or this previous blog

Thoughts?

Now you probably want to know how I stumbled upon this internet-gem.  No I did not do a search for the Hoff, instead I just innocently Googled “New Social Networks,” (I like to stay semi-current on these sort of things.)  On the first page of results, this link showed up, and since I was already there I will admit curiosity got the best of me.  As I read the quote, I had to check the homepage out for myself. 

David Hasselhoff does not just have a homepage.  David Hasselhoff has his very own social network.  (Found at DavidHasselhoff.com)  Now this may be old news to you, but I swear this is the first time I’d heard about Hoffspace.  At the welcome page of this site, you can find this glorious quote:

“In my travels round the world I have always been surprised that no matter where I go people recognize and know me, from Europe, Australia and India to the Philippines and the Zulu Nation in South Africa. This got me thinking… I realized that while two people from two entirely different countries and backgrounds may seem to have nothing in common, the only thing they might have in common is me… So I decided to start a network where people from across the world might come together and get a conversation started over me. Where it will lead, I don’t know but the world would be a better place if everyone talked a little more to each other…So here is HoffSpace.”

And the tragedy is that this site has 16,208 members.  That’s 16,200 more members than I would have guessed.  Part of me still thinks that this site is a joke, but the more I look at it, the bigger my doubts become.  Just another reason why I should base my search on what the crowds are surfing rather than sticking simply to keywords, (cause I can tell you now, as far as social networks are concerned this one should NOT be on the first page of results.)  If I stuck with Me.dium Search, I would have never have found Hoffspace, or lost my appetite for breakfast, and the world would be a better place.  (But now that I discovered have, it’s my duty to share it with you.)

So will you be the newest member of Hoffspace?  You too can make a difference in this world and help bring people closer together over one common denominator: The greatness that is the Hoff.

However, there are some great “race for the presidency” websites that are indeed worthy of laughter– In fact, some of them are just plain hilarious!  Over the last few weeks, I’ve stumbled upon, been linked to, forwarded, and discovered on Me.dium Search, some very entertaining parody sites, and thought I would compile a list of some of my favorites.  Whether you support McCain or Obama, hopefully you can find some humor in this.  You may have seen them before, but I couldn’t resist. Take the elections seriously, but laugh at these videos.

• McCain gets Rickroll’d….or as they call it, BarackRoll’d.  The beginning is funny, but it just gets better and better as the video goes on.
• Jay Leno interviews Sarah Palin Jay and Sarah have a staring contest: “They must not blink”
• Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton on SNL Yes you’ve probably seen it, but it is too good not to share.  Tina Fey with her “Palin up-do” and accent, along with Poehler make a hilarious duo as the two address sexism and various other issues within politics.
• Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator What would your name be if your mother was Sarah Palin?  With kids named Trig, Bristol, Track, Willow, and Piper, the possibilities are endless.  Just type in your own name to have it “Palin-ized” Simple, but entertaining.
• Time for Some Campaigning I posted this video a few blogs back, but it got a great response.  Watch as computer-animated Clinton, Obama, and McCain sing and dance their way to the White House.  (Also doubles as an E-Card you can send friends and family, and customize with a personal picture.)
• Democrats+ High School Musical Ok, this is so lame, I can’t believe I’m including this…although I admit I did chuckle a bit.  What do you get when you mix Disney Cash-Cow High School Musical and Obama…well…here you go.  (Also watch it starring Palin and McCain)
• McCain Approves this Message Another great skit from SNL

Hopefully you got a laugh or two out of these.  Anyone else have some funny political videos to share?

Mashable posed some really great questions.  Is it really cheating, or is it an example of American ingenuity?  Does paying for an answer actually help the student gain knowledge opposed to flunking a class?  Is this site a perfect example of economics?  I thought more about this and decided to go to SOF’s website to take a look around for myself.

The FAQ section addresses concerns by flat out asking “Is this cheating?’ to which the response is:  “We don’t think so! We’ve built Student of Fortune so that people, be they students or professionals, can ask their colleagues for help on difficult problems. Whether you’ve got a hard math homework assignment or a PhD dissertation you need someone to look over, Student of Fortune is there for you. We don’t put any limitations on the kinds of questions you ask the community, we are just going to assume that you’ll do it in a moral way. That’s what choice is all about…we believe that Student of Fortune is a teaching and research tool, not a tool for cheating. But it’s up to you how you use it. We’re not going to judge you. We’re just here to help.”

Last time I checked, “helping” wasn’t straight out giving an answer to a question, and ” a PhD dissertation you want someone to look over?”  Hmm sounds fishy…if you were having someone look over YOUR WORK you wouldn’t be BUYING someones answer, right?  (And if you’re cheating your way to a PhD, shame on you!)  Additionally, their homepage lists these 3 steps:

• Post your entire homework question
• Get answers to your question
• Buy answers, ace your classes

Hmmm, looks like cheating to me.  SOF shows you 20% of the answers “tutors” have submitted before you buy one so you can get a sample before you pull out your credit card.  A question that I had was is there any guarantee that the answer you’re buying is indeed correct?  Sure, a person who answers can claim that their solution is the right one, but by the time the student submits it to their professor, the transaction has already been made.  Yes there is a ranking system (like Ebay,) but that surely doesn’t guarantee anything.

So what do you think?  Will you give Student of Fortune a shot?  The internet is a wonderful tool for students, but in this case is it a step backwards or forwards?  Will you answer questions to make a few bucks?  (And more importantly, after Mom and Dad pay for tuition, how will they feel about you using someone elses’ answers?)

Is it more important to get the “A” or complete the work yourself?  Thoughts?

The East Coast is buzzing with the presence of the Web2.0 Expo going on now in New York!

Web2.0 is a global annual gathering of technical, design, marketing, and business professionals who are building the next generation web.  The expo features the most innovative and successful Internet industry figures and companies providing attendees with examples of business models, development paradigms, and design strategies to enable mainstream businesses and new arrivals to the Web 2.0 world to take advantage of this new generation of services and opportunities (http://en.oreilly.com).

A crew from Me.dium just got back from San Diego’s DEMO conference last week, and headed to the opposite coast to take part in this years Web2.0 conference.  The Expo kicks off today, so if you’re interested in checking out Expo photos, or keeping up with all the activity, you can follow all the news coverage by clicking here.  If Twittering is your style, you can also stay up-to-date by following w2e_NY08.

Well things just got started, so we’ll try to keep you posted with updates over the next few days as we get them!  There’s a ton going on, so stay tuned!

More importantly though, the real question is why does the media still spoon-feed us more Spears?  After her disastrous performance at the VMAs last year, did they have her back again only because they knew we’d all tune in to see her fail horribly once more?  Was she invited back this year not for talent purposes, but simply as a marketing tool?  I came across this article while playing around with Me.dium’ search that I think sums her “comeback” up this year quite nicely.  Wouldn’t it be nice if our celebrities were celebrities because of talent, rather than scandals and mediocrity?  The word on the street is how she made a triumphant comeback to the music scene, but you watch the VMA openings, and you tell me how talented she is.  All I saw was sad “acting,” poorly rehearsed lines, and a severe lack of talent.  I want to know who’s spreading this “triumphant comeback talk,” MTV themselves?  (Check out the rest of the VMA’s here)

I know I’m just feeding the fire and being quite hypocritical as I write about an individual who I believe should get less media.  I don’t claim to be exempt from the Spears feeding-frenzy, and I’ll admit, as much as I “don’t care,” while waiting for a plane I’ll pick up a gossip magazine with her face on it to pass the time.  It’s a vicious habit. Do you think Brittany is worth talking about, or should she just quietly fade out of pop-culture.  Thoughts?

For those of you who want to get a taste of Internet Explorer without having to take the plunge and get the new browser, check out this demo video.  It shows you some of the cool new features that IE has to offer, and is very quick and to the point.  May be worth checking out if you’ve read a lot of reviews and descriptions of the browser, but have yet to see in action how it all comes together.  (Make sure to keep your eyes open for Me.dium’s cameo!)

Also, this week, a crew from Me.dium headed west to attend the DEMO conference in San Diego, California as we were invited by Microsoft to display our Me.dium IE8 features at their booth at this event.  For those who are unfamiliar with what the conference is all about, “DEMO conferences have earned a reputation for consistently identifying technologies that will disrupt current markets and change how people use digital technologies” (DEMO).  We will have a blog up soon with all the details about this years meet-up.  In the meantime, if interested, check out the official website for videos, links, articles, and more.

Would you believe it if I said you could have some of the best of both worlds?  Today we came across this article from DownloadSquad.com that shows you how a bit of IE and FF can come together in perfect harmony.

One of the coolest new features for Internet Explorer are Web Slices, (you can read all about them here.)  The featured Me.dium WebSlice updates frequently with hot website recommendations influenced by the surfing behavior of Me.dium’s users.  Pretty cool, but only for IE8 useres right?  Wrong!

There’s a new add-on called WebChunks that lets you bring IE8s WebSlices right to your FireFox browser.  Check out this article to get all the details!  This way, you can rock Me.dium WebSlices without having to change browser preferences!  Give it a try, and let us know what you think!

Who needs “The Hills” or “Desperate Housewives” when you’ve got “Election 08!”  Hopefully this media frenzy will die down, and as we get closer to the election we’ll stop focusing so much on the family life of those running, but instead what their running for.  Now I’ll admit, a little gossip now and then can be entertaining, as long as we keep it in perspective and look towards the big picture.  What do you think of all the attention on the personal lives of our politicians?  Should their home life influence your vote, or should we keep it separate?

Personal lives aside, I think it’s entertaining enough just watching the marketing campaigns both parties have against each other.  From criticizing the number of houses one owns, to replaying old quotes said months ago, it’s about that time when the campaigns start to get a little vicious.  I think it’s important as a spectator and voter to pay attention and stay informed, but to also laugh a little at all the tactics that go on.  I came upon this video last month, and although it’s sure to offend supporters of all candidates, I thought it was good for a laugh and help us remember that during election time, no candidate, (even ones the public loves) are free from scrutiny and parody.

So after all’s said and done, the gossip feeding frenzy dies down, and it’s time to get serious and step into that voting booth, who do you think will be the next President of the United States?

So what do you think?  How does IE8 Beta 2 compare to your favorite browser, and were the changes all you expected and wanted?  Most importantly, were these additions enough to convince you to make a switch, or are you sticking with Safari, Opera, FF, (insert your favorite browser here.)  Here at Me.dium, we’re pretty excited about it.  As you can read about in the previous blog, a few days ago, we became featured for IE8’s Beta 2 launch.  We are trying to make the internet a more social place, and think joining IE is definitely a step in the right direction.  We’ve got a lot of exciting features to share like our What’s Hot WebSlice, Me.dium Discovery Accelerator, and Visual Search for the IE crowd.  We also plan on attending DEMO08 with Microsoft in San Diego next week, so stay tuned for news on that!

Now, I can talk all day about why you should give us a shot, but then again, I realized that I do have a bit of a biased opinion.  Don’t take my word for it, check out what Mashable has to say.  You’re opinion is just as important to us though.  Once you’ve had a chance to play around with Me.dium, let us know what you think!  You’re feedback is crucial.  If you have something to say, email me at Jboyle@me.dium.com