901am

New Media News Every Morning

Bolt.com shuts down

By

Bolt.comBolt.com, what used to be a social network turned video sharing site, bolts out of the web after more than a decade of existence.

The once vibrant Bolt.com site is now a blank space that bears the following notice when accessed:

Please be advised that the operations of Bolt, Inc. and Bolt.com have ceased. Net Revolution, Inc. and Bolt, Inc. have executed an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors effective as of August 14, 2007. Please direct any creditor related questions or comments to the Assignee’s office to the attention of: Development Specialists, Inc. 345 California Street, Suite 1150, San Francisco, California 94104-2664.

The Notice of Assignment will be mailed to all known creditors in the near future. If you are interested in acquiring this site or other assets of Bolt or Net Revolution please contact, [email protected].

This unfortunate shutdown is reported to be the result of a failed acquisition by GoFish at the start of the month. This, however, is not the end of the world for the founders of Bolt.com as they busy themselves with WikiYou, a new startup that was launched last month.

Death does apply to startups, after all. But life goes on, even in the www.

Via Paidcontent.

Originally posted on August 16, 2007 @ 4:52 am

Filed Under: Web

SixApart launches Movable Type version 4.0

By

Movable Type 4Six Apart launches the fourth version of its publishing system, Movable Type, after its public beta version was released some time in June.

Now with more than 50 new features, Movable Type 4 makes content management easier, allowing users to choose from 30 new ready-made templates, administer multiple blogs, and publish content with a WYSIWYG editor that makes posting text, photos, audio, and other files with ease. MT4 also comes with a more community-focused interaction as it supports OpenID commenting, as well as third-party plugins.

While the new Movable Type comes out with significant improvements, comparing it with WordPress’ open source system is inevitable. Some experts who have already tested MT4 comment on its limited available themes (compared to thousands of WordPress themes), and its more complicated dashboard interface. MT4, however, is reported to be more user-friendly to those who wants to modify templates without the CSS know-how.

MT4 makes importing blog content from another platform easier too. However, for those who are already accustomed to WordPress, shifting to Movable Type could result to both advantages and disadvantages. Know more about MT4 here.

Originally posted on August 15, 2007 @ 5:27 am

LimeWire to open DRM-free digital music store

By

LimeWireLime Wire, popular spyware-free file sharing program, announces its plan to open a DRM-free digital music store.

The music store, which still remains unnamed as of press release, will initially be a stand-alone website, which can be accessed through links on LimeWire’s software. Eventually, they plan to allow users to buy music directly from LimeWire.

Currently, LimeWire has scored deals with Canada-based music label Nettwerk Productions, and Iris Distribution, both companies agreeing to provide LimeWire with MP3 formatted music from their catalogs.

“We are delighted to collaborate with these forward-thinking music companies and sell their authorized content through LimeWire,” said Jesse Rubenfeld, Lime Wire Chief Financial Officer.

Originally posted on August 15, 2007 @ 6:08 am

MySpace, XM Radio, launch hip-hop talent search

By

Show Us What You GotMore than just giving unsigned artists a chance at fame, more and more networks are coming up with ways to foster involvement from among their members in the form of talent search and competitions.

MySpace, once again, is creating buzz with Show Us What Ya Got, the newest online search for aspiring hip-hop and R&B artists, brought to you in partnership with XM Radio.

Interested parties must have a MySpace account and band profile to be able to submit their entries. Renown judges from the music industry (DJ Enuff, Bryan Leach, and Rene McLean among others), will select five finalist, which will then be trimmed down to 3 through members’ votes. These three finalists will be given a chance to perform at the 10th Annual Power Summit in the Dominican Republic come October. Mashable reports that “the grand prize is a mix tape created with a celebrity DJ and the opportunity to go on-air for an XM radio program and a two-week run on XM.”

Deadline is set on August 31. The contest is open to U.S. citizens with valid passports only.

Originally posted on August 15, 2007 @ 3:13 am

Google closes video sales and rental

By

Google VideoEffective on Wednesday, Google Video will no longer allow users to buy or rent videos nine months after it was launched. While the paid video service comes to an end, Google Video continues its free service on beta.

This latest development will leave those who bought or rented video content from Google unable to view their clips. Also, instead of allowing them to have their money refunded for videos purchased before July 18, Google offers customers fixed credit on Google checkout.

“Both Google and YouTube are exploring a wide variety of ways to monetize online video content — from pilot testing AdSense for video syndication to trying various ad formats on YouTube — and the early results have been very encouraging,” said Google spokesman Gabriel Stricker in an e-mail to Computerworld. “Reaffirming our commitment to building out our ad-supported monetization models for video, we have decided to remove the DTO/DTR feature on Google Video.”

The move was already foreseen back when YouTube was acquired by Google. The plan was to market Google Video as a video search engine, while YouTube focuses on video hosting and sharing.

Originally posted on August 14, 2007 @ 8:42 am