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New Media News Every Morning

First mobile and web contest community now live

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tapatap.jpgTapatap, the world’s first mobile and web social contest community, announced its beta launch. Combining pop culture and game show logic, Tapatap is an addictive, viral contest community where members can play photo contests for fun and daily prizes, enter photos into contests, and create their own contests all from their mobile phone or the web.

Tapatap, co-founded by serial entrepreneurs Isaac Babbs, Andy Riedel, and Ken Scott, also announces it has secured $2.5 million in Series A funding from Gabriel Venture Partners.

“Our mission is to create social entertainment networks and online communities where you and the community are the fun. You create it, share it, and play it wherever you are across both mobile devices and the web,” says Isaac Babbs.

Using its ground breaking mobile 2.0 technology, Tapatap allows its members to access the community from virtually any device including mobile phones, web browsers and embedded flash widgets. Members can create contests and submit photos from both their phones and PCs, and immediately invite their friends and family to play.

Originally posted on June 14, 2007 @ 10:16 am

Your Truman Show brings your story to the web

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343366_yourtrumanshow.gifYour Truman Show, Inc. today launched the beta version of its online broadcast network dedicated to publishing, rating and reviewing the drama and comedy of personal video stories. YourTrumanShow.com combines on one platform the power of personal blogging, user-generated video and social networking.

YourTrumanShow.com extends the fiction of life-on-camera into a network of tomorrow’s online reality stars, migrating user-generated content from single videos to multi-episode series. With its innovative V-link interface for visually connecting related storylines, YourTrumanShow.com makes it easy and entertaining for users to find and follow their favorite stories as they develop over time. By submitting their ratings, viewers vote for the best content in each category, collectively choosing the most compelling stories to be highlighted. In doing so, viewers determine which producers get featured on traditional and online media networks.

“Your Truman Show is providing the masses with a platform to broadcast their lives online,” said Arturo Artom, Your Truman Show’s President and CEO. “It finally allows anyone and everyone to create their own destiny, giving them the medium and opportunity to generate their fame and fan base.”

Originally posted on June 13, 2007 @ 10:20 am

Crushpad launches online community for creating wine

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crushnet.jpgCrushpad, the consumer-powered winery, announced that the company has launched Crushnet.com, an online community where consumers meet and collaborate to create their own boutique wines. Wines are produced at Crushpad’s new 34,000 square foot winery in San Francisco and can be shared among the community, reviewed and even entered into nationwide competitions. Crushnet represents a new online wine economy that harnesses the creative expression of millions of wine enthusiasts from across the country.

Crushnet.com is at the forefront of the “Wine 2.0” revolution which, like its web 2.0 predecessor, recasts individuals as producers of unique products instead of just consumers of mass-production goods. Instead of wine enthusiasts being at the end of a long chain of grape growers, wineries, distributors and retailers, they are now at the center of power and provide the wine style definition, capital and, optionally, their own sweat equity to create their own luxury wines.

“Since we started Crushpad in 2004, we’ve had thousands of clients who have been making wine by themselves or in small groups,” said Alan Baker, Crushnet.com’s director. “With Crushnet, we will be able to connect them and bring in a new wave of enthusiasts that can take their wine hobby to the next level.”

Originally posted on June 12, 2007 @ 11:13 pm

Scripps chooses KickApps to power DIYnetwork.com

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diy.jpgScripps Networks Interactive announced a strategic partnership with KickApps Corporation to deploy its social media and community-building applications at DIYnetwork.com. In an area called “My Projects,” visitors can now post videos and pictures of their own home improvement work and swap stories and tips through blogs and message boards. Designed to seamlessly integrate with the site’s existing look and feel, “My Projects” is part of Scripps Networks Interactive’s continuing push to integrate community-building features into all their Web properties.

“Scripps understands that the Web is shifting away from static destination sites to ‘open portals,’ on which user-generated and editorial content coexist to create dynamic, participatory experiences,” said Alex Blum, CEO of KickApps. “Through this project, we provide the framework for Scripps to engage and grow their audience at their existing site and in the context of the DIY Network brand.”

Originally posted on June 12, 2007 @ 4:00 pm

wis.dm launches Question and Answer-based social network

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wisdm.jpgwis.dm, a new social utility based on questions and answers, announced its official company launch. wis.dm users ask questions in a yes and no format, answer questions and engage in debate around topics of mutual interest. wis.dm launches to the public today after a month of beta testing. The company launches with thousands of users, tens of thousands of questions and comments, and over one million answers.

“wis.dm is an entirely different animal than any other social media company,” said Martin Clifford, founder and CEO of wis.dm. “People want answers, and they want thoughtful interaction around the questions they have. wis.dm brings this learning element to the concept of social networking. As people outgrow popularity-based networks, we’re giving them something more – a place to engage around asking, sharing, growing and learning.”

wis.dm’s tagging system ensures that the wisdom of crowds influences which questions and content will stick. wis.dm provides the tools for its users to browse and discover content that is interesting to them. Questions are tagged by users and channeled into buckets by topic, the most popular of which appear on the wis.dm home page. Users’ expertise in a certain topic is determined by the number of points a user gains through activity on the site by asking questions, answering and commenting.

Originally posted on June 12, 2007 @ 9:34 am