winksite

David Harper

UPDATE: MobileBarCodeCamp Has Merged With MobileCamps – NY Event Set For Nov 10th

We have merged MobileBarCodeCamp with MobileCamps, since the overlap of both events are big enough to make it into one.

Everyone who has RSVP’d for the NYC event has been moved over to MobileCampNYC2.

The idea is to have a dedicated track for all things related to Barcodes, RFID and Physical Hyperlinking in general. For this track we will have 10 sessions dedicated to one room (although it is still possible to use free spots on the main grid later.) I will be curating this track so please send an email introducing yourself if you would like to hold a session to dharper {AT} wirelessink {DOT} com.

MobileCamps bring together mobile enthusiasts, explorers and professionals to share the current state and their visions for the future direction of mobility. MobileCamps hope to support the many voices helping to unlock the potential of a truly digital life. Topics may include – but are not limited to – mobile gaming, entrepreneurship, social mobility and presence, near field communication, physical hyperlinking, mobile storytelling, the importance of open standards, protocols, and platforms, linux based devices, and mobility on other continents. Nokia Nseries is sponsoring.

Upcoming MobileCamps:
Follow the links below for venue and RSVP information.

Please note that we are going to have a limit of 150 people to take part in this camp so RSVP while you can.

David Harper

Winksite Presenting at NY Web 2.0 Meetup on Sept 24th

I’ll be speaking about Winksite at the NY Web 2.0 Meetup on September 24th. Hope to see you there. – David Harper

 

The September Web 2.0 Meetup may be three weeks away (Monday September 24th), but we’re ready to announce a few details about the event.

First, as fall approaches, we’ve decided to add a few new features. We’ve decided upon a mobile theme for the the September Web 2.0 Meetup. We’re going to choose a different theme every month so that we can showcase many of the new and innovative companies in New York who fall into a specific category.

Next, our presenter, John C. Havens, will be streaming the event live via his company, BlogTalkRadio.com. John will not only be fielding questions from our live audience, but his listeners online as well. (We’ll hopefully have our own video equipment set up as well so that we may stream the event live online).

Our other two confirmed presenters are Socialight and Winksite.

Socialight allows its user to use their mobile phones to “…create, share, and discover virtual Sticky Notes placed at specific locations using your mobile phone or the web.” An example of Socialight’s service include posting a review about a restaurant your friends can read, or you can learn about specific landmarks in an area with additional information before you’re even there. Some of their new features include adding text and photos as well as (soon) video and audio clips. CEO Dan Melinger will be both speaking and presenting on behalf of the company.

Winksite is a company that focuses upon mobile social networking. Users are allowed to create their own personalized website/profile, which are accessible on both regular and mobile Internet browsers, and establish connections with other members of the service. Other additional features include the addition of Twitter, comments, places you like, and more. David Harper, founder of Winksite, is also the co-founder of Mobile Monday NY.

RSVP to the Web 2.0 September 2007 Meetup, or stop on by on Monday September 24th. We’re holding the event at Slate Plus, which is located at 54 West 21st Street.

 

David Harper

Mobile Web Americas 2007: Mobile Communities: What Are They And How Do I Make Them Work For Me?

I’ll be in Orlando from Oct. 1-3 speaking at Mobile Web Americas. Would be thrilled to meet-up with any Winksite publishers living in the area or attending the event. Please contact me here.

Mobile Web Americas 2007
http://www.mobilewebexpo.com/
Oct 2-4, 2007 – Orlando, FL

Tuesday October 2nd
3:15 – 4:00
Mobile Communities: What Are They And How Do I Make Them Work For Me?
A discussion on mobile social networks and how they extend the reach of social interaction. How to create a special interest community related directly to your brand or service and how to monitize your community.

Raju Rishi – COO and Co-Founder, Rave Wireless
Myk Willis – CTO, mVisable
Sanji Fernando – Senior Manager, Nokia M Business Renewal
David Harper – Founder, Winksite

Moderator: Justin Oberman – CEO, MoPockets

David Harper

Winksite Releases Major Upgrade – Love the Mobile Web.

You asked for it. We built it.

What’s new?
Here are the most prominent benefits in our July 6th release:

It’s mine and I want it to look that way.
Personalize your mobile site with your own sense of style. Mix and match various color schemes and backgrounds. Sure it sounds pretty standard but we came up with something different that you can proudly call yours while still working across a great variety of mobile devices and screens.

100% valid XHTML code.
With this release every mobile site published at Winksite is fully compliant with W3C Mobile Web Standards. Without having to lift a finger or squint at code your Winksite is guaranteed to score 5/5 on dotMobi’s MobiReady Report. What does this mean beyond bragging rights? Broad support across every browser on the planet to start. …and for those visitors still using WAP, no worries we serve that up just as neatly as ever. Combined with our RSS-driven content deployment, this approach delivers fresh and fast-loading content to you and your audience.

Preview: From a desktop browser (not mobile) hop over to the dotMobi’s MobiReady Report generator and copy & paste http://winksite.com/xhtml/ms_main.cfm?susid=1561 into the validator to run an analysis and receive it’s MobiReady score.

Simple to navigate. Simple to use.
Each Winksite benefits from thousands of hours of fresh research, user testing and community feedback. From it’s simple, channel-based structure, to it’s universal “Main Menu” link, Click-to-call dialing options, and easy to use community features – each mobile site you launch comes bundled with a pleasurable mobile experience.

Before the world can beat a path to your door first you have to be discovered.
With your content and our search engine optimization features you can start your climb to first page mobile search results. First, add descriptions & keywords to your mobile pages to allow search engines to index your website more efficiently. Then sit back while our smart presentation templates make the best of Title, H1/H2 tags, and link naming to tweak your pages for maximum SEO goodness.

…but that’s not all – every mobile web site now comes complete with it’s own Google Mobile Sitemap.

The mobile Web is not just for phones anymore.
We’re now delivering your site and content to new places. Gamers and their WiFi connected version of the Internet have been largely ignored by Mobile & Web 2.0 publishing and community platforms. We’re changing that. Whatever you choose to build at Winksite is now served up optimized and fully functioning to the Sony PSP browser and Nintendo DS Lite Opera browser over WiFi connections. With the DS-Lite in mind we provide a fast loading and readable version while in overview mode. The PSP is delivered a version that eliminates the horizontal scrolling (and reduces the vertical scrolling) required to read posts and chat with your friends. (Note: This part of the release is based in part on feedback we received from the download and use of the WordPress Ultimate Gamer’s Pack we provided to WordPress publishers several months ago.)

What about the Apple iPhone?
No worries. We have it covered with a set of iPhone-optimized web site templates. Fire up your iPhone’s Internet browser and check out your Winksite by tapping in your mobile site address or the following mobile URL – http://winksite.com/xhtml/ms_main.cfm?susid=1561 – changing the susid number to your own.

What about the Helio Ocean, Nokia Nseries/s60, and others?

  • Apple iPhone – Supported.
  • Blackberry Devices – Supported.
  • Helio Ocean – Supported.
  • HTC – Supported.
  • LG – Supported.
  • Motorola – Supported.
  • Nintendo DS Lite (Opera Browser) – Supported.
  • Nokia Nseries – Supported.
  • Nokia s60 – Supported.
  • Nokia (Other) – Supported.
  • Obigo Browser – Supported.
  • Opera Browser – Supported.
  • Openwave Browser – Supported.
  • Palm Devices – Supported.
  • Samsung – Supported.
  • Sharp – Supported.
  • Sony Ericsson – Supported.
  • Sony mylo – Supported.
  • Sony PSP – Supported.
  • T-Mobile Sidekick – Supported.
  • Window’s Mobile Devices – Supported.

Winksite. Love the Mobile Web.
Winksite makes it easy to publish mobile Internet sites and build simple mobile connections via mobile phones. Winksite is the first standards compliant mobile Website builder that also includes RSS-driven content deployment and mobile-tuned community features such as forum, chat, and polls. This approach delivers fresh content, fast-loading screens, and universally accessible community features to you and your audience. The Winksite service is a free and fully hosted solution. No software install on your phone is necessary to view a Winksite powered mobile site. Learn more about how it works.

One platform. Many uses.
Use your mobile site as your personal podium to the world, a convenient mobile dashboard to all you find important or as a space to build and manage a mobile community. Create a mobile edition of your blog, journal or news service. Start a mobile chat room, forum or poll. Glue together your friends, feeds, and favorites into your own mobile personal portal. Organize an event or street team and spread the word on the where, when and why. Link SMS, QR Codes, mobile ads, or Twitter & Jaiku messages to a mobile destination where people can see and do more.

David Harper

Mobile SEO – June 25th at Mobile Monday NY

Several days ago Bango published statistics which confirm that the United States is at the forefront of a mobile web growth with a three fold increase in usage over the last year. The report mentions in part, “This rapid rise, taking the US to second position behind the UK, is being fueled by the increasing popularity of mobile search as a way of finding new content and services.”

Join us at Mobile Monday NY on June 25th to discuss Mobile SEO.

Mobile SEO – Optimization of SEO for the small screen. The challenges. The opportunities.

The format for this event will be a panel discussion with audience questions/discussion.

The following are some of the topics the panel and audience will explore:

  • Where is the mobile industry when it comes to SEO?
  • How different is mobile search from the desktop search versions?
  • How does America search mobile?
  • What opportunities are available to marketers and content owners? What are the challenges to the people they are trying to reach?
  • Are there any efforts from a standards perspective?
  • Tips & Tricks to optimize your mobile site for SEO.

Networking with refreshments and snacks (graciously provided by our host Samsung).

Agenda:

  • Welcome/Intro
  • The Moderator: Michael Sharon, Socialight
  • The Panelists:
    • From the Search Engine Perspective –
      Sean Owen, Google
    • From the Agency & Brand Builder’s Perspective –
      Rachel Pasqua, iCrossing
    • From the Developer’s Perspective –
      David Harper, Winksite

Additional panelists pending.

Cost: FREE.

When: Monday, June 25th, 6:45-9 PM

Where:

Samsung Experience Center

Time Warner Center – Shops at Columbus Circle

10 Columbus Circle, 3rd floor

New York City, New York 10022

(map)

At the intersection of Broadway, Eighth Avenue, Central Park South and Central Park West.

Subways to Shops at Columbus Circle: A/C, 1/9, B/D to 59th Street/Columbus Circle

David Harper

Winksite Nominated for CNET's Webware 100 Awards.

Winksite has been nominated for CNET’s Webware 100 Awards in the mobile category. If you enjoy Winksite, please spare a moment to vote for us here.

Webware 100 ButtonThe Webware 100 represents the top 10 sites in 10 different categories, and we’re up against some really cool services – Yahoo oneSearch, Google Maps Mobile, Gmail Mobile and 1-800-GOOG-411, Where by uLocate, Widsets, MyStrands, and TellMe among others. (Hey, there are some friends on this list!)

Webware, a CNET site, provides the latest information on Web 2.0 sites, services, and applications. Its timely and relevant blog entries about hundreds of web-based services, such as wikis, blogs, and social networking sites, help users determine the best products for them to use in their daily lives.

Veteran tech journalist and Webware Editor Rafe Needleman had this to say about Winksite after we presented to a panel he was hosting at the Under The Radar Conference on mobility in November,

“I had no idea it was so easy to make a mobile version of a Web site. My vote for the best of the bunch for mobile content today is Winksite. It uses WAP, the simplified, text-based browser technology that’s the Mama Bear of mobile content–neither as rich (or slow) as a full Web browser interface nor as linear and limited as SMS.”

David Harper

"An Open Letter to Intercasting Corp" or "Rabble WTF" or "Where Is Wikipedia When You Need It Most?"

I’ve never made a big deal out of things Winksite has done “first” but after one too many statements put out by companies claiming to be the “first,” I’ve decided to call one of them on it as it impacts Winksite’s history. I’m simply calling it as I see it and if anyone thinks I have any of this wrong please feel free to respond in my comments otherwise. I suspect this will be the first in a series.

1. Intercasting/Rabble

“In 2005, we shipped the first carrier-grade social networking product in North America and have leveraged our experience to build the absolute best consumer application available.” — Intercasting Web Site

I politely called these guys on this type of thing once before in 2005 when they claimed to be “the first mobile blogging community ever.” Various Japanese and European services had them beat by several years at the time. I playfully suggested they were actually, “the first commercial, BREW-based, fully mobile-only, self-contained community of mobile content creators and consumers, incorporating LBS, launched on the Verizon Network in the US in 2005″ – but we agreed that would sound a bit silly and settled on that what they did was “cool.”

Well now several years later the Intercasting guys have rewritten history circa 2005 again and claim to have been “the first carrier-grade social networking product in North America.” Sorry guys – I’m going to have to call you on this one also.

You were not the first. Not then and not now either. Winksite beat you by four years. In 2002, Winksite was using RSS feeds to mobilize blogs and otherwise publish content to mobile communities (a true first). These mobile spaces came bundled with mobile-tuned social services like chat, forums, events, and polls making these syndicated content spaces social and interactive in nature (also a true first). As far as carrier-grade, I’m confident our open “internet-grade” platform is serving more regular users (250K mobile uniques per month), on more carrier networks worldwide (150 plus), than Rabble is. I also suspect that we have spent a fraction of the money to get there (bootstrapping it with a few hundred $K over 5 years — yes we got in perhaps a bit early) than Intercasting’s investors have laid out to date for Rabble (approx 6 million). … And if the definition of “carrier-grade” means having been “approved” to run on a carrier portal – talk to Helio.

I’m sure the guys from Intercasting will respond with brilliant repartee and disagree with me on their blog (or in private) but when we sat down for breakfast in NYC in 2004 or so they already knew Winksite was a web services and social network mash-up — long before the term even existed. No amount of PR spin, event panel rhetoric, or VC money can change that.

David Harper

WordPress Ultimate Gamer's Pack

Download the WordPress Ultimate Gamer’s Pack
For Nintendo Wii and DS-Lite, Sony PSP…and next week come back for the Apple iPhone version.

Why is Winksite Providing These Plugins?

  • Share the love. We personally use WordPress and think these plugins are useful.
  • Sites for small spaces. We use these plugins as part of our Winksite template R&D to support gamers and their favorite devices. …and who’s WiFi connected, portable version of the Internet has been largely ignored by publishing platforms and communities. We’re changing that.
  • The future is in your hand. Come back in the near future and we’ll give you a preview of our iPhone-optimized templates (and widgets) and how it will integrate with Winksite.

About the WordPress Ultimate Gamer’s Pack
The WordPress Ultimate Gamer’s Pack is an essential set of plugins that automatically renders an optimized version of your posts and pages when visitors come to your blog on a Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS-Lite, or Sony PSP. Each device is automatically detected, there is no configuration needed. The theme used by each plugin optimizes your blogs layout and fonts for each device. For example, the Wii Edition plugin uses the “Wii” font at sizes that provide for easy reading on TV screens.

Why Are These Plugins Useful?
Less hassle scrolling, zooming and switching between display modes.

Webpages on the Wii are hard to view on default zoom and on many pages (designed wider then 800 pixels) you will have to scroll from side to side. In addition, font sizes that work on a computer screen don’t render well on a TV screen. Large web pages also gag the Wii from time to time, failing to load and/or bookmark properly. With the DS-Lite the plugin provides a fast loading and readable version while in overview mode. The PSP is delivered a version that eliminates the horizontal scrolling (and reduces the vertical scrolling) required to read your posts and pages.

Installation Instructions

Download the WordPress Ultimate Gamer’s Pack Plugin.
Note: Within the ZIP file you’ll find 3 plugins with various readme.txt file for each.

WordPress Wii Edition Plugin (v1.3)

  • Drop the wp-wii.php file in your wp-content/plugins directory
  • Drop the wp-wii directory in your wp-content/themes directory
  • Click the ‘Activate’ link for WordPress Wii Edition on your Plugins page (in the WordPress admin interface)

WordPress DS-Lite Edition Plugin (v1.0)

  • Drop the wp-dslite.php file in your wp-content/plugins directory
  • Drop the wp-dslite directory in your wp-content/themes directory
  • Click the ‘Activate’ link for WordPress DS-Lite Edition on your Plugins page (in the WordPress admin interface)

WordPress PSP Edition Plugin (v1.0)

  • Drop the wp-psp.php file in your wp-content/plugins directory
  • Drop the wp-psp directory in your wp-content/themes directory
  • Click the ‘Activate’ link for WordPress PSP Edition on your Plugins page (in the WordPress admin interface)
David Harper

Re: Winksite Continues to Grow Daily. Upgrade Scheduled (& Completed)

Winksite’s scheduled server upgrades went off without a hitch today – no data was lost, nothing broke, and as it was completed in just over an hour I think the downtime passed relatively unnoticed. At this point all services have been successfully tested and we have received zero customer support requests.

Advance planning certainly pays off. Well done Jason!

…and for those of you that care about this kinda thing. Whereas our recent traffic increases resulted in our database servers being maxed out at peak times (98% usage) our new set-up is supporting that same level of traffic at about 2%. Nice.

(Note: More next week on what that data traffic looks like.)

David Harper

Winksite Continues to Grow Daily. Upgrade Scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 30th.

Winksite is currently serving 20K publishers, a quarter million monthly users across 150 countries, and continues to grow daily. While our data center has performed well with next to zero downtime, recent increases of traffic have made some aspects of our service a bit sluggish to visitors at certain points of the day.

To head off any nasty, unplanned interruptions to service we have planned a necessary upgrade to our servers. Part of this upgrade involves moving our database to a larger, faster server that will accommodate future growth. Unfortunately, this requires us to take Winksite offline for several hours on Thursday, Nov 30th.

We apologize in advance for this interruption of service and promise we will do everything possible to keep the downtime to a minimum. We’re really excited about the performance increases these upgrades will bring (yep, we’re geeks) and look forward to providing all of you with continued mobile access to the content and connections you have grown accustomed to.