MatthewVB

I’ve finally decided on and added the “ShareThis” button to all posts. Enjoy the sharing.

More to come as I continue to update the site, integrate some social media within the blog, and do a bit more in the ‘exciting features’ realm.

Welcome to the new site. Yah…looks like the old one. We’ll work on that.

In the meantime, all the old posts are here and the stuff people have enjoyed (tutorials, etc.).

More to come in the future – as well as updates on the redesign of matthewvb.com and the launch of a site in stealth right now (shhhh, it’s a secret!).

For those who know my history, this blog started at webtomic.com. The time has come to move it back to its home to make way for a new site in the upcoming month here at matthewvb.com.

In the next few weeks you’ll find all the blog posts, tutorials, and info over at webtomic. I’ll post here once it’s all updated, but don’t be confused if you start seeing double.

It’s been over six months since I last posted and I wanted to do a brief update about what I’ve been up to.

• Work: I’ve been cranking away hard at MPRI (L-3) as a Technical Lead / Project Manager on a really cool CMS we’ve built. There’s nothing like it on the market and we’re wrapping up our beta preparing for a  launch any day now. Our client is loving it and I’m happy to be launching probably the most powerful CMS I’ve ever run across.
• MBA: I’m cranking away with just over a year left to go to complete my MBA program at Mason. I’ve decided to forgo the official specialization for a hybrid of entrepreneurship and information systems. I plan on focusing on web technologies and building businesses around them (no surprise there). I’m also heading over to China for my international residency at the end of May which I’m very excited for.
• Personal Biz: Webtomic is pretty much gone now and I’m migrating my efforts to a new business. I started Webtomic as a blog back in 2003 and have migrated it to be my business center. My freelance has started to become specialized so soon I’ll be launching my new company, DemConnect, LLC. DemConnect will focus on building online brands and social networks for Government individuals, agencies, and departments. The website will be launching in a few weeks, but business has already started!

That’s where I’ve been. My plans are to keep this blog as my professional blog devoted to the web practices and business philosophies. You can hit up DemConnect for great info (soon) on Government and the web.

You can always follow me on twitter (@matthewvb).

Oh…and anyone interested in getting OpenCoffee Club in VA/DC back up and running, hit me up (comment, twitter, email, etc) and we’ll chat. Thanks to Paul for keeping it kicking this past year. I’m hoping to be able to step back up and get involved more (but we gotta start meeting back in NOVA )

Seems like everyone is throwing out there thoughts on what web 3.0 is. Well, how about a few more opinions.

I argue that the evolution from 1.0 to 2.0 (and now 3.0) is more than just technology and ability of things online, but the level of interaction online. I know I’m right, but for the sake of your disbelief, I’ll elaborate.

Web 1.0, if there really was such a thing, was just putting up text on a site. Every did it, and they still do it. Any news site is a simple web 1.0 site. Just slap some content on a page and boom! Web 1.0.

Web 2.0 then came around whenever it did (jury is still out on that I think…but they argue 2004). Web 2., in my view, is the simple addition of interaction online. Allow people to comment, chat, and hold a discussion — now you’re talking web 2.0. Sure, the developers out there are going to start saying that web 2.0 has “a look.” Sure does! but that’s not what I’m talking about in this post. Web 2.0 brought with it a certain level of interaction. Things could be pending and moderated. People could flame and parade around the net with an open level of interaction. Every site needs a profile and you have to get your username before someone else does. Oh! And we can share some info with some people and hide it from others.

Which all brings us to the currently non-existent web 3.0. How does the level of interaction change? Well, I’d argue, but I don’t have to. Web 3.0 is going to bring internet conversations to the real world. We’re going to see not a shift from online conversation to offline, rather conversations existing in both online and offline worlds. People will bring their online networks to the real world and bring their real world networks to the online world. I’m not just talking about discussing with your BFF what your mutual friend posted on their wall today. (wall being a web 2.0 thing). What I’m talking about is there being specific mediums and ways to meet people, communicate with people, interact with people, above and beyond what we have seen so far.

The things I’m talking about are involving mobile devices, PDAs, heck — why not a good ol’ fashion piece of snail mail? There are going to be new ways to reach out and connect to people. To see what’s happening where you are at and access live info on that. I remember seeing on American Inventor someone trying to pitch a device where you set up a profile with your likes/dislikes and then you go to a bar. If someone has a profile that is compatible with yours, the device (cell phone app, whatever) would tell you and then you go meet up.

The web is always changing. Web 2.0 will be around for about another 2 years. We need more videos online before people are tired of them. The music and movie industries have more battles to fight and I feel major TV networks need to get the rest of their shows online (come on CBS! Get full episodes of the Amazing Race!).

I had some problems upgrading my WP the past few days, so I got tech support on it and they helped me out.

So, welcome back and sorry for the outage last night. I’m not at WP 2.3 and enjoying it!

Well, this morning was a bit of an adventure. My WP is outta date, but upgrading seems to crash it. Probably in the next week I’ll just re-install at the latest version and go from there.

I’ve also updated my feed. You can still use the old feed; it just redirects to the new feed. I’ve gone with Feedburner and the new link is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/matthewvb/XfId

Thanks all for reading as we bear through these random messes of the online world.

Now announcing:

• London (November 30- December 2)
• Dublin (December 7-9)

(links to come when available)

This brings us up to 14 weekends and the next upcoming weekend starts this Friday in Toronto.

I’m very intrigued by Usphere. The site says you can sign up and fill out a college application which gets forwarded to 33 schools for free (for a fee they give you more resources for help with the application). The schools review your application and send you your acceptance letter with their app fee.

Needless to say…I’m intrigued. They don’t list which schools they send the app to — so that’s a bit confusing why they’re not publicizing that information. I would want to know that as a student applying to college.

I’ve removed a few posts in order to make this blog more tech focused. I’ve launched a new blog for those interested in my research on social networks and the impact they play on a college campus.

Update: 5.1.2007: I’ve removed a few other links and put them on my new personal blog which will focus on my personal life and random thoughts in the world. matthewvb.com will continue to be focused on technology and web developments.