Also: Boo is back | Channel 4 and Last.fm | Vodafone hits back at Skype | Disney's social net | Clear Channel's social net | BBC Web 2.0
There has been something of a revolution on Digg in the past 24 hours. A few users posted links to stories with the encryption code for high definition DVDs, which allows the content to be copied illegally.
Digg was sent and cease and desist notice and tried to take down the offending links and delete the offending users, but users objected and Digg had to let them post.
Bobbie Johnson rather impressively blogged about this at 7:48 this morning (it must have come to him in a dream) so I'll refer you there for the low-down.
Mike Arrington on TechCrunch said that to say this is user revolt is an understatement: "Until today, it seems, even Digg didn't fully understand the power of its community to determine what is 'news'. I think the community made their point crystal clear." (TechCrunch)
Boo is back
The web mutterings were right - boo.com, the travel website, is back in a new incarnation with community, social nets and all the other inevitable Web 2.0 knobs.
This boo.com is run by Web Reservations International and has no association with the boo.com of dot com boom fame, we are assured. But they did like the name so much they bought the company, in a style vaguely reminiscent of the Victor Kyam. (I just tried to link to the Wikipedia page but scored a wiki-zero - My Kyam doesn't appear to have one one yet. Update: Well yes he does, but it's at Victor Kiam...)
The notable difference is that while the last boo.com got through about $120m in funding and still managed to crash in spectacular fashion, the WRI incarnation is built on an eight-year-old business with EBITDA of €19m, as of last year.
More than a little strange to try and rebrand a profitable business with a name so synonymous with the dot com crash in Europe, but then it is a great name - and a surefire way to attract plenty of coverage. (Boo.com)
Channel 4 Radio partners with Last.fm
Channel 4's nascent radio service is partnering with Last.fm, MediaWeek reports, to publish a global chart show based on its listeners activity each week. In return, Last.fm gets to offer its users interaction with C4 Radio like tracking the music they play, and matching their tastes to the C4 DJs. (MediaWeek)
Vodafone fights back at Skype
Vodafone has introduced a controversial new pricing model for data services that penalises VOIP and P2P users. From 1 June, users will pay no more than £1 a day for up to 15MB of data, around 600 web pages. The current rate is about £2.35 for 15MB so it sounds a good deal, but Vodafone has introduced a clause that states internet phone services like Skype and other P2P services will be charged at £2 per MB, effectively trying to stop their customers using Skype's "free" web-based service from their mobiles. It's obvious that they should try to do that, but why also discourage people from file sharing and using instant messaging, if that's what they want to do? Quite how Vodafone will identify which services people are using we're not sure, and Vodafone also says it will release a specific mobile internet tariff soon. (The Register)
Disney's new social networking site
Disney has launched a social networking site for pre-teens which allows them to create MySpace style profiles but with parental controls. Disney Xtreme targets under 14s and features games, videos and music all branded with various Disney characters. I'm dubious about whether kids would go for something restrictive when there are so many other social nets out there, but I guess it depends how much internet freedom kids are given. And I've always thought Disney was a bit scary. (Reuters)
Oh - and Clear Channel too
The music and radio division of US firm Clear Channel is launching around twelve social networks for each of its stations over the next few months. Seven launch today, including The Wild Space for San Francisco's KYLD-FM, and another five launch in June including platforms for LA's KIIS-FM and WWPR-FM in New York. The site's will be separate from each station's main site but the point is to try and connect people locally. I hope the social nets have more catchy names than the radio stations. Why does US radio insist on so many initials? (Billboard.biz)
BBC's Web 2.0 project
Yesterday I wrote about the BBC's interesting Radio 1 project - here's video from the conference showing producer Jason DaPonte talking about the prototype.
