Weblogs, Inc.

Vote for Weblogs... to be at SXSW 2009

Victor Agreda, Jr. — 2008-08-29T14:30:00+00:00

Voting ends on August 29, but in the remaining hours you have a shot of sending several top bloggers, editors and managers to SXSW Interactive 2009. Here's a look at the two proposed panels:

The Organic Audience: Growing a Fanbase by Communicating
Engadget, Autoblog, Joystiq, TUAW, Cinematical and other Weblogs properties didn't create a fan base with ad campaigns, viral marketing or sleazy SEO. We did it by putting out the best content, having integrity and (most of all) keeping the conversation going. Hear the best and worst of those conversations.

Managing Virtual Teams: Choreography of Bits
Is your team distributed around the world? At Weblogs, Inc. we built a team of freelancers from around the globe. The daily coordination and management of over 500 bloggers on various platforms in different timezones is a challenge, but one the tools of the internet were made to tackle. Learn how we keep the gears oiled and how you can work in an increasingly distributed universe of talent.

NOTE: The SXSW Panel Picker servers have been up and down today, so keep trying. Thank you for your support!

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Joystiq presents: Massively

Barb Dybwad — 2007-11-02T14:53:00+00:00

We've been working diligently behind the scenes to put the finishing touches on our new offering to the MMO-crazed among you, and we're super proud to announce Massively, a blog that obsessively covers massively multiplayer online games. If you like WoW Insider you'll love Massively -- and if you've been itching for in-depth coverage of other worlds you currently inhabit, Massively is the place for you. We've assembled a team of top-notch writers and players to deliver breaking news, original features, and expert analysis about the MMOs you play, and the titles you're most looking forward to.

Hop on over and check us out -- to sweeten the pot we're doing 24 hours of Tabula Rasa giveaways to celebrate our co-birthday with Richard Garriott's new opus today, and 2 more weeks chock full of schwag after that. Hope to see you there!

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Everything Do-It-Youself at DIY Life

Victor Agreda, Jr. — 2007-07-31T09:45:00+00:00

We welcome another blog to the family this week: DIY Life. Covering the spectrum of DIY, the blog provides a steady stream of DIY projects, how-to's, ideas, tips, reviews, even safety recalls. Topical areas include home improvement, hobbies and crafts, technology projects, and home and family ideas and tips.

DIY Life is running a contest too-- over 30 days we'll be giving away over $4,000 in prizes. That's a new prize, a new tool, every single day for 30 days. Check out the DIY Life Toolstravaganza contest page for more info.

Here are a few posts showing the diversity of our content:

8 DIY wedding centerpieces
How to get a perfect tan without the sun
Chill a bottle of liquid in under 10 minutes
Get new plants from cuttings
Turn a light bulb into a Sea Monkey condo
Safely getting spilled paint off the carpet
How to conserve water while irrigating
A quick fix for loose screws
Using your digital camera as a PDA
17 great uses for tennis balls

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Autoblog Latino launches

Victor Agreda, Jr. — 2007-04-24T19:00:00+00:00

Weblogs welcomes a shiny-new blog: Autoblog Latino. Targeted to the US-based Spanish speaking audience, Autoblog Latino joins the Autoblog universe as another quality source of info for gearheads and car enthusiasts of every color and nationality. Of course, there's Autoblog Spanish as well, which covers the European and Latin American markets too. Autoblog Latino is housed under AOL Latino, an excellent community in itself.

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The biggest day in Weblogs history

Victor Agreda, Jr. — 2007-01-10T10:30:00+00:00

There are three huge events happening this week: the Detroit Auto Show, Macworld Expo and the Consumer Electronics Show, or CES. Luckily, Weblogs has a blog for each one! Autoblog has been a force to reckon with in Detroit, filling galleries with amazing hi-res pics and a ton of posts (they're at CES too!). TUAW continues coverage of Macworld, with podcasts, galleries and interviews. Engadget has CES so in its blood they have a "CES optimized" page layout you can use! Of course, Engadget has a slew of Macworld coverage as well, and somehow managed to cover all the CES keynotes AND the Macworld keynote yesterday-- complete with a liveblog, pics and video of Apple's iPhone. The sheer amount of information being provided is astounding, and would likely fill a hefty book.

The "net effect" of all this, as pointed out by our own Judith Meskill, was the single biggest day of traffic in Weblogs history, bar none. And as she explains, it's all because of you, our faithful readers. Were it not for your insatiable thirst for information, all the Autoblog galleries, CES layouts and iPhone analysis in the world wouldn't mean a thing. While we provide the content, it's you who turn to us for the info, when you could just watch the 6 o'clock news and get the gist of it. Of course, we've found our readers aren't casual bystanders. You are passionate about your interests, passionate about cars, about tech-- and maybe that's why blogs are so much fun. Because our bloggers are enthusiasts and fans just like you.

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HBO DVDs up for grabs at TV Squad!

Martha Fischer — 2006-12-07T09:29:00+00:00

It's Festivus time at TV Squad again, and as part of the celebration they're giving away multiple series of some huge HBO shows. All you have to do for a chance to take home, say, five seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm (or multiple seasons of Deadwood, The Wire or Entourage), is rewrite any song with TV and/or Festivus-themed lyrics (you know, the Costanza holiday!). How hard can that be? You love TV, you love music, you prizes -- what have you got to lose? Stop surfing the web and get writing!

Submit your best effort in the comments, and stay tuned: The great minds at TV Squad will pick their favorite on December 20th.

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What keyboard and mouse do you use?

Victor Agreda, Jr. — 2006-11-08T17:00:00+00:00

TUAW wants to know. It seems like a simple question. If you're reading this right now you are more than likely using a keyboard and mouse of some sort. Is it whatever came with your machine? What keyboard and mouse do you use at home? At work? What would you rather use? Nearly all the Mac-heads at TUAW choose to use Microsoft mice. Strange but true. Head to TUAW to cast your vote.

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Movers and shakers: the Engadget Index

Victor Agreda, Jr. — 2006-10-27T18:02:00+00:00

Engadget and Blogging Stocks have teamed up to create the Engadget Index. A portfolio of the hot tech stocks both in front and behind the scenes of the technology sector. Engadget will update the index monthly and quarterly, to give a snapshot of the tech sector, which also gives a glimmer of insight into the consumer electronics world at large (of course, they didn't really buy the stocks, and aren't financial advisors, so take whatever they glean with a grain of blogging salt).

From Engadget:
"We "purchased" 1 share of stock from fifty technology companies hand-selected by our editors, at prices dated October 2nd, 2006 -- the first effective date of Q4 2006. Our total investment for the fifty stocks is $1475.16. As time presses on we'll make additions and subtractions to our running list of stocks as necessary. We will, of course, notify you guys whenever the portfolio lineup changes."

Stay tuned each month to see what happens...

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Netscape backstage on the "Heroes" set

Brad Hill — 2006-10-20T17:22:00+00:00

Netscape anchor Ryan Budke found himself on the set of NBC's hit Heroes (it probably wasn't as accidental as that), with a video camera and complete access to actors and producers and shenanigans and stuff. Here's the post. And check out some video--

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WIN (and a Crime Dog) at DigitalLife

Martha Fischer — 2006-10-20T12:01:00+00:00

For those of us who weren't able to attend last weekend's DigitalLife event -- billed as "The ultimate consumer technology, gaming & entertainment event of the year" -- in New York City, Weblogs, Inc.'s tech blogs had the affair blanketed, and there's coverage galore across the network. Engadget and young son EdgadgetHD were there, along with The Wireless Report and Joystiq. Needless to say, they all covered the show from different angles, so go check them out and see what glorious games and gadgets are on the horizon. (Plus, maybe you can figure out what the heck McGruff was doing there.)

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DV Guru interviews director Sujewa Ekanayake

Victor Agreda, Jr. — 2006-10-18T14:37:00+00:00

With Google promising to open its video platform to indie filmmakers, and the acquisition of YouTube, it would seem self-distribution of movies is on the rise. Digital distribution makes sense, and it is potentially a powerful tool for those without a huge budget to get their films to audiences. With this in mind, Brian Liolia of DV Guru recently interviewed Sujewa Ekanayake. His film, Date Number One, was made on a shoestring, and Ekanayake is a master of DIY filmmaking. Now, with digital tools at his disposal, he has entered the world of DIY distribution as well.

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Twitching with Wii anticipation? Engadget and Joystiq have you covered.

Martha Fischer — 2006-10-09T12:09:00+00:00

If you're one of the legions of gamers with the Nintendo Wii release date -- November 19, for those of you criminally out of touch with the gaming world -- circled in red on your calendar, Joystiq and Engadget's coverage of the console should at least give you a fix as you wait out the next five weeks. Most recently, Engadget scored not only a price list for Wii and accessories (including notes of markup margin, so you know exactly how much retailers are taking from you), but also a slew of spyshots featuring things like dog tags and controller gloves.

To catch up on all the Wii details you've missed, check out Joystiq's and Engadget's past coverage and, oh yeah, WIN's dedicated Wii site, where you can discuss Wii minutia with others who share your obsession.

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Autoblog, live from the Paris Motor Show

Martha Fischer — 2006-10-02T13:03:00+00:00

Not to be outdone by the globetrotting Joystiq team, the Autoblog folks decided to take an international trip of their own and headed to Paris for the city's annual Auto Show. Though they're all back home now, the Autobloggers covered the show extensively, offering photo and text coverage of world premieres, flying vans and unbelievably gorgeous new cars from legendary automakers. Among lots of other things. Over on AutoblogGreen, meanwhile, there's coverage of all the hybrid and environmentally friendly offerings at the show, including this insane-looking ~~space car~~ "electro-solar hybrid vehicle."

Next up for the Autoblog team? The SEMA Show in Vegas over Halloween weekend -- stay tuned for early photos of many more world premieres.

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Joystiq at TGS

Martha Fischer — 2006-09-30T12:00:00+00:00

The incredibly lucky bloggers over at Joystiq just got back from a few, game-filled days at the 2006 installment of the annual Tokyo Game Show. And, thanks to their hard work, the rest of us can pretend we were there (without the waiting in line). In addition to copious text and photo reports on upcoming games, they also posted tons of embedded video offering detailed looks at the show's big debuts. Though most of your gamers (quite reasonably) probably hang on Joystiq's every word, those of you who missed the reports can find them all collected here.

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Weblogs goes mobile

Martha Fischer — 2006-09-28T09:03:00+00:00

Looking at Cinematical on your Blackberry giving your scrolling thumb cramps? Well, friends, your suffering is at an end: just point that mobile browser to the normal address and -- Wah-la! -- the fancy new site detects a mobile device and redirects you to a content-rich, small-screen friendly version of your favorite tech blog!* (If it doesn't autodetect -- Sidekick users, this means you -- simply type "m.cinematical.com" into your address line, and you're good to go.)

Also included in the first round of mobile roll-outs are Engadget, Download Squad, Engadget Mobile, EngadgetHD, Joystiq, TUAW and TV Squad, with more to come in the future.

*Keep in mind that the mobile version are in beta, so there may still be a few kinks in the system. If a page doesn't work the way it should, it will eventually. We promise.

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TV Squad launches weekly vodcast

Martha Fischer — 2006-09-26T13:06:00+00:00

Like PVR Wire did earlier this month with their podcast, another Weblogs, Inc. site -- TV Squad, to be precise -- introduced a new feature yesterday: their very own video podcast. (And there was much rejoicing.)

Entitled Previously on TV Squad, the feature is a short, blogger-hosted, weekly program recapping the big stories in the world of TV for the past seven days. (This week, Steve-O of Jackass "fame" did the TV Squad folks a favor by urinating on a red carpet, thus giving them a killer opening story.) Take a look, let them know what you think, and stop by next Monday for installment the second.

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Check out the new Engadget

Victor Agreda, Jr. — 2006-09-19T18:00:00+00:00

Engadget rolled out some nifty new features and a subtle redesign this week. What's new? How about user-moderated comments? That's right, vote comments up or down, or collapse and filter them. No more waiting for a comment email either, Engadget works with a simple login, so comments appear just like magic. And for those of you rocking the web on big screens, the entire page is dynamic, so scaling up to widescreen results in more content and (this is so cool), bigger pictures! There are many more new things, like a 'Breaking News' box, tags, feeds, and such, but you get the idea. Engadget 2.0 is here.

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StyleDash launches with a 30-day giveaway!

Victor Agreda, Jr. — 2006-09-13T07:31:00+00:00

Covering all aspects of personal style, we welcome the newest blog to our corner of the blogosphere: StyleDash. To celebrate, for the next 30 days we're giving away a designer handbag or book tote to a lucky reader. Just leave some comments on the prize post, and our randomness generator will randomly select a winner. Today's post features the Hobo from Marc Jacobs, a deceptively simple but stylish handbag. Stay tuned for anther giveaway each day for the next 30 days as the contest continues. And of course, keep reading StyleDash for the latest in fashion, cosmetics, gossip, and style news for women and men.

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Wil Wheaton reviews Star Trek episodes!

Brad Hill — 2006-09-09T12:16:00+00:00

OMG, Wil Wheaton posted the first of a projected series of Star Trek: The Next Generation reviews, at TV Squad. Will starred in ST:TNG as Ensign Wesley Crusher, and I apologize to Trekkies for the obviousness of pointing that out. As a Trekkie (Trekker? whatever) myself, I find it insanely cool to read Wil commenting on his own own legendary TV show and iconic character. He recaps the plot with amusing cynicism, rips a writer for giving him bad lines, and offers memories from behind the scenes. It's what I and countless others have always wanted: a virtual version of watching the episode on DVD at Wil's house.

Wil posted this first review on the 40th anniversary of the first Star Trek broadcast (the Kirk-Spock show, not the Picard-Data show that Wil was in), and will be continuing the series on an approximately bi-weekly basis.

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TV Squad interviews Jimmy Kimmel

Victor Agreda, Jr. — 2006-09-07T12:30:00+00:00

TV Squad has another interview up. This time Joel Keller interviews lovable, hilarious Jimmy Kimmel, who went from Ben Stein's sidekick to Adam Carolla's sidekick to master of his own, er, show. Jimmy talks about his upcoming ABC special, and spills the chili beans on his fancy kitchen and football party plans.

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