Hot off the blogwire:

 

http://www.brewedfreshdaily.com/2005/09/06/secret-revolution-uncovered/

 

Seems BFD found a "confidential" plan by local firm Thomson Hine to begin capitalizing on Cleveland's newly forming technology prowess. Here are some highlights:

 

* Circulate a "hymn sheet", a fancy buzzword that means everyone would have the facts on the tech aspects of Cleveland, the Intel Digital Cities initiative, and what all this means to the area.

 

* Pull together all the aspects of Cleveland that are being touted and create an overall brand for the city and its new technology sector.

 

Wow, it looks like someone put some thought into it.

Research triangle.....Case, CSU, University of Akron? Kent?

Is there a timeline to this?  I hope much of this is accomplished quickly, before a possible new mayor can gut it to give more money to the poor, and make Roldo happy.

 

Thought maybe this could become a catch-all thread for new/expanding tech companies in Cleveland (except biotech). From Crain's.

 

 

Rockin' the web

New site by Cleveland entrepreneurs offers young rock bands place to post their videos and make a name for themselves.

 

By CHUCK SODER

 

11:35 am, February 6, 2007

 

It’s one part YouTube, one part MySpace and one part iTunes.

 

That’s how Cleveland “tech czar” Michael DeAloia described a new web site originating from Cleveland and aimed at promoting rock bands and changing how fans reach their favorite artists in the digital age.

 

The site, UrPorn.tv, will allow any band broadly defined as “rock” to begin uploading music videos to the site when it launches Feb. 14.

 

The site, which was given name with shock value, will allow visitors to view and rate videos, and it will highlight the most popular and highest-rated videos.

 

Owned by Christopher G. Axelrod Productions, UrPorn.tv uses “the most sophisticated technology on the planet” and will promote the region by showing off Cleveland’s creative side, Mr. DeAloia said.

 

More at http://www.crainscleveland.com/

^I suppose I'm curious, just as the following reader of the Cool Cleveland newsletter states - what makes this service so desirable compared to what's essentially free via YouTube and Myspace?

 

From the YR Turn/Letters at coolcleveland.com:

On the making of a dismal failure (See video interview of Christopher Axelrod Your Pipeline of Rock Nomads)

As a lover of music and user of both MySpace and YouTube, I can tell you right now that, based on its concept, Your Pipeline of Rock Nomads will be a dismal failure. I realize the site is a "work in progress" but I think anyone working on it should save themselves the time and money on any further development. The reason sites like MySpace and YouTube gained so much success is because they were novel and attracted a niche of people from their onset - for NO CHARGE. In my opinion, there is nothing novel about combining the success of MySpace and YouTube and catering to bands. I think the big point that Axelrod misses is that with the availability of so much information to young people these days, they are getting smarter: they are privier to what's out there and look down on anything that is merely a knock-off of something else. Additionally, while bands might (and I would strongly advise them not to) put up videos of themselves, who is going to watch them? Any person who has some musical integrity would not sit through 5 minutes of an amateur band taping themselves, much less a whole cadre of bands taping themselves. If anything, music is about the live performance and the way it is able to capture the attention and emotion of the audience. Videos simply aren't capable of the same effect - videos are made by bands typically after they've captured the attention of a LIVE audience en masse. In any case, I hope that I am wrong and that my commentary becomes the dismal failure, because I am a supporter of unsigned bands and musicians and only hope that something as offensive, crude and lame as this will work. From Cool Cleveland reader Mike Shafarenko mshafarenkoATgmail.com

 

 

^What a crappy comment (From the Cool Cleveland reader). Considering I still don't understand what this Web site is supposed to do, I can't really say I think it will succeed or not.

 

However, the one lesson we can learn from the Internet is, you never know what's going to happen. I think this Cool Cleveland reader shows his misunderstanding of viral video with this comment: "Any person who has some musical integrity would not sit through 5 minutes of an amateur band taping themselves."

 

Just last month I watch like 5 videos of a 12-year-old in Brazil shredding. It was awesome.

I agree with you and keep in mind I'm not trying to judge whether it will succeed based on how the kids will respond to it. I do think the reader brings up some valid points and I'd say their tone might be critical but they're not slamming the efforts behind the site. 

Just last month I watch like 5 videos of a 12-year-old in Brazil shredding. It was awesome.

 

shredding?

I believe that's what the kids call "jamming" or when a guitarist displays a skillful mastery of playing technique usually at a fast tempo. :speech:

oh, kids these days and their funky terms.

Here is an example of shredding...

I'm a guitar teacher and to add a little history to it...Shredding is basically a term that was invented in the early to mid 80's when people like Yngwie Malmsteen and Paul Gilbert were at the height of their popularity.  Basically all it takes to be a shredder is to like the Ninja Turtles for one, own a lot of mousse, grow out your hair and make sure it's really curly and teased, and learn your harmonic minor scale and vaious other arpeggios as fast as possible, own 13 pairs of the exact same stone-washed jeans and/or leather pants, wear a bunch of crazy rings with skulls or flames on them, worship Paganini without ever listening to any of his music, and argue with people over "feeling" in your solos.  Hope that sheds some light on the subject.  Sorry for going off topic.

youtube??

 

I think we needed an example using UrPorn...

Sounds like an interesting site, but I worry that they will lose a big chunk of their market because nobody wants a site with the word "porn" in it showing up on their history search- so away goes the office slackers and the kids on mommy's computer.  Who does that leave?

yeah, i agree that the name choice is very poor.

Excellent point. That name doesn't make sense.

Yes, poor naming choice.. And claiming they're using “the most sophisticated technology on the planet” is.. well.. absurd. Clearly right off the bat they could use some serious help with PR/marketing.

 

Such is life for 99.999% of startups I guess. Best of luck to them.