Another PodTech Exclusive: Memeorandum Inventor – Gabe Rivera

PodTech Exclusive:  Gabe Rivera’s First Podcast – Download and/or listen at PodTech.net

For the Podcast go to — www.PodTech.net

Guest:  Gabe Rivera, Founder and Inventor of Memeorandum

Host:  John Furrier, Founder & CEO, PodTech.net

Full Transcript:
John Furrier:    We’re here at the PodTech studio in Palo Alto and a special guest just rolled in.  Gabe Rivera the inventor of memeorandum – a kick ass site.  You showed it to Scoble and you even hid it from me at barcamp.  Recently Dave Winer said that memeorandum is changing the web.  How did it all start?

Gabe Rivera:  Almost two years ago when I noticed that a lot of bloggers had a lot of spin and interpretation of what was in the news.  My first concept was a list of the most blogged about news stories to give some samples of what bloggers are saying.  Implemented in Jan 2004 but in the process came to get a new sense of what’s going on.  The bloggers themselves are making the news.  I got a flatter view of where the influence was and where the scoops were.  I started a redesign right after I launched it and then relaunched it a few weeks ago.

John Furrier:   It’s an automated system that goes out to the blogosphere and just tracks who’s reporting.  Not that every blogger is a reporter but bloggers are producers.  Memeorandum is like an automated “New York Times� for the Web.  It’s all relevant.  How did you get the relevance?

Gabe Rivera:   It’s mostly link based.  Bloggers link to what they find relevant.  They won’t link to what isn’t relevant because it will spam up their own blogs.   The way things work lend themselves to a link based method.  I’m please with it but am always tweaking it.  I need to stay on top of it.  There are strange looking patterns that may make it less relevant.  Need to stay on top of it.

John Furrier:    This past month PodTech had the exclusive launch of the Yahoo Podcast launch and announcement.  We appeared on the top with the biggest font on Memeorandum.  Do you adjust the font size based upon linkage?  Is it time based?  How do the stories fall on and off?

Gabe Rivera:   Placement and font size are tied to some kind of relevance measure.  Links contribute to it but time also degrades the relevance.  Just like in a newspaper bigger font is a bigger story and is good for visualization and I do that on my site.  The thing about your post (PodTech’s Exclusive on Yahoo podcast launch) getting up there to the top of the page getting the biggest headline –  I’m thrilled about this because if you read tech blogs you get a feel to where news start where the ideas start – the definitive piece on a story is available.  Very often and increasingly it’s on a blog.  Where most people are getting their news now they don’t highlight blog entries.  They may highlight at the bottom “this story was originated on so and so blogâ€? . I think that its great where I can provide something where the source or definitive take is highlighted.

John Furrier:    I always felt that when I started PodTech that podcasting was really a PA system to bloggers and intercom system for bloggers – example “ attention bloggers this is now happening� – to call attention to the community with credibility.  Your product is an amazing innovation to make it simple to read and provide bloggers and podcasters a great place to provide and share what we believe is information – infotalk, a original story, scoop, report, or analysis.

Gabe Rivera:    I have to say that I don’t have everything in place to make it do what it should do for podcasting.  Part of the relevance picks up on what kind of text that you have and podcast posts don’t get the kind of links that text posts do.  In your case we’ll work on it together.

John Furrier:    Media is an interesting angle. Everyone has this debate – text, audio, and video.  Audio doesn’t replace text.  Text is the best form to comprehend stuff, audio is great on the go and mobile, and video great for visual but they are all integrated.  People miss that point.  We are working on some stuff at PodTech where I’d love to talk to you about it.  What you have is great now.  You’re awesome and I love the site.  Any final comments to the audience about your site and you’re view on where you want to take it?

Gabe Rivera:   If you haven’t seen it checked it out yet – check it out.   One way that you should look at this different to the NY Times or Cnet news is that – it’s open to you!  If you have something to say on a story and if you’re a blogger may get a link with ease, but if you don’t show your work to someone else and get them to link to you and you may find that you’ll be added in minutes.

John Furrier:     This is a profound product – memeorandum with Gabe Rivera the inventor open to everyone.  Blog and start podcasting.  If you want to podcast PodTech will host for you if you want to do that.  It’s what it is all about – communicating and sharing. 

Gabe- thanks for the podcast.

Gabe Rivera:   Your welcome