We usually aim to get a post up on the Shoutblog once a day. Lately, however, we just haven’t had the time to do so. James is working on tightening up the backend of the site, and we’ve both been working on getting some new features released. The one that we’re most excited about is the video blog, or vlog, that we’ll be debuting on the Shoutblog tomorrow. The initial short video interview was our first attempt at the new medium, and while it needs some improvement, I think it’s a great job for our first one. They will continue to get better over time.

Also of note, we are quickly approaching the final October 30th submission date to get your entries in to the Shoutblog blogger contest. The $50 prize, which comes in the form of a prepaid credit card, is still up for grabs. We are also interested in bringing the winner on as a regular contributor. So, if you’re passionate about new web sites, apps, mashups, etc., be sure to email us your submission. Not to shabby to earn $50 for about an hour of your time writing about something you’re enthusiastic about.

Stay tuned for the first of our new releases starting tomorrow!

About a month ago, Cisco updated to the new logo shown to the left. Recently, they’ve added some new user-centric Web 2.0 features to the Cisco.com website. Some of the new additions include consumer forums to review Cisco products, a landing page for users to download podcasts focused on sharing ways to use different internet technologies, RSS feeds for new product announcements, and even a mobile friendly version of the site. A live video chat on October 26th will allow Cisco’s consumers to talk about the sites changes and get their input. 

These site changes coincide with last weeks introduction of the Cisco Digital Media System which helps business customers connect with their customers, partners, or employees through rich digital media. One of the most recent case studies to implement Cisco’s Digital Media System technology is Brunel University in the UK. According to Cisco’s press release, “professors and university staff will be able to capture, store, record, and deliver digital media content, which will extend the resources of the university…Brunel will introduce video conferencing into the lecture halls as well as enhance further collaboration with other institutions, developing more e-learning and interactive projects along the way.”

For a company that started out solely manufacturing enterprise routing equipment, this is a huge step to connect more with the end user instead of their customer’s purchasers. Sun Microsystems has taken a similar step with the introduction of their Sun employee blog network, including one belonging to CEO Jonathan Schwartz.

While Web 2.0 is based on more interactivity and user involvement, it seems to have also caused a shift in the way corporations are thinking about how they are perceived within the community. This might not be that big of a deal for Cisco and Sun, both in the high-tech industry, but it will be great if we see the trend transcend to drug manufacturers, tobacco companies, oil conglomerates, and other old-school, tight-collared corporate entities. Let’s hope that Web 2.0 leads to a corporation 2.0, where end-users opinions really do matter, and the bottom line is connected to how well the company is perceived within the community.  

Read/Write Web writes about a new service called User/Submitter, which pays people to vote for articles on digg. People who want their article or site dugg can pay $20 plus $1 for each desired digg.

At the heart of this is the big gaming elephant in the social news room. Anyone who uses del.icio.us, digg, Wikipedia or any other site that relies on voting has seen the gamers and trolls that lurk behind the curtains. Indeed, we have even seen it here at BuzzShout. In order for such sites to be successful, the barrier to entry for voting should be low enough so that anyone can easily participate. However, this is at odds with the ideal of removing the junk, since it means people and sites like User/Submitter can disrupt the quality chain.

Currently, they are paying $0.50 for every five stories dugg, which is quite low. However, my fear isn’t that people would do this manually. The User/Submitter revenue model may encourage someone to automate the digging process in order to earn the cash. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone has already done this.

Is this a dark portent of the future? Will sites like del.icio.us and digg be controlled by the highest bidder? Even though I still hold to the philosophy that people are generally good, I hope User/Submitter isn’t the start of a new trend.