DC Comics 2.0

Offering a new on-ramp to comic artist fame is DC Comics who is promoting it's new brand - Zuda Comics. Zuda Comics is a web based serialized comics platform with a targeted launch date of October. Some of the work will be available in print as well.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out for DC who is appealing to artists by offering contracts for those whose work they feel is worthy, and opportunities for others to get entered into an on-line competition for a contract. In the competition, site visitors vote to decide who the winner is. Zuda has stated that the artists will be able to retain copyright of their own material, but have not shown any actual contracts as of yet.

One aspect of this affair that is causing some lamenting is the fact that Zuda is (at this time) looking only for "print ready" comics. Meaning no flash, no animation, no sound, etc. None of the possibilities that a digital platform can provide.

Sidenote: I thought I was doing good in blogging about something other than IBM or Google, however a Zuda press release mentions IBM's role in this venture.

DC Comics has chosen IBM Global Business Services to design and build the new Zudacomics.com site. The site will embrace leading Web 2.0 technologies such as blogging, commenting, rating and tagging to encourage maximum community participation and feedback on artists' submissions.

Psst, IGS folks working on this.... Web 2.0 and you are adding updates on the home page? We are ready for the feed :) (jk)


Link : Zuda Comics

Google Gears Up for the Enterprise

Google is expanding it's enterprise offerings by open sourcing a tool that will allow administrators to sync corporate directories with Google Apps. While interesting I know I personally feel sharing corporate directory information with a third party in this manner would still be a very large security concern.

There is still a lot of benefit to getting the code open sourced and improved and expanded upon. It will be a great boon to technology implementors when Google has gotten to the point where they are delivering Google Apps functionality via appliances like their current Google Mini.

Link : Our Directory is Your Directory

New Features

I am playing around with the blog layout somewhat to take advantage of the new polls feature (one up already) in Blogger, as well as integrating my shared rss entries from Google Reader.

The Google Reader feed is the one that I really enjoy. There are a lot of times I'd like to bring attention to something I've read, but don't want to color the readers opinion with my own, and therefore don't want to blog about the content itself, and also don't want to have a blog entry with nothing more than a link and a elevator pitch on why you should read it.

There are other services (google and otherwise) I will be integrating into the blog as well. I'm not sure if all of them will pan out, but this is a technological experiment for me as much as it is an opportunity to share my thoughts. With that in mind please feel free to send me any "private" questions, comments, concerns or other feedback at tretzlaff@gmail.com.

Hope you like the new items on the page, look for more in the near future as well as more frequent posts.