links for 2005-10-08

SiliconBeat: Digg gets $2.8 Mil Funding another “public as the news editor” site (tags: Aggregation VC) e-fluentials – Advocacy Drives Growth “finding a link between word of mouth recommendations and sales performance” (tags: WordOfMouth MarketResearch) LookSmart Expands Vertical Search 131 new verticals added (tags: VerticalSearch)

Slingbox update (tags: Leisure NewProducts) CapitolLink: Sen. Obama Is Blogging, Too (tags: OnlinePolitics Blogs) InfoSpace In Play (tags: MandA Search) MarketingVOX: MTV, Warner Partner on Mobile Content (tags: MobileContent) B.L. Ochman’s weblog – Very Dim Publicist Dooced for “Anonymous” Blog (tags: Blogs EmployeeBlogging PR)

My preferred RSS reader, SearchFox, will cease to exist in 2 weeks.  Esteban Kozak writes in his blog: Thanks for all your help in making SearchFox what it is. We have enjoyed providing this service, and hope that you have enjoyed using it. Please export all of your links and an OPML file with your…

Web 2.0: Land of Opportunity, or Land of Absurdity? (tags: VC Web2.0) Beltway Blogroll: Patrick Ruffini Is Now Chillin’ For The RNC From blogger to RNC e-comms staffer (tags: Blogs OnlinePolitics)

Over in the UK, text messaging is taking on new importance as a way to communicate with the parents of school children.  From LeedsToday.net: FOR 27,000 parents, a reminder of an upcoming teacher training day, or a message that a school trip is returning late, could soon arrive instantly by text message thanks to Leeds-based…

Steve Rubel labels the latest activity of "swarms of citizen journalists … mobilizing to settle scores" as "vigilante journalism."  It’s an apt name for the phenomenon and it will be interesting to see how the debate moves on this. Frankly, I’m torn.  Bloggers certainly have the write to "kvetch" (as BL Ochman woud say), but…