I keep hearing bout how Riga Talk was awesome and I should blog more frequently. This is real inspiring, so.. Call it a come back.

Props to my die-hard readers, and you know I bounced back before. This time ain’t no different. Picture me bloggin’.

Since I’m down with Latvia’s Silicon Valley giants, Capital Inc., lots of stuff had been popping. The Summer season was quicker than ever – I attended variuos seminars & trainings, both on the IT&T Industry and on Communications.

Including the last one – my amazing trip to Munich and Frankfurt for the Digital Storytelling workshop and the Untold Stories conference.

Celebrated my Born Day in Bavaria. Oktoberfest style. Unforgettable experience, I tell ya.

What else, let me see. Twitter is ruling the everyday life.

Like it’s ‘posed to.

Prolly a reason this blog is lacking attention from my side.

But like I said, thanks y’all for noticing and for requesting a come-back, lol. I’ma try not to fail on this one.

At first, I thought the picture was unreal. Some kind of joke? The making of Lost-like video or something? I thought Janis is on a movie set or a photo shoot somewhere. There was not a piece of joke to his tweet though.

A plane crashed into the Hudson river in New York. The aircraft went down to attempt emergency landing after being hit by a flock of geese. Everybody’s safe, thankfully. Except for those birds, of course..

And what a nice example of citizen journalism by Janis who was amongst passengers on a ferry rushing to rescue the survivors. Twitter went crazy later on with retweets and stuff but Janis was first! Big ups!

Just a coincidence that we started following each other this week over some NBA tweets. Janis messaged me promising to entertain. Job well done homie, I owe you a beer when you’re in Riga =)

A couple words about it though – that’s a personal and business productivity management tool, sorta what I used to call time management. Only that it manages actions, not time. I know it sounds kinda scary when I come up with this type of post while the blog had not been updated in a damn while. Don’t even try to front, I got the blogging thing up in the GTD too.

While slowly falling in love and becoming a fan of David Allen’s technology, I also managed to land me a new job which I been craving for some time now. And it looks like there will be a whole bunch of way more theories to dig in the nearest future, as I’m teaming up with Vain & Partners, the gurus of this type of ish.

And like I said, don’t front. RigaTalk’s around.

That goes to investors as well – now you have an opportunity, in a totally informal setting, to consider the ideas while sipping coffee with their authors and negotiating on a potential partnership.

OpenCoffee welcomes all industry professionals as well, those who care about online presence of their business and would like to brainstorm on fresh ideas or just meet the thinkers alike.

Since the start of the last year, when first OpenCoffee meetup was held in London, such format meetings regularly take place all around the world. A few months ago I had a chance to visit the OpenCoffee in Tallinn, together with Maxim and Evgeny. There was very friendly atmosphere reigning in there, enterpreneurs were present, as well as people representing future and ongoing internet services (Skype, for instance), plus some bloggers and even a college professor. And last week, I heard through the grapevine that AlexR is getting the idea of OpenCoffee in Latvia through, which of course is extremely cool and hopefully this movement will become a tradition around here.

The OpenCoffee concept is as easy as it gets: in a previously agreed place, where good coffee and free Wi-Fi should be both a yes, on a previously agreed time, entrepreneurs, investors and all those who think they need to be there, are gathering. Usually, the place is a permanent venue, the time is also scheduled for no change (for example, each Thursday 10 – 12 @ Starbucks Elizabetes St.). It’s not important who comes, perhaps some days there ain’t gonna be anyone coming – people are just need to know that if they wanna meet, the place is here and the time is now. If you don’t make it this time – it’s not the end of the world! You’ll make it next time! That’s why these meetups should be regular. Maybe, if meeting each week for Latvia would be too frequently, then it could be, say, first Thursday of each month.

At this moment, the introduction meetup of Latvian OpenCoffee Club is scheduled for June 5 this year. As the time and venue are still discussable, I’ma vote for 10 AM. I truly believe that this type of gatherings will be way more serious and productive if we throw them up in the mornings, in spite of just the next one bloggers’ “after work” beer drinking evening. After all we are talking “work” here, aren’t we? The SunSet Bar seems to be OK, if not one thing – during the fall/winter off-season it’s not gonna be open in the mornings, and there’s actually no.. “good coffee” in there =) This can be lived with though, but those who know more than two types of coffee (black and white) will surely understand me.

Alrightie, so meet y’all soon, at the OpenCoffee!

For the first meetup, to increase the attendance and interest, there is a topic set up: “The Web 2.0 Evolution or Where is the Web Rolling?”, as well as a visual presentation of a new project to be launched on Latvian market will be held.

Ad market is surely reflecting what the masses chew on – an increase by 81%, for Latvia sounds just amazing. Still amongst the lowest in terms of turnover though the web is soon to get its key rivals – outdoor and radio. Mags, papers and TV are leading the race but the pattern is clearly seen, internet based media are taking the advertising market by storm.

Facing the aftermath of BarCamp Baltics 2008, I start to turn more and more in the direction of getting schooled about New Media and experience exchange seems vital like ain’t never else. My eye was caught by the upcoming conference on e-marketing which is to take place here in Riga on March 12. Hosted by originally Estonian altex marketing and named “More than a banner: The future of internet marketing in Latvia” the self-dubbed Emarketing!1 (E!1) promises to be a pretty interesting event. But these are emotions right here. The facts are available on altex home page. Since they happen to be hookin’ me up with a free admission for this, I will surely try to be there and grab some precious knowledge.

Anyways, my late night message to y’all is like, Latvian online media are developing quicker than you can manage to follow. Blogs are born and banners become old-school. Plenty of proof around that the show is underway and I ain’t the one to sit back, relax and just enjoy it, believe me. I am actively taking part in propelling the whole movement. Yikes.

We’re at BarCamp are kinda different from all of those farmers and embryologists out there. The eggs being incubated simultaneously, umm, the applications for funding, were not limited – everyone could submit whatever amount of projects to the Innovation Incubator.

Around 80 ideas, approximately from 60 authors in slightly over two months were distributed to the judiciary of potential investors. About near the good half of those thirsty-for-funding start-ups managed to raise the attention of fat walletted gentlemen.

Sure, only some of them will qualify for further cooperation. That’s just how it is: the heating system, temperature and humidity control are of utmost importance in any incubator. One project will have it intact, the other will be sent to the side by sponsors. That’s removing troublesome dead eggs, know I’m sayin’?

These last days, up until this late hour I’ve been in communication with fathers and mothers of future internet giants, with fresh idea generators, so optimistically and positively minded Incubator participants. I wanna wish luck to all of you on Sunday, and wish you to believe in a bright future =)

..To increase the hatching out, you should ensure timely pick-up and correct storage of the eggs..

Our big-name investors know the last rule by heart, no doubt. But this is gonna be completely different story…

]]> http://rigatalk.com/2008/02/08/how-to-make-an-incubator/feed/langswitch_lang/en 0 http://rigatalk.com/2008/02/02/internet-vs-print-round-12/langswitch_lang/en http://rigatalk.com/2008/02/02/internet-vs-print-round-12/langswitch_lang/en#comments Sat, 02 Feb 2008 20:25:52 +0000 Aleksandrs "Lexxus" Borovenskis http://rigatalk.com/2008/02/02/internet-vs-print-round-12/langswitch_lang/lv What’s been up?

I have been traveling to our Lil’ Switzerland and back all week long, but I know I should come in here and post. Thanks for staying on the line!

Today, I wanna point your attention to comments on the war between internet and printed media that been showing up here and there as of late. After listening to one radio show I thought, I can’t let this issue untouched.

Radio Baltcom aired Wednesday how Vice Prez of Latvian Press Publishers Association Guntars Licis spoke for newspapers, truly protecting them. Sure, his optimism is alright, but he sounded like underestimating the web and it just made me smile.

“One thing doesn’t disturb another”, says Mr. Licis at the time when sales and the number of subscribers of Latvian tabloids are getting critically low. On the other hand, subscribers to RSS feeds of not only news portals but also blogs, steadily rise from day to day. And obviously citizen journalism and blogging perform the analysis task, which is to be done by press. Therefore, they act as evident competitors of printed media.

Not to even mention the task of delivering news, which newspapers are long not the source of – internet, radio, TV, without a doubt, bring the message to masses quick and easy.

I ain’t gonna be too sceptical though, I admit that prints have their own niche today. But this niche is becoming way smaller as internet develops. Icluding the regions – where the web is growing at rapid pace.

Guntars Licis agrees that “newspapers are read mostly by older generation and mid-age people, younger people somehow use the internet more”. “This is part of our culture and part of people’s habits, part of thinking”.

That’s what I’m saying, Mr. Licis!!! Today’s youngsters are going to be the same mid-age people by tomorrow, with own culture, habits and thinking. And going to “somehow use the internet more”…

Anyways, we’ll see. The only thing clear is that newspapers need to tightly secure their positions by printing reliable analysis, reports straight from events, interviews with key players in a field audience is interested in. And, of course, actively fight for a piece of an online pie.

Last bot not least, the Press Publishers Association should surely carefully observe the trends and head in the right direction, for not to end up broke and pity.

]]> http://rigatalk.com/2008/02/02/internet-vs-print-round-12/feed/langswitch_lang/en 0 http://rigatalk.com/2007/12/21/the-new-era-is-knockin/langswitch_lang/en http://rigatalk.com/2007/12/21/the-new-era-is-knockin/langswitch_lang/en#comments Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:03:04 +0000 Aleksandrs "Lexxus" Borovenskis http://rigatalk.com/2007/12/21/the-new-era-is-knockin/

Blogs seem to be liking the idea of expansion of The Schengen Zone. Mines, baumas.blogspot.com has successfully migrated over to this ish right here to find a new stand-alone home.

Those who’re just joining our channel, what up? This here is Riga Talk, a.k.a. The Real Talk Blog. Don’t go away.

So, all posts published prior to this one are coming from Baumas, and starting with this one, the Riga Talk era is beginning.

As you might have already noticed, the blog is multi-lingual – I’m going to translate the posts myslef and bring them to you original and fresh (fuck all them robot translators).

Official launch of the page is scheduled to January 1, 2008, when I’ll finish setting up different stuff like design and other techie things.

Your feedback, suggestions anyway are welcome. Enjoy the holidays and see y’all in the New Era!

]]> http://rigatalk.com/2007/12/21/the-new-era-is-knockin/feed/langswitch_lang/en 0 http://rigatalk.com/2007/11/28/ajaveeb-emuars-blog-po-estonski/langswitch_lang/en http://rigatalk.com/2007/11/28/ajaveeb-emuars-blog-po-estonski/langswitch_lang/en#comments Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:19:00 +0000 Aleksandrs "Lexxus" Borovenskis http://rigatalk.com/2007/11/28/%d0%b0%d1%8f%d0%b2%d1%8d%d1%8d%d0%b1-%d1%8d%d1%82%d0%be-%d1%82%d0%b5%d0%b1%d0%b5-%d0%bd%d0%b5-%d1%8d%d0%bc%d1%83%d0%b0%d1%80%d1%81-%d0%b8%d0%bb%d0%b8-%d0%ba%d0%b0%d0%ba-%d0%b1%d1%83%d0%b4%d0%b5/ Если очень захотеть – можно в космос полететь.

Или выучить пару словечек по-эстонски.

Сегодня копал эстонский вэб и выучил, например, как будет “блог”. Аявээб.

Прикольно, правда? А я – вэб =) и запомнить – проще простого.

Не то, что наш эмуарс… Макс и Йоха в одном из последних подкастов как раз прикалывались на тему дословного перевода – там пробегала Ugunslapsa, pārlūks, tīmeklis (globālais zirnekļa tīkls) и другие мутанты.

А я – вэб! Вот буду поплотнее общаться с нашими северными соседями, ещё и не такое выдам.