June 18, 2004

Curious George - Moblogs? I just got a camera phone a couple of days ago, and I have a couple of questions about Moblogging...

1. What site should I use? I originally signed up with Textamerica.com, but I'm very dissatisfied with it. 2. Are there any free moblogging services out there that offer *working* RSS feeds? Textamerica offered RSS feeds, but now it says that it has been disabled (yet the link for RSS is there). 3. Do any of you have moblogs? Or know of any famous or good ones that we should be looking at? I know of the TechTV ones and the Iraq ones from MeFi a few weeks back, but otherwise I'm clueless. 4. Do you have any tips or techniques that you've come across about how to take better moblog pictures?

posted by shawnj 20 years ago
  • I don't have any good advice for a straight-up free-standing moblog, but Fotolog.net is a great photo community site that has pretty good moblog functionality. Sign up for an account (free, but slightly crippled (1 pic & 10 comments a day) or $5 a month 'gold camera membership'). Then, simply send an email with picture attached from your phone to upload@fotolog.net with the subject of the email being 'username:password' and, pow, you are moblogged. Fotolog is definitely worth a look even if you don't want a moblog. There is a *really* robust community of users (400,000+!), and the somewhat limited photo-functionality (size and compression limitations, etc) are more than made up for by the floursihing social aspects. Fotolog is probably worth an FPP of it's own, but whatever. A few moblog fotologs, off the top of my head: /Garydann -- moblog /Phonecam -- moblog /Dirtdirt -- this is mine, sorry for the self link (heheh). Was all moblog for a year or so but recently is mostly other stuff. If you (or any other monkeys) get (or already have) a fotolog by all means drop me a comment on my log...
  • Hey dirtdirt, what kind of camera phone are you using? I have an LG 3.3mm but have yet to send the photos anywhere. I'm wondering if it's worth it, because it's hard to tell on such a small screen whether the photos would look any better on a PC.
  • I use a Sony-Ercisson T-300, it's pretty much obsolete. It has one of those dumb clip-on camera attachments on the end. Pretty crummy. BUT! I have two different friends with newer, snazzier phones with built in cameras (one is a new Sony. Sexy!) and they both have craptastic resolution. 200xsomething whereas my old rickety camera has 640x480... My approach with phone cameras (as with most other small digital cameras) is to think of them sort of like Polaroids. You aren't going to get exactly what you would get with a good camera, but the unpredictability and weirdness that come out of them often times make for a more exciting photo...
  • Buzznet! Free for up to 10 photos a day, at least for now, and they offer numerous syndication options, including Atom, RSS, and a cool in-line HTML feed for other pages. They also offer nice short URLs... like nemo.buzznet.com. I have a nokia 3650, and it couldn't be easier. I have my moblog address in my contacts, and just send pictures to it whenever.
  • Okay, I think I settled on a place. Moblg.net or Mobloguk.com Here's mine (self link) Last two questions stand, of course.
  • I too have a photoblog through Buzznet, and can't recommend them enough. Not gonna self-link, but you can find it via my regular blog if interested (and there's no reason you should be; I'm a shitty [but enthusiastic] photographer).