Slack, the workforce productivity platform and service that connects businesses and people the world over just acquired HipChat and Stride from Atlassian. For Atlassian it means Slack pays them for the next three years, while also giving the Australian company an equity stake in the business. For Slack, it means shutting down the HipChat service. … Read more
I've been a GoogleVoice user since the earliest days of GrandCentral. Back then not only was my agency handling blogger relations and social media for the disruptive startup, I was also an early investor and shareholder, just as I am today in Dialpad, so there's a lot of love for the service that is now … Read more
Yesterday in San Francisco Google held another day of NEXT, their cloud focused coming out party of sorts. The event, which was massively retooled over the past 11 months carries with it a renewed focus on bringing the Google Cloud eco-system more to the forefront that it has been. Appearances from CEO Diane Greene and … Read more
Yesterday I was sent an invitation to join a conference call for "training" on a news distribution service along with a client. Given I'm attending ClueCon and that I need to get ready to be at the conference (i.e. shave, shower, dress, reply to morning emails, crank out The Comunicano newsletter, etc.) all before the … Read more
Every day I receive an email from some "writer" at a "content marketing" agency representing some VoIP, mobile, collaboration, or fill in the blank company. Most of the emails are fairly direct, asking if I want a contributed article. For those who have been following me you know the answer is NO. For those who … Read more
Hey Uber riders now Uber wants to you to dirty, soil and leave trash behind. At least that the impression of a few Uber drivers I spoke to about the deal with consumer products promotions company Cargo. I actually wish I had video recorded my conversation with Antonio, one of Milwaukee's highest rated Uber drivers … Read more
I've been using Zipcar for almost ten years. When it first started the customer service was like what you experience with venture backed companies that want to grow. They lived by the rule that the "customer is always right" and their field force was on top of vehicle maintenance. Along the way, Zipcar proved how … Read more
Everyday, Monday through Friday, I put out a newsletter entitled, The COMUNICANO. If you want to subscribe, it's totally free, and you can easily sign up to receive it. The newsletter is an eclectic mix of stories affecting the changing technology landscape that effects us. Each edition can vary in length from about 8 to just … Read more
Today Dialpad announced they raised $50 million more from a group of prior investors and one new one. Skype, which is seeing a flattening on user growth, announced a more mobile like version for the desktop, while giving the prior version an end of life date of September 1. At the same time 8×8, a … Read more
Over the past half a dozen years or so I have gotten very familiar with wines that have the touch of "the Grenache God" Philippe Cambie. Cambie advises hundreds of producers, large and small, on winemaking and more, and while each maintain their own style, a credit to Cambie for not trying to make them … Read more
