Hey everyone, we have some big news!

After several months of design, development and testing, we’re rolling out a major update to Rogomo that we think you’re really going to love.

This update makes it easier than ever for you to buy or sell expert advice on Rogomo, and, more importantly, even safer and more secure.

Our new features include:

Commission-Free Selling

Rogomo has always offered our Experts low commissions, and now we’re revising our pricing to make Rogomo free for Experts who bring their own buyers - 0% commissions. How does this work, you ask?

As you may know, Rogomo provides our Experts with free Marketing Tools that they can use to advertise their Rogomo services across the web, including on blogs, social networks and message boards.

Now, anytime that a client comes to Rogomo via one of these Marketing Tools and buys advice from you, your session is completely commission-free. Alternatively, if a client finds you in any other way (i.e., not as a result of a Marketing Tool), you’ll still pay only a low 14.9% commission for your session.

You can find more details about our new Commission Policy here.

New Marketing Tools

One of the things we’ve heard from our Experts over the last few months is that many of you want more options when it comes to your Marketing Tools.

So instead of just offering one Marketing Tool design, now we have seven to choose from. This gives you more freedom to promote yourself in the way that you think is best.

Here’s an example of a few of our new designs:

To see all of our new designs, log in to your account, click on the “My Account” button, and then click on the “My Marketing Tools” tab.

Verified Expert Program

Rogomo is introducing a Verified Expert Program to allow highly-qualified Experts to present themselves to clients as “Verified Experts”. This will help our Experts to stand out from the crowd and attract new business.

If you’re interested in participating in our Verified Expert Program, please review our Verified Expert Policy and email us at
support@rogomo.com. If you’re eligible for the Verified Expert Program, we’ll display this logo on your Expert profile:

ID Verification and Security

One of the most important things that we can provide to our users is a safe and secure environment to buy and sell expert advice. We think that we’ve done a good job in the past of trying to do this, but now we’ve added an even stronger step to ensure your safety — credit card AVS checks for all users.

What’s an AVS check? An AVS (Address Verification System) check is a procedure that Rogomo uses to verify that the name and address that you and other users provide in your Rogomo Accounts is accurate. To conduct an AVS check, Rogomo requires that all new users provide certain credit card or debit card information. Rogomo uses this information to verify the name and address that the user provided Rogomo through an AVS check, which may include authorizing and voiding a small amount to your card.

AVS checks help us ensure the safety and security of the Rogomo community, and, most importantly, helps to make sure that Experts get paid for their time.

New Expert Profile Design

We’ve redesigned our Expert profile pages to make it easier for a client to contact an Expert, learn about an Expert, and start a Rogomo session.

Take a look:

Other Improvements

In addition to all of the upgrades already mentioned, we’ve also made a number of other improvements across the site, including:

(1) Instant Messaging – We’ve made some major improvements to the stability and functionality of our built-in IM tool. We know that some of you may have had a hard time using it in the past, but we think it should finally be running smoothly.

(2) Audio Alerts – One of the most popular requests we’ve gotten is to have some sort of audio alert when a client tries to start a session you. Now, when you are logged in to Rogomo and on your Start Selling page, you’ll get an audio alert anytime a client tries to get in touch with you so that you can be ready to start a session at any time.

(3) Bug Fixes – Last, but certainly not least, we’ve spent a great deal of time fixing bugs and enhancing and improving the overall stability of the Rogomo site. As a result, we think you’re going to be very happy with your Rogomo experience.

We’re excited about these changes and hope you will be too! If you have any questions, feel free to contact any of us here at Rogomo or post a question over on our Forum.

Hey everyone!

Just a quick post to give you a heads up that Rogomoкомпютри втора употреба may have an hour or so of downtime tomorrow (Friday, 6/6) morning.

We’re switching Rogomo over to brand new servers so that we can better accommodate our recent growth in traffic, and to give us some additional flexibility with our future releases.

Speaking of future releases, we have an exciting update to the Rogomo platform coming in the next few weeks. This update will incorporate a number of suggestions that you, our users, have made, as well as add a number of other exciting new features which will make Rogomo an even more compelling choice for buying and selling live advice online. We’ll give more details when the update is ready for release, so stay tuned!

If you have any questions, problems, or if you just want to say hi, feel free to drop us a line!

So, after a lot of hemming and hawing, I decided to bite the bullet and upgrade our blog comments to the fancy comment software offered by Disqus. I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen of it over at Fred Wilson’s blog and Popdose, and figured we may as well jump on the bandwagon.

I’m always hesitant to play around with our blog setup too much, given that WordPress is a fickle beast, but the upgrade process was surprisingly easy and fast. It took all of about 3 minutes, and required about 3 clicks of a mouse. Very nice.

The only negative to our Disqus upgrade is that, as you may have noticed, all of the existing comments on the blog have disappeared. I’m not sure if this is a bug with Disqus or if I did something wrong in the installation process (probably the latter). The good news, though, is that we do still have all of your old comments in our archive, so once Disqus enables its “Comment Import” functionality - which it claims is on its way - everything should be back to normal.

Until then, feel free to test out the new comments system and let us know what you think!

Sadly, the title to this post is identical to the title of a PCWorld article published in 2001. Although many people thought that we were close to IM interoperability back then, we still aren’t there even in 2008. Why not?

Before I answer that, and before I explain why I believe that we’re finally close, let’s cover a little bit of background.

What is IM interoperability?

IM interoperability is the ability to send or receive an IM, or use other IM features such as online status, across different IM networks.

IM is the only important communication service that isn’t yet interoperable. For example, an AIM (AOL) user can’t IM a Yahoo! user, and an MSN Messenger user can’t IM or call a Skype user (or even add that user to their buddy list).

Other communication networks that are interoperable include telephone and email. For example, you can call anybody on any cellular or landline network simply by dialing a number. Similarly, you can now (but not always in the past) use AOL to email a Yahoo user, or Hotmail to email a friend at their work address. You can even add your friend’s T-Mobile phone number to your AT&T phonebook, her Yahoo! email to your AOL address book, and so on.

You can’t do any of these things with your IM account. We deserve better, and the open standards for doing so have existed for many years.

This is not IM interoperability

In 2006, Yahoo! and MSN started interoperating with each other. So you can add a Yahoo! user to your MSN contact list and send an IM. But you can’t do the same with an AIM, Skype, Google Talk or other IM user. So Yahoo! and MSN are interoperating, but only in a closed way between their two systems. That’s not interoperability in the manner that telephone and email networks interoperate.

In 2007, Google Talk started offering access to AIM. But Google Talk and AIM aren’t interoperating at all — Google Talk merely allows you to sign in to Google Talk with your Google ID and, at the same time, sign in to AIM with your AIM ID. It’s essentially just like running AIM and Google Talk messengers on your computer at the same time. That’s the same approach taken by iChat (separate sign-in for AIM and Jabber networks such as Google Talk), Trillian, Meebo and other popular services that allow you to sign in to multiple IM services at the same time.

While these services are useful, I don’t think there’s any debate that much more innovation would happen if open standards were adopted.

Why hasn’t everyone embraced interoperability?

In short, the big guys (AIM, MSN and Yahoo!) don’t want to play with anyone new (like Google Talk, Skype or countless other innovators).

The big IM services depend on the “network effect” to attract new users to their already large user base, and to in turn monetize those users by selling advertisements. They’re afraid that if they share their users, they might lose their users completely.

The risk is perhaps real, but then again, these same companies will tell you that email interoperability was good for everyone. Letting everyone email each other made the email pie bigger, with plenty of pie (users and page views) for everyone to share. The same holds true for IM.

So why do I think it’s coming soon?

Well, for starters, not because of Rogomo (although in the spirit of full disclosure, it would be very beneficial to Rogomo).

I think it’s coming soon for one reason: Yahoo! is going to be acquired. Whether it merges with AOL or is acquired by Microsoft, I believe that the inevitable anti-trust review will finally bring about IM interoperability based on open standards. The government will at last have an excuse to break the IM monopoly. And if that happens, it won’t be the first time the government has taken action on this issue — when AOL and Time Warner merged in 2001, they were forced to agree to not launch video chat without first interoperating with other services (an agreement unfortunately waived years later).

So, my guess is that, although we’ve (needlessly) been waiting for IM interoperability for the past 7 years, we’re not going to be waiting too much longer. And I also think that when IM interoperability finally happens, it will truly revolutionize communication.

What do you think? Feel free to post your thoughts in the comments.

As a longtime music blogger, I’m a firm believer in the power of the blog.

Although very few blogs (my own included) have the web traffic of mainstream media sites (e.g., CNN.com, NYTimes.com, etc.), the fact remains that millions of people read blogs every day, and many of those people trust and rely on the content they find on blogs. Indeed, if that weren’t the case, would I be getting 20-30 emails from bands and music publicists every day about new records, new tour dates and the like?

So we at Rogomo understand the value that comes with being mentioned on a blog. And, fortunately, we’ve been getting a bunch of great blog (and other website) mentions over the past couple of weeks, both in the United States and around the world.

As a “thank you” to the folks behind these sites, we wanted to give them a quick shout-out here on our own blog. I apologize in advance if we’ve left anyone out!

EmilyChang.com
Geekissimo (Italian site)
Generation Web
KillerStartups.com
The Museum of Modern Betas
Simple Spark
Web2Null (German site)
WebInside (Polish site)

Our thanks to all of these sites, and to anyone else who has posted about Rogomo or tested out the site!

Hey everyone! We wanted to let you about some exciting new features that we’ve rolled out on Rogomo today. Many of the features we’re adding today were recommended by you, our users, so we think you’re really going to like them!

Today’s new features include:

New User Interface Design: We’ve redesigned the look and feel of Rogomo to make it more sleek, intuitive and just plain better looking. This even includes a slightly new look for our logo! Check it out:

In addition to the new color scheme, new buttons, new tab design, new sign-up page design, and other changes, we’ve also listened to your comments and have implemented standard HTML menus which should hopefully be easier to use.

Redesigned Expert Profiles: We’ve redesigned our expert profiles to give our experts more flexibility in how they describe their services, fees and qualifications.

Every profile now has separate sections for a Summary of the expert’s services, a listing of the expert’s Qualifications, and a detailed Description of the services the expert is offering. Additionally, experts can now use HTML in both their Qualifications and Description fields to personalize their profile even more.  We’ve also added a separate field for experts to list their fees up front (although you are always free to adjust your fees on a transaction-by-transaction basis).

Affiliate Marketing Program: In early April we’ll be launching a brand new partnership with the Share Results Affiliate Network. This partnership is the first of many exciting new steps that we’re taking at Rogomo to spread the word about Rogomo and start expanding the Rogomo community.  We’re also in talks with a number of potential partners to help expand our reach even further, so if you’re a Rogomo expert, be sure to stick around your Start Selling page to be available for new buyers!

We’re excited about these changes and hope you will be too!  If you have any questions, feel free to contact any of us here at Rogomo or post a question over on our Forum.

It’s been a little while since I’ve done a music post on this blog, and since I’m headed down to Austin for South By Southwest next week, I figured it was as good a time as any to remedy that.

While there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of bands that will be playing in Austin next week, there are three that I’m really, really excited about.

The first is a band called Future Clouds and Radar. FCAR is led by Robert Harrison, who application card citi creditcard credit debt reduction servicesbest card credit interest ratecard credit fraud reportcredit card reward program,card credit program reward,best card credit program rewardcredit card debt statistics,teen credit card debt statisticscard card credit master pal pay,card com credit pal pay,pay pal credit cardbad card credit credit discover,bad credit discover cardbusiness card credit processing start,credit card processing for businessmbna america credit cardannual card credit fee no secured,annual card credit credit fee no poor,no annual fee credit cardcard credit generator number stolen,card credit fake generator number,credit card number generator0 credit card offer,credit card offer with 0 on transferonline application visa credit cardapplication card credit status visavisa reward credit card,card credit point reward visacard consolidation credit loan studentbank card citi creditcredit card debt consolidation servicebad card credit credit ukcard credit offer visabusiness card credit find smallprovidian bank credit cardhow to reduce credit card bad debt,bad debt credit card,credit card bad debt statisticsbest rate and deal credit card,best credit card ratevisa credit card application formcard comparison consolidate credit debtfree credit report no credit card,free credit card,free cell phone no credit card neededcard credit history no visa,no credit history credit card,card credit credit history needed nobank card credit georgia monogramlow interest student credit card,low interest rate credit card balance transfer,low interest credit cardbill card consolidation credit debt life partner,credit card bill consolidationbest reward credit carduk credit card applyinstant online approval credit cardchase credit card home pagecard consolidate credit debtcard credit gateway paymentcash reward credit cardcard check credit credit nocredit card balance transfer rategreen dot prepaid credit carduk credit card,uk visa credit card,guaranteed credit card ukcanada card consolidation credit,canada card consolidation credit inuk lowest interest credit cardbest cash back credit cardcard credit high risk ukcredit card application onlineapplying card credit ukfirst premier credit card application you may or may not remember from his work in the 1990’s in the band Cotton Mather. FCAR released its debut, self-titled album last year (though I discovered it too late to include in my Top 25 list), and as far as I know hasn’t yet toured here on the East Coast, so this will be my first chance to see them live. I’m really looking forward to it. It’s not a fair comparison by any means, but I think of the FCAR album as the type of music that John Lennon would be writing if he were alive today.

Future Clouds and Radar, “Build Havana”

The second band that I’m looking forward to seeing, also for the first time, is Lightspeed Champion. LC is the new project of Devonte Hynes, who was formerly a member of the very loud, very questionably-named Test Icicles. Lightspeed Champion sees Hynes turn down the volume and go for a much poppier, prettier sound. The band’s debut CD, Falling off the Lavender Bridge, is one of my favorite albums of 2008 so far, and I’m looking forward to seeing if they have any muppets as part of their live show.

Lightspeed Champion, “Galaxy of the Lost”

The third (though nowhere near final) band that I’m looking forward to seeing is Athens, GA’s The Whigs. Since the first time I caught these guys in New York in early 2006, they’ve been one of my favorite live bands around. Their sound is pretty uncomplicated, garage-y, catchy rock and roll, but the amount of energy and musicianship that they bring to the stage is astounding. Every time I see them I know that I really ought to be wearing earplugs, but saving my eardrums simply isn’t worth the price of missing out on the ferocity of their live show. I can’t recommend them, or their new LP, entitled Mission Control!, enough.

The Whigs, “Right Hand On My Heart”

I’ll be posting updates and photos from SXSW over at my other blog starting next Wednesday, so if you’re interested keep an eye out!

We’re proud to announce that we’re launching the public version of the Rogomo Beta today, which includes a number of new and improved features to our original limited Beta that we released this past December.

One of the things we’ve been most excited about over the past few weeks is the great feedback that we’ve been getting from our users. We want to thank everyone who has contacted us. You have not only helped us with today’s release, but you’ve also helped us plan exciting new features for future releases.

Today’s new features include:

Built-in Free Instant Messaging:  We’ve added a free text IM tool that allows buyers to reach a Rogomo expert quickly and easily via his/her profile. Rogomo still works with any communication tool you want (i.e., phone, video calls, IM, etc.), but this tool makes it easier for buyers to reach an expert to set up a session or even to conduct a session through the IM tool.

Here’s an example of what our IM tool looks like in action:

New Profile Tools and Directory Features:  We’ve also added three key features that give buyers more information about our experts. First, we’ve added the option for experts to add a personal photo to their Profile. Second, we’ve also added the option for experts to display their real name in addition to their Rogomo ID. Together, these new options give experts the ability — if they want — to provide more information to potential buyers that help establish the buyer’s trust of an expert. Finally, we now display each expert’s “average price per minute” on the profile page and in the directory, which helps potential buyers gauge how much each expert charges.

Take a look at our founder John’s profile to see how these new features look:

Design and Stability Improvements:  Finally, we’ve made numerous improvements to the design and stability of the Rogomo.com website. Some of these you will see and some you won’t — however, all of them help improve the speed and stability of the Rogomo service to ensure a great experience for both buyers and experts.

We hope you like these new features as much as we do. We’re working hard on a bunch of other features, and we’re always excited to hear your thoughts on Rogomo and what features you think we should add. If you have any ideas, please feel free to post in our Forum.

In case anyone was interested, I figured I’d post my list of favorite CDs from 2007. If you share my music taste, be sure to check out my music blog.

My Top 25 of 2007

25. Shout Out Louds, Our Ill Wills
24. Bottomless Pit, Hammer of the Gods
23. Thurston Moore, Trees Outside the Academy
22. The Mendoza Line, 30 Year Low
21. Wheat, Every Day I Said a Prayer for Kathy and Made a One Inch Square
20. Jason Isbell, Sirens of the Ditch
19. Blonde Redhead, 23
18. You Am I, Convicts
17. Dinosaur Jr., Beyond
16. Wilco, Sky Blue Sky
15. Josh Ritter, The Historical Conquests of…
14. The National Lights, The Dead Will Walk, Dear
13. Babyshambles, Shotter’s Nation
12. The Apples In Stereo, New Magnetic Wonder
11. Vandaveer, Grace and Speed
10. Okkervil River, The Stage Names
9. Parts and Labor, Mapmaker
8. Rogue Wave, Asleep at Heaven’s Gate
7. Dead Confederate, Dead Confederate EP
6. The Broken West, I Can’t Go On I’ll Go On
5. Wussy, Left For Dead
4. Earlimart, Mentor Tormentor
3. Nothington, All In
2. The Antlers, In the Attic of the Universe
1. The National, Boxer

Now that the Rogomo Beta is up and running, we’re getting down to the brass tacks on trying to show people what it is and just how easy it is to use.

One thing we’ve done is create a short Demonstration video that takes you step-by-step through the process of buying live advice from a Rogomo Expert. So if you’re curious about how you can use Rogomo, check it out!