Ziki Embraces OpenID

March 12, 2007 par andre taliercio

You can now sign-up or log-in on Ziki using the OpenID authentication standard.

Not sure what OpenID is and want to know more? Please read the what the blogosphere says on Technorati or a detailed explanation on Wikipedia. In short:

“OpenID is a decentralized system to verify one’s online identity. While it is not intended to prevent spam or create a trust metric, it solves the single sign-on problem without relying on any centralized website to confirm digital identity. OpenID users identify themselves with a URI or XRI which they own, such as for a blog or a home page. Since OpenID is decentralized, any website can employ OpenID software as a way for users to sign in.”

In plain English it means that anyone with an OpenID account can create a Ziki without going through the usual boring and time-consuming process of filling-out the required fields; most of them will be automatically completed.

In our first implementation we authorize the authentication on Ziki through an external OpenID account. Later on we are planning to deploy our own OpenID servers so the URL of your profile becomes your OpenID profile. Again, with this solution you will not have to enter over and over the same information every time you sign-up for a new service.

You can also watch this video, which is very detailed.

By andre taliercio | Posted in What's New | Tagged , | Comments (4)

Ziki is Hiring a Web Developer

January 18, 2007 par andre taliercio

We are growing fast and we need to expand our development team

Job Description:

The web developer will be in charge of:

  • API development and/or integration from outsourced vendors
  • Interface development (front/back offices) related to these APIs

Job Requirements:

  • Have at least 2 years of professional web development experience using PHP, PYTHON, JAVA, RUBY
  • Strong experience with REST/XML-RPC/SOAP protocol
  • Strong experience with RUBY ON RAILS development
  • Knowledge of TRAC and SVN a plus
  • Open source project experience a plus

Salary

$50k for full time position or $6,500 /month for freelance position.

The developer will work from home and needs a high speed internet access.

Please forward your resume to jeff@ziki.com or pass this job to a friend who might qualify.

To know more about Ziki please visit http://www.ziki.com

By andre taliercio | Posted in People | Comments (0)

Bubble Web 2.0 — What Bubble?

January 16, 2007 par andre taliercio

More and more we keep hearing about it. People are waiting. They believe it will happen—any day now. Necrology news always has a crowd; it is like watching a Formula One or Indy race with hopes that some spectacular crash will occur, with little interest in the race.

So the comparison with 2000 is out. Valuations are high again, money is being thrown left and right, companies are being funded without a business model… There’s arrogance, big corporate parties, and it’s difficult to find developers or just plain people. The recipe seems to have all the same ingredients.

But let’s be straightforward: It’s not going to happen again. I am not trying to be controversial. I just believe it.

What was called the “Bubble” in 2000 referred to public companies with ridiculous multiples of…. nothing… since some had zero revenues and were cash flow negative. The Bubble referred to investors who saw shares doubling at the start and were waiting for the price to triple or quadruple. Investment banks were already out of their investment and had already materialized their profit (on top fees for orchestrating the IPO). So VCs pushed their fresh investments right to the door of the investment bank which pushed then right to the hands of hungry individual investors. A pump with no water burns.

This was the past.

The regulatory environment has changed. IPOs in the high tech world are now scared and much more transparent. Many try, but feel the market and withdraw. So where is the risk now? In the hands of the VCs, professional investors. They have guidance and ratios. They have an accepted rate of losses. Some truly believe in Web 2.0. It makes of lot of sense. It is a lower investment in the first round, with a good deal on the valuation.

And if 8 out of 10 companies they fund fail, chances are they will still make money on the 2 that succeed and that will more than offset any losses and bring an overall healthy return. So the Bubble will not burst again. Only the jewels will go public. Others will be sold to large corporations. But again, only to savvy companies who perform due diligence and have a strategy behind the acquisition. So we are safe here.

Many startups will die, but many strong Web 2.0 companies will emerge and last. Ziki should be one of them.

By andre taliercio | Posted in Media Coverage | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (2)