We received a nice note from Bryan Moffet at NPR suggesting we make it easy to add popular NPR podcast feeds to Attensa for Outlook and Attensa Online. So we did.

We've posted the complete library of NPR podcasts so you can subscribe using the browse feature in Attensa for Outlook and Attensa Online.

All Things Considered, Driveway Moments, Science Friday, Austin Music Minute and hundreds more. There They're all here. Check it out.

Peter Caputa asks if Attensa is AttentionTrust compliant and whether information on what he has read can be exported in a standard file format.

The questions are straightforward and so is our answer to Peter's first question. Attensa supports the basic AttentionTrust principles.   

The answer to Peter's second question is more complex because the Attensa technical team and other industry players are working to create standards that address the mobility issues surrounding attention. We are collaborating with other Attention technology pioneers and working on the attention.xml standard to bring technologies to market that will deliver on the promise of Attention. 

I thought it would be useful to take a look at what we can do today to meet the spirit of the AttentionTrust principles.

1. You own your attention and can store it where ever you wish.
2. You can securely move your attention wherever you want  whenever you want to.

The first two principles are tightly connected. Today Attensa gives you control over your OPML file, a fundamental expression of your attention that you can own and store. You own your OPML file and you can create custom OPML files that can include a subset of the feeds that focus your attention. With the export feature you can store your complete file or any subset anywhere you want and share it with anyone you want.

You own your tags, another pure expression of your attention. Attensa tags are stored locally on your machine.  They are also stored and synchronized at del.icio.us if you use the service. And with the Attensa tagging toolbar for IE and the tagging extension for Firefox you can access your tags and tagged articles in your browser of choice.

3. You can securely move your attention wherever you want  whenever you want to.

To address this issue it is essential to define the components that make up your attention. Your OPML file and tags are part of it. Your click-stream can be considered a manifestation of your attention. What about all of the other ways you consume information? Attention is a huge concept that goes far beyond RSS feeds and click-streams. AttentionStream technology can be used to identify your favorite feeds and the feeds and articles you ignore or delete instantly. It can be used measure the time you spend reading specific articles. It can identify the articles you tag or forward to co-workers and friends.

Different companies will have their own take on the components that comprise Attention. Much of the attention being paid to attention is focused on its value in advertising and marketing. Attensa is taking a user-centric approach designed to improve the experience of staying up to date by addressing how AttentionStreams can cut through information overload and make knowledge workers more productive. These are two very different problems and will require very different solutions.

3. You can pay attention to whomever you wish and receive value  in return.

Of course you can pay attention to whomever you wish. (unless your IT department is controlling who gets access to specific feeds). The value you receive in return can take many forms, the pleasure of discovery, time savings from automagic prioritization, or a killer ad that arrives at the moment attention slips into intention.

4. You can see exactly how your attention is being used.

You might not want to see exactly how your attention is being used. Who has the time and inclination? Applied attention technology might be like sausage, you can enjoy the end product without watching how it's made. Business models will be based on the unique intellectual property companies will use to put attention to work. The hundreds of millions of people who use Google everyday don't have any idea how it works and I bet they don't really care. It just works. Those people who do care are putting pressure on Google to be more transparent on what they are doing with all the data they are collecting.

When attention is delivering prioritized, highly relevant information, elminating duplicates and delivering ads with 100% CTR, while protecting your privacy with opt-in processes and full disclosure, we'll know attention is being used to make life a little better.

Peter, if you have ideas on how to make your attention data mobile and more transparent share them with us. We're listening.

A Valentine's Day thank you from everyone at Attensa is heading your way.

To show our appreciation to everyone who actively participated in the Attensa for Outlook beta program we will be emailing an activation code for Attensa for Outlook on Tuesday, February 14 to everyone who registered in the Attensa Forum between June 2005 and January 2006.

This will provide you with one free year subscription to Attensa for Outlook with synchronization to Attensa Online.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. Once again, thank you for your participation, we couldn't have done it without you.

It's the real thing. Attensa for Outlook 1.0

After eight months in Beta, Attensa for Outlook has emerged and is now a real product. We want to thank everyone who participated in the beta program and helped us create an RSS Reader the experts are calling "Next Generation." We couldn't have done it without you. If you were an active beta participant who registered in the Attensa Forum between June 2005 and January 2006 we'll be sending you a free activation code as a thank you.

What's New in Attensa for Outlook

The big news is the addition of AttentionStream article level synchronization with Attensa Online. Attensa for Outlook works hand-in-glove with Attensa Online our new Online RSS reader, so you can enjoy the convenience of using any computer with a web connection to read your articles. Every action from updating feeds, reading and deleting articles, subscribing to new feeds to adding tags is instantly synchronized in Outlook. You can stay on top of the news that matters to you on multiple computers without weeding through the same articles.

What else is new:

· Overall quality and stability.

· Improved user experience with clearer icons.

· Better podcasting support

- More powerful search with an expanded list of search engines for unlimited searching.

Attensa for Outlook is only $20 and includes a one year subscription to synchronization with Attensa Online. For those of you who don't like subscription software or who don't need synchronization, Attensa for Outlook will continue to work in Outlook after one year and so will the toolbars. If you don't renew your subscription synchronization with Attensa Online will time out. You can still use your Attensa Online account but articles won't synchronize in Outlook.

When you run the update you will be given the choice to:

- Buy Attensa for Outlook

- Or take Attensa for Outlook on free 30 day test drive.

If you decide not to update your current version of Attensa for Outlook will continue to run.

We always want your feedback. There's a new feedback link in Attensa for Outlook. Use it.

Why so quiet you ask?

Three Reasons

1. We've been working on Attensa for Outlook - the Real Thing
2. We've been working on Attensa Online
3. We've been working on a new website

And today you can see exactly what we've been doing.

After eight months in Beta, Attensa for Outlook has emerged and is now a real product. The big news is the additon of AttentionStream article level synchronization with Attensa Online.

Attensa Online, our free Web based reader, is live and open to everyone. Sign up and try it at attensa.com

It's free.
It's clean.
It's frickin fast.

It works hand-in-glove with Attensa for Outlook so you can enjoy the convenience of using any computer with a web coneection to read your articles. Every action from updating feeds, reading and deleting articles, subscribing to new feeds to adding tags is instantly synchronized in Outlook. You can stay on top of the news that matters to you on multiple computers without weeding through the same articles.

How much will this cost, you ask? We listened when we asked for your input on pricing. Attensa Online is free. Attensa for Outlook is only $20 and includes a one year subscription to synchronization with Attensa Online.

For those of you who don't like subscription software or who don't need synchronization, Attensa for Outlook will continue to work in Outlook after one year. Synchronization will time out.

You can take Attensa for Outlook on a 30 day test drive.

Seems reasonable, no?

You can Download Attensa-for-Outlook-Getting-Started-060131.pdf. It's 2 megs and will get you up and running fast.

Check out the new Attensa website. It's fresh and chock full of information on how to get the most out Attensa for Outlook and Attensa Online.