I'll be showing how Attensa collaborates using Jive Software's Clearspace for cross functional projects. The presentation will be 4:48 (that's specific) on Thursday, September 6 at the Office 2.0 Conference in San Francisco. I've posted the Attensa presentation on SlideShare

They say second place is just an award to make losers feel better. In this case we couldn't disagree more. SEOMOZ.org has deemed Attensa for Outlook worthy of a 2007 Web 2.0 Award and we're tickled pink. First place goes to FeedBurner and who can argue with that?

Attensa for Outlook earned:

5 out of 5 stars for usefulness

4 out of 5 stars for usability, interface design and social aspects

An now you don't have to be exclusively an Outlook user to get in this goodness. When you download Attensa for Outlook you also get a stand alone Windows desktop reader that gives you the same feature set outside of Outlook.

GiddyUp! Download Attensa for Outlook. It's free.

 This is from Mike Gotta at Collaborative Thinking on Zimbra adding a Feed Reader

"The good news: many vendors are adding feed reader capabilities to their client platforms.

The bad news: many vendors are adding feed reader capabilities to their client platforms.

If you are an enterprise organization and looking at feed readers across varies collaboration, portal and content systems - remember - there are a lot of architectural and infrastructure issues to consider in terms of security, network management, feed management, etc. There are also some really important user needs as well - including synchronization of feeds across multiple client user experiences, including read/unread marks, etc. If you are committed to a Windows client, then look to see if the vendor is integrating with the Windows RSS Platform. If you are using a more complete end-to-end XML Syndication systems, then make sure that the vendor providing the client reader is able to integrate with those vendors as well.

What you really want to avoid is a potpourri of clients all handing RSS/Atom feeds differently (each well in its own right but chaotic when viewed as a collection of feed services)."

At Attensa we believe the platform is the product and that integrated readers built using a consistent architecture are essential to a well managed end-to-end XML syndication system. The Attensa Managed RSS Environment delivers clean, consistent synchronization, control over directing specific feeds to users and groups, multiple readers providing pervasive access to feeds, intelligent prioritization, scalability and reporting an analytics.

As our line of readers grows we are now offering multiple ramps to provide pervasive access to Enterprise RSS feeds. Our reader line-up includes a full featured Windows desktop reader and Outlook reader(download them here - they're free), a reader for Sametime Instant Messaging for alerts and time sensitive collaborative feeds and a Web reader integrated with the Attensa Feed Server. They all use the same architecture to facilitate "knowledge flow."

I'm catching up with my feeds as the train parallels the Columbia River. Cormorants, herons and gulls sit on the wing dams and piling remnants from the days the timber industry flourished. The train is terrific.

Reading articles offline with Attensa for Outlook is one of the real benefits of a dedicated feed reader compared to relying on a browser based reader.

This got my attention. Rod Boothy at Innovation Creators hits it just right with his post - Participation is the killer app.

"Whether it is end user participation in content driven conversations on blogs and wikis, or end user developed applications, mash-ups and widgets, I think that it is participation that key difference between Enterprise 2.0 and Enterprise 1.0."

On Wednesday we quietly refreshed our website and posted Attensa for Outlook 2.0. You can download the new version of Attensa for Outlook here. It's free.

We thought we'd come out of the 1.5 beta on roll so we jumped right to 2.0.

Unconventional? Perhaps. Decide for yourself. Here's our reasoning for the version leap.

Tens of thousands of enterprise business users have put Attensa for Outlook 1.5 to the test. This new version is built on top of the 1.5 code that has been enterprise hardened and meets the requirements of the most demanding IT pros for an RSS reader that means business.

Here's their short list - rock solid stability and minimal memory impact on Outlook performance, ease of deployment, advanced compatibility with the Microsoft RSS Platform, seamless synchronization and a feature set that covers the spectrum of use cases from reputation monitoring and management, gathering competitive intelligence, keeping up to speed on project collaboration, staying on top of rapidly critical corporate data, all without leaving Outlook.

What's new in 2.0

Deep connectivity with the Attensa Feed Server for seamless synchronization across Attensa for Outlook, the Attensa AJAX web reader and mobile devices and more meaningful attention analytics and reporting.

A mini player that lets users listen and watch audio and video content in Outlook, directly in the River of News. As more businesses take advantage of on demand video and audio to create and deliver specialized information, Attensa for Outlook let you choose how you want to consume rich media content. You can get instant access to the content using the new River of News player. Or, you can access the content when it is most convenient using the Attensa for Outlook Pod Catcher. The Pod Catcher automatically downloads audio and video attachments and puts them in a clearly labeled playlist in Windows Media Player or iTunes.

A desktop alert toaster keeps lets you track fast breaking business information whether you are working in Outlook or not. This Desktop Alert is smart. You can pick the feeds you want to be alerted to as soon as new information is available. When multiple feeds are updated, the alert box works the way you want it to work. It groups your alert notices so you can see at a glance when new information is available without being driven to distraction with constant interruptions.

Oh...and it's free. Did we mention that? We have made the move to a free download coupled with a premium support model. Premium support is $24.95 a year and gives you guaranteed response time to your issue and priority treatment. If you have purchased a previous version of Attensa for Outlook you are instantly covered with premium support.

Michael Gotta of the Burton Group sums up the role of Web feeds and attention in addressing two of the major issues facing IT organizations and information workers.

"Providing users with the right information, at the right time, in the right context has been the holy grail for IT organizations. At the same time, users have been frustrated with either too much information, too little information, information that isn't timely and information that isn't relevant."

Attensa is announcing two new products that address these issues head-on.

For enterprises and IT organizations,  Attensa is introducing the Attensa Feed Server, the first Enterprise Feed Server Appliance. The Attensa Feed Server is an appliance that can be easily installed behind the firewall and enables IT administrators to easily set up and manage feeds for groups and individuals enabling improved collaboration and knowledge sharing. 

For knowledge workers, Attensa is announcing the public beta of a new version of Attensa for Outlook, the first RSS reader utilizing AttentionStream technology to automatically prioritize information based on the user's behavior history to automatically bring the most important RSS feeds and articles to the top.

You can read the news releases here:

Attensa Introduces First Enterprise Feed Server Appliance

Attensa Announces Public Beta of the First RSS Reader to Intelligently Prioritize RSS Feeds in Order of Importance to the Reader

Take a look at our new Web site update. You  can find detailed Attensa Feed Server information here and you can download the beta of Attensa for Outlook 1.5 here.

For the first time since we introduced Attensa nearly one year ago we are delivering on the promise of less is more. At Syndicate we are previewing Attensa for Outlook 1.5 which displays feeds and articles in the order you want to read them.

Attensa for Outlook 1.5 uses a "river of news" to simulate a single news feed, regardless of how many RSS feeds the user has subscribed to.

Version 1.5 uses our predictive ranking AttentionStream technology. By continuously analyzing implicit and explicit AttentionStream data, including the time and frequency that feeds are accessed and articles read, deleted and ignored, RSS articles can be displayed in a prioritized list based on the likelihood that they will be of interest to the reader at another time.

Feed priorities are constantly refined as the continuous stream of attention is processed.Articles can be read in order of predictive ranking, sorted by date or customized by the user. This new version of Attensa for Outlook gives users the control to manually rank feeds by simply dragging and dropping the subscription to the top or bottom of their subscription lists.
 
Attensa for Outlook 1.5 synchronizes with the new Microsoft RSS Platform. By leveraging the Microsoft Common Feed Store, RSS feeds added using Attensa for Outlook, Internet Explorer 7 or Windows Vista, will automatically be synchronized for a seamless user experience.

You can see for yourself in June.

Now Attensa for Outlook syncs with your mobile phone or PDA.

The new version of Attensa for Outlook is designed for business users on the move and provides easy to use, secure tools that help you track and monitor constantly changing business information without having to search or request it.

It's easy to get started with Attensa Mobile and the  new version of Attensa for Outlook

Step 1 - Open an Attensa Online account

Step 2 - Sign into Attensa mobile using your web browser on your mobile phone. Just type http://mobile.attensa.com into your mobile phone's web browser

Step 3 - You can add or remove feeds with either the Attensa Toolbar or Attensa for Outlook. 

Step 4 - Start reading your feeds on your phone. To save time and cut through information overload, Attensa Mobile only displays feeds with unread articles.

You can download the new version of Attensa for Outlook here. If you own Attensa for Outlook it will automatically update to the new version. Here's a rundown on what you can do with Attensa for Outlook 1.2.

• Access feeds anywhere - in Outlook, Online and on Mobile Devices
• Safe and Secure Subscriptions to Internal and External RSS feeds
• Easy to Use & Easy to Read
• Publish to Blogs and Forward Articles as Easily as Sending and Email
• Easy to Configure
• Powerful automated search tools
• Create, Import and Export Custom Reading Lists
• Update and Delete Articles on a Defined Schedule
• Keep Feeds and Articles Organized with Tagging and Categories
• Easy to Support
• Create custom style sheets that match corporate brand standards.

With the introduction of version 1.2 we are raising the price for Attensa for Outlook to $30.00 but we are extending the $20.00 price to the Attensa community for a limited time.

Go here to purchase Attensa for Outlook and use the promo-code - mobilerules

"Attensa for Outlook stands out for its implementation and feature set."

Here's the complete PC Mag review of Attensa for Outlook.

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.

When Robert Scoble urged Microsoft to acquire Newsgator in an article in WebProNews it caught our attention. Craig Barnes took the opportunity to set the record straight and to invite Scoble to take a closer look at our work building a new "attention based infrastructure company" that is a lot more than another RSS reader for Outlook.

Based on Scoble's follow-up post - Attensa DOES have RSS Synchro API - it looks like we are starting to get through and we hope Robert takes us up on our open invitation to share more about our technology and strategy with him.

Ever since Microsoft previewed Outlook 12 at Syndicate there has been a meme on the imminent death of Newsgator and Attensa. Before people start writing more obituaries we're declaring "We're not dead yet. In fact, we're feeling much better."

Here's why...

1) Ubiquitous RSS is good. At Attensa we believe that pervasive use of RSS benefits everybody and that makes our technology more valuable. Who better than Microsoft (and Google and Yahoo) to educate and make available basic RSS capabilities? Attensa is about value-add, not the inevitably commoditized RSS reader. We, and our investors (announcement coming soon), are betting that over the next several years Microsoft will do the heavy lifting and educate the masses of the benefits of adopting RSS.

2) But RSS is dumb. Already users are subscribing to dozens of feeds and receiving hundreds of posts per day. And it is only going to get worse as marketers utilize RSS in lieu of traditional internet media. Further, the enterprise and enterprise application vendors are embracing RSS for every conceivable task. As RSS users (whether through Outlook 12 or the common RSS reader) we will soon all be drinking from the proverbial fire hose. The problem will dwarf email inbox overload. At Attensa think there is a big opportunity for smart RSS that cuts through information overload.

3) With RSS "less is more" At Attensa our business and technology focus is improving the RSS experience through real-time attention stream analytics - the fact that we have or will soon have best of class solutions for Outlook, Mobile, Online and more is almost incidental. Long term (i.e. once Outlook 13 or 14 finally gets it right) our attention stream infrastructure will sit quietly, behind the scenes, making the defacto standard RSS reader simply "work better."

4) Outlook 12 adoption happens when? In the meantime, and surveying the competitive climate for readers and pondering the en mass adoption of Outlook 12 in the enterprise (early 2008?) we think there is considerable opportunity to provide quality RSS experience for users of Outlook 2000 and later for the foreseeable future. As for Outlook 12, I think most would agree without even seeing it that there will be considerable opportunity to make it better.

I returned to Attensa's galactic headquarters today after three days in San Francisco attending the Syndicate Conference. Coming off the heels of our Series B investment by RRS Investors and SmartForest, Syndicate was a bit like our official coming out party.

We spent the time demoing the 1.0 Beta of Attensa, showing off Attensa Online for the first time in public and meeting with lots of great people and partners. I've been so  busy preparing for the show and working the show that I haven't had time to write about our announcements and the great reception to our products and strategy.

We used the Syndicate Conference to announce two more steps in our on-going work to create an RSS network that uses AttentionStream synchronization to cut through information overload.

You can read the news release Attensa Introduces AttentionStream Synchronization at Syndicate Conference but here's the Reader's Digest Condensed Version:

We are taking the veil off Attensa Online, our free online RSS service that can be accessed anywhere on any computer. Attensa Online is an AJAX web based application that works like a dedicated RSS reader application to make keeping on top of RSS news and information easy. Subscriptions and articles load quickly and marking articles as read and deleting articles is easy.

Resizable panes and multiple views let users create an RSS workspace that is flexible and intuitive. Options for displaying articles include headline only, headline with one-sentence introductions, headlines with first paragraphs or complete articles. Users view the article source Web page without opening a new browser window or tab.

We will opening up the Attensa Online beta shortly after the conference. We want to test in stages. Sign up here and we'll notify you to set up your account.

We are introducing Attensa for Outlook 1.0 beta. The feature set is complete and we want to give you one more chance to get it for free and put it to the test.

We've come up with a pricing program that takes into account your extensive and valuable feedback. Attensa for Outlook 1.0 Beta is a free download. When it is released commercially Attensa for Outlook 1.0 will cost $19.95. The price includes a one year subscription for AttentionStream synchronization with Attensa Online.

For users who only need RSS in Outlook, Attensa for Outlook will continue to work inside of Outlook at the end of the first year's subscription. Synchronization with Attensa Online won't unless your subscription is renewed. For less than a double cappuccino a month at Starbucks, being able to access your feeds on any PC seems like a good deal to me, but you'll be the judge. 

Attensa for Outlook and Attensa Online use our unique lightweight AttentionStream synchronization for fast updating of subscriptions at the article level and frequent synchronizations across multiple RSS clients. Every action from subscribing to new feeds, updating articles, reading and deleting articles, to creating categories and adding tags will be synchronized in Outlook and on a personal, privacy-protected Web page at Attensa Online. The AttentionStream also includes near real-time analytics which, as we continue our development, will be the key to providing you with prioritized, more relevant articles.

We also announced our strategic partnership with FreeRange Communications to bring Attensa to mobile phones and PDAs. FreeNews is a dedicated RSS Reader app that works with Blackberries, Palm and Java enabled devices. It's fast, it's easy to read and it saves you money because it pulls your feeds and articles down all at once and stores them on your phone so you can read without racking up air time. Will put the Attensa brand on their reader and send the AttentionStream data to our backend so when you read articles on your phone everything will be synchronized and down the road the AttentionStream data you generate will add more fuel to the prioritization filtering.

Hey mister that's me up on the Podcast.

David Berlind and I had a chance to talk at Syndicate about Attensa and our development plans. You can listen to the podcast here. If I had a dollar for everytime I used the word "information" I could take the winter off.

Based on this quote from his write-up, apparently he liked what he saw and heard...

"Now that I've had a chance to see Attensa's solution in action (here at the Syndicate Conference in San Francisco), I can understand why John Palfrey's RSS Investors venture capital outfit selected the company as one of its initial investments  (valued at $9 million)."

He gives a great perspective on the similarities and differences between Attensa and Newsgator.

I spoke with TechCrunch's Michael Arrington last night. TechCrunch is "dedicated to obsessively profiling and reviewing every newly launched web 2.0 business product and service." It's a great resource with a clean design.

Michael wrote an upbeat profile of Attensa that starts off...

"Attensa is a world class RSS reader that is attacking the multi-platform synchronization problem (I'll explain that) and is also looking very seriously at the attention issue from a unique perspective (a good thing)."

Gives me goosebumps just reading it.

During the interview I gave Michael a sneak peek at our pricing strategy. What can I say? It was a great conversation and I was on a roll. To get the pricing plan you'll just have to read the article.

Thanks Michael.

To everyone who has given us feedback on Attensa for Outlook .97 - thank you.

Because we are giving bleeding edge access to our pre-releases, there are going to be times when features are missing and new features "just don't cut it".  To an extent this is intentional. There is so much we want to add to the Attensa RSS network, it is our hope that your feedback on these pre-release features will point us in the right direction on performance, fit and finish as we move toward a 1.0 release.

With the release of Attensa for Outlook .97 we focused on adding new capabilities rather than fixing known problems. We've been sifting and sorting the feedback and have come up with a prioritized list of fixes and features we are working on for the next release. We completely understand that everyone wants their specific issue addressed or feature request implemented first. In this case we decided to go with majority rules rather than the squeeky wheel axiom.

Here's our prioritized list of upcoming fixes and features:

• Tackle Outlook performance
• Publishing debug
• Adding "update now" control to manually update feeds
• Add auto update UI
• Next new feature - Categories/Folder Management

In addition to putting out .97 we've been working on a number of major projects behind the scenes. Between meetings with customers and VCs, we are working to bring up Attensa for Web, the free online RSS reader providing a personal and privacy protected Web page for reading and managing RSS articles and subscriptions.

Attensa for Web and Attensa for Outlook will use a uniquely scalable bi-directional synchronization system to keep subscriptions and articles up to date whether they are accessed from the Web or from Outlook.

With the introduction of Attensa for Web you'll be able to choose between using Attensa for Outlook as a stand-alone, using Attensa for Web or using both to take advantage of the convenience of being able to access your RSS feeds in Outlook at work and online from any PC and having your feeds and articles up to date.

There's more to come. We will be opening an controlled beta of Attensa for Web soon. Look for an invitation to participate.

Tom Peterson is a Portland retailing legend who has used the rallying cry "Free is a very good price" to drum up sales for his furniture and appliance stores for nearly four decades.

While we agree with Tom that free is indeed a great price, it's not the only price and it may not be the best price. Tom went out of business in 1992 and has been struggling to rebuild his "empire" ever since.

Since Attensa for Outlook is in beta we are frequently asked questions about pricing like this one from from EricB on the Attensa support forum - "Can you tell me approximately (ballpark figure  is enough) what the cost of the Attensa Reader for Outlook will be?"

As we continue to work on the fit and finish of Attensa for Outlook and work to bring Attensa for Web online, we are looking at a pricing model that will take into account different use models based on how customers will use one or more of Attensa RSS clients.

Right now there are three prices that need to be set.

1. Attensa for Outlook RSS reader

2. Attensa for Web - our upcoming online service that will allow you to read and manage your feeds and articles online.

3. Attensa for Outlook used with Attensa for Web - both access points will use the Attensa RSS engine and our multi-directional true-syncing capability to ensure that articles read, filed and deleted are treated consistently across all of the clients.

Before we go too far down the wrong path, we'd like to get your ideas on what a fair pricing model would be. How should we structure pricing?

I know, you're thinking there's not enough information here to be meaningful. My feeling is, if EricB. can ask for a ballpark figure so can we.

From the You Subscribe: RSS blog on the evolution of You Subscribe: RSS to Attensa for Outlook....

"I must admit to being more impressed for it. I've even recommended it to all my friends."

From Sara on the Attensa forum...

"I love Attensa. It's a really great product. I tried Desktop Sidebar, and several other things before stumbling on to this one, and I have to say I like it the best.

I like that I can read the news and my friends' blogs with my email.

I love the new publish and forward features, that allow me to share news and things with others. That will make things a lot easier."