Dude, Check This Out, the totally frictionless blogging tool that my old OpenCola partners have created, got a mention in today's NYT — congrats, guys!
To use the service, you must download a browser toolbar. Then, when visiting an interesting site, you click on "Dude It" to automatically post a link to an existing blog or to a MyBlog page at the site. (You can also highlight pictures or text to go along with the link.) Comments can be added to the link, and you can also send the entire posting to friends by e-mail. In a way, the service has created the simplest blogging tool imaginable.
Thom Watson, a technology manager in Washington, is an experienced blogger who longed for a better way to keep track of notable sites. "I keep my blog mostly for personal thoughts," he said. "I wanted a really easy way to collect links by topic and comment on them."
Mr. Watson now maintains three MyBlog pages, on general topics, modern architecture and the Toyota Prius. Better yet, the service sends him suggestions on sites of potential interest based on similarities between his postings and those on other MyBlogs. There's even a social-networking aspect that links users based on their contact lists.
