Netvibes is releasing “Drag and Follow” widgets today, July 16th at 9am PST.

I recorded my phone conversation with Freddy Mini (Netvibes CEO) so you could hear the news (and details) directly from him.

Press play below to listen:

[audio:http://socialnerdia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/netvibes_dragandfollow_social_nerdia.mp3]

I gave it a test drive and I must agree with Freddy that it is very easy to use. A simple drag and drop from a hashtag or avatar on Twitter opens up a brand new widget so you can follow that topic or user.

Along with that, Netvibes is releasing a new version of the Facebook widget that has the real-time news feed, is “drag and follow” capable, and is “totally integrated with Facebook Connect“. The “drag and follow” widgets also work for MySpace if that’s your kind of thing.

Freddy told me that “if people love it, we can make it work on anything,” and he gave me an example of what that could be. Listen to the conversation for an example of potential uses around news and search.

By the way, the new feature will be automatically added to your account so you won’t have to do anything to try it out. New users will also find it available immediately. You can check out our Social Nerdia Netvibes page to get started.

I had the great pleasure of talking with Loic Le Meur, a French blogger, serial entrepreneur, and founder / CEO of Seesmic for The Social Nerdia Show! last night.

I didn’t only get to ask Loic a few questions, but I also got to do it on his 37th birthday and Le Quatorze Juillet so I am very grateful for the time he took to chat with me. I had no idea that it was Loic’s birthday (or Bastille Day for that matter), but I quickly found out through Twitter.

If you’ve ever used Twitter, chances are that you’ve heard of Seesmic and its very popular Seesmic Desktop (or its Twhirl predecessor), which is not only a fantastic Twitter and Facebook client/app, but also “a tool to manage your community,” as Loic explained to me. Seesmic has been working hard to launch a brand new web-based in-browser app called Seesmic Web that is not yet as good as its Adobe Air brother, but is catching up (in terms of features) and will do so probably sooner than later.

Loic told me about the importance of “not rushing things” and the value of Team Seesmic, a group of 52,000 members that provides Seesmic with feedback. “We build as much as we can, obviously based on demand.. but we have a lot of surprises coming that no one suggested.”

A Seesmic iPhone app is coming soon (and Loic said it has surprises as well) so I asked him about a potential Palm Pre app. Loic didn’t give me a clear yes or no, but he did say they are “doing other platforms.”

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In this 4th video episode of Random Tuesdays, I head to a “Fiesta Bazaar” to talk about ”wristlets” and the misleadingness of the word ”extraordinary”.

Check out my past episodes and don’t forget to randomly check in again next Tuesday.

I had a one week hiatus for the 4th of July weekend, but who knows? Maybe I’ll have another random episode for ya next week.

Brian Cuban is the attorney for Mark Cuban Companies and the Executive Director of the Mark Cuban Foundation. Brian is also an avid blogger at www.briancuban.com.

You can watch his recently announced Revolution Rant and follow him on Twitter @bcuban.

1. You recently raised the issue of Facebook Pages that contain questionable content, particularly around anti-semitism and Holocaust denial. Several of the Holocaust denial groups on Facebook remain active despite the press coverage about the topic. Facebook said that “just being offensive or objectionable doesn’t get it taken off“. What do you think Facebook should do (or should’ve done) and where should they draw the line?

It is a difficult question. I understand Facebook’s concern that to classify the fact of denying the Holocaust as direct hatred would open up a pandoras box causing them to be the ‘hate police’ and draining their infrastructure to a point where their business model would not be viable. I don’t agree with it but I do understand where they are coming from.

I would urge FB to not take such a semantic, historically static approach as to what is a statement of direct hate. History has consistanty shaped such definitions without trampling on the idea of free speech. What was hate speech 100 years ago may not be hate speech today. What is hate speech now may not be hate speech 50 years from now. I would urge FB to be more senstive to these historical cycles and be proactive versus waiting for human suffering to self define it for them.

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The Social Nerdia Show! Episode #5 is now available for streaming below, on blogtalkradio, or as a podcast on iTunes.

In this episode, @jestebanc and @somerlea are joined by guest @prebynski to talk about the latest Social Nerdia blog posts, recent Tech News (Google ChromeOS, Pandora’s Survival, GSM Palm Pre in Europe, Cisco’s venture into consumer video-chat, and Layar’s Mobile Augmented Reality), as well as some Not-So Tech / Pop Culture News (Michael Jackson Memorial, Palin stepping down, and happiness in Costa Rica).

We also discuss smartphones, Texas heat, Hawaiian Ohana, narcissistic societies, upcoming movie releases (Bruno), and the Randomized Topic of the Day (Kindle 2 now at a lower high price).

Thanks again for listening and until next time!

From its foundation in 1992 to being acquired by U.S. Robotics (which in turn was acquired by 3Com), and finally becoming publicly traded in 2000, Palm has quite an interesting history. Palm’s innovation in hand held devices has given it a memorable past, but the company seemed comfortable lagging behind RIM’s BlackBerry and Apple’s iPhone in recent years. That all changed at CES this year, when Palm announced a new device called Pre.

The CES presentation created a lot of buzz, hype, and rumors because the wait for a cool Palm phone was almost over. It wasn’t only Palm’s new hardware that made news, but also the new OS (WebOS) that looked like nothing else in the market. No wonder it won CNET’s “Best of CES” and “People’s Voice” awards.

I quickly became very excited about the Pre and applied to be part of the “Palm Real Reviewer Program” at Palm’s blog. I received a call a few weeks afterwards from Palm. I was a finalist! After a few more calls and a letter from the company, I received a Palm Pre in the mail two weeks ago. I was one of 10 “Real Reviewers“. While I have tested hundreds of mobile devices, I have only owned a few smartphones, so I cannot express how excited I was to have the opportunity to use a Pre for 6 months. I had huge expectations for this phone and I have to say that the Pre has exceeded them. I will write about my thoughts on the Pre on this site from time to time, and I will also do so on Twitter and Palm’s Facebook Discussions. Let me start with first impressions…

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Crispin Porter + Bogusky, one of the hottest ad shops on Earth, is making quite an aggregation statement with an innovative new agency web site. A week or two ago, a video of co-chairman Alex Bogusky wearing an afro wig appeared on YouTube. He talks about the agency’s new web site, which was not yet live at the time but has now made it into beta at http://beta.cpbgroup.com.

The web site is an ode to the power of real-time information on the web, showcasing a live feed of tweets, YouTube videos, news and blog posts. The information is separated in tabs; one for CP+B and one for clients like Burger King, Microsoft, and Guitar Hero. As Bogusky puts it, “it’s everything about us, and our clients; the good, the bad, and the mildly unnerving“.

So, if you get on Twitter right now and write about Crispin Porter + Bogusky (or send a tweet to @bogusky himself), it will appear on their “digital fishing net” a few seconds after. The effort is a somewhat similar social approach to that of Modernista (and Skittles for that matter), but with a better UI/experience and perfectly tailored for what CP+B does best: create buzz.

More screenshots after the jump (click to enlarge)…

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