Compare and Contrast Adam Curry & David Winer

Compare and contrast the works of Adam Curry and David Winer.
What has been their contribution to development of online communities?

Adam Curry and David Winer have come from different background, but they have both made major contributions to the development of online communities. Together they have been recognized for their contributions in developing, podcasting, web logging and Really Simple Syndication (RSS), which are a family of data formats used to publish frequently updated works. During their careers they have worked independently and collaboratively to design digital media files that have given them International recognition as leaders in enhancing web technology media.

Adam Curry became a high profile presenter on MTV in the 1980s and his interest in web technology media came from being a user. In the early nineties Curry started his own web-portal design and hosting company, OnRamp Inc . Curry sold and established two other companies during the nineties (Wikipedia, 2009). It was in 2004 when collaborating with David Winer he helped to develop the podcast (Curry, 2005). His high profile and the development of his podcast company known as Daily Source Code enabled him to promote the podcast to the point where his is sometimes called ‘podfather’ (Wikipedia, 2009).

David Winer came into web technology media from a different background to Curry, he started his career as a computer programmer in the late 1970s (Winer, 2005). During 1997 he developed an outliner, which was a tool for organizing outines, which could serve as an index on the database (Winer, 2009). The Company Personal Software was interested in his outline and he was contracted to develop a product called VisiText (Winer, 2009). This was the start of Winer being recognized as an outlines expert, he founded Userland Software in 1988. He went on to develop xml, which is a way of creating file formats and RSS which he published a version on the Userland website in 2001. His knowledge in developing RSS bought him together with Adam Curry to develop an RSS with enclosures that would have a set of subscriptions that are checked regularly for updates and instead of reading the feeds on your computer screen (Webopedia, 2009).

Both Curry (2005) and Winer (2005) have stated that it has been a great benefit to their work in developing their technology when they have looked at the work they have been doing from the other standpoint. Curry (2005) stated when he and Winer swapped roles when they were developing the format used for podcasting it enabled both of them to realize the frustrations each other were experiencing in their roles and this provided the ‘light bulb’ moment that enabled them to successfully complete the podcast.

Winer & Curry are both widely published as they have both used the Internet to communicate their ideas widely. Curry has recorded 821 podcasts with his business Daily Source Code and he presented a keynote address at the Gnomedex 5.0 in 2005. Both Winer and Curry have given interviews and they use blogs and website to self publish their work, but Curry’s presence on the Internet is more extensive over the past 5 years (Curry.com, www.dailysourcecode.com,DaveNet.com , davewiner.userland.com/).

Both Winer and Curry have contributed significantly to the development of online communities and it can be stated that these two men have driven the Internet and the way we use it forward greatly. Curry and Winer have been agents of change as they have shown persistence in overcoming the obstacles they faced during the development of their products. Winer in an interview in 2005 (Nerd TV)was talking about the importance that RSS can't be owned, he said it's power is that it creates a level playing field for bloggers and big news corporations alike. Being an open source means everyone can use it and it can be modified to benefit the users of online communities.

References
Curry, Adam. June 2005, Keynote address, Gnomedex 5.0
Daily Source Code, 2009, www.dailysourcecode.com
Curry, 2009, 11 Sept, Curry.com
Webopedia, 2009, podcast, www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/podcasting.html
Winer, David, 2009, David Winer’s personal website http://davewiner.userland.com/outlinersProgramming
Winer, David, September 2005, Interview Nerd TV, Father of RSS & Web Logging, http://cnettv.cnet.com/nerd-tv-episode-6-dave-winer/9742-1_53-13054.html
Winer, David, 2004, DaveNet.com
2009, last modified -4 September, Article - Adam Curry, Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Curry