How did you spend your 2006? Were you in search of inspiration, or were you busy creating content that inspired others? Were you doing your best to juggle multiple projects or did you finally take that much needed breather? The ultimate question being…

Was this how you really wanted to spend your time?

With the spirit of that question in mind and in lieu of the more traditional Year End Best Of Worst Of List or a Forecast Of Somewhat Obvious Predictions, I wanted to welcome in MMVII by sharing with you a cross section of the companies, tools or content that I experienced over the past year that either provided a creative spark or produced at least a subtle shift in the way I think or work.

Brightcove: While YouTube sucked up all the oxygen in the online video space in 06, Brightcove may turn out to be the company to watch for the independent Content Developer.

screenshot of Brightcove’s tools for content owners

Some Content Developers I’ve met through the years love creating their content but quickly break into a cold sweat when they realize that they also have to find a way to generate some revenue from it. Founded by ColdFusion creator Jeremy Allaire, Brightcove may bridge this gap in skill sets by offering solutions for a content owner to not only globally distribute their video but also monetize and syndicate their content.

If Brightcove continues to gain traction, could the most effective online video content marketing and distribution strategy for 07 and beyond be to release your viral via YouTube and then distribute and monetize your content through Brightcove?

Podtech.net: 2006 marked a tipping point in my audio content consumption habits while commuting, having finally kicked local radio station listening to the curb for the most part in favor of near fulltime podcast listening. One Content Developer that helped make this transition possible is podtech.net.

With such a vast quantity of on demand audio content now available, sifting through it all and finding a source that consistently delivers a high percentage of what you’re after can be a challenge, even with the help of iTunes. If you’re the type that views time in your vehicle as an opportunity to learn new things or stay current on technology, marketing and entrepreneurship, then podtech.net may be just be what you’re looking for.

On a side note - I’m still looking for a quality sports talk podcast where the content doesn’t grow stale within a day. If you know of a podcast like that, please drop me a line.

Who Killed The Electric Car:

When you hear the assortment of activists from one side of the political spectrum that are associated with this project, some of you may be tempted to run in the other direction fearing exposure to a 90 minute partisan rant. But no worries. While this documentary does have a point of view, it makes its case with some smarts and relative objectivity, and doesn’t resort to blaming all the world’s energy woes on Big Oil and W. (only some of them)

With all the talk these days about the promise of hydrogen power, biodiesel, and other alternative energy sources, Who Killed The Electric Car makes a compelling case that we may have had an answer right in our grasp and somehow let it slip away.

Clap your Hands Say Yeah: This band broke out in 2006 and their true indie spirit is something to applaud. If your musical tastes might appreciate a sound influenced by early alternative - think quirky Velvet Underground type tracks layered with sometimes fitful David Byrne like vocals - then you may actually dig their music too.

Being a casual fan of pre punk, that artistic heritage worked for me. And after encountering a song title like Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth, the attraction became impossible to resist.

But even if that isn’t your particular cup of tea, their approach may inspire the artist in you. Musicians are Content Developers after all, and Clap You Hand Say Yeah’s passion for and success at writing, producing, performing and distributing their content along with the use of viral marketing to build a new band brand could be a case study on the impact of the democracy of distribution.

Creating Passionate Users: I got the chance to meet this blog’s author Kathy Sierra after her packed presentation at SXSW 2006. Kathy’s audience is large because no matter what kind of content you are creating, her insight provides a regular source of both encouragement and lessons on what it takes to create a meaningful and lasting connection with your users. Plenty going on for both your left and right brain and definitely a must feed to put in your rss reader.

The MIT Registry of Standard Biological Parts: As we mere mortals begin to unlock the power of Synthetic Biology to build new physical systems and program them in much the same fashion as a software engineer might design instructions for a computer, this open source index of new biological parts, or biobricks, and the International Genetically Engineered Machines Competition may provide us an indication of both the incredible promise and potential peril of what the future holds.

My knowledge of this subject matter comes mostly from researching a screenplay that explores these themes. So, make no mistake, I’m no expert on it. Still, I wanted to include this on our list here because if ever there was such a thing as a paradigm shift, this must certainly be it.

And for Content Developers, will there be a day when your content will be distributed via a biological system? Forget current high resolution leaders like High Definition or Hybrid Digital, will there come a time when HD is understood to mean Human Distribution?

The human body as a premium distribution platform? An embedded Flash plug-in for your cerebral cortex? YouTube becomes, well…you?

If you’re interested in the speed at which what is currently science fiction is becoming reality, this TedTalks presentation from Ray Kurzweil is worth your time.

PaidContent.org: This blog and its sister site MocoNews.net have quickly become a daily must read for those interested in the business of content. And if you’re in between gigs, PaidContent’s job listings are among the highest quality out there.

Mozes: Over the past year ContentDeveloper.com spent a lot of time focused on methods for developing and distributing content to mobile devices. And apparently many of you are interested in this as well as the post Open Source SMS continues to be one of the most visited pages on this site. While working on a project in this space I was introduced to a company called Mozes that is making access to their sms short code available to the masses.

Mozes.com screenshot

Many companies are entering this arena, but the simplicity with which Mozes allows you to sign up, choose a free keyword and start experimenting with delivering on demand content to and interacting with a mobile audience is an empowering experience for those wanting to move onto the mobile platform.

Google Analytics: 2006 marked ContentDeveloper.com’s transition from primarily using Apache server logs and Webtrends to track our site traffic to using Google Analytics along with their collection of other Webmaster Tools. We still use the Webtrends/access_log combo on occasion, but a shift has taken place.

The ability of the potent mix of Google Analytics, Webmaster Tools, Adwords and Adsense to provide the independent Content Developer with a foundation of tools to market, monetize and measure the global distribution of your work is something to celebrate.

A Prarie Home Companion:

YouTube Enclosure

The night I saw this film on DVD I thought it was nice, but only ok. But then Robert Altman who directed the picture died the next day. That strange coincidence propelled me to research the circumstances of his a death a bit more. In doing so I learned that he’d been sick for a while and wasn’t in the best of health when making the movie.

Underneath the surface story of the last broadcast of the radio show that also serves as the title of the movie, the film also contains some subtle and not so subtle themes about death. When I later thought more about the picture in the context of a dying man trying to convey some wisdom, the movie’s impact grew.

The film’s style and subject matter is pretty folksy and no doubt not for everybody, but the craftsmanship is excellent, the casting top notch, the story well told and the layers run deep.

With the world in the midst of what the Institute for the Future calls a cambrian explosion of creativity it’s tough to single out only a few for mention here. But there you have it, with the hope that as you pursue your own goals and resolutions for the new year, somewhere in this mix you might find a tiny catalyst to dream bigger, work smarter or simply enjoy your own journey a little more.

Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous New Year from ContentDeveloper.com. May your 2007 be filled with time well spent.