Jonathan Melhuish

This interview is with Dr. Ellis Jones of the University of California, author of the Better World Shopper guide. Now available in iPod and dead-tree versions, this guide seeks to give shoppers a simple, practical guide to which high-street brands are the most ethical and which to avoid. Due to the pocket-size format, there’s not a lot space for references or explanation in the guide, but Dr. Jones gave me a glimpse into how the ratings are calculated. He’s interested in using the web to allow greater transparency and more global coverage.

Download the Mp3 audio version or subscribe to the the podcast feed to get these interviews the moment they’re published.

In my ninth interview I spoke with Jake de Grazia from CarrotProject. He told me about their plan to approach subject experts and academics and ask them to contribute their opinions, then ask the community how much they trust each expert’s opinion. I think this approach mirrors what happens on Wikipedia, where most of the content seems to be created by a small number of specialists. Using the community as a trust filter is a thoroughly Web 2.0 re-take on the peer-review process.

You can download an Mp3 audio version or subscribe to the the podcast feed to get all these interviews as soon as they’re published.

Untitled from Jonathan Melhuish on Vimeo.

My latest interview is with Dara O’Rourke, CEO of GoodGuide, a slick web site (and iPhone app) that profiles the impact of 60,000 everyday products on health, the environment and on society. They have an impressive team of specialists leading the research, as well as inviting user reviews.

You can watch the interview below, get the Mp3 audio file or subscribe to the the podcast feed to get all of these interviews as soon as they’re online.

I recommend also watching the short demo video and accompanying article on TechCrunch, both of which provide a good introduction to GoodGuide.

This time I talked to Clay Ward from Buy It Like You Mean It. I guess many of you will already know Clay as it’s thanks largely to Clay’s contact list that we could start this collaboration. Clay told me a bit about their approach and his interests in collaborating.

Download the Mp3 audio version or subscribe to the the podcast feed to get the interviews as soon as they’re published.