A squirrel follows other people?

A friend shared with me a new Twitter account: http://twitter.com/COMMON_SQUIRREL At first glance this seemed pretty innocent and funny – but the part I don’t get is how this account is following other people.  If this is just a fun, but strange, idea what is the point of following other people?  Is something going on here?

Twitter/Facebook Client Recommendation: Seesmic Desktop

I finally have a good recommendation for a Twitter/Facebook Client: Seemsmic Desktop.  I’ve tested Tweetdeck, Hootsuite and Seesmic and found they all have good features.  For me the Seesmic Desktop had the set of functions I needed to be effective:

1. I needed access to the following.
   • 2 Twitter Accounts
   • Personal Facebook Account
   • Multiple Facebook FAN pages Read more »

Google Buzz: First Impressions

I’ve played with Google Buzz some the last few days and have some first impressions.  Frankly I’m still trying to find my equilibrium with social networks – the best way to interact with them.  I had heard about Buzz (from Twitter) so I decided to try it.  This involved doing something I hadn’t done for some time – log into Gmail.   I’ve never really been a Gmail user – as I’m used to my Outlook client and the multiple e-mail addresses I have.  In fact recently I merged 2 different outlook files together – plus and archive file.  I’m a pack rat when it comes to e-mails – keeping just about everything. Read more »

Twitter Custom Background

Here’s a brief guide to creating a customer twitter background.  I put one together – I’m not completely happy with it but I wanted to experiment with it – see https://twitter.com/andrewhelpme for what it looks like at present.  Here are the basic steps I took to make one:

1. I started with a basic rectangle that was 1600 x 1200 – so that it fills most monitor screens without repeating.
2. I added in a 200 pixel wide rectangle on the left.  This represents the maximum size my custom sidebar can take up. (I left this in place for demonstration purposes).
3. I then added a rectangle as the background.  In my case I picked a color off the header of my website (a bluish color).  I then picked a gradient option for that fill color and played around with gradient points to get a decent look.
4. I then started adding my own content:
   • I put a picture of me in the upper left-hand corner (unfortunately this doesn’t look as good as I hoped)
   • I put the logo of my corporation toward the bottom
   • I added in a catch phrase for my businesss
   • I put my website name vertically along the side
5. Here is the initial version of the background:
6. I wasn’t happy how that came out so I played around with it some more.
   • I made my picture smaller as it was too grainy.
   • I moved the website name to the top so it’s along the left edge – but starting from the top.
   • I made the logo smaller and moved it underneath the picture.
   • I then made a box around my picture, logo, etc. that had no interior but a hazy white exterior.
   • I removed the corporate log – as it was extraneous
   • I also then applied a “pattern” to the background rectangle to make it more interesting.
7. Here is the 2nd version of my custom twitter background

I did all my graphic editing in Macromedia Fireworks (now owned by Adobe) – but you could do this in pretty much any picture editing suite – except for paint.  I’m definitely not a graphics designer – so I’m trying something pretty simple…

Here are some other guides I found:

http://www.twitip.com/custom-twitter-backgrounds/

http://www.mytweetspace.com/

Book Review: What Would Google Do? by @jeffjarvis

I enjoyed reading “What Would Google Do?” by Jeff Jarvis.  This book, despite the title, was not so much about Google but about the impact of Google/Internet has had on companies – especially looking to the future.  Overall this book was a good read – as you can tell Jeff Jarvis is a college professor by the insights he has into the effect of Google.  If you wondering what the future will possibly be like for many businesses in an Internet age I would highly recommend this book.

For my own sake (and hopefully yours) I will now note some of the items I really learned from this book:

Read more »

Blogspot and Twitter same section?

I found this interesting – that a section of blogspot (Google) and Twitter look the same.  First is blogspot, next is Twitter:

Actually they are the inverse list – followers vs. following…. but the UI is very similar.

Is the digital decade here?

I was thinking today about the new decade (still hard to believe) but especially about digital pictures and video.  I’ve loved going digital with pictures – as opposed to film (am I the only one who never got around to developing film?).  I love the ability to take multiple pictures,  to review them, to see them on the computer, make slideshows, and videos.   I think it’s important to take these snapshots of our lives -as they’ll never occur again. Read more »

Am I Addicted to Information?

Sometimes I wonder if I’m addicted to information – I find myself enjoying Twitter and Facebook feeds, of listening to informative podcasts, reading books, watching Discover channel type shows, reading web page articles, etc. (sometimes at the same time).  I like the mental stimulation – sometimes continuous – to the point that playing with my kids can be boring sometimes.  When I’m cleaning the house I usually like the TV on for mental stimulation – at work I listen to podcasts to keep my mind occupied.  I’ll even listen to a podcast of the news while walking the dog.

Does that mean I’m addicted or is this a cultural trend? I’m not sure that I’m always spending my time in the best way – as I may be missing some of the quality things in life.  I know silence is valuable but I have such a hard time with it.  Of course, as I write this I’m watching  a football game – as I can’t just sit and watch the game….

@JeffJarvis – Are we losing the quality of our news – a Twitter effect?

I wonder if we are on the brink of losing some of the quality of our news – of the in-depth reporting that traditional media has delivered.  I find myself watching some news stories on twitter vs. reading an article in Time Magazine.   I believe that media is changing – and changing toward a new business model. However, I’m concerned if there will still the in-depth quality we need to get good quality information – to make use think beyond the headline. Read more »

Facebook surprised me

I’ve been surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed Facebook – for quite some time I was pretty convinced I didn’t need to go there.   A friend gave me an invite and I was hooked.  I’ve been surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed connecting with friends  -  especially those who have moved away.  That’s always been a challenge for me – as when friends move away I lose total contact with them.  I’ve tried to keep up with them in the past – but it’s never worked for me. Read more »