I’ve been collecting a host of twitter tools for a blog entry for some time now. Although this is not an exhaustive list, it may be enough to help expand the usefullness of one of my favorite social media platforms. Check them out for yourself:

Twitter rank – Like pagerank for twitter users.

Twitter search – Want to look for particular terms (or your own name, brand or competition) on twitter? This is the tool!

Twitter Fan Wiki: Apps – Want to find the best of the twitter platform apps for your own use, check out this exhaustive list.

Twitter alerts: TweetBeep – Would you like an email when someone on twitter mentions you or your products or your company — or even your favorite topic? This is the tool… but beware, too-general terms will overflow your inbox in minutes!

Twitter pictures: TwitPic - Expand the platform from 140 characters to include photos with this service.

Tweet from Firefox: TwitBin – If you love Firefox as much as I do, and would like to twitter directly from there, try this addon.

Twitter in groups – Want a way to narrow the collective into groups and specific conversations/discussions? Try tweetworks.

Tweet-grid – Select a handful of topics you would like to follow and create a browser-based grid to hold them all. I tested this during the election and found it to be quite useful.

Twitter directory – get listed here and find people with similar interests!

Prettify your twitter – grab a twitter background to rise above the norm.

Twitter hashtags – a way to group specific keywords/topics when trying to stay on top of twitter speak.

Tweet clouds – ever wonder what you tweet about most often? Find out!

Twitter cost – once you start following some of the bigger names, you may find that you don’t have the time to read all those microposts. Check the guy/gal here before committing to a follow — or do a vanity check on yourself. Are you worth the cost? Are they? (Also shows the political index of any twitter user.)

And, if all this talk of Twitter is like Greek to you, try Jason Hiner’s excellent Twitter article as your intro to this platform. It’s from May of this year, but is a great starting place for those new to twitter or twit-wanna-bes.

I’d welcome any additions to this list, so tell me what you guys use!

(Note: Bluebird photo courtesy of gracey of morguefile.com)

Ubiquity, by definition, means being everywhere (or at least seeming to be everywhere) at once. That’s the dream I’ve tried to fulfill for decades. Now, even though I’m more about “slowing down” and taking life a bit easier — I’m still a stress-monger when I’m online.

When I’m on the web, I always juggle a dozen things (at least) at any given time. So when I find a tool that promises some relief… I’ll take it!

I find that my online workstyle is a bit schizophrenic — I’m so many different people, going in so many different directions. The problem is compounded now that I’m participating in several social networking groups. It’s hard to get all the different versions of me synthesized back into a single entity once my workday is over.

Life seems a bit fractured. Between you and me, carrying an iPhone everywhere doesn’t help, but I won’t eliminate that complication — I’m addicted.

A new Foxfire addon, Ubiquity, promises to whittle away at my problem. And the way it does it — by using standard language commands to do a whole slew of tasks online from inside your browser window — is simply awe-inspiring!

With a shortcut command (the standard is alt-space, but you can set it to anything you like), a grease-monkey overlay pops up and you can use plain language to do what you want. Like… “Twitter I’m testing Ubiquity and am loving it!” and it updates your twitter. Ditto for the steps to update Facebook. Other platforms are probably planned for the future.

I’m still just testing this little gem, but so far, I’m loving it. It’s still under development. It’s free. And, it promises to be just one more reason that I’ll never give up Firefox.

The only thing that I don’t like is that it’s still limited to Google Calendar and Google Mail for the quick launch apps (and I’m using Google Apps which doesn’t play the same way.) Learn more on the Ubiquity Wiki. Then download Ubiquity and try it for yourself!

Being “sociable” on the web can have huge payoffs. Provider-customer communications have never been more important. In the old face-to-face days, small business owners maintained a manageable number of extremely loyal clients, all of whom were accustomed to seeing the small business owner in person.

If customers had a concern, a question, a request or a problem — the business owner was there, in person, to work it out.

Social networking and web 2.0 (yeah, I know, I’m tired of those phrases too) are high tech tools offering new delivery platforms to achieve this classic caliber of old-time service.

• Loyal customers develop as a result of good relationships. (Give someone a bad experience when they are buying products or services, without remedy, and they will probably not come back.)
• If you have a relationship and there is a problem and you FIX the problem personally, they will not only come back, they will love you for going “above and beyond.” This scenario will build loyalty more than a flawless experience.
• They will talk about you. If you give excellent service or exceedingly poor service, your customers will tell others. That word-of-mouth advertising will make or break your business — especially online.

Social networking helps you to build strong, personal relationships with potential and existing clients, even though you may never meet them “face-to-face.” The new social tools permit personal interaction even before the first sale. It also offers an amazing built-in referral network.

If you aren’t currently participating, consider broadening your horizons. Select one or two platforms from the major players, fill out your profile page and join in the conversation.

Quit being a wall-flower at the Internet dance!

(NOTE: photo courtesy of Clarita at MorgueFile.com)

Until recently, I found it exhausting to juggle all the online “faces” of me. The social networking thing was just completely out of control. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been evaluating where I spend my online time (socially speaking) and where I enjoy being the most.

I wanted to do the 80/20 thing on social networking (the same way I’ve tried to apply it to other portions of my life). What I didn’t expect was to get all tied up with a massive time-suck while doing so. But, stuff happens.

It all started when I rediscovered Tumblr…

My Tumblr Experience

I’ve had a Tumblr account for forever, but it was just sitting there… like so many of my social identities. Recently, I wondered if I could use it as the “go to” place for all my online snippets and info. My experiment has become my own little monster. It sucked up alot of my time for a few weeks. I was always tweaking the layout, getting my own URL, trying new ways to get the information up there quickly and easily.

I fell in love! It’s so easy to post, so quick, and with a sidebar RSS here on WB, it makes my updates insta-matic!

I’m not willing to go with ONLY a Tumblr Blog — although the thought has been tempting. Using it really brought me into the “soundbite” era — and I now appreciate media catering to the “television-commercial-length-attention-span” I once despised. Gone are the overwhelming urges for long, verbose blog posts. (I’d rather just grab something interesting (or bizarre) that I find and slap it up on my Tumblr.)

Blogging on the Fly: No — REALLY!

Having a shortcut on my Firefox browser makes it easy to grab my online finds and share the golden ones. (If you want something to get ALL your social networking options in one place, try Sharaholic.) I also purchased Tumblrette for my iPhone (for $1.99) and find that having a quick and easy way to post when I’m out (including quick snapshots from my iPhone’s camera) makes me use the Tumblr blog much more often. It’s probably the best 1.99 I’ve ever spent at the apps store.

Tweaking it so my Twitters are automatically included, and so my blogs here on WB are also auto-magically added (along with other social networking automatic updates) has resulted in Tumblr becoming my personal online mashup.

I know that when I get time, I’ll be tweaking it more. I’d like to (eventually) host it myself — I’m not even sure if that’s possible yet. The brief research I’ve done hasn’t turned up any simple methods to accomplish this. In the meantime, visit my ever-evolving tumble log over at angelaallenparker.com.

And if you are just starting to blog… it’s a great “leg up” on the process. Tumblr makes blogging really fun. And it’s low-maintenance and it’s multi-format friendly. It’s a great way to create your own online “mashup” and can even be used to organize research and online finds (if you use your tags intelligently).

Now, I’ve “whittled down” my online time Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts and I don’t spend much time on them anymore. The others are there, and I add them to my profiles, but I don’t really spend time with them. (I can’t… all my extra time is spent on my Tumblr!)

I had such high hopes for Apple’s “cloud.” I believed (I really did) that it would be the answer to my mobile dreams. For years I’ve searched for a way to get what I need quickly and easily from anywhere. I’ve tried sync programs, I’ve tried web apps. I’ve used a laptop, a Treo (or two or three), a Tablet PC, and now an iPhone.

I’m so in love with my iPhone, I just assumed MobileMe would be another fantastic product from the mind of Apple. I’m glad Newton wasn’t under the tree when this Apple product fell. History may have been quite different.

I don’t want to use Outlook and although I’ve been seriously considering buying an iMac, I’ve not done so yet (despite the rather suspicious “second chance” offer on that one eBay iMac that I nearly won). Mobile Me won’t let me upload my information from Google. Nope, I can’t upload my calendar, not even in iCal format. I have to Sync it. That means I’d have to either load up Outlook on my computer again (ain’t happenin’) or hand enter all the calendar items (that’s probably not going to happen either.)

I love Gmail as a “cloud” app — the search ability is obviously without competition, the spam filters and the ability to avoid viruses and not have to maintain alot of extra CPU-devouring programs on my system is made possible by Gmail. I adore using Gmail with only a few caveats (notably the “sent of behalf of” addressee information) and I think using Google Apps may address those. I’ll know soon.

I want to keep Gmail. Does the Apple email program have the same quality of spam filtering, virus protection and search? Doubt it.

But I can’t upload my email to MobileMe from Gmail either. If there’s a way, it’s some convoluted backward, third-party app sort of methodology. I’m no longer interested in finding a difficult way to get things done. Nor am I willing to change the way I do business to facilitate the use of certain technology. I’ve done that for years. It’s over.

So, the simplicity that is the beauty of the iPhone is completely lost on MobileMe. Suddenly I don’t really want to be “mobile-me” I think I want to be “mobile-somebody-else” — somebody who has an easier way to make the cloud, the iPhone, and the computer play nicely.

Aside from the lack of functionality it’s SLOOOOOWWWW. I mean creeping. Like molasses in January… outside… during a particularly cold snap… in Vermont. It’s THAT slow. And, it throws errors after making you wait.

I’m going to give it a full 30 days out of my 60 day trial period before making a final decision. I hope I’ll be eating crow… Maybe there will be enough of an uproar from people like me that they will add some real-world functionality to the product… but somehow I doubt it.

I had hoped MobileMe would be my “IT” app. It isn’t.

For the past week, every spare moment has been dedicated to the search for my own personal Holy Grail for my entrepreneurial business … A project management tool for the freelancer who collaborates with others.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? I’ve reviewed dozens (literally) of the options currently available. From the over 60 options I’ve seen, I’ve narrowed them down to just a few and then gone searching again over and over.

When I discovered Worketc.com, I started rethinking what I’d like this project management tool to do. I thought that maybe there was an “all-in-one” option out there that would replace all the little web-based apps I have started to use as well as the others I’m still seeking and/or evaluating.

Worketc.com has almost everything I want… close, but no cigar. I may have to settle for it, but before I’m willing to “settle” for anything, I wanted to define exactly what I want and search one more time.

In a perfect world, I’d be able to find a system that has all the tools I need to work more efficiently (from anywhere) the way I already work. I am no longer willing to change the way I work, the service I offer to facilitate the tools I use. Enough of that already!

With that in mind, I’ve created my “wish list” in two parts. One part is “Must Have” items and one part is the “it sure would be nice” list the third portion is me dreaming a bit, but still…

The program must have:

1. Simple intuitive interface
2. Tasks list that is sortable by project and by assignee
3. Email notification of assigned and completed tasks
4. Quick glance of latest activity on each project
5. File uploads area
6. Meeting notes area
7. Client login
8. Ability for clients to see progress
9. Client task list that they can check off

Would be nice:

1. Internal email
2. Contacts Management Database
3. Journal function
4. Searchable Notes area
5. Ability to create tasks via email
6. Timer (punch clock) and time sheet
7. Simple invoicing
8. Simple accounting
9. Multiple calendars (for each involved party, listing their tasks)
10. Ability to import calendars into Outlook and to subscribe in gCal

In a perfect world:

1. An offline option that syncs with the online option
2. Interactive whiteboard area for visual tools when meeting with clients
3. Ability to upgrade to self-hosted on my server
4. VOIP option built in for use with client and collaborative meetings
5. Ability to record and store whiteboard/telephone/webinar meetings in the project file area
6. Ability to host up to 20 people for a webinar
7. Ability to backup to/use from a thumbdrive
8. Skinnable and brandable
9. Logon widget for wordpress for clients to use from my website

I’ve said for some time that my business really isn’t that complex, and it isn’t. A tool like this would meet most of the needs I have in an easy-to-use, customer-friendly and portable option.

I love CashBoard for my timer, invoicing and simple accounting online. I’d like it even better if I could merge those features into an all-in-one freelance solution like this to work from anywhere. I can imagine the day when I would only need to find a computer with a browser to work from anywhere, and then could sync that data with my own freestanding version daily at my own computer as an “onsite” backup.

With that freestanding version, I could also continue working even if the Internet was down or unavailable or otherwise “wanky” and then sync the next time I connected. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Today, I’m back to the drawing board again. Now that I’ve finally reviewed enough to know what’s available and have considered more thoroughly what I need, what I want and what additional features would make it a “silver bullet” for my business… I need to try to find what will most closely meet my specs.

After the third round of shorting, I have a list of ten (some free, some paid) including (in no particular order):

• Webasyst.net
• EasyProjects.net
• 5pmWeb.com
• CentralDesktop.com
• CreativeProOffice.com
• OfficeZilla.com
• Sosius.com
• ProjectOffice.net
• OnstagePortal.com
• MyQuire.com
• WorkETC.com

But I may go back to the proverbial drawing board again. None of these offers everything I want, and many only offer a small number of the items in my “must have” list. The weekend is still young.

By the time this weekend is over, I’ll have found a workable solution — even if I can’t have all my desires filled by a single option. I’ll review again and pick the best of the lot and get my data settled in a new home. I’ll let you know what I find.

In the meantime, if anyone has a suggestion that will satisfy my list, I’d LOVE to hear from you!

I’m loving Pandora. I really am. I like “discovering” new music that comes pre-matched to my musical tastes. It never gets old and there’s always some new artist, style or song to enjoy. If you haven’t tried it yet… go … do it. Now.

I have also found a literary version of the same “database analysis approach” to recommending new things to try, it’s called WhatShouldIReadNext.com. So if you want to get some qualified recommendations for your next book, give it a whirl.

Once you find the book you want to read, why not read it in the same way NetFlix lovers watch movies? Check out BookSwim, it’s the NetFlix of books. If you prefer to read your book recommendations online, why not try DailyLit – and read the books you want in “bitesized” pieces via email or RSS. That way, you can read it on your cell phone/smartphone as easily as on your computer monitor. (Try on one of the free titles for size before committing to buy.)

I’m a control freak. This means that I like having my stuff in my possession. It also means that this new wave… this new push to put everything on “web-based” apps on someone else’s servers… makes me a little nervous.

On the flip side, having a hard drive crash makes me a LOT nervous. Redundant drives with full backups help — but they don’t prevent that horrible sinking feeling and the quick, rabbit like thoughts of “what files have I touched since the last full backup?!?!?” when a hard drive burps.

Web based data eliminates that. It also eliminates the need for data storage expenditures (which cost me almost as much as my computers do each year). It eliminates all the cords strewn from the UPS (uninterrupted power supply) hogging the leg-room under my desk and those snaking across my desk to plug into the powered USB hub behind my monitor. Want to know a secret? Wires make me crazy. I hate them.

I’ve seen with the iPhone how the web-apps can be pretty nice indeed — so long as I have a connection to the Internet. All is lost when the edge network isn’t available.

Web-apps also eliminate the need for program installation (and reinstallation when you buy a new computer or do a complete re-gen on an old computer) and it would also prevent the cross-operating system incompatibilities I’m experiencing now as I make the transition to Linux. It lowers the operating cost for computers because it takes less powerful computers to run the higher-end apps when all the “heavy lifting” is being done server-side. There are fewer “software upgrade” costs and you are always running the latest version (even if the previous version was better, I should add).

It makes sense to have someone else take care of my stuff. It means I worry less, have more fun, do less work…

Or does it?

Maybe, like the old quote about those willing to give up freedom (read control) and privacy to gain security end up with neither.

I don’t want someone else to have access to all my “stuff” — even if that means I have to maintain it all myself. I know there must be some happy medium between what I do online and what I store offline. I’m trying to find that “sweet spot” but I’m having real battles with it.

I love Google Docs and Zoho Docs and all those look-alikes — they offer a great concept. But would I do mission critical, sensitive client work on it? Nope.

I also like Basecamp. It’s a great online tool. I use it with a partner to outline our next steps in a joint venture. Do I feel comfortable having all our stuff online? Not really. It’s convenient. It’s nice to know that both of us can gain access to this information at any time from any location. And, yes, I’ve read the privacy policy.

Can I be frank? Although I recommend that all my clients have a privacy policy — and only speak the truth in it, I still don’t really trust privacy policies on websites. I’ve written dozens of them and I’m a skeptic. I know they are only as good as those people who write them and those responsible for insuring the company follows them. There are too many variables there.

Yes, I enjoy the ability to do my banking online, but I’ve not quite managed to get comfortable with doing my books online. I have the urge to simplify my books — it’s more of a compulsion, less of an urge actually. I hate QuickBooks — online or offline. Despise it. I want to investigate FreshBooks online. It looks great, but I just can’t bring myself to do that yet. It seems too much like walking down the street in a sheer nightie — yeah, I may be covered, but how much effort would it really take to see all my “stuff” if you were really looking?

As I make the changes in my business model that are currently underway, I may become a bit more comfortable with the online world. I may have to. There may be no option soon.

I love the Internet. I love working online. My computer is (usually) my best ally and coolest tool in my business and creative endeavours. But my sense of individuality is threatened when I consider the ways my data can be taken, shared, hi-jacked, damaged, destroyed or lost.

Maybe the solution is to harbor less data and I am “cleaning up” my data files and my extra redundancies and old versions as I sweep through the new business data system I’m building. Maybe the solution is to share more freely and worry less. Perhaps I should follow the herd toward a web-based world — and I may eventually do that — but right now, I’m still sitting here with crossed arms shaking my head no.

Web apps have their place. I know this. And I don’t really have a problem with the apps being web-based. I have a problem with the data being there too.

I know that the best solution for mobility and for the non-tech users in the world is a web-based application mecca. I know that the hard drive space on the mobile devices can go way down when web-side data storage is implemented. I get it.

I’m just not sure I want it yet.

In a perfect world, the web-based apps would have a local computer-based backup app that would let you read and manipulate all the data files created in the web applications. (Having all my stuff in OneNote during this switch over to Linux has turned me against “proprietary formats” forever.) The data would be stored locally — or at least backed up to a local drive (fully encrypted from the web application of course).

That way, your information would never be held hostage, or held in a format that you can’t read or append. And I wouldn’t have this “sinking” feeling whenever I consider letting my critical data get out of my sight.

I guess I’m just not a trusting person. (*shrug*) So be it.

I’ve been looking for a Linux alternative to my current, beloved, timer program. Although I’ve not found what I’m looking for there, I have found a couple of fantastic resource lists that I’d like to share. They are lists of 100 software options for the “mission critical” stuff all remote professionals need. Lots of options here, and I’m seriously considering a couple of the web based versions to meet my needs rather than locating Linux friendly programs for everything.

I have always hesitated to have my mission critical stuff on web-based apps — but I’m beginning to embrace it. I’m using Basecamp now and I must say that I like it, I’m also poking around at Highrise, so I’m probably going to investigate othersimilar online options as well. I’m just not quite ready to turn over my timer and my accounting to an online web app. Not quite yet. I’m too much of a control freak for that — I want my data on my computer!

But if you are seeking a better way to do anything as a freelancer or as an outsourcing provider of any type — full-time or part-time — these resources may be just what you need… (more…)

I finally signed up for Twitter. I’ll be investigating several options for ways to incorporate that type of “quick update” here on WickedBlog for those times when I’ve got a quick little something to say and I’m out and about with the iPhone.

I’m testing two iPhone Twitter options now: (more…)

I wanted to be sure I could take my calendar information with me on my iPhone. Since I’m not a Microsoft Outlook user anymore, I had to find another way to sync up my information.

Recently, the latest calendar plug-in for Thunderbird (Lightning) was released and after the upgrade, I also added this Thunderbird plugin to allow bi-directional updates to Google Calendar directly from my Lightning calendar. (more…)

Ok, the new hasn’t worn off. In fact, the more I work with it, the more I love it. I’m working to find the online, web-based apps that will make it my tiny palm-sized dream machine. I’ve always hesitated to rely on web-based versions of my core work programs, but I’m now seeing how nicely these web-based programs mesh with use of the iPhone.

I’m sure I’ll be mentioning what I find and offering reviews on what works well over the next days, weeks, and possibly even months. But, for now, here are a few impressions and some finds from my play-time this weekend with my new iPhone:

(more…)

I was browsing through my most recent issue of Wired Magazine this week when I noticed an article about a new online community for kids. It’s sounded so cute, I had to go check it out for myself. And, I’m glad I did — it’s simply adorable!

(more…)

Want to buy a year of college on eBay? Someone just did! eBay recently hosted an auction for one year of tuition, room and board at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. The value for the item? $23K. The final sales price? $18,669.99. (The auction ended on Feb. 13, 2007, so I don’t know how long the link will stay live)

I wonder if this is something else that will catch on? Interesting time, eh?

Less than a month into his project and with scores of people participating, Tino’s 2000 blogger’s project has been shut down. Technorati didn’t like it. It was, apparently, artificially boosting rankings on the Technorati site.
Personally, I thought it was a cool concept, to put “faces” on 2000 bloggers out of the nearly 60 million of us out there. I thought it was cool enough that I participated. I was in just after the 500 mark. But now it’s being blasted as a link farm scheme.

*shrug*

I’m against link farms, and always have been. But, to me, this seemed like more of a novelty. It made me go and click on sites that I otherwise may never have seen. It was a variety filled collection of bloggers from all walks of life. The resulting “artificial” link hype aside, it was a novel idea.

It’s been taken down by the creator now, with his apologies. It’s now relegated to the history of blogdom — and although it’s not something seen as “good” right now in some circles, I’m still glad I was there. I’m still glad I participated and I still think it was fun.

Technorati: social networking, 2000 bloggers, Tino, Technorati

Want to watch the latest YouTube content on your 5th generation iPod? My favorite magazine tells you how and runs through those steps in an online-accessible article. I’ve not tried it yet, although my son is anxious for me to give it a whirl — for HIS iPod, of course. Here’s the link…

Video How-To for YouTube.com to iPod conversions and downloads.

technorati tags: you+tube, YouTube, ipod, video, downloads, how+to

Today, Government Technology released an article with some pretty alarming statistics on where America is in the digital revolution. We are losing.

The article, The Truth Behind America’s Digital Decline, by S. Derek Turner, offers a great snapshot of how far behind we are, including these little tidbit-facts…

(more…)

In Kentucky, I wring my hands about the quality of the education. I blog about it, I become a thorn.

In China, the new eSchoolbook program is being launched, and even from the tiny bit of information I can find, it sounds pretty awesome. Now, if only I could get this type of high-tech education approved for home schooling my own — or permitting them to have quality distance learning.

This weekend, I talked with a client over lunch about the educational systems in Kentucky and Georgia. And his idea, married with this high-tech concept, makes perfect sense to me. Why not have the BEST teachers in the country teaching the classes and doing the presentations and have the local teachers on hand to answer questions that arise from those presentations?

(more…)

After all the hubbub over Google’s satellite earth imagery product… MS has launched the beta of their own local, imagery product in certain locations (one of which is right here in Kentucky… in Lexington). I used the bird’s eye view to zoom into my past — and found the apartment where I lived when I met Wayne (we met back in college) just off the University of Kentucky campus on Conn Terrace. (more…)

Lately, I’ve been writing a series of articles on the advantages, and near necessity, of using the current local search specific options to get your website seen in the regional market… on all the big-boy search engines (and a few big-boy directories and indexes) and (as you know by now) I’m a Treo nut. That said, a professional peer sent me to the following site to listen to a song by one of the Google Mobile Team’s bloggers…

Listen to Get Lost and Found on Your Phone by blogger Matt Waddle of the Google Mobile Team.

I thought all you Treo users might get a kick out of it.

Now THAT’s promoting your product!

*grin*