Twitter: From Text-Only to Multi-(Tweet)-Media?
Social media and technology website Mashable recently discovered a potential new feature for Twitter, the popular micro-blogging service. In an article entitled Twitter to Show Photos and Videos in the Stream, Mashable writer Ben Parr described a new option that he had stumbled across in his Twitter settings, tentatively called Tweet Media. In a screenshot from the article, the new setting had the following description:
“By default, you’ll only see images and videos shared by people you’re following, and reveal those by people you’re not. Check this box to see media from everyone on Twitter.”
Parr speculated that this potential new feature could signify a fundamental change in the Twitter experience for users. He later updated his article twice: initially to report that the new setting had been removed and then to include a statement from an anonymous source at Twitter, who stated:
“We’re constantly exploring features and settings. What you saw was a small test of a potential consumption setting for inline media. We show inline media on our own iPhone and Android apps.”
Web Presence: What’s in a Name?
In a previous post on personal branding, I wrote about the importance of managing your web presence. One of the most obvious ways to do this is to take ownership of the information that people may find when they search for your name on the Internet. However, this is easier said than done. If you have a common name, like John Smith, then you know that searching for your name will likely turn up more information for other people than it will for you. Even if you have an uncommon name, like–say–Dieter Schweiss, you can find information that may surprise you.
WWDC 2010: Miss the iPhone 4 announcement yesterday? Watch it now!
If you didn’t get a chance to watch the keynote speech by Steve Jobs yesterday at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (a.k.a. WWDC 2010), don’t panic! Apple made a replay of the keynote (called by some “The Steve Jobs Show”) available on their website earlier today.
However, that replay is in Apple’s QuickTime format, and if QuickTime doesn’t float your boat (i.e., you find it to be incompatible, buggy, or just downright annoying), Apple also posted a full-length video of the keynote on its little-publicized YouTube channel. We’ve embedded it below for your viewing pleasure. Go ahead. Click play, sit back, and revel in the nearly 2 hours-worth of tech gadgety goodness that is the iPhone.
Netbooks: An Endangered Species?
Social media and technology website Mashable recently published an article that postulated the question: Is the iPad Killing Netbooks? Based on data from the Retrevo website, it certainly seems like netbooks may become an endangered species; however, it looks like the iPad isn’t the only predator of netbooks on the portable computing savanna.
According to Retrevo’s data, when they polled consumers who were deciding between a netbook and a laptop for their next computer purchase, respondents voted overwhelmingly in favor of laptops by a margin of 30% over netbooks. The majority of people who were interested in netbooks cited portability as the primary factor for wanting to purchase a netbook in the first place; price and battery life were secondary factors. While netbooks are indeed highly portable, their lack of a DVD drive makes them less attractive for business, entertainment, and even gaming purposes than low-end laptops. Also, many laptops are just as small and portable as their netbook cousins without any loss in features, and they are not much more expensive these days.
On the tablet side of things, there is no doubt that the iPad excels when it comes to portability, and the general “wow factor” of the iPad hasn’t entirely faded yet. As Mashable and Retrevo both noted, 30% of people who would have otherwise purchased a netbook, purchased iPads instead. In a similar poll of would-be netbook purchasers, 78% of respondents were now more interested in purchasing iPads than netbooks. Ouch.
HootSuite: A Review of Features in Version 1.1.1 for iPhone
HootSuite is a Twitter client similar to TweetDeck, in that you can view multiple columns of Twitter feeds at the same time. Unlike TweetDeck, which exists as a stand-alone program, HootSuite runs in a Web browser (see HootSuite.com). Like TweetDeck, HootSuite also has a Twitter application for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Recently, HootSuite updated this app to version 1.1.1, and this review will guide you through the new features and take you on a tour of existing features.
I have mentioned in previous reviews that I look for very specific features in a Twitter client, including (but not limited to): Twitter list management, follower management, gap detection, and an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI). HootSuite has many of those features, but does this application provide enough of them to satisfy this Twitter veteran?
iPad Hype: Too Much of a Good Thing?
As an owner of an iPod Touch (a.k.a. an iPad Mini), I see the value in having a hand-held device that gives me access to the Internet, e-mail, social media tools (e.g., Twitter and Facebook), and several thousand applications. The fact that it uses Wi-Fi, instead of 3G like the iPhone, limits my access to locations that have wireless networks, so I have to plan accordingly. The funny thing is, like many tools, I didn’t know that I needed an iPod Touch until I had it, and now I can’t imagine life without it.
And that’s the problem. Nine months ago, I didn’t have my iPod Touch, and my ignorance was blissful. Now, I use it every morning to check my e-mail and the weather forecast as I’m stumbling into the bathroom. After my shower, I catch up on Facebook and Twitter. During breakfast, I make sure that the world hasn’t stopped without me while browsing news stories with the NPR and AP apps. And so it goes…
Enter the Apple iPad
Going Green: Promoted Tweets and the Monetization of Twitter
Twitter recently announced on its blog that it has decided to “go green,” following in the footsteps of companies such as Google and Facebook, which have also implemented their own green policies. This revelation came as a surprise to some users, while others have been expecting such a move for quite some time now. Twitter shared the name for its new green policy as part of its announcement, a service that it calls Promoted Tweets. However, there is more to this new service than simply promoting a Lieutenant Tweet to a Captain Tweet.
TwitBird Pro for Twitter: A Review of Features in Version 2.4.2 for iPhone
I mentioned in my review of Osfoora, a Twitter client for iPhone and iPod, that I have been searching for my version of an ideal, mobile Twitter client for quite some time. As a follow up to that article, I decided to review another of my favorite Twitter clients, TwitBird Pro. Like Osfoora and Tweetie 2, TwitBird Pro currently retails for $2.99 in the iTunes App Store, and one feature that immediately sets it apart from most other Twitter clients for iPhone is its ability to use push notifications. By default, TwitBird Pro supports push notifications between two users who send mentions or direct messages with TwitBird Pro to each other. Also available via an additional in app purchase is support for global push notifications, which removes the need for other users to have TwitBird Pro when they mention or direct message you.
Osfoora for Twitter: A Review of Features in Version 1.2.0.1 for iPhone
After reading Justin E. Gehrke’s recent review of the Tweetie 2 application for iPhone, I purchased Tweetie 2 and installed it on my iPod. I have to admit that I found its plentiful features very impressive, so much so, that I switched from using Echofon to Tweetie 2 as my primary Twitter app of choice. And yet, there are some things about Echofon that I miss in Tweetie 2, such as being able to select from a list of people that I follow when composing tweets.
I still haven’t found that single Twitter app that does everything I want to, though. That is I hadn’t until I found Osfoora for Twitter….
Web Presence: The Importance of Building Your Personal Brand
March 17, 2010 – Whether you’re a long-time resident of the virtual world, or a relative new-comer, one thing is certain: you have a presence on the Internet. The question is, “Does your virtual self accurately represent your real life self?”
Unlike that can of soda from the vending machine down the hall that you purchased for your lunch break, you are not a commodity to be bought and sold on the open market; however, your skills and knowledge are. And just like there are multiple manufacturers of soda, there are plenty of people out there who have the same skills and knowledge that you do.
