Category: Technology

I love ‘Remember the Milk’!

Image representing Remember The Milk as depict...
Image via CrunchBase

The hosted task management system with the funny name is one of my favorite tools. Just this morning as I was hacking through my todo list, I tweeted that I was reminded what a great tool it is. Then, as fate would have it, I saw this post commemorating their 4th bday…

“Four years ago yesterday, we breathed a sigh of relief: after more than a year of development, our super-secret project was finally ready to launch! Little did we know that the adventure of Remember The Milk was only just beginning…

Five days after our launch, there was already a crazy 50,000 tasks being managed with RTM. Perhaps that should’ve given us some indication of what we were in for, but it wasn’t until 2007 that we figured out that, well, we might need a little help. (It turns out that two people and a stuffed monkey working full-time on a free app with some serious hosting bills does not a sustainable service make.)” Source: Remember The Milk – Blog

Remember the Milk, or RTM, is everything a task management system should be and it synchronizes with my BlackBerry and iPhone and integrates seamlessly with my Gmail account through their Firefox plugin. Of course I’m a pro subscriber! Question is, why aren’t you?

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Tactic #1: Master Firefox!

Image representing Seth Godin as depicted in C...
Image via CrunchBase

First, what’s this nonsense about ‘Tightening your Tribe’? Well, it’s a reference to Seth Godin’s social media masterpiece ‘Tribes‘. As I read the book, I really enjoyed the strategic discussion but found any reference to practical, tactical tools was missing. I therefore decided to create a series of posts on tools that could possibly accompany the book. This is the first post — there are 9 more. I hope you enjoy them all!

Just in time for the first major entry in my series ‘Top 10 Tactics and Tools for Tightening your Tribe’, Google was kind enough to do a short video on the topic of browsers…

They even launched a new site called What Browser? for people who are unclear on the concept. The truth is there are dozens, maybe hundreds, of different browsers you can use to view content on the internet, but most people never venture beyond the familiarity of Internet Explorer. Personally, I go back and forth between the 5 browsers [Internet Explorer, Firefox, Flock, Chrome and Safari] I have installed on my computer and many times I have multiple browsers open at the same time because not only is it possible, but also desirable, to use a certain browser for a specific task.

I have joked before that Firefox is my wife and Chrome is my mistress, but my wife does not think that analogy is very funny. Maybe it’s better said that Firefox is my workhorse and Chrome is my show pony. In either case, I do most of my work in Firefox, although I am using Chrome more and more — especially with web-based Google products. So why do I love Firefox so much? Let me break it down for you… Continue reading “Tactic #1: Master Firefox!” →

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I’m continually in awe…

…of great technologists or entrepreneurs whose work solves critical problems, often while battling against great adversity. Despite our obsession with our current high tech culture, not all such stories come from this decade — or even this century.

I just finished watching the first part of a two part A&E series called Longitude based on Dava Sobel’s best seller which I had read a few years ago, but apparently forgotten until I saw the title on Netflix. The Wikipedia sets up the story in this way…

“Determining longitude on land was fairly easy compared to the task at sea. A stable surface to work from, a comfortable location to live in while performing the work and the ability to repeat determinations over time made for great accuracy. Whatever could be discovered from solving the problem at sea would only improve the determination of longitude on land.

Determining latitude was relatively easy in that it could be found from the altitude of the sun at noon with the aid of a table giving the sun’s declination for the day.[3] For longitude, early ocean navigators had to rely on dead reckoning. This was inaccurate on long voyages out of sight of land and these voyages sometimes ended in tragedy as a result. Continue reading “I’m continually in awe…” →

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Making the switch from Microsoft Office to Web apps

Image representing Bill Gates as depicted in C...
Image via CrunchBase

‘For him who has ears to hear!’ as the Good Book says. It’s possible to have a powerful computing experience without using a single Microsoft product [or paying a single penny to Bill Gates]…

“The only reason I’ve opened Microsoft Outlook or any other desktop e-mail program in the last year is to test tips. Since I added my ISP account to my Gmail in-box, and moved my Outlook appointments to Google Calendar, I get all the information I need in my browser.

Now I’m getting ready to boot Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for their Web alternatives, but before I bail on Office entirely, I stuck a toe in the Web-apps water by using the free ThinkFree Online service irregularly over the past few weeks. So far, I haven’t missed Word, Excel, or PowerPoint one bit. In fact, I appreciate the comparative simplicity of their Web counterparts, which have worked without a hitch–so far, at least.”

Click here to read more…

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“Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack…

Microsoft Office PowerPoint
Image via Wikipedia

… for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats” can help! Last week, I sent a PowerPoint preso to someone who couldn’t open it. I suggested that she download and install this free tool that is available at the source…

“By installing the Compatibility Pack in addition to Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP, or Office 2003, you will be able to open, edit, and save files using the file formats new to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007. The Compatibility Pack can also be used in conjunction with the Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003, Excel Viewer 2003, and PowerPoint Viewer 2003 to view files saved in these new formats. For more information about the Compatibility Pack, see Knowledge Base article 924074.” Source: Download details: Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats

Install it and you’ll never run into those obnoxious Office incompatibility issues again!

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How to save money running a startup (17 really good tips)


Image via CrunchBase

“The HowTo team at Mahalo has been an amazing surprise effort. We didn’t plan on making howto articles, but when we built various how to search pages we realized that many howto articles were, well, lacking. So, we started building select ones where we thought we could help. This one on how to save money is very good.” Click here to read the full article online…

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Learn Google Search Tips From the Pros

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Combining Online Meetings and Skype…

WebWorkerDaily Archive “Combining Online Meetings and Skype”

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I love to see my customers succeed…

wvwatchdogKudos to Steven Allen Adams who was recently named the top political blogger in the State of West Virginia by the Washington post…

“Who is the best political reporter in the Mountain State? That would be Steven Allen Adams, of West Virginia Watchdog, according to a Washington Post Top-50 list. We would like to congratulate Steve on a job well done.

“I’m am humbled to be chosen by the Washington Post for this honor,” said Adams. “West Virginia Watchdog is only two-weeks old, so that fact that someone has taken the time to nominate our website and my writing tells me that we’re doing something right. Now I must work to live up to the honor bestowed upon me.”” Source: Washington Post Names West Virginia Watchdog State’s Best Political Reporter

Steven’s West Virginia Watchdog site is proudly powered by e1evation, llc! Special thanks to my team of Heather and Jesse who did all the heavy lifting…

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Catch the Wave…

Image representing Google as depicted in Crunc...
Image via CrunchBase

Google Wave be the most innovative email tool since the dawn of email itself and the first 100k users have received access…

“Google Wave is one of the most anticipated new products to come out of Google this year. Technology blogs have been abuzz with excitement about this new communications and collaboration tool since Google first showcased it in May.

But so far, Wave, a shared online desktop where groups of users can exchange messages, share and edit documents, drag and drop widgets and play games, has been available only to a select group of developers. On Tuesday, Google is rolling out Wave to a slightly-less-select group: 100,000 users, including developers, people who signed up early on and some users of Google Apps, the company’s package of online applications.

In a blog post, Lars Rasmussen, an engineering manager for the group that created Wave at Google’s Australian offices, said that since the product was first shown publicly, Google has “focused almost exclusively on scalability, stability, speed and usability.” But he warned that bugs are still likely: “You will still experience the occasional downtime, a crash every now and then, part of the system being a bit sluggish and some of the user interface being, well, quirky.” (Of course, well-established Google products, like Gmail, also have had frequent bouts of downtime recently, including last week.)” Google’s Much-Anticipated Wave Opens Up a Bit – Bits Blog – NYTimes.com

Unfortunately, no matter how much I begged, Google wouldn’t include me. Stay tuned for details as they become available…

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I had a great time…

…at the Green Bay Net social media copnvention [thanks Elliot and Gina!] and thanks to my ‘board of advisors’, I revised the ‘tactics and tools’ mindmap and I had a great time with the folks who sat in on the preso. The content was well received so I’m planning on making an ongoing blog series out of the ‘Social Media Tactics and Tools [TNT? ;-)] mindmap. Stay tuned if you want to know all I do about effectively leveraging the same tactics and tools that I do each day…
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Online Meetings…

With the price of gas as it is, and time always being at a premium, the idea of online meetings is gaining in popularity…

“I’m a big fan of online meeting and collaboration tools. Among other things, they’ve saved me from some of the many flights and hotels that I used to have to put up with. I found this comparison of online meeting tools interesting.” Source: WebWorkerDaily » Archive Online Meeting App Study: GoToMeeting Tops Yugma? «

Personally, I find online meetings both effective and inexpensive. I use and recommend GoToMeeting — I’ll be happy to demo it for you if you contact me…

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Persistence…

“Persistence isn’t using the same tactics over and over. That’s just annoying. Persistence is having the same goal over and over.” Seth Godin

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‘Socialize’ your email…

No, I’m not talking about a plan for government to provide free email for all — that’s Google’s job! What I’m talking about is using your email to drive people to your home base or social media outposts. I advertise where I hang out online, what chat channels I use and what my latest blog post is with every email and all it takes is one, maybe two, free tools…

The first one is called Retaggr. Mashable says…

“What’s great about Retaggr is that it acts as the ultimate business card 2.0 for internet users who want to let people know who they are on the web as well as expand their personal brand. Likewise, Retaggr works as an ideal tool for bloggers who want their community of readers to get to know each other and participate more frequently.

With Retaggr, there is context around the comments on any given site. Names now become links that expand the Profile Card widget and showcase each owner’s virtual information without ever having to leave the site. Plus, blogs and sites that use Retaggr also get the photo tagging functionality which is similar to Facebook and Flickr, but takes it further by letting you see the names and Profile Cards of people in a picture all at one time.” Source: Retaggr: Stepping Up Online Activity with Super Business Card 2.0

Now here’s the cool part. Once you enter all your information into your ‘Super Business Card 2.0’, Retaggr gives you the embed code to create a cool signature file for every email client you use — Windows, Mac, Linux — makes no difference!

I have tested it with Office 2003, 2007, Thunderbird and Google mail — both Google Apps and Gmail — and it works like a charm. One catch, however, Google’s products don’t support html signatures so you need the second free tool which is a free Firefox addon called WiseStamp. The developer says…

“WiseStamp Firefox extension empowers your email signature on any webmail service (Gmail, Yahoo Mail, AOL, Hotmail, Google Apps…) Easily customize, Include IM & Social profiles, Automatically share your Blog posts, Quotes, News, Bookmarks and more… Enhance your personal and business email interactions” Source: Drive Traffic to Your Blog Simply by Using Your email Signature | WiseStamp Email Goodies

Using this approach not only makes it easy to reach me but also drives people to my social media outposts and ultimately draws them into my home base. Question is, why aren’t you ‘socializing’ your email?

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Alltop a single page blog dashboard of sorts | B2B Lead Generation Blog

Gathering information via newsfeeds is a critical part of the inbox zero approach to email. It will help you get distracting newsletters out of your inbox and into a newsreader where they belong.

“If you don’t have time to search though multiple blogs I recommend you check out Alltop. The site was launched by marketing wiz, blogger, author, entrepreneur & venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki.

What’s different about Alltop? It’s really a selection of the top 50 RSS feeds (i.e. mostly blogs) in 20 categories. All that information is collected listed in a single page. Personally, I’m finding Alltop useful for keeping up with other topics I’m interested in but don’t want to spend a lot of time on.

“Where are you going to put all the great stuff you find on Alltop? My suggestion is use Google Reader to collect and organize the feeds. Reader works with Gmail as a 1-2 combination to end clutter in your inbox. Gmail is for ‘just in time’ information and Reader is for ‘just in case’. Don’t let the two get mixed together…

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Are you master of your own domain?

No, I’m not talking Seinfeld here. ;-) Do you own your internet domain? I thought I did, but when I purchased it, I made a huge mistake — I got it through Google when I set up Google Apps. Don’t get me wrong — I love Google Apps! What I don’t love is what happens when you purchase a domain through Google while signing up for Google Apps…

When you purchase a domain as part of the signup process, Google assigns the domain to one of 7 different partners on an automated basis and it falls into some automated bit bucket. In reality, the process is like the ‘Hotel California‘ — you know, you can check in any time you want but you can never leave. I recently spent the better part of a month trying to get my corporate domain transferred to GoDaddy — after two failed attempts, I finally became master of my domain a week ago today.

How can you avoid this nightmare? By all means use Google Apps, but purchase your domain through your favorite hosting provider where you will have full control over the domain THEN make the necessary changes from there. Me? I prefer GoDaddy although I have tried HostGator and they have a great product too [although they charge too much for their domains, imho]! If you want corporate emails or your own website and this is all Greek to you, then give me a call and I’ll walk you through it — I’ll help you avoid the same mistake I made…

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Get started faster in Ubuntu | Workers’ Edge

“The more I use Ubuntu, the more I like it. That’s not to say I was happy with the operating system’s default start-up settings, however. Here are three Ubuntu tweaks that speed up the start of my workday.” Click the title to read more…

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Email Overload: Conquer Email Backlog with Inbox 0.5

“When you finally decide you’re going to empty your inbox on a regular basis, the hardest part is getting started—most likely because you’re already buried under an avalanche of messages. Blogger Jason Clarke offers a sensible approach to that first, most difficult push towards Inbox Zero, and he calls it Inbox 0.5. Clarke says that you can cut down a huge pile of messages without losing an entire weekend by processing HALF the number of backed up messages you’ve got each day. So if you’re starting with 700, reduce that to 350 the first day. If you’ve got 400 the next day, reduce that to 200. Rinse and repeat till you’ve conquered the backlog and are just maintaining an empty inbox with new mail that arrives.” Click the title to read more…

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Another mobile toddcast…

http://www.utterli.com/fp/slimline.swf?1228230653

Mobile post sent by toddlohenry using Utterli. reply-count Replies.  mp3

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I had a date with an old ‘flame’ this past week…

PowerBook G4
Image via Wikipedia

Not really — it just felt that way! David Sauter of Envano gave me a Powerbook G4 for a project we’re working on and it was the first time I had used a fast Mac running a current version of OS X. Ever…

I left the Mac back in 2002 — finally got that one job that insisted I move to Windows and left the platform. Prior to that, I had been a Mac user for 15 years — even worked 3 years for Apple — and I was a sold out Mac fanatic. Eventually, I had to leave my first computing love and I didn’t have a chance to look back until this week…

So how did it feel? Meh. That’s it, just meh! I wasn’t overcome by nostalgic feelings of love for my long lost platform and I didn’t get teary-eyed as I touched the keyboard again. Don’t get me wrong — Apple makes a nice notebook and OS X runs well. The big difference? Thanks to Apple’s success there are more hardware/software solutions available than when I worked at Apple during the dark ‘pre-Think Different’ days.

The one thing that make me really happy, though, was to see how well my current strategy of using tools that are cross platform Windows/Mac/Ubuntu is working. I’ve written recently about how for me, the hardware platform is becoming increasingly irrelevant — it’s all about how fast you can get into the ‘cloud’ and get your work done online! For me it’s all about Firefox and other free open source tools that are available for the price of a download. Here are some of the tools that I use and recommend:

You can grab the map and move it around or view it full screen. All of these tools work exceedingly well, run on Windows/Mac/Ubuntu, and are free. Free. And Ubuntu is a free operating system that runs Linux in a way that’s similar to Mac OS X.

The balance of power in the computing space is shifting and I’m glad that I made the move to the cloud and started using Ubuntu and free open source software. Contact me — I’ll be happy to talk with you about the impact this could have on you and your work…

Continue reading “I had a date with an old ‘flame’ this past week…” →

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Google Factory Tour of Search

Cool stuff in image searching…

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