Monday, July 23, 2007

My Favorite Web Services

Okay, for those of you who troll the MonkShack on a regular (or maybe less than regular?) basis, you've probably noticed that I've added some new stuff - feeds from Twitter and Jaiku, a community map from Frappr, a blog aggregator from Tumblr...and the list goes on. I figured it was about time I actually chronicle them in one spot so you can add these fun tools to your website too!

Some of my current faves are:
  • Twitter
    Twitter is a social networking, text messaging site. I love because I can post to it using a simple text message. Great for those times when internet connections are few and far between. Plus, you can get updates from your friends when they post on their Twitters...Of course, that means you have to have 1) friends and 2) friends with Twitters. Another cool feature is their mobile interface - one of the best I've found - at m.twitter.com. You'll also want to check out twittervision.com and twitterfeeds.com, two applications that will help you become as addicated to Twitter as I am.
  • Tumblr
    Tumblr is a great blog aggregator. If you're anything like me, you're almost always posting something, just in many different locations. I have something like 11 blogs that I post to on a (relatively) regular basis. Different topics or subjects go on different blogs, etc. I generally try to not cross certain blog-boundaries. But to remember what I posted or where I posted it, impossible. I simply don't have the brainpower. Plus, if someone was looking for all of my blog posts, well...they'd have a lot of work to do with Tumblr. I added Tumblr to the MonkShack in an effort to help everyone find everything I write. I'm really just that considerate. Plus, they allow custom urls, so if you already have a domain name, you can use that for a Tumblr of your very own! Mine is at tumblr.monkshack.com
  • Frappr
    Frapper allows you add maps of where your site visitors are from. Users can actually enter some basic stuff about themselves when they create a Frappr account (free, of course...I'm cheap!) and it becomes part of the log of visitors to your site! Much better than any stupid ol' guestbook.

Ok, that's all I have time for now. Trust me, there's more, but its going to have to wait for a follow-up post. I simply have to get to blogging...

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Fixing Unrelated Email Subjects

I'd dedicated today to clean my Inbox, after a week and half of vacation (and two weeks of travel before that), I figured it was a pretty ambitious goal to get done in one day. As I was wading through the clutter, trying to get rid of the stuff I didn't need to read and evaluating questionable emails (a new system I'm trying - delete stuff where the subject doesn't seem relevant to me first, then evaluate emails with questionable subjects to narrow down my focus to the stuff that really needs my attention...you got a better idea?), I came across a few of the dreaded "replied to" emails where the content is completely separate from the title in the subject.

Now, I know, I've struggled with the for ages. I've tried to teach people not to do this. I've preached about this in countless presentations. I've replied just to change the subject line. But that still hasn't helped me when I'm managing my own emails. Today, I realized that I have the power to keep emails in my inbox subject-related. Maybe you've figured this out long ago and I'm just slow to catch on, but in the off chance that you haven't here's what you can do...

Change the subject for emails you've received where the subject and the actual content don't match.

Sounds too easy to be true, right? Well, maybe that's why I never thought you could do it. Or maybe it couldn't be done in Outlook 2003 but it can be in Outlook 2007. Whatever - you should try it, if it works, great! If not, you're back on your own.

In Outlook 2007, even though the subject of the email isn't highlighted or given any indication that its an editable field, it is. When you open an email you've received, you can click on the subject line and then enter whatever text you want. Lets face it, if people are going to change, at least they don't have to drag you down in chaos with them. We can rise above it and keep ourselves organized and focused. Yea us.

Then just close the message and Outlook will prompt you with a warning - do you want to save these changes? Damn right I do! I'm right, I'm always right - when will everyone else realize that?

Ta-da! Now the email that was previously (and erroneously) subjected is now on-topic and sensible. I'm in heaven! Join me on Cloud 9!

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

I'd Almost Forgotten...

Somehow, it had almost completely slipped my mind that I signed up for a Grand Central account. One of the features of VoIP that I love is the ability to have all of your phone numbers ring simultaneously, then whichever phone you pick up is the one that takes the call. Grand Central offers that, along with some other really cool features...

I'd almost forgotten until I received an email announcing that they'd been purchased by Google. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I guess I'll have to wait to find out...

In the meantime, sign up for your own number today!

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Jott - A New Addiction

Have you ever wanted to send an email, but didn't feel like opening your laptop and logging in, just to send it? Or maybe typing a message on your Blackberry was just too much work. And sending an email via your cell phone would be so much more effort than it was worth?

Well, my fine-feathered friends, you're in luck. My latest addiction may free me from typing short messages forever! Aren't you curious? You should be! I've just started using Jott (http://jott.com/) and am so very excited about it! It's definitely a double pant on my dog-approval scale (pant, pant).

Why don't you check it out and send me a pant...er, email...er jott of your very own!