Tweetie Review - Iphone Application

In recent weeks I have started using Twitter and am a bit addicted to it to be honest as with my IPhone glued to my hand nearly every waking hour I like to see what is happening out there in the Web 2.0 cloud (is there such a phrase?). I used to be a user of MSN Messenger but Twitter goes a lot further as it allows you form contacts with people with similar interests as you.  I was using Twitterific a free application on my IPhone but it lacked a few features that I needed which may not be ones that other people look for but I really liked.

I have not purchased a lot of applications for my IPhone (2-3 in total) but Tweetie caught my eye and for the price I thought it was worth a try.  Overall I am vary happy with it and here are some of the things I like and a couple I dislike about it.

1. Multiple Accounts

Tweetie allows you to have multiple accounts.  Before I got it I hadn't even considered using multiple accounts on Twitter but now I have a couple for different purposes (friends, blog updates and one for blatant pushing of my fab web sites !!)

2. Easy To Read

It is easier to read on my IPhone and clearly shows the different type of tweets that you have received.  So at a glance you can scroll through and see the relevant messages out there.

3. Search/Trends

It has a nice Search and Trends function with the Trends showing what are the hot to pics out on the Twittisphere.  I like this as with Search it helps me look for people interested in similar topics.

4. Go To User

It allows you to quickly to jump to a specific user and find out what they are tweeting about.  I use this if I see a speciic name that looks interesting and I then can see if they are worth following.

Tools for Virtual Teaming Web Design Projects

I am doing more and more web design at the moment and one of the areas that intrigued me was how I would manage a virtual team for a medium to large web design project.

In these days of multiple blogging tools, tools for interacting like Twitter, MSN messenger and so on and on I though of how I could use the most common tools to be effective in doing a project for a customer while making sure that everyone was in contact and keeping good records.

Google seems to have most of the tools out there that you would need to do the communications at least (storage is another days work).  The team as I would see it would be working on a small design Project and would like to gather requirements, post notes and feedback and chat on small issues aas they come across them.

For e-mail for instance you could use the already solid as a rock GMail and now with multiple Inboxes you can keep business, fun, other projects e-mail in separate locations in addition to using labels.  I have already started to do this so that I don't forget to put he correct mail address responding to different e-mails.

For Chat GMail chat works OK.  I have never used it extensively but it seems to suffice and for a small team it would do for informal communications.

Google Docs now has all you really need for basic and not so basic document, presentation and spreadsheet work.  I agree it might not give you the power of the paid applications but it would be enough for what a small Skunk Works type of team would need.  It allows you share documents and chat during their presentation and gather feedback.  I like the speaker notes function for presentations as well.

Today I was talking with a potential Mac customer (I use Windows).  Although we will do most of our work through voice and e-mail if I do need to send him a document or presentation then Google Docs will suit the level I want.  Example here is a typical list of requirements that I send to customer when they are in contact with me for web sites. I find that most customers may be technically literate but cannot process e-mail like a moretechnical person is and they need to have a document like this

The question of how you would post the prototype web site is another one that I do not have a quick answer to so perhaps others have experience of a low cost or free method of posting / hosting a design as you work through it... Let me know.

Some Things Are Free in Todays Recession

All is doom and gloom at the moment in Ireland.  Unemployment figures are rising and all is dom and gloom.  I have stopped listening to it as it is the same story every day.  I am not putting my head in the sand but in a couple of hours per week on a couple of good sites I can read news and updates not just for Ireland but across the world.

On top of that I though this evening of all the free pieces of Software that are out there that if you are an IT professional you can use to at least try and get out there and make some money.  For example as I type this I am upgrading the Lactation Consultants of Ireland's website to WordPress 2.7 (a bit overdue but I have been pretty busy with 3 web site launches over the past couple of days and trying to get a Google Ad Words campaign sorted out and that isnt even my day job). 

Anyway I digress - WordPress is a fine CMS and one I use most and it is completly free with lots of free add ons.  I am surfing with a free browser (Firefox my browser of choice for years) and typing this blog entry in ScribeFire which I would be lost without as I (try) and keep a lot of blogs up to date and could not do it in the traditional way of logging in and out. So again a nice light tool that is free.  I am not pumping SEO terms into this blog btw just impressed byt the free software community out there.  A list of other free packaghes that I use constantly on a daily basis are

• Notepad ++
• Filezilla
• Easy Thumbnails
• and a few others

If I had to pay for these I would have to use a lot of old fashioned methods to do this type of work (I could still do it but not as fast).  So there end of post - WordPress upgraded just as I finsihed typing so I am now on the latest version which is good for the users of the site as I do not have to maintain it as much for them with posts, links and so on.

I Hate Lotus Notes

Very strong statement but I have to use Lotus Notes for my e-mail in my job and it is one of the worst applications I have ever used.  Every day it frustrates me with its lack of flexibility and weak GUI.  Here a re a few of my top hates for it.  There are many many more.

Forward Meeting Invitations

If I receive a meeting invitation I cannot forward it to other people.  You can delegate but lose the meeting in your own calendar.  This is incredibly frustrating as I often want ot add other people and the only way is to go back to the original meeting creator and ask them to add particluar people to the invite.

Cannot see Full To List
If I receive an e-mail with multiple addresses on it I cant actually drag the pane with names in it to see all the names at once.  I have to scroll up and down.  So it slows me down in my job as I have to go through multiple key storkes to find out a simple piece of information.

Editing Mail Text
Unlike most Windows applications when writing an e-mail there is a completely crummy method for formatting text.  You have to hop around different tabs in a dumb ass pop up to change font sizes, add tables and so on.  For instance if I want to make some  text in an e-mail different colour I have to open up  this window to actually do the task.

Un-Accepted Meetings
In Outlook if you do not accept a meeting it sits unacepted in your calendar view.  Not so in Lotus.  If my mailbox gets busy I often forget to accept a meeting and it drifts off screen.  I have missed meeting because of this - I know I should process the meeting request on receipt but some days my Inbox goes berserk and meetings in two weeks drift off into the sunset.

Alt-Del doesn't Work
this may seem like a minor thing but Alt-Del (delete word forward) does not work.  I sue this hundreds of time a day in typing stuff and most every other application from a simple freeware editor to MS Word you can do this.  I still automaticlally try to do it from time to time but it justs sits there and grins stupidly at me when I try.

Doesn't Synch with My IPhone
There is an app for Lotus Notes Inotes 8.5 which allows you to do this but that is far off in the distance for me as we are still on version 7 here so it could be a while before we upgrade.

Colour coding E-Mails
You can colour code up to 4 e-mail types - after that it is tough luck.  In Outlook I used to colour and font code tons of e-mails to allow me to look at different types of mails easily.  Lotus is hopeless for this.

As I said above these are only some of my gripes.  I use Gmail for my personal mail and it is head and shoulders above this in terms of mail processing.  Even Hotmail which I abandoned about 2 years ago is better. 

Tips for a New Web Site

I often get asked by my customers what they need to do to their business web site to improve / develop it. Here are the some tips I have put together on this area. These are just my opinions.

1. Keep the Message Simple
All to often I get web site content that is too wordy and hard to read. You need to write simple well written text. People rarely get beyond the fourth sentence. Use links to expand for further readingas people will stay longer after the first click. Did you get to this sentence?

2. Contact Information
Make sure your contact information is easily accessible. Put your e-mail and phone number at the top of the page. A contact form may work but people are in a hurry and may not take the time if they are looking for a service. Make sure that it is prominent and easy to read. It is different if you are offering an free informational type service (did you get to this sentence?) as people may want to phrase a question in detail using a form.

3. Search Box
If your site is content rich and has lots of depth a search box is essential. If not sure how then use Google as you can integrate the Google search onto your site reletaively easily and saves you working out how to do it. Most CMS platforms have a search box as standard if you are that way inclined.

4. How Much?
This may seem obvious but the last two sites I did for people they had no prices on the site for their product / serviceas the business didn't want to put it on the site. This will not work. Put a price structure there at lease. People want to know a ball park figure. When you ring up a plumber/electrician the second or third question is usually how much. Why should a website differ. If you are offering a free product highlight it.

5. Traffic
You need to know how many hits your site is getting you might as well be on a desert island. Google Analytics does this perfectly. End of story (well the tracking part at least)

6. Good Free Information
You should post information to your site on a regular basis. It needs to be of good quality and worth reading. Good information proves your worth. Read and research in your field and post on it. Oh this is sentence 5...

7. Easy to use....
Just because you can write a bit of HTML/PHP/whatever does mean that site is usable. I am not a usability expert but look here for a good overview of usability guidelines. If this is too detailed think of your favourite web sites - think of why you use them besides the underlying content. Tehre are usually hundreds of web sites looking for your attention on most mainstream topics but some shine above the others. Some simple steps like in the link above can help you achieve a crisper, more accessible and useful site that people will come back to again.

8. No Flash - Popups - Tricks
No flash. IMHO flash is rarely worth the effort. Popups and fancy web tricks that look good once wont look good over time.

9.

Runkeeper - IPhone Application

I installed RunKeeper on my IPhone recently and below is a personal review of how I have fared with it so far.

First and foremost it has an easy to use screen with large  buttons for Start/Pause and Resume.  This is useful when you are all thumbs when running and just want to prod it and keep your activity going.

Starting off it can be  little slow in determining your GPS location and in one run it kept my previous location and I was not sure if the data was accurate. You can play your music while it is running while still retaining the RunKeeper interface which is a must have for me. 

It would be nice to be able to lock the buttons to avoid accidentally touching them and stopping it - this happened to me a couple of times. 

I  use it on my IPhone and I need to get an arm holder at some stage for it as it jiggled around in my jacket pocket when I was running which was mildly annoying.

It was easy to register on http://www.runkeeper.com a site that allows you to post (from the Ipod/IPhone) your routes and share them with others if you wish. There is a settings button that allows you set the GPS strength and your activty type.  This information is added when you upload to the
the web site.

I have only done a handful of runs with it to date but it has potential for me and is free which is great.  It has stopped me paying for a Nike+ type gizmo (it isn't compatible with the Iphone anyway) or buying an all singing dancing GPS watch.

The 5 Listens Test

I firmly believe that any CD of music is worth the 5 listens test.  Basically I listen to it 5 times through each time to give it some level of chance.  I often listen to an album once and twice and do not think it is great butjust about listen 5 it clicks.  I thought of this again at the weekend when I was spring cleaning my sister-in-laws house and we dug up a bag of LPs from the 90s and listened to 'Complete Madness' all the way through on vinyl.

It reminded me of when we used to sit in living rooms and listen to LPs 10-20-30 times in a row.  This never happens now but we can at least try the 5 listen test.  I am currently doing this with the new Animal Collective album Merriweather Post Pavilion