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    The Basics of Twitter

    twitter

    Now that I’ve convinced you to join Twitter, I wanted to talk about the basics of how to use it- terminology, features, etc. Are you ready? Ok.

    First of all, each time you add something to Twitter, it’s called an update or more commonly, a “tweet.” You tweet what you’re doing. Cute, I know. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s take a look at the more social aspects of tweeting.

    • Friend or Follow? You’re friends on Twitter are generally referred to as people that are either following you (getting your updates) or people you follow (you get their updates). Your followers will get your updates in their Friend Feed. Updates of people you follow will show up in yours. If you choose to make your updates private, only people that follow you (after being verified by you) will see your updates. Otherwise, they will also show up in the public timeline (or public feed), and they will be searchable.
    • @replies (recently renamed @mentions)- You can reply to someone’s tweet by starting a tweet with @username (at username). So, if you were to reply to me, it would be, “@jcasabona Great post about Twitter!” A mention is simply a tweet with at @reply somewhere else in the tweet. So, “Hanging out with @jcasabona” would be a mention. These specifically target a single user. That means even people that don’t follow you will see your @replies to them and vise versa.
    • DM– DM is short for “direct message” and it’s a way of privately messaging someone. Where @replies will show up in your updates, DMs do not.
    • RT– RT is short for retweet and it is when someone else reposts one of your tweets. So if I had a tweet that said, “Yankees Win!,” someone else could retweet it by writing, “RT @jcasabona Yankees Win!” It’s a way of giving credit where credit is due when you find something cool on Twitter.
    • #– This is a hash tag, and it  just might be my favorite part of Twitter. You would put the hash tag in front of terms you want to be easy to search for at search.twitter.com. For example, I could tweet, “Going to the game #yankees.” This would add my update to everyone else’s who  has added the hash tag for #yankees. By using hash tags, it’s easier to find trends and aggregate updates. Plus, most 3rd party Twitter apps automatically make hash tags links to Twitter’s search page. They are using for people tweeting about specific events or news items, or fun little games on Twitter. For example, every Friday is #followfriday and you add people you think others should follow.

    So there you have it- the basics of using Twitter. If you have any questions, or feel I left something out, comments are open!

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    Make Twitter Work for You

    twitter

    I’ve noticed lately a lot of my friends joining Twitter, the very popular micro blogging site. I feel like (and this is by all means non-scientific) interest peaked when Facebook rolled out it’s new design, people called it, “a lot like Twitter” and others got curious. The number one comment about Twitter I’m hearing/reading now is, “I don’t get it.” So to all my friends and those new to Twitter, here’s how you can make Twitter work for you.

    The first thing you need to know is that Twitter is a communication tool. You can use it however you want. I describe it to people like this:

    You know the status update feature in Facebook? It’s like that- but only that.

    The people I describe it to have a hard time finding the use in just that, so here are a few suggestions:

    • Follow people in your profession. This might be easier for me because I am a web developer, but if you know big names in the business you happen to be in, see if  they are on Twitter. They usually post interesting links, thoughts, and tips that can be very helpful to you.
    • Stay on top of the news. I follow CNN News Breaks via Twitter, and have Twitter txt message me when CNN updates, so I get breaking news as soon as it happens. Here is a pretty good list of news organizations on Twitter. Chances are you’re favorite one is also on Twitter, even if it’s not listed there.
    • Stay in the loop with companies and organization you like. Twitter is quickly becoming a services companies are using to advertise and reach new markets. This is most apparent with Skittles, but can be seen by other companies too. Try a Google Search of your favorite companies to see what you can find.
    • Straw Polls. Ask a question, people are bound to answer you.
    • Celebs. I won’t hide the fact that I follow both Shaq and John Mayer on Twitter. They are entertaining, and it’s interesting to get a peek into the lives of people that seem like they are in a completely different world from yours. Here is a list of more celebrities on Twitter.
    • Third Party Services. Twitter was smart in making it so developers can access what they have to provide. This has spawned a number of 3rd Party services that extend what Twitter can do. Check out some of them here or simply google “Twitter Apps.”

    And this is a short list- like I said, Twitter is a communication tool. People are coming up with more apps and ideas for Twitter everyday, and it’s being integrated into more and more well established websites and services.

    If you’re interested, my Twitter username is @jcasabona. Feel free to follow.

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    My Thoughts on Less Accounting

    At the beginning of the year I wanted to find all-inclusive, online accounting software. That is, something that kept track of invoicing, other income, and expenses. As much as I loved Zoho Invoices, I needed expense tracking. So after doing some research, I settled on Less Accounting. Here are my thoughts.

    Pros:

    • You can import contacts from Highrise, GMail, or Basecamp
    • It has expense tracking
    • You can upload receipts to go along with each expense
    • It’s relatively cheap
    • The dashboard is pretty nice (though total income and expenses would be nice)
    • The reports features are nice

    Cons:

    • Recurring invoices do not auto send – why even have recurring invoices if I still need to go in and send it myself?
    • Recurring invoices weren’t working at all for 3 weeks after I first started using it
    • Email messages do no format- All of my emails when sending invoices have been on one line no matter how I format it
    • No “Mark Invoice as paid.” I actually have to go in, add a payment, reenter all the invoice information and then associate an invoice with the payment
    • Import Highrise contacts also wasn’t working for a while after I first started using it. I reported both this and the invoices twice
    • In order for my recurring expenses to have a name, they must be associated with a contact, so all my recurring invoices say “No Contact” instead of the reference name, like “Monthly Subscription to X”
    • I had to fix one of my recurring expenses to actually get it to show up, and my other ones still aren’t because I need to fix them, which isn’t very intuitive. If I set the 7th of each month as a recurring expense, it should show up on the 7th (or maybe even a few days before)
    • An “Include Paypal link,” while not detrimental, would be nice. Zoho Invoices had it and I used that quite a bit

    All-in-all I’m not to impressed by Less Accounting, despite all  the rage about it, and the fact that they sponsor a site called, “We All Hate Quickbooks.” The design is nice as are some of the features, but they took some liberties on user experience (or poorly designed their databases), leading to some pretty big grievances.

    Did I miss something? Am I doing something wrong? Comments are open.

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    Standard WordPress Plugins

    wplogo

    Over the last few weeks I’ve been working a lot with WordPress. Between a new job I started, Freelancing the Net, and converting Manifest Development over to WordPress (more on that later), I’ve set up or worked on between 6-10 blogs in the last 2 weeks. Over that time I’ve compiled a list of WordPress plugins I’ve used for all of them:

    I will also be working on two plugins of my own this week. Maybe if I deem them good enough, I’ll release them here.

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    Favorites of 2008

    So this may be a little late, but hey- I wanted to be sure about what I was writing; and this year there were a couple late-in-the-game entries. Here is my first [annual?] favorites post. Covered this time around: new tech toy, website, software, movie, music.

    Favorite Tech Toy: Blackberry Storm
    This was a tough one considering: A- I’ve only had the Storm for 1.5 weeks and B- I got my first Mac this year. But the Storm is the best little device I’ve ever used. The UI is easy to get used to, it’s very versatile, and it can do a lot. I love the full browser and 3.2MP Camera, which my old blackberry lacked. And I know, the iPhone has had it forever. But it doesn’t have a click-screen or several options for an onscreen keyboard, which IMHO is a big plus. Because of the Storm, I could sell my old Blackberry, and my iPod Touch.
    Favorite Website: Freelance Switch
    As a freelancer, I am constantly looking for advice and tips on accounting/financial, legal, and client issues. Freelance Switch is a great resource with authors writing about all that and more. Plus, they have freelance job boards, forums, and ebooks, making the site a one stop shop for any freelancer.
    Favorite Software: Coda
    The ultimate Web Development IDE and one of the top reasons I’m a Mac user. Along with your run of the mill highlighted syntax, it suggests php functions, HTML tags, and CSS elements and attributes. It also has a visual CSS editor, built in shell for SSH, access to ebooks, and built-in FTP. It makes web development 100x more efficient.
    Favorite Move: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    All the way up until Christmas, when I saw this movie, I was sure The Dark Knight was my favorite movie of ’08. However, Benjamin Button is a fascinating story that takes you through the 20th century via the tale of a boy born an old man and aging backwards. It’s skillfully done, Pitt and Blanchett are awesome, and the movie raises some interesting points about relationships of all kinds. A must see.
    Favorite Music: Anberlin
    I’ve liked Anberlin as long as I’ve heard of them, but 2008 was different. They put out a new album, which I love. I saw them at an amazing show in Philly, and they are actually getting radio play. My brother will be disappointed I didn’t pick Guns N’ Roses and the release of their long awaited CD, Chinese Democracy (which I’d also recommend), but Anberlin wins it this year.

    So there you have it. My five favorites of 2008. What do you think?

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    Use Google Docs to convert MS Works to Word

    A lot of people who use Windows have access to Microsoft Works, Microsoft’s free ‘solution’ to Office. Today my brother asked me how he would convert a Works word processing document (.wps) to a Word document (.doc), since he did his homework using Works but didn’t have access to that at school- they only have Office. I have Works and was going to convert it using that when I noticed GMail gave the option of opening the .wps using GoogleDocs. As it turns out, GoogleDocs supports .wps documents, which you can then convert to .doc by going to File->Download file as->.doc. It’s as simple as that!

    While it may not always be an option people go to (since you can save a .wps as a .doc in Works), it is one that is readily available just so long as you have an Internet connection. I feel it’s one of many smaller features Google adds into the products that give the user a whole lot of convenience.

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    Updated: What Android Means for the iPhone

    Android Logo

    I could go on to talk about all of the nuances in Android, what I have seen and why I think it’s better than the iPhone, but I feel that would be an exercise in futility. Those in the iPhone camp will think what they want about the user interface (UI) and features no matter what. That goes the same for people in the Android camp. However, there is one very important thing Google did that Apple did not. They made Android completely and unconditionally Open Source (OS). What does this mean for the consumer? Well before I get to that, I want to talk about what it means for the developer.

    As a developer, I really like ease of use and writing an application for the iPhone is anything but. I have to apply to the iPhone Developer’s program. I have to download a pretty hefty program (called a Software Development Kit or SDK) in order for me to write an application. And there are limitations as to what I can access on the iPhone to write my app. Then if I want to submit it to the iTunes App Store (the only place I am allowed to distribute my app), I have to pay the iPhone Developers fee. They will also take 30% of my asking price. Oh and by the way, I can only do all of this if I have a Mac. Then I have to hope Apple lets me keep my app in the store. While this is likely, there have been a few incidences where apps have been taken out of the app store with no reason given. My point is this: Apple holds a pretty tight leash on the entire development process. This is in stark contrast to developing for Android.

    I was up and running in literally minutes with Android’s SDK. Download the fairly lightweight program, follow the direction on the Android SDK’s site, and moments later, I had the sample program running. I can write an app to do whatever I want; even replace the dial screen, address book, or anything. When the G1 debuts, developers will be able to add their app to the Android Marketplace at no cost. However, if you want to distribute your app via some other avenue, that’s fine too. The point: it’s all up to the developer. So back to the original question- what does this mean for the consumer?

    There is more incentive to release free apps. iPhone developers face a higher financial risk because it’s costing them money right off the bat. Why should they write an app for free? With Android, there is no risk. The only cost to the developer is time. Plus, there are virtually no restrictions on developing for Android. I can write an app on any computer (PC or Mac), to do whatever I want, and distribute however I want. That’s convenient for the developer and therefore convenient for the consumer.

    My bottom line is this- Android gives developers the power to do whatever it is they want to do with Android. That means the world’s first phone that can be tailored precisely to your liking. I think it was Morgan Freedman who said it best- “My my, isn’t that something?”

    *This was originally published on Oct. 2nd in my school’s student run newspaper, The Aquinas.

    Update: The G1 is out today! And, Google has released Android’s Source Code

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    The Force Unleashed

    Yesterday I beat The Force Unleashed for Xbox 360. This was a game I had been looking forward to as a Star Wars fan and as a programmer. A few months ago I saw the type of work they were doing to make this world seem more realistic- better physics engines, smarter AI, etc.- and got pretty excited to see how well it worked. After playing the game through, I wasn’t disappointed.

    First I’d like to point out that the story line at times seemed to have better continuity than the prequels. The Force Unleashed takes place between Episodes III and IV, and is about a secret apprentice that Darth Vader takes on to kill any remaining Jedi. The story progressed in true cinematic fashion and had some pretty great twists/surprises in it. It little sappy, but the fact that you can see why some things in the original trilogy happened is really cool.

    Now, onto the game play. I’ve read and been told by a few people that they think the game gets repetitive. While that is true, I still think it is awesome. In my mind, there is nothing better than force gripping a storm trooper and throwing him into a wall or whatever fatal structures there are in the level. I held one in front of a beam and waited for it to fire, incinerating the trooper. Also, shocking a jawa is fun. It’s a little RPG-ish in the fact that you pick and choose which skills, abilities, and force powers you want to hone, and it definitely effects game play; my friend and I played it at the same time and had different trouble points due to the skills we each chose.

    The game is also a little buggy. While it did cause me to restart twice, I’m willing to overlook that due to the sheer power of the physics engine it uses. The events in this game are truly non-deterministic, meaning you can do the same thing over and over again and get completely different results based on probably hundreds of different variables. The AI in enemies is smart enough that they try and grab onto things as you throw them.

    There is very seldom a game that I will beat and then go back and play levels just for the sake of playing them and I find myself doing that with The Force Unleashed. It’s a lot of fun, well thought out, and a must for any Star Wars or gaming fan (but especially Star Wars fans).

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    Apps You Should Follow on Twitter

    Over the last few months I’ve been using Twitter a lot more to get updates from people and fill others in on stuff I’m working on. The best possible thing I think Twitter did was open up the API for others to integrate it. Here are a few things that have made my life easier because they use Twitter.

    • woot: woot.com is a website that offers you a deal a day. By following it on Twitter I don’t have to worry about checking the site daily- I’ll get the update as soon as the post it. Since following woot, I got an 8GB USB Drive for $20 (!) and a pretty sweet pen set for $5.
    • amazonmp3: A few weeks ago, I wrote about how great Amazon Mp3 is. By following it on Twitter, you can get their Daily Deals, which can save you a ton of money on great music. I’ve gotten Patton Oswalt, Dragonforce, and Rod Stewart for $2.99, just to name a few.
    • trackthis: This is a pretty simple service- put direct message trackthis with a tracking number from USP, FedEx, etc. and they will send you updates on the whereabouts of your package. (works great in conjunct with woot!)
    • cnnbrk: Follow cnnbrk, get breaking news to your phone. I find their updates just right, where Fox News’s twitter service updates way too much.
    • rtm: My favorite tasks application Remember The Milk has Twitter integration that allows you to tweet tasks to RTM and get reminder tweets.
    • twanslate: twanslate allows you to send a language and a phrase you want translated into that language. How cool is that?

    Twitter has literally hundreds of other websites integrating it, other apps to use it, and plenty of hacks if you’re creative. It helps you stay updated and stay productive- wherever you are. So what do you use Twitter for?

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    Have a Business Plan

    Businessing

    Since August I’ve come up with or have launched a number of side projects in hopes of increasing revenue streams so I’m not as busy during the school year. Unfortunately, I’ve left out one “minor” detail with these- a business plan. This doesn’t have to be in the form of an official, written plan that you’d submit for funding (but I’m sure that helps). It’s more about making a plan and giving your side project some direction as opposed to just slapping together something and releasing it to the world.

    I’m currently working on a presentation for one of my SE classes about Trade-off Analysis in Web Development. It mentions that a lot of web apps are rushed to the market with not quite perfect but present features, and that’s what’s more important. However, I’m the lone developer on most of these projects and that’s not necessarily the best course of action for me. For one, I don’t have a huge user base of people ready and willing to test for me. Second, while I usually come up with an idea, I don’t have foresight as to where the project would and could go. This is something I need to think about. And third, something I am going to elaborate on in another post, I don’t have the capital for marketing. So what do I do?

    Well, I do have the advantage of being in an academic environment. I know a lot of people who are willing to connect me with the people I need to talk to. However, when I meet with those people I need to be ready and tell them what my idea is, how it will start, how it will make money, and where I want it to go 6 months, 1 year, 3 years down the road. It shows not only that I’m serious about pursuing the idea (as in I’m willing to invest that kind of time into it), but that I’ve taken the idea past the whimsical, “Hey, I wonder if this would work” phase.

    So right now, some of my projects are in limbo until I can get them on an actual track. It’s a minor set back, but it’s something I’m glad I learned now, as opposed to when I am out of school and have so much more to lose.