Is there anything Google can’t do?

The more I’ve been learning about web 2.0, the more surprised I am about exactly how many sites and features there are out there. There are good reasons why one person would prefer StumbleUpon to Digg or to Delicious, they all serve different purposes while still providing a link. Lately, through what I’ve been seeing from Google, I’m starting to think Google will end up streamlining many of the points from these sites and others and make one massive link-sharing feature that can house your links, suggest links to you, is searchable, and tell you how many people enjoyed the link. I mean, look at the other things Google has simplified:

Gmail
When Gmail first came around I didn’t see what everyone was getting so excited about (but you see, I was a laggard then). It wasn’t until I got a Gmail account ( I forget why I finally broke down and got one) that I saw the differences. First of all, it explains its differences and features to new users. That’s a huge help to laggards like myself. Secondly, it simplified things. Your list of gmail-using contacts is in a sidebar on the left and it tells you if any of them are online. This is what Hotmail and MSN Messenger probably aspired to do. Sure, Messenger will send you a little alert when you get a new email to your Hotmail account, and Hotmail keeps your Messenger contacts in your address book, but the two don’t combine as seamlessly as the chat and email functions do in Gmail. I have yet to actually use the chat feature in Gmail (I confess, I still use Messenger and Hotmail) but I aspire to find one of my gmail contacts online one day and chat with them. I look at that sidebar longingly, thinking of how handy it is.

Google Docs
I don’t know much about Google Docs, I only heard about it for the first time a few months ago, but from what I’ve seen it looks really handy. My classmates have given Powerpoint presentations right from there, no need to carry a USB stick or portable hard drive. I’ve heard the quality of the Powerpoint presentation isn’t as good in Google Docs as it would be just run out of the program itself, but I guess you have to weigh the convenience with the lesser quality. Imagine being able to work on a project anywhere without having to worry about saving it anywhere but your Google Docs.

Google Analytics
Google Analytics has tons of features like it can look for users’ geographic location. It can track unique views, bounces, etc. It even counts visitors who stay for less time that the minimum on other sites so you get a more accurate representation of how many people are visiting the site. To get this many features anywhere else you’d have to pay for it. Google Analytics is free. It even puts the data into graphs and charts for you/ While doing a project, one of my group members and I discussed whether or not we’d need another statistics counter but decided that Google Analytics had everything we needed and was as cost-effective as anything could possibly be. Google AdSense will even take care of suggesting ads to the right people. It has tons of features for tracking traffic and presents the information in a way that would give the important facts to advertisers.

What I’m Trying to Say
Google has always been an awesome search engine, but now they make a lot of features awesome. I think collections of links are the next type of site to get tidied and decluttered by Google, it’s just a matter of time.

TTC RSS OMG!

I just found out that the Toronto Transit Commission (or TTC) has a Real Simple Syndication (or RSS) feed. This makes a lot of sense, you can get a news feed of service disruptions. This would make it nice and easy to check if you need to give yourself extra time to get around the city on the subway. If only it could tell me when the bus was actually going to arrive at my bus stop so I wasn’t constantly running for the bus or waiting in the cold for 20 minutes for a bus that’s scheduled to arrive every 10. It would come in handy after rush hour when radio and television stations stop reporting on commuting issues.

Check out the TTC’s RSS feed page here.

While we’re talking about the TTC, you’ve got to check out this viral video. It’s all about the love/hate relationship we all have with Toronto’s public transit and it features a Centennial student!



Would you use the TTC’s RSS feed? Or what is your latest TTC horror story? Let me know in the comment section!

More Twitter Etiquette, or Lack Thereof

I went to check my Twitter account since my last post and I had 3 follower requests (as my feed is set to private). I only knew one of the people. Who are these other two? Well, one seemed to be an Australian magazine, the other a Canadian jeweler. To these twitterers (or tweeters? Is it tweeters?) this is networking. To me, a Canadian with no interest in a jeweler’s day-to-day life and no access to the print copy of an Australian magazine, it’s annoying. These requests only started after I started following a few Canadian magazines so I assume the others found me on the follower lists.

Why it’s my problem

I can’t help but liken this aspect of Twitter to MySpace. Many people stopped using MySpace because of the incessant friend requests from bands and girls promising sexy things on their webcams.

What I’ve learned
I think I’ve learned that there is no Twitter etiquette on this subject. Twitter can be used for networking/ self-advertisement, which is what these people are doing. But damn, it’s annoying.

And how about you?

What are your thoughts on Twitter networking with random people? shameless self-promotion of bold business move? Take a minute to post your thoughts in the comment section or just click on my poll. I’d love to know how this rubs other people, because it sure rubs me the wrong way.

To Tweet or Not to Tweet?

I’ll admit, I was skeptical of Twitter. I was (and to some extent, still am) wondering about its uses and practicality in everyday life. I think I may be the only one since everyone is adopting Twitter these days. Now my friends are starting to ask me about Twitter, having heard me talk about it months ago when I joined. They’re starting to hear rumblings about it and want to know if it’s worth getting in on, and I don’t know if they’re ready for the tsunami of tweets that will greet them.

Reading the signs
I was surprised one day as I was watching CNN one day to find that anchor Don Lemon was urging viewers to follow him on Twitter. At twitter.com/donlemoncnn, Don provides breaking news alongside plugs for the programming on the station. This really affirmed to me that Twitter had caught on. He has frequent, professional posts really meant to turn the viewers heads back to CNN on the television set (even though it was the channel that directed them to Twitter.) It’s free advertising for the new station, so why not?

Don Lemon, CNN's tweeting anchor

TMI! TMI! TMI!
Not long after, I heard in the news that Erykah Badhu had announced the birth of her child, as well as updates on her labour with the help of her boyfriend Jay Electronica, on Twitter. As the Times Online reports, there were updates about how dilated her cervix was. That’s more than most people would want to know. While social networking sites have worked wonders for helping people stay connected, there’s a limit to how much should be shared.

Erykah Badhu, tweeter and mother

I had thought Facebook status updates already gave too much information (I decided this when one of my Facebook friends posted that her son Parker had “gone #2 on the potty!”) From what I’ve seen, people update their Twitter statuses much more frequently than most update their Facebook ones. For example, Fashion magazine’s Twitter’s last update was “okay, 10 posts for today is enough.” While it was Toronto Fashion Week, the week when they’d be expected to have a lot of posts, 10 seems a little excessive.

I excitedly signed on to follow ICHCheezburger, the Twitter version of LOL Cats, as I’m a huge fan. Annoyingly, I get a tweet on my feed every time a new photo is uploaded. As excited as I am for new LOL Cats, the constant updates seem excessive.

An LOL Cat, probably pondering my Twitter questions

Twitter manners: mind your tweets!
But what about average people? And what about for networking purposes, is it acceptable, encouraged, or frowned upon to update frequently? In most of the examples I’ve used, Twitter is being used as a marketing tool. It is great for that: fans of whatever you’ve got will be excited to follow and you can give them tons of updates to keep whatever you’re pushing fresh in their minds. It’s brilliant. But something tells me it’s not the same when you’re selling your own image.

Like the examples of Erykah Badhu and my Facebook friend, it’s easy to go overboard while sharing information. I’m sure there are people who tweet about their hangover and what they did the night before. How about on the other side of the personal Twitter spectrum? Is it possible to look bad from tweeting too much in a professional manner? I’m having a hard time figuring out proper Twitter etiquette. Maybe it’s because I’m usually a laggard but I’ve been trying to make an effort to get connected and I thrust myself into Twitter too early. Since everyone seems to be adopting Twitter these days, I’d say you out there must have a say. Weigh in on these Twitter questions in the comment section! I know I’m not the only one grappling with proper Twitter etiquette.

Men Have the Balls to Knit and Purl

A college student knitting

The male knitting community is growing stealthily and slowly becoming more visible.  Male knitters are starting to pop up on knitting websites or making their own.  Even actor Ryan Gosling has admitted to USA Today that he knits scarves. While knitting has already experienced renewed popularity among younger females, men knitting is quietly becoming a trend.

The Knitting Trend
The knitting trend is “the new pottery” and the yarn stores popping up are”[f]ollowing in the footsteps of paint your own ceramics shops…” according to Tim of Blog TO.  One of Toronto’s popular yarn stores is The Knit Café.  Located on ever-trendy Queen Street West, The Knit Café boasts a selection of specialty yarns and equipment. Knitting circles (aka Stitch ‘n’ Bitch) have been popping up in yarn stores and among friends. Knitting websites have been growing in popularity, members, and content.  One of the top knitting sites is knitty.com (which has an accompanying magazine run from Toronto); the site offers free patterns, articles, and forums.  Knitting magazines, like Vogue Knitting and Knit.1, cater to youthful, trendy age groups.  Knit.1 actually targets “hip 18-35 year old knitters” and its media kit claims that there has been a 150% jump in young knitters recently.

Stitchin’ with the Ladies

Men have slowly been infiltrating knitting circles.  Men have also been showing up on knitty.com; in fact, they have a few regular male contributors. Twenty-year knitting veteran David Demchuk of Toronto has been writing for Knitty for some time now.  He has taken a manly stance in some of his articles; he reviewed knitting gadgets because he says, as a man, he is always looking for new tools and toys.  Keeping with the manly theme, his blog is titled Knit Like a Man. Knitty recently had Franklin Habit, a Chicago web designer, photographer, blogger, and avid knitter write articles for them.  He’s also just put out his first book, It Itches: A Stash of Knitting Cartoons. Both have been welcomed with open arms into the Knitty community.

The Men’s Room

All-male knitting websites have been cropping up as well.  Menknit.net and it’s magazine spin-off, Men Knit, cater to male knitters.  The site calls out for those who are “man enough to knit, strong enough to purl.” It’s popular among men looking for cool patterns for men’s wear and not just the shapeless sweaters that usually come to mind.  It and similar sites feature a place for the men to come together and form a sort of knitting brotherhood: menwhoknit.com runs a regular scarf-swap where members trade the scarves they’ve made and the discussion board provides a place for the men to vent about a particularly difficult project, which right now is baby-wear for one user. The site provides support for those who feel that they are the only male knitter in the world.

Boys knitting together

Well if my great-great-grandpa did it…

The Complete Encyclopedia of Stitchery says knitting was likely spread around the world by Arabian merchants and sailors, who were likely male. The history page on menknit.net cites articles with titles like “When Knitting Was a Manly Art” and children’s books that tell of young boys being taught to knit by their grandfathers. This creates more support for men concerned about the manliness of knitting or the public’s reaction. To this site, men knitting is the re-emergence of a trend and is really nothing new.

Getting started

These male-centric sites are not just for long-time knitters, it also offers suggestions on how to learn to knit. Menknit.net features a directory of all-male knitting groups. The names range from the simple, like “Men Knitters,” to the tougher, more comical names like “Men with Balls,” “Dicks with Sticks,” and “Stitches in Britches.” Currently there are only eight groups listed across North America. Going a step further than a knitting group, menwhoknit.com offers a male knitting retreat. Check out the You Tube video by Crafty Andy on the 2008 West coast Men Who Knit retreat.

Everyone’s jumping on the bandwagon

Even Debbie Stoller, author of the blockbuster Stitch’n Bitch books has jumped on the male knitter bandwagon. Her most recent book is called Son of a Stitch’n Bitch and contains patterns that can be made for men, be it by a man or woman.

This trailer for a male knitting documentary was even named Good Morning America’s You Tube video of the week.

How about you?

Are you a male knitter? Know a male knitter? Would you like a handmade sweater from your boyfriend? Share your thoughts on men knitting with me in the comments.

Web 2.0 Site Analysis

I looked at three different online magazines to check out their web 2.0 features and I thought about the benefits to the users, the publisher, and the advertisers.  Each are from different genres and cover different interests, so it’s neat to see how web 2.0 technology and interactivity can benefit each one. Take a look!

A Fashion Mag

LouLou

Not only does LouLou offer RSS feeds, but it also explains what RSS is to readers who may not know. The site also offers buttons for Delicious, Stumble Upon, and Facebook, among others, with it’s articles. There are editor’s blogs which can be commented on by readers. When a featured article is available to purchase online, there is a link to the store. These features make shopping for featured items and sharing articles much easier for readers. It simplifies everything for the busy young woman this magazine caters to.

These features are important to marketers and advertisers because it shows how many people are looking at the site and interested enough to have it sent to RSS readers or comment on the content. The publisher will see how much interest is generated by each article and the editors will know what to continue writing about. Also, because some of the articles are from the magazine, it may lead to increased newsstand sales as readers see articles that interest them.

A Tech Mag

Wired

Users can have articles sent to their RSS reader, plus there are options to post it on Delicious and Stumble Upon, among others sites. Users can comment on articles and blogs. There are also easy buttons which which to email the writers of articles or blogs, plus there is a link to each editor’s Twitter page. Wired readers are likely very connected on the web through sites like Delicious and would appreciate the web 2.0 content.

The number of Diggs are displayed with the article, which would show advertisers, marketers, publishers, and editors exactly how popular the article is. It also show readers how valuable others found the article, which may lead them to use the site more frequently. The links to Twitter and such gives the editors more opportunity to plug the magazine.

A Music Mag

Rolling Stone

There are options to sign up for RSS feeds or Rolling Stone updates on your mobile device. There are many blogs and any article can be commented on. It offers plenty of streaming video as well. All videos, articles, and blogs can be shared through Delicious, Digg, Stumble Upon, and other sites. This makes it easy for users to keep up-to-date with issues they want to follow as they can sign up for music articles, political articles, or even get as specific as signing up for Bruce Springsteen updates.

The use of this site will show advertisers that it is popular.  Marketers can find out what users are interested in by the things they share on the sites, and the editor can judge the success of it’s articles.

My First Post

wysiwyg

I learned what a wysiwyg is.

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