How 2 Connect Using Social Media

Experimental Toy of the Month 

Testing new social applications and tools

Twitter

In just a few words and a click, you can share "What are you doing?"

There are even interfaces to tweak Twitter - like iTweet which offers:
-- Built-in auto-refresh, search and hashtags
-- Full follow, block, notifications features
-- View user bio, location, URL inline with tweets
-- Watch conversations with "in reply to" links

My favorite is Twitterfall.com

TWE2

get your Twitters to SMS in Europe through Twe2, the Twitter Mobile Company

Twitterfall

" Twitterfall is a way of viewing the latest 'tweets' of upcoming trends and custom searches on the micro-blogging site Twitter. Updates fall from the top of the page in near-realtime.

For popular trends, Twitter is queried from the Twitterfall server, and results are pushed to your browser, rather than your browser doing the queries, or your computer polling our server repeatedly. This means using Twitterfall for popular trends is nicer on Twitter than other services. "

Tools That Are Useful or Fun 

former toys of the month

OpenID & ClaimID - securing your identity

With OpenID, you can use one identity to securely login to many different websites.

While ClaimID lets you track, verify, classify, annotate, prioritize and share the information that is about you online.

Our reputation and security is tied to our identity. Managing our identity is very CHALLENGING in the digital world.

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Xcavator

This is a web application that works with Flickr photos. It's image search recognition technology. Select several points on a photo to instruct Xcavator to find other similar photos. You can touch the color, the design, the perspective, whatever you want to use as guidelines.

CogniSign even has a blog where you can participate in development. They want your feedback.

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Technorati 

Tracking the Blogosphere

Technorati is the search engine tracking over 113 million blogs out there. It has a system for registering and catagorizing blogs.

Wikipedia on Technorati

complete history and links

State of the Blogosphere

complete report on what has transpired up until the present

Technorati Blog

Stay on top of what's happening in the world of blogging.

Technorati Ping

Let them know when you've updated your site. You can also configure your blog so that it's automatically pinged.

Technorati Kitchen

Developing ideas into working projects and tools for the blogger.

Current idea is Explore!. Find the right blog based on topics.

Integrated Browsers That Work for You 

search, tag, post to your blog or customize your toolbar

Firefox3

Download the new Firefox3 ! On 17 June 2008, Mozilla made the Guinness Book of Records with 13,851,463 software downloads in 24 hours.


Firefox is quickly overtaking IE as the browser of choice. It protects you from viruses, spyware, pop-ups - and comes with innovative extensions, plug-ins and themes. Try Performancing's nifty extension so that you can blog firectly from Firefox.

Safari from Apple

Safari is the browser of choice for Mac users. Now Windows users can try out the Safari 3 beta. If you like speed and images, this is the browser for you." />

Flock

This is a new generation browser that lets you search, grab content to use later, blog, tag - AND - it works with your Del.icio.us bookmark account.

There is even a wiki where users and developers can access knowledge and share their experiences.

Dashboards for Getting Organized 

web-based access to your content

Google Homepage

It's connected to your Gmail account. Customize your dashboard with everything Google or add widgets developed by others - easy to use drag-and-drop RSS feeds that you can even move into other tabbed pages - including your bookmarks, accessible from any computer

Pageflakes

This is the Web 2.0 model for managing your info - multi-tabbed and RSS'd. In one tab, keep track of the daily stuff you need to know + in another tab, track notes or to-do lists + in another tab, track the key updates for a project. Customize it to fit your needs - great drag and drop modular system. Flickr, hot blogs, weather, clock, Gmail, del.icio.us tags, translation dictionary, and more...

Netvibes

a simple dashboard - customize your own page with drag and drop RSS feeds, including your browser bookmarks, access it from any computer - works with Flickr script also

SuprGlu

gathers YOUR web-published content - like the blogs you publish or websites you contibute to - from popular webservices and publishes them in one convenient place

My Yahoo

a more complex dashboard - customize this page with everything from news, bookmarks, weather, flight search, movie trailers, message center - many choices, excellent help, but perhaps a bit overwhelming at first

Sharing your Calendar Online 

staying in synch with others

makes planning meeting and events for groups of people so much easier

30 Boxes

a robust but simple social calendar that's easy to share with friends and family

Spongecell

the absorbful calendar - integrated with email and your mobile phone - great for people on-the-go

Eventful

Discover, create and share events that matter to you. It's responsive to your logged in IP address - find what's happening in your area.

Planzo

use the latest technology - AJAX, RSS, Web 2.0, XML, SMS - or build your own social apps using their calendar API

Web Conferencing 

Yugma

Yugma now has a nifty link with Skype for online conferencing and sharing desktops for collaboration.

If you do try this, we'd love to hear your feedback.

Free web-conferencing for up to 10 people
- compatible with both Mac and Windows - reliable and secure

Yugma is a word from the Sanskrit language meaning "the state of being in unified collaboration."

Present sales proposals, product demonstrations, conducting training, project management, customer service, team reviews, remote support and troubleshooting, and collaboration by web communities such as Skype, Jotspot and Salesforce.com.

Tagging Tools & Helpful Instructions 

to help you with the social classifications for tagging

Wikipedia on Tagging

Here is an explanation for the social classifications on tagging on Wikipedia, the online encylopedia created by online collaboration.

These social classifications are called folksonomies, a term you come across many times in social media. In the scientific world, we call them taxonomies.

You're It!

a blog on social tagging filled with how people are using this social classification system

TagCloud

TagCloud is an automated Folksonomy tool. Essentially, TagCloud searches any number of RSS feeds you specify for each of your TagClouds and extracts keywords from the content and lists them in a box.

You can then click on any of the tag's links and see a display list of all the article abstracts associated with that keyword.

You can then script these TagClouds to your blog or site.

Tool for loading Firefox Bookmarks

loads your Firefox bookmarks directly into your Del.icio.us account

Geo-Tagging 

connecting through your location

Wikipedia on Geo-Tagging

Explanation of geographical identification using metadata

Plazes

Sign up and look for links in your own area. After you sign in - you can find us here on Plazes. I use Plazes regularly when traveling, so people can follow my locations. It's also wonderful when trying to find free Wifi! They also have a blog.

Frappr

Add yourself to our map and - voila! - you are immediately part of Frappr. Set up your own locations and ask others to join you.

i-Neighbors

Even though this is only available in the USA and Canada, the concept is about connecting people in their neighborhoods to deal with social and civic issues.

TwitterMap

Put yourself on the map and see who else is there.

Saving & Sharing your Photos Online 

use photos to connect with others

Our photos tell our stories and bring us into contact with others. Store, share and post direct to your blog from many of the photo sites. Send photos direct from your mobile phone to many of these sites.

Most of these sites use tagging, so you find just about anything you want.

Here are a few to get you started:

Flickr

Flickr is so cool. The possibilities are endless. Easy to use, clean in design, and you can upload and edit your photos in batches and organize them in sets! Members can pool photos in topic groups - like Old Photos. See my photos here to get a taste.

Photobucket

Video and image storage and sharing. Host and link your images and videos to social networks, auction sites, blogs, and message boards.

Foto-Pic

Foto-pic offers something a bit different. They are more commercially focused. I use them for my more scientific photos from the skies.

BubbleShare

New site for storing and sharing your photos online, enabled with Ajax surprises like zoom-in.

Woophy

Woophy uses location as integral to photos. People share a forum to discuss topics. There's a newsletter.

Open Source Software Initiative 

Many people, companies and governments are beginning to respond to the efforts of the Open Source initiative. Access to software and source code, supported by a network of experts, without the heavy costs for licenses and fees, is changing the way people make choices about software that they use. It also creates opportunities for innovation by building on basic software modules to customize them.

Open Source Development

"Open source is a development method for software that harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process.

The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in.

Definition of Open Source

Open source doesn't just mean access to the source code. The
distribution terms of open-source software must comply with
the criteria defined in this link.

Hosting & Sharing Music Online 

share your music or just listen

Pandora

This is a read-my-mind music platform. Just type in a tune or artist, and see what shows up as your soundtrack for the day. Try the QuickMix for a blend of your favorites. It recognizes my laptop as I travel, so no worries about forgetting your login. It automatically loads your favorites.

is part of the Music Genome Project.

SoundFlavor

Build playlists that get better each time with adaptive paths learning from your tastes and moods.

WebJay

Great place to store and share your tunes. You can also link it to your blog or site for background music. Full of independent artists.

LAST FM

Join the social music revolution. You get your own online music profile that you can fill up with the music you like. This information is used to create a personal radio station and to find users who are similar to you.

Podcasts 

listening to the conversations and stories

IT Conversations

Doug Kaye really set podcasting in motion when he started covering the most interesting conferences on social media - PopTech, Accelerating Change and SuperNova. Here's where you'll find people like Malcolm Gladwell talking about their books and thoughts.

The Podcast Network

One of the easiest resources for finding a range of audio content using their channel bar. They claim to be the first commercial podcast network in the world.

iTunes 6

Download iTunes for free. Subscribe to the podcasts you want and iTunes takes care of the rest. Updates occur automatically. Great for managing your music as well.

iPodder

iPodder.NET is a media aggregator that automatically downloads content to your machine as you subscribe to RSS feeds. It integrates automatically with iTunes, creating playlists and synching with your attached iPod.

Podcasting How-To's 

Learn to Podcast

Martin Bamford's Squidoo lens takes you through the steps and important issues to get you ready to podcast.

O'Reilly Podcasting Tips

Learn from O'Reilly Digital Media with their "Killer Interviewing Tips for Podcasters, Part 1".

Pod-O-Matic

create, find, send, listen, exchange, make friends, learn how, connect, share
Easy format, easy to use

iLife from Apple

Garage Band - the best way to record music on a Mac is now the best way to record podcasts, too.

Video-Blogging 

storing, accessing and sharing your digital video

YouTube

YouTube - is the hottest place to upload, store, access, and share video. They make it easy to post these videos to any site, including sharing your Favorites with your friends on Facebook.

Check out the YouTube 4 Dummies video

Daily Motion

post videos directly on your blog

Our Media

"Video producers and podcasters use Ourmedia to show off their works and create communities of interest.
Create your own channels!
Learn how to create cooler media
Grab rights-cleared footage & music
Upload your work to multiple sites
You own your media - no lock-ins!"

Vimeo

upload, share and build friend groups

FireANT

"FireAnt is a great way to Discover, Watch, and Subscribe to Internet TV channels and Podcasts."

Vlog It

"add video to your blog in seconds"

Steve Garfields VideoBlog Squidoo

Steve Garfield has a comprehensive Squidoo lens on videoblogging with everything you need to know.

Reading and Tracking Other People's Blogs 

getting a FeedReader to help you get organized

Bloglines

I use this as my primary online feedreader. Because it's easy to set up folders tagged with my own categories, I can easily find and share what I'm tracking and reading.

Lektora

I love Lektora because I can download my feeds and read them offline. This is great if you happen to travel a lot. It's easy to get caught up on the news, the topics your following, and the updates your partners have made to projects.

Pluck

Wow - an RSS feedreader for news and blogs, bookmark manager, tagging, search, and personalized feed portals all rolled into a one social application.

Shadows , their browser tool, is a social bookmarking service for discovering, sharing and managing information on the web. The "Shadow Page" is a community blog for any web page that includes views, ratings, tags, and comments by you, your friends and the Shadows community.

You can also use Pluck's technology to brand a portal of your own!

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) 

Everything you always wanted to do with it and more...

Taking RSS beyond headlines

The people over at www.basement.org are a wonderful source of possibilities for social media and new technology.

50 RSS Ideas for Educators

Download presentation for the Leading Learning 2006 and ECOO Conferences - an ideas guide for educators

Pings! 

submitting your blog after each posting

Pingoat

Submits your blog to several search engines

Technorati

Tracks all the blog updates

Ping-O-Matic

Submits your blog to several search engines

Auto-tagging for your WordPress Blog 

Wizag

" The plugin will automatically assign informative tags to the entire archive of your blog.

The benefits to bloggers and publishers are: increased pageviews through readers finding related posts in your blog using the auto-tags; sending your blogs out to be discovered by readers of other blogs in the community; giving readers broader perspectives and creating more ads space for your blog. "

The Top Blogs 

the most read blogs

Find out what makes the most read blogs so popular. Discover new ideas. Comment on the postings.

Technorati's Most Popular Blogs

determined by the number of people who link to them

How to Get Started Blogging 

places that host blogs

Flickr

Photos, videos, images can say more than words. Add some words as tags - or descriptions. This is a resource with no comparison. Even cities and large organizations are adding their archives to Flickr.

WordPress

WordPress is the Open Source host for blogs and wikis.

Blogger

Create a blog in 3 easy steps. Blogger hosts your blog for free. It also helps you get Google Ads into your blog.

SixApart

Powerful, hosted blogging tools and services - such as TypePad, MoveableType, Vox and Blog.com.

We, The Media 

people using social media are changing the world

Manifesto for Social Networking

Back in 2004, Stuart Henshall established some ground rules for engaging in social media. Definitely worth a read.

The Wisdom of Crowds

James Surowiecki writes a popular business column for The New Yorker magazine. He believes that "large groups of people are smarter than an elite few - no matter how brilliant - better at solving problems, fostering innovation, coming to wise decisions, even predicting the future".

The Tipping Point

Malcolm Gladwell - author of the book The Tipping Point - called this phenomenonal change of behavior an epidemic. This is a great link to his rationale for the book.

Malcolm also has a blog.

We, the Media

We, the Media was written by Dan Gillmor to capture the impact that bloggers have had on publishing. He called it citizen journalism. You can also access chapters of it here.