Posts Tagged ‘followers’

With new texting laws coming into play, you have to find other ways to get texts and emails. That is where Drivesafe.ly comes in.  You will be able to listen to text messages – up to 25 characters. Without having to push a button – It will know when you get in the car.

Todd Cochrane talks with Heath on this great concept. It’s a background app for Blackberry and Android phones and soon for iPhone and Palm.  It does have an out of office type reply to let people know you are driving. 1.8 Million followers are already using it.

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TSO - Twitter Search Optimization

Most have heard of SEO – search engine optimization. It seems to be a common phrase nowadays. Every now and then I even hear ads on the radio that promote SEO because it is a viable thing for anybody’s website. The better it is searched, the more traffic that can come to it.

However, there is another trend that has been creeping up. The same ideals, but this time In the microblog field. Something that could easily be known as TSO – or Twitter Search Optimization. Some practice this new ideal and others are even really good at it; but no matter what – if you are ignoring TSO, then you are ignoring a lot of new readers, listeners or viewers.

Take a look at this 140 character statement:

@geekazine #Twitter #network tool. We are a #blog #podcast and #news site. Check out the #website http://www.geekazine.com (#Geekazine)

What have I done here besides murder my 5th grade grammar? Well, I’ve simply made this into a TSO statement. Geekazine, which is mentioned twice as a Hashtag and a reply, the keywords: Twitter, Network, Blog, Podcast, News and Website. For those who are not sure, Hashtags are simply keywords that others can search on. So I could easily be scanning these 6 words to try and get response or new followers. I might then see:

RT @geekazine #Twitter #network tool. We are a #blog #podcast and #news site. Check out the #website http://www.geekazine.com (#Geekazine)

RT means that someone has re-tweeted my original post. They have then exposed their viewers – which could be 100 or 100,000,000 – to my statement. If the 1/100 rule applies (for every 100 sales pitches, you will get one sale), then I could pick up anywhere from 1 to 100,000 new followers.

Last year, when coming back from the Consumer Electronics Show, I started posting video. When I pushed over to Twitter, I used the Hashtag: #CES09. What happened in return was the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) noticed I was pushing #CES09 and re-tweeted any post that was #CES09. The end result was more followers, possible viewers to my site and listeners of my podcasts.

This tweet got me a lot of response:

You can become a Fan of something on #Facebook, but I want to become an enemy. That would be kewler.

I used only one Hashtag in Facebook, but I got several RT due to the nature of the post. Then again, if you follow #Facebook on the searches, you will see my tweet.

I have a program called Tweetdeck that lets me create special groups. Some of them are certain podcasters. Others are searches for keywords. I have a search (for example) of “Geekazine”. Just in case someone posts a tweet like ” Dude. you should listen to geekazine”; Since it’s not @geekazine or #geekazine, I may never see it. But by putting a special search on it, I will see the post.

I can find the trends on Twitter right now simply by going to search.twitter.com. There I will find out the top trends today are Pirate Day , Mayweather , Jennifer’s Body , Jay-Z , Marquez , Ahoy , Roc Raida , Texas , Google This and Bing.

If I go to Hashtags, I can find out what was said about a certain tag. I know that in the last month, the term “CES09″ has been slightly active, while only 2 people have used “CES10″.  Of course, come January, CES10 will be used a lot more.

Want to see trends of Geekazine on Twitter? Then go to a site like Trendistic. This will show you what I’ve been doing in the last month. I can check on the recent spikes, or compare Geekazine to microsoft, if I wanted to.

Last year I decided to put a method to my twitters when I posted my weekly podcast. I would do this:

#PODCAST – Ep. 104 – The day that almost made me stop podcasting http://bit.ly/JO2Ou (#Geekazine)

The first hashtag would be to search on podcasts. The second would be Geekazine’ s hashtag. I use a feature of Plurk with the parenthesis. Basically by putting the Hashtag in Parenthesis, Plurk will turn that hashtag into a link using my bit.ly/jO2Ou. While the parenthesis idea didn’t port over to Twitter, I still continue this practice. I think this is a well organized, TSO filled tweet. It tells you this post is about my Podcast on Geekazine.

Recently, a power-twit (someone who uses twitter to excess), we’ll just call @noname,  was in the local news for various legal issues. Nonetheless, their profile had 40,000 followers. @noname was tweeting several times a day and pushed items back to their website.

Of course, that person used #Followfriday for one of the marketing plans – which has gotten out of hand. The idea was to highlight a few people so they could get more followers. Some abuse the system, turn around and post all their followers every Friday. Still, there are some that use this to the best of their ability. If I use it, I do it like this:

#followfriday @caffination – #podcast about caffene and Tech, @norbtek – podcast about Cool #tech, @davewiner – post about ReverseHTTP

This gives meat and potatoes into a reason to follow this person. Not because I follow them.

Like I said, I have keyword searches I do in Twitter. They could bring up possible leads, they could bring up new listeners to my show. If I incorporate this into my website, that could bring more viewers faster than ever before.

That is why this Twitter will be called “#TSO – #Twitter #Search #Optimization and how it’s like #SEO http://bit . ly (#Geekazine).

You might remember the products. You might remember the hype. Then, you are tooling down highway 41 years later and all of a sudden you think to yourself – “Hey, whatever happened to…”

Failed ideas. Maybe it was a great idea, but wasn’t made right, or design errors brought it down. Maybe it was just a bad product. Well, let’s take a stroll down memory lane and see if we cannot repeat these errors again.

Oh yeah, why 16? Well because we could.

The Computer Watch: Whether it was the Ruputer, the MSN Direct ‘Smart’ Watches, the Timex Data Link Watch or another gadget watch – BTW – I remember having a “Transformers watch”. It was awesome!

Still, the Dick Tracey style communication watches, the “Computer on a wrist”, never really hit it off. I even remember a watch that gave you directions. You would put in the paper tape and turn a little dial to indicate where you are and where you are going.

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Contest has closed. Thanks to all participants.

This month we are giving away an Epson Artisan 700 printer. This is a wireless printer /scanner with CD/DVD printing capability. Here are all the options:

• 4 in 1 Print / Copy / Scan / Ultra Hi-Def Photo
• Up to 38 ppm, photos in as fast as 10 sec1
• Auto Photo Correction; preview on LCD
• Professional quality CD/DVD printing
• Wi-Fi and Ethernet networking
• Scan and restore faded photos
• Ultra Hi-Definition photos last 4x longer than photo lab prints
• Print personal note paper & greeting cards

There are three parts to this contest.

• Follow on Twitter – @geekazine
• Comment below with your twitter name
• In the next few weeks, during the Quickcast – Week in Tech History podcast (published on Mondays), I will announce the third requirement.
  • Check out the latest quickcast on this – we give you the 3rd step – a codeword to enter in twitter. #geekazine rocks.

On June 30th, we will draw a winner from all the names recieved (randomizer on the comment list). We will have other prizes as well, to be announced later.

Good Luck!

Video explaination:

Press release here: http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200905/1243448369.html

I use Twitter a lot. I wanted to stay informed, especially from friends. I decided to port all direct messages to my cell phone. That way I didn’t have to install a Twitter client. At first that was great – I could respond to people I need to talk to.

That has all changed with the Twitterbot.

Now, if I “Follow” the wrong person, I get a direct message:

Thanks for following me. I hope to talk to you, but in the meantime: here is a free gift hllp://i.am.spamming/you.

I am not impressed – In fact, I am downright annoyed. You want to get unfollowed by me? Then all you have to do is send me a bot like that. I’ll unfollow you in a heartbeat.

I don’t mind @replies. But the direct replies are the ones that go to the cell phone too. I am glad someone is trying to open communication, but this is redicuous.

So what can be done to change this?

Twitter could block directly direct messages – Maybe set up a blocker to direct messages until the two have conversed or a 30 day grace period has passed. Maybe even an

“Allow this person to DM you” option. Just because I want to follow them doesn’t mean I want them to spam me.

DM Karma – If your Karma is below a certain level, you cannot DM anyone.

In the meantime, I am going to have to turn off the option to SMS me for direct messages. I guess what was a good thing last year might not be so much this.

Ashton hit 1 million – he was the first – on Twitter. Oprah is at 83,000. CNN, Ellen, Jimmy Fallon, Barack Obama and Shaq are those who make the top list of Twitter Followed profiles.

It seems Twitter is getting us closer to people we see on Radio, TV and Movies. You can find out what someone is doing from wherever you and they are. You can use your computer, phone, mobile device or mental telepathy – if you have an API written for it.

Then there is the chance that you might reply to @aplusk. Then you can say “Ashton talked back to me.” Well, maybe it’s his assistant who’s job it is to watch the twitter account. Even though Ashton is following 73, he can see all the @ replies.

There are those who are trying to find a way to get more followers. The best way would be if you did get a @ reply from Ashton. Really – it’s true: I have seen where I would @ a person, they would @ me back and I saw my followers jump up. And, No – it’s not all spammers and “Qwitters” (People that unfollow you after so many days hoping you will follow them).

Think about it – It’s like if you went to California, ran into Ashton and he said “Hey! Let’s go to Element and have a drink”. You walk up to the door and Ashton shakes hands with the security in the front, then says “Hey, this guy’s with me”. You then walk in without your name being on the guest list. All of a sudden you have people looking at you.

OK, I sensationalized the Twitter experience a little more than usual. But the same result is true. You have a few people going “I wonder what @geekazine is like…”

Now don’t expect to start @aplusk on every twitter he sends. It might get him to block you. It might get your account suspended by Twitter.

Twitter is a great tool to get your name across. If it wasn’t for the social Microblogger, I wouldn’t have met a lot of the people in my profession. I still have a lot to go. Maybe I’ll hit 1 million followers. I suppose I would need to create a million twitter accounts to do that….

BTW – twitter me @geekazine

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In the Weekend edition of Week in Tech History, the Federal Networking Council, along with the DoD, NSF, NASA and others, officially coin the word “Internet” on Oct 24th, 1995. The Resolution names TCP/IP and other IP related protocols to create “accessability to publicly or privaely high level services layered on the communications and related infrastructure”.

Other events include Mac OS 10.3 release, the Playstation 2 is released in the US, The Osborne Vixen and Encore computers are announced and Windows XP Home and Professional editions are released. This, along with the Colbert Facebook app hitting 1 million followers and a lot more make up the weekend edition of the Weekend in Tech History Podcast.

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Open Source seems to be a growing movement. Not everything is part of the “GNU General Public License” though.  Some have even gone as far to make their own Public License standard.

Microsoft does have some Open Source to them, but what would happen if they took their Operating System to that standard? Would people accept the Microsoft OS, or would they finally make the switch to Linux?

Brought to you by CareerSaver.com – 25% off Training materials if you use code “Geek08”.

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The story of Exploding laptops is not a new one. The Lithium battery in your laptop expands to the point where it breaks the encasement. Dell, Sony and IBM ended up recalling a series of batteries to prevent computer loss.

Today scientists announced they had made a solid, non-flammable polymer to replace the liquid electrolyte that is used to make the batteries. The science is new, and wont see the light of the public eye for 3 to 5 years, mainly because the polymer needs work to hold a longer charge. However, will this help the laptop not explode?

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Podcast (quickcast): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 5:00 — 2.3MB)

Hear it here – http://vocalo.org/play/?playerID=14352

BBQ Robocop?

Java for iPhone

Ziff-Davis Bankrupcy

Feature: Is it time to get a Mac?

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