A NewsGator System Review
February 13th, 2008
Newsgator has released all of it’s individual products for free. This was quite a surprise as they were/are among the leading desktop applications for reading RSS feeds for both Macs and Windows computers. However, they explained clearly that most of their money is being made from business licenses, so the more individual desktops they can control, the likelier their products will be chosen when the corporation starts looking for an overall solution. Also, they’ll be collecting “attention data.”
If there is a specific feed you love, and you’re constantly emailing its articles to friends or saving articles in your clippings, that’s interesting…and if there are a lot of people doing this, it’s probably a good indicator about the “relevancy” of that content for other users. Similar with individual articles that are getting a lot of attention from users. Basically, by using your data, in combination with aggregate data from other users, we can deliver a better experience for everyone. And that’s a good thing - both for us and for you.
Greg Reinacker
Sounds like Google’s relevancy algorithm.
In addition to the desktop software, they’ve also given free access to the web-based service (NewsGator Online) and the mobile service (NewsGator Go! & HTML mobile reader), all of which sync to each other so that a feed added to or read on one is automatically updated on the others.
NetNewsWire
I started by exporting my list of feeds from my current feed reader Google Reader, and importing it into NetNewsWire, the Mac desktop software. The import went well and I spent quite a while reorganizing my feeds (It seems there is no folder tag in the standard so this happens every time I change readers.).
The software itself is a joy to use, very intuitive with keyboard shortcuts for those of us who feel more efficient using them and fairly extensive preferences for customization. Along with the normal options to flag, email and open the item in a browser are a link to the desktop editor of the user’s choice for heavy bloggers and plenty of social web options. Though with the exception of flagging, all of these operations require immediate Internet access. There is no setting it up to be done later as you might wish on an airplane.
NewsGator Online
On quitting or exiting the program it synchs it’s settings with the online and the mobile reader. Here I was disappointed to see that all the careful organizational work I had done in the desktop client hadn’t been transferred over. I know many people don’t bother using folders but I do use it extensively to help triage the information coming through my 370 subscriptions. I understood why my folders were lost moving from one system to another but shouldn’t two products from the same company be able to cooperate? It makes me doubt how well other changes I make in one or the other will synch across the network which is supposed to be its strength.
Then there’s the online service itself, I expected something comparable to the desktop software on the web, in actuality it’s very stripped down and the lack of AJAX support after Google Reader makes feel terribly slow. Far too painful to try to use even for one session with the number of items I deal with and expect to get through quickly. Others who track fewer websites or those who publish less frequently (or both) will find the reload speed far more manageable. It is interesting to note that while the web clippings synch, the flags do not. There is a cool trick where you can right click on a feed or folder and act on them (such as unsubscribing or marking all read) without having to load them first.
HTML mobile reader
The HTML reader is very stripped down as you’d expect from something meant to be loaded on mobile devices. It makes for easy navigation and (relatively) fast loading. There’s reading and that’s all. If you want to do something else with a feed item (e.g. delicious or blog it), then don’t mark it read and go back to it later.
Overall it’s a good system for people who work on their own computers or mobile devices the vast majority of the time. Those who need a good web-based interface might do better with Google Reader or Bloglines.
use thing
February 12th, 2008
WordPress › Twitter Tools « WordPress Plugins
swissmiss: use thing
Use-Thing makes life in the crowd more bearable, by shutting out all the noise, and protecting your personal aura. Apparently, it’s comfortable to wear.
Testing new plugin
February 12th, 2008
You can now keep up with InfoAdept on Twitter. (Yes I am writing more articles, just trying to get a roll started.) You can friend me on Twitter and be notified when new posts are made or just subscribe to my feed and get both articles and Tweets in your RSS reader.
Just installed Twitter Tools (…
February 12th, 2008
Just installed Twitter Tools (alexking.org/projects/wordpress) on InfoAdept.com.
Working
February 7th, 2008
Working
The New Mac Goodies
January 25th, 2008
I was as excited as everyone else to see what Steve Jobs had for us at the 2008 MacWorld Keynote. And I oohed and aahed at the MacBook Air. But on further consideration I’ll be waiting for the new Macbook Pros to drool. IT is clearly designed as a second computer for people with a desktop at home, with a slower cpu, less RAM and smaller hard-drive than most laptops today. But the big consideration for buyers is the lack of an optical drive. Which means no built in cd/dvd player or writer. Calling it a “Road Warrior” machine, Apple clearly believes that most people have gone to using external drives for data backup and transfer. There is a built in technology for connecting to the optical drive of a nearby computer and using it as the Air’s own for installing software and burning cds as well as external drives that can be added to your order for $99. There are a number of reviews up now.
- Apple’s MacBook Air Is Beautiful and Thin, but Omits Features
- Switched On: Apple bets that to Air is human
- Analysis: What the MacBook Air is and what it isn’t
I used the first iMacs at work which were the first computers to come without disk drives. The technology was becoming dated but it wasn’t dead yet so every iMac in the library had to have one of the external drives hooked up which made an awful racket when in use and slowed the computer to a crawl. That’s what this feels like. That Apple has once again discarded a technology too early in the search for the cool form factor. I’d rather deal with my full MacBook Pro with everything inside than have to balance one more toy on a cable on the go.
The new movie rental options simply don’t do much for me, the 24 hour time limit simply can’t compete with the unlimited limit from Netflix and Blockbuster. Here’s one guy’s experience though and Ars Technica has their own review.
I’m one of those who love my iPhone. I’ve noticed that those who don’t are the ones who want to do a lot of text input on it: emailing and text messaging. The new Maps redo is full of useful functionality and I think a few design tweaks that make it easier to use.
The big thing for me is Time Capsule. Built on their Airport wireless network router, it will work with Time Machine (the backup software built in to the latest OS) to regularly backup all of your macs wirelessly. Backing up files is one of the most important and least thought about parts of computing. It’s so easy to forget about when you’re doing other stuff and when you’re on the computer you don’t want to tie it up with the backup. Using a laptop for my only computer, I’ve never been able to just leave it plugged in to an external drive to run an automated script. With Time Capsule however, I’d be able to just leave my laptop open anywhere in the house and have it backup automatically at a preset time while I’m sleeping. Like everything else it’s not coming out until February but there is speculation that the backup over wireless capacity will be released for the latest Airport routers in a firmware update as well since they were supposed to have it to begin with.
MacSparky, the Mac lawyer, has a round up of products that didn’t get as much press.
I’m excited for the future. I can’t wait to see what developers do once they can run applications on the iPhone without “breaking” it. I will love seeing how the Macbook Air’s design affects the Macbook and Macbook Pro’s and I’m hopeful for Time Capsule. It looks like a good year coming for Mac heads.
Looking the Part (Whatever that is)
August 7th, 2007
It is a fact of the human condition that we are judged on our appearance. We rely on our eyes a great deal in life so the first impression when meeting a new person can be critical in how we view them.
In casual situations, this doesn’t matter much but in business it can make or break the deal. Before the potential client or employer has even seen your portfolio or heard your pitch, he or she already thinks of you as professional, crisp, modern, sloppy, late, dim, or bland.
Plus, a well-dressed appearance pays other financial benefits as well by creating a more positive general impression of yourself in the community. Others will have a higher opinion of you and you’ll subtly find yourself in better situations.
Obviously, being on time, alert and prepared is a start. But you have to prepare your presentation of yourself as carefully as the you prepare to present your work.
Mentally
- you can research the company and/or the industry.
- Try to figure out what kinds of questions you will be asked and prepare answers or ideas for answers ahead of time.
- Think of questions you can ask. Even if you already know the answer, it makes you look more interested and involved with the process.
- Remember to always present yourself in a positive light. I was involved in a hiring process where one very qualified candidate ended up looking terrible because in response to questions he would say “No.” instead of “No, but…”
Physically
- Get a haircut if you need it.
- Make sure your clothing is appropriate, in good condition, clean and pressed.
- Gentlemen, shave or trim your beards.
- Ladies, yes I know it’s un-pc, but this is reality and we’re still years away from being able to go to a job interview or meeting without makeup. Even a little bit makes a difference.
Beyond that, if you like you can use your wardrobe to express your personal art or design style. As long as the clothing is in good repair and is flattering as well as professional, it should give you confidence along with giving prospective employers confidence in you.
Buying local is good for your business too.
July 18th, 2007
Recently I was running errands and noticed a sign for a new local restaurant along the way. Always looking for something to ward off the chain food blahs, I stopped on my way home.
It was nice inside, obviously a new family-run place, busy with what looked like a mix of people dropping in like myself and regulars. A very family-like atmosphere.
After my meal I had the opportunity to talk with the owner when she wasn’t overwhelmed with work (It was extremely busy when I first came in). We chatted about how she was redoing the place and building up slowly and I mentioned that I was starting my own small business in web design specializing in small businesses. It flowed from there and I left her with my contact information.
The important points to take from this are:
- Local: I was a customer first so it wasn’t a cold call. We have to do those too but this way there was an established relationship that made both of us more comfortable.
- Timing: She approached me when she had time to talk. Earlier she had been juggling a dozen things at once and trying to break in then would have made a bad impression.
- Backup: I was able to describe in detail, off the cuff a situation where a basic website might get her more business immediately.
- Relaxed: No pressure sale. It turns out she relies on someone else’s advice on computer and Internet matters so trying hard when she was already stressed (Who isn’t at the end of a work day?) would have just turned her off.
- Follow-up: The information I gave her was put down somewhere and floated right out of her overcrowded mind. Which is why I have to wait a week and call her back. Remind her of our conversation and ask if she’s thought about whether she wants me to do her website or not. She won’t have thought at all of course, but the phone call will jog her memory gently enough that she’ll get her IT person on it.
Hacking Wordpress as an easy updatable link directory
July 18th, 2007
By now Wordpress has been bent, folded and mangled in any number of ways to for custom CMSs. One of the most interesting ways I did it was to both manage a website and create a small Yahoo! like link directory within it.
The website was part of a grant project for helping senior citizens find reliable health information on the Internet. My purpose in using Wordpress as a backend was to speed development time as well as make it as easy as possible for non-techies to update. There were three types of information that needed to be displayed
- The link directories
- Two multipage tutorials
- Static - the front, explanatory page, and the contact page which has since been taken offline.
Looking at it now, there are so many things I would love to change but I also recall how specific the customer was about what she wanted.
Since the purpose in using Wordpress was to manage the links, they were the first thing I looked at. Using the custom fields, it was easy to create those in individual posts, using customized category pages to list them.
The tutorials, likewise had the individual pages created as posts and separation managed by category. Display of the custom fields, internal navigation and the contact form were managed by plugins.
The other static page, the home page, was the index file. Today it could be created with a Wordpress “page” and a preference setting but at the time of creation those features weren’t available.
Despite the fact it hasn’t been updated since I turned it over using Wordpress was the best choice for this project. It shaved considerable time off of development and eased content addition tremendously.
Working with Bad Organizational Colors
July 17th, 2007
My first professional website. I was so excited, I had worked so hard to position myself within my department for it. Then I realized, I had to work with our official color: orange. Not a nice warm earth tone, or a bright energizing version either. But what I’m pretty sure is the ugliest web-safe color to be found. Dark, dreary and muddy- not the image we wanted to present to our users.
Worse, the secondary color was a web-safe green that just made the orange that much worse.
Since then, I’ve found that there are a number of strategies that can be used for dealing with less than ideal colors, unfortunately most of them weren’t available to me on that project.
- Use it sparingly. This is what we did. A mostly black, white and grey design with punches of orange and little to no green. It worked, but it lacked warmth, energy, and a cohesion with the rest of the organization.
- Use a complimentary/analogous color. The colors surrounding the offending one can effect how it comes across. There are about a gazillion color tools and guides out there. Pick a link and take a spin. Unfortunately, as a mere department, we were stuck with official rules which stated only those colors.
- Use a similar but not as aweful shade. Most people may not even notice but they’ll feel the difference and your statistics will thank you. This is the optimum option because it allows you to keep the full organizational branding while easing away from the ickyness. See color tools for help in finding that perfect double. I think we could have gotten away with this but the committee disagreed.
