Jeffc.me» twitter

Ashton Kutcher Beats CNN

Jeffro — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 06:17:44 +0000

I thought I didn’t care, I must have been swept in the moment. CNN really cared though, check this out.

WPTavern Updates

Jeffro — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:24:14 +0000

Just wanted to pass along a few updates for those wondering about the progression of WPTavern.

The domain is up and running with a fresh install of WordPress 2.7. The first plugin I installed was Maintenance Mode so that I can work on the site in public without the dust getting in everyones eyes. Next up, I tried my best to install PHPBB3 but for whatever reason, I couldn’t get the installation to accept my Database credentials. I tried every combination known to man. After 30 minutes of trying to figure it out, I went and installed Simple Press which was recommend to me via Steve Hodson of WinExtra.com.

The installation was flawless and I’m going to give this a go. Now, I have to go through and configure the WordPress installation to my liking and then the next thing on my list is to work on the design for the site. Once I get the design finished which is going to be a variation of the one used on this site, I will incorporate the site design into the forums. Once that is finished, I will look at installing plugins for the site and getting the functionality I want up to snuff. During this time, I will also be trying to get my hands on OIO Publisher to manage advertising on the site. I’m hoping to have WPTavern publicly launched in *BETA* form by February 1st. Time will tell though if I’ll be able to make that deadline.

Last but not least, I have created a Twitter account for the site. Please follow @wptavern on Twitter as that will my method of communication to fans of the site. I’ll also be setting up the RSS feed to publish to Twitter for all articles published on the site.

Again, I’d like to thank everyone for their continued support. At this time, if anyone feels like they will be able to contribute some of their time to help me manage the WPTavern community via the forum, let me know as I want a few moderators already in place before the site launches.

Six Apart Kills Pownce

Jeffro — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:08:47 +0000

In surprising news today, Six Apart has announced that they will be acquiring Pownce for an undisclosed amount of money but Pownce will cease to exist come December 15th. As VentureBeat points out, this looks like a move to acquire skills and people rather than the service. A quick look at the Pownce timeline showcases some unhappy users which is to be expected.

Pownce Users Not Happy

The official Pownce blog contains instructions on how to export data from a Pownce account. The tool will create an export file that can then be imported into Vox, TypePad, or WordPress. As for those who purchased pro accounts, looks like they will be receiving an email with additional information within the coming days.

I have no idea what Six Apart has in mind for the Pownce team members but it could be interesting. Also, this signifies that Twitter is the cream of the crop in terms of microblogging services. What will happen to Jaiku or Plurk? This situation is also a good opportunity to think about what would happen if Twitter ended up with the same fate. Hopefully, they would also provide export tools but considering their size, their userbase, etc. I doubt we’ll be seeing Twitter going away anytime soon.

As I conversed about this story with PatrickD on Twitter, he made a great point:
patrickd88@jeffr0 Twitter had the advantage of being first. Nobody could touch it. The only service to almost take it down was itself!

What To Call This Twitter Fail Picture

Jeffro — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:41:56 +0000

At about 11:20 A.M. EST, Twitter failed. The database is down and the service is not expected to come back online for another hour. However, instead of being greeted by the infamous fail whale, I was introduced to a few newcomers.

What Do We Name This Picture?

Ok, what do we call this image?

Fail Caterpillar?
Fail Cone?
Fail InchWormCream?
Fail Catercone?

I’ll take thoughts and suggestions in the comments.

US Army Sees Twitter As Potential Terrorist Tool

Jeffro — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:54:27 +0000

Breitbart.com is reporting that in a recent draft that was filed by the US ARMY, Twitter is being considered as a potential terrorist tool.

“Extremist and terrorist use of Twitter could evolve over time to reflect tactics that are already evolving in use by hacktivists and activists for surveillance,” it said. “This could theoretically be combined with targeting.”

The report outlined scenarios in which militants could make use of Twitter, combined with such programs as Google Maps or cell phone pictures or video, to carry out an ambush or detonate explosives

Wow. I guess you know you’ve made it once people start claiming your web 2.0 microblogging service can be used as a tool by terrorists. To top it all off, Osamabinladen has been using Twitter for quite a while now. A U.S. Intelligence officer should direct message him and politely ask where he his hiding.

Twitter Looking To Hire Spam Engineer

Jeffro — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:54:43 +0000

The other day, I noticed Ev Williams who is the co-founder of Twitter, send out a Tweet mentioning that the company was looking to hire a spam engineer. Imagine how much it would suck if the job title was rearranged to engineer spam. Of course, there are already plenty of people/bots that have fulfilled that role. At any rate, I hope the position is filled quickly so I can stop receiving followers such as this one.

Despite the half way decent looking avatar, this lady has earned a spot on the blocked list.

Twitter Finds OJ Simpson Guilty

Jeffro — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 06:13:15 +0000

Geeze. As I am sitting here reading some blogs, I noticed the CNN breaking news Twitter account post a message about O.J. Simpson being found guilty. Two minutes later, Twitter blows up.

If it weren’t for Twitter, I would have no idea what is going on in the world.

Third Tweet Up Scheduled For Tonight

Jeffro — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:55:13 +0000

Tonight marks the third Tweet-UP hosted by Billy Fairchild aka. Tw3nty3ight. So far, these tweet up events have been a blast to attend, each lasting on average 2-3 hours. The tweet up is a place for all of those on twitter who don’t have the luxury of attending a local event to come online and gather in one place. I’ve met quite a few cool people due to these tweet ups. Not to mention, these guys and gals have one hell of a sense of humor making for a great evening.

If you are a Twitter user looking to meet new people, gain new followers and have a good time, be sure to meet me and the rest of the gang on Talkshoe tonight at 9PM EST. I go by the handle of Jeffro on Talkshoe.

Waaa I Can't Follow More Than 2,000 People

Jeffro — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:35:56 +0000

Earlier this morning, Twitter was buzzing due to the fact that it had been discovered that Twitter had limited accounts to only 2,000 followers. According to Mashable, Pownce has filed suit by also limiting accounts to only 2,000 followers.

While A-listers also known as early adopters could be held responsible for providing these new social tools some momentum, I don’t think they single handedly provided these services their success. Although Mark’s article goes into detail in regards to spam accounts on Twitter and their changing methodologies, what is the big deal in terms of being limited to 2,000 people? Can you honestly tell me that your human mind would be able to comprehend the conversations between all 2,000 people?

I hope you said no or else I’ll have to consider you to be something other than human. Now I know Robert Scoble and a select few like him can read 700 news items in Google Reader in a day but come on, he is the exception and not the rule. While I think Twitter should make exceptions to their evangelist users, I think everyone else needs to calm down.

For mere mortals, though, we have other stuff to do, and by and large we prefer to have a few dozen relationships we can truly engage in rather than 9,000+ that we once a month may shoot off a message to.

Well said Mark.

Will Plurk Kill Twitter

Jeffro — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:20:53 +0000

In last months poll, I asked if you would listen to a daily WordPress podcast. And here is how the poll turned out.

Well, I don’t think I’ll be doing anything in regards to a daily podcast. I have more on my plate at this time then I did when I started the poll. However, I still have to talk to a few people about the idea but I may try and do a live podcast that deals specifically with blogging and all aspects of it.

The poll for this month is, Will Plurk Kill Twitter? Since there are so many people going hogwash over the service, I thought I’d put my foot in the hype water and see what you think.