TwitterAdder 20 Random Friends

TwitterAdder.com Logo
For those of you having trouble finding so called ‘friends‘ on twitter, your in luck. Using TwitterAdder, you can now have 20 random people added as friends to your account.

TwitterAdder is the newest guy in the bunch to use the Twitter API. After you login to their site using your username and password, TwitterAdder then takes 20 random people and adds them to your friends list. I’m not going to give this service a try since I recently figured out how I want to use Twitter effectively. However, if you end up giving the service a try, let me know how the results turned out.

This Site Undergoes Design Tweaks

This weekend, I decided to get a different perspective on my blog by sitting other people down in front of my website to observe how they browse around and which areas of the site they click. Upon initial feedback, I was told that the top part of my site seemed a bit busy. I was told that it would be nice if a reader had the ability to click on a button that would either maximize or minimize the three content blocks near the top of the site.

The three content blocks in question are the Recent Articles, Recent Comments and the Most Popular Posts. After browsing around the WordPress.org site looking for solutions, I came across a post that mentioned the following plugin, JS Toggle Boxes Js Toggle Boxes provided a means for me to add a plus symbol or a minus symbol to a div element that contained an unordered list. Using a combination of Javascript, CSS and cookies, readers of this site can now show or hide at least 6 different content blocks. Show Or Hide Content By Clicking On This Icon

I’ve also rearranged my sidebar menus so that site specific content is in the left sidebar while, 3rd party widgets and misc stuff is in the right sidebar. I’ve also replaced the default technorati favorite image and added a custom one within the same box which contains my subscription images. I’ve also changed the entire background site to represent one solid color, as the gradient background image combined with a background color just never seemed to work in Internet Explorer. Surrounding the entire site is now a white 3 pixel border. The black one was not viewable with the darker background color.

Although the div elements never bothered me, you now have a choice as to whether or not you want to view those specific content areas or not. They work whether you have Javascript enabled or disabled. Also, because of the use of cookies, your viewing settings will be remembered unless the cookie is deleted, in which case all of the content boxes will be open again.

Please let me know what you think of the design changes.

Which Internet Celebrity Are You?

Technosailor has put together a self importance test that will analyze how important you think you are. After completing the test, I found out that I am most like Darren Rowse of Problogger.com Imagine that! Here is what the result actually states:

I am most like Darren Rowse

Well, I’ll agree with the fact that I like to help other bloggers when I can. Just the other day, I was participating in the end of a podcast and ended up talking to two other bloggers for an hour, giving them some tips and tricks. I honestly don’t participate in many social networking services and I don’t turn everyone in the world into my friend. So it’s nice that I apparently have some of the same qualities as Darren, but will I ever make as much income as Darren? That’s the question I want to know.

Let me know which internet celebrity you turn out to be.

WordPress 2.2.3 Released

Wordpress.com logoWordPress version 2.2.3 has been released. The release is slated as a “security and bug-fix” release. Considering this fixes a few security issues, it is highly recommended that you upgrade your WP install to the latest version ASAP. Considering WordPress 2.3 is around the corner, this upgrade is probably not going to sit well with a few people.

Two of the fixes in the latest version of WP are rated as “high priority“. Those two are labeled as, 4704 Invalid RSS2 Comments Feed and 4720 Users without unfiltered_html capability can post arbitrary html There were also a number of files that were changed. To see a complete list of these file changes, be sure to read WordPress 2.2.3 File Changes

Download the latest version of WordPress here http://wordpress.org/download/ Pardon me, as I commence with the upgrade! If you don’t hear from me by Monday, you’ll know why.

LocateTV Redesigns Embeddable Widgets

LocateTV.com Logo

LocateTV, the internet version of TV Guide which was covered here LocateTV – TV Guide On Steroids, have redesigned their embeddable widgets based on user feedback. The new widgets now come in three flavors. Vanilla, Branded and Custom.

The Vanilla design is a plain and simple graphic with no bells or whistles attached. The Branded design is their standard widget design which features the colors of their website. Probably the most useful out of the bunch is the custom design. The custom widget contains adjustable color and sizing options so that blending it in with the design of your site is a piece of cake.

LocateTV is currently asking for feedback on these new widget designs. Please visit New embed designs: go on then and let them know what you think.

On a related note, LocateTV is showing one of the most powerful resources in an online companies arsenal, two-way communication. The end users provide valuable feedback, and within a moments notice, companies can fulfill the needs of users. I hope other companies are taking notes because this is the way it should be.

Web 2.0 Summit Next Month

Web20 Summit LogoIt’s that time of year again where the folks that pioneer the web get together for tea and biscuits to discuss new ideas, new opportunities, and give a general direction as to where the internet may be heading. The Web 2.0 Summit will take place next month from October 17-19 in San Francisco, California.

The even has an all star lineup of confirmed speakers such as Seth Goldstein, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim O’Reilly and Dr. Evil himself, Rupert Murdoch.

For the past three years, the Web 2.0 Summit has explored ideas which have already begun to slip into the mainstream. This year, we’ll highlight news from unusual suspects—the enthusiasts and dreamers touching the edges of spaces not yet conquered by the Web, as well as established players who are looking to expand into new and previously unimaginable realms.

How is the Web infiltrating new beachheads in areas we never thought it could—or would? What are the majors doing at the edge, at the loony “twenty percent time” at Google, in the labs at MSN, IBM, etc., that might inform entirely new applications, opportunities, even threats? What are the edge startups promising to redefine the center? What are the things we wish or know the Web can do, but so far, is failing us? What are the edges in terms of policy, politics, and morality?

I would appreciate it if those of you who are going to be at the event and are considering using Twitter for your coverage to let me know so I can inform my readers. I’d love to go, but I don’t have the luxury and I know there are many others in the same boat. I’d also like to know of any blogs or sites that are going to cover this event as it happens. At least that way, it would almost feel as if those who couldn’t make it, were actually in attendance.

What Is Your Blogging WorkSpace?

Jeffro2pt0 Dark Banner

One thing I find interesting is that every bloggers workspace is different. Each blogger has his or her own method to their madness. The color of the room they blog in, the room asthetics, room lighting all seem to play a major role in a bloggers workspace. Using Probloggers, workspace post as evidence, sometimes, a house doesn’t make for the best environment for blogging. The first user on Darren’s post uses a boat for their blogging HQ.

So, I ask those of you who blog, to please leave a comment on this blog post with a link to a photo that shows off your blogging headquarters. To start things off, I’ll show you my own Blogging HQ.

Click on the photos to see a larger version.

WorkSpace Without FlashWorkSpace With Flash

ProBlogger Interviews SEObook Author

Problogger.com LogoDarren Rowse of Problogger.com has published the first of a two part interview he conducted with Aaron Wall, author of the eBook, SEObook. In this interview, Aaron answers questions pertaining to link building strategies. Below is a sample of the interview.

When it comes to building links to a blog – do you recommend bloggers buy links, ‘use’ social media sites, trade links, linkbait, something else…. or some combination of the above?

I say try everything and see what works best for you. You might come across a trick that I haven’t used much that works well for you given your personality and your market.

One other thing I would probably add is that for most people it is probably not going to be worth it to spend tons and tons of time building up a social media account on a large generalist website. If you only have a few hours a day to spend online then you should spend most of that reading and participating on sites specifically about your topic, or writing your site.

Be sure to check out part one of the interview as it contains quite a few helpful tips.

WebSlides – Bookmarking Of The Future?

Webslides.com Logo

Monitoring my feeds, I’ve noticed there has been quite a bit of buzz surrounding a service called WebSlides. WebSlides is brought to you by the same folks that are behind Diigo, one of many social bookmarking services that are on the net. WebSlides allows users to take their bookmarks and turn them into a slide show.

Some of the uses for this service as stated by Diigo include:

  • Create a guided tour for any website
  • Show a list of houses to real estate clients
  • Review a list of job candidates found online
  • Bundle important course resources for students
  • Assemble all the pages on a specific family line.
  • Provide guided use cases for potential customers
  • Share the favorite places you would like to visit with your friends and blog readers
  • Provide a quick briefing, a simple tutorial or guided tour on any subject.

Here is an introductory video highlighting the service and what it’s capable of.

The ideas and the possibilities, do seem endless. The service is currently in an invite-only stage of life however, I have signed up and if they provide me with an invitation, I’ll be sure to provide you with an in depth review.