New or little known Web 2.0 sites and/or technologies

Wow... So it's the final week of CS 135. Kinda sad. I guess this will be my last blog entry for the class. So this week is another light week so we can work on our term projects. But our assignment for the week is to investigate some new or little known web 2.0 technology and post a link to it with some comments. I used go2web20.com (which I have to say awesome) to find a cool little site called ifttt.com. Here is the what I posted to the course wiki:

"ifttt.com or “If This Then That” is a new web 2.0 technology that is currently in beta. The idea of ifttt.com is that it puts the internet to work for you by creating tasks out of relationships between other web 2.0 technologies. You can define when something happens (this) something else will automatically occur (that). So users basically set up “triggers” and “actions” with the different channels they use such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email, Dropbox, Evernote, Google Calendar, Soundcloud and dozens more. When you create a linked function between tasks it’s called a recipe. A recipe may look something like this :

if instagram then dropbox

After you set “If This Then That” functions they will poll for new updates every 15 minutes and complete the “thens” for any “ifs” that have occurred. There are a lot possibilities for functions when using ifttt.com. A few more examples are when facebook profile picture updates update Twitter profile picture, or when a track is loved on last.fm then post the link to Facebook. There are literally thousands of premade recipes to use or you can make your own. It’s really pretty cool."

So I do think that this technology is cool. Of course it's not the most necessary thing on the web, but the idea that we can automate many repetitive functions is nifty. I'm not really sure where this is taking us but I think we will be seeing more automatic type functions from our computers and devices in the future. It will be interesting to see where it goes. 

LinkedIn

This week is CIS 135 I had to "Pick a Web 2.0 technology/site and search for some content online that discusses how it might be or is being used in the business/organizational world, or for personal networking purposes related to career-building." I decided to research LinkedIn because I already knew it existed but still didn't know that much about it. I liked everything I learned about it and its simple yet powerful features. LinkedIn is a networking site that allows professionals to “exchange information, ideas and opportunities. Over 135 million professional in over 200 countries and territories are using LinkedIn, and that number is rapidly growing. The website claims that “As of September 30, 2011 (the end of the third quarter), professionals are signing up to join LinkedIn at a rate that is faster than two new members per second.” LinkedIn helps its members stay informed about theirs contacts and industry. It helps them find the people and knowledge they need to achieve their goals as well as control their professional identity online. I found some great information about LinkedIn on the web.

LinkedIn’s wikipedia pages has great a summary of its features:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LinkedIn


A great video on how LinkedIn works and why it works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzT3JVUGUzM


Why join LinkedIn? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIrC2ZzJToA&feature=relmfu


LinkedIn vs Facebook: how are they different? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Loj8nzQRuWs&feature=related


Joining LinkedIn for dummies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=gelyu0xLCh0


I hope you all found this article and these links to be insightful.

Google Docs & Cloud Computing

I think this week's topics was my favorite yet. I've known about Google Docs for long time but I still hadn't gotten into using it before this week. I'm glad that I finally took the plunge. What an amazing tool I've been missing out on. Along with testing it out, I also downloaded the app for my chrome browser which allows users to access and edit documents while offline. I also went ahead and downloaded the app for my smartphone. I know I always talk about using the web 2.0 technology of the week on my smartphone. Being able to use an app on my phone is a big deal for me. I'm on the go a lot, and sometimes my phone is the only device that goes with me that can keep me connected to the world and to the services I enjoy. I use a Droid Incredible 2, which I love. This is one phone that actually has global roaming capabilities, so whether I'm in Michigan or Mongolia I'm going to be able to make the connections I need to. And now with Google Docs on my phone I can have continual access to my important documents. I also love the idea that I can edit and comment on others' docs if they need me to. I can't give enough praise to Google for putting cloud computing into the hands of the common man. It's easy to use, yet it has powerful functions. I'm hooked on Google Docs.  

Photo sharing sites and Photobucket

So this week we had to sign up for a free account with Flickr, Photobucket, Picassa or some other photo sharing site. After doing some research on these different sites I settled on signing up for a Photobucket account. After I signed up I realized that my phone has an upload to Flickr option integrated with the gallery but no such feature for Photobucket. I quickly found an easy solution for mobile uploading with the Photobucket Mobile app. The app is pretty cool and it's easy to use. I like the that you can select multiple photos to upload at once instead of doing so one by one.

Here is a link to the kick awesome album I made: http://s1125.photobucket.com/albums/l587/Cloudtheatre/

I've realized how easy it is to take pictures or videos anywhere in the world and post them almost instantly to the web for the world to see. Think of the effects this has had and will have.We live in a neat era.

Social Bookmarking: StumbleUpon and Delicious

This week in CIS135 I had the opportunity to learn more about social bookmarking/tagging. Before this week I was vaguely aware that social bookmarking existed, but had never used it, nor did I know what it's purpose was.
So to start off I researched social bookmarking and found some good sites to clue me in on what it was and how to use it. Here are some links to info I found useful:
http://webtrends.about.com/od/socialbookmarking101/p/aboutsocialtags.htm
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7001.pdf.


I then signed up for two major tagging sites which are StumbleUpon and Delicious. There are a little different but are both pretty cool. StumbleUpon was really easy to set up because there is a "Sign on with Facebook" feature. That made it easy to get going. Delicious was also pretty easy to set up, and after it took my information it gave some good information on how to use the site. 


The following is an excerpt from my class wiki entry:


"Delicious:
On Delicious there are 4 basic things to do. These are saving, stacking, sharing, and discovering. During the setup, Delicious gives these instructions:

Save
Saving links on delicious makes it easy to find them later on and then share them with anyone. The best way to save a link is to add a Delicious bookmarklet to your browser toolbar so you can instantly save links as you’re bouncing around the web. Or, as you’re browsing Delicious, click "save" next to any link or stack you find interesting.
Stack
A stack is a collection of links built around a common theme. To get started, visit the stack tab on your profile page and click “create stack.” Choose at least three links, add juicy descriptions, pick the best images, choose the layout, and shuffle the order of links. When you’re all set, click publish to share your Delicious stack.
Share & Discover
Sharing your favorite links and stacks on Delicious is as easy as clicking the share button. In addition, browsing through stacks is a great way to explore interesting topics and find the best web content out there. Follow your favorite Delicious collectors to see what other great stuff they uncover.
So the idea is actually very basic. Users simply save links and the sort them into stacks to be shared with others. The site seems to be focused more on organizing the web and making it easy to access the best information on any subject. For example, I did a search for “Social bookmarking” and found stacks with links to many sites with quality information about it. The stacks are great because you can find information on the internet that others have already sorted for you."  


StumbleUpon


I liked this site also, but not as much because it seems like it is geared more towards feeding you content automatically, rather than letting you search for exactly what you want (though there are categories you can select from). StumbleUpon is also a lot more aesthetically pleasing and seems like something "hipsters" are apt to use. It's definitively not as useful as Delicious, but if you're just wanting to kill some time looking at interesting content then StumbleUpon is the way to go. 


Other Links for StumbleUpon as seen on course wiki:


Wiki page for StumbleUpon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StumbleUpon
How to use StumbleUpon
http://www.elirose.com/2011/08/what-is-stumbleupon-how-to-use-stumbleupon/
Using StumbleUpon to generate traffic
http://www.brendansadventures.com/stumbleupon/

Microblogging and Twitter

This week I had to research microblogging and the very prominent web 2.0 application that features it, Twitter. I had to start a twitter account and "Follow" the teacher. Before do that though I took a look at mashable guide to Twitter. The Mashable guides always have really helpful information for everyone from rookies to seasoned pro's. With that being said, Twitter's integrated start up guide is great and teaches you how to use Twitter in less than five minutes. What's great about it is that it let's try each step as you go along. For example, when it tells you how to follow people it lets you use the "follow" button right then and get together a group of people to follow. By the time I was set up I had a pretty good idea of how to use Twitter and its different features. 

One of the best commentaries I found on microblogging was 7 Things You Should Know About Microblogging. It answers seven critical questions about micro blogging. What is it? Who’s doing it? How does it work? Why is significant? What are the downsides? Where is going? What are the implications for teaching and learning? 

That link is here: http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7051.pdf. 

On the class wiki I also talked about how there are web 2.0 appilications besides Twitter that feature micro blogging. Here is a link to a great article how ten microblogging sites that quite informative: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/10_micro-blogging_tools_compared.php. 

For me Twitter is what it is. Some people love it, and some people hate it. I don't think I'll get into using it constantly, but that's not to say that other people shouldn't use and enjoy it.  

My experience in vlogging

So this week we have to post a vlog as our final product. A vlog is what you get when you combine a video and a blog. After doing some research on vlogs I found that although you may post a solo video as a blog, most Vloggers post in a combination of videos, text, and even pictures. The content of vlogs is diverse, and can range from professional content to a travel log to share with family. While searching for information about vlogs I found these instructions on making a one on about.com. 

Step 1. Get a microphone.

To record a video, you need to have a microphone that is compatible with your computer.

Step 2. Get a webcam.

Once you have a microphone, you need to get a webcam that allows you to record video and save it on your computer's hard drive.

Step 3. Prepare your vlog content.

Take some time to think about what you're going to say or do during your vlog.

Step 4. Record your vlog.

Turn on your microphone, start your webcam and begin recording. Save the file when you're done.

Step 5. Upload your vlog file to YouTube or Google Video.

Upload your vlog file to a site like YouTube or Google Video where you can store it online.

Note: See the Tips below to learn an alternate method to insert your video into a blog post.

Step 6. Get the embedding code of your uploaded vlog file.

Once you upload your vlog file to YouTube or Google Video, copy the embedding code and keep it handy.

Step 7. Create a new blog post.

Open your blogging application and create a new blog post. Give it a title and add any text you'd like to introduce your vlog.

Step 8. Paste the embedding code for your vlog file into your new blog post.

Using the embedding code you copied earlier for your uploaded vlog file, paste that information into the code of your new blog post.

Step 9. Publish your new blog post.

Select the publish button in your blogging application to send your new blog post with your vlog in it live online.

Step 10. Test your vlog.

Open your new live blog post and view your vlog entry to ensure it's working correctly.

I decided to cut out steps 1 and 2 and use the camera on my android. I was then able to my phones mobile upload feature to upload my video to youtube. As it turns out a lot of people use mobile uploads to keep their fans up to date while on the move.

One more thing to remember is that when you post the embed link you have to switch the HTML view option to interpret the code instead of show it. 

I've enjoyed vlogging and blogging so far this term. I"m considering starting a blog with integrated videos as way to journal my experiences and share them with my family and what not. I like the idea of posting vlogs more than posting to Facebook. If anyone reads my blog it's because they go and view it. On Facebook I feel like updates are shoved in my face, or else I'm shoving updates in someone else's face. I conclude that blogs and vlogs are definitively cooler than facebook. 

Video Blog!!! (vlog)

Since a vlog can pretty much be whatever you want, I decided to post some random videos I took of random occurrences. I think by capturing clips of everyday life and posting them with annotations is a great way to journal. If you keep it up for a while you could end up with something cool to look back on.

In this video I was with some friends getting ready to play a game of Ninja in the dark when everybody just randomly broke out humming that one nokia ring tone. Those ring tones always get in your head ya know?



Hope you enjoyed it.

Facebook

It's been another exciting week in CIS 135W. This week I learned more about Facebook, and I have to say that I'm surprised how much I learned and how much there still is too learn. When I started into the mashable Facebook, I thought I pretty much knew everything there is know about it. Oh how wrong I was. Besides the many features that Facebook provides for you to tweak your account for enhanced personal use, there are also tons of applications for web developers to work with and for business owners to think about using. The mashable guide to Facebook is great place for anyone to start learning more advanced uses of Facebook. Here is the link: http://mashable.com/guidebook/facebook/. I've found Facebook isn't just for making dumb posts and looking at pictures. You can use it as a company news room, build your fan following, bring more people into your business, and even play games. There is a lot more to Facebook than you see at first glance.

Using wikispaces!

So this week we had the opportunity to learn about working with wikis. Wikipedia defines a wiki as "a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users." I'm not going to waste more time explaining what a wiki is because you all are well aware about wikis yourselves now. 
I have been using wikis for years now. Or perhaps I should say I've used Wikipedia for years now. Although I've been an avid reader of Wikipedia, I've only edited articles a few times. That's why I'm excited that we'll be working on making our own wiki this term. 
My opinion on wikis goes unchanged. Wiki are amazing. To me they are the holy grail when it comes to finding information and making it available to the world. 
Figuring out how to edit and work with our wiki wasn't too hard. I'd say after a few minutes of playing around with one just about anybody could get the hang of it. The reality that technology so powerful and yet so simple is in our hands is remarkable to me. I'm looking forward building our wiki throughout the term. 

Social Media

Hello Everyone,
This is Tom. I assume that like myself, those reading this blog are taking the same class on using Web 2.0 technologies. Of course the world of Web 2.0 is quite expansive, but a discussion about social media networks such as Facebook book and Twitter is a good starting ground.
With the emergence of anything new, there is always resistance. History illustrates this concept well. Great thinkers who philosophized that the earth was actually round at times underwent great persecution. And much more recently you may remember the condemnation the Harry Potter books received for containing so-called black magic or what have you. The fact is there are those in the world that spurn anything out of the norm as if creativity is a pernicious evil. That being said, I think that it is fair to say that social media is widely abused. Many let this trend take over their lives because it's hard to be productive when you have to tweet every five minutes in between stalking your BFF's ex-boyfriend constantly. Yes yes, there are those who go overboard. But seriously, is that anything new?
A social network, like anything else, is a fantastic thing when used in moderation. The connectivity we can enjoy through using them is a luxury hitherto unknown. In my own life I use Facebook to stay in contact with friends across the globe I've come in contact with during my travels. Yes there are horror stories, but if you are able to exercise even a small degree of self control then you can reap the benefits of using this amazing tool.