Twitter, Flickr, Picasa

Twitter is a quicker, shortened version of other social networking sites such as Facebook.

-follow your friends, follow your favorite stars, follow whoever you want!
-get in the know on events that are going on
-connect with people who have similar interests to you

Flickr and Picasa are both online-based photo sharing sites.  With them, you are able to..

-back up your photos by storing them online
-edit photos
-share them with your family, friends, or the whole world!
-receive feedback on your photos from people around the world
-explore and comment on photos that other users have shared
-also create collages with Picasa's desktop tool

Delicious and Diigo!

Online bookmarking tools can be very beneficial.  They give you the ability to access your bookmarks on any computer.  Two examples of online bookmarking resources are Delicious and Diigo.  While they both have the same general purpose, they have a few differences.

Delicious:
- view how many people have tagged each particular site
-public profile


Diigo:
-create groups
-create specific lists with your tags
-images and notes

Both Delicious and Diigo have tagging abilities, are easy to navigate, and RSS feed compatible.

Google Docs VS. Zoho

Google Docs:


Simplicity..
-easy to look at and easy to navigate.

-word documents, slideshows, forms, spreadsheets, and presentations can all be created within Google Docs.

Sharing..
-sharing is a breeze, whether it's with one person or multiple people.
-you have control of who is able to see and edit documents.





Zoho:


Easy Sign-up..
-ability to use your Google or Yahoo account to sign in.

Features..
-chat
-public wiki
-notes


Zoho is a bit more primitive than Google Docs.  For example, you cannot make a slideshow presentation like you can on Google Docs.

It is also harder to navigate.

RSS Aggregators: Which Should I Use?

RSS Feed-readers are a hassle-free way to keep yourself updated.  They allow you to receive updates on all of your favorite sites, blogs, etc., without revisiting each site individually.  It's like designing your own magazine that is constantly being updated! 

I signed up for a few online-based feed readers and briefly analyzed them..

Google Reader

Pros:                                                                       

-aesthetically pleasing

-user-friendly
-ability to tag and label items


Cons:
-If you're looking to get instant updates on a breaking event, this may not be the feed you're looking for.  At times it may take fifteen minutes or so for the feed to be updated.

Bloglines

Pros:  
-easy to use
-multiple settings options


Cons:
-feed update issues
-doesn't support tagging

Gritwire

Pros:
-ability to listen to podcasts and playlists


Cons:  
-buggy
-hard to navigate
-import issues
-doesn't support tagging

What Makes a Good Blog Post?

This week, Our Advanced Computers class has been doing some research on blogs and what makes them worth while to readers.

A collaboration of what we found:

-Think of an interesting or witty title.  Reader's are drawn to title's that make them wonder.  Think of something that is eye-catching.

-Keep your posts short and to the point.  You don't want to lose your reader's interest.

-Break up your ideas with pictures, videos, and bullet points.  This will also help with keeping the reader's attention.

-Check your grammar.  Your writing doesn't have to be impeccable, but readers are more likely to take you seriously if you can spell, etc.

-Make things interesting.  Add graphics, widgets, and maybe a comment box.  A comment box will allow you to get feedback from your readers.

-Avoid too many advertisements.  A page that is overloaded with ads makes the page look cluttered and overwhelming.

-Update regularly.  Keeping your blog up-to-date with new posts is essential for a successful blog.

Web 1.0/Web 2.0

In Web 1.0, information providers were limited to those who knew HTML coding, therefore the amount of information shared was restricted. 

With Web 2.0, internet usage has become something completely new.  Not only can users get information, but they can also provide it.  It’s a big network of sharing thoughts and ideas with the entire world.  With 2.0, people can interact with one another and as ideas are put together, new ideas are created.  As we all input our thoughts onto the web, it gets smarter and smarter, like putting all of our minds together as one.