Twitter Lists

What is all the noise about Twitter Lists? Recently Twitter launched the ability for you to better organize follows with “Lists”.

After you load up your Twitter account, you will see to the right of “Following” and “Followers” a column called “Listed”. If you click on this link, you will see a column that shows you who has “listed” your tweets on their account. You can think of lists as a way for users to bookmark another Twitter account.

How do create your own lists? Under the search panel on your homepage there is a link to create a new list. You have the option of creating a public and private list. After you name a list, search for people to add to your list. Once your list is created people can follow your lists, just like they can follow you.

I believe Twitter created “Lists” in response to Facebook giving the ability for their users to group their friends into categories. Now Twitter gives the same power of the same organization in a different form. What do you think of Twitter lists?

http://twitter.com/

How Do You Comparison Shop?

At the conference today, we reviewed e-commerce systems and it got me thinking about websites that compare products. In the past, Leading Hands has reviewed many comparison sites and today I finally heard about Price Grabber.

If you are not familiar with Price Grabber your missing out on a comprehensive comparative rater. Search thousands of products, review user ratings and see products side-by-side. Ultimately, the site aids you to make a clear shopping decision.

http://pricegrabber.com

What sites do you use to make comparative shopping?

Online Users More Status Friendly

I remember years ago seeing an ad for a 1950s cough medicine ad that read, “Try It, You’ll Like It!” This tagline always made me laugh because it says so much in only a few words. The only way you’ll know you like something is unless you try it. However it’s generally over time, you discover if you like it at all. My family would always say that hot sauce is an acquired taste and finally after years of disliking it, there are a few sauces I enjoy. Now the same can be said with Internet users updating their daily status; the fact is more users are now comfortable telling us consistently how they feel online.

In a recent Pew study, 19% of internet users say they use Twitter or another service to share updates. This is up from 11% from the same poll taken in December 2008. Are you more comfortable now telling the world how you’re feeling today? Are status updates an acquired taste?

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/21/pew-study-reports-that-internet-users-are-becoming-more-status-update-friendly/

Thanks to Mike Kimmel for the tip.

Have You Done A Twit Poll?

Twit Poll is a quick way to conduct polls via you’re Twitter Account. I saw this tool used successfully by a colleague for research, however there a couple quirks with the system. The way its setup it leads you to believe that your poll was Tweeted to your account, however it was not. There is also no way to delete a poll after you’ve created one, what if you make a mistake? All in all the free tool that generates quick results, Twit Poll gets the job done.

Use TwitPoll
http://twtpoll.com

Oh No! Your Parents Just Joined Facebook?

The other day I heard a few talk show hosts insinuating that Facebook has “Jumped The Shark“. I then saw on Doug Craver’s TechBytes and on a few Twitter feeds the website My Parents Joined Facebook referenced. The website insinuates that youth can no longer post everything happening in their lives on Facebook because now their parents will find out about it.

For example, a college student kept asking her father for money to pay for rising book fees. However after dad joined Facebook, became friends with their kid and started reading about her excessive partying, the money was cut off. Then the student “Unfriended” their dad so he couldn’t read her updates any longer. The reality is this trend is rising everyday and this new website, My Parents Joined Facebook says, “this is your chance to get back at them for taking away your public privacy.” The idea is to share the embarrassing messages parents are writing on your Facebook wall in order to fight back.

The reality is everyone should realize that whatever you write as your status, on your wall, or any picture you upload is permanent record online. Even if you delete your account or remove the information later, a search engine, the site hosting the material or another user will be retaining your information. Be careful out there in Internet land!

http://myparentsjoinedfacebook.com/

Zamzar Online File Converter

The internet is truly powerful and if used the right way, you can produce powerful results. Remember that line from Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Exhibit A is a recent find called Zamzar which is an online file converter that works great.

Do you have a video in mpg format you need convert to avi? Do you have a word document you need converted to a PDF? Whatever file format you need to covert from audio, video, doc or image, Zamzar can do it! The free account does the basic conversion, if you want to store all your files online, rename, increase maximum size limits or establish a secure connection, then you’ll need to upgrade to a paid account.

Free Zamzar account:

• Up to 100 mega-bytes (mb)
• No contract
• No sign-up
• File conversion of image, doc, video and audio

http://www.zamzar.com/

MySpace Jobs

Recently I got an email from MySpace that they’ve added new features to their website. The trend recently is that MySpace has been on the downturn because other social networking platforms like Facebook are gaining popularity. Thus, I wasn’t surprised when I heard that MySpace was trying to stay relevant. So why not add a job board to your website when the economy is down?

The MySpace job portal in my analysis seems to be nothing more than one big refined Google search. The page layout and the actual results for same key terms are similar in Google and MySpace Jobs. The site does however feature a few videos that are strong in helping you land a new job. It also has a tab if you are looking to go back to school, you can search for a higher degree.

MySpace has added a new “Job” feature to their website, but it’s really just repositioning technology from Google. The bottom-line is that as long it’s a benefit for the users, it’s a benefit to the site.

http://jobs.myspace.com/

Commentary: Stop Over-sized Ghosted TV Promos?

Since I am a social network addict, I don’t watch that much TV anymore, but when I do, I have started to track a trend. Have you noticed the size of the ghosted TV logos? These promos are either getting larger or they are animating out of control. In the past they used to just be a small little logo of the station in the bottom right corner of the screen, now they have become something else.

If you look above, here is an example from TBS of Bill Engvall walking out over the show I am currently watching to promote his show. It always happens right after you return from a commercial break. I am sometimes unsure if this ghosted actor on my screen is part of the scene I am watching or a promo until they magically fade away. Some other examples of these TV promos besides walk-outs are countdowns to the premiere of a big event happening in less than 24 hours.

Are these interruptions getting out of control? Are these other shows that are being promoted much more important then the one I am watching? Can we pay extra to get these logos removed from our TV shows?

Get Your Tweets On Live

While speaking at the Cool Twitter Conference in Cleveland last Friday, I noticed that Bob Fine, the coordinator of the event, was projecting tweets on the screen during the conference. The Paratweet logo intrigued me so I did some investigation. I discovered Paratweet is a Twitter tool for live appearances; the application takes real-time tweets, tags them and then puts them on a rotating page.

How does Paratweet do it? Essentially everyone at the event must use a custom hashtag after every response, so each tweet appears on the screen. Think of it as bending the corner of a card to identify it.

So if you are planning an event and you want interaction from not only inside the event, but also from the outside, think about giving Paratweet a try. To get your tweets live at your next event, you will need a frenzy of Twitter users, laptop, screen, projector and Paratweet.

http://paratweet.com/

Milo Sees If Items Are Stocked

Do you need to see if an item is in stock at the store down the street? Instead of calling your local store, asking the clerk if a item is on the shelf and then waiting five minutes to hear it’s available, use Milo.

Milo is a new web service that connects you with local retailers to give up to the minute inventory on the products you need. The term “brick and mortar” is often used to describe ordering your purchase online and then picking it up at a local store. Milo fills this void by connecting many popular genres of products such as electronics, clothing, and cooking and bringing them together in once place so you can see if its in stock. In the insurance world, Insurance.com brings together many of the top auto insurance companies so you can choose and purchase the best policy for you. Milo does the same when it comes to consumer goods.

After reviewing the website, everything that I looked at in my area didn’t seem to be in stock. However after looking at other states, I did see items were in stock. Thus, this indicates that Milo’s network is still growing and the accuracy depends on the location.

http://milo.com/

Thanks again to Mike Kimmel for find.