Here come the reviews

Now that we have survived the Mayan apocalypse, we need to survive the reviews of the past year. Lists of everything from best dressed to disasters will be replayed endlessly for the next couple of weeks. Maybe the apocalypse would be preferable.

End of the world, 21-Dec-2012

I want to announce my last post as the world is going to end Friday. I don't think I want to spend my last days blogging. I'll be the guy partying his brains out.

Facetious? Maybe just a bit.

See you Sarurday--enjoy the end!

Where are you lately?

I find myself using my Android tablet more than my laptop to interact with the web. I don't have a fancy phone, but imagine if I did I'd use that also. I imagine I'm not alone in this movement toward devices other than the computer as a physical place of interaction. I do consume more than I create on the tablet. I still find a keyboard a necessity for real content creation and don't really care for the on-screen version.

Where do you access your places? I bet for most, it's on some sort of portable device today. Will the computer go away? I don't think so, but it may move more toward the tablet and smaller portable devices. We already see the trend with windows 8 and its apps. See you in your place.

More on OneNote

I just saw a page from Microsoft on OneNote for Android and it's sort of right and sort of not. The app is OK if you are reading or working on EXISTING books but needs some work if you are creating pages from scratch. As you might know I'm a major OneNote fan. I think it's the one application that big M got right. I have often said that a tablet with a fully-functional OneNote will get SERIOUS consideration from me. I sure hope that the Win8 tablets have that sort of support. Right now, the app on the Android is OK for my use, but I really would like to see it more fully-functional and not so dependent on SkyDrive.

An interesting perspective on the recent riots

Peace Be Upon You http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/human_nature/2012/09/mohammed_movie_embassy_attacks_don_t_let_internet_videos_drive_you_to_violence_.html

Take a look at this opinion piece. He contends that the rioters are falling into the 'script' set by the film's creators by rioting. They need to get out of that place and back into THEIR place. Of course, maybe this IS the place where radical leaders WANT them to be for their own purposes.

Either way, they are being manipulated for some purpose.

Don't let someone else take you to a place you don't want to be. On the Internet, if you don't like the place you're at, leave.

News360 Upgrade looks good but crashes constantly

I just installed the new upgrade of News360 on my Acer A100. The interface looks great but the program crashes every few seconds making it useless. I guess the authors didn't bother to test it. A good place ruined. Hope they put out a revision correcting the flaws soon. It looks like a good advance on a place that I have enjoyed.

Twitter targets ads -- great

rww.to/PxqTEl via http://slices.me

I'm trying this more as a test than actual interest in the subject, but sheesh. Just what we need in one of our places, more ads.

So I'm trying out the options on my Android tablet for referencing articles on websites. This one is the interface to Blogger from the browser. It seems to have worked as advertised to post this blog.

Interesting Social Media Landscape

Social Media Landscape 2012 « FredCavazza.net FredCavazza.net

Check out the link, then come back -- it's OK, I'll wait -- good, you're back.

One of the most interesting things about today's social media landscape is the rush to mobile devices. I'm composing this on a tablet and many have access to a mobile phone. Many spend a good deal of time on those places. In developing a message today, the mobile places are as or more important than the traditional ones. If you aren't thinking mobile, you are likely missing much of your intended audience.

Thinking mobile means thinking small, precise, and focused to be able to take advantage of the smaller real estate on portable devices. Thinking mobile also means thinking connected. That is providing your audience with a means to share your message easily with others in their places. When you publish, you need to be ready for sharing. Your message, at least in part, can spread quickly from place to place. You need to think of all parts of your message being quoted, pinned, tweeted, pasted just about anywhere at phenomenal speed.

It's a rapid, interconnected eco sphere in which your place is connected with all other places at the speed of light.

New Online Place -- The Library

Yep, a new place to find me is at the library. Not the brick and mortar building, but the one on the net. To keep up with the times, libraries are offering eBooks and other online offerings and I'm there.

I have long complained about the cost of eBooks and have avoided them for that reason. With physical books you can get used ones to save some dough, but with eBooks you don't have that option.

Now our library offers eBooks to check out, just as you would a physical book. You can reserve them if all the copies are out and get an email when it is available. All the stuff you would do at the physical library.

There is one drawback from my point-of-view. One is the 3 week checkout period. Sure that's plenty of time to read most books, but sometimes it isn't. If you purchase the book, no big deal. If you get it from thee library, either physical or virtual, it might be. The savings are definitely worth this minor inconvenience.

So check out your library's web site and enjoy reading at an affordable cost.

Fear of missing out?

Reference

Are you afraid of missing out on information in your electronic places? Do you take your devices camping, hiking, and into obscure places? When you are disconnected, do you break out into cold sweats? Is the first thing you do when you wake up to check Facebook, Twitter, etc.?

Is there intervention for that?

Tablet Housecleaning

I have a problem with space on my Acer A100 tablet and until Acer gets it together, I have been looking at the apps I loaded. I have been looking at those which require Internet access especially. Since I use WiFi, unless ther is some compelling feature in the app, it really isn't worth using it instead of the browser version. In fact, there are a couple of apps where I actually PREFER the mobile version of the site over the app.

I think I may be finding the purpose for the tablet. As I have said before, it is definitely better at consuming content than at producing it. It is kind of nice as a book reader and for getting the news and accessing social media. I guess I'm still searching for the perfect mix of devices for my style and budget.

The case for responsive web content

Take a look at this page by Christiaan Lustig. It argues for design based on "top tasks" and not particularly on the patform -- mobile vs. desktop vs. tablet. I agree with his conclusions that you should look for your users' top tasks and that these will change based on their location/context rather than on the particular platform they are using.

Sure, I still think you should start with the smallest platform -- i.e. mobile -- to force the team to consider the most basic elements of your responsive design and what is really important to your users, but he raises good points about the "locational" and "situational" elements involved in determining what is important to your customer when they visit your site in different situations.

It's a good read.

Acer A100 More Experience

I have spent more time with the tablet and have been a bit disappointed. It seems that the A100 doesn't store programs on the SD card which causes memory issues. Acer REALLY needs to fix that in their next release. I also have been unable to root the device. I have removed a number of apps (which I really wasn't using all that much) and have gained back the space to some extent. Rather frustrating, however.

Pinterest, Still trying to figure it out

I'm still trying to figure out this site. It appears that images are the thing, but not much else. I browse through things and still don't get it. Maybe I'm just old or not into images all that much.

Automated greed

Here's something advertisers will "Like": Facebook is reportedly testing a "Want" button to be used by brands on product pages. Such a button would tell a user's friends what they're currently lusting over. -- Now there's an improvement, sharing your lust for stuff.

A Tablet on-screen keyboard.

After using my Android tablet for some time I still find that it's much easier to consume than produce. One of the major drawbacks is the on screen keyboard. I'm a touch typist and the on-screen keyboard DEFINITELY doesn't lend itself to touch typing. This makes it slower to input info and causes me to want to avoid the device for input.

I suppose that I could get a separate keyboard but I wonder if this doesn't negate the portability of the device. Plus, they aren't all that cheap. I guess I'll just have to keep trying.

Going Vertical

It's interesting that I have been working with the Acer Tablet for a while now and have run various apps in either landscape or portrait mode, exclusively. Most have been in landscape mode so I'm trying various apps in portrait mode. Some, like Google+, give a completely different experience. It's interesting, that this happens. Some are able to be run in either mode and I switch between them as needed. So, my place doesn't change but the orientation can change making it a completely different experience. It's like being able to rearrange the furniture in your den or even the configuration of the room at the touch of a button. I might have some specific comments later but for now here goes.

Strange Juxtaposition

Food and the model who never eats it!

I'm still trying to figure out what Pinterest is, but I saw this on a page of pictures and thought it was ironic that they put the image of this model in the middle of food she probably never touches to stay so rail thin.

Pinterest -- What's the deal?

So maybe I'm just out of it, but I just don't understand the deal with Pinterest. I guess I'm just not all that into pictures, fashion, or pop culture, but I just don't get it.

Too much energy keeping users on our sites?

We spend too much energy keeping users on our sites. We should focus more on reminding them we exist.

(source) Go over and read this article, then come back -- OK, so I'm trying to keep you here. What do you think? The author contends:

I would prefer a user to visit my site on six different occasions for one minute each, than once for six minutes. That is because they will have been told about my site six times and so will be ready to take what I have to say seriously.

 and I think that, in some ways, I agree with him, especially about small sites like this blog. I have spoken about software being a place and more people are using aggregation software on their mobile devices to get their information. What you want is for the user to spot your entry and click over to your site for more information on your subject of interest because they have been there before and know that you have something important or interesting to say.

You need keep reminding your potential readers through entries in their places -- tweets, Facebook and Google+ entries . . . -- that you have something to say on the subject and that it's worth their time to drop by and read it.

Finding value in a place . . .

Are you finding value in all the places where you are? If you're selling something, I can see some value in exposure, but for most of us, I'm beginning to wonder if all these places -- Twitter, Facebook, Google+ -- are really worth it.

Do you get value from those you are following? In my case, it's a qualified "maybe". I work through my list periodically and evaluate it, eliminating those from which I'm not getting any value. Otherwise, at least for me, I can't follow all their tweets, messages, likes, etc.

Do you produce anything worth following? I really wonder in my case, because it seems that a large number of my followers are people who want me to follow them so they can sell me something.

The quest continues.

An Application as a Place

In the last blog I talked about a device as a place. Now I'd like to consider an application (app) as a place. The choice of a news aggregator, social media, or video app puts you in a place from which you view and interact with the world. From this place you view things and state YOUR views. If you have an app which anticipates your selections you are choosing what comes into your place. Sp the act of choosing the app creates a place into which you invite the world and from which you go out into the world. You use software which fits your way of interacting with the world and which makes you comfortable much as your favorite places.

A Device as a Place

Can a device be a place? A phone, tablet, or laptop can organize your life. Many people communicate with their friends more via texting than they do in person. We spend as much time in social media places as we do in physical places. So, why not?

I have used a phone for work for some time, but have just recently gotten an Android tablet. So I'm new at this device place. It will take me a while to evaluate this place. Sort of like moving into a new neighborhood. It takes some time to check out the local hot spots. I'll have more as I work in this new place.

Different Stuff for your places?

So if you are in multiple places -- let's say Facebook, Google+, and Twitter -- like I am, should you put different entries in each place? I go from one place to another and find much the same things in each. Twitter is a bit different than the other two, primarily because of its 140 character limit. That tends to make it the announcement place pointing to other places like this, where you can be more verbose. But, because of automated posting programs, I'm finding the same thing in both Google+ and Facebook. Makes keeping both sort of silly. Sure, Google+ has circles while Facebook has friends, but the content seems to be pretty much the same. Should it be? Are they like competing retailers who carry the same stuff and only differentiate themselves by price or service? Both are platforms and I wonder if they could differentiate themselves by the content that can be applied to either.