Tag Archives: facebook

if this then that – The Web Service I’ve Been Waiting For

Posted on by
Reply

If This Then That, http://ifttt.com, is a new (currently in limited Beta) task based service that allows you to fully customise your tasks based on channels (think Twitter, Evernote, YouTube, email, Flickr, text message), triggers (if “this” happens) and actions (then do “that”).

via if this then that | craigt44 tech blog.

I was going to write a relatively extensive post regarding if this then that, but “craigt44″ has done a great job explaining it along with some inspiration on how to use it.

Uses

To compliment that post, here are the 3 ways I’m currently using it:

if I send ifttt an email, tagged #grs from <my email address> then add subscription to my Google Reader

I’ve been desperate for this for a while now. I’m forever seeing sites I’d like to subscribe to in Reader whilst using my iPhone, and have wanted to just fire off an email with it’s URL and have the subscription take place (so no need to copy the URL, go to the Reader web site, tap add subscription, paste and tap ok). ifttt will extract the URL from the body of the email (which is handy as most iOS apps when you send a link using email automatically includes the URL in the body) and then subscribe to it, placing it in a predifined folder.

if I send ifttt an email, tagged #fbl from <my email address> then create a link on my Facebook feed

I believe Facebook have a way to email in a status update, but I’m not aware of a way to do it for links. This one will extract the URL from the body along with any comments I wish to include with the link. ifttt and Facebook take care of the rest.

if I send ifttt an email, tagged #share from <my email address> then add a new bookmark to my delicious account

I currently have two Delicious accounts. One is links for future references (which I’ve now had for donkeys of years) and the other has been created especially for sharing links with friends. I want to be logged in at all times with my reference account rather than the sharing one, and so it’s made sharing a pain. Being able to email links to the sharing one has made life much easier.

Getting an Invite

ifttt is currently invite only. I have 5 available (at the time of writing), if you’d like one tweet me @greggannicott.

Facebook Busted in Clumsy Smear Attempt on Google

Posted on by
Reply

The social network secretly hired a PR firm to plant negative stories about the search giant, The Daily Beast’s Dan Lyons reveals—a caper that is blowing up in their face, and escalating their war.

via Facebook Busted in Clumsy Smear Attempt on Google – The Daily Beast.

I always figured that the press and blogs simply created this idea that company ‘x’ is at “war” with company ‘y’ (replace ‘x’ and ‘y’ with Google, Apple, Micro$oft (huh huh – see what I did there with the $?) and Facebook). That when Google puts down Apple on stage, and weeks later Jobs responds it’s all theatre. But the above story kind of suggests otherwise.

As Though Millions of Voices Cried out in Anger

Posted on by
Reply

I have been meaning to write a blog post just explaining why it is I blog, and to dismiss the idea that it’s ego related. This post is along those lines (in that it gives 1 reason why I blog), but it isn’t the post I planned.

One of the things I like about the Internet is it empowers anyone that can afford to go online (which in the western world is quiet a few people – likely the majority) to have a voice. I’m not talking about the sort of voice required to make big differences (although that too is kind of neat), but ones that can make subtle differences. The ones that can cause companies to change the way they act, and treat their customer’s with respect.

I find that a large number of companies try (and unfortunately probably succeed) in getting more money out of their customers by not doing what’s best for their customers, but instead manipulate them. This could be:

  • companies making it hard to cancel an account
  • applications that install junk (such as toolbars)
  • “unlimited” bandwidth false-promises
  • newspapers that print outright lies (I’m looking at you Daily Star)

I like blogs (and Twitter and Facebook and  Amazon reviews and forums etc) because in theory it allows customers to hold companies to account.

An example I posted regarding such tactics on this blog was the slack way Somerset Car Sales display (or rather don’t display) their prices. I could easily be wrong, but in that post (How Not to Sale a Car to Me) I speculated:

Why would you want to encourage disappointment? I hope at the very least its a logistical reason (ie. To many prices to maintain) rather some kind of sales trick (ie. Before the customer realises it costs just a little too much, let them fall in love with it).

Considering I believe that the net should be used to pressure companies to treat customers correctly, it’s kind of pleasing that it seems a daily occurence now that someone views that post. That’s a good hit rate by this miniscule blog’s standards. In an ideal world the reader that day would go to Brian Plowright’s rather than Somerset Car Sales as a result. In an even more ideal world (ie. a highly unlikely world) it would help force Somerset Car Sales to change the way they handle their pricing, and give the customers exactly what they want, rather than try to manipulate them.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Interview with the “Raoul Moat You Legend” Woman

Posted on by
Reply

Although it’s easy to assume that the people who created the Facebook group “RIP Raoul Moat You Legend” are dumb and misguided, I thought I’d hold back judgement at least until I see why they think what they think. All to often I see what first appears to be a crazy statement only to later learn that it’s not that crazy afterall.

So after reading this Charlie Brooker article, I found the interview he mentioned that took place between Ian Collins (a {en:TalkSport} presenter) and the woman who set the Facebook group up. I’d finally get to hear why she set it up.

I’m almost disappointed to say that she really is every bit as dumb and misguided as you might think she is based on the group she created. There is no point to the group.

It does make for an interesting interview though. Worth a listen:

Oh, and to the woman in the interview: “Everyone’s entitled to an opinion” doesn’t act as an argument for your opinion.

And another “Oh”.. top marks to the presenter for the Colombo line :-)

Different Ways to Consume the Same Content (Flipboard and Boxee)

Posted on by
Reply

What is Flipboard? It turns your Facebook and Twitter account into something that looks like a magazine. It also lets you build a custom magazine, either by choosing from Flipboard’s pre-built curated “boards” or by importing Twitter lists. This is a very powerful and engaging way to read Twitter. You can also turn a single person’s Twitter account, or a single brand’s Twitter account, into a Flipboard. For instance, you can follow Techcrunch on Twitter with it and it will turn Techcrunch into a beautiful magazine-like interface that’s easier to read than any other reader.

via First look at “revolutionary” social news iPad app: Flipboard — Scobleizer.

From what little I’ve seen of Flipboard, and the number of rave reviews it’s getting on Twitter by people I follow, it’s certainly increased my desire to get an {en:iPad}.

It’s surprising what a difference it can make to view the same data through different clients. For example, viewing Twitter and Facebook content through {en:Boxee} on the living room TV is very different to viewing the same posts on the desktop PC using {en:Brizzly} or twitter.com. Boxee displays only the links posted that contains video, and then displays that video in full screen (on the big screen). When sat on the sofa this is a vastly improved experience compared to sitting at a desk, no matter how big the monitor is. I’m used to watching video on the sofa, and working at the desk.

Flipboard appears to take Tweets and Facebook statuses and rather than optimise them for the living room, it optimizes them as if each link contained within a post were a magazine article.

It goes to show there is more to Twitter than just “what I had for breakfast”. I wonder what other variations can be applied to Twitter and Facebook beyond the standard ‘stream’ view?

Glastonbury, Twitter and the Other World

Posted on by
Reply

For me, {en:Glastonbury Festival|Glastonbury} has been a good gauge of how much {en:Twitter} has grown.

I remember searching a couple years ago for Glastonbury on Twitter during the Weds and Thurs. There were probably 5-10 tweets an hour at most.

Performing a search now and there are many a second:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=glastonbury&hl=en&prmd=nm&source=lnms&tbs=mbl:1&ei=V9AhTOynMJCRjAfw6ImoAQ&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&ved=0CBcQ_AU&prmdo=1

And Twitter and it’s like have certainly had an impact on Glastonbury too.

Gone are the days where the Q Daily could stick a rumour regarding the outside world in their daily newspaper and you couldn’t confirm or deny it without ringing someone on the outside (that’s assuming you could get a signal). A few years back the outside world was cut off world. Now-a-days Twitter, {en:Facebook} and access to the mobile web in general means that even if you’re not keeping up with the outside world with your phone, your mate probably is. There’s no escaping the news now (I can’t decide on whether this is a good thing or not..).

I remember thinking last year that when Jackson died, in previous years that news would have been considered yet another rumour that goes around the festival. However, a quick look at the mobile phone now and it’s confirmed.

Idea: Google Reader in Boxee

Posted on by
Reply

We’ve now got a decent media PC in the living room that displays video correctly. As a result I’m using {en:Boxee} a lot more than I previously did (as in I actually use it).

Friends Activity

One of my favorite features is that it lists the videos that your friends and the people you follow have posted on {en:Facebook}, {en: Twitter} and {en: Google Buzz}.

This results in a nice mix of music (Facebook), geek (Twitter) and fun stuff (both).

Usually when people post videos I rarely watch them. The viewing expierence on both my iPhone and desktop PC isn’t the best. I’m simply not used to watching and enjoying video on them.

However, on the big screen tv whilst sat on the sofa, it all makes sense and is a good way to kill 20 minutes.

Google Reader

It made wonder what other services would make a good source for video. Most of the content I read is via {en:Google Reader}. However, as with Facebook and Twitter I can’t sit there and watch the content the various sites post. So I figured wouldn’t it be neat if Boxee pulled in my Google Reader feed (this could be all items or particular categories) and display the videos that feature in that feed.

Boxee Fail

Then the penny dropped. I remembered that the second best feature of Boxee is the way it manages RSS feeds. Using a web based GUI accessible via your favorite browser, you can easily add podcasts that can then be viewed via Boxee.

All I had to do was insert a feed I’ve shared via Google Reader and I should have the functionality I want. However, when I attempted to do that it failed stating it could not detect a feed.

Bummer.

If I find the time I might have a crack at creating a Boxee app that does it. If I do create such an app, or find a different solution I’ll post it on this blog.

Google Buzz is Stealing my Blog Posts (not in a nasty way though)

Posted on by
Reply

Google launched it’s new social network a few days back, Google Buzz. It’s more like Friendfeed than it is Twitter or Facebook. Since it’s launched, I’ve noticed that I’ve been putting posts on it that would make for OK blog posts, rather than the sort of thing I’d usually post to a status orientated social network.

My general rule of thumb where social networks are concerned are, if it’s something I think my friends/family might be interested in, I stick it on Facebook (as that’s where that social graph is), but I tend to post more geekier things on Twitter or this blog. The key difference though, is I stick stuff on Twitter and this blog, not because I want people to read them, but simply because I want to write them.

The problem with Twitter though, is that you have a 140 character limit. For me that’s not usually enough.

The problem with this blog though, is that I like the posts to be reasonably thought out and formatted – complete with links etc. As a result they take that bit longer and as a result don’t always get written.

In steps Google Buzz. Now when I have that thought that exceeds 140 characters, rather than use the blog (or never get around to writing it) I’m now finding I write it on Buzz (see my Buzz page here). No need to care about formatting there!

I’ve probably written more to Buzz in the first couple days than I did in the first few months of using Twitter.

And I was just getting use to the idea of nuggets go on Twitter, longer pieces go on this blog….