The Oxbow World Longboard Tour came to town last week, And Webconsuls was there to cover the show. Surf legends and 44 of the worlds top longboard surfers were treated to hot and glassy surf for the entire contest. This year the event was located on the historic Surf Beach at San Onofre, the heart of Aloha on the US mainland. The winner, Bonga Perkins, was kind enough to sit down and answer all of the tough questions for our littlest interviewer. For more from the Oxbow World Tour 2008 San Onofre Championships please visit, LBChampionship.com. Video By Ella G. McClure, Questions By Ella G. McClure
For help with getting your live event on the internet, Via Blogs, Youtube, Twitter, and other social media venues please contact us here at Webconsuls.
I am having issues with my new iPhone 3G and I wanted to share them with you. I have noticed that the new 2.0 verision was about half as stable as the old version, and after a hard crash all of my apps stopped working.
A quick trip to the Apple support forums confrimed my fear, I have stubbledupon yet another know issue with the iPhone. Here are the steps I used to fix it. (Come on Apple! We Need a REAL fix here ASAP!)
After you have synched with iTunes, if your downloaded apps stop working, {On my iPhone they open then close blip!} From your iPhone, go to the app store and download a free app, which will ask you to log into your iTunes account, when your new app is done downloading and installed, switch your iPhone all the way off by holding the power button and the home button until you see "slide to switch off" then slide the switch off. Wait a bit then switch your iPhone back on, all apps should be present and working. Y.M.M.V.
Did this help you get your iPhone Apps working, or did you use another method?
There is a world out there, more of a world. With the push of a button, a million possibilities await you; this Utopia is smaller than a note card, and lives inside your pocket. The new IPhone is the cutting edge of technology, the Alpha y Omega; there are many instruments that try to compete and at the surface appear to be similar, but with a little investigation you find something quite unique.
Your music, photos, and email accessible with a touch-screen, is only the tip of the iceberg; real time GPS and any kind of application you could think of, with more to come. The question is not what your IPhone can do? Rather, what can your IPhone not do? Having the ability to manage your social media real time makes social media more universal. Millions of web sites have and are making their pages IPhone friendly; companies have become aware of the implications and the potential of this virtual treasure chest. Wake up on time, plan your day, work from anywhere, and do all of this while listening to your favorite tunes! On a daily basis I find something new and exciting regarding the capabilities of this hand held computer. I am experiencing the joy of this product, like no other gadget I have ever had; at times the excitement can be too much to handle.
I can still remember: my first desktop, my first laptop, my first Discman, and my first IPod. The desktops were bulky and slow and were inefficient; speed got better, but what about size? Laptops made up for the size problem, and for a time satisfied your needs; but you could never fit your laptop into a pocket. Discmans made sound mobile, but they skipped and you had to carry all your cds with you wherever you went. IPods held all the music you wanted and could fit into a pocket, but in a pocket already containing: car keys, cell phones, palm pilots, and whatever else one carries with them daily. Was all the clutter convenient?
It seems like so long ago that I started this technological ride into the future. I felt like I was on the brink of something amazing taking place; with every year that passed, the horizon became closer. The anticipation of a new gadget that would make my computer more universal, faster, and a little better was what I dreamed about. The release of the IPod was the pinnacle of technology when it came to media; first with music and recording, and then with video. I was satisfied beyond belief with IPod, and wondered where Apple could go next with this device? A phone? An IPhone?
With the advent of the IPhone it became very clear that the sky was the limit. You could now manage your whole life with this masterpiece; from organizing your media, all the way to managing your business, work and play had truly become One. Isnt that what life is about? The freedom to accomplish your needs from wherever you exist at any given moment; especially in this fast paced world, a world where every second counts, when he who arrives first gets the prize. The plot has been set, the characters are in their right places; I welcome you to the climax, enjoy!
Dr. Randy Pausch, the charismatic Carnegie Mellon professor known for his "Last Lecture" and celebrated for his co-founding of the Entertainment Technology Center and the creation of ALICE, which uses his famed “head fakes” to teach 3D programming, died on July 25, 2008 at the age of 47 from complications related to pancreatic cancer.
Found a good one from MacRummors, Where and how to download and install the new iPhone 2.0 version firmware. Yes folks! It is now time to start installing those Apps on your iPhone!
Now you will need to update your iTunes, in iTunes Store search for "apps" then click on the title of one of the free apps and try to "Get App" this will prompt you to download and upgrade your iTunes. Do so, and run iTunes and plug in your iPhone.
PLEASE FULLY SYNC BEFORE MOVING FORWARD!!!!
You install your iPhone firmware to 2.0 by manually by pressing the "Option key" on your Mac or the "Shift Key" in Windows when you are pressing the "Check for Update" button for your iPhone in iTunes. You can then navigate to where you saved the iPhone1,2_2.0_5A347_Restore.ipsw file and click open. And you are walked thru the remaining steps! It is that easy!
In this short vid from the head of Google's webspam team, Matt Cutts, provides some great tips on how to optimize the images you include on your website. A how to directly from Google with useful, accurate information on your ALT attributes and how they can make your photos and pictures more accessible.
Scheduled blog post publishing, which was first talked about on Blogger in draft last month, is now live for everyone. So if you set a post's date into the future, Blogger will wait to publish until that time comes!!!
It is now a cool Sunday morning in Souther California, I have a hot cup of coffee, and I am putting together Monday mornings blog post. So for all of you reading this Monday May 5th Happy Cinco De Mayo!
Scheduling a post is easy to do: on the post editor page, click the "Post Options" toggle to show the "Post date and time" fields. Then, type a post date and time that's in the future. When you click the "Publish" button, your post will become "scheduled." When the date and time of the post arrive, it will be automatically published to your blogger blog.
"Scheduled" posts appear in your Edit Posts list alongside your drafts and published posts. To un-schedule a post, simply save it as a draft any time before it gets published.
One quick note: If you want to give a post a date in the future but have it appear on your blog now, you'll need to add in an extra step. First, publish your post with the current date and time. This will make it appear on your blog. Then, edit the post to change the date into the future and publish it again.
Social Networking websites such as MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn are growing and some people still don't know about them. It's easy to make an account. Simply sign up and see how many of your friends are on there. Then, view their friends profiles and see how you can relate to them or find their knowledge or connections useful to you.
It's a great way to expand your social network and get to know more of your friends friends.
Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch, who is dying from pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving talk, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals.
Today across the bloggispheir everyone from Seth Godin to Nate Ritter are bemoaning the problem of the signal to noise ratio going in the wrong direction.
Being that any social network is only as strong as the people who call it their own these posts got me thinking about something that has been running around in my head for some time. Twitter for me has become my Search Tool of choice. If I need a Guru, I can ask the folks who use twitter for help.
So, here is my idea, and it is far from new, Nate rightly called it "Pay it Forward", but let's also make it into a game!
We Twitter users LOVE games!
Got Twitter? Ask a question, get REAL answers from REAL people.
Then, Become the Guru and answer a question, want bonus points? answer 2 or more questions!
We could track thru hashtags, so
#1to1 would be 1 point,
Think this would work?
What else would you do to make Paying it Forward on Twitter fun?
Ok, so you have taken our advice and you have decided to dip your toes into the growing "Social Environment" on the internet. How do you keep the nudges, zombie attacks, and status updates (AKA BACON) from making your work or personal email box unmanageable?
That is EASY!
I sign up for all my new "Social accounts" with a gmail address I use for just for this reason. That way if an email comes into my work account I can be fairly certain that it will be "Ham" (Thanks to Gmail for Your Domain) and I should check to make sure it is not a fire that needs my immediate attention. Now if I see an email come to my "Social accounts gmail address" I can digg thru all the "Bacon" at my leisure.
Use this tip and your "Bacon" will never become your new "Spam"
One of the best ways to keep on top of any topic is to start using RSS* feeds with Google Reader,
*Really Simple Syndication is a tool you can use to have information sent to you from the websites that you visit that have updated content, rather than having to go track that content down. Many Web sites, including Webconsuls, offer RSS as a way to have that information delivered directly to you.
Watch the above vid for a Really Simple Explanation of Using Really Simple Syndication.
Set to "I have a fast connection. Always play higher-quality video when it's available."
And click save.
Above is a short video we put together for Saco River Canoe & Kayak Adventures trips in New Hampshire & Maine's White Mountains, notice how much better the higher quality version looks?
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle, or Getting your head around Twitter.
Ok, you just got twitter and you are completely lost as to what to do with it.
First, follow some people with your interests, you can do a search or use twitter tracking to find the buzz from people with your interest who are already using Twitter. (A "How-to" for another blog post, this walk thru is about using Twitter via the web.)
We all start our day at home and that is as good a place as any to start your day twittering.
Here you will see a "Recent" tab, these are messages from the people that you follow and this is where you are at at Twitter when you are at home.
Next you will see a "Replys" Tab, these are messages the have been made by other Tweeters that reference you in some way, a reply or a remark, @DarinRMcClure would be about me for instance.
The "Archive" tab would be everything that you have publicly posted on Twitter, and a great way to see where your were, or what you were doing on any given day.
I like to tweet cool quotes, or links that I want to be able to check at leisure, and this is where we get to the Meat of Twitter,
Then go back "Home" since you only followed "Groovy People" you should see some interesting to REMarkable things in your public timeline, from Haiku's on the smell of the person in front of you at FiveBucks, to classic rockers coaxed out into the twitterverse.
Want to really have fun, get your family on twitter, friends, coworkers. You will get to know them in ways that you may never have before. Who got fresh powder in Utah, Who is competing in an around the world adventure for charity, who is stuck in traffic, or thinking about a great new mashup.
In a perfect world your website is available on the internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week …
but things can happen.
You may accidentally let your domain expire. How could that happen? You may have signed up for your domain with an email you no longer use.
Hackers could break into the server where your site is hosted. This is not uncommon.
A script can exploit a widely used piece of software such as a content management system.
All of these can bring your site down. You may not find out as immediately as you would like and in the meantime opportunities are lost and leads move on.
Here is an easy way to check in on your website throughout your day.
Set the home page of the your internet browser to your website. Every time you open your browser your website will appear. This montoring can help catch problems that may arise as soon as possible.
Setting your browser to open to your website (Click on screen shots to enlarge.):
Internet Explorer
Tools > Internet Options > General Tab > type in your website into the "To create home page tabs"
If you type in more than one address your browser will open all the websites each in a different tab.
Let's brainstorm on how to use the techniques found in this blog for you.
Darin R. McClure Director of Social Media MCSE MCP MCP+I http://webconsuls.com darin@webconsuls.com darin.r.mcclure@gmail.com (Google Talk) (949) 370-3069 (My iPhone)
Google has often heard that sometimes we would like to write a post now and have it automatically published at some time in the future. Like big posts that we would like to post into smaller sections. Some of you like to go on vacation in a dead cell zone! They listened, and are pleased to say that this feature is ready for us to try out on Blogger In Draft
Remember: Like all features described on the "Blogger in Draft" blog, Scheduled Posts only work when you've logged in thru http://draft.blogger.com/.
I am one of those people who need to justify most purchases. When that iPhone came out my creative juices started flowing. Hmmmm ... how can I convince myself that phone is vital to my existence, maybe not vital, but how can it help me? Sometimes you just need a little inspiration. The iPhone is a powerful tool and with every update new functionality is added.
Social Media takes time. Some say it takes more time than they can fit into their hectic lives. What if all you needed was a mobile phone? You could promote your business in your down time, those frustrating times when you can't really do anything productive, the commute home, waiting for doctors appointments, waiting in line at the grocery store, you could even use that iconic device to open up conversations about your business.
Here is a list of the ways I have used the iPhone for social media optimization.
1. The dynamic duo "photos" and "camera" turn you into a photoblogging superstar! Take a picture and upload immediately to your blog. Get more bang for your post and cc your social sites while you are at it. Setting will have to be preloaded and the contact for each social site added to your contacts for easy and immediate access. Once settings are in place shoot your tantalizing picture and post. Be sure to add a compelling title. 2. Find the videos you have loaded up on YouTube and watch them, send them to social sites, email them to contacts, or make the person in line with you at the grocery store watch it. Bookmark your videos on your iPhone. Depending upon your industry and chattiness you will find opportunities to share your videos. 3. I was never a text message sender before the iPhone, but the iPhone's large (by mobile standards) qwerty keyboard makes it easy and accessible. Combine your iPhone with a microblogging client such as Twitter and there are a variety of combinations to utilize. For example: Monitor your keywords and find the conversations as they happen. Using Twitter you can add 'bots' to search conversations which have your keywords in them. These messages containing your keywords can be sent directly to your phone and then your conversation begins. IMPORTANT POINTER: Be sure to adjust your text messaging package to insure your keyword alerts do not exceed your current text messaging package.
Buy technology you love and optimize your settings, bookmarks and features to remove all obstacles to using that technology.
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