Sometimes when you want to share a web address with someone it is really long and just doesn’t fit quite right or is awkward. It can also cause problems in email because the address can be broken across lines and not work anymore (especially with Outlook). To resolve this issue there are a bunch of services for shortening that URL to make it more convenient for sending via email, SMS or Twitter.
There are a couple different services for doing this and they offer different options: TinyUrl - the most popular and most common has custom shortening and preview capability is.gd - capable of extremely short versions of addresses which works well for Twitter use NSFW - Is useful for “Not Safe For Work” links because it will put a confirmation before transfering to the actual location so the recipient doesn’t accidently open something NSFW
Check out the different sites for more specifics on each service but I find the TinyUrl and NSFW services work great for email - having the TinyUrl in the link helps people understand what is happening - and IS.GD for Twitter to keep the character count low.
Using the different services is pretty easy. You can copy the address and then go to the site and paste it into the very promenent converting field. Also, they each have bookmarklets, which are scripted bookmarks that you can click on to automatically create a small URL from that service directly from the page you are on that you want to convert. Some of them have Firefox extensions that automatically convert the address and put it into your clipboard so it’s ready to paste.
So next time you want to share out a website, especially if you are using Outlook, be sure to try out one of these services. It’ll makes things much cleaner looking and functional. In the case of NSFW it will make it much safer too!
I use Google for many of my online services, but obviously Google isn’t the only option out there and in one service there are some big contenders - Start Pages. A Start Page or Home Page is the site that load when you first launch your browser. Some people use simple ones like the basic Google search page or their favorite website, but there are actually pages designed to act as your Start Page and give you a launching point for the rest of the web.
Two of the most popular are iGoogle and Netvibes. They offer modules and widgets to display multiple sources of information all in one custom organized location. So you can open your browser and see news feeds from your favorite sites, a calendar and your email, upcoming movies, weather, your Remember The Milk to-do list, etc.
Now Yahoo has joined in with their full release of My Yahoo 2.0. Ars Technica has a rundown of some of the new features, but one of the biggest is their use of the OpenSocial platform which will allow sharing of information between Yahoo and some of the other popular social sites such as MySpace and Facebook.
Each of the different services have their pros and cons so I recommend giving them all a try to see what suits you best. My personal favorite is Netvibes, but iGoogle and My Yahoo are more popular. Lifehacker has an interesting Start Page Hive Five that can also provide you with some more information about Start Pages.
Once again, the Common Craft folks have released another video. This time it’s a client video for LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a business oriented social network to help you create a network of contacts that are good for you or your company.
Here is the video split into 2 parts:
Part 1
Part 2
Besides their popular “In Plain English” videos, they have a whole slew of client specific videos to check out as well. Their videos have been some of the best I’ve ever seen at presenting topics with short and simple explanations that are easy to comprehend.
For me, here are some that I have that aren’t people I know personally:
AskANinja - besides knowing when new episodes are out he also talks about new media LaughingSquid - Lots of general blogger and computer culture commentary Woot - One Day One Deal MarsRover - Keep track of what the Mars rover is doing CNNBreakingNews - Only “big” news and as it happens TechCrunch - Computer culture information WilWheaton - Well … because he’s a geek and he’s got interesting comments.
There’s a bunch of others I follow who I don’t know because their commentary is interesting or their twitter provides updates about their site or services. The easiest way to find interesting twitters to follow is to see what your friends are following. Just remember not to turn into a friend whore.
There really is no denying that Bill Gates is the ultimate example of someone creating a startup and making it big. Bill is really the reason why computers are so common in homes today. It is also good to see that he is leaving Microsoft to help run one of the largest charitable foundations, which he founded, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Alexandra Rampy at SocialButterfly has collected a large list of government Twitter feeds. So here is another way to keep track of some of our Government’s happenings in a quick and easy way. It’s also a big indication of how popular and useful Twitter is becoming. Heck, even the NASA Mars Rover has its own Twitter.
I’ve presented this before, but if you aren’t familiar with Twitter, the folks at Common Craft have this nifty little video that does an excellent job of introducing you to the service:
It has become an excellent way to keep track of friends and information and since it’s free why don’t you give it a try? Just head over to Twitter and set up a free account - and then start looking for some folks to follow.
Joss Whedon is one of my favorite writers - Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, TitanAE, Angel, and a bunch of other stuff that has entertained me. He has a new experiment called Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.
This is going to be a web only release of 3 episodes and … it’s a musical. If you’re gonna do a web only release might as well make it a musical right?
There’s no official site yet but Dr. Horible’s Sing-Along Blog Blog which is an “official fan site”. Check them out for any late breaking information - and all the details on this interesting project.
Internet for Everyone is a coalition of companies and individuals who are intent on making broadband internet an open and available resource to as many Americans as possible. They have four main goals:
Access: Every home and business in America must have access to a high-speed, world class communications infrastructure.
Choice: Every consumer must enjoy real competition in online content as well as among high-speed Internet providers to achieve lower prices and higher speeds.
Openness: Every Internet user should have the right to freedom of speech and commerce online in an open market without gatekeepers or discrimination.
Innovation: The Internet should continue to create good jobs, foster entrepreneurship, spread new ideas and serve as a leading engine of economic growth.
America has fallen way behind Europe and Asia in regards to broadband and Internet for Everyone hopes to bring America’s high-speed services back into the forefront.
You can also read Google’s release about why they joined Internet for Everyone. The article does a good job of explaining why America needs to boost its high-speed internet services.
Information Week reports that Microsoft has pledged to support Windows XP with security updates and patches until the year 2014. This is a good move for consumers, especially businesses, as Vista has caused a lot of balking due to its compatibility issues with older software and the higher end computer requirements. It’s not such a good move for Microsoft as it doesn’t show real faith in Vista, so I’m pretty sure this was a last resort.
Microsoft will also provide a downgrade program where you can pay for Vista but install XP. The main point of this is to be able to run software and hardware that isn’t yet compatible with Vista - at least that’s what Microsoft says is the reason. All that really matters is that you can still get XP instead of Vista for many more years.
Posted by insomnic
