Great idea: Create Twitter accounts to act like feed readers!Al

@allison_boyer from #BlogWorld shared an amazing idea this morning: Create a Twitter account that will be used just for feeds. She documents the whole process in the original article, as well as some great ideas for how to use the account for more than just your own interest.



The process she defines is pretty labor intensive, so I doubt I will end up putting it to full use. If someone would automate the process, that would be awesome.



I can see taking this another step further by putting a Twitter stream widget on your #Amplify page (not the one you watch, the one everyone goes to when they read your stuff). That would let you share the people you watch most closely with those who read your posts.



Thoughts?

Amplify’d from www.blogworld.com

How to Turn Twitter into a Feed Reader

I hate feed readers. Always have. Frankly, I just don’t have time to read every single post by every single blogger I like, not even close, so I only log into my feed reader once every day or two. Because I follow so many people, that means that every time I log in, my feed reader shows a billion unread posts. Some days, it looks so daunting to clear ‘em all out, that I just close my browser without reading anything.

I keep TweetDeck running all day though. I thought to myself recently, “Wouldn’t it be great if I could combine Twitter and feeds to make a column just for people’s new blog posts.

I mean, I know a lot  of bloggers out there tweet their links, but they often get lost in the shuffle of conversation. And not everyone has their Twitter account tied to Twitterfeed (or a related service). And some people tweet links to multiple sites, both their own and others, or tweet links from the archives, etc.

It gets confusing. Yet, somehow I don’t think it will work to contact every blogger I like and saying, “Hey, will you create a separate Twitter account JUST for your feed so I can follow that account and put it into a group just for feeds?”

But, duh…I can do this myself. Kind of. With a little hacking (and I use that term losely, because this involves no actual hacking, just ingenuity), you can turn Twitter into a Feed Reader! Read more at www.blogworld.com

 

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/dHakZS

Microsoft Security Essentials 2 Released, Still the Best Darn Antivirus Around

URL:  http://lifehacker.com/5714508/microsoft-security-essent...

Found this via @DougWelch. Love Security Essentials. Just wish I knew how to upgrade to V2. When I try, it tells me I am on the latest version. Only problem? I know I am running V1.



Still, if you aren't using Security Essentials, check this version out. It's free. It's good. It works. What more do you want?



(Thanks @DougWelch for posting this!)

See this Amp at http://lifehac.kr/i3wKHI

My favorite and yours made @hardaway's top 10 list

Looking for a list of the best online experiences of 2010? Check out the list from @hardaway. (You will have to click through to see the full list and her comments.)



#Amplify made spot number 8. I love (and use) about half her list (Evernote, Tripit, Amplify, Backupify, and Skype). I am signed up for the ideeli emails, but haven't bought from them (yet).



If I had to put my finger on what I think she has missed, it would have to be:

#Hashable - Introductions via twitter and email. Complete with data and tracking.

#Quora - Ask and answer questions from a wide range of experts. I post answers when I can. I read questions and answers daily. As they grow, they are becoming as much a staple of my life as #Amplify.

#Tungle and #Plancast- Connected calendars online. I an not an active user of Plancast, but I use it to find events that are interesting. I have used Tungle to connect my various calendars for most of the year and really love it.



What are you top online experiences of 2010? Care to share?

Amplify’d from blog.stealthmode.com

My Top 10 Best Online Experiences of 2010

2010: what a difficult year for so many reasons. Too few jobs. Too many social media companies.  Too many mobile apps. The online experience is getting like the supermarket, and makes me yearn for a boutique experience. I want someone to save me some time by selecting their “best of” experiences, so I’m offering you mine in the hope that you will offer me yours. For me, this was a year of sorting through things and finding some that truly work for me.

8) Amplify – here’s a service that has gotten more traction outside Silicon Valley than inside. It’s an all-purpose tool that serves as blogging or micro-blogging platform, clipping service, and Ping.fm-like narrowcaster to social networks of your choice. It also has a bookmarklet so you can share web clippings and a button that helps you share your own site posts. It’s simple, but very powerful. Read more at blog.stealthmode.com

 

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/hJmUsD

Want your Amplify button before you posts?

@ChuckReynolds has graciously allowed me to share this tweak to the Amplify button for WordPress. I don't like having my button at the bottom of my posts. I want it up top where site visitors will actually see it. I mentioned this to Chuck today and he went out and generated a fix for me.



If you already know how to make this change, skip directly to the clip below. If not, here's how to make the change:

1) Log into your server via whatever FTP system you use. (I use WinSCP.)

2) Navigate to the directory with you WP stuff in it.

3) Navigate to wp-content/plugins

4) Open amplify-button.php

5) Make the edit indicated below hint - it is almost at the end of the file) and save the file.



Your button will now be at the top of your posts. If you download a new copy of the plug-in, you will need to make teh edit again. (Unless, of course @egoldstein and crew makes this an option in the next version.)

Amplify’d from forrst.com

Edit Amplify WordPress button Before Content

Chuck Reynolds

Had a friend that wanted her Amplify button (WordPress plugin) to be before the content instead of after the content (default).

This is located on line 273: $content = ampbtn_button($content); Remove / edit that line to be what is located in the code snippet. Save. Upload.

This hack was done on version 1.0 of the Amplify post found here: http://amplify.com/goodies/ I don't support the plugin, talk to Amplify about that but this was just to help out Kathy.

$content = ampbtn_button('').$content; Read more at forrst.com

 

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/gOlVUx

Clean URLs for Good SEO

URL:  http://rynoweb.com/clean-urls-good-seo/

Having bad characters in your urls isn't helping you any with the search engines - you need to clean up your act



(PS: If you are looking for a great resource for SEO advice, check out @chuckreynolds stuff. He's just started posting here on Amplify, but he's been sharing good stuff for years. Highly recommend his stufF

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/e7ecPQ

MVPs for Office and SharePoint 2010:10 Tips for OneNote Organization

URL:  http://blogs.msdn.com/b/mvpawardprogram/archive/2010/12...

Published today, this is a piece I wrote to help people get organized using OneNote. If you use OneNote, you should check it out.



If you don't use OneNote, why not? It is the best way to gather, organize, share, sort, and store all your notes. Everything in one place. Everything searchable. Tag things as desired. Put in your text, your URLs, your images, your audio, your video. Recognize the content so that it can be searched - whether it is text, text in a picture, audio, or video.

If these 10 tips don't convince you, let me know what else you need - I bet I can find a way to make it happen.

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/grh90A

What makes a good website? » Vitamin CH (Chocolate)

http://vitaminch.com/blogs/2010/11/27/what-makes-a-good-website/

Looking for your opinions on what makes a good website. Need to update the rules for APCUG's annual website contest and it needs your spark of genius. Share your ideas!

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/ie8B8n

@dragon_flaming Want to add you to the Amplify group over on EA, but it can't find you. Rumor is you left us. You are missed. http://amplify.com/u/e2zp

US Voters: Check in on FourSquare for a special badge next Tuesday!

Will you be voting in the election on Tuesday? Check out the special badge and page Foursquare has put together to track voting trends and transparency. Right now, the page only shows a countdown timer to the opening of the polls on the East Coast and a link to Google's mini-app to find your polling place. When it goes live, it will contain more information on voting trends - not who is being voted for, but where the voting is happening.



(Heads up: Google's mini-app for finding your polling place may not work for all addresses. It couldn't find my polling place even though it is across the street from my apartment complex. It did give me a link to the state site to find the location.)

Amplify’d from elections.foursquare.com

I Voted I VOTED Goes live November 2, 2010

About

The I Voted data visualization and badge have been designed with three purposes in mind: to encourage civic participation, increase transparency in the voting process and develop a replicatable system for the 2012 Presidential Election. Until we launch, make sure you have what you need to go vote on November 2nd! Read more at elections.foursquare.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/e2vb

Free Good Advice! What more could you want?

Join the Office MVPs and the Windows MVPs for a live chat tomorrow. Details below and in the linked post.

Amplify’d from vitaminch.com

Free Advice!

Have I got your attention? Good! Because this advice is simple, straightforward and easy to take:

Get your Windows 7 and Office 2010 questions answered!

Join the Microsoft MVPs as they answer your questions, Thursday, Oct 14th between 10:00 – 11:00 AM PDT (or 1-2pm EST). This is a public chat. The experts are real. The cost? FREE!

Check it out!

Details and registration on the Microsoft Communities site: http://www.microsoft.com/communities/chats/default.mspx

Or on the Facebook Event page for the chat. Read more at vitaminch.com

 

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/aFT1lf

Our geeks are better than yours » Vitamin CH (Chocolate)

http://vitaminch.com/blogs/2010/10/12/our-geeks-are-better-tha...

Are you coming to PodCampAZ? You should be, because (sing it with me):

Podcamp brings all the geeks to the yard,

And they're like

It's better than yours,

Damn right it's better than yours,

It can teach you,

But you need to go



We know you want it,

The thing that makes us,

What the geeks go crazy for.

They lose their minds,

The way it runs,

I think its time



Register now at http://j.mp/podreg

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/chfo

Amplifiers: I am still trying to find a place for us to meet at #blogworld. I thought I had a place at one of the pools, but they changed seasons. The pools are now only open 9am to 6pm. So, I need advice. Please vote in the attached poll before Thursday morning. http://bit.ly/9HH2Ye

Facebook sharing phone numbers: Do you want your contact info shared as wide as they are?

My brother-in-law posted the following on his #Facebook wall this evening:

PHONE NUMBER IS NOW ON FACEBOOK!! NO JOKE... Go to the top right of your screen, click Account then Edit Friends. Go to the left side of your screen and click Phonebook. Everyone's phone numbers are now being published. ...

What does this mean? Any of your friends who have shared their phone numbers with Facebook are now sharing those numbers with you as well.And, depending on how your privacy settings are put together, you may have shared your number with your friends or with the world.



The first thing to do is to check that the contact information you are sharing with #Facebook is only getting share with whom you want. Log into #Facebook and go to "Account" (Upper right screen link). From the drop down, select "Edit Friends". In the left column, you will see "Phonebook". Click this and you will see whose phone numbers Facebook has shared with you.

What's the default?

The default sharing for contact information appears to be the same as for everything else: Friends of Friends

Want to stop the sharing?

Go back to the Account drop down. This time select "Privacy Settings". In the left column, select "Custom", then "Customize " at the bottom of the main area. This will bring you to the page where you define what you want to share of your information. Scroll to the bottom of the page and look for the "Contact information". Change the drop downs for each area to as restrictive of a list as you want.

Which all raises a question

Does it matter if your contact information is available on #Facebook? In today's world of transparency and openness, does it matter if your #Facebook friends have your phone number? For me, it doesn't really - My number and contact information is fairly easy  to find on the web as it is. BUT if you aren't in the social media or consulting worlds, you probably don't want to share your life quite as much as I do.

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/9n8xfC

Microsoft MVPs share: Office 2010 and Win 7 chat! October 14

Stuck on how to do something in Office 2010 or Windows 7? Want a chance to pick the brains on some of the top experts in these areas? Check out the Microsoft MVP chat on October 14 - Your chance to ask questions of the recognized experts!



The participating experts will be available online for an hour. They are there to help you do what you do - only better, faster, and prettier. Not only that, but the #msmvps are here to help you for free!



(Full disclosure: I am a Microsoft MVP in OneNote. I know these peeps - they are great. Normally, I would be volunteering to be on the panel. But, as luck would have it, this one is scheduled to start just as I get off the plane in Vegas for #BWE10.)

Amplify’d from blogs.msdn.com

Special Live Chat: Learn More about Office 2010 and Windows 7 From the MVP Experts!

Would you like to learn more about the cool new features in Office 2010 and Windows 7 and what has changed since previous versions? Do you use Microsoft Office but would like to learn tips and tricks to be more productive at home, school or at work? Perhaps you are a new user who has questions on how to get started with Windows 7 or using the Office ribbon? Or would like to learn how to protect your computer from malware and viruses. Or perhaps you are just stuck and need answers.

The Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) are here to help! The MVPs are the same people you see in the technical community as authors, trainers, user groups leaders and answerers in the Microsoft forums. For the first time ever we have brought these experts together as a collective group to answer your questions live. MVPs will be on hand to take questions about Microsoft Office 2010 or Office 2007 products such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Project, OneNote and more. As well as the Windows 7 and earlier versions such as Windows Vista. In addition to Microsoft Office, the chat will cover Windows related topics such as upgrading, setup and installation, securing your PC, Internet Explorer, personalizing your computer desktop or having fun with Windows Live Essentials to share photos, make movies and more. All levels of experience are welcome from beginners and students to intermediate power users. Please join us for this informative Q&A style chat and bring on your basic and your tough questions!

When:  Thursday, October 14, 2010 between 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM PDT! To learn more and add a reminder to your calendar please visit our Communities site or Microsoft TechNet Read more at blogs.msdn.com

 

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/aERxQR

"Please stop... I'm bored" 2010 Ig Noble Prizess announced

Last night, the winners of the 2010 Ig Nobel Prizes were announced at Harvard's Sanders Theater.



The Ig Nobles are one of the funniest science award ceremonies you will ever hear of. Prize winners get .... well, they get a small useless prize. But, they also get the chance to makes us all "Laugh and then Think".



Science Friday usually broadcasts the award ceremony on the Friday after Thanksgiving. If you can't wait that long, keep an eye on the improbable site. They will upload the video from last night at some point.



(The headline? It comes from one of the ignitaries, Miss Sweetie Poo. She is responsible for keeping everyone within the time limits of the show. Check the video for samples of her talents: http://improbable.com/2010/07/26/improbable-research-collection-129-the-best-of-miss-sweetie-poo/.)

Amplify’d from improbable.com

The 2010 Ig Nobel Prize Winners

The 2010 Ig Nobel Prizes were awarded on Thursday night, September 30, at the 20th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony, at Harvard's Sanders Theatre.

ENGINEERING PRIZE: Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse and Agnes Rocha-Gosselin of the Zoological Society of London, UK, and Diane Gendron of Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Baja California Sur, Mexico, for perfecting a method to collect whale snot, using a remote-control helicopter. REFERENCE: "A Novel Non-Invasive Tool for Disease Surveillance of Free-Ranging Whales and Its Relevance to Conservation Programs," Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse, Agnes Rocha-Gosselin and Diane Gendron, Animal Conservation, vol. 13, no. 2, April 2010, pp. 217-25. WHO ATTENDED THE CEREMONY: Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse, Agnes Rocha-Gosselin, Diane Gendron

MEDICINE PRIZE: Simon Rietveld of the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Ilja van Beest of Tilburg University, The Netherlands, for discovering that symptoms of asthma can be treated with a roller-coaster ride. REFERENCE: "Rollercoaster Asthma: When Positive Emotional Stress Interferes with Dyspnea Perception," Simon Rietveld and Ilja van Beest, Behaviour Research and Therapy, vol. 45, 2006, pp. 977–87. WHO ATTENDED THE CEREMONY: Simon Rietveld and Ilja van Beest

TRANSPORTATION PLANNING PRIZE: Toshiyuki Nakagaki, Atsushi Tero, Seiji Takagi, Tetsu Saigusa, Kentaro Ito, Kenji Yumiki, Ryo Kobayashi of Japan, and Dan Bebber, Mark Fricker of the UK, for using slime mold to determine the optimal routes for railroad tracks. REFERENCE: "Rules for Biologically Inspired Adaptive Network Design," Atsushi Tero, Seiji Takagi, Tetsu Saigusa, Kentaro Ito, Dan P. Bebber, Mark D. Fricker, Kenji Yumiki, Ryo Kobayashi, Toshiyuki Nakagaki, Science, Vol. 327. no. 5964, January 22, 2010, pp. 439-42. [NOTE: THE FOLLOWING ARE CO-WINNERS BOTH THIS YEAR AND IN 2008 when they were awarded an Ig Nobel Prize for demonstrating that slime molds can solve puzzles: Toshiyuki Nakagaki, Ryo Kobayashi, Atsushi Tero] WHO ATTENDED THE CEREMONY: Toshiyuki Nakagaki, Kentaro Ito, Atsushi Tero, Mark Fricker, Dan Bebber

PHYSICS PRIZE: Lianne Parkin, Sheila Williams, and Patricia Priest of the University of Otago, New Zealand, for demonstrating that, on icy footpaths in wintertime, people slip and fall less often if they wear socks on the outside of their shoes. REFERENCE: "Preventing Winter Falls: A Randomised Controlled Trial of a Novel Intervention," Lianne Parkin, Sheila Williams, and Patricia Priest, New Zealand Medical Journal. vol. 122, no, 1298, July 3, 2009, pp. 31-8. WHO ATTENDED THE CEREMONY: Lianne Parkin

PEACE PRIZE: Richard Stephens, John Atkins, and Andrew Kingston of Keele University, UK, for confirming the widely held belief that swearing relieves pain. REFERENCE: "Swearing as a Response to Pain," Richard Stephens, John Atkins, and Andrew Kingston, Neuroreport, vol. 20 , no. 12, 2009, pp. 1056-60. WHO ATTENDED THE CEREMONY: Richard Stephens

PUBLIC HEALTH PRIZE: Manuel Barbeito, Charles Mathews, and Larry Taylor of the Industrial Health and Safety Office, Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA, for determining by experiment that microbes cling to bearded scientists. REFERENCE: "Microbiological Laboratory Hazard of Bearded Men," Manuel S. Barbeito, Charles T. Mathews, and Larry A. Taylor, Applied Microbiology, vol. 15, no. 4, July 1967, pp. 899–906. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC547091/?tool=pubmed> WHO ATTENDED THE CEREMONY: Manuel S. Barbeito was unable to travel, due to health reasons. A representative read his acceptance speech for him.

ECONOMICS PRIZE: The executives and directors of Goldman Sachs, AIG, Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, and Magnetar for creating and promoting new ways to invest money — ways that maximize financial gain and minimize financial risk for the world economy, or for a portion thereof.

CHEMISTRY PRIZE: Eric Adams of MIT, Scott Socolofsky of Texas A&M University, Stephen Masutani of the University of Hawaii, and BP [British Petroleum], for disproving the old belief that oil and water don't mix. REFERENCE: "Review of Deep Oil Spill Modeling Activity Supported by the Deep Spill JIP and Offshore Operator’s Committee. Final Report," Eric Adams and Scott Socolofsky, 2005. <http://www.boemre.gov/tarprojects/377.htm> WHO ATTENDED THE CEREMONY: Eric Adams, Scott Socolofsky, and Stephen Masutani

MANAGEMENT PRIZE: Alessandro Pluchino, Andrea Rapisarda, and Cesare Garofalo of the University of Catania, Italy, for demonstrating mathematically that organizations would become more efficient if they promoted people at random. REFERENCE: “The Peter Principle Revisited: A Computational Study,” Alessandro Pluchino, Andrea Rapisarda, and Cesare Garofalo, Physica A, vol. 389, no. 3, February 2010, pp. 467-72. WHO ATTENDED THE CEREMONY: Alessandro Pluchino, Andrea Rapisarda, and Cesare Garofalo.

BIOLOGY PRIZE: Libiao Zhang, Min Tan, Guangjian Zhu, Jianping Ye, Tiyu Hong, Shanyi Zhou, and Shuyi Zhang of China, and Gareth Jones of the University of Bristol, UK, for scientifically documenting fellatio in fruit bats. REFERENCE: "Fellatio by Fruit Bats Prolongs Copulation Time," Min Tan, Gareth Jones, Guangjian Zhu, Jianping Ye, Tiyu Hong, Shanyi Zhou, Shuyi Zhang and Libiao Zhang, PLoS ONE, vol. 4, no. 10, e7595. WHO ATTENDED THE CEREMONY: Gareth Jones Read more at improbable.com

 

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/aLxcMs

@simbeckhampson can tell the future! Check out the time since he recommended @egoldstein's post! http://bit.ly/dnVNee

Looks like Twitter is already on the case. De-exploiting the exploit. Good work!

I have to admit - Even I fell for this one. Saw it on the part of my feed that is people I trust, so I checked it out. Boom. Bad things.



It doesn't appear that the exploit installs anything on your machine, but I did a full virus scan to be sure. (It came back clean.)



If you see tweets about goats and strange things, don't click the link in the next tweet after them.



I will never understand the thinking (or lack there of) that caused people to do things like this. No good can come of it. The hole will be patched by the companies involved. I guess it is just another strange call for attention.

Amplify’d from status.twitter.com

Malicious Links on Twitter 1 hour ago A malicious link is making the rounds that will post a tweet to your account when clicked on. Twitter has disabled the link, and is currently resolving the issue. UPDATE Sun Sep 26 18:41:49 UTC 2010: We’ve fixed the exploit and are in the process of removing the offending Tweets. Read more at status.twitter.com

 

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/bfRrOl

What is ASCII UG?

ASCIi is a computer user group in the Phoenix area. We meet three times a month:

• West side meetings are at Word of Life Lutheran Church in Surprise at 12:30pm on the first Saturday of each month.
• Central meetings are usually held at the SCF Tower in downtown Phoenix at 12:30pm on the second Saturday of each month.
• East side meetings are usually held at UAT in Tempe at 12:30pm on the fourth Saturday of the month.

Check us out!