“I was street-smart- but unfortunately the street was Rodeo Drive” Carrie Fisher

Today I was on Facebook to see what friends were up to and I noticed one person said she was going on vacation. Curious, I checked her friend’s list and it was over 2000. This made me worried. She had just told 2000 people that she would be away from her home and for how long. Some of her friends” have to be at the very most casual acquaintances, essentially strangers. Now this is the strength of FB, the meeting of new people and refreshing old relationships. However this is also a weakness. As an example, I would never yell out my address and tell people that I will on vacation while riding on the bus. That is essentially what is going on all over FB. Now I am not an overly cautious or paranoid person but there is common sense to use even when online. Some basic things she could have done instead. She could have used a little white lie and said someone would be staying at the house while she is gone. This immediately takes away her apartment as an easy target. Also there is a nice feature on FB called lists. You can go through your friends and assign people to lists like close friends, casual friends, work friends and so on. I personally like to use old chum for some of my lists. Now when she wants to tell the important people she is going on vacation she clicks the little lock next to her post and chooses to customize who can see this post. Then she can choose certain people or type in the name of the list to make it easier. Friends, by the way, can be on multiple lists like a person who is both a family member and close friend. Finally the most secure thing is to put it in a private email. People can still comment and respond but you can limit this to just the most trusted people. Remember when using Facebook to use the same cautiousness you would use on the streets

Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday. Anonymous

Alright fine it’s Friday and you’ve finished all your work on the agenda. So you decide it’s time for a much needed break. Then it is time for a trip over to Reddit. I have written of similar sites on the net. Ones that use peer submission to post interesting bits and have other users review and rate them like the well known Digg. . Although I like Digg I find that is a lot of rehashed info plus it tends to be even too geeky for what I want. Reddit on the other hand has many ways that allow you to customize your experience. If you stay just on the front page you will get what is the most popular or hot right now. I recommend signing up for an account and using their category selector to find just the stuff of interest for you. For me I love reading about politics on both sides, so I select both Democrat and Republican pages. However I also just enjoy strange news stories as well and lo and behold there is a category for that too. You essentially build your own information playground. I should take the time to address the word information when I use info it could mean an article, video, photo, comments or anything on the net. Also I should say that Reddit is not always work safe but they do warn you what links may be a bad idea and you can customize your page for that as well. One of the main reasons I like this site is that it tends to be a cross section of not just what is going on with the net but what’s happening on the planet. More and more I turn to this page for my news than others. The downsides are that occasionally the site can be slow to load and some items I thought would be down voted seem to inexplicable sky rocket but even so when Friday hits I recommended giving this a try.

"Jetson! What are You Doing?!! Goofing Off! Sir!!!" Mr.Spacely and George

Many Years ago my sister and I were in an electronics store playing with the latest invention the video phone. It allowed the caller to see the person on the other end. The picture was no bigger than a postage stamp and would refresh with a new image every 5-10 seconds. We spent most of the time making faces into it and then running to each other’s machine. At that moment I thought this is the future. This is it! Little did I know that is would fail as a product. Years and years later Google has made it very easy for anyone to have not just the same experience but a better one. Google has an add-on that makes your chat window into a video phone. Now before I go further I must say Google is not the first to do this. In fact Apple has had the iChat system for years but it is not always easy and it does require a bit of a setup. The Google version does need to be installed but it is simple. Once the application is downloaded it adds itself to your browser then when you open up Gmail it is another choice you have just like whether to email or chat with the person. You will of course need a webcam to make this happen and a PC. The apple addition will follow eventually. Many soldiers use this now so they can not only communicate with their families but seen as well. A video is far more comforting than just a voice. I recommend if you have a webcam and a PC you might as well give it a try.

“You can't be truly rude until you understand good manners.” Rita Mae Brown

Let’s say a coworker comes in and you notice a smell coming from their feet. You may feel if you say something it will embarrass the person to hear it from you. Also you may not be able to get the right words that will be sufficient without being rude. The Site NiceCritic is not meant to be mean in fact it is devoted to delivering small helpful notes to others while keeping it all nice and anonymous. To use this free service is the definition of simple. You choose from a category list, like appearance or general suggestions, of possible prewritten things to be sent. Almost all are one line long. Now don’t get the impression that they are all bad phrases. Many people feel just as uncomfortable offering praise as they do criticism. So to help with that they have a praise section that has phrases like “…great presentation” or “you handled that situation very well”. Once you choose a phrase you type in the person’s name and their email and hit send. It is all very easy and not mean spirited. So if you are looking for a nice way to say something give this a try.

"You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him discover it in himself." Galileo Galilei

I have written many times about the challenge of keeping up with the onslaught of information. It now comes from every direction and source. Digg is just one but there are others that have a nicely compiled list of what is going on. Two other large player are Thoof supposedly uses logic to find what you actually want to see. If you like a news story and tell it so it will find others that are similar. I find this service OK but I am truly fond of Plime. It is very close to Digg but it seems to be more what I am looking for. Digg tends to be more techy geek when I want all around geek info. Everyone is going to have a different take on this subject so try out both of these services to free your inner information geek.

“The first human being who hurled an insult instead of a stone was the founder of civilization.” Sigmund Freud

So you have a gripe but do you have specific people or things that are annoying you? If so Snubster is right for you. At its core it is a stab at Facebook and Mypace’s Friends. For many people the goal of acquiring many hundreds of anonymous friends is really getting to them. Snubster on the other hand is all about the dislike. Finally a social site I can get behind. The site allows you to create lists of things that are annoying you and if they really get to you, you can label them "dead to me." It is a farcical site but sometimes just airing the injustice makes you feel better. This type of parody site has been around since friendster was popular and its counterpart fiendster came out. It may be pointless but it can be entertaining to read and revel in the someone else’s grievances. So if you need to join in a bit of whining then give this one a try.

Note: I should say this site is not always G rated when it comes to language so be forewarned.

“All religions must be tolerated... for... every man must get to heaven in his own way.” Epictetus

Religion can be tricky to write about on a blog like this and I have avoided it until this point. Unfortunately religion on the web breaks down into the two usual camps: a glorification of one’s own religion and bashing of another’s. This is too bad because it kills discussion and understanding. However, there is a site that is really trying to make a difference in the religious information realm. Beliefnet has information on most religions. Now when I say information I do not mean a quick definition. I mean a real investigation that allows the user to really explore different religions. They use things like audio visual tours and interesting news stories to round off the information. They even have cooking recipes for each faith and holiday that it is associated with. There are discussion forums for every belief from Atheism to Zoroastrianism and everything in between. My favorite part has to be the Belief-o-Matic. Don’t be fooled by the name. It is a fill in survey that shows you which faith is in line with your thinking. I found it to be right on the mark. Faith is part of out society and makes its way to technology just like any part of our social makeup. So if you are interested give it a try.

“Tell me to what you pay attention and I will tell you who you are” Jose Ortega y Gasset

So you can find every bit of info that you could ever want online but do you really pay attention to it? Southern California Edison Energy believes you don’t have any interest in looking at raw data and I agree. They are installing small white orbs in houses to try an experiment that seems to be working well. The idea is this. When power consumption is expensive for you and everyone else the little orb glows red. This means you should start turning off electronics or at least put them on hold. When the power consumption is low it glows green signaling you to power up if necessary. Now why do you care? Well this is showing by just using a little light it gets you to do more than actually giving you numbers to think about. This was originally designed for people paying attention to things like mutual funds and stocks. Since this has been tried it people seem to be responding well to it. To read more here is one article of many that is out there. As usual there is a net component as well. People have started communities to show off how little they use of the power available. Pretty soon we should not be surprised if a new piece of software shows up on a social site that allows us to put our carbon foot print or usage on something like Facebook. No matter what happens if this shows a real effect on us reducing energy then maybe it will be coming to a house near you.

“Everything makes me nervous - except making films.” Elizabeth Taylor

Another outlet for people to explore their creativity is Metacafe. It is another video sharing site but unlike Youtube people can get payed for their works. However boring and unoriginal works will not cut it here. Payment is based on the amount of views. This means people are creating works that are all over the place. Some are instructional, funny or just plain amazing. Their tag line is “serving the world’s best videos.” People comment on the videos and I find they have not succumbed to the spam comment that Youtube has a problem with. If you are looking for some inventive videos or have ten minutes to kill give this a try.

“True art is characterized by an irresistible urge in the creative artist.” Albert Einstein

Continuing with the discussion of creativity on the net I want to talk about the community Worth1000. I have been going to this site for several years. At the minimum it is a place to show off themed Photoshopped works. At the best it is a place where people share their secrets of how they accomplished a particular editing feat. Essentially Worth1000 comes up with a theme like beyond the canvas. They want your interpretation of what happens after or in a particular artwork. Now these are all contests and some actually have the artist win some money but most of it seems to be a place to flex your Photoshop muscle. Creativity and imagination reign here. There is even a place where people share their tutorials and secrets. One other thing that is wonderful about this site is that it is a mix of the pro and the amateur. There are projects galore for both. So if you want to play with images give this a try.

“The pleasure of all reading is doubled when one lives with another who shares the same books.” Katherine Mansfield

I have heard that the Internet is stopping people from reading books. I think the people at Goodreads would disagree. Goodreads is social networking site for discussing books. Many of my friends are using this site and they are finding they read even more. The reason is simple, the members of this site love to read and discuss them. The problem is one of time. It is increasingly harder to find a time to meet and talk about books like at a traditional book club meeting. This site takes advantage of that weakness. You can discuss a certain book with friends or open it up to the whole book reading community and discuss it in depth. Yes, you are missing the person in the room with you but you are still having the same cerebral experience. They have other features as well like the ability to create a profile and show off what you have read, are going to read, and what you are reading at this moment. The only thing I would change is the email notification to once a day. When I first started using this site I felt like I was drowning in my friends choices of books. If you are reader and want to be part of a book discussion then give this a try.

“Creativity shouldn't be following radio; it should be the other way around.” Herbie Hancock

I have heard the same discussion over and over again. People are saying that the net is stopping people from being social or doing things they would have done without it like read a book or create art. Even the musician Elton John has said “The Internet is getting in the way of people creating good music.” I believe this to be an old fashioned idea and a falsehood to boot. As you will see in some of the following posts some people’s reactions are just the opposite. It has given them an outlet to be more creative than ever. I hear a lot of music from “amateur” artists that would never have gotten air time on the radio. I see art and design work that blows you away. I do more projects like cooking or DIY away from the computer because I read about them online. The internet puts creativity in our hands.

Note: I know I do not usually put two photos but this one of Herbie Hancock in front of old computer is awesome.

Note 2: Please, if you feel strongly on this subject, no matter what side you are on, leave a comment.

“Happy trails to you, until we meet again.” Dale Evans Rogers

A while back I had to go to a meeting with a couple of people. Everyone lived in a different area and no one wanted to drive all the way to the others locations. Well the obvious idea is to meet somewhere in the middle but where? The website happy median might be able to help with this problem. You type in up to four people and their locations and it give you the middle location for all of you. Now that alone is kind of cool but it also has the ability to show you all the restaurants, nightlife, lodging, golf courses, etc.... to actually meet at. This is a very simple site that has just one function but they do it very well. Whether you are meeting up with chums or business acquaintances give this a try.

“The photograph itself doesn't interest me. I want only to capture a minute part of reality.” Henri Cartier-Bresson

Time for a bit of rehashing of an old subject. I blogged about Flickr a while back but i realized i did not do it any justice. Flickr is a Yahoo owned photo sharing website community. Essentially a person uploads a photo and the community tags or leaves comments about it. There are thousands of thousands of photos and I believe it is one of the most popular photo services on the net. The reason for its popularity is simple it is easy to use and the community of viewers are very responsive. No longer does one hold pictures in a vacuum but they share it with the world at large. Photos are now being seen as more than a split second of time but a way of archiving the planet and it's inhabitants. Now, because so many people use this gigantic photo album many sites have mashed up their ideas with the Flickr page.
The help page can be a bit cumbersome so check this page out for a nice summary.I would like to dedicate the rest of the week to highlighting some of these new extras. In the meantime check out Flickr and give it a try.

“Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.” Napoleon Bonaparte

Not too long ago I listened to an On The Media radio broadcast about posting on the Internet. It was about a 17 year old girl who had voiced her opinion on the Iraq war. That alone does not seem to be very important. I mean we all take stands or have opinions on tons of subjects. However the difference was she posted her feelings in a comment field on a website. Years later she wanted to take that post down because when a possible employer did a search to see who she was and what she had written on the Internet using Google or Yahoo this comment came at the top of the list. She asked the site to remove her post and they said they never remove anything. Even if the site had complied it would not matter because search engines cache or store all this information in case the site disappears. So what does this tell us? When you post or add your name to a list or create a page in a social networking site like MySpace it stays out there even if you remove it. Many a teen writing now may reap the benefits or losses in the future because something said during younger days. It did occur to me that the girl could have started a blog or a site with enough information to reduce the impact of that one post. There is a flip side to this as well. The next generation emerging is not as concerned with privacy or wrongs done in other times. For them it is what they do now and not who or what they were five years ago. I know I am stereotyping here but generations do have certain major characteristics even if they are not shared by every single person.

So the main theme here is everything posted is permanent and not private so think before you post. To get the word out many Public Service Announcements have been created to get people to consider this phenomenon. I believe they are a little heavy handed but they do a nice job. Click on the video and you decide.

The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. Bertrand Russell

Are you sick of trying to get friends, family or coworkers to meet in anyone place? Unfortunately many people believe that email is a replacement for getting together and hashing some topic out for an hour to resolve a problem instead of sending emails over a course of days or sometimes weeks. I believe it actually stops some topics from ever getting figured out. So that being said how does one find a convenient time for everyone involved without taking up hours more time with emails? A site called MeetWithApproval.com could really help. I personally believe if you can get an issue finished with a quick useful meeting it will save you plenty of time so that you can waste it properly. The site puts their function this way. Arrange a meeting or event. Work out which day is good for everyone & keep track of who is coming. 'Meet With Approval' could not be simpler. Fill out the form which creates a meeting page. Your friends or colleagues are notified of the event. They visit the meeting page and help decide a good date. When you are all happy, 'Meet With Approval' confirms the arrangement and you all meet up. If you are faced with this problem give it a try.

“Popularity is the one insult I have never suffered.” Oscar Wilde

Recently I was doing a search for something and I wondered how many other people were doing this exact search at the same time. Google has a page that is called Hot Trends. It is fun to watch what people consider to be the most important thing to search for at any given moment. However it also gives a lot of other information like the location where most of the searches are coming from or what time they fall into. Also it gives alternate searches that turned up the same results. I don't believe this will help you get work done or make you a better person but sometimes it very useful to see what the hive mind is looking at today. I found a few things using this feature. So if you want to see the world's largest popularity contest give it a try.

“My favorite review described me as the cinematic equivalent of junk mail.” Steve Buscemi

There are review sites everywhere about food and restaurants but what about other places or services? Yelp is all inclusive site of reviews. If it is a business than it can be reviewed. This means stores, doctors, clinics, movie theaters. Unfortunately not everything is reviewed but that falls to the web 2.0 people, meaning anyone who uses the site. It has a slick interface with extras like embedded maps and different views. Also for may place like restaurants it has all of the relevant data like whether or not they do advanced seating. Before you head out give this a try.

“I call everyone 'Darling' because I can't remember their names.” Zsa Zsa Gabor

To round out this mini discussion on Web 2.0 I want to talk about a feature that is used by most of the social sites. Folksonomies are user generated tags used to organize and describe things on the web. This usually takes the form of a cloud of words called a tag cloud. At the most basic level it is a jumble of words that range in size. This represents how much information there is on a topic. If it is large there is a lot of info, small, less so. Without this system it is just a jumble of non indexed information. Most of the social sites use this to make it easier to find information. Try some of the ones below to really get an idea. I am only listing tag clouds here today.

• FlickR- find interesting photos through tags
• Del.icio.us- see other people's bookmarks
• Librarything - find books
• Technorati - tags on tags used on blogs
• Voodoochili - tags submitted by visual artists
• Presidential cloud - Presidents speeches reduced to tag clouds
• New York Times - search stories through their clouds. See what they cover in a glance
  

This ends Web 2.0 week for now but I plan on revisiting this topic because as the hive mind increases so will the uses. Give it a try.

“Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant.” Mitchell Kapor

Sticking with the subject of Web 2.0 I would like to talk about one my favorite websites. Del.icio.us is a social bookmarking site. What does this mean? If I come across something I like I bookmark it. Now I see a lot of websites in an average day but the vast majority of them I will never see again. Only the ones I save will I revisit. The problem is that those bookmarks are only on one machine. So if I go home and want to check something that is bookmarked I have to do a search for it. Del.icio.us helps with this situation. Instead of saving your bookmarks to your machine you save them to the site and you can access them from anywhere. Now the Web 2.0 aspect of this is that for every bookmark you save you also tag it with keywords that would help yourself and others find it. Then you can look through other people's bookmarks by searching the tags. As an example I need a good website for a student about digital photos so I search using the keyword photo. I come across site after site of what other people think is important concerning photos. Also I can read their notes that may tell me how to use the site or why to use it. I have come across more useful sites that I use and blog about then I can name. Now understand that this means you are going to come across everything that people bookmark meaning items from the G rated to X rated. It seems the vast majority falls around PG-13. If a search engine has failed you give it a try.