TaiRuiKe Wrote:
Google Hangouts Rock!

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Google has today anounced the ability to begin a Hangout video chat from any conversation on Google+. In addition, it has announced that users can have members dial-in to a hangout even without a webcam.

Additionally, Google is expanding the ability to broadcast your hangout ‘On Air’ and record it for later viewing.

 

The more streamlined methods to start a hangout should help to lower the barrier for those looking to start using the service. It could also help to expose the feature to those who may not be aware of it. Now that it is present right in the chat interface on mobile and the conversation interface on the web, a hangout is just a tap or click from a regular text conversation.

The Hangouts On Air feature has been used before by a few celebrities, but Google says that it is still in ‘active development’. That is not stopping them from turning it on for more public figures and those with high Google+ user counts.

Basically, you’re able to turn your hangout into a live broadcast by tapping a ‘broadcast and record’ button after you’ve started a hangout. Then users can join the broadcast and view your content. This is a sort of ‘public’ hangout.

Google says that you will be able to archive your hangouts by having them uploaded automatically to YouTube in a private video that you can then choose to share.

If you have friends and family that you wish could join and participate in a hangout, but do not have a webcam or front-facing camera, then Google has you covered. They are introducing a Dial-in feature that allows users to jump into your hangout from almost any country in the world right from a telephone.

Calls to the U.S. and Canada are free and international rates are apparently super cheap.

This story is developing. Please refresh for the latest information.Google has today anounced

Original Link: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNextWeb/~3/B5j-a9-u-CA/story01.htm

Love the country; do it no harm.

Serve the people; never betray them.

Follow science; discard ignorance.

Be diligent; not indolent.

Be united, help each other; make no gains at others' expense.

Be honest and trustworthy; do not sacrifice ethics for profit.

Be disciplined and law-abiding; not chaotic and lawless.

Live plainly, work hard; do not wallow in luxuries and pleasures.

I'm thinking about getting started with Scrivener for window...

Check out this site for lots of tips

http://asbo-allstar.posterous.com/day-137-axe-sharpening

Do you ever feel that some deep dark feeling from the 80's has creeped up and taken over your brain?

TaiRuiKe Wrote:
Some google tools worth checking into. Found this on the hubspot blog.

Make sure you visit Hubspot at http://blog.hubspot.com/ as they post a lot of helpful information there.

I'm re-posting this list here from the hubspot blog as I like to collect my thought and useful information in my posterous life stream you could say.

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Are you one of the people who use the word “Google” as a verb? If so, you surely realize the critical importance the search engine plays in the evolving business environment. But have you considered Google’s power apart from its function as a search engine?

Google has many assets that businesses can overlook or forget about. But as a marketer, you cannot afford to make this mistake. That is why we created a comprehensive list of Google's properties that could be used for marketing:

1. Google Places/Google Maps

If you haven’t done this yet, you need to create your Google Places listing as soon as possible. It is a free way for you to get listed on the first page of Google and level the playing field. When creating the listing, optimize for the right keywords and feature images and videos relevant to your business. Check out HubSpot’s Google Places page, for instance, and the way we have highlighted some details, photos and specific links.  

2. Google Tags

If you have already created your Google Places listing, consider experimenting with Google’s new ad platform, Google Tags. Tags are symbols that will appear next to your listing and thus allow you to stand out from other businesses showing up in Google Places. Check out this quick video for a simple explanation of Google Tags.

3. Google AdWords

The chances are you have probably already tried out Google AdWords. If you haven’t yet, here is how it works: you create ads that target specific keywords related to your business. Then, your ads appear on Google when people search for these keywords. This could become a pretty expensive marketing channel, but if used smartly, you can boost your organic search traffic. For instance, you can identify good keyword combinations to create content around.

4. Google's Search-based Keyword Tool

Google’s search-based keyword tool provides keyword suggestions based on actual Google search queries. Just submit your site and the tool will list phrases extracted from your web pages. You will be able to see how these keywords perform in terms of monthly searches, competition and price for suggested bids.

5. Google Gadgets

Depending on what your business offers, you might be able to take advantage of Google’s quirky gadgets. The list is long, but you will recognize a few useful and fun applications. For instance, you can add a countdown gadget to an upcoming event you are hosting. Or you could feature a calendar. Maybe your target audience is international and a Google Translate box would help them understand your resources.

6. Google Docs

Google Docs offers a terrific opportunity for collaborative projects. A Gmail account would give you access to this tool, which makes the process of sharing work-in-progress even easier. Consider using Google Docs (documents, spreadsheets, images, presentations) for updating your team on marketing offers, keeping a list of blog post ideas or for any other type of collaborative projects.  

7. Google Alerts

Google Alerts allows you to monitor specific keywords on the Web and receive messages when these phrases are being used. Sign up to receive emails when someone mentions your company’s name or your competition. This is a great way to keep up with latest news and respond to questions in a timely manner.

8. Google News

One of the keys to successful PR is to leverage the buzz around hot news. Use Google News to search for news relevant to your industry and write content based on these newsworthy stories. In this way, you will take advantage of high demand queries.

9. Google Reader

There is a direct correlation between reading and coming up with fresh content ideas. The takeaway: read a lot. Google Reader gives you a way to filter through a lot of important information quickly. Subscribe to your favorite websites and the blogs of industry thought leaders. This is a great way to stay up to date on controversies and news stories in your field. 

10. Google Trends

Want to develop a smart keyword optimization strategy? Then, check out Google Trends. It enables you to evaluate the popularity of certain terms and see how their demand varies overtime as well as in other countries and languages.  

11. Google Voice

In an era when people use their phones to surf the Web, it is only natural to start using the Web to browse through the contents of our phones. As your time spent working online increases, you should consider using the Web to communicate via the phone. Google Voice allows you to do exactly that by listening to your voicemail online and sending transcribed messages to your inbox.

12. Google Calendar

Getting organized is the key to being productive. Are you still using post-its to remember meetings? Or sending emails as invitations? It's high time you changed these time-consuming habits. Use Google Calendar to invite people to meetings, book rooms, receive reminder emails and plan effectively. Here is a short video going over how you can set it up. 

13. Google Groups

Google Groups provides you with an opportunity to find industry insights and build relationships with web-savvy customers. For instance, there are about 5929 groups in the Recreation category in the U.S. If you are a local spa, for instance, you could search for Recreation groups nearby and apply for membership.  

14. Google Checkout

Are you an eCommerce with a small budget? Google Checkout provides you with a cost-effective way to ensure a secure checkout for your customers. The benefits of Google Checkout include using a single login and providing an excellent payment guarantee on orders.  

15. Google Analytics

Google Analytics gives companies insights into their website traffic and provides them with overall analytics intelligence. For instance, it shows you how people find your site, navigate through it and become customers. In this way, Google Analytics enables you to identify powerful marketing opportunities and “strengthen your marketing initiatives.”  

16. Google FeedBurner

Want to grow your reach? Then, you need to be using feeds. Google FeedBurner will allow your website visitors to subscribe to your content and receive regular updates. For instance, this is how you would subscribe to blogs, podcasts and news channels.

Are we missing anything from this list? Add it by commenting below! 

Image credit: rakerman

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Original Link: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HubSpot/~3/hB23yyDXlPw/16-Google-Tools-to-Improve-Marketing-Effectiveness.aspx

TaiRuiKe Wrote:
An Email feed of FB update in a single once a day email. That sounds GREAT. Here is a little something I just found and thought I'd share.

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Is Facebook emailing you all the time? Do you want it to stop but don't want to miss out on your daily activity? Here's a quick and dirty process to get your Facebook activity summarized in a simple little email once every day.

I don't enjoy checking Facebook regularly but I do like knowing what's happening. I don't mind email but I do mind a ton of it. All of this lead to the inevitable conclusion: I need to turn off my Facebook notifications and get them sent to me in a single daily digest email. The problem is, Facebook doesn't provide this. I figured there must be a work-around, so I did a quick search and came across a pretty decent solution courtesy of Amit Agarwal, writing for the tech blog Digital Inspiration. What I learned was that while Facebook does not provide a daily digest as a feature, it does provide an RSS feed of all your notifications (if you want) and you can have a webapp called FeedBlitz send anything posted to that feed once per day. So how does this work?

* First, go to your Facebook notifications settings page and uncheck every email notification except "Sends me a message."
* Now visit your Facebook notifications page and find the "Via RSS" link. Copy the link and keep it handy.
* If you'd prefer to just get your notifications in your RSS reader, you can just add that link to an RSS reader of your choice and you're done. If you'd prefer to get the daily digest, go to FeedBlitz and set up a daily email with FeedBlitz. You basically just enter your email, paste the URL in, and choose the settings you want. It's really, really simple.

The downside to this is twofold: your notifications are now semi-public (e.g. your private messages aren't, but the notification of someone sending it to you is) because Facebook doesn't password-protect the notification RSS feed. The other downside is that FeedBlitz places a ton of ads in the daily digest email so it's not exactly the easiest thing to read. For me, both of these things are acceptable. If you feel the same way, now you have a simple method of getting your Facebook notifications in a manner you find less annoying. Enjoy!

UPDATE: As an alternative to FeedBlitz, check out previously posted NutshellMail.

Getting Too Many Emails from Facebook? Turn Them into a Daily Digest | Digital Inspiration

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You can follow Adam Dachis, the author of this post, on Twitter and Facebook.  If you'd like to contact him, Twitter is the most effective means of doing so.Is Facebook emailing you all the time? Do you want it to stop but don't want to miss out on your daily activity? Here's a quick and dirty process to get your Facebook activity summarized in a simple little email once every day.

I don't enjoy checking Facebook regularly but I do like knowing what's happening. I don't mind email but I do mind a ton of it. All of this lead to the inevitable conclusion: I need to turn off my Facebook notifications and get them sent to me in a single daily digest email. The problem is, Facebook doesn't provide this. I figured there must be a work-around, so I did a quick search and came across a pretty decent solution courtesy of Amit Agarwal, writing for the tech blog Digital Inspiration. What I learned was that while Facebook does not provide a daily digest as a feature, it does provide an RSS feed of all your notifications (if you want) and you can have a webapp called FeedBlitz send anything posted to that feed once per day. So how does this work?

* First, go to your Facebook notifications settings page and uncheck every email notification except "Sends me a message."
* Now visit your Facebook notifications page and find the "Via RSS" link. Copy the link and keep it handy.
* If you'd prefer to just get your notifications in your RSS reader, you can just add that link to an RSS reader of your choice and you're done. If you'd prefer to get the daily digest, go to FeedBlitz and set up a daily email with FeedBlitz. You basically just enter your email, paste the URL in, and choose the settings you want. It's really, really simple.

The downside to this is twofold: your notifications are now semi-public (e.g. your private messages aren't, but the notification of someone sending it to you is) because Facebook doesn't password-protect the notification RSS feed. The other downside is that FeedBlitz places a ton of ads in the daily digest email so it's not exactly the easiest thing to read. For me, both of these things are acceptable. If you feel the same way, now you have a simple method of getting your Facebook notifications in a manner you find less annoying. Enjoy!

UPDATE: As an alternative to FeedBlitz, check out previously posted NutshellMail.

Getting Too Many Emails from Facebook? Turn Them into a Daily Digest | Digital Inspiration

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You can follow Adam Dachis, the author of this post, on Twitter and Facebook.  If you'd like to contact him, Twitter

Original Link: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/vip/~3/9bEm4lbYf4Q/how-to-turn-all-your-facebook-notifications-into-a-daily-digest

TaiRuiKe Wrote:
Interesting use of Dropbox using jotnote on Lifehacker. Worth checking out.

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Dropbox Forms is a free service (built into web form creation tool, JotForm) that creates a web-based form that anyone can use to upload files directly to your Dropbox folder.

Simply click the Create a Dropbox Form button and grant the service access to your Dropbox account (you can revoke access at any time by logging into your Dropbox account and visiting the My Apps tab of your account settings). Once you've done that, the webapp will provide you with two options: Either a direct link to a form hosted on JotForm's web site or embed code you can use to put the upload form on your own site.

When someone uploads a file to your account using Dropbox Forms, it automatically syncs to your Dropbox under Dropbox\JotForm\Send a File\. If the person who sent the file filled out the accompanying form, the synced folder will also contain a PDF listing the submission date, person's name, email address, and a note (if they added one). Whether you work in a field where you need clients to send you occasional files or you just want to give friends a quick shortcut to send you files, this is a really clever solution.

Dropbox Forms | JotFormDropbox Forms is a free service (built into web form creation tool, JotForm) that creates a web-based form that anyone can use to upload files directly to your Dropbox folder.

Simply click the Create a Dropbox Form button and grant the service access to your Dropbox account (you can revoke access at any time by logging into your Dropbox account and visiting the My Apps tab of your account settings). Once you've done that, the webapp will provide you with two options: Either a direct link to a form hosted on JotForm's web site or embed code you can use to put the upload form on your own site.

When someone uploads a file to your account using Dropbox Forms, it automatically syncs to your Dropbox under Dropbox\JotForm\Send a File\. If the person who sent the file filled out the accompanying form, the synced folder will also contain a PDF listing the submission date, person's name, email address, and a note (if they added one). Whether you work in a field where you need clients to send you occasional files or you just want to give friends a quick shortcut to send you files, this is a really clever solution.

Dropbox Forms

Original Link: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/vip/~3/PRLqc2mHM_s/dropbox-forms-is-the-easiest-way-to-let-anyone-send-a-file-to-your-dropbox-account

I found a GREAT website for spiritual eBooks... you can download PDF files.

Check it out:

DOWNLOAD SPIRITUAL TEXTS
Welcome to HolyBooks.com. Use the search function above to find our free PDF ebooks or use the category list to browse to books. All books on HolyBooks.com are Public Domain texts and free to download as pdf-files. This online library project is still under development and we are adding new e-books every day. Suggestions are welcome.