- Blog search engines: the complete overview, by Ann Smarty, at searchenginejournal.com. Compares Google Blog Search, Technorati, BlogPulse and Blog Lines.
- Six free tools for online reputation management, by Dan Schawbel, at MarketingProfs.com. Discusses Google Alerts, Technorati, Backtype, BoardTracker, Twitter Search and FriendFeed.
- http://www.go2web20.net/. Just when you thought all the social web apps have found their place in your life, here comes another batch. It makes my brain hurt just thinking about clicking through them all. Don’t forget to click on the “Select Tag” link to narrow your search.
Category: Uncategorized
-
Links for 11-03-08
-
Take your portfolio online
This morning I spoke to high school students attending portfolio day at Friends University. I suggested to the students that, while a physical portfolio is essential, an online portfolio can be a useful way to leverage the work and help develop an online reputation. Useful when someone needs to see your portfolio right now, or when your portfolio needs to be in two places at once. Saves on postage, too.
An online portfolio tacitly shows that you’re comfortable working in an online, digital environment. So start scanning, digitizing, photographing and writing, and get that work online.Using the SaaS approach (Software as a Service), you don’t have to write a bunch of code to create an online portfolio. Host it from a click ‘n build website or a blogging platform. Then link, link, link! Photos? Link to Flickr. Video? Link to Vimeo. Powerpoints? Try Slideshare.Here are some of the other tools I talked about:Behance.net, currently open by invitation, offers a well-designed online portfolio space. Currently in beta.Etsy.com, online marketplace for selling handmade things.
Issuu.com, tool for presenting and sharing formatted printed documents online.
VisualCV.com, currently in beta, allows you to create an interactive, online CV and post it in a searchable database.
DeviantArt.com, suggested by a student. International art community that allows you to upload your art, view art by category and participate in social activities.
-
D’oh! Kamerer forgets to vote; McCain wins
Here’s a video that’s sure to go viral, from MoveOn.org:Build your own video at http://www.cnnbcvideo.com/index.html -
A Twitter toolkit
One of the nice things about Twitter is that other developers have taken the API and built useful extensions that leverage Twitter’s power. You can take control of your Tweetosphere with these handy tools, posted by Brian Solis at PR 2.0, one of my favorite public relations blogs.
The tool I’m most excited about is GroupTweet. You can use GroupTweet to create a workgroup and then share private tweets amongst the team members. The tweets remain outside of your public Tweetstream. Handy for workgroups of any size, or perhaps as a discussion forum for an online class (or physical class, for that matter).Here’s another batch of Twitter tools you’ll want to explore. Also, be sure to spend some time with Twitter Search if you’re at all interested in reputation management.iPhone user? Consider Twitterific, a free product available from the Icon Factory.Follow me on Twitter @DavidKamerer -
Keyword tools to try
I’ve written previously about creating text that’s reader friendly, but also creates meaningful keywords to search spiders. Several readers and students have asked for more information on keyword tools. Here’s an excellent list of tools to try.
-
Blog design: does it matter?
Last week, my colleague Bobby Rozzell observed that blog design might matter for attracting new readers or occasional readers, but not so much for regular, ongoing readers.
He’s right. Most readers first see your blog through an RSS reader. If they do click through, they’re likely to see a familiar template from a popular blogging platform like WordPress, Blogspot or Movable Type. Templates are the great democratizers of online design. They make enough design available to all. If you’re not a designer, that’s a good thing.And the other reason blog design isn’t that important: it’s the content, stupid. But you already knew that.What do you think? Does blog design matter to you? -
Google Confirms RSS For Web Search Results
Google Alerts is one of the most useful, yet basic tools for monitoring the Internet. With the current service, you receive email notification of your preferred searches when new information is added to the index.
If you’re new to RSS, or just hungry to learn more, visit this link, which aggregates popular links tagged “RSS” at del.icio.us. -
Social media pushes into business mainstream, study finds
Harder-to-reach audiences are ripe for social media interaction
Boston (September 25, 2008) – Sixty percent of Americans use social media, and of those, 59 percent interact with companies on social media Web sites. One in four interacts more than once per week. These are among the findings of the 2008 Cone Business in Social Media Study.