Posts Tagged ‘Articles’

Being Internet savvy is quite a blanket statement. The Internet is such a vast domain that having a broad knowledge is an ongoing process for any enthusiast. The first time I ever saw the Internet was at my brother’s house in the mid-90′s. I remember he showed me Yahoo and how you could search for people you know. It was a brief introduction, but I was completely intrigued.

A WebTV setup from RCA.

Being a teenager of limited means, I finally got online in 1997 via WebTV. WebTV became kind of a laughable phenomenon as computer ownership became more widespread. It was really an innovator and ahead of its time given all the Internet-ready TV’s and TV compatible devices available today. It was a limited experience without a computer, but my brain was a sponge. Two years later, my parents (God bless them) shelled out nearly $2500 for my first desktop and I haven’t looked back. So with nearly 13 years online under my belt, I am attempting to write a comprehensive list of criteria that makes one “Internet Savvy” since I can’t really find one online.

What Does “Internet Savvy” Mean?

Let’s break it down. If you’re reading this, you know what the Internet is, but what does savvy mean? The beauty of the Internet is that as I’m writing, I can pull up a dictionary definition of any word.

savvy [sav-ee]

verb, -vied, -vy·ing, noun, adjective, -vi·er, -vi·est. Informal .
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)

brev·i·ty/ˈbrevitē/Noun
1. Concise and exact use of words in writing or speech.
2. Shortness of time.

It’s a gift not many writers have. I tend to be a wordy writer whether it’s an email or Facebook status. I recognize that it is somewhat of a problem, and I often use the fact that I’m a writer as an excuse. Ironically, I’m not a fan of reading or writing LONG articles…and by LONG, I mean more than 500 words. As a freelancer, I’ve been asked to write articles that were upwards of 1000 words. As a result, I have an unwritten rule to limit myself to 500 words.

However, there are exceptions. How To pieces and tutorials need to run their course. If you try to shorten these types of articles, you end up shorting your readers on valuable information and steps. While I don’t like to write more than 500 words, it’s really about the subject matter. While writing about a specific product such as a purse, 350 words is probably plenty. If you try to make a finished article longer, you end up with useless information.

On the other hand, how many people do you know who have time to read more than 500 words? The world runs on time and the lack thereof. People today like their information short, easy to read/scan, and BRIEF. I try to write the way I like to read. I need to get to the information I’m looking for easily. I don’t want to read 3 paragraphs of filler only to find what I needed in the last paragraph of the article.

Tips

Here’s a few tips on how to keep your writing brief and easily readable:

• Proofread and EDIT. When you feel done with editing, go through it one more time. Remove words you don’t need or repetitive statements.
• Bulleted lists. Bulleted lists are easy to read and scan.
• Headings. Utilize heading to break up your articles into easy-to-read sections.
• Include images and/or video.

These few, BRIEF tips will get you started.

A Writer Gifted With Brevity

A dear friend of mine and Guest Blogger here at PWW, has the gift! Abby runs a blog called AbbyAsks.com

I strongly urge you to check out her site and give her stuff a moment of your time. I’m not just saying this because she mentions me there once in a while. She seriously has a gift. Not only are her posts funny and witty, but they’re never too long or too short. She truly has a talent for presenting and discussing a complete thought in a brief manner.

This is the second post in my new series for writers and why you should have a website. Read the last one here.

I came across this blog at Digital Point and when I first loaded the page, I thought, “Wow, this is plain…especially for a webmaster.”  The title of the blog…”I Am Blogging”. Why, yes you are…you are blogging plainly.

Something about the plainness made me want to know more. It’s almost like reverse psychology. Some people think a blog can’t pull you in unless it has a fancy design and a lot of widgets, gadgets and whatnots. The longer I stayed, the more intrigued I became. “So you’re blogging, ” I thought, “but what the heck are you blogging about because I sure can’t tell by looking.” Even the About page is ambiguous.

So I started clicking around and the page exploded with screen shots. I LOVE SCREEN SHOTS! AnirbanRoy.info is a webmaster blog with long, informative articles on many aspects of webmastering including the likes of: hosting, blogging, advertising, WordPress, SEO and more! The first category I clicked was Advertising. Several articles about Adsense greeted me. Who can’t use more information about Adsense? I have had an Adsense account for YEARS, but I’m certainly no guru. To be honest, I barely know how to use it anymore. Mr. “I Am Blogging” has a handle on it and I found his posts on advertising very informative. I found a few new things to try. It was a nice surprise and made me forget the fact that the site was plain. In fact, it no longer seemed plain in the least. I was happy to not be distracted by a thousand ads dancing and glaring in my face as I tried to read. Content is King, my friends.

I had to visit the WordPress category next because it’s one of my favorite subjects respectfully. I wasn’t disappointed. This Anirban fellow knows what he’s talking about. He covers it all from plug-ins to pinging. If you don’t know what any of that is, read this blog! I would recommend this site to anyone just starting out with webmastering, blogging, WordPress or any online endeavor. It’s a great place to learn the basics and then some. Eye candy isn’t everything, in fact, it’s rather overrated. There are other ways to intrigue your readers and Anirban has it down pat. I love the unique approach he has to blogging and blog design. There are a lot of webmasters and bloggers who stand to learn from his outside-the-box methods.

Dictionary.com defines “mediocre” as:

me·di·o·cre [mee-dee-oh-ker]

I write for Demand Studios. I have been writing for them since July 4, 2009. I was accepted as a writer long before then, but it was in July that my financial situation hit dire straits. I can’t remember what articles I sent them as samples, but I am almost certain that they were unremarkable. I half expected to be easily accepted and half expected them to be somewhat of a scam.

When I received my acceptance, it was nice since I had just lost my job. At least I had *something*. I hesitated to submit my first article after reading their strict and tedious guidelines. I thought, “I’ll never remember everything.” I started out writing Strategy articles. A Strategy article back then was almost like a tutorial. My first article was approved with a rewrite that only required a couple small edits. That gave me the confidence I needed to continue. I branched out and wrote a couple of other different kinds of articles: About and Fact Sheets.

I continued having success submitting articles and eventually fell in love with How To pieces. I write them almost exclusively now. The problem that I’ve had with Demand Studios is that I’ve had a really hard time meeting my financial goals writing for them. I know I can do it. It shouldn’t be that hard to write 40 articles and make $600 in a week…but it is. There are many variables that must be in sync when it comes to having a successful week with Demand such as:

• Writable titles
• New titles
• Figuring out when Demand uploads new titles
• Beating other writers to the good titles
• Exercising self discipline
• Keeping a schedule
• Maintaining a strong focus

Demand Studios has more than 160,000 titles available for claiming as of this writing. You would think that with such a large number of titles to choose from, it would be easy to find 40 to write. The truth as of late is that it takes HOURS to find just a few titles that are actually writable. I define writable as something that is possible to write, fits within my realm of knowledge and research, and is properly categorized. While you can search for any keyword you like, you may or may not find viable titles pertaining to your keyword choice. One of my favorite keyword searches is “photoshop”. As of late, there is less than a page of titles on Photoshop available. A few of these titles don’t make sense…they are not writable. A few of them specify that the article be about Photoshop Elements which is a completely different piece of software. These variables eliminate those titles as writable. Demand does have a category search, but it has been out of whack for months.

I don’t spend much time in the forums at Demand Studios, because hello! I need to be writing. The forums seem to be wrought with a lot of complaints regarding the copy editors and issues surrounding the writing and approval process. I’m not sure if not participating in the forums is to my detriment or not. Perhaps there’s something that I am missing. Supposedly, there is a set time each day that Demand uploads new titles, and if you are in the know about when this is, you have a chance to grab all the good titles. I don’t know when this moment happens, and the last couple weeks has proven that to me with a vengeance. It’s frustrating when you spend 2-3 hours searching for titles and end up with four.

The rate of pay is also up for debate. Until last week, the most you could make on a Demand Studios article was $15. That is tough to swallow when there are freelancers out there who claim to be commanding $50+ per article. So where I need write 8 articles per day with Demand, at that rate, I could get by with three. It saps one’s motivation. When I first started at Demand, all the writers were basically on the same level. Now they’ve launched a Premium program where they hand-picked writers who are eligible to write articles that pay as high as $75. Yours truly was not selected. I’m trying not to be bitter.

When you get down to it…I’ve been writing for Demand for 8 months and I still can only claim 10 articles at a time with consistent scores well above average. I have had 76% of my articles approved without a rewrite, and I can’t even get my queue increased 5 more articles. Speaking of consistency, the copy editors are not…in the least bit consistent. I won’t elaborate because I don’t want this post to become an outright bitchfest…and yeah, they *score* you. They score you based on grammar and research. Both things where it is easy to let one’s personal pet peeves take over.

Pros

• Demand Studios pays twice a week
• Payment is consistent and on time
• Large pool of titles
• Writers must be native English speakers
• Guidelines are well outlined

Cons

• Title to writable title ratio is opposite what it should be
• Recently expanding writer pool to the UK and Canada
• There are no briefings for articles
• Interpretation of the title is left up to the writer’s discretion
• Copy editors are inconsistent
• Huge pool of writers

If you are thinking about applying for Demand Studios, think about it. I won’t tell you not to do it because they have been a viable source of income for me and I’m not sure what I would have done without the opportunity. My best advice is to keep your options open, and you can do that while writing for Demand Studios. If you want to write for Demand or you already do, drop me line, I really like to network with my colleagues.

TwitterCounter.com is another Twitter-centered site providing Twitter users with all kinds of stats. Since TwitterCounter is a stat site that is powered by Twitter, you don’t have to log into it with your Twitter details, you just click the “Add” button and then click “Allow” for TwitterCounter to retrieve your Twitter stats. Once you add yourself, TwitterCounter is going to want some basic information from you and will make you a couple offers. For example, you can sign up to receive weekly stats information to your email account. TwitterCounter also has a Pro account that will provide you with a few extras like more stats, retweet tracking, browsing more than your last 3 months of tweets and export options. As of this writing, the price for the TwitterCounter Pro account is $32.50 per year.

You can also set up your TwitterMail through TwitterCounter.com. What is TwitterMail, you ask? TwitterMail allows you to post tweets using your email account. This can keep you from incurring text charges when using your cell phone with Twitter. TwitterMail assigns you a unique email address, or you can specify one. You simply send an email to that address and Twittermail posts the body or subject of the email to your Twitter account. Make sure no one can guess your Twittermail address, otherwise some unwanted people might be posting to your Twitter account. You can also receive tweets from your favorite Twitter users by adding their Twitter user name to your Twittermail account settings.

TwitterCounter returns statistics regarding your Twitter account almost immediately. You can view general information such as your follower count and bio and also follower count predictions and your overall Twitter rank. TwitterCounter also has a few tools for advertising your Twitter account on your blog, website, or social media profile. You can create a small button advertising how many followers you have, a large button showing your follower count, and a customizable Twitter widget that displays information about your account.

Other than that, TwitterCounter will show you the Top 100 Twitter users and the Top 100 Lists. You can see how you are ranked among the likes of Ashton Kutcher and Oprah Winfrey. It really is a useful tool and one-stop shop for everything Twitter.

Pros

• Lots of information fast
• Provides tools
• Powered by Twitter

Cons

• Must pay for Pro features
• Does have trending topics stats

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Twittertise.com is a site that lets you advertise using Twitter and track the effect of that advertising. The first thing you do after logging into Twittertise with your Twitter log in information is set your time zone. You can also opt to follow Twittertise with Twitter to receive their updates, but it is not a requirement. With Twittertise, you must schedule your advertisement using the simple calendar interface. There is an option that will allow you to send your tweet immediately.

Scheduling your tweets is a good way to send out several different tweets regarding the same advertisement or to send the same tweet numerous times. This ensures a wider reach for your advertisement. Remember to set your tweets wide enough apart so that your followers don’t feel you are spamming them. If you make a mistake in your tweet, you can simply delete or edit it from the queue. There is also a function so that you can view your tweet. All of these features are under “Actions” in your Dashboard.

Twittertise is really a simple application to use. Each time you send a tweet using Twittertise, it lists the tweet in your Sent Tweets. Your Sent Tweets list the tweet, the date and time, your link and the status. To view the details regarding your tweet, click the first icon under “Actions”. This shows you how many clicks your link has received including direct clicks.

This allows you to track the effectiveness of your advertisement and the effectiveness of using Twittertise overall. Since Twitter lacks built-in analytical tools, Twittertise allows you to track the effectiveness of your Twitter marketing campaign. To tweet in different time zones, adjust your settings any time by clicking the “Settings” link in the upper right corner of the page.

What Others Are Saying…
A lot big companies are using Twittertise. You can see a sampling of who these companies are by visiting the Twittertise blog at http://blog.twittertise.com/ or perform a Twitter search using the keyword Twittertise to see who is buzzing from and about Twittertise in real time.

Pros

• Easy-to-use interface
• Ability to track clicks

Cons

• You can only log in for 24 hours at a time
• Tweeting from Twittertise takes a lot of mouse clicks

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Twtaway.com lets you start and run a contest on Twitter. Why would you need to start a contest? Anytime you have a product to promote, the best way to promote it is a free giveaway. No matter what type of products and services you provide as a business or as a hobby, nothing creates a buzz quite like a contest. Twtaway eliminates the need to log in or create an account. You can get down to the nitty gritty by clicking the “Start a Contest!” button.

Fill out the form as follows:

• Organizers – Your twitter name (separate multiple names with commas)
• Sponsors – Include the twitter name of any sponsors
• Contest Title – Type a title for your contest
• Image – Paste in the link to a TwitPic, TweetPhoto or Yfrog image
• Description – Type a brief description of your contest
• More Info URL – Type the link to the contest details or your website
• When – Type the date range of your contest and use the drop down menus to specify times. Use the drop down menu to choose your time zone.
• Number of winners – Type the number of winners allowed
• Hashtags – Type in any hashtags related to your contest i.e. #contest Separate multiple hashtags with commas

You’re ready. Click the “Create Twtaway” button.

Twtaway creates a page with a custom URL for your contest where you can track participants, comments and retweets. You can also grab the HTML to embed a widget for your contest on your blog or website by clicking the “Embed” tab. Twtaway doesn’t automatically tweet about your contest. Click one of the Share buttons to post your contest details to Twitter, Facebook or Google Buzz. It’s up to you to promote your contest. You can tweet it yourself or use a scheduler to tweet updates automatically.

At the end of your contest, Twtaway will randomly choose a winner or winners for you. It as simple as that. Twtaway is a powerful promotional tool at your fingertips.

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TwtQpon.com allows you to create coupons for your goods or services that are exclusive to your Twitter followers and visitors only. This allows you to run specials to promote not only your goods and services, but your Twitter account as well. TwtQpon is a great way to get new followers for your business. To create a twtQpon, click the “Create a Twitter Coupon” button at twtQpon.com. A simple form loads and you are well on your way to creating your coupon, or TwtQpon. Fill in the form as follows:

• Twitter name – Type your Twitter user name
• Coupon title – Type a title for your coupon
• Coupon details – Outline your offer in 140 characters or less
• Image – Include an image file in GIF, PNG or JPG format (optional)
• Coupon Code – Type a code to activate your coupon
• Redirect URL – Type the URL to your website or profile
• Valid Until – Set an expiration date for your coupon

Click the “Create a Twitter Coupon” button below the form and you are done!

TwtQpon then creates a printable coupon with a link the website that you specify where users can input the coupon code you provided. An image was not used for this test, but using an image will brand your coupon. TwtQpon has convenient “Share” buttons that allow you to post your coupon on Facebook and Google Buzz in addition to Twitter. You can also use their TwtQpon link and post it on your website, online profile, or post it in scheduled tweets.

TwtQpon clearly states who created the coupon (your Twitter ID), and lists when the coupon expires. The result is a professional looking coupon that is brandable all for free. Use TwtQpon to enhance your marketing any time.

What Others Are Saying…
TwtQpon is putting local and small businesses on the same level with the big dogs. TwtQpon allows the small business to provide a professional level service to their customers. In the meantime, companies like Dell are using Twitter to offer exclusive deals on computer equipment and has surpassed $2 million in sales using Twitter alone. Twitter is powerful, and TwtQpon enhances that power.

Pros

• TwtQpon doesn’t post your coupon until you choose to share it
• Creates a professional, brandable coupon
• User friendly
• Tracks comments and retweets about your coupon

Cons

• No hit counts
• No automatic tweeting

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Since Twitter doesn’t currently offer any type of hit counter or analytics to track your tweets and traffic, TweetStats.com to the rescue! TweetStats creates colorful graphs of your Twitter activity so you get a visual idea of how much tweeting you actually do. TweetStats will show you how many times you tweet per hour, how many times you tweet per month, a timeline of your tweets and statistics regarding your @replies all in an easy-to-understand graph.

Type your Twitter user name into the field at TweetStats.com and wait for the magic. The site takes a while due to the volume of users, number of your tweets and Twitter API limits. In the meantime, Tweetstats entertains you with funny quotes and shows you a featured user. If you don’t want to wait, Tweetstats even provides you with a custom URL so you can save the page and return later when your stats are done loading.

In addition to graphing your tweets, Tweetstats also graphs a couple general stats from all of Twitter. You can view a pie chart of popular applications that are used to post to Twitter including the web, Tweetdeck and UberTwitter to name a few. Tweetstats generates a bar graph showing the Twitter users with the most @replies for the day. At the bottom of the Twitter stats page, Tweetstats has a list of Twitter applications that aren’t very well known. If you like trying new things before the multitude is buzzing about it, this is a good opportunity for you to be the first to find the next big application.

If you like to stay abreast of trending topics, Tweetstats can help with that too. TweetStats shows two bar graphs: one for the top 10 trending topics of the day and one for the current trending topics. Aside from the graphs, which seem to be a TweetStats specialty, you can also view the day’s trending topic in a clickable word cloud. There is also a word cloud for the top trending Twitter topics of all time. Clicking one of these words takes you to Twitter search and shows you the related tweets. This can be a resource for following like-minded Twitter users and is also useful for linking to various tweets on a topic.

As you can see, TweetStats offers a wealth of information to the Twitter user. You can use the information to track your Twitter usage as well as Twitter trends. Twitter trending topics tells you what a sampling of the world is talking about. You can use these topics as blog posts to increase you traffic. Twitter is a great way to find out what everyone is saying, good and bad, about a certain topic. Use TweetStats information to your advantage.

Pros

• Provides a lot of information with just a few clicks
• Secure and user-friendly
• Doesn’t require your password

Cons

• TweetStats takes a long time to return your data

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Twibs.com is a business directory exclusively for Twitter users and it’s FREE. Twibs focuses on one thing and that is providing a way to search for businesses on Twitter. If you have a business and you tweet, then getting listed in Twibs is a must. Click the “ADD A BUSINESS” link in the top right corner of the Twibs webpage. Fill out the simple form with information about your business. When you click “add my business”, you’ll receive a tweet to confirm your registration. Twibs displays a link for you to view your business profile page. Twitter users can follow you right from your Twibs page in addition to visiting your website, blog, viewing your email address, and your latest tweets.

Once you have added your business to Twibs, you can then log into the site using your Twitter log in information. From your new Twibs page you can manage all aspects of your business profile, tweet, and grab the HTML for a badge to post on your website or blog. This badge has a special purpose. You can promote your Twibs listing, and if you receive enough votes, your profile will appear on the Twibs homepage to be viewed by Twibs users and searchers.

Manage Tags
Inside your Twibs account, click the “manage tags” link to the right. Here you can add two more tags in addition to the four you specified when you registered. Tags are like keywords that bring up your business in the Twib search. Use concise keywords and phrases to optimize your searchability.

Manage Promotion
Click the “manage promotion” link to the right. Here you can type a tweet that is a special promotion which will bring users to your Twib account. This will give users a reason to follow your business and hopefully turn followers into customers.

Manage Products
Click the “manage products” link to the right to make a list of the products and services your business provides to the community. Once you have listed your products, click the “Save Products” button to save the list to your Twib account. You can edit this list anytime by simple clicking “manage products” again.

Manage Links
Click the “manage links” link to the right to list appropriate links for your business. If your business goes by a name different from your Twitter user name, you can put that there as well. You can list your email address, blog address, and a store address. Any link field that is not applicable, just simply leave it blank and it will not appear on your profile.

Manage Locations
Click the “manage locations” link to the right to provide maps to your headquarters or other office spaces. This provides the community with your address for easy access to your business. If you don’t want to list a specific address, then don’t. A simple city and state will suffice. You can also list a contact number or business telephone number. Click “Save This Location” when you are done. The location is saved and will appear on your profile. If your location changes or you add additional locations to your business, don’t worry, you can add all of those changes under “manage locations” too.

TwibsMonitor
TwibsMonitor is a nifty tool that lists the latest search terms being used at Twibs. Use this tool to help you choose your tags/keywords.

Once you have managed all of your profile information, you will notice that a couple more blocks have been added to your profile: a picture block of other Twib businesses that you relate to, a list of your products, and a map of your location. Your profile is now complete and Twib searchers can now find you based on several search criteria.

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Twellow.com is…the Twitter Yellow Pages. It’s a traditional style directory where you can list your Twitter profile for free. Registering at Twellow allows you to create your Twellow profile, add categories, add links, and create your bio. Whether you use your Twitter account for personal or business use, Twellow is a must, to find and be found. Registration is simple. Your account requires your Twitter credentials and your email address. You can opt-in for email updates, have Twellow send a tweet about your registration, or not. Once you register, you are taken directly to the Profile Editor page.

Twellow imports a good amount of information from your Twitter account to save you time creating your profile. You’ll need to check your email and validate your registration. Twellow automatically adds 10 categories for you.You’ll want to edit their choices since they only allow 10, and they are based on information pulled from your Twitter account. They may not be completely accurate. Click the “Create Extended Bio” button to add details to your bio. This opens a 2000 character box where youcan type additional biographical information.

Twellow categories.

Twellow allows you to add links to your other social media profiles with some 26 choices. Simply type in your user name for the corresponding site and Twellow will create a link to your profile on that site. Click the “Done” button when you are finished.

Twellow social media links.

This completes your Twellow profile. Scroll to the top of the page to grab a button for your website or blog:

Twellow buttons.

Click the “Click to View Your Profile” link to check out your new Twellow profile. Twellow creates a nice profile where users can follow you on Twitter, check out your other social media profiles, read your recent tweets, find a link to your website and read your profile information.

To network using Twellow, click the “Twellowhood” tab at the top of the page. Twellow presents you with a clickable map of the world. You can choose a region all the way down to the city level. Twellow lists the Twitter users in that specific area.

Twellowhood map.

You can find and network with both local and non-local users. Twellow lists any possible category matches it finds to the right of the results. The Twellow tabs have a couple quick tools that allow you to stay on Twellow to view your Friends and Followers by clicking the corresponding tab. In addition, the Suggested Users tab suggests users for you to consider following based on your profile information.

Twellow navigation.

Overall, Twellow is a great Twitter tool and a nicely organized directory. It’s definitely a must for any Twitter user.

Pros

• Huge directory
• Traditional directory layout
• Straightforward

Cons

• Tools are not as simple and concise as other Twitter tools

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Firefox is a popular open source browser and many add-ons for Twitter have been developed to work from within Firefox. These add-ons offer a convenient link to your Twitter account without having to keep Twitter open or download a third party desktop application. If you’re already running add-ons with Firefox, then you already know that add-ons can slow the speed of your browser. You’ll want to keep that in mind before your install additional add-ons.

TwitterSearch is an add-on that adds Twitter to your search engine list. When you type a search term into your search box and choose Twitter search, Firefox returns your results directly from Twitter. TwitterSearch is a quick and easy way to search for topics and people on Twitter.

PowerTwitter is a powerful add-on that adds a lot of functionality to the Twitter web interface. PowerTwitter simply seeks to make Twitter better. It lets users share video and music, share photos, search, find friends and post updates to Facebook all via Twitter.

TwitterFox is an add-on that allows users to post to Twitter as well as receive updates all through a pop up add-on right in your Firefox browser. Twitterfox gives users the count of unread tweets, easy posting of current page links for convenient sharing, supports multiple accounts, and handles all the functions of a standalone Twitter application.

TwittyTunes is a tool for posting multimedia content to Twitter directly from Firefox without having to be on the Twitter website. Post the songs you are currently listening to, videos you are watching and links from websites with one click to Twitter.

TwitJobSearch is a Firefox add-on that helps you search Twitter job listings. Believe it or not, there are thousands of job listings on Twitter. With unemployment currently being at a high, you can never have too many job search options. TwitJobSearch will put you directly in touch with employers that want to hire you.

Tweetlol is a fully featured Twitter client in the form of a Firefox add-on. Tweetlol adds a sidebar to your Firefox window where you can keep up with your tweets while browsing the web without having to click between tabs or program windows.

Kutano is a feature-rich Firefox add-on that allows you to tweet about the websites that you view as well as view what others are tweeting about a specific page. Kutano makes it easy to track what Twitter users are saying about our favorite sites or even your own website or blog.

Tweecious is a Firefox add-on that goes through your tweets and saves the ones with links to your Delicious account. That way you never lose track of your links or the Tweets that contain them.

These Firefox add-ons are among the most popular and feature-rich available for use with Twitter. Try one or try them all, but you’re sure to find at least one that will work for you.

Pros

• No need for standalone clients
• Convenient
• Have features no other Twitter applications possess

Cons

• Slows down Firefox
• Some add-ons encroach on your browser window

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With the popularity of Twitter ever rising, there are literally hundreds of applications and tools that are designed for use with Twitter. There are applications for use on a computer, add-ons for browsers and applications for use with mobile phones all designed to satisfy a large group who are addicted to Twitter.

Benefits
The benefits to using these applications and tools are endless. There are applications that add features to the Twitter experience. The web interface of Twitter has become limited when it comes to these applications that allow users to view and post pictures, music and video with just a few clicks. Users can easily shorten links to allow for longer tweets when posting a link. Applications make searching and using Twitter a more stream-lined task. Most Twitter applications auto update and notify users of unread tweets. The list of features goes on and on. Twitter applications and tools have one purpose, and that is to enhance the experience of using Twitter.

Things to Consider
There are some things to consider when using a Twitter application or tool. Not all third party applications and tools are tested thoroughly or even secure. Most of them require that you sign in using your Twitter log-in information. You might want to think about it before you use just any application, especially those confined to in-page functionality. One reported mishap of using non-secure applications was the publishing of Direct Messages, the Twitter equivalent to a private message, to a user’s public Twitter stream. This could prove quite humiliating depending upon the content of your Direct Messages. Use caution when using third party tools and applications.

How to Find Twitter Tools and Apps
Finding Twitter tools and applications is as simple as performing a Google search; however, you can’t always know if a certain tool is secure. The best way to find reliable secure applications is to look for popular websites that have created lists of top Twitter applications such as Mashable or ReadWriteWeb. In addition, you can search Mozilla.org to find add-ons for Firefox. Many of these add-ons are fully featured applications for using your Twitter account. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can check out Twitdom.com for user submitted applications for Twitter. Twitdom.com is a database of Twitter applications that are created and submitted by Twitter users just like you. You can search Twitdom for applications by category and platform. Keep in mind, these applications may not be tested or secure.

Conclusion
Using Twitter applications and tools will in most cases only make your experience with Twitter better. It’s no secret that Twitter can be used for a myriad of purposes including promoting and marketing your personal web endeavors. Whether you’re just trying to meet new friends or seriously networking to further your business, Twitter is one of the most innovative tools to come around in a long time. Using Twitter applications and tools only enhance your reasons for using Twitter.

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While the bulk of my writing ends up on eHow.com, I have recently published a few things on AssociatedContent.com. I publish articles there that aren’t quite up to snuff for my studio writing job, but aren’t throw-away content either. I’ve had success with this so far.

Please visit my profile here:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/159359/ava_fails.html

You can access my most recent content via this permalink.

I picked up a writing gig a few years ago writing about Las Vegas. I lived there until April of 2009. I wrote a few posts for a blog about shopping in Vegas, free things to do and several other posts. It was an enjoyable experience to write about the place in which I lived. Refer to the following links to view my writings:

Las Vegas Shopping

The Las Vegas Casino

The Fremont Street Experience and Downtown Las Vegas

South Strip

Las Vegas Day Trips

Free Las Vegas Attractions

More on the South Strip

Two Las Vegas Clubs, Two Different Flavors

I drive about an hour a day in this city…30 minutes to and 30 minutes from work. I try to make it a point not to drive much more than that…at least not outside of my “region” of town. Why? Because you people drive like maniacs!!!

I could make an endless list of areas in which you fail to exhibit cognitive and intelligent driving skills on a daily basis. I will now take this opportunity to
demonstrate your stupidity. Give heed to the following tips:

- Learn what “right-of-way” is and when you do and DO NOT have
it.

- First, learn when and where to merge, then join all the other morons in turn signal school.

- When I am turning right on green, it is NOT okay for you to turn left on green ANYWHERE NEAR ME. I will put a large dent in your vehicle and then you will buy
me a new car.

- When I look in my rear view mirror, and all I can see is your hood emblem, YOU ARE TOO CLOSE, STUPID. Learn about safe following distance, and how important it is for you to use it when you are being “RAM tough” or “Humming”. Why? Because you will plow into my small, fairly economical car…and then YOU will buy me a new one. That is, if I am not hurt, maimed, or otherwise no longer in need of said car.

- You know, if I happened to miss the exact millisecond when the traffic light changes, do NOT honk your horn at me. Your mother should have taught you that is rude and you are acting like an impatient child. Wherever you are going will be there when you get there, so SHUT UP.

- You can flip me off all you want. I will blow you kisses.

- ARGH! When you are riding a bicycle, DO NOT ride on the street unless it happens to be one of those areas of town where you have your own little lane. I know, I know…bicycles are supposed to follow the same traffic laws as cars, and you have every right to be on the street, but EVERYONE ELSE ON A BIKE USES THE SIDEWALK EXCEPT FOR YOU, MAN!!!

- When I have one car length of space in front of me. THAT IS NOT FOR YOU AND YOUR
STUPID SUV THAT I CAN’T SEE AROUND. That is me exercising safe following distance. Look and Learn.

- If I let the car in front of you in, that doesn’t automatically mean that I will let you in as well and to force your big SUV in that close to my small, fairly
economical car is RUDE…and you didn’t even throw up a wave or anything. Well, you are NOT welcome.

- Executing a U-turn from the far right turn lane is about 7 shades of illegal. You are really asking for that dent in the side of your vehicle.

- Creating parking spaces is illegal. If you are too lazy to walk across the parking lot…it’s a problem. Some of you could really use multiple walks across the parking lot, myself included…too much cheap casino food, I guess.

- DO NOT stop in the middle of traffic on a three-lane road to let someone turn across. Individuals in the other two lanes cannot and do not want to read your mind. You have just loosed an idiot driving sideways across traffic. Accidents will ensue.

- Driving like a bat out of Hades and weaving in and out of lanes is not going to get you there any faster. Leave 30 minutes early. Whatever it is, will be there when you arrive.

- Drunk driving is for the ultimate moron. Unless you aspire to be one, I suggest you make travel arrangements.

Article originally posted in October of 2007 on waxingpoetic75.com
Photo: jparise from Flickr under Creative Commons

If you are serious about blogging then it’s time to set some serious goals. The American Heritage Dictionary defines the term goal as:

n. The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed; an objective.

First things first…what is the purpose of your blog? Whether you are keeping a personal blog or blogging for the universe, setting some well-planned goals will help you focus on the purpose of your blog. My goal system is pretty complex. I use a spiral notebook and I track both weekly and daily goals for my blogs. My blogs are a borderline full-time job. I spend on average probably 5 hours a day working on my blogs in various ways…including reading other blogs, networking, writing, designing, etc.

Keeping both weekly and daily goals keeps me focused and on my toes. My system works well for me. It helps me to write things down by hand. On one page I will outline my weekly goals: What do I want to accomplish with my blogs this week? Some examples of recently accomplished weekly goals would be launching weekly posts and designing logos for those posts. I do a Wednesday and a Friday weekly post in addition to regular posting on both of my blogs. On the pages following my weekly goals, I outline my goals for each day. The daily goals consist of a list of several things that will help me accomplish the larger objectives on my weekly goal list. For example, I am in the process of learning Adobe Illustrator. I list this as a goal on my weekly goals…maybe something like “Complete 5 tutorials” for the week.

In my daily goals, I list “Complete 1 Illustrator tutorial” for each day.This system can be converted for use on a computer simply by using Word, Excel, or even notepad in the same way. Or…you can be totally Web 2.0 and track your goals online. One of the simplest free online goals trackers is http://www.joesgoals.com There’s nothing to download, it’s easy to share with friends if you want to, and it’s FREE.

Setting goals for your blog will help you keep your purpose in the forefront and
reach a level of accomplishment. If you are a beginning blogger or a seasoned veteran of the medium, goal-setting will make a big difference in your level of productivity.

Article originally posted in November of 2007 on waxingpoetic75.com
Photo: Eric Kilby from Flickr under Creative Commons