This article, good BTW, explains how some people are using "deep narrow expertise" to drive real success in their life.
I keep reading about this same concept, not just in Web 2.0, but in everything else.
The author points out that LinkedIn can be used to publicize this "narrow expertise" to the world and thus drive more consistent and regular revenue opportunities in your direction.
Thursday
Quiet Agent
Quiet Agent is the job search site for people who are looking for work while presently employed.
The problem with looking for a new job while you have one is what if your present employer finds out? That is where Quiet Agent comes in.
I am still setting up my profile, but the idea is Quiet Agent takes your personal and professional data, creates a profile and assigns it a random identification code.
Potential employers can search Quiet Agent and if interested, can send a prospective recruit an email invitation through Quiet Agent.
Prospects review the employer's invitation and have the option of accepting or declining - completely anonymously.
Like I said, I am still playing with Quiet Agent, but it looks like a neat way to phish for job leads and employer interest.
The problem with looking for a new job while you have one is what if your present employer finds out? That is where Quiet Agent comes in.
I am still setting up my profile, but the idea is Quiet Agent takes your personal and professional data, creates a profile and assigns it a random identification code.
Potential employers can search Quiet Agent and if interested, can send a prospective recruit an email invitation through Quiet Agent.
Prospects review the employer's invitation and have the option of accepting or declining - completely anonymously.
Like I said, I am still playing with Quiet Agent, but it looks like a neat way to phish for job leads and employer interest.
Wednesday
AdWords for LinkedIn Marketing?
I saw this AdSense ad while logged into GMail this morning:
URL - www.linkedin.com/in/x - View professional profile on LinkedIn (free)
Where the letters URL was actually a name and 'x' was the LinkedIn profile name.
Why would someone advertise their LinkedIn profile? Each AdSense click costs a few pennies, but if several hundred curiosity seekers click the ad, the daily cost can add up quickly.
Why? My hunch is this is an exceptional person (if you see the ad click it and you will know why) who is trying to grow their LinkedIn network.
I don't believe they are looking for a job; the LinkedIn profile says they currently hold a senior position with a well known social networking company.
It is an interesting concept which I probably would not do myself, but must work in some regards.
URL - www.linkedin.com/in/x - View professional profile on LinkedIn (free)
Where the letters URL was actually a name and 'x' was the LinkedIn profile name.
Why would someone advertise their LinkedIn profile? Each AdSense click costs a few pennies, but if several hundred curiosity seekers click the ad, the daily cost can add up quickly.
Why? My hunch is this is an exceptional person (if you see the ad click it and you will know why) who is trying to grow their LinkedIn network.
I don't believe they are looking for a job; the LinkedIn profile says they currently hold a senior position with a well known social networking company.
It is an interesting concept which I probably would not do myself, but must work in some regards.
LinkedIn - Hello
I use LinkedIn.
Where is LinkedIn's customer service?
I have sent an email every day for the past week to LinkedIn's customer service and have not received an answer. Not even an autoresponder.
"But Jack.. LinkedIn is free, how can you expect them to scale support and actually make any money?"
The value of the application is in subscriber numbers. The more subscribers, the greater value the application.
Each subscriber has a unique content page. Each unique content page has a number of ads.
There are millions of user created content pages each potentially generating small amounts of ad revenue every month for LinkedIn.
Multiply this number times the number of subscribers and you have a working example of the long tail.
This is one weakness for Web 2.0 companies - customer service. If users cannot use the application, they move on. The circle does not hold, the ends fall apart. The application unravels.
LinkedIn - please answer my email. Thank you.
Where is LinkedIn's customer service?
I have sent an email every day for the past week to LinkedIn's customer service and have not received an answer. Not even an autoresponder.
"But Jack.. LinkedIn is free, how can you expect them to scale support and actually make any money?"
The value of the application is in subscriber numbers. The more subscribers, the greater value the application.
Each subscriber has a unique content page. Each unique content page has a number of ads.
There are millions of user created content pages each potentially generating small amounts of ad revenue every month for LinkedIn.
Multiply this number times the number of subscribers and you have a working example of the long tail.
This is one weakness for Web 2.0 companies - customer service. If users cannot use the application, they move on. The circle does not hold, the ends fall apart. The application unravels.
LinkedIn - please answer my email. Thank you.
Social Networks and Society
Read Mashable everyday (like you should) and find out about the dozen or so social networks open for subscription daily and you understand what is happening.
Social Networking is hot and big business. And although MySpace will get all the attention, the hot, hot, hot area will be in targeted niche social networks. Think social networks for seniors (hot!), veterans, doctors, and so on.
Work 2.0
My concentration on Marketing Me is using Web 2.0 applications, like social networks, to better market yourself for potential revenue generating opportunities - jobs, contract, consulting, speaking, writing and marketing.
So far, I am still looking for a Web 2.0 application which will help make "job" searches and trusted resume submissions, better. In my world it works for both the job seeker and job finder.
I truly believe we are about to see the end (in the next decade) of several "jobs" as described currently - Full time employment, employer funded benefits, deductions for government programs, etc. Rather, we are going to see a world of part-time, contracted projects with less supervision in exchange for non-traditional work environments.
Charity 2.0
Seth Godin is running a Squidoo Lens on NPO's using Web 2.0 effectively. I think in the very near future, (like tomorrow) this will have the same novelty affect an email address had on a business card in 1994 or seeing a URL on a movie billboard in 1995 - minimal and short lived.
I am not surprised by non-profits using blogs, podcasts or social networks to build "awareness". These people have used mailing lists and phone banks for years. Using scalable Internet applications for the same results is expected.
I will be surprised, however, when politicians actually come down from their ivory towers and join social networks, answer their email and allow their constituents to "digg" legislation. As if...
Society 2.0
Social networks have evolved from "chat rooms" and curiosities and become necessary applications like email and instant messaging. We have take the application from the desktop and brought it truly online.
Will it evolve further into banded, trusted communities which "follow me" through my day and activities? Most surely.
Will social networks suffer and stumble? Of course. But email suffered from spam yet continues as does instant messaging and open websites (remember the concept of websites as channels one would subscribe too?).
Does this cover the world? No, but all of these bolded keywords came up this week and shouted at me. More will come.
Social Networking is hot and big business. And although MySpace will get all the attention, the hot, hot, hot area will be in targeted niche social networks. Think social networks for seniors (hot!), veterans, doctors, and so on.
Work 2.0
My concentration on Marketing Me is using Web 2.0 applications, like social networks, to better market yourself for potential revenue generating opportunities - jobs, contract, consulting, speaking, writing and marketing.
So far, I am still looking for a Web 2.0 application which will help make "job" searches and trusted resume submissions, better. In my world it works for both the job seeker and job finder.
I truly believe we are about to see the end (in the next decade) of several "jobs" as described currently - Full time employment, employer funded benefits, deductions for government programs, etc. Rather, we are going to see a world of part-time, contracted projects with less supervision in exchange for non-traditional work environments.
Charity 2.0
Seth Godin is running a Squidoo Lens on NPO's using Web 2.0 effectively. I think in the very near future, (like tomorrow) this will have the same novelty affect an email address had on a business card in 1994 or seeing a URL on a movie billboard in 1995 - minimal and short lived.
I am not surprised by non-profits using blogs, podcasts or social networks to build "awareness". These people have used mailing lists and phone banks for years. Using scalable Internet applications for the same results is expected.
I will be surprised, however, when politicians actually come down from their ivory towers and join social networks, answer their email and allow their constituents to "digg" legislation. As if...
Society 2.0
Social networks have evolved from "chat rooms" and curiosities and become necessary applications like email and instant messaging. We have take the application from the desktop and brought it truly online.
Will it evolve further into banded, trusted communities which "follow me" through my day and activities? Most surely.
Will social networks suffer and stumble? Of course. But email suffered from spam yet continues as does instant messaging and open websites (remember the concept of websites as channels one would subscribe too?).
Does this cover the world? No, but all of these bolded keywords came up this week and shouted at me. More will come.
Tuesday
LinkedIn - Extreme Makeover Edition
So I read Guy's post about remaking your LinkedIn profile for better search results.
It's funny, because I never think about LinkedIn and search engine results at the same time because, well it never occured to me.
Why would anyone search the Internet specifically for me and find LinkedIn?
Now if you use LinkedIn and search for keywords in my profile and find me, then that makes perfect sense.
So back to Guy's post. Someone at Linked In helped Guy redo his LinkedIn profile to make it more exciting and search worthy. Here are the things suggested and how I fare based upon those suggestions.
1) Suggestion One - "Add your voice. Generally, your profile is boring".
What the heck does "your voice" mean? The suggestion box is over Guy's name. Do they mean "create a better identity of yourself through your entire profile?" That "voice" business everyone talks about these days.. sheesh.
2) Suggestion Two - Write recommendations, ask questions.
Regarding recommendations, guilty. I have not written enough and need to write more.
Regarding questions, I cannot from my account. I have written to customer care.
3) Suggestion Three - (connections) Connect with old colleagues.
Done that. Have a bunch of contacts. Next.
4) Suggestion Four - Get a vanity URL.
Done that. Has my name.
5) Suggestion Five - Add substance.. this is your elevator pitch.
Mine is five paragraphs. Hope its a tall building.
6) Suggestion Six - Add specialties.. (people search on this).
Done. Have about 20-30. As many as I could squeeze in.
7) Suggestion Seven - (experience) Explain what Garage does and what you do there.
Done.
8) Suggestion Eight - (previous employer) Explain what you did there.
Done.
9) Suggestion Nine - Add board and advisory positions.
Good idea.
10) Suggestion Ten - (education) Add more context
Did that. Added some more about what I did at university.
11) Suggestion Eleven - Get more recommendations.
Ask others to write them for you. I need to do this too.
12) Suggestion Twelve - Additional Information (add websites, etc.)
I have my three and other stuff added.
13) Suggestion Thirteen - Customize why you want to be reached.
Did that already.
Okay, most of what the LinkedIn experts suggested, I had done already before reading this article. So I checked my search results.
Google - 8 pages of results so far and no mention of me on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn - I show up, but about 10 spots down.
Disappointing - I am officially nobody. :) Not really, but I go back to where I started; I don't think about an application (LinkedIn, Squidoo, Plaxo, etc.) increasing my Google (or other) search engine visibility. I know, I know, it sounds ... out of touch, non-technical, whatever.
But this makes sense when I compare it to any Web 2.0/social networking platform. Lots of work does not equate into a higher profile. That takes interaction with people.
It's funny, because I never think about LinkedIn and search engine results at the same time because, well it never occured to me.
Why would anyone search the Internet specifically for me and find LinkedIn?
Now if you use LinkedIn and search for keywords in my profile and find me, then that makes perfect sense.
So back to Guy's post. Someone at Linked In helped Guy redo his LinkedIn profile to make it more exciting and search worthy. Here are the things suggested and how I fare based upon those suggestions.
1) Suggestion One - "Add your voice. Generally, your profile is boring".
What the heck does "your voice" mean? The suggestion box is over Guy's name. Do they mean "create a better identity of yourself through your entire profile?" That "voice" business everyone talks about these days.. sheesh.
2) Suggestion Two - Write recommendations, ask questions.
Regarding recommendations, guilty. I have not written enough and need to write more.
Regarding questions, I cannot from my account. I have written to customer care.
3) Suggestion Three - (connections) Connect with old colleagues.
Done that. Have a bunch of contacts. Next.
4) Suggestion Four - Get a vanity URL.
Done that. Has my name.
5) Suggestion Five - Add substance.. this is your elevator pitch.
Mine is five paragraphs. Hope its a tall building.
6) Suggestion Six - Add specialties.. (people search on this).
Done. Have about 20-30. As many as I could squeeze in.
7) Suggestion Seven - (experience) Explain what Garage does and what you do there.
Done.
8) Suggestion Eight - (previous employer) Explain what you did there.
Done.
9) Suggestion Nine - Add board and advisory positions.
Good idea.
10) Suggestion Ten - (education) Add more context
Did that. Added some more about what I did at university.
11) Suggestion Eleven - Get more recommendations.
Ask others to write them for you. I need to do this too.
12) Suggestion Twelve - Additional Information (add websites, etc.)
I have my three and other stuff added.
13) Suggestion Thirteen - Customize why you want to be reached.
Did that already.
Okay, most of what the LinkedIn experts suggested, I had done already before reading this article. So I checked my search results.
Google - 8 pages of results so far and no mention of me on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn - I show up, but about 10 spots down.
Disappointing - I am officially nobody. :) Not really, but I go back to where I started; I don't think about an application (LinkedIn, Squidoo, Plaxo, etc.) increasing my Google (or other) search engine visibility. I know, I know, it sounds ... out of touch, non-technical, whatever.
But this makes sense when I compare it to any Web 2.0/social networking platform. Lots of work does not equate into a higher profile. That takes interaction with people.
I need a new wireless phone
I have to get a new phone in the next 30 days.
- My contract is up, so I can get a good deal on a phone by re-upping my contract.
- My last phone went toilet diving.
- I am using an old phone which is no bueno.
Caveats:
I use T-Mobile and have no plans to change carriers. (I only use GSM and cancelled ATT when it was really ATTWS before they were acquired by Cingular now known again as ATT).
I want mobile email. I have to have it for my work and because I like to stay in touch.
I like Bluetooth, but can learn to live without it.
Here is what I am looking at*:
The Blackberry 7290 - the Classic Connected Cell Phone
The Blackberry Pearl - A good deal available for this phone through T-Mo
Sidekick 3
I know I will have to add a data account and "push" service if I get the Blackberry. I also know I want a phone which really works well.
Will let you know what happens.
* Amazon Links? I did not want to take links from T-Mobile for copy write reasons. Plus Amazon has features and stuff if you click on the links. No, you don't have to buy anything - besides nobody makes any big money on Affiliates any longer.
- My contract is up, so I can get a good deal on a phone by re-upping my contract.
- My last phone went toilet diving.
- I am using an old phone which is no bueno.
Caveats:
I use T-Mobile and have no plans to change carriers. (I only use GSM and cancelled ATT when it was really ATTWS before they were acquired by Cingular now known again as ATT).
I want mobile email. I have to have it for my work and because I like to stay in touch.
I like Bluetooth, but can learn to live without it.
Here is what I am looking at*:
The Blackberry 7290 - the Classic Connected Cell Phone
The Blackberry Pearl - A good deal available for this phone through T-Mo
Sidekick 3
I know I will have to add a data account and "push" service if I get the Blackberry. I also know I want a phone which really works well.
Will let you know what happens.
* Amazon Links? I did not want to take links from T-Mobile for copy write reasons. Plus Amazon has features and stuff if you click on the links. No, you don't have to buy anything - besides nobody makes any big money on Affiliates any longer.
Social Network
I saw this on Mashable this morning and wonder if it is something I have been looking for.
I belong to several social networking sites with a particular emphasis on business networking (MySpace just does not do it for me).
Everyday I look at my gmail inbox and see the updates from Ryze and Ecademy and realize I have not updated my profile, or in some cases, have not added anything to them since I joined.
I want to take my LinkedIn profile and export it to Ryze and the others with one or two clicks. There must be a way to do this because everyone must hate copying and creating new profiles!
So I checked out socialnetwork.in and no, it does not do what I want it to do.
Firefox has an Autofill widget on the toolbar for filling in online forms. There must be something like this for SN sites as well.
Any ideas? (Great Web 2.0 service, hint hint).
I belong to several social networking sites with a particular emphasis on business networking (MySpace just does not do it for me).
Everyday I look at my gmail inbox and see the updates from Ryze and Ecademy and realize I have not updated my profile, or in some cases, have not added anything to them since I joined.
I want to take my LinkedIn profile and export it to Ryze and the others with one or two clicks. There must be a way to do this because everyone must hate copying and creating new profiles!
So I checked out socialnetwork.in and no, it does not do what I want it to do.
Firefox has an Autofill widget on the toolbar for filling in online forms. There must be something like this for SN sites as well.
Any ideas? (Great Web 2.0 service, hint hint).
Monday
LinkedIn profile views
I commented on LinkedIn profile views on Friday. This morning I received a notice from Ecademy that someone had viewed my profile.
The email read:
- the name of the person (with a hyperlink to their profile).
- who else has viewed my profile to date.
- the option to turn off these alerts in the future.
I am not a big user of Ecademy, but this feature alone is worth the price of maintaining an active profile.
Most social networking sites have this feature. LinkedIn probably does, but with the paid for service only. Which is annoying because my LinkedIn profile is providing the content LinkedIn needs in order to be successful.
LinkedIn is not successful because of their great service; LinkedIn is great because so many use the product and spread the benefits virally.
The email read:
- the name of the person (with a hyperlink to their profile).
- who else has viewed my profile to date.
- the option to turn off these alerts in the future.
I am not a big user of Ecademy, but this feature alone is worth the price of maintaining an active profile.
Most social networking sites have this feature. LinkedIn probably does, but with the paid for service only. Which is annoying because my LinkedIn profile is providing the content LinkedIn needs in order to be successful.
LinkedIn is not successful because of their great service; LinkedIn is great because so many use the product and spread the benefits virally.
Friday
One more request for LinkedIn
I reread Guy's post on LinkedIn and came up with another feature I really want.
I want to know who has been viewing my profile on LinkedIn. There are two profiles actually; the application interface (if you are a member) and the web/public interface.
I want to know:
- Other LinkedIn members who are viewing my LinkedIn profile; when, who, how long, search strings, etc.
- How many page views my LinkedIn public profile receives.
Is this available? After reading Guy's blog entry, I probably have missed something.
I want to know who has been viewing my profile on LinkedIn. There are two profiles actually; the application interface (if you are a member) and the web/public interface.
I want to know:
- Other LinkedIn members who are viewing my LinkedIn profile; when, who, how long, search strings, etc.
- How many page views my LinkedIn public profile receives.
Is this available? After reading Guy's blog entry, I probably have missed something.
Guy Kawasaki on LinkedIn
I repeat, I am a big fan and user of LinkedIn.
I found this link from Guy's blog advertised on LinkedIn.
Some great suggestion for using LinkedIn most of which I had never known or considered. (Which explains why Guy is really successful and I am usually a "ride along").
I might add though, it is worthwhile to include your email address in your profile. LinkedIn limits the ability to make contact with other LinkedIn users unless you know their email address or have a direct network contact.
"But Jack, what about spam!?" - umm it's 2007. Most everyone and every ISP has spam filters now. My work email does, GMail does, Yahoo does. If you have not updated your email client since 1996, you deserve all the Nigerian bank scams you get.
I have not started including my LinkedIn button on my blog or other websites yet like everyone is doing now. My bad I guess.
I found this link from Guy's blog advertised on LinkedIn.
Some great suggestion for using LinkedIn most of which I had never known or considered. (Which explains why Guy is really successful and I am usually a "ride along").
I might add though, it is worthwhile to include your email address in your profile. LinkedIn limits the ability to make contact with other LinkedIn users unless you know their email address or have a direct network contact.
"But Jack, what about spam!?" - umm it's 2007. Most everyone and every ISP has spam filters now. My work email does, GMail does, Yahoo does. If you have not updated your email client since 1996, you deserve all the Nigerian bank scams you get.
I have not started including my LinkedIn button on my blog or other websites yet like everyone is doing now. My bad I guess.
Blogger Two revisited - neat feature
Check out this from the Blogger FAQ.
Why is this interesting.
OK, step back to yesterday and Jen's Blog Optimization Tips. Jen recommends having a domain name for your blog rather than just another-blog-on-a-hosted-solution.com (read: Wordpress, Typepad, Blogspot).
Problem is, Blogger One, which Marketing Me is still hosted on (blame the Luddite behind the keyboard) is does not offer the domain option cited in said FAQ above. Blogger One depends upon FTP of blogspot to a provider of domain.
Some time ago, I registered www-marketingme.com with plans of moving Marketing Me over. My plans may change this weekend.
Rather than blowing up Marketing Me on Saturday, I may upgrade Marketing Me to Blogger Two (now out of beta), damn the torpedoes. I really like that domain feature and have been paying GoDaddy for the domain, so let's get 'er done.
After all, "What do you want to do, blog forever?".
Why is this interesting.
OK, step back to yesterday and Jen's Blog Optimization Tips. Jen recommends having a domain name for your blog rather than just another-blog-on-a-hosted-solution.com (read: Wordpress, Typepad, Blogspot).
Problem is, Blogger One, which Marketing Me is still hosted on (blame the Luddite behind the keyboard) is does not offer the domain option cited in said FAQ above. Blogger One depends upon FTP of blogspot to a provider of domain.
Some time ago, I registered www-marketingme.com with plans of moving Marketing Me over. My plans may change this weekend.
Rather than blowing up Marketing Me on Saturday, I may upgrade Marketing Me to Blogger Two (now out of beta), damn the torpedoes. I really like that domain feature and have been paying GoDaddy for the domain, so let's get 'er done.
After all, "What do you want to do, blog forever?".
Thursday
25 Blog Optimization Tips
Good tips from Jen.
After reading this list, I decided I hated my blog and plan on blowing it up over the weekend.
After reading this list, I decided I hated my blog and plan on blowing it up over the weekend.
More social networks and not a job to be found..
Mashable has a write up today on a bunch of new social network startups going live.
I read the blurbs on them and most are tired retreads of current sites already in existence. What up with that?
I mean, somebody put a ton of money into building these sites; does anyone ask how different they could be from a half dozen other (and sometimes very well known) sites?
I already spewed about my desire for a Web 2.0 job and career site.
I also want a job networking site that does something else. I will call it JobShout.
It goes like this:
Bob has a job.
Bob knows about an opening at his place of employment.
Bob posts the job on JobShout.
Bob writes a review about his work, location, benefits, pay range, work conditions.
JobShout members vote the job up ("Wow, Bob, I wish I lived in Portland, I would apply there!") or down ("Bob, your job and work conditions stink. Quit!").
Most new work comes through our network.
JobShout would grow an organic network between many people, industries, etc.
JobShout would facilitate the sharing of openings between like minded people.
Build it and tell me about it when you get done.
I read the blurbs on them and most are tired retreads of current sites already in existence. What up with that?
I mean, somebody put a ton of money into building these sites; does anyone ask how different they could be from a half dozen other (and sometimes very well known) sites?
I already spewed about my desire for a Web 2.0 job and career site.
I also want a job networking site that does something else. I will call it JobShout.
It goes like this:
Bob has a job.
Bob knows about an opening at his place of employment.
Bob posts the job on JobShout.
Bob writes a review about his work, location, benefits, pay range, work conditions.
JobShout members vote the job up ("Wow, Bob, I wish I lived in Portland, I would apply there!") or down ("Bob, your job and work conditions stink. Quit!").
Most new work comes through our network.
JobShout would grow an organic network between many people, industries, etc.
JobShout would facilitate the sharing of openings between like minded people.
Build it and tell me about it when you get done.
Orkut
Orkut was an early social networking site created by a Google employee in his allocated Google development time. Although it was created several years ago, a lifetime by Internet standards, it does not have the buzz other social networking sites like MySpace has.
I setup an Orkut account about three years ago and have not updated it since.
This morning, I decided to login and update my Orkut profile.
First, Orkut has many profile options. Page after page of personal, professional, and location questions pop up in the profile. You can include business interests, network, job information, location and much more in your profile.
Once your profile is updated on Orkut, you can grow your network with friends. And according to Orkut, there are about 9 million friends on Orkut making it hard to ever be lonely.
The drawbacks with Orkut are:
- Your email address is public.
- Orkut is heavy into the social side of social networking. It is not a business tool.
- Like most social networks, It is heavily tilted towards certain geographical areas.
- The Home page is very minimal. You can dress it up, but it is nowhere near as useful as LinkedIn or appealing visually as MySpace.
- Communities are labeled, yet adherence is not enforced. Thus a business community may have a celebrity fan page.
- Orkut still has frequent technical outages (one occurred this morning while I was updating my profile).
I like Orkut. It had the potential, when it started, to become a trendsetter and possibly a MySpace-like contender.
But Google either did not see the value then, or did not allocate the resources to make it grow. (My own little conspiracy theory, is Google saw Orkut growth in international markets like Brazil and Pakistan and not in the U.S. Therefore, Mountain View had little interest at the time in further Orkut development).
Like I said, I updated my Orkut profile and will check it more often then every three years, but I don't expect to see much happen with this site. Unfortunate.
I setup an Orkut account about three years ago and have not updated it since.
This morning, I decided to login and update my Orkut profile.
First, Orkut has many profile options. Page after page of personal, professional, and location questions pop up in the profile. You can include business interests, network, job information, location and much more in your profile.
Once your profile is updated on Orkut, you can grow your network with friends. And according to Orkut, there are about 9 million friends on Orkut making it hard to ever be lonely.
The drawbacks with Orkut are:
- Your email address is public.
- Orkut is heavy into the social side of social networking. It is not a business tool.
- Like most social networks, It is heavily tilted towards certain geographical areas.
- The Home page is very minimal. You can dress it up, but it is nowhere near as useful as LinkedIn or appealing visually as MySpace.
- Communities are labeled, yet adherence is not enforced. Thus a business community may have a celebrity fan page.
- Orkut still has frequent technical outages (one occurred this morning while I was updating my profile).
I like Orkut. It had the potential, when it started, to become a trendsetter and possibly a MySpace-like contender.
But Google either did not see the value then, or did not allocate the resources to make it grow. (My own little conspiracy theory, is Google saw Orkut growth in international markets like Brazil and Pakistan and not in the U.S. Therefore, Mountain View had little interest at the time in further Orkut development).
Like I said, I updated my Orkut profile and will check it more often then every three years, but I don't expect to see much happen with this site. Unfortunate.
Wednesday
Blogger One and Blogger Two, Explorer, blurbs
Blogger One and Blogger Two
Yesterday, Blogger, who hosts MarketingMe was down for the better part of the day.
By down, I am referring to the "Old Blogger" platform, not the new Blogger platform.
(But it also meant that no new blogs could be created on either platform from what I understand).
This was not fun. Although it may sometimes not seem like it, I try to update my blog everyday, sometime several times a day. My blog is advertised in several key locations and I use it to promote your truly every often.
Anyway, my wife uses the new Blogger. She asked me over the weekend to customize her template, add some features, etc.
The new Blogger, which everyone is being recommended rather strongly to move to, has some neat functions and some not so good features.
First, I really like the tag (Blogger calls them labels) function. I do not know if they automatically update in Technorati, but I don't think this happens based upon my initial research.
Also, bloggers can download their template at any time and save a copy to the harddrive - a big boon especially for those who edit often and early.
However, despite cool features like labels, Blogger has moved to XHTML formatting for all the html in the templates. That means redoing all of the link formats, etc. which were in saved previous templates.
It also means learning a new syntax for Blogger template modifications. Sure it is nice to learn something new, but now when you only have 15 minutes available to make a post. I spend about an hour just trying to update some META tag stuff on her blog template. Fun.
Maybe I sound Luddite (I hope not, it goes against my personal beliefs and I am not ready to become a grumpy old man.. yet), but I wish there were some options with Blogger not completely clear to me.
Again, if a Blogger correction is needed, please let me know. I love to admit I am wrong and stand will gleefully post the reasons why right here.
Explorer
Have you downloaded and tried Explorer 7? I have it. It is very slow. I checked on the web and found several others with the same problem.
Did Microsoft test this product? Did they test it with real people, real computers and the real internet? Did they test it in 2006 before they released it or back in 1995 when connections were slow too?
IE 7 has become Eiyeeeee!7!. Microsoft needs to fix this.
Squidoo
Squidoo has a new feature called Plexodex.
Basically, you create a list of your own choosing, "Top Batman Villans", "Top Songs of 1985" and other get to vote your choices up or down the list.
Still trying to figure out the value here. But it kills time.
Speaking of Squidoo, Seth Godin has a new entryon his blog that is a good read worth the time. Although I can't think of many famous people who "quietly" donate large sums of money to certain causes (I guess if I did know, it would defeat the purpose, eh?), there is a great line -
"hiring expensive executives OR firing the ones who don't grow or change".
Good point. One could also alter that to include any employee.
Have a great week! [note to self - check spelling.]
Yesterday, Blogger, who hosts MarketingMe was down for the better part of the day.
By down, I am referring to the "Old Blogger" platform, not the new Blogger platform.
(But it also meant that no new blogs could be created on either platform from what I understand).
This was not fun. Although it may sometimes not seem like it, I try to update my blog everyday, sometime several times a day. My blog is advertised in several key locations and I use it to promote your truly every often.
Anyway, my wife uses the new Blogger. She asked me over the weekend to customize her template, add some features, etc.
The new Blogger, which everyone is being recommended rather strongly to move to, has some neat functions and some not so good features.
First, I really like the tag (Blogger calls them labels) function. I do not know if they automatically update in Technorati, but I don't think this happens based upon my initial research.
Also, bloggers can download their template at any time and save a copy to the harddrive - a big boon especially for those who edit often and early.
However, despite cool features like labels, Blogger has moved to XHTML formatting for all the html in the templates. That means redoing all of the link formats, etc. which were in saved previous templates.
It also means learning a new syntax for Blogger template modifications. Sure it is nice to learn something new, but now when you only have 15 minutes available to make a post. I spend about an hour just trying to update some META tag stuff on her blog template. Fun.
Maybe I sound Luddite (I hope not, it goes against my personal beliefs and I am not ready to become a grumpy old man.. yet), but I wish there were some options with Blogger not completely clear to me.
Again, if a Blogger correction is needed, please let me know. I love to admit I am wrong and stand will gleefully post the reasons why right here.
Explorer
Have you downloaded and tried Explorer 7? I have it. It is very slow. I checked on the web and found several others with the same problem.
Did Microsoft test this product? Did they test it with real people, real computers and the real internet? Did they test it in 2006 before they released it or back in 1995 when connections were slow too?
IE 7 has become Eiyeeeee!7!. Microsoft needs to fix this.
Squidoo
Squidoo has a new feature called Plexodex.
Basically, you create a list of your own choosing, "Top Batman Villans", "Top Songs of 1985" and other get to vote your choices up or down the list.
Still trying to figure out the value here. But it kills time.
Speaking of Squidoo, Seth Godin has a new entryon his blog that is a good read worth the time. Although I can't think of many famous people who "quietly" donate large sums of money to certain causes (I guess if I did know, it would defeat the purpose, eh?), there is a great line -
"hiring expensive executives OR firing the ones who don't grow or change".
Good point. One could also alter that to include any employee.
Have a great week! [note to self - check spelling.]
Thursday
Indeed
I frequently look for different Web 2.0 companies which specialize in the career and job market. I would love to find a company which specializes in "resume lines" and tags rather than the standard "post resume here" site, i.e. Monster, Dice, etc.
I checked out Indeed today and played around with their search engine. It has the look and feel of a Google meets Monster platform. Job search results are displayed as Google-like search entries. Click on a result, see a job.
Not to pick on Indeed. I am sure they put a lot of work into this project and I wish them all the success in the world.
But what I want from a Web 2.0 job site...
A job site which posts jobs.
A job site which allows users to rate (vote) companies, positions, etc.
A job site which allows users to post comments.
(Thank Digg for this).
A job site which allows resume posting with tags - not a Word upload or worse, a fill-in-the-blank-one-size-fits-all web form.
A job site which allows users to have their own space (Think MySpace for work) which allows users to post pictures, projects, their work in their own words, references and referrals.
Think about it. A real Web 2.0 job site for career seekers and employers, too.
Could the simple act of allowing readers to rate up or down a company turn such a career site into another JobVent?
Sure, but it could also turn an overlooked company into a superstar.
So who has the ability to build a career site like this? Or better yet, does such a career site exist already?
Monday
Happy New Year!
Happy 2007! Hope you had a safe New Year's Eve and are planning a successful new year!
A quick blurb for my friend Eric and his new book, Uncommon AdSense.
Uncommon AdSense is an ebook for publishers using Google AdSense ads on their blog or website. I reviewed an early version and the book is a great resource for seasoned publishers who want to increase their AdSense earnings.
A quick blurb for my friend Eric and his new book, Uncommon AdSense.
Uncommon AdSense is an ebook for publishers using Google AdSense ads on their blog or website. I reviewed an early version and the book is a great resource for seasoned publishers who want to increase their AdSense earnings.
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