mip's scan

The Value of Blogging

I'm reflecting on blogging and I'll tell you why in a moment.  I've been blogging for quite some time and for a variety of reasons.  When I posted my first blog post, back in May of 2004 (wow - has it really been almost 6 years), my intent was to explore ideas.  Sure I did a lot of "latest news stuff" early on, but slow it morphed into what I wanted, which was me talking about tech I was using, both personally and in business.  I used the canvas of the blog as a place to explore ideas, share ideas and get feedback/input.

I've been reflecting on this idea-space via blogs over the past while as I've done work in the education vertical. While those of us in IT have blogged for a long time, and other early adopters as well outside of IT, from an industry perspective, many industries lagged behind and have really only just begun to explore, understand and leverage blogs.  They are starting to see that the blog is potential vehicle for students and teachers to create ideas, share ideas, build collaboratively ideas and ultimately build personal online portfolios.  As I've watched my clients within the education vertical discuss blogs and other social media tools I have most enjoyed seeing how it generates enthusiasm and passion coupled with value.

This reflection on blogging deepened for me as I witnessed my wife move into the blogosphere and social media yesterday evening.  She'd been wanting to explore ideas, chronicle things she was exploring with a specific focus on proactively exploring things in the area of health, fitness, family, cooking, getting back to the basics, travel, taking classes and other ideas.  In truth, she wasn't sure exactly where things would go.  She just wanted a forum to talk about some of the things she was exploring and thinking about.  So she create a blog which completely thrilled me.  I'd been using blogs for a long time.  I've been reading blogs of a technical nature and personal interest for a long time.  This thrilled me because it was using the tech in a completely non-tech area/way.  She launched Tomorrow I Will.... yesterday with a brief post.  Today, she was excited to post her most recent outing and thoughts.  She was enthusiastic, not just about the writing, but by the feedback.  It was the potential for conversing with people about these topics that really excited her.  Already, she's planned various people that she plans on chatting with, blogging about and perhaps even videoCasting about!

That got me to thinking about my own blogging and the importance of continuing to use mip's scan as a platform for developing/sharing ideas, providing insight with regards to things I've used/done and engaging in conversations with the many, many creative & smart people that abound.  If you find yourself in an industry / company that is looking to do the same, or if you are personally trying to expand your thinking, a blog might be the perfect vehicle if you haven't tried it.  I leverage Typepad and my wife decided to go with Wordpress.  Be sure to watch for a comparison post where I talk about our individual experiences using these two different blogging platforms.

If you've found a unique use for blogs and would like to share it, feel free to comment below.  I'd love to hear about and start a conversation.

How I Became a Twitter Convert

I've been a long time Facebook user.  And I love it.  I find it an incredible way to keep in touch with family and friends.  I'm not sure if it is because I've used Facebook for so long that Twitter initially made little sense to me.  Let me tell you then, how I went from being confused, to a huge supporter of Twitter.

I signed up for Twitter some time ago; when exactly I can't remember.  I typed a couple of one-line updates.  That's what they felt like to me, like Facebook status updates.  That was what was somewhat disappointing to me.  It was like a lightweight version of Facebook.  Status updates but nothing else.  I tried to see what the appeal was.  I searched for some people that I knew, but alas, nobody was there.  So I stopped visiting, content to update status in Facebook, share photos with families, and trade comments with friends.  Twitter seemed like a technology that had been surpassed by Facebook.

From time to time I kept seeing Twitter pop up in the odd news article or blog post that I would read.  Then I heard about how Barack Obama was using Twitter to reach out to the grassroots supporters.  I checked it out again, but it felt like the same experience I had the first time.  

I again, I left my Twitter account untouched.  Then several weeks ago, I saw someone in my Facebook network questioning "what is the appeal of Twitter"  - I chimed in and echoed the sentiment.  Someone else wrote back "Follow a few people and see what happens."  With that thought, I got back onto Twitter and searched for people I knew.  I found a few, but not many.  I really didn't want to email my close friends and family and try and lure them onto Twitter - I figured they'd all have the same reaction as me and feel that Facebook more than satisfied their social networking needs.  

I persevered and started updating Twitter.  I did like that I could update it more frequently in Twitter than I could in Facebook.  People in Facebook, while they enjoy a status update, they definitely don't want to see four or five or a dozen updates in a day.  So I was diligently making updates, answering Twitter's question: What are you doing?

Then it happened, February 10.  I was doing some research on a business intelligence platform and I updated my status to read Is creating some Microstrategy research notes.

Google Custom Search Engines

Google just recently released the ability/functionality to create a custom search engine.  The idea is that you can create a search engine for yourself (and others) that searches a single site or across many sites.  For example, let's say you were into news but only wanted to see news from certain sites.  You could create a custom search engine that only searches sites you've added to the list. 

To experiment with this tool and add value to you the faithful readers of mip's scan, I created a custom search engine for mip's scan.  You can see it here.   Now, if you've remember reading something here on mip's scan but can't seem to find it again, you can simply put the terms into the custom search engine and Google will present the results that match from this site only. 

For more details on this or to create your own custom search engine, just click here.

Trying NewsFire

Well as per my post from a few days ago I left Bloglines in search of a new RSS reader.  I've been using NewsFire and I must admit there are a lot of things I really like about it and a few things I don't.  I wouldn't say this is a final verdict or review of this tool as I plan on continuing to use it for another few weeks before passing my final judgement on it.

Goodbye Bloglines -Sniff-

It was exactly a month ago when I wrote a post about Bloglines not working for me anymore.  I've been patient and yet, I find no resolution.  Items I ask to keep new so as to use Bloglines as an archiving tool don't stay new.  They are there in the "counter" for my many feeds but I don't see them.  This really disappoints me. 

So for now, I am leaving Bloglines.  It pains me because I like the interface, love that I can see it on my Blackberry, love that it comes with me from whatever computer I access the site from, but I can't have items just disappearing.  It impacts my ability to write about something that I've read but want to reference later. 

So now my search begins and I've moved over to Newsfire which is a beautiful looking application for the Mac.  I'm going to give it a serious go - no using Bloglines, just Newsfire.  The application interface is really nice, having a true Apple feel to it.  I like the way it functions and I was able to export my feeds from Bloglines and import them into Newsfire.  It is a drag that I won't be able to see my feeds in Newsfire from my Blackberry - I'll need to see how I work that.  The important thing is the reliability of being able to find things that I archive (or set as being unread) even after I've read them.  I'll let you know how it all goes.

Bloglines...if you ever fix whatever is ailing you....please let me know.  I'd come back in a heartbeat.

Somewhere There Is a God

Just as my frustrations with Bloglines are nearing a boiling point, it is nice to see that Google has finally made changes to their RSS reader and at first glance, it looks great.  I need to sleep on the whole thing because I'm so invested in Bloglines, but I may just export my feeds and start looking around and Google Reader may be just the place for me to start.  I've got a screen capture so you can see the new interface.  I like that they have an expanded view (what you are seeing to the right) and a list view that looks like you are looking at GMail. 

Am I switching..I'm not sure.  I've had a few more archived items in Bloglines disappear, again.  That hasn't made me happy as I said in yesterday's podcast.  Perhaps if I sleep on it I'll feel better in the morning.

In the meantime, see below for a video I've embedded that demonstrates the new Google Reader (video courtesy of Google).

       

Windows Max Should Be Windows Min

I read about Microsoft's RSS aggregating tool in a well written piece by Mark Evans.  He did a good job giving us a peak into what it is, both good and bad and what it could become.  It is called Windows Max....what?....no Windows Live Max?  Ok, I'm being cynical.  I decided to give it a little spin and see what I thought about this tool.  Strike 1:  It is only for Windows.  For me a good RSS reader needs to be accessible from any/all the platforms I use...Mac, Windows, Linux and mobile devices like my Blackberry and/or my PSP.  I'm looking for an alternate to Bloglines seeing that yet another week has passed and still no access to the historical blog items I'd asked it to save.....but I digress.....back to Windows Max. 

So because I couldn't run it in OSX  I fired up my virtual machine....AFTER I made a back-up o it.  Windows Max is the type of program that makes me a little nervous with it's "I-need/want-.Net" requirements.   Hey it wasn't just me....they even give you the run down before you download the free tool.

What do I need to know before I install?

 

 

• Review the system requirements.

 

• Back up your PC before installing (recommended).

 

• Review the Max Installation Guide for tips and tricks.

 

• Max requires Windows .NET Framework 3.0 RC1.  If you have a prior version of the Windows .NET Framework 3.0, you will be required to uninstall that version and install the RC1 version during the Max installation.

 

• Note that Max currently supports only English, German, and                 Japanese Windows XP system languages.

 

 

System Requirements

 

Minimum

 

 

• Microsoft Windows® XP

 

 

• Home, Professional, Tablet PC, or Media Center Edition

 

• Service Pack 2

 

• German, Japanese, or English

 

 

• Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 RC1

 

• 1.0 gigahertz (GHz) processor.

 

• 256 megabytes (MB) of RAM.

 

• 200 MB of available hard disk space.

 

• Super VGA (800 x 600) resolution monitor.

 

• Minimum Color Quality: Medium (16 bit).

I must say that once installed Max is really quite a nice looking application.  It has a very Windows Vista/MSN-everything-is-soft-and-transparent feel to it.  The user interface is well done in my opinion.  The application strength though is also it's downfall though in my books.  I like bloglines because it is everywhere I can get access to a browser.  Windows Max is an application....now installed in my virtual machine on my Macbook Pro. What about when I want to check out my feeds on my virtual machine on my iMac?  Or what about when I settle into a comfy chair with my tablet?  I have to have Max installed on all those computers.  For Max to really be successful, Microsoft should have made it a thin client, a browser based reader.  I took a shot at them at the beginning of this post (Windows Live Max), but in reality if any application is well suited for the web it is the RSS reader. 

Now don't get me wrong, I've been using this tool for all of an hour so far.  I plan on using it for the week.  I couldn't see anyway though on how to import my exported feeds from Bloglines.  Ugh.  Strike 2.  They'll have to fix that before they get out of beta. And that is the important thing to remember...Windows Max is still in beta.  So there is no third strike yet, and definitely not out.  Do check it out if you've been looking for viable RSS reader alternatives.  You can download Max here.

Thanks Mark for bringing this emerging tool to our attention.

Is It Just Me or Is Bloglines Broken?

I've been patient. 
I love using Bloglines.  It has always been my RSS reader of choice. 
It seems to have been having problems, but still I've been patient.

What I'm experiencing is this.  When I select a feed item from bloglines, let's say one of my feeds like Digg.com all my items become read.  That means that if there was an indicator that there were 10 new items, they all disappear.  That's ok...that is the way I set mine up.  Then as I scroll through articles, I have the choice to keep them new by checking a little box that says "Keep New".  This is a feature I've used a lot as it lets me keep an archive of items I may want to go back to in the future.  Well this is what seems to be broken.  For instance, when I look at my feeds now, Digg is showing that there are 0 new items and 27 old items that I've asked to "Keep New", but when I click on the feed all I see is an empty channel.  This is happening to many feeds where I've saved things.  It is very very frustrating. 

Is anyone else experiencing this behaviour?

If anyone from Bloglines is reading this, can you let us know if this is going to be fixed?

Netscape Becoming Like Digg

I'm a big fan of the popular site Digg.  I subscribe to their feed and like a few things about it:

• it is always being updated with lots of content
• anybody can submit content that shows up in real-time unlike Slashdot who execute editorial control over what does and doesn't get posted
• the user/reader-base of Digg does a good job in "digging" or "burying" news posts

Digg has become hugely popular.  So is it any surprise that others are going to take a stab at trying that model out?  That is what Netscape is doing.  Moving away from the traditional portal of news and other such content, Netscape is launching their own Digg-like site.  I took a little time to check out their beta site and liked what I saw.  Clean interface, similar voting system to push stories up or drive them down.  Not sure I cared for the Netscape Anchor section at the top of the home page.  Digg allows stories with the most votes to move up toward the top of the list.  Netscape does that too, except they've got the Netscape Anchors Recommend section right at the top.  That means that less popular stories could be found at the top of the page.  Something doesn't feel right about that. 

A site like this proves it's worth over time and with assistance from it's readers and posters of content.  We'll check back with them in a month and see how they are doing.  For now, I think I'll stick with Digg.

Subscribe to mip's scan via Email Alerts

So you like reading mip's scan but would rather not have to check an RSS reader everyday.  Hey, no problem.  You can now be notified via email when there is new content posted here at mip's scan.  No new content, no email.  It's as simple as that.  I was able to provide this functionality thanks to FeedBurner adding the functionality to their offering (which I use).  You can see the subscription on the lefthand side of this page if you scroll down just below the Recent Comments section.