If you haven’t got yourself into Google+ yet, keep trying. I hear they are opening it up to anyone and then closing it off. So you’re best bet is to keep trying or if you want, I’ll send you something as way of an invitation and try to get you in that way.

So far, despite being a little lonely over there, I like it. The interface is nice, clean, non-obtrusive (yeah, I’m talking to you Facebook) and just feels natural. All that aside, there are a few things I think they need to address ASAP.

1. Google Reader integration. Seriously, as of yet, there is no way to connect the two so that what I “share” in Google Reader shows up in G+. Why is that, Google? I’m sure something has to be in the works, but it seems weird. In fact, in Google Reader, I can’t even +1 something. It does show up on the profile under Buzz, but I don’t look there for other people’s buzzes, just what is in their stream. There doesn’t seem a way to share your Buzzes from G+ to your stream either. Just give us an option to post it to our stream from Reader.
2. Gmail integration. There are a million ideas I have about how this should work, but I’ll start simple. Let me reply to messages/notifications I get in my email from G+. You can do it in Facebook. In fact, tie it in with my gmail account so that when I send a picture to someone not on G+ (or even someone that is), it looks like it’s coming from my email address. I have some other thoughts about that…you remember Wave? Yeah, something like that, just better and all inside G+. Don’t make me leave G+ for any reason actually.

1. Events/Calendar. Let us create events and add things to our Google Calendar. Again, don’t make me leave G+ for anything.
2. Docs. I could really see G+ being a great tool for the workplace…if you allow document sharing, etc…
3. WordPress integration. Going with a non-Google item here. I know there are plans to integrate Blogger, but why? Everyone knows Blogger sucks. I am shocked it still exists. Keep it and integrate it for those blogs still hosted on it. We don’t want to lose page rank. But, give us other options like WordPress integration to start.

In keeping things brief in the previous post, I omitted one other major advantage to using WordPress for writing. The WordPress Mobile App for your iPhone, iPad or Android phone, and pretty much any other type of phone you have. Here is the list.

The app allows you to write, save and publish straight from your mobile device. You can edit posts, write new posts, give them categories and tags, set up a scheduled post, and even do some basic formatting such as bold, italics, strikeout, and include links and quotes. It’s obviously not as full featured as using on an actual computer, but it’s quite good. In fact, for a long time, I’ve said it’s one of the best developed apps out there for iPhone/iPod Touch or Android. It’s stable and just works like you’d expect it to. Here’s the best part: you can even take pictures or videos and upload them straight to your post, or just select them from your gallery. It’s great when you’re in a pinch and really feel compelled to writing something and maybe don’t have your computer available.   [Read more...]

Another tool I use for writing is WordPress. There is so much I could say about WordPress that could take me days or even weeks, but I’m going to attempt to keep this brief. WordPress is free software you can use to create a blog or even a website, but it so much more than that. Gone are the days of creating individual pages for your website. With WordPress, you can literally just begin writing. Don’t care about design? No problem. The WordPress default theme is easy enough on the eyes and you won’t even have to think about it. Care about design? You’re in luck. You can literally do anything you want design-wise in WordPress. That’s one of the best things. People with zero web design or web development knowlege and still make the most of the excellent service, while even the most advanced person can tweak and develop and design until their heart is content.

First, there are two different types of WordPress. Self-Hosted means you download it from WordPress.org or more likely, allow your web host to do a simple one-click install of it. You pay for your own hosting, but the software itself is free, and you have complete control over it. WordPress.com is not self-hosted, they host your blog for you. The advantage is that you won’t have to pay a dime if you don’t want to. They give you the server space. The downside is that if you want your own unique URL or want to do a few extra things to it, you may pay some low-cost fees. You have less freedom on WordPress.com, but it’s equally as powerful from a writing standpoint. My preference is self-hosted and if you have any technical knowledge or a friend who can help, that is the route I’d go, but if you’re not sure, start with the WordPress.com blog.   [Read more...]

I mentioned in my last post that I’ve begun to intentionally set aside time to write something each day, or at least most days. One of the things I struggle with most is that I’ll have the greatest idea in the world, but forget it before I get in the mood to blog about it, or have lost whatever I was reading or seeing that sparked the idea to begin with. As such, I’ve started making use of some tools to help me with the process. One of the biggest helps to me is that I’ve started actually using Evernote. It’s kind of like an online notebook, but also so much more than that. You can jot down notes, ideas, quotes, recipes, or whatever. But you can also add links to web pages. Not just the web pages though, it’ll actually clip and insert the page so you don’t have to look for a link that may or may not be available anymore. Same goes for adding images, videos, attachments and audio recordings.

Here’s a real-life example I used recently. I was writing a food review of Schooners Bistro recently on my Monterey Insiders site. I jotted down some notes about the service, discreetly so that the server didn’t know I was actually judging him. For all he knew, I was texting someone. I also took a picture of my neighbor’s drink and attached it to the same file with the notes. As I was leaving to go to my car, I hit the audio record and added more voice reminders for myself. I did this all from my cell phone. When I got home, I pulled it up on my computer, went to that “note” about Schooners and had my notes, audio recording and picture all in once place. I actually waited until a few days later to write the review, but I still had all the ideas and thoughts that I was thinking the night I ate there, which would have been lost otherwise.   [Read more...]