03.29.06
Posted in News at 1:20 am by Paloma Cruz
Teenager says any repercussions of the walkout will be worth it
– reported by the Houston Chronicle
[snip]
Quintero has watched the debate over immigration reform swell over the past few weeks. He and his mother, Margie Quintero, feel Hispanics are being singled out in this debate.
Margie Quintero, who was born in the Rio Grande Valley, sees a bleak future where “I’m going to have to show my I.D. to prove my nationality, and I don’t feel I should have to do it.”
Sunday night was a tipping point — a moment when Jesse Quintero decided he had to make his voice heard after watching others do so on television news reports. Together with his peers, he organized a school walkout. He and a few friends started by reaching their friends, mainly through the Internet and cell phones.
Over the Internet, he contacted friends using the social Web site MySpace. Using his cell phone, he sent bulletins, emails or text messages.
Word spread quickly, and by Monday morning the plan was set to go — and 150 nervous high school students walked out to march for immigrants rights. For many, it was their first strides of political activism.
Hours after the event, Quintero was still feeling the exhilaration of marching.
[snip]
As he and about 150 other students marched toward an immigration office nine miles away on Monday, a passer-by in an automobile yelled out to the group, “Go back to where you came from,” Quintero said. He retorted by saying Hispanics “were here first.”
Throughout the evening Monday, Quintero’s phone was ringing and text messages rolled in constantly.
One text message swirling Monday evening among high schoolers was: “WuAll highskoo latinos students r being asked 2 wear a white tee 2marrow n any flag dat represent latinos! represent n stand up 4 wat u believe in … pass it on.”
[snip]
Permalink
03.28.06
Posted in News at 11:46 pm by Paloma Cruz
Take Charge of What Web Sites Know About You
– a “how to” article from MSN Tech & Gadgets
Control cookies, clear your download history, and take other steps to keep snoops off your online trail.
Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, and other browsers keep surprisingly accurate records of your online activities, and not just in their history windows. Clearing out the virtual breadcrumbs in your Internet cache and browser histories not only helps preserve your privacy, it also can improve your PC’s performance by letting you regain some disk space. Emptying the cache may even help a balky Web site load correctly. The following tips will help you find out what other people can discover about your browsing habits in IE 6 (with Windows XP Service Pack 2), Firefox 1.5, and Opera 8.51.
[snip]
Permalink
03.27.06
Posted in General at 10:51 pm by Paloma Cruz
I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting tools, especially for productivity and organization. Here’s one that looks like it has promise.
Cingo - where families click.
Cingo is a simple, easy and powerful new way to experience the internet and organize your family in one great location!
From the clean, uncluttered home page to feature-rich sections such as News, Movie Listings, and Shared Calendar and To-Do Lists, Cingo helps your family to easily stay connected online. And best of all, Cingo is free!
Found via LifeHacker.
Permalink
Posted in General at 12:40 am by Paloma Cruz
I am lusting after the new Microsoft product, the Ultra-Mobile PC.
Go everywhere
The Ultra-Mobile PC is portable, lightweight, and configured to connect on the go. It’s the device that you’ll always want with you.
Do everything
Featuring full Microsoft Windows XP functionality and the ability to touch, write, or type, the Ultra-Mobile PC is a powerful companion that lets you communicate, accomplish your tasks, and stay entertained and informed wherever life takes you.
Very cool! And in case that isn’t enough, here’s some extra stuff from Gizmodo:
Permalink
03.21.06
Posted in General at 11:30 pm by Paloma Cruz
From Derek Gehl, internet marketing guru, “3 simple tips to improve your e-mail deliverability“:
- Make sure your “from address” is familiar
- Personalize your subject line
- Test your e-mail promotions before rolling them out on a large scale
Permalink
03.20.06
Posted in News at 11:47 pm by Paloma Cruz
23 real simple steps to making your Internet life much better
– from the Chicago Tribune
[snip]
It’s time to take your relationship with the Internet to the next level, and I’m here to tell you how to do it in 23 short, easy steps (see below) with as little jargon as possible.
Those who already use “feed” technology should just move on along, as there’s nothing new for you here.
The rest of you, who may have heard of “feeds” but been put off by those geeky letters people throw around when talking about it and felt confused about where and how to start, welcome.
I was like you about a month ago. Then C. Max Magee, a former intern in our dot-com sweatshop, cajoled me into overcoming my reluctance, confusion and dread, and opening a free Bloglines account.
[snip]
Found via LifeHacker.
Permalink
Posted in General at 12:58 am by Paloma Cruz
OK, the Hotel News Resource is probably not a place I would have looked for help on Web site content. But here’s a list of do’s and don’ts that straight from their Web site:
Web Site Content Do’s
1. Does your content speak specifically to the needs of each of your key client segments?
2. Do each of your Web pages stick a specific subject?
3. Do you use clear, concise sentences and correct spelling and grammar throughout?
4. Does your opening screen pull in viewers via multiple entry points of interest?
5. Do you outline key competitive advantages, product/service features and bottom-line benefits upfront?
6. Do you fully leverage client testimonials with memorable anecdotes and enviable ROI data?
7. Do you supply key industry and strategic partner links and use implicit text so they stand out?
8. Are all of your pages easily readable and fully printable?
9. Do you constantly update content with copy from press releases, case studies and newsletters?
10. Do you ask for feedback and follow through promptly on all questions and suggestions?
Give yourself 1 point for each of the above 10 questions to which you answered a resounding ‘yes’ to.
Web Site Content Don’ts
1. Do you use industry or vertical market specific jargon?
2. Does your content stray from the design and/or art on any page?
3. Do you show pages under construction?
4. Do you spread a single topic across two or more pages?
5. Do you split pages between topics?
6. Do you have outdated news, product and service information and/or pricing posted?
7. Do you give your competitors your key clients’ list?
8. Do you use more than three basic fonts?
9. Do you review and rate your Web site content entirely internally?
10. Do you have conflicting content anywhere?
Take away 1 point for each of the above 10 questions to which you can answer a ‘yes’ to.
If you scored a 7 or below, you should call Anchor Marketing today for an independent audit/assessment of your Web site content. This online content evaluation costs just $2,000 (33% discount) now thru May 1, 2006.
Good sales pitch.
Permalink
03.19.06
Posted in General at 10:42 pm by Paloma Cruz
Do any of you have experience with FeedForAll?
FeedForAll allows users to easily create, edit and publish RSS feeds.
RSS is the standard for content distribution and syndication. Create feeds to keep visitors informed.
New RSS feeds can be quickly and easily created with FeedForAll. Advanced features enable you to create professional looking RSS feeds quickly.
I’m wondering if this works. Of course, if I don’t get any recommendations either way, I will have to go the tried and true route of signing up for an account to try it out personally. But I thought I’d try this first.
Permalink
03.06.06
Posted in General at 12:47 pm by Paloma Cruz
Since I’ve determined that I need to learn podcasting, I’ve gone out looking for good sources of instruction. The Godbit Project recently posted “Podcasting Your Church,” which has a really good tutorial on starting a podcast.
One of the big projects I have taken on at my church is making our sermons available online. Three years after being placed on the sound and media team at the church, we have finally acheived one of those original goals. Although it is not directly related to web design, this task is usually give to whomever is in charge of a church’s web site. I thought I would share a few things I have learned in the process.
[snip]
The first thing you will need is a way to get a recording of the sermons at your church.
[snip]
I hope this helps you out if you are planning on podcasting your church’s sermons. The hardest part is getting a good recording of the sermon and converting it to a portable format. Once you are past that, it is relatively easy to get the files out there.
No, it doesn’t offer the really technical details I need to get started, but I’ve found some other sources for that. I’ll be posting about those soon.
Permalink
Posted in General, News at 6:50 am by Paloma Cruz
I recently opened a MySpace account to try and understand what the allure of it is. I’m still trying to use it to the best of its ability. Since I don’t have much time for socializing, I haven’t gotten into the social networking of this tool yet. But I will.
In the meantime, while I try to figure this out for myself, here are some better-educated sources on the subject.
What is MySpace? From “Identity Production in a Networked Culture: Why Youth Heart MySpace” (found via LibrarianInBlack):
So what is MySpace?
MySpace is a social network site. In structure, MySpace is not particularly unique. The site is a hodgepodge of features previously surfaced by sites like Friendster, Hot or Not, Xanga, Rate My Teacher, etc. At the core are profiles that are connected by links to friends on the system. Profiles are personalized to express an individual’s interests and tastes, thoughts of the day and values. Music, photos and video help users make their profile more appealing.
The friend network allows people to link to their friends and people can traverse the network through these profiles. An individual’s “Top 8″ friends are displayed on the front page of their profile; all of the rest appear on a separate page. Bands, movie stars, and other media creators have profiles within the system and fans can friend them as well. People can comment on each others’ profiles or photos and these are typically displayed publicly.
Originally, the site was 18+ and all data was public. Over time, the age limit dropped to 16 and then, later, to 14. The youngest users are given the option to make their profiles visible to friends-only and they do not appear in searches.
When someone starts an account, they are given an initial friend - Tom Anderson, one of the founders of MySpace. By surfing the site, they find and add additional friends. Once on MySpace, most time is spent modifying one’s own profile, uploading photos, sending messages, checking out friends’ profiles and commenting on them. Checking messages and getting comments is what brings people back to MySpace every day.
[snip]
Teens have increasingly less access to public space. Classic 1950s hang out locations like the roller rink and burger joint are disappearing while malls and 7/11s are banning teens unaccompanied by parents. Hanging out around the neighborhood or in the woods has been deemed unsafe for fear of predators, drug dealers and abductors. Teens who go home after school while their parents are still working are expected to stay home and teens are mostly allowed to only gather at friends’ homes when their parents are present.
[snip]
Wired News has a Cheat Sheet on MySpace for parents. The questions covered include:
- Can I search MySpace to see if my kid is on it?
- I did it anyway. Should I be worried that my teenage girl is linked to so many male “friends?”
- What if she’s linking to adult men? That can’t be good.
- How should I talk to them about MySpace?
- What is MySpace doing to protect its users?
Stephen’s Lighthouse writes that MySpace is scary. Why?
- “MySpace is Bigger Than Blogging
- MySpace is Accelerating Faster Than Blogging
- MySpace’ers Network
From Ensight:
MySpacers connect better than bloggers, get their friends into it better than bloggers, stay in touch more than bloggers, and form true sociological pods better than bloggers. MySpace is closer to the Google Grid than Google is. MySpace is the closest humanity has ever come to a central community or a central consciousness. MySpace’ers are the largest and most distributed network of human nodes ever created and sustained for more than a few days (tests on human networks of up to 10M people have been tried, but they ultimately fall apart, often faster than they can be created).
Permalink