TECH: Reviewing Sharewood Picnic 74 — 1 good, 5 maybes, and 4 nahs.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

http://www.masternewmedia.org/new_media/new_media_tools/
best_new_media_tools_of_the_week_20061015.htm

http://tinyurl.com/y8y6ks

New Media Tools Of The Week: Sharewood Picnic 74

1. Google Docs & Spreadsheets http://docs.google.com/ is a web-based editor that allows you to create text documents and spreadsheets.

Nah, do you really want to put your important stuff in a free web service. What do you do if the inet’s offline. And, whatif they lose their mind, your data, or interest. I’ll stick to Open Office.

2. ConnectMeAnywhere http://www.connectmeanywhere.com/ is a service that allows you to make worldwide calls from your mobile phone at the prices you are used to paying for from your desktop.

Maybe, this is worth further study.

3. Divvycast http://www.divvycast.com/ is a service that provides professional tools to create and publish your podcasts and get paid for that.

Nah, before I get paid, I have to pay them. Don’t think so.

4. Wengo http://www.wengo.com/ is a VoIP provider which allows you to make free PC to PC calls with all your friends, whatever instant messenger they have among Yahoo!, AOL and Jabber.

Nah, who needs yet another voip clone.

5. Joopz http://www.joopz.com/ is a web-based text messaging service that enables two-way communications from the Web to any mobile phone.

Maybe, might be worth playing with.

6. GroupMembesOnly http://www.groupmembersonly.com/ is a service that provides private and secure online environment for membership groups, organizations and associations. GroupMembesOnly provides a platform that integrates blogs, instant messaging, chat, discussion forums, event calendar, group libraries, video libraries, and a job database.

Maybe, not sure if I can use it. Depends upon how strict they are.

7. MyTicklerFile http://myticklerfile.com/ is a web-based tool that allows you to manage projects, track time and monitor your activities.

Maybe, “subscription plan” ain’t free.

8. PureVideo http://www.purevideo.com/ is a search engine for videos that uses a RSS feeds-based technology to return the most relevant results from sites across the Web.

Good, now that sounds like it might be a useful keeper.

9. Wild Apricot http://www.wildapricot.com/ is a web-based software designed to facilitate site administration for non-profit organizations (associations, charities, clubs etc.).

Nah, it’s too much like a business that wants real money.

10. Favoor http://www.favoor.com/ is a web service that enables you to create your personalized start page.

Maybe, that sounds like it might be useful.

My thanks to Livia Iacolare and Robin Good for making me think.

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RANT: NAMESDATABASE is a joke and probably a rip off

Sunday, October 15, 2006

NAMESDATABASE DOT COM

I didn’t give you the link because I don’t want you to go there.

I WILL put it in later in the blog, so the search engines will index it. But don’t click it!

Now the rest of the story.

Hey, I try everything. Like the Coal Miner’s Canary, when some inet thing kills me, you’ll know to avoid it. That’s me the a big fat yellow turkey that thinks he’s a canary, and has the illusion that he’s making his contribution to society. Don’t mess with my preconceived notions. And silly delusions. It’s like trying to put the lipstick on The Pig. It doesn’t make it prettier. And, it annoys the pig. (Wonder if there’s a picture on the inet of that?)

Any way.

I went to a now defunct high school. Me and my fellow alums are looking for the more than 66% who are “missing”. So, me, being in the inet maven I think I am, have been looking.

Back in January, I happened upon this site. SO I signed up, (part of finding is allowing oneself to be found), and gave it no further thought. Ran few search found nothing, or on the common names was buried in data. Oh well, on to other “stuff”.

Today, I get an email saying that they have 61 of my fellow Prepsters. (Catchy name huh?) Hey great. So I zoom over there ready to exploit.

Perusing the list, I notice right at the top they have some old guys who’s names I don’t recognize. (Hey NBD, I don’t know much.) But as I go down the list of alleged “prepsters”, there’s obvious girlz there. Huh!?! We was all boys. And then I notice that they have graduates in ’05 and ’06. It defuncted in ’71.

So, this site is worse than useless. It’s got garbage spewing forth. And, it is just adding to the noise

So avoid http://namesdatabase.com at all costs they just want to steal a subscription fee for trash.

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Posted by reinkefj

TECH: This morning GOOGLEACCELERATOR is “disconnected”

Sunday, October 15, 2006

I’ve seen that behavior before usually when switching inet connections. A stop and start usually clears it. Interesting that this time it doesn’t.

1-800-call-google

ring, ring, ring, … …

Just kidding, we all know that Google doesn’t take question calls from users. In India or anywhere.

Not that Microsoft is much better, but do you really want to make Google your preferred software vendor with their web-based paradigm for your email, rss reader, word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, web site operator – builder, and Intelligent Designer knows what else?

I don’t.

I think the jury is still out on the web services paradigm. Certainly it’s still out on the FREE web service

This unavailability of GOOGLEACCELERATOR points to or hints at the risk one is taking.

What do you do operationally when it’s not working? Who do you call for support or questions? And, what is your recovery strategy?

I joke about being “belt ‘n’ suspenders”, but seriously what do you do when your web services vendor is down and has your data?

It is one thing when you don’t care and it is a throw away. It’s another to give anyone the literal keys to your kingdom. If my vanity website goes away, who cares — my ego? It’s another thing if my professional website does.

Bottom line: If it is important, then it’s worth paying for. With that you should have a contract, support, and live person to talk to. And, also if it’s important, you better have a recovery plan for when your vendor screws up.

IMHO

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Posted by reinkefj