Times are tough and every penny counts. Some people are taking that idea to a new level through auction sites where pennies could get you a camera or even a laptop.
If you are willing to wait for a great deal, penny auctions are a great solution to saving a few bucks. There's an online penny auction based in the metro that's growing by the day where you can bid on everything from gift cards to MacBooks.
The Nevada company foopile.com started just a few months ago and it's gaining popularity.
Think of it as an online auction but you're bidding by the penny. And even though each bid costs 49 cents, you can still grab a good bargain because it can save you from paying the full value of an item.
"My best deal was MacBook Pro for $19.62, took three hours to get through, but definitely worth it," said penny auction user Joseph Bruschie.
Another customer got a $300 digital camera for only $50.
But we here at Penny Auctions Exposed are a little skeptical and aren't sure that we've seen any real proof that these online penny auctions are such a great deal. So we decided to put these websites to the test. What better way to find out the truth than to conduct our own study?
To get started, I have been using normal online auctions regularly for the past 6 years so I volunteered to be the guinea pig. I created an account at foopile. While there are a few penny auction websites online, foopile.com is one of the most credible and trustworthy websites in the marketplace. They gave me 3 free bids just for joining and did not try to fool me into agreeing to additional hidden offers, purchases, or fees. Another reason why I chose foopile is because it is the most practical and easy to use website I found.
Here is what foopile claimed on their website...
•All Auctions Start at 1 Penny
•Each time you bid the item price increases
•The last person to make a bid wins the auction
•When a bid is placed, the timer increases
•If you don't win the auction, you can buy one full price and redeem your bids placed for full credit.
We were pretty skeptical, but wanted to find out for ourselves if this website could actually worked as it claimed and if we really could get a great deal.
Putting foopile to the Test
The foopile.com signup was quick and painless and took me literally 10 seconds to get signed up.
In order to give myself the best chance of winning, I opted to buy their 250 bids package for $122.50 Update: On sale right now for $99
My Test - Try to win any auction on the site no matter the cost:
My Results
Day One
The first day I decided to go after one of the items which I thought would not only be a little easier to win, but useful as well.
A 100 Bid Voucher.
If you win, you get 100 extra bids added on to your account - great, I could use that to continue my test.
I waited for the timer to reach down to the 5 second mark and placed a bid. 10 seconds later another user bid above me. I placed a bid butler order for the next 10 bids, which seemed to go by pretty quickly. Okay - 11 bids down.
I decided to let a few other bidders battle it out for awhile until the price got up to $1. Thats when I set my bid butler for 50 bids.
About 20 bids down the road the other bidders gave up and I won! Great, 100 won bids by only using around 30 of my bids - what a deal.
Day Two
Today I decided I would go for something a little more active as far as bidders. An iPod Shuffle.
Again I went in with the idea of spending as many bids as I needed to in order to win the auction. And if I didn't win, then I would simply exercise my Buy One Now option.
This time I waited for the price to reach above $1 and also waited for bidding activity to slow to a crawl.. I put in a couple bid snipers, and when they started firing I knew that it was time to jump in. I set my bid butler to 100 bids and sat back to watch
72 Bids later - I was the winner of a new green iPod shuffle. That means that I got a $55 product for only $36 - sounds like a great deal to me.
Day Three
Now I was getting really bold. Today it was time to bid on something even bigger - I had my eye on an iPod Touch.
This time I waited until the price reached $2, then started placing a few bids to test the waters. There still seemed to be alot of activity, so I set my bid snipers and waited. Eventually it reached $3, and the bidding was starting to slow. I jumped in and set my bid butler at 100 bids.
Another user apparently had the same idea and we got into what is called a 'bid butler war'. This is where the timer moves quicker because the bid butlers are bidding against each other. Normally the timer increases 10 seconds with each bid, but a butler war it only increases 1 second per bid
Needless to say the 100 bids went pretty quickly. I placed another 100 bid butler, then another 50 bid butler after that. After getting to that point and still not winning, I decided that my best option was to use the Buy One Now.
So in the end I ended up getting a product worth $184 by spending $184 - not a super deal, but I certainly didn't lose anything.
Day Four
Today I decided to purchase a 1000 bid pack for $490. This was mainly because there was a new iMac on the website worth $1800 that would look great sitting on my desk. So to start off, I had about 1075 bids to work with.
Once the counter reached down to 5 seconds it was like a feeding frenzy, people were bidding like crazy - sometimes it seemed that 10 bids where hitting at exactly the same time. Definately not the time for me to start bidding - so I waited
The price quickly got to $10, and the bidding slowed down a bit but not by much. I set my bid sniper in case I snoozed too long while I was watching the auction and missed out.
The price got to $20, then $30, then $40. Thats where the bids started to slow down and I decided it was time for me to jump in. I set a 100 bid butler and watched it go, then another, and another. 300 bids down.
I played normal bidding and bid snipers for awhile - price reached $50. I put in two more 100 bid butlers.. 500 bids down.
600, 700, 800, 834... WIN
I had to do a double take - I couldn't believe I actually won an iMac at a final auction price of $67 + shipping, plus about $400 worth of bids. So for an $1800 iMac, I only had to spend $500. Now if that isn't a steal, I don't know what is!
I couldn't be any happier with the results.
I spent at total of $700 and received products valued at over $2000, plus I still have 200 bids left over.
Conclusion Like us, here at Penny Auctions Exposed, you might be a little doubtful about getting a good deal from a site which may seem too good to be true. After conducting our own personal study we are pleased to see that people really are getting great deals if they stick to their guns and bid to win (myself included :) )!
Good Luck with your auction bidding,
Source:Jennifer Huggins- Consumer Reports
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Showing posts with label gagets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gagets. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Dell's Latitude 13 Laptop a real beauty
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Newest Computer Gaget-Vmail Email Sender
Faster and easier than typing an Email, this Vmail Voice Recording Email Sender allows you to send your thoughts quickly and easily without ever typing. Using the small Vmail voice recorder that connects to your PC via the USB all you have to do is insert one of the included CDs, press record and talk to the recorder for as long as you need. When you're satisfied with your message, hit send and the talking email message will be sent as an email attachment to the recipient you choose. The Vmail Email Sender works with all email programs and does not require the recipient to have any special software to open your voice email. Once you have the proper voice email recording program installed you can send your voice to family and friends with the press of a button. Vmail Voice Recording Email is compatible with Windows PC and laptop version 2000, ME, XP, and Vista. When you're in a hurry but need to send that important email, you will be able to record and send it quickly with Vmail talking email, plus it will be personalized with your very own voice. Get your simple to use, Vmail Voice Email Recorder here...
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Black Friday Facts! Do you think you know what Black Friday is?
Think you’re an expert on Black Friday? Here are some fun facts you probably didn’t know:
Many people mistakenly believe that the name Black Friday is derived from the fact that it’s the day when most stores’ revenues rise out of the red (net losses for the year) and into the black (net profits). The truth is that the name Black Friday probably comes from a tongue-in-cheek comparison to the chaos and confusion of Black Tuesday (the day the stock market crashed in 1929).
Black Friday is generally considered to be the busiest shopping day of the year, but this is not always the case. The last Saturday before Christmas is usually the busiest shopping day of the year, but Black Friday always ranks among the top five.
Exact figures are hard to determine, but most experts agree that over 150 million shoppers hit the stores on Black Friday weekend and they spend an average of over $300 each.
More and more people are choosing to avoid the lineups on Black Friday and to do their shopping on Cyber Monday, the unofficial start of the online Christmas shopping season. Other opportunities to avoid crack of dawn lineups and still snag a great deal include check out Walmart’s pre-Black Friday sales starting Saturday, November 7 2009. Each week six exclusive items from Blu-Ray Disc players to Xbox 360 consoles are offered at deep discounts in limited quantities.
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Big News- Bing and Yahoo made a Deal
After much talk and a fair deal of decision making, Steve Ballmer of Microsoft signed a deal with Yahoo’s Carol Bartz: A deal that will evolve Microsoft into the world’s 2nd largest search company and turn Yahoo into a media powered advertising broker. Yahoo is all set to hand over searching to Microsoft, who will in turn pay them a share of future revenue.
Here is the deal broken-down and analyzed by the key players:
MicrosoftMicrosoft was able to avoid having to make an upfront payment in order to take control of Yahoo search, as had been rumored for months and hinted at by Bartz herself: She claimed that “boatloads of money” would be required to lure Yahoo search away from the company.
However, the downside of this deal for Microsoft are that it may have to bare the loss of relationships with advertisers on search ads, although it preserves its display ad sales operation at least for the time being. Apart from this it seems that Microsoft has emerged from this deal rather clean.
What’s next? Intense competition with Google. This only means that the 2 superpowers have even more reason to detest each other
Yahoo
For an outsourced search engine, Yahoo is paying below market rate. It will receive 88 percent of future search revenue from Microsoft- A better ongoing deal than expected as per IDC. It also receives a guaranteed amount of search revenue for one and a half year and gets to market all the search ads on both Yahoo and Microsoft properties. Plus, it gets to save money- One of the main priorities for Bartz and new Yahoo CFO Tim Morse. The company estimated a $200 million saving in capital expenditures and see an overall benefit of $500 million in operating income
But what Yahoo loses is the ability to control its own fate when it comes to search which still is the most profitable division of online advertising by a large margin. Yahoo’s search revenue is now dependent on the performance of Bing for a decade which is considered an eternity in the Internet world! Moreover, 88 percent of something is not 100 percent of something.
What the future holds is probably another reorganization and a large number of departures as talented search engineers view their options among Microsoft, Google, Ask.com, and start-ups.
More attractive earning calls are expected where Bartz can pin point to the cost savings from the deal, and the formation of a long-term plan for the company that avoids dropping businesses.
What Google gets is time. This deal is scheduled to take months, probably even years, to complete and it will be a complicated process of integration. It is highly likely that Google sales representatives called and reminded all of their major clients of the uncertainty that shadows this integration process and the fact that their ad money may be better invested with the more stable property. Google also gets to counter some of the antitrust scrutiny that has been sent its way by detecting and stating that a combined Yahoo-Microsoft search operation has a fair share of the market
On the other hand, it forfeits the ability to play Yahoo and Microsoft search off each other. The fractured competition meant it would have been much more difficult for either company to create noteworthy inroads against Google individually. It also transforms Microsoft into a credible technology threat with Microsoft’s right to select the best of Yahoo’s search technology developments and blend them with Bing, which is pretty well-receive
What’s to come: For now at least, business looks to carry on as usual. Google never intended to cede its search lead prior to the declaration of this deal, and there is certainly more pressure to keep up to that promise now, over the following several years. It’s not something that was not expected in broad View.
Consumers
The only benefit receivable to consumers is ‘Powered by Bing’ search results on Yahoo pages. To be precise, consolidation is viewed as a negative for consumers, as it limits one’s choice
At this point, with multiple details left to be hammered out, the consumer impact of this deal is certainly not obvious. Many would like to argue that if Yahoo was not really committed to search, consumers would view better search results with time on Yahoo pages that are powered by Bing. To add to this, indirect benefits to consumers are part of the package of having advertisers that are not chained to a single search engine. But this is more about setting Yahoo free to concentrate attention on its other businesses and providing Microsoft with more market share in order to force Google into playing cautious on search, which could reduce some of the pressure Google is piling on Microsoft with projects like Google Apps, Android, etc
The impact of these decisions will take a considerable period of time to come down to the level of the consumer with the assumption that the government embraces the deal.
Advertiser
Assuming ad spending becomes a trend again taking into consideration the current economic conditions, advertisers will get a credible 2nd option for their ad spending. A renewed pitch on the benefits of Internet display advertising is also in store for them. This probably still does not revolve on Madison Avenue but may one day begin to make sense for the Internet advertiser.
The negative points of the deal from the advertisers perspective are that there are high chances that the relationships between advertisers and the 2 companies will become highly complicated over the next few months as those who used to work with certain representatives transfer their business to new ones. Although, these issues are not of prime importance, they can be frustrating.
In the future however, if the ad market ever returns, there will be a renewed competition in search advertising for keywords, placement, and reach. Source: Tech Frog and Tech News.....
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Twitter releases Twitter Lists Widgets
If you’re interested in giving this new Twitter feature a try, just follow the link below and get started sharing your Twitters lists.
http://twitter.com/goodies/widgets_list
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http://twitter.com/goodies/widgets_list
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Gagets in-the- Pink
The perfect i-Phone, along with the rest of the perfect pink gagets a girl would love to own!The perfect netbook for the girl who is on the go, and would rather carry something light. The Lenovo IdeaPad S10 is ultraportable yet it can run most of the basic programs you need. It weighs only 2.76 lbs and about 1 inch thin so you can take it with you everywhere without feeling the extra baggage. Its 10.2 inch screen is acceptable--you can surf the web all day or work on your reports all night comfortably with this Netbook!
Source: Gagets-in-pink.comBe Sure to Leave Your Comments!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Pictures From Phone to Computer
We all know that cell phones are one of today's big crazes. An even bigger one is camera cell phones. Before we know it, all cell phones will probably have camera abilities, because the world today likes to see real images rather than just words. So, it may be a good idea to know what you can do with the pictures you take on your phone after the shooting is done.
Picture Messaging
A common way that people transfer photos from their cell phones to their computers (that doesn't really have any additional cost from your regular monthly bill) is picture messaging. It works pretty much the same as text messaging; you just have to have text messaging enabled on your cell phone. If you don't, this method will not work.
Note: Expect this method to be a little different for various phone models, but the following directions are pretty basic and similar for all phones.
If you would like to send a picture to another person's cell phone or if you want to e-mail a picture to a friend or even to yourself, you just need to open your phone and go to the Menu. Find your phone's Media Gallery and then choose Pictures. At this point, you can pick the photo you'd like to send. Once you have it chosen, go to Options and choose Send in Message (like you're sending a text message). This is where you choose to send it to one of the Contacts listed in your phone or if you want to e-mail it to someone or yourself. Pick the person you're sending it to and push the OK button and then Send.
You can also send text with the picture if you want to do that. If you end up e-mailing the picture to someone, you will just have to type in their e-mail address and they will get it in their Inbox. You just need to make sure the person you're sending the picture to has picture capabilities too.
Data Cable
Another way you can transfer photos to other people is to put them directly onto your computer, so you can e-mail them to your friends or save them to a disk or a CD. So, to do that, you have to have some sort of a USB data connection kit, which comes with the cable cord that plugs your phone into your computer's USB port and the software that will help you in transferring the pictures from your phone. You usually have to purchase these kits separate from your phone. The store where you buy your phone should have them available and they will be able to tell you which one will work with your type of phone.
Once you have your phone and computer connected, you can start transferring the pictures. Again, keep in mind that these kits are phone specific, so you need to make sure that you get one that will be compatible with your phone model.
Bluetooth
Another way to handle the pictures on your cell phone that is becoming more popular every day is a wireless technology called Bluetooth. Bluetooth works with short-range wireless technologies that allow you to easily send photos from your phone to a laptop or desktop computer. The computer you are sending them to just has to be equipped to accept the pictures.
The most difficult (but it can sometimes be fairly easy) part about Bluetooth is matching the phone to the computer, so they are both compatible with each other. But, once that it is done, sending the images couldn't be easier.
As long as your phone has the Bluetooth software on it, you can send the images without any extra charges billed to you. You can also send photos to other Bluetooth users' phones without any wires or additional charges. This seems to be the most versatile way to go if you're looking to maybe spend a little more money up front for the Bluetooth works, but it will save you money in the long run when you don't have to pay any extra charges when sending your pictures back and forth.
Another way for you to send pictures between your friends and family is to e-mail them. Your cell phone has to have e-mail capabilities for this to work, but a lot of the phones these days come with that ability. You can e-mail them to other people or, as mentioned above, to yourself. You just have to type the e-mail address in the To: field just like you would if you were using Outlook Express and it will be sent.
If you see something while you're out and about that you just have to take a picture of, you can snap the photo on your phone, send yourself a quick e-mail and when you get home, the picture will be on your computer waiting for you. You can then send it off to other people or do something like set it as your desktop wallpaper.
Removable Memory Cards
Another new technology that is presenting itself with camera phones is an external memory card for your phone. The phone just comes with a slot for the card and you can transfer the shots to your computer in a snap. You will need to purchase an external memory card reader so it will all work, but it's one of the easiest ways to go if you takes several pictures with your cell phone.
When you have the card reader installed, you just remove the memory card from your phone, insert it into the reader and your computer will recognize it as another drive. You can then drag and drop the photos wherever you want them to go, e-mail them to others, etc. The options are pretty endless with this choice. You can then get rid of the existing pictures on your phone (since they're on your computer and not lost) and go out and take more. It's that easy!
Just one more reminder: all of these applications work differently with different phones, so make sure you refer to your phone's manual before doing anything you're not sure of. But, all in all, this is all really cool when you think about it. Who would have thought we could do so much with a little phone? Technology is just out of this world! Source: Tech News
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Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Get paid to Tweet with Twtad
You enjoy Tweeting with your friends, but wouldn't it be great to make extra cash on the site while you post on twitter? Twtad has the solution . We give you links to post on your Twitter account and you earn money each time someone clicks your link. Get paid to tweet could not be easier...
The twtAd referral program is a great way to spread the word of this great service and to earn even more money with your Twitter account! Refer friends! Just send them the link below, post it on your Twitter, post it on your website, http://twtad.com/?id=5255
The twtAd referral program is a great way to spread the word of this great service and to earn even more money with your Twitter account! Refer friends! Just send them the link below, post it on your Twitter, post it on your website, http://twtad.com/?id=5255
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Friday, April 24, 2009
How to Twitter and get Followers
I understand this topic has been discussed over and over again. There is probably very little you can’t find on other blogs. I also don’t claim to be a “social media expert” as so many do. I just want to help new people understand how twitter works and how you can make the most out of your twitter experience. I want to show you the tools I use, as well as how I build friendships on twitter.
Twitter Tools
TweetDeck - Probably the best twitter client for your desktop. It allows you to take control of your twitter feed by having different groups. The groups are helpful when you start to follow more and more people. Another key feature is the search filter. With it you can follow topics that interest you, and find new users to follow.
TweetBurner - If you post a lot of links into twitter. You want to be able to follow how many people click on it, and when. This is the ultimate tool to do this with. At the writing of this article however, they are having some problems with users signing up, but they still show you how many clicks your links are getting.
Twitter Grader - A interesting tool that calculates a score for you based on number of followers, numbers you follow, and number of tweets. Then you can compare yourself to other twitter users in your area. I find this tool to be a nice way to find other twitter users around your area.
Quitter - This tool follows your followers. Lets you know when someone stops following you, and what your last tweet was before they stopped. Can be helpful to see if your doing/saying something a lot of people don’t agree with.
Friend or Follow - Here you can type in your twitter name. In return they will tell you who are your friends, who are just following you, or who you are just following. Can be used to weed out people that you don’t need to have on your friend list.
For a list of almost every twitter app there is on the market. Go to: Mashable.com
Social Twitter
# - This tool is underused on twitter in my humble opinion. When you are writing a twitter with a link to a video, do #video, or a link to something funny do #funny. The # is what twitter uses to group similar tweets together. I use this as much as possible, because I know there are people out there listening to #video with twitter search. Since they are watching it, they will see my post and possibly find it interesting, in return following me.
RT - You have probably seen people write this, or Re-Tweet. This is a very popular thing to do on twitter. It helps people with links or message get seen by a bigger group of people. So if you RT @USERNAME, there is a bigger chance that this user will do the same back to you if you post something if value. This propels your name to a new group of users, that in return might follow you because of the link.
#FollowFriday - A fun community tool that people use to let their followers know about people they find funny, cool, whatever. If you work hard and are continually submitting valuable information, its likely that people will include you on their #FollowFriday. So in return, if you find someone interesting, do a #FollowFriday for them as well.
Ask Questions - Ask your followers questions. Get them to think about topic. Basically get a back and forth exchange going.
Share - Share information with your followers. Try to give them valuable resources, or tricks of the trade.
Reply - Try to do a @ reply as much as possible. If someone is asking for information and you know the anwser, reply and help them out. This is the best way to get others to notice you.
Source: GinSims Be Sure to Leave Your Comments!
Twitter Tools
TweetDeck - Probably the best twitter client for your desktop. It allows you to take control of your twitter feed by having different groups. The groups are helpful when you start to follow more and more people. Another key feature is the search filter. With it you can follow topics that interest you, and find new users to follow.
TweetBurner - If you post a lot of links into twitter. You want to be able to follow how many people click on it, and when. This is the ultimate tool to do this with. At the writing of this article however, they are having some problems with users signing up, but they still show you how many clicks your links are getting.
Twitter Grader - A interesting tool that calculates a score for you based on number of followers, numbers you follow, and number of tweets. Then you can compare yourself to other twitter users in your area. I find this tool to be a nice way to find other twitter users around your area.
Quitter - This tool follows your followers. Lets you know when someone stops following you, and what your last tweet was before they stopped. Can be helpful to see if your doing/saying something a lot of people don’t agree with.
Friend or Follow - Here you can type in your twitter name. In return they will tell you who are your friends, who are just following you, or who you are just following. Can be used to weed out people that you don’t need to have on your friend list.
For a list of almost every twitter app there is on the market. Go to: Mashable.com
Social Twitter
# - This tool is underused on twitter in my humble opinion. When you are writing a twitter with a link to a video, do #video, or a link to something funny do #funny. The # is what twitter uses to group similar tweets together. I use this as much as possible, because I know there are people out there listening to #video with twitter search. Since they are watching it, they will see my post and possibly find it interesting, in return following me.
RT - You have probably seen people write this, or Re-Tweet. This is a very popular thing to do on twitter. It helps people with links or message get seen by a bigger group of people. So if you RT @USERNAME, there is a bigger chance that this user will do the same back to you if you post something if value. This propels your name to a new group of users, that in return might follow you because of the link.
#FollowFriday - A fun community tool that people use to let their followers know about people they find funny, cool, whatever. If you work hard and are continually submitting valuable information, its likely that people will include you on their #FollowFriday. So in return, if you find someone interesting, do a #FollowFriday for them as well.
Ask Questions - Ask your followers questions. Get them to think about topic. Basically get a back and forth exchange going.
Share - Share information with your followers. Try to give them valuable resources, or tricks of the trade.
Reply - Try to do a @ reply as much as possible. If someone is asking for information and you know the anwser, reply and help them out. This is the best way to get others to notice you.
Source: GinSims Be Sure to Leave Your Comments!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Three start-ups attack Twitter Search
New companies are emerging to address the deficiencies in Twitter Search I covered last week.
This isn't so easy. The challenge for anyone trying to fix Twitter Search is that the service is extremely good at showing you what's happening on Twitter at any moment. If you add a ranking algorithm to Twitter search results, you risk burying that value. On the other hand, without some form of relevancy indicator or ranking, Twitter Search can get so noisy as to be unusable.
Here are three companies that apply some form of ranking to Twitter search results.
The newest--scheduled to launch at noon on Monday--is Twazzup. It solves the relevancy problem first by not messing with raw time-sorted Twitter search results. Those go to the main column. What shows up around them makes this tool great.
Twazzup doesn't mess with Twitter's time-sorted results. But the related links and lists around the main display add a lot of utility.(Credit: Screenshot by Rafe Needleman/CNET)
First, you get a menu of related words and hashtags at the top of the results page. There's also an expandable "Popular Tweets" sidebar item that has the tweets on your keyword that are the most retweeted or linked to. There's also a list of "Trendmakers," people actively tweeting your keyword. And there are photos and popular links.
My preview of this product showed some performance hiccups, but the concept and presentation are very strong.
Tweefind gives you what looks like a standard Twitter Search (albeit in My Little Pony colors), but it layers a ranking algorithm into the display order.
Currently, it factors the number of followers and the number of retweets on an item in the ranking. Its results are better than the unfiltered Twitter Search, but I have the feeling, when looking at Tweefind results, that I might be missing items I'd like to see. That's the paradox with which all these tools have to deal. More on Mashable:
Tweefind Applies Google Magic to Twitter Search.
Tweefind ranks results using a Google-like algorithm.(Credit: Screenshot by Rafe Needleman/CNET)
Finally, there's Twitalyzer Search. It shows you raw, time-ordered Twitter results but adds two relevancy numbers to each tweet in the results list: The Influence (I don't understand exactly how this is calculated) and the number of followers the tweet's author has. It helps you find the items from the people to which other Twitter users are paying attention, and since the search order isn't modified, you don't feel like you might be missing other items.
Twitalyzer Search adds Influence and Followers data to standard Twitter Search results.(Credit: Screenshot by Rafe Needleman/CNET)
I like Twazzup the most of these three products, since it presents a lot of useful information while maintaining the value of the raw Twitter search r
esults. I do worry about the viability of all these experiments.
Twitter Search itself is going to get some sort of ranking technology eventually--possibly from one of these companies, possibly from Google or Microsoft--leaving the others stranded. Until then, try Twazzup. Source: Rafe Needleman - cnet news Be Sure to Leave Your Comments!
This isn't so easy. The challenge for anyone trying to fix Twitter Search is that the service is extremely good at showing you what's happening on Twitter at any moment. If you add a ranking algorithm to Twitter search results, you risk burying that value. On the other hand, without some form of relevancy indicator or ranking, Twitter Search can get so noisy as to be unusable.
Here are three companies that apply some form of ranking to Twitter search results.
The newest--scheduled to launch at noon on Monday--is Twazzup. It solves the relevancy problem first by not messing with raw time-sorted Twitter search results. Those go to the main column. What shows up around them makes this tool great.
Twazzup doesn't mess with Twitter's time-sorted results. But the related links and lists around the main display add a lot of utility.(Credit: Screenshot by Rafe Needleman/CNET)
First, you get a menu of related words and hashtags at the top of the results page. There's also an expandable "Popular Tweets" sidebar item that has the tweets on your keyword that are the most retweeted or linked to. There's also a list of "Trendmakers," people actively tweeting your keyword. And there are photos and popular links.
My preview of this product showed some performance hiccups, but the concept and presentation are very strong.
Tweefind gives you what looks like a standard Twitter Search (albeit in My Little Pony colors), but it layers a ranking algorithm into the display order.
Currently, it factors the number of followers and the number of retweets on an item in the ranking. Its results are better than the unfiltered Twitter Search, but I have the feeling, when looking at Tweefind results, that I might be missing items I'd like to see. That's the paradox with which all these tools have to deal. More on Mashable:
Tweefind Applies Google Magic to Twitter Search.Tweefind ranks results using a Google-like algorithm.(Credit: Screenshot by Rafe Needleman/CNET)
Finally, there's Twitalyzer Search. It shows you raw, time-ordered Twitter results but adds two relevancy numbers to each tweet in the results list: The Influence (I don't understand exactly how this is calculated) and the number of followers the tweet's author has. It helps you find the items from the people to which other Twitter users are paying attention, and since the search order isn't modified, you don't feel like you might be missing other items.
Twitalyzer Search adds Influence and Followers data to standard Twitter Search results.(Credit: Screenshot by Rafe Needleman/CNET)
I like Twazzup the most of these three products, since it presents a lot of useful information while maintaining the value of the raw Twitter search r
esults. I do worry about the viability of all these experiments.Twitter Search itself is going to get some sort of ranking technology eventually--possibly from one of these companies, possibly from Google or Microsoft--leaving the others stranded. Until then, try Twazzup. Source: Rafe Needleman - cnet news Be Sure to Leave Your Comments!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
What Is Following? Friends of course and it looks like I have None
What is Following?following means your friends coming to see what you have posted on your blog and keeping updates on it. Maybe its because I placed this Follows gaget on my blog so late in time that I have no followers? If the friends that are on my BlogRoll sign up to follow me I would not feel so all alone and left out.. Why won't you follow me? Don't you like my BLog? IF you have any suggestions I'd like to hear your comments so tell me why don't I hae any followers? Im blogging about this in hpes that I may get some followers just take a minute or two and sign up to be my friend... THis is real good for your ranking also the more followers you hve the better. As you can see I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT BLOGGERS NEW GAGET THE FOLLOWERS BUTTON and this is to bad for me for as you can see I only have very very few followers and that is because I just found out about the gaget and just placed it on my blog and so I HOPE that being as Im far behind in followers that all MY FRIENDS Who VISIT DOTBLOGGER and who are in my bloglist WILL SIGN UP ON THE FOLLOWERS BUTTON for right now I feel so lonely without any followers in my gaget and I know that is my own fault for not checking up and seeing what new gagets BLOGGER has put up for us.......................................................
Do you have a favorite blog and want to let the author and readers know that you are a fan? Well now you can do that and more with the Blogger Following feature! You can even keep track of the blogs you follow via your Reading List on the Blogger dashboard.
How do I become a Follower of a blog?
There are several ways to become a follower of a blog. One of the easiest ways is to visit a blog that has added the Following widget and click on the "Follow" button under the "Followers" widget:
You'll then see a popup window with the options to either follow publicly or privately:
Select how you'd like to follow the blog, then click the "Follow this blog" button. It is that simple, you are now a follower of the blog! If you elected to follow the blog publicly, your profile picture will be displayed on the blog with a link to your Blogger profile (Note: The widget may not show all followers of the blog. If this is the case all followers will be linked from the widget). When you become a follower of a blog, the blog will also be added to your Reading List on your Blogger dashboard and this site will also show on your FriendConnect profile for all the sites you've joined using Friend Connect. Additionally, you can become a follower of any blog or URL (even if the blog doesn't have the Followers widget) by adding the blog to your Reading List on the dashboard.
FTP Blogs
If you join/follow an FTP blog from your dashboard or the Nav bar, the owner of the blog WON'T be informed that you followed the blog. However, if you join/follow normally (via the gadget) the owner WILL be informed that you followed the blog.
How to remove yourself from following a blog
The easiest way to remove yourself from following a blog is to visit the blog, and click "Settings" under the Following widget on the blog.
You will then see a pop-up window with your profile settings. Click the "Stop following this site" link and you will be removed from following the blog. If the blog doesn't have a Followers widget, you can still stop following the blog. To do so, go to the "Blogs I'm Following" tab under your Reading List on your dashboard.
Then click the blue "Manage" button. You will then see a list of all the blogs that you are following. To stop following a blog, click the "stop following" link next to the blog you want to stop following.
Lastly, following a blog will create a subscription to the blog in your Google Reader account.
What does Blocking a follower do?
When you Block a follower of your blog, the user will no longer appear in the Followers Gadget on your blog and will not see your blog in their Blogger Reading List. However, since your blog is public, the user can still use the other feed readers to subscribe to your blog, read your posts, and comment.
How to grow your audience with Following
The Followers widget is a great tool to help you grow your blog's audience. Readers often visit a blog and enjoy it but fail to return. With the followers widget you can get all readers to return and become a fan. We highly recommend that you write a post about your followers widget and encourage all readers to become a follower. Additionally you should put your followers widget at the top of your sidebar so more readers will notice it. Many readers ignore sidebar items so by writing a post about your followers widget and moving the widget to the top of your sidebar, you will inevitably grow your audience.
Source: bloggers help ..... Be Sure to Leave Your Comments! Be Sure to Leave Your Comments!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
EntreCard Recent Droppers Widget
Want to see who has been the recent EntreCard Droppers to your blog then get this EntreCard Dropper for your blog and elimate alot of the extra work , make it esy to to drop a EntreCard on those who have dropped EntreCards on you. See who is stopping by to visit your site . Get an ENtreCard Droper now and start having some fun. This guide explains how to add a Recent Droppers Widget like the one you see on the Entrecard blog.
WordPress
Option A
In your Presentation tab, go to Widgets, and then add an RSS widget to your sidebar.
Grab the url of your inbox RSS feed and paste it in to the RSS field of the widget.
Option B.
Because the default RSS widget is not very customizable, there is a plugin that many prefer to use.
Install the KB Advanced RSS widget
Activate the plugin
Add a KB Advanced RSS widget to your sidebar, in your Widgets tab.
Customize your RSS widget, and make sure to include the RSS url from your inbox.
For Blogger / Blogspot
Go to Dashboard → Template → Page Element
Select the “Add a Page Element” option on the sidebar
Add the feed widget element
Enter the RSS url from your inbox
save changes
The Inbox RSS URL
The Inbox RSS url that you need to make all this work is found on your dashboard.
Just right-click on the orange RSS icon, and select “Copy Link Location” (in Firefox) or “Copy Shortcut” (in Internet Explorer) to copy the URL. Then paste it into an RSS widget as described above.
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WordPress
Option A
In your Presentation tab, go to Widgets, and then add an RSS widget to your sidebar.
Grab the url of your inbox RSS feed and paste it in to the RSS field of the widget.
Option B.
Because the default RSS widget is not very customizable, there is a plugin that many prefer to use.
Install the KB Advanced RSS widget
Activate the plugin
Add a KB Advanced RSS widget to your sidebar, in your Widgets tab.
Customize your RSS widget, and make sure to include the RSS url from your inbox.
For Blogger / Blogspot
Go to Dashboard → Template → Page Element
Select the “Add a Page Element” option on the sidebar
Add the feed widget element
Enter the RSS url from your inbox
save changes
The Inbox RSS URL
The Inbox RSS url that you need to make all this work is found on your dashboard.
Just right-click on the orange RSS icon, and select “Copy Link Location” (in Firefox) or “Copy Shortcut” (in Internet Explorer) to copy the URL. Then paste it into an RSS widget as described above.
Be Sure to Leave Your Comments!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Counter Strike 1.6 Portable Games
Do you like games? Everyone lkes some type of games especially action games and here is one you all will find fantastic and can play anywhere, so ENJOY * - Doesn't need to install...* - Perfect to put on USB drive and play at school or work* - Play online, and in lan with your friends...* -Bots inclued...* -Almost all the maps of cs 1,6+2 new maps... (fy_iceworld, cs_bloodstrike)* - Only 65 mb...Download :http://rapidshare.com/files/100220141/Portable_CS_1.6_abhishekrd.rarCounter Strike Zero (Portable)· Single-elimination, team-based online shooter· Completely overhauled with better graphics, new characters, items, and environments· Package includes Half-Life 2: Deathmatch and Day of Defeat: Source· Real-world physics adds depth the gameplay· Internet connection required for online playDownload :http://rapidshare.com/files/106370528/fedestudio_linkwizards.us_Counter_strike_Zero_portable.part1.rar%20http://rapidshare.com/files/106371412/fedestudio_linkwizards.us_Counter_strike_Zero_portable.part2.rarBe Sure to Leave Your Comments!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
New and beautiful themes and Blogger Templates
While surfing the net I came across these beautiful themes and blogger templates that you all should take a look at and think about gdtting a Fresh new look for your blogs. You can see more of these blogger templates at http://mashable.com they have lots more for you to chose from and even if your not ready to change your tmeplate I know you will still enjoy looking at these beautiful works of art, as much as I did. It was a real treat for me looking over at all these different blogger templates. DotBlogger is of course bringing you all the latest in blogging and surfing the net for you and bringing it all here to you . Enjoy.....You can never have a too wide choice of templates for your blog, especially if you’re the experimenting type. Therefore, we started another round up of Blogger themes, this time focusing on fresh and modern designs, and came up with about 70 of them.
Please note that many of the template authors’ sites are not in English and you might want to run a Google Translate on them. Some of them might also require a free registration to download the templates.
Don’t forget our originals, 50 More Beautiful Blogger Templates and BLOGGER.COM TOOLBOX: 30+ Templates & Tools for Blogger.
Advanced Tech - A nice blogger template with header tabs, orange color post headers, and post calendar icons.
Altruism - A clean minimalistic template with a white background and bright green sidebar.
Aspire - A rustic look and calendar in the sidebar make this blog template perfect for history bloggers and traditional food bloggers.
Bella - Pink and very feminine. A nice template floral designs on the header and calendar icons on the posts.
BlueMarine - A clean design with nice RSS buttons, and lots of header space.
Butterfly 2 - This is a nicely done template with two red strips running on the sides of the blog and butterflies in the header and sidebar.
Cat - Glossy, shiny; great for a web 2.0 centric blog.
Be Sure to Leave Your Comments!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
The Essential Guide to Growing Your Blog on Minimal Time
If you’re like most bloggers, you probably want to grow your readership as quickly as possible, but don’t have much time.
Unfortunately, blogging usually takes a lot of time — writing blog posts takes up a fraction of most bloggers’ time, as they also check their stats and earning multiple times a day, customize their blog design, try out new blog ad systems, comment on many different blogs, spend a lot of time doing email, and so on.
If you let it, blogging can become two full-time jobs. But get this: you can grow your blog quickly on very minimal time, by setting limits and focusing on the essentials.
I’m just one example: I grew Zen Habits into a Top 100 blog within its first year even though I was working a full-time job and doing free-lance writing on the side — giving me only about an hour a day to work on my blog, total. I probably could have spent more time blogging by working in the evenings or on weekends, but I have a family that’s more important to me than blogging.
So how did I grow Zen Habits so quickly on so little time? Well, I figured out through experimentation what grows a blog the quickest, and I learned to focus my time on those things. And guess what? Checking your blog stats and earnings — even though it’s the thing than many bloggers do most throughout the day — doesn’t really grow your blog, at all. What does? More on that below.
Limits
The key to growing your blog with minimal time investment is to set limits on how much time you’ll spend blogging. As I said, blogging can easily expand to fill your entire day, if you let it. In fact, whatever time you allocate to blogging is the time that blogging will take.
So limit your time to something manageable … for me that was 1 hour a day, for others it might be two hours or even three, and for still others it might only be 30 minutes. It really depends on how much time you have. Don’t spend less than 30 minutes on blogging, though, if you’re really serious about it. I’d say an hour to two is ideal. Any more than that and you’re not really setting limits.
So what happens if you set a limit of say, 1 hour? You could waste that hour by doing fruitless tasks, and then your blog will get nowhere. But if you’re smart, you’ll focus on the key tasks that will really help your blog, and nothing else. By setting limits, you’ll force yourself to choose only the most essential tasks.
If you gave yourself 4 hours a day, you could do a lot of tasks, but maybe only 1 out of 4 of those tasks would really grow your blog. If you gave yourself 1 hour a day, you’d have to eliminate 3 out of 4 of those tasks to fit within the time limit, and (again, if you’re smart), you’ll choose the most effective tasks.
Set a timer each day and work within the time limit. And while you’re doing so, be sure to do the most effective tasks first, and if you have time left, go to the next most effective tasks, and so on. This is a post from Leo Babauta of Zen Habits, author of the new best-selling book, The Power of Less.
Be Sure to Leave Your Comments!
Unfortunately, blogging usually takes a lot of time — writing blog posts takes up a fraction of most bloggers’ time, as they also check their stats and earning multiple times a day, customize their blog design, try out new blog ad systems, comment on many different blogs, spend a lot of time doing email, and so on.
If you let it, blogging can become two full-time jobs. But get this: you can grow your blog quickly on very minimal time, by setting limits and focusing on the essentials.
I’m just one example: I grew Zen Habits into a Top 100 blog within its first year even though I was working a full-time job and doing free-lance writing on the side — giving me only about an hour a day to work on my blog, total. I probably could have spent more time blogging by working in the evenings or on weekends, but I have a family that’s more important to me than blogging.
So how did I grow Zen Habits so quickly on so little time? Well, I figured out through experimentation what grows a blog the quickest, and I learned to focus my time on those things. And guess what? Checking your blog stats and earnings — even though it’s the thing than many bloggers do most throughout the day — doesn’t really grow your blog, at all. What does? More on that below.
Limits
The key to growing your blog with minimal time investment is to set limits on how much time you’ll spend blogging. As I said, blogging can easily expand to fill your entire day, if you let it. In fact, whatever time you allocate to blogging is the time that blogging will take.
So limit your time to something manageable … for me that was 1 hour a day, for others it might be two hours or even three, and for still others it might only be 30 minutes. It really depends on how much time you have. Don’t spend less than 30 minutes on blogging, though, if you’re really serious about it. I’d say an hour to two is ideal. Any more than that and you’re not really setting limits.
So what happens if you set a limit of say, 1 hour? You could waste that hour by doing fruitless tasks, and then your blog will get nowhere. But if you’re smart, you’ll focus on the key tasks that will really help your blog, and nothing else. By setting limits, you’ll force yourself to choose only the most essential tasks.
If you gave yourself 4 hours a day, you could do a lot of tasks, but maybe only 1 out of 4 of those tasks would really grow your blog. If you gave yourself 1 hour a day, you’d have to eliminate 3 out of 4 of those tasks to fit within the time limit, and (again, if you’re smart), you’ll choose the most effective tasks.
Set a timer each day and work within the time limit. And while you’re doing so, be sure to do the most effective tasks first, and if you have time left, go to the next most effective tasks, and so on. This is a post from Leo Babauta of Zen Habits, author of the new best-selling book, The Power of Less.
Be Sure to Leave Your Comments!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Wishing you all a Happy New Year
Hi My dear friends,
I'm just about ready for a New Year's celebration with friends...
... But before I go, I wanted to wish you a very Happy New Year.
Don't make your New Year's resolutions and goals for 2009 based on FEAR of the recession...
Be logical. Think your goals through carefully. Get all the facts. Plan. ENJOY LIFE!
Be Sure to Leave Your Comments!
Google has Updated another PageRank
It seems that Google has did another PageRank update. Some new websites I developed recently have acquired a PageRank whilst others have not so there’s a chance they are still updating.
You can check your blogs PageRank in your browser if you have the Google Toolbar installed. If not, you can check it out at a PageRank checking website like PRChecker.
Has your blog had a PageRank increase? Source: Kevin Muldoon from Systemo
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You can check your blogs PageRank in your browser if you have the Google Toolbar installed. If not, you can check it out at a PageRank checking website like PRChecker.
Has your blog had a PageRank increase? Source: Kevin Muldoon from Systemo
Be Sure to Leave Your Comments!
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Fujitsu ST6012 Tablet PC
When I come across a cool new gaget on the web I immediately want to share it with all of you so you can see and know whats new. Enjoy!
You have got to love all these new electric tablets that are coming out these days! One of the latest is the Fujitsu ST6012. I’m sure most of you are familiar with the name of Fujitsu. For those that aren’t, we have reported on this company’s products before, most recently, the Laptop4Life Program.
The Fujitsu ST6012 is a 12-inch tablet PC that comes with some very interesting features including a TFT WXGA display with indoor and outdoor wide views. It is also equipped with an integrated Intel Wi-Fi Link 5300AGN (802.11a/b/g/draft-n) as well as Bluetooth wireless.
Under the hood of the ST6012 is an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor Ultra Low Voltage SU9400 and Intel Centrino 2 with Intel Pro Technology. As for the memory, it has 1GB DDR3 MHz memory, and 80GB S-ATA 150, 5400 rpm hard drive2.
As for the software, it comes with Genuine Windows Vista Business, Bonus Media with Microsoft Office OneNote 20071 and Microsoft Office Ready PC. It also includes a fingerprint sensor, embedded TPM, a Smart Card slot, as well as the Fujitsu Security Application Panel.
If that isn’t enough, the ST6012 comes with an integrated camera and wireless USB. If you are interested in this, (and how could you not be) it will cost about $1,999-2,579. Source: PC Gagets
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Wednesday, December 10, 2008
New Nokia N97 shares same slide out keyboard
The Nokia N97 doesn't look anything like earlier leaks have suggested and it's easily the most exciting device Nokia has announced this year.The design of the N97 might bring your thoughts to the HTC TyTN II as it shares the same slide out keyboard and tiltable display, but the similarities end there. The fascia doesn't look that different from the iPhone, albeit in white and having three buttons instead of a single one.The specifications are truly awe inspiring, starting off with a 3.5in touch screen with 640x360 (16:9) resolution and haptic feedback, a slide out QWERTY keyboard, a 5Megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash, WiFi, Bluetooth, A-GPS, HSDPA, 32GB of built in flash memory, a microSD card slot, FM-radio, FM-transmitter (for sending music from the phone to a radio tuner) and a 3.5mm headphone jack which doubles up as TV-out socket.The keyboard doesn't look like the best we've seen, but considering that the N97 measures 117.2x55.3x15.9mm (HxWxD) it's not a bad feat incorporating a keyboard, especially when you consider that the iPhone 3G measures 115.5x62.1x12.3mm (HxWxD) which actually makes the N97 narrower, if somewhat taller and thicker. The N97 weighs 150g which is a bit on the heavy side, although the iPhone 3G comes in at 133g, so again, not a huge difference.Nokia claims the battery is good for 1.5 days of music playback. The N97 uses the S60 5th edition OS which is the same as the Nokia 5800, but with some N-series tweaks which adds extra functionality. The N97 also supports various on-screen keyboards and handwriting recognition. It also supports Nokia maps and the new N-Gage platform.
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