History: G+ Activity Log for the rest of the Web

// I recently wrote http://bit.ly/Vx6wiE asking for a #Google+ activity log, a page where you could see all the posts you +1ed or commented on. The problem is, if someone doesn't interact with the post after you, you can't easily find it. 

It turns out something like this is on the works. +Shamil Weerakoon pointed me to the direction of the #Google #HistoryAPI. Announced back in June of last year at Google I/O, it promises to allow websites to post updates of actions you take around the web to Google's archive. If the concept sounds familiar it is because #Facebook has already done with #OpenGraph http://bit.ly/YG2e9B

The History #API is still in development but you can get a taste of it already. You can have in a single page, the archive of pages you +1ed around the web (not G+ posts), videos you viewed on YouTube, apps you got from Google Play, photos from Instant Upload and searches you have made (although that last one hasn't appeared on my page so far). People concerned with #privacy  should be reassured by the fact that you can select per source who can see your history (i've set everything to "only me"). 
 
Click here to learn more http://bit.ly/WARdDg and here http://bit.ly/WzOOce to sign-up. And here's another #googleplusrequest : Do the obvious, integrate this with Google posts and comments! :)

Photobox: CSS3/jQuery image gallery

// There are probably thousands of #lightbox  solutions but here is fancy one, straight from the refreshed #jQuery   #plugins  site (http://bit.ly/YBFQye):

Photobox promises to be a lightweight image gallery modal window script which uses only #CSS3 for silky-smooth animations and transitions. The goal was to create an image #gallery script that uses GPU rendering to move things around, instead of the old fashioned #javascript way (e.g. most other scripts in existence).

The visual result is what you see in the screenshot, check out the demo and download it here http://bit.ly/114QgYz 
Official support includes Firefox, Chrome and IE8+, although Safari had no issues with it as well. 

Free eBook: Social State

// In celebration of Community Manager Appreciation Day, +Esteban Contreras's new book "Social State: Thoughts, stats and stories about the of social media in 2013" is available #free of charge just for today!

The book contains lots of great information and insights on #social  #media, making it a great read! Get it on the links below:
- Amazon Kindle http://bit.ly/socialstateamazon
- Apple iBooks http://bit.ly/socialstateibooks 
- B&N Nook http://bit.ly/socialstatenook
- Vook (ideal for international readers) http://bit.ly/socialstatevook

Happy Community Manager Appreciation Day! #CMAD 

Where's the Google+ Activity Log?

// So last night, I commented in a #community post. This morning I can't find it. Unless someone replies to my comment or +1 it, I will never be able to find it. 

So how about an #activity #log, a (private or public depending on user choice) page where all comments I've made and all posts I've +1 can be found? It took about 6 years for that other site to do it, surely it should take less for #GooglePlus ! :-)

cc: (calling out the great powers of G+ :)) +Vic Gundotra +Mike Elgan +Robert Scoble +Guy Kawasaki   
#googleplusrequest #GooglePlusFeatureRequest

7 tips to get to an empty inbox

// The guys at Time #Management Ninja have a short guide on reducing your mail clutter allowing you to be more #productive .

1. One Day at a Time: If you already have a lot of mail, realize that you can't empty it all on one day. You can do it gradually though.
2. You Touch It, You Own It: Make it a habit that if you open an email that you immediately decide what is the next action to be taken (reply, ignore, etc). Then file it accordingly and move it of your inbox.
3. Batch Your Email: Handle mail in batches, for example once per hour or even once per day. Increase the automatic checking of new email accordingly. Getting notified of new mail only distracts you from your main tasks.
4. Automate Your Email: use rules to automatically move incoming mail to the corresponding folders, for example all your newsletters to a "newsletter" folder when you can read them at your own time.
5. Stop Using Your Inbox as Your Todo List: It will just clutter up and you can't have a clear view of what is more important to handle first.
6. Schedule Time With Your Email: Find a time of the day that is best for handling mail. Handling mail does not require a lot of "brain power". Try doing it at the end of the day.
7. Send Less, Get Less: Some mails don't need to be responded. Some other mails are best dealt by getting on the phone for 2 mins and clearing up  the issue rather than spending 30 mins on a mail ping-pong. :)

More on the original article here http://bit.ly/WtTg9m

Married people who like prostitutes

// The new #Facebook  Graph Search was an awesome idea +Mark Zuckerberg, bravo! :) The internet is going to be laughing (while being scared about it) at this for a few days (until we forget about it and continue publicly sharing our data without much thought) 

More fun searches at http://actualfacebookgraphsearches.tumblr.com/

15 Years of Apple.com

// A collection of #Apple 's home page layouts since 1997!
http://www.slideshare.net/choehn/15-years-of-applecom-15990876

Going Fullscreen with HTML5

// Up until recently, having a web page running in full screen was not possible, left only for #Flash -based sites. The best you could do was remove the menu/location bars but still the window frame remained.

This has changed with the #HTML5 #Fullscreen API which allows handling full-screen capability of the browser via #javascript . Support for this exists in modern browsers http://bit.ly/10IhvXN, with the exception of Internet Explorer of course. The feature is actually in use on Google+ (press space when you view a photo to enter full screen) as well as Facebook (through an "Options" menu choice).

For more details on adding this to your site, see this analysis of the related functions http://bit.ly/XXunVA by John Dyer, including a jQuery code example. There is also another #jQuery plugin implementing the spec, screenfull.js, here http://bit.ly/Yn2c6s
(Screenshot from the Mozilla demo page http://bit.ly/TldSoH)

On being a productive creative

// Here's an excellent speech by illustrator Victor Koen at this year's TEDx Athens on harnessing your #productivity and #creativity. Some of the key concepts he explains: 

- Work-day self-awareness: realize which hours of the day you work best on your various tasks
- Separate your tasks to match your best performance during the day
- Learn to clear your mind to focus on the task ahead
- Work hard: excellence doesn't come on day one
- Work smart: get feedback, get guidance for experts
- Be punctual and proactive

Enjoy! :)

Tinycon: favicon alert bubbles

// If you are building a web application, here's a nifty solution for alerting the your user of something new, like a new message or a reminder: 

Tinycon allows the addition of alert bubbles and changing the favicon image. Tinycon gracefully falls back to a number in title approach for browsers that don't support canvas or dynamic favicons.

See it in action and get it here http://bit.ly/YhEsk2

Must download: Best of Quora

// If there is a site that you could say "let's convert this into a book", it is probably #Quora . So it's great that they just come out with a collection of 100 of their best responses form the last 2 years. 

The 400-page   #book is available for download as a free #PDF and is split in 18 categories, including food, education, international, law, life advice, literature, music and more.

The #technology part includes: 
- Paul DeJoe's answer to #Startups: What does it feel like to be the CEO of a start-up?
- Steve Case's answer to 1995-2000 Dot-Com Bubble: What factors led to the bursting of the #Internet bubble of the late 1990s?
- Kevin Systrom's answer to #Instagram: What is the genesis of Instagram?
- David Cole's answer to Video Games: Am I missing out by not playing any video or console games?
- Ramzi Amri's answer to Steve Jobs: Why did #SteveJobs choose not to effectively treat his cancer?
- Tim Smith's answer to Steve Jobs: What are the best stories about people randomly meeting Steve Jobs?
- Peter Clark's answer to Silicon Valley Company Culture: Which of the Hogwarts Houses does each of the Gang of Four companies correspond to?

The best thing about the book is probably that is written by people who never intended to write a book or become authors. Their intention was to provide an answer to a question out of their experiences and knowledge without any financial or other motive. 

Download the Best of Quora here http://bit.ly/YhgkhA
If you prefer to read this on your browser or want to check out the full discussions, see the list of the actual pages here http://b.qr.ae/10dDDEt

Does writing in the WSJ mean anything?

// Short answer: probably not. A bit longer answer: 

I just had the pleasure of reading this article by +John C Dvorak on the Wall Street Journal's Marketwatch http://bit.ly/WfVf1V

In it Dvorak determines that #crowdsourcing will soon be over and provides 3 examples: 
1) He went on a site and got a popup (which he didn't know if it was Flash or Javascript(!)) asking him to like the site's #Facebook page. Ergo, Facebook likes are a mess and don't mean anything any more (well tell that to Petter Kverneng who went viral in a single day through the "messy" likes system http://gaw.kr/VAoVbA)
2) He added blogging and video editing as his skills and now is surprised that random people that he accepted in his network are endorsing him for skills he doesn't he is really worthy now. Ergo, +LinkedIn is now "cheapening of the value of crowdsourcing" (By the way, you can hide/delete endorsements or even remove the skills from your profile)  
3) Finally Mr Dvorak discovered the fun of fake reviews on Yelp that are actually mocking Taco Bell. Ergo, crowdsourced review systems are about to be extinct. I hope he doen't find out about Amazon's reviews on "Bic for Her" http://amzn.to/10psWUh or Mr Dvorak will declare Amazon "shortly dead" soon :) 

So there you have it, you read it on WSJ (and then here) first, likes are worthless and crowdsourcing is history. Thank you in advance for your +1s :)

For the record, I blame +Mike Elgan for reading Dvorak's article and spending half an hour writing this #rant :)

Nerds are destroying America

// Bloody nerds using their brains to destroy this great country because they hate everybody... :) 
Have a nice weekend! :)

Coming soon: Where your browser memory goes

// Currently available as part of the #devtools of the "early adopters" Canary version of #Chrome is a new feature that allows you to check what takes up the #memory that is allocated for your browser. This will certainly allow for more efficient #javascript  programming. 

Read more about it in +Addy Osmani's post http://bit.ly/101e2P9

Your most popular G+ photos

// A lovely use of the #Google+ #API  : Go to  http://www.googleplussuomi.com/thumbs.php?id=109098983561044225374 and replace the ID number with the number of your profile (you can figure out by going to your profile and seeing the address of the page). You will get your (public) photos sorted by popularity!
Via +Klaus Herrmann and +Jeff Sullivan. Created by +Jari Huomo 

How to start writing secure PHP code

// Some basics of writing #secure   #code  from Nathan Good at IBM

1) Validate input
2) Guard your file system
3) Guard your database
4) Guard your session data
5) Guard against Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities
6) Verify form posts
7) Protect against Cross-Site Request Forgeries (CSRF)

Kind of seem obvious, but they are not to a lot of people. The full read, "Seven habits for writing secure PHP applications", here: http://ibm.co/X0jCyP

Google adding synonyms and intent in the search for the perfect match

// For some time now, #Google has not been taking your searches... literally. Your keywords will of course be used but Google will also add in the mix the correct spelling of the words you used (if you made an error) as well as synonyms or related words (think "cat" when you search for "pet")

But Google is going further, analysing what people click for each search and determining users' intention. E.g. watching a video when you just search for "U2". This can go to an extreme like also giving you Best Buy pages when you search for another electronic site (see screenshot).

What to do about it? Use Google #Keyword  Tool http://bit.ly/UYKnWx and see which search terms people are using. Combine it with your Google #Analytics  report about through which keywords people end up on your site. 

Use also Google #Trends http://bit.ly/VFwcry to see if your website topic is part of a large audience over time or not and decide if you should expand or focus your coverage.
 
Read more on this article http://selnd.com/W3zwcp by +Vanessa Fox on +Search Engine Land 

How to stop SPAM trackbacks in Wordpress

// Nearly every #Wordpress  blog will start getting spam trackback requests shortly after they have it's first few visitors. If you're not familiar with trackbacks, it's an automated method to get notified (and add link back) when someone links to your blog. Trackbacks are by default enabled in WordPress installations. 

To the rescue come the Simple Trackback Validation #plugin by Tobias Koelligan (following previous work by Miachel) which runs several tests (like checking the IP of the request as well as the actual URL of the page that supposedly linked to you) on #trackback  requests and finds out if they are legitimate or not. 

See the screenshot of settings for more details and download here http://goo.gl/uolcm

Gantt charts with Javascript II

// I've previously (http://bit.ly/ZTPsnX) wrote about some #javascript based #gantt solutions, here are a couple more:

Teamwork Gantt by Open Lab is based on #jQuery and provides features such as: in-place editing, drag&drop, zooming, do/undo, multiple dependencies, full editing, dates shortcuts, css skin, multiple browser, resources editing, multiple assignment, milestones, export data in JSON format, resize & scroll, etc.
Get it here http://bit.ly/VTH0zI 

Ext Gantt is commercial solution by Bryntum based on #ExtJS, offering features such as: dependencies, resources assignments, PDF export, MS Project import, printing support, baseline tracking, easy theming and more. 
Find more about it here: http://bit.ly/ZTPR9O

Do you use something else for gantt charts?

No-Flash Maps with jQuery

// There are tons of Flash-based map solutions and there is always Google maps integration, but what if you want a more visually simplified, tablet-ready solution that will not depend on external sources? 

JQVMap is a #jQuery plugin that renders #Vector #Maps.  It uses resizable Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) for modern browsers like Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Opera and Internet Explorer 9.  Legacy support for older versions of Internet Explorer 6-8 is provided via VML. It comes with ready maps for Europe, Germany, Russia, USA as well as a world map. And of course you can build your own custom #map following the thorough documentation.

Get it here http://bit.ly/11ocXG4

Reminder: People come to your site to consume content

// They do not come to see ads or others links to other pages to your site, or navigation links or social media buttons.

So it is a bit counter-productive if the first 800 (probably more) pixels of your page do not have a single line of text from your content. The example below is from NBCNews.com: in a 1440x900 resolution you always will need to scroll in order to start reading the article. Above the fold you just get the headline (which you already knew when you clicked the link to go to the article) and half of a photo.

Who designs (and who approves) these kind of layouts? 

Zoom! Enhance! Manhattan!

// Just trying for another time the latest   #googleplusupdate that allows you to #zoom on big photos.

This one is a 3.6MB 3000x1418 pixels panorama of Manhattan by Sergey Semonov that won the amateur catagory at Epson International Photographic Pano Awards. (More about it here http://bit.ly/VJGGTX)

Thanks to +Gina Trapani for the link.

Zoom! Enhance!

// Google+ was already a great #social network for photographers but this new feature in the most recent #googleplusupdate  is simply awesome. You can now: 

- use your mouse wheel to zoom in or out
- click and drag to pan right, left, up or down

Try it out!
Note that this is 2000x1300 pixels screenshot of the interface. If you want to see the full image, head over to the announcement post by +Dave Cohen http://bit.ly/RFkNa5

(Let's see how many years it will take Facebook to copy this :))

Guide to CSS Transitions

// A thorough step-by-step guide to #CSS transitions

Embedded Link

All you need to know about CSS Transitions | Alex MacCaw
CSS3 transitions bring simple and elegant animations to web applications, but there’s a lot more to the spec than first meets the eye. In this post I’m going to delve into some of the more complicated...

Building a faster website

// Look at the slide below. How does your website compare with those numbers? A slow website means higher bounce rates (people come but wont load another page irritated or disinterested by the lack of speed), lost revenue and generally a low user satisfaction.

For a "crash course on web #performance" check out this presentation by Google's +Ilya Grigorik  http://bit.ly/VJLjgt
If you have more time, there is also a 1 hour speech by Ilya at HTML5DevConf here http://bit.ly/Zw2szS

Like a website's palette? Colorfy it!

// As it has been said a thousand times, great artists steal :) If you like the color palette used on a website, you can use Colorfy it to easily find out exactly what it is.

Given a URL it will analyze the source code of the #HTML and #CSS and provide you with a list of all colors used, their frequency and on which files they are mentioned. 

Try it out here http://bit.ly/Sd4mmV

And if you have any app ideas, Colorfy it also provides an open API without any usage limits. 

Organization Chart with jQuery? Done!

// One of the things I love about #jQuery  is that amazing community that has produced a plethora of solutions. This means that if you have a problem, it's quite possible that someone else has dealt with it before. 

If you're looking for a #javascript  solution to displaying an organization chart, Wes Nolte's jOrgChart comes to the rescue:
- Very easy to use given a nested unordered list element
- Drag-and-drop reorganisation of elements
- Showing/hiding a particular branch of the tree by clicking on the respective node
- Nodes can contain any amount of HTML except <li> and <ul>
- Easy to style

Get it here: http://bit.ly/WuBYIG
For other jQuery #chart solutions see here: http://bit.ly/VBCdoy

Icons in a Font: Elusive & Font Awesome

// Elusive and Font Awesome are two open-source #fonts containing over 200 icons each. They are geared to be used with Twitter Bootstrap but you can use them in any kind of project. 

Check them out!
Elusive: http://bit.ly/VCtQ9B
Font Awesome: http://bit.ly/WatPZ5
If you need more #free  choices, here some more in font and PNG formats: http://bit.ly/UKIqxA

Instant Web/App Screenshots with PlaceIt

//Lovely discovery of the day: PlaceIt is a free service that allows you to create product images of your latest website or app in "real" environments. Just choose the setting and drag&drop a screenshot on the empty space and it's magically done! 

Try it out here http://bit.ly/W7kFfU

Instant Web/App Screenshots with PlaceIt http://bit.ly/W7kFfU

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New year resolutions motivator: Lift for iOS

// As usual for this time of the year, you might be thinking about doing all those you always wanted to do like start reading more books or working out or even be a better person. 

If you're missing on #motivation , there's (more than one actually) app for that. Following the recent trend of #mobile   #productivity  apps that allow you to digitize your life, #Lift has the goal of helping you create new habits. 

It packs the following features
- Track multiple habits
- See the activity of other people tracking the same activities as you and interact with them (give "props", comment)
- Connect to Facebook and Twitter so your friends can have motivate you or mock you if you don't keep up with your goals :)
- Everything is public: if you don't like this, you can of course use a nickname and not login via Facebook/Twitter. An option to hide your profile has been promised
- Add notes for each activity, view a calendar of your streaks
- Notifications for reminding you to keep up with your habits
- Free, without ads

More about Lift on their website http://bit.ly/XlTo01
For an alternative without the social/privacy element see the Way of Life app http://bit.ly/TJODJ5 If you're using another app for the same purpose, let me know in the comments! :)

New year resolutions motivator: Lift for iOS http://bit.ly/XlTo01

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A Laconic History of the World

// Simplifying history is of course... simplistic, but still here's a #fun    #typographic   #map  designed by Martin Elmer of maphugger.com 

This map was produced by running all the various countries’ “History of ...” Wikipedia article through a word cloud, then writing out the most common word to fit into the country’s boundary. The result is thousands of years of human history oversimplified into 100-some words.

Reader's companion with more information http://bit.ly/12XGpC6
Zoom on it http://bit.ly/U95AjO

A Laconic History of the World

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Behold the Beauty of Bash

// This dangerous and #fun piece of #code (called a "fork bomb") would make a great t-shirt :)
You can try to find out what it does, do a backup first. Or read the analysis here http://bit.ly/VYACFc
Via +Geek Humor

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