django Playing with the Real-Time Web Since I left Facebook, I’ve been working on a little project to take its place as an aggregator, or a central hub of all me-related activity on the internet: Planetoid. Right now,
data Farewell, Facebook On Monday, I deleted my Facebook account. A day before I hit the button, I posted a note letting people know where they could find me online if they wanted, and promising more
Social Media Communities within Communities There is an op-ed floating around Twitter today: As a social network, Twitter is a dud. Is it ironic that an article deriding Twitter is being spread on Twitter? Irony is so ill-defined.
bots Oh the Humanity (of Twitter) Twitter creates a powerful opportunity: no matter who you are, or how big your business, you can put a human “face” on Twitter. Comcast (@comcastcares), JetBlue (@jetblue), Biggby Coffee (@biggbybob) and Starbucks (@starbucks)
classrooms Does the Web Hate School? Full Disclosure: I am employed at Michigan State University’s College of Education as a web designer and application developer. The opinions I express on this blog are mine, and do not necessarily
2.0 Identity 2.0 - A Primer Google your name. Right now. I’ll wait. Put your name here: Good. What came up? Look at the first page of results and ask yourself these questions about each one: Is it
identity New Twitter Name To all my Twitter followers, and those not yet following me: Twitter lets you change your user name, so I did. Instead of the very long and misspelled “urbaneexistance,” I am now @jamessocol.
authority Expertise and Authority 2.0 Jeff Atwood is a self-proclaimed amateur: “It troubles me greatly to hear that people see me as an expert or an authority, and not a fellow amateur.” “There is absolutely no reason any
behavior A Twitterer's Tipping Point Explaining Twitter to non-tweeters is still a difficult process. “It’s like Facebook status without Facebook” doesn’t do it justice—or sound very appealing. “It’s a public, non-realtime messaging system” convinces
discover Exploring the Web Last week, as I was demonstrating Ning in my office, someone asked me how I find things like this. Honestly, I could not remember when or how I discovered Ning, which prompted me
discover How do you find New Things? In lieu of a guest post, I’m just going to ask a question: What is your best source for finding new things on the web? Do you rely on search engines and
blogging Your Internet Classroom One person, some sort of authority, talks. Lots of people listen. Sometimes those people get to contribute something. Sound familiar? It should, because I’m not just talking about a classroom, I’m
Projects s.hort.cc makes s.hort.cuts Yet Another Short URL. I just launched s.hort.cc to offer something that TinyURL and Tiny.cc didn’t: an easy API for creating short URLs, or “s.hort.cuts,” and returning
facebook Dr. Voyeurism, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Twitter I’ve been thinking a lot about social networking lately, partly because my job deals with it, partly because I’ve got some Obsessive-Compulsive tendencies. Then Mostly Lisa wrote about the “big three”
fiction Picofiction Picofiction is new project: telling stories in 140 characters. Picofiction is a combination of microfiction, text messaging and Twitter. If you can write a story in a two-page spread, and tell the world