Archive | August, 2009

Stand-Alone Facebook Application

Aug/28 in Desktop, Online Apps

Want to keep Facebook in it’s own stand alone application?

Facedesk - a Facebook Adobe Air Application

Facedesk, which sounds like a yoga exercise I do when I don’t get enough coffee in the morning, is that application.  Providing you with a stand-alone way to access your Facebook friends, this is the perfect tool to use if you want to stop using Facebook as a web site, and start using it as an online application.

Once you get it installed, it is just like any other time you’ve used Facebook.  You login, and do things as you normally would.  You can post updates to your profile, go visit friends’ pages, and interact with your little web community.

Using Facedesk in the place of another web browser tab or window will hopefully help you cut down on desktop clutter and keep your PC a little more organized. 

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25 Most Popular Web Hosts on Twitter

Aug/27 in Online Apps, Web Hosting

Popular Hosts on Twitter

On the Web Hosting Show podcast, we have done a lot of talking recently about web hosts that use Twitter, and how they use it.  Some use it for support, others use it for marketing, and the best ones use it for both.  Who are the most popular web hosts on Twitter though?

To put that question to the test, I thought I would compile a list of all the web hosts on Twitter that have over 1,000 followers.  Out of nearly 100 web hosts on the Web, here are the 25 that made the cut.

  1. WestHost Web Hosting (WestHost) on Twitter = 1,804 followers
  2. softlayer_news (softlayer_news) on Twitter = 2,609 followers
  3. Sustainable Websites (sustainableweb) on Twitter = 2,946 followers
  4. Surpass Web Hosting (surpass) on Twitter = 1,960 followers
  5. Slicehost (slicehost) on Twitter = 3,500 followers
  6. Six Apart (sixapart) on Twitter = 15,401 followers
  7. SiteGround (SiteGround) on Twitter = 1,132 followers
  8. Site5 Web Hosting (site5) on Twitter = 1,010 followers
  9. PinchHost (PinchHost) on Twitter = 8,891 followers
  10. mediatemple (mediatemple) on Twitter = 8,571 followers
  11. GoDaddy.com Guy(GoDaddyGuy) on Twitter = 3,060 followers
  12. lunarpages (lunarpages) on Twitter = 1,528 followers
  13. linode (linode) on Twitter = 1,655 followers
  14. LiquidWeb (LiquidWeb) on Twitter = 12,734 followers
  15. Laughing Squid (ls_hosting) on Twitter = 1,079 followers
  16. Joyent (joyent) on Twitter = 2,350 followers
  17. JaguarPC (JaguarPC) on Twitter = 4,637 followers
  18. Sunil Saxena (inmotionhosting) on Twitter = 1,259 followers
  19. HostGator.com (hostgator) on Twitter = 4,668 followers
  20. Hostcats.com (Hostcats) on Twitter = 1,299 followers
  21. 123-Reg (123reg) on Twitter = 1,677 followers
  22. Gary Jones (bluefur) on Twitter = 46,671 followers
  23. dreamhost (DreamHost) on Twitter = 2,934 followers
  24. FireHost Inc. (FireHost) on Twitter = 3,783 followers
  25. INSANE Deals Only @ (HIVELOCITY) on Twitter = 6,508 followers

There you have it, 25 of the most popular web hosting companies that are on Twitter right now.  You can find a list of nearly 100 web hosts on Twitter on the Web Hosting Show’s web site.  Did your web host make the cut?

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Play, Download and Watch Flash Videos on the Desktop

Aug/26 in Resources

There are some really amazing Adobe Air applications out there.  One that most recently caught my eye was the FLVPlay HD video player.  It is a free video player to get local control of remote videos.

FLV Play HD in Action!

By clicking on the bottom tab, or from File > Search, you can search for users on YouTube, you can select one of many feeds to check out, search by keyword and sort by several different methods.  After you have watched a video you can download it, mark it as a favorite or add it to a playlist.  If you have any .flv files you have downloaded, and don’t have anything else that will play them – FLVPlay HD will do that job too.  Just go to File > Open, and open it from there.

So if you are looking for a great lightweight application to browse online videos, or watch some that you have saved to your PC, PlayFLV HD is definitely worth downloading for free to see if it meets your needs.

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The Real Secret to Tech Support

Aug/25 in Odds & Ends, Web Hosting

Having worked in the world of support for many years, this “cheat sheet” just made me giggle.  The xkcd web comic series has pretty much hit the mark when it comes to how you can really solve 95% of the problems out there.

Tech Support Cheat Sheet

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WordPress Recipes

Aug/24 in Web Development Tutorials

It isn’t often that I write up a post to highlight somebody else’s post – but this one is so great I had to share.  This list of over twenty WordPress recipes is a collection of code that anybody who deals with WordPress should keep close at hand.  Via this link you can find out how to:

  • Display Tags In A Dropdown Menu
  • Automatically Insert Content In Your Feeds
  • Display Most Commented Posts In 2008
  • Display Related Posts Based On Post Tags
  • Display The Future Posts
  • Randomize Posts Order

Plus a whole lot more.  That is barely scratching the surface.  You can check out the full collection here:

Also, for more WordPress code snipits you can use in your own layouts and designs, be sure to check out WpRecipes.com, another great resource for neat ways to modify your WordPress powered web site.

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10 Great Sources for Online Shopping Deals

Aug/21 in Online Apps

We all enjoy finding a way to save a little extra cash, so I wanted to give you all some of my  favorite online deal sources, so you too can enjoy in the discounts that are hidden out there.  Here are ten of my favorite sources for online shopping deals.

Have another source that is even better?  Don’t be shy – feel free to share!  We all like saving some money!

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GetSimple Content Management

Aug/18 in Web Development Tutorials

Get Smart... err, I mean GetSimple!

Looking for a new way to manage your web site? GetSimple is the newest content management system to get my attention, and I have to say – it does look impressive.

Probably the one feature that got my attention the most is it doesn’t use mySQL to store information, or any sort of database at all.  It does it through the magical wonderment of XML.

We don’t use mySQL to store our information, but instead depend on the speed and accuracy of XML. By utilizing XML, we are able stay away from introducing an extra layer of slowness and complexity associated with connecting to a mySQL database. Because GetSimple was built specifically for the small-site market, we feel this is the absolutely best option for data storage.

What are the requirements? 

  • UNIX/Linux host
  • PHP 5.1.3+
  • Apache
  • No MySQL Database
  • 6 minutes to spare

Even the documentation is light for it, with only six pages telling you everything you might need to know about how to get running with GetSimple.  Filed in as “looks interesting, but really need to play with it” GetSimple looks simple enough to use, and friendly enough for everybody to enjoy. 

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Roll Your Own TinyURL Hosted Service

Aug/17 in Web Development Tutorials

Create Your Own Link Shortening Service

Tired of your favorite link shortening service not listening to your demands, or maybe you have a better idea for a link shortening service?  This is where YOURLS comes into the picture.  Wearing it’s spandex tights of freedom, it will let you use the power of PHP to roll down own link shortening service.

Some of the features include:

  • Public (everybody can create short links) or private (your links only)
  • Random (sequential) or custom URL keyword
  • Track click count on your links
  • Neat AJAXed interface
  • Developer API

The requirements are pretty lean too:

  • A server with mod_rewrite enabled
  • At least PHP 4.3
  • At least MYSQL 4.1

Once you get it up and running, you can even use it in connection with your own WordPress install so you can generate short URLs using your service for each new post or page. 

The bottom line is, if you want to roll your own TinyURL, this script provides the easiest way to get that done.  Download it and give it a shot at yourl.org.

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Create Your Resume Online with JobSpice

Aug/12 in Online Apps

Create a Resume Online

Looking for an online resource where you can put together your resume?  If you are looking for a new job, or perhaps just wanting to organize your previous work experience, one unique place to get the task of organizing a resume is JobSpice.

This web site allows you to sign up and then easily create a resume in minutes.  All you do is fill in the blanks, and add more information when needed by clicking the add new section link.  Some of the details you can list include:

  • Contact Info
  • Objective
  • Education
  • Experience
  • Achievements
  • Affiliations
  • Skills
  • Publications
  • Custom Information

Once you get the basics filled out, you can then preview the resume and pick the style you want to use for it.  Each one is different, but they all give your resume that professional look and feel.  When finished, you can share your resume, save it, print it, or save it as a PDF file.

Write up your own resume today with JobSpice, it makes organizing your thoughts during this sometimes tedious task a lot easier.

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Get Clicky – An Alternate Web Analytics Suite

Aug/11 in Online Apps, Web Development Tutorials

I have to say, I really love my Google Analytics, however, with that said Clicky web analytics does look like a pretty sweet competitor.  They give you the chance to monitor, analyze, and react to your blog or web site’s traffic in real time. 

Playing with the demo, you can see that the interface is much better looking than anything else out there in the web analytics market. 

Clicky Web Stats Demo

If you want to check out how it compares to “the other guys” they have a nice table to help you do that too.  Some of the things it has that others do not include:

  • Real time goals, conversions, and campaigns
  • Track custom data for every visitor (usernames, cookies, etc)
  • Widgets to put on your web site
  • Works with visitors who have disabled JavaScript
  • FeedBurner RSS stats integration

Clicky isn’t a stats package I have tried out myself yet, however – after checking out some of the features, I am kind of itching to give it a shot.  Sign up for free and let me know how does it stack up against your favorite web statistics program?

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