Have you charged your batteries during the summer? Are you ready to "rise to the top" and go back to work? I will kick-off my podcast interviews again, starting in September. Please stay tuned...
By the way: Do you think that Vine will create a compilation page for your vines sometime in the future, similar to your Instagram photos placed one page? Do you think that the short video clip content material is here to stay, or is it a fad going away?
How many tweeps could you handle? Is the magic number 150 (Dunbar's number)? Could it be a good idea to try to increase the amount of people you are following on Twitter, or am I on the "wrong" path...
So, our challenge is to curb this type of behavior without interfering with non-spammy users—some of whom may just be very enthusiastic followers. What is a reasonable number of people to follow, anyway? Most users may have a hard time finding 500 accounts they are interested in—while others would think a limit of 10,000 is too low.
Also, people approach Twitter in different ways. Some think you should follow everyone who follows you. Personally, I don't because that would render Twitter unusable for me. I "only" follow about 700 accounts—less than 5% of the 16,000 who follow me. (Mr. Obama may have time to keep up with 50,000 people, but I'm a busy guy!)
The point is, there is no right or wrong. And there is no perfect formula. We do our best by taking a multi-dimensional approach. We look at a number of factors—including how many people are following you back—before applying limits. We don't reveal exact limits, because it's somewhat complicated and, more importantly, if you were to tell spammers exactly what the filtering rules are on your email or, say, Google's PageRank, they'd just engineer their way around them much more easily.
Twitter is one of my favorite social media channel. I have participated in this kind of cocktail party, listening to several radio stations of lifestreams, since 2007. Right now I am looking for a tool to help me clean up some of Twitter users I am following, so I can follow new tweeps. I have reached the "follow limit". Twitter has put a cap at 2000 users that you are following. I am following over 4000 users at the moment, but have "only" 3800 followers, so I can't follow new tweeps at the moment. Do you have tips on a tool that take care of this situation?
I follow back. Not indiscriminately, but if you want to take time to get to know me, I’d like to get to know you too. We can do that on Facebook, but unfortunately you’ll have to make the first move on Twitter (and wait until I hit some magical unpublished ratio—PR and the Social Web says the magic formula is number of followers plus 10%—that means I can follow you back).
(Portent.com, September 17, 2012.)
It is up to the folks at Twitter to set their own rules, but personally I don't understand their reasoning with the limit:
When you reach a daily or total limit and we show you an error message, you've hit a technical limit imposed to limit egregious behavior by spam accounts and to prevent strain on the site.
Twitter does have limits set in place with regards to ratios of following (who you follow) and followers (who follows you) and their preference is to have more followers than following.
They do this for one main reason – to keep spammers at bay. If you follow 1500 people and only 150 follow you back – the first question people ask is ‘why is no one following this person?’ and assumptions are made that you are trying to ‘talk’ to more people than want to talk back to you which = SPAM ALERT!
(social4business.com, January 30, 2011.)
Before I test JustUnfollow, I want to hear your thoughts on this issue and tools you have used in order to keep your Twitter feed nice and tidy.
I have added two Google+ gadgets to the blog. Scroll down to the About section and you will see a gadget saying: "I'm on g+ - Add to circles". You could recommend my blog on Google if you scroll down to the bottom of the page and look under PayPayl's Tip Jar button and then click on the "g +1" button.
The "joy" of the site, says Frank, is that when your stars accumulate for a while, "the important stuff is going to inevitably surface." By the "important stuff," he means the "why" that sits between you and your friend. Why are you friends? What do you like about each other? Frank says Facebook has done a good job establishing connections between users and the people, brands and artists they like, but that a friend request or "Like" button doesn't say anything about why that connection exists.
Frank, who defines Star.me as "light playspace," says that underneath the fantastical HTML5 graphics is actually "large scale system about identity, relationships and the stuff we appreciate about each other." Naturally, he adds, it's going to be messy.
(FastCompany.com, March 14, 2011.)
Mark Overmars' Game Maker engine is a key learning tool for budding gave developers. By abstracting game creation with simple drag-and-drop functionality, Game Maker allows beginning users to easily build working games without programming. Those wanting to go deeper can utilize the Game Maker Language to script complex game logic, as well.
This, combined with the tool's nominal cost, has lowered the barrier to game development to almost nil. But don't assume that amateur hour is the rule of the day. Standout indie titles like Spelunky and Seiklus are creative examples of what is possible with the tool. (Gamasutra, November 17, 2010.)
About three years ago I got tricked by a site called Quechup. From my post, QUECHUP AFFECT:
[Editor's note to my contacts in my Gmail address book: Quechup has automatically sent out invitations from my address book. I am sorry if I have caused you any form of inconvenience. I will contact everyone who replied to "my" email invitation and registrated at Quechup. It will take some time...]
And now it has happened again... This time the site is called ShoppyBag. I hope that I haven't "forwarded" any spam to your inbox...
A GMail help thread from 2009 is full of people complaining that ShoppyBag is a social networking type of site that spammed their contact lists: “Do not sign up at shoppybag. I did a few days ago after an invitation form [sic] a family member, and I woke up this morning with automated invitations to EVERYONE on my contacts list. Do not provide your account and password to shoppybag.” (CNNMoney Tech Tumblr, November 23, 2010.)
How do you protect yourself against this kind of spam?
UPDATE: I learned from the thread ("Will the Shoppybag email scam be able to get my personal information from my stored emails?") on the Google help forum that you could revoke a third-party access to your email contacts by going to your personal settings and then click on the link to "Change authorized websites" and you will see a list of websites with an "Authorized Access to your Google Account."
What kind of technology trends do you think will be leading this year? I think that we will see more and more applications for people on the go, and the digital consumption will be catered and personalized to the user of the mobile device. The iPad and other computer tablets have changed the reading behavior and you could see how businesses are jumping on the board. Here is an excerpt from William Fenton's article, Bytes and Bites: Restaurants Put iPads to Work:
At Chicago Cut, an upscale steakhouse, customers use iPads to pair wines. A custom app allows patrons to peruse the restaurant's 750 wines, search by price, variety, and regions, and review detailed descriptions of wine taste. Especially inquisitive connoisseurs can even pin the winery on a Google Map. David Flom, the restaurant's managing partner, sees material gain from the virtual integration. (PCMag.com, January 4, 2011.)
What version is that? The one that will filter through all of these social networks and use the technology they purchased when they acquired the Ellerdale Project to really find the good stuff out of the thousands of items that are aimed at me every day. (Business Insider, December 17, 2010.)
This changing of the technology distribution guard will also result in the largest media change of fortune since the advent of the cable industry in the 1970′s. Now individuals can launch their own TV/Radio Station or Magazine/Newspaper for literally a few thousand dollars. (ThoughtLeadershipMarketing.com, January 4, 2011.)
I am thinking of signing up for an account on Audible.com. I still like to read real books, but it could be enjoyable to start to "read" some books in audio format in the future. Do you listen to books?
I have been adding new applications on my iPhone. It is interesting to see how a specialized browser for the mobile market, like Opera, is getting downloaded a million times in 24 hours! For more on the mobile market, read Lisa Barone's post, 4 Questions To Ask Of Your Mobile Site.
Here are three examples of mobile applications that could change the way we communicate in the future.
The integration of Skype mobile does give Verizon one huge advantage — you can now receive internet calls spontaneously on a standard handset — but it falls far short of an implementation that would unleash the full power of Skype on a mobile device.
And it isn’t really internet telephony at all: Skype calls are routed through Verizon’s network, you can’t receive calls placed to your online numbers, you can’t use Skype (and its cheaper calling plans) to place calls to other telephones. Skype on Verizon doesn’t even work under Wi-Fi, where Skype sort of lives.
Still, it’s a bold maneuver by Verizon that would seem to benefit the original internet telephony upstart even more. Exposing people to the idea that you can use the internet to make and receive free and dirt-cheap phone calls — that you don’t need expensive calling plans and contracts — could be madness. Or, it could be a brilliant way of managing an inevitable shift that eluded other industries to their peril. In a way, this is just a continuation of the trajectory that saw telcos tack hard to wireless when it was clear the landline business was cratering. (Wired, 03/31/10.)
Just a week ago we talked about VoIP in 2013: trends and predictions and how mobile VoIP users will be reach 288 million by the end of 2013. Today we come back with another interesting story about mobile world: trends and prediction in worldwide smart phone application market. (Nimbuzz Blog, 03/18/10.)
A network of communication and collaboration tools called GreenWin (formerly Sqip Com). [Editor's note & full disclosure: This is a referral link. It's free to sign up for the service.] For a background, listen to Nick Hetcher's interview (March 2009) with Christian Fortune, CEO and co-founder of GreenWin (Sqip), and then check out the latest webinar (04/14/10) with Christian Fortune.
Have you found some new communication tools lately? Do you think that these new applications will change how we work and interact during our spare time?
I got an used BlackBerry Curve 8310 Smartphone some months ago, as a backup for my old Qtech 9100 (HTC) smartphone. I agree with Brian Tong that the BlackBerry phone is "über comfortable" to hold in your hand and I like the keyboard. But I must say that the learning curve is a bit steep for my taste, so I haven't really used it to its full potential. I will use it for my regular phone calls, SMS and as an alarm clock.
Fast forward sometime and here comes the iPhone 3G by Apple! I saw a special campaign at Telenor (link to Telenor Trainee Blog) in Gothenburg and went to the store and talked to a service minded salesperson. The phone contract is for two years and I get unlimited mobile surf for circa $28 per month. I think that I will use the iPhone more as a productivity and communication tool, than a regular mobile phone.
I wonder what will happen when the iPad is entering the market. Will it become the new entertainment gadget?
I have added the following applications ("apps") on my iPhone:
scyphers says: Tips for managing time: (OpenForum) Recap; Actual inbox, empty email, mindmap, small tasks, take notes, always improve (1st October 4:19, Tweetmeme / Twitter.)
Martin, good article! I have tried, but I find it impossible to a zero inbox -- or even close to zero, say 30 unread emails. Unfortunately, my unread emails number in the 3-figures or 4-figures. Of course, most of those are monitoring emails, such as Google Alerts, or newsletter subscriptions, or email notifications about comments on my various blogs. I've tried setting up special folders and automatically pushing certain emails to those folders so I can review them later. That helps. But even so, unread emails just accumulate in my inbox. Then eventually they get archived, and that helps keep the numbers down. Of course, my business is mainly Web-based and 99% of everything we do involves email. But I wonder if others have the same problem? -- Anita (Open Forum, idea hub - topic: innovation, October 2009.)
As I said in my post, I have struggled with maintaining an empty email inbox for a long time. At the moment, I have 8794 messages in the inbox... I have to archive them and start from scratch again. I am sure that the GTDInbox is a great application and solution to this problem. Please read, Why Email is Addictive (listen to the rats), for a possible explanation to the email "problem"...
[Editor's note: I started to write a draft of this post on 08/02/09. It has taken a long time to "chew", process & clarify stuff. Due to the "organized chaos" I am going back and forth between the different steps of the workflow process. I am often trying to collect, process, organize, review and do things at the same time! I am feeling a bit more at ease now when I have finished reading David Allen's book, Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and Business of Life. The book has given me new fuel and energy to kick-off this ongoing journey of getting things done. Let's roll & pluck the day! Please feel free to join the conversation on GTD, productivity best practices, worklife, etc.! At the moment, I am especially interested to receive tips on podcast shows on this topic.]
I have been thinking of writing a longer post on my development of my worklife for some time. One big part of improving my productivity is clear the workspace and to set up the right "buckets". I have a picture clear on how to create a good workflow process, but I get overwhelmed now and then about all my old stuff that I have to go through. I have spent several days of my "vacation" to clean up things and I am starting to see the "light in the tunnel"...
This is picture of Morris the cat stretching out on the computer desk. The photo is taken in the beginning of 2009 (February). I had plenty of piles on the desk and in the in-basket.
My bulletin board. The toy crusader is from my childhood. He has misplaced his lance and horse, but he will continue his fight... Do you know where I could get a Betsy Ross flag pin?
Picture of Morris the cat. 2009 overview calendar.
I start out the week on Monday morning by listening to David Stiernholm's podcast with "tips on how to create good structure and efficient work procedures for you and your organization." The weekly newsletter includes a PDF and an audio file (MP3).
I will start to take time at the end of the week with a review and a brainstorming session. I know that I have been procrastinating to get started due to all the old stuff that I have to get through before I could get ahead and continue forward. I have been looking for the new "ultimate" and cool gadget in order to motivate myself to dig into the piles of stuff. I have to go through a kind of mental "shock therapy," collecting all the old stuff and dump into the in-basket and then "force" myself to go through it, piece by piece. I have been spending some time this summer "setting up the right buckets" and going through "ancient archives" at the same time. I know that I will fall off the "wagon" now and then and it will probably take a year or two before I have integrated my personalized productivity habit so it becomes a natural part of my worklife.
Here is a list of things that I will be dealing with in the future:
Desks:
Keep the computer desk in tidy fashion and give the in-basket a "VIP" position on it.
Start cleaning off the mahogany desk, including the in-basket. Should I have reference material here in the study room?
Go through the computer desktop on a regular basis. Keep files "fenced in". Look at the wallpaper and get inspired!
I recently purchased GoalEnforcer. I will use it as a combined project management / mindmapping / brainstorming tool. I will play around with this program during this autumn.
I will start to use and review GTDagenda sometime in the near future.
I have started to use GTDinbox, but I have to get back to scratch regarding the inbox again. I had >22,500 email messages at one time. I had to do dump them into an archive. I now have >6000 email messages in the inbox. I should visualize the stack of 6000 papers and get going... ;)
I will come to grip of the situation and acquire an insight of my workstyle. According to ACCO Brands Corporation's workstyle finder, I am classified as follows:
Expressive Work Style
You are a free spirit with a plan. You know what works for you, and you build your work life around your individual needs. You know where you're going, and you have a good idea of how to get there, but you're flexible -- you're not afraid to take a few side trips along the way. When a project is important to you, you are very organized and efficient and manage your time well. You recognize the equal importance of appearance and content, and you strive to balance the two in everything you do. You pick and choose what you are going to pay attention to, depending on what priority is at the top of your list on any given day. (ACCO.com, "workstyle finder survey results.")
I want to end this post with a photo of my new favorite productivity tool... Pico Pen!
I have problem with my smartphone at the moment. About a year ago, I had similar "bugs" with my mobile phone. Maybe it is time to look into a new type of phone. I must say that iPhone 3GS seems to include several features that could be very useful for my worklife.
Talking about mobile phone, I am glad to see that some of my readers have started to read EGO blog on a mobile device. You could see a MoFuse counter at the bottom of the page. It says "29 mobile by MoFuse" at the moment.
I must say that I have plans to start using my old Filofax again... Maybe an iPhone together with the Evernote application could be the perfect fit when I am on the move. My physical hands-on backup system could be my Filofax calendar and the to-do note cards with symbols for different places. [Editor's note: Called "contexts" in GTD lingo.]
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. The book has given me new fuel and energy to kick-off this ongoing journey of getting things done. Let's roll & pluck the day! Please feel free to join the conversation on GTD, productivity best practices, worklife, etc.! At the moment, I am especially interested to receive 
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