Acting Your Age...NOT!!!!

Before this semester, I had heard of Twitter, but never knew exactly what it was, or how to use it. Linkedin.....huh? Facebook...it's the same thing as Myspace right? Wiki-wiki....what? Blogs...okay, now we are getting into familiar territory. So, why am I telling you about my lack of networking/social network knowledge? The answer is simple... I am not alone!

I know that a lot of people are in the dark about many of the websites/applications that I've mentioned thus far; but if they don't know about these sites yet, it's time for them to play catch-up. Being techno-savvy is extremely important, not only because you'll know what cool websites and gadgets are taking the world by storm, but also because having this type of knowledge is becoming a necessity in today's workforce. Take Yammer, for example...I actually introduced this site at work, and spread the word around to my coworkers. We are inviting each other to join, and soon we'll have our own Yammer network(which is the workplace equivalent to Twitter) up and running in no time. Since I work in an IT dept, we can use this application on our cell phones when we're out of the office, or simply use it to converse in-house. I can see it being a very useful tool for our dept, and potentially the entire company.

I mentioned earlier that I'm not the only one who was once in the dark about many of the new technologies that are available online. I decided to discuss this topic because I was inspired by an article I read this week on CNNmoney. The article discusses older employees in the workplace, and how they need to keep themselves valuable in the workforce by staying abreast of the newest, latest, and greatest technologies available. I found it very interesting that the author of this article discusses Twitter and Wiki's, in particular, and tells the reader that these are sites one should be very comfortable using; by expanding their knowledge, older workers can become a greater asset to their companies. Very good advice indeed!

GOOD Stuff

I am very excited to share GOOD, which I discovered as a link on a web design website. GOOD describes itself as "a collaboration of individuals, businesses, and nonprofits pushing the world forward," stating that
"since 2006 we've been making a magazine, videos, and events for people who give a damn." I like their style!

At the top of its website, GOOD has three tabs; What is GOOD, Choose GOOD, and Make GOOD Better. When I first accessed the site, I immediately clicked on the "what is" tab, wanting to know more about this site; this is where I received the information above. I became immediately interested and wanted to learn more. Obviously the people at GOOD are doing a great job of getting people's attention, just like they got mine! The more I explored the site, the more I did give a damn about GOOD.

If you click on Choose GOOD, another tab I mentioned above, a page opens where you can join GOOD and choose a non-profit organization to support. GOOD contributes 100% of all membership fees toward non-profits, and shows exactly how much it has raised thus far. As I'm writing this blog, GOOD has raised nearly $860,000 dollars.

By selecting Make GOOD better, the final tab at the top of the website, you may give feedback to GOOD. The site/webmasters are asking for suggestions, comments, feedback, and they also have a contact us area here.

I have mentioned all of these tabs because I wanted to point out how quickly GOOD showed me the purpose and cause behind its site. I didn't have to dig deep to find out that GOOD is supporting non-profits; I wasn't wasting time sorting through numerous pages on their website. I simply clicked a few tabs on the very top of the main page to find the purpose and drive behind this amazing company. I must also mention that GOOD is simply an awesome website! There are so many rad articles and fun things on here, one could get caught up for hours playing, watching, and reading. I would suggest looking for the blog entry called Intermission, which has a video called "London(harder, better, faster)" which is super cool!

It just seems to me that GOOD is doing everything right to promote itself, and its message on the website. I think it is extremely important for a website to be user-friendly, as well as informative. GOOD did both, and they did it very well.

Kickapps kicks some serious Butt!

What's in a name? EVERYTHING!

I've discovered a really cool website that is offering a wide variety of services for FREE! Yes, free of charge if you allow advertising on your site. This isn't your Grandmother's site, with something free of charge that is extremely lame; these are apps that totally rock. The name of the site is KickApps, and they offer Social and Media applications free of charge, or for a fee if you want to go advertising free on your site.

KickApps has a wide variety of applications for you to use on your site, including: social networking, photo & video sharing, comments & ratings, message boards, blogs, widgets, video players, & a feed manager. The people at KickApps are very helpful and have even thought of devoting a completely different site to help companies who are using their apps. The second site is called KickDeveloper, a community of KickApps affiliates. This site has blogs, messageboards, and much more. It is a place for developers to connect, share ideas, and learn how to use KickApps in the development of their own sites. Very cool!

KickApps has already helped a site win an Emmy...seriously! The Phoenix Suns won an Emmy for their site called Planet Orange which is powered by KickApps. Overall, I think that this idea is awesome, and the company has done an amazing job to promote itself. I have seen KickApps advertising all over the web, on numerous sites, even on a Twitter application that I have on my iPhone. They are spreading their advertising around and obviously the word is getting out. If I were developing a site, I would definitely consider using some of their apps in my design.

Mashable - we're not talking potatoes

So my blog, which is about interesting and useful websites, is taking a turn toward a very cool site this week. I simply stumbled upon Mashable.com which is a blog about "all that's new on the web." This blog covers topics that are of interest to those in the PR field, as well as the everyday reader. There is a resources section, social networking section, as well as a mobile section, and several others.

As I mentioned before, I am pretty new to this site, but nearly every blog that I have read has been quite good. These guys seem to know what they are talking about, and like their motto states, they are introducing their readers to new sites and applications on the web. As a PR professional, I would definitely bookmark this site and check it regularly for updates.

For all of you Twitter freaks (yes, even though I dissed Twitter in class, I find myself checking it daily... am I addicted) I have found yet another link on mashable that has a TON of Twitter apps for you to get crazy with. Check the article out here.

Twitter - Oh the places you can go.

So, the class did a Twitter assignment last week (yes, you were all there, so this is not news to you) and I thought it would be fitting to find some Twitter fun to share with the class for my blog entry today. I have to admit that I was very skeptical about the whole Twitter thing, and after doing the assignment, I still think that Twitter is kind of weird. On the other hand, I have come to realize that this is an outlet for networking that can prove to be quite beneficial. I also found another PR professional who was skeptical as well, but he has changed his mind recently, so maybe I need to give Twitter some time to grow on me!

I found a site that shows five new Twitter tools that you should check out. Click here to take a look.

I wanted to share these tools with you because they will simplify your experience on Twitter. Personally, I don't think Twitter is the most user-friendly site out there. As someone who is pretty techno-savvy, I just get irritated with websites that are annoying to use. So, if I can find tips and tricks to make a potentially useful site easier, I will definitely use them.

After reading PRBlogNews (my first link), and using Twitter, I fully understand how this tool can be used to assist PR professionals on the Internet.

The wonderful world of Vintage

I am diving into the wonderful world of blogging by introducing everyone to the most awesome world of vintage websites. If you haven't noticed yet, vintage is taking the net by storm.

Vintage sites are not only visually appealing, but I believe they also provide an opportunity for companies to draw in the "older" crowd. Yes, this might sound a bit out there, but I think that vintage isn't just a way to make your site look cool.

Let's think about this... Take my Father-in-Law, for example, who RARELY uses his PC, but when he does, realizes that the internet is super awesome. Now, part of the reason he doesn't surf often is that he isn't confident with the computer and doesn't feel comfortable using all of this "fancy" technology we have nowadays!
Maybe, if my husband and I directed him to a website that reminded him of the ads he used to read in magazines as a teenager, he might feel less intimidated by that website. He might be more apt to play around and actually use the site, realizing that the web isn't so intimidating after all!

I might be way off on this one, but I think that vintage isn't just for looks, but also another way to attract a wide variety of viewers to a website. If I'm wrong, it's okay...vintage is SUPER cool to look at anyway!

Here are a few rad sites to check out. Enjoy!

Prospect Denim
Sauro Motel
The Retrovert
Media Boom