My Twitter Follow Friday list for May 2010

Instead of tweeting a list of Twitter handles for you to follow today, I decided to write a post to let you know who to follow and why.

I think this makes it more personal and special and I get a chance to explain why these Tweeple are worthy of following. So let's start.

This group is my Social Media life line, and if you're an enthusiast as I am you would follow them too:Chrisbrogan
ruhanirabin
tommytrc
stunmedia
SocialNetDaily
Mashable
SocialMedia2day

I follow this group to get tips on graphic design, PhotoShop how to's and techniques:nicholaspatten
mayhemstudios
bkmacdaddy

I follow this group of photographers for tips on techniques and equipment and just to see their beautiful photos, they're awesome:rmedina
JoannasFoto
MattGeorge

CTMedina

I follow this group because they keep me up to date on everything from technology to art to motherhood. All around an awesome group:Flipbooks
StarrGazr
2cre8
TechZader

HideMyIP

Paul_Steele

Wakooz_RSS

LoreLama

Minniemed

I follow this awesome group for great tips on how to use Social Media to market my training courses, strategy and engage customers:MariSmith
Mike_Stelzner
LearnSMM

mikepascucci

This group I follow for tips on everything from leadership tips to teaching with technology:web20classroom
marciamarcia
lizbdavis
tonnet
mylearningspace

Being an iPhone fanatic, I follow this group to keep up to date on new or existing iPhone apps, and to get some free redeem codes for free apps:dailyappshow
iphonesness
iphonelite
iphone_newsfeed

CrazyMikesapps

And last but not least..... If you ever need to say something and don't know quite how to say it, check these guys out. They always have some great quotes and wisdom to pass down.LeadToday
mlomb
RevRunWisdom


Who are your favorite tweeple? Share your list in the comment section.

I just like to share information, seriously!

It's funny how when people feel threatened by technology they always try to make up excuses why they shouldn't use it. This happens a lot with social networks. If you're technology challenged you shouldn't feel bad, this just means you're probably good at something else. All you should do is embrace and accept your challenge with an open mind. Give things time and if it's still not for you then great.... stop using it but don't covering it up with excuses like "I don't use Facebook because I don't want people seeing my information” or “I like to keep my personal life private”. Just accept that you don't understand them and ask for help or just move on.

Instead of criticizing those that like to share on sites like Facebook and Twitter, just cancel your account and keep your opinions to yourself. Just because you don't understand how to use these sites or why people enjoy sharing doesn't give anyone the right to criticize those that do.

Hey if I'm not good with math does that mean I should criticize accountants, NOT!

All I hear is... so and so shares too much information, so and so is always on Facebook, Only egotistical people use Twitter.... OK, I've had enough!

I think it's time to clear the air.

Even though it seems hard to believe that people are just genuine with no hidden agenda, and the only reward they get out of sharing is a feeling of personal satisfaction, that is the truth.

There are still good people out there that like to help others without expecting anything in return. I personally love to see the light bulb turn on after I teach someone how to do something. I also enjoy seeing how people start getting curious and start doing things on their own. Call me crazy but maybe that's why I'm in the Training field.

I've personally learned and continue to learn from the people I follow on social networks and especially Twitter. Maybe if these people would be more opened to these sites they would learn a thing or two. And I'm not even getting into how much more productive I feel by using these sites and yes, my iPhone apps as well. I can surely bet I'm at least 50% more productive just because of my iPhone.

Yes, there are people out there that are full of themselves but these kinds of people exist every where and in every field not only technology.

So before you start criticizing people, do yourself a favor and educate yourself.

This post was not intended to offend anyone. This was more of a venting post as I'm just a little tired of feeling like I need to explain why I like to use sites like Facebook, Twitter and my apps.

What's your opinion on this?

App Top List: My All Time Favorite Top 10 iPhone Apps

Time has past since I bought my iPhone actually two years this December, and one upgrade later so I thought an all time top 10 app post was over due. Even though some of these apps have been around for a while and some are pretty new I consider them my all time favorites as I use them all the time.

So let's get to it! The apps are in the order I use them the most being #1 the one I use the most and my all time favorite.

10. Gaggle Social Web Browser - Sounds like Google and it's pretty much the same. It's a search app that uses Google to find the information but with the ability to share the sites by tapping on the Share button. You can share on Facebook or Twitter or bookmark the site on your iPhone. Sharing with Tumblr, Digg and Delicious is coming soon. The app is very handy and it's free.

9. Shazam - Love this app and the fact that it's free is amazing to me. This app recognizes the music currently playing around you and gives you the artist and song name along with information on where you can buy the song and view the available videos.

8. Animoto - is a service that allows you to create free short videos by using your still life pictures. You can also create and download unlimited full-length videos for a minimal yearly fee which is well worth it when you see the professional job this service does with your pictures. You can add music, text, and highlight certain pictures and the services mixes it together to form a masterpiece. You can also access the videos you have created online via the app. Cost of the app, FREE.

7. CheckPlease - Tip Calculator - Ever been at a group dinner party and have to split the bill and no one has a calculator? This nifty app will add the bill amount plus tip, and then split it between the number of people you choose. You can also opt to not tip on taxes, apply a discount or coupon amount, round up or down on tip and total and best of all you can post the amount of the bill directly to PocketMoney. I have the paid version of the app which is $0.99 but they also offer a lite version for free.

6. PhotoArtist - The name implies it all Photo Art. You can select any of the photos in your library or take a new one and then apply any of the following six filters: cartoon, watercolor, illustration, halftone, mono, and pen and your photo is turned into art. It's not a photo editor likePhotogene, it converts your photo's into artwork as the name indicates and it does a great job at it. It's only $1.99 and I think it's well worth it.

5. Photofunia - There are lots of app that let you place your picture into a frame or even into a character but most of the work is done manually by you. With Photofunia all you do is select the photo from your camera roll or take a new one, select one of the 100 effects and this nifty free app recognizes the face in the photo and places the face where it goes. It's very neat, and the results look very professional.

4. Instapaper - This app let's you save articles and web sites for offline reading. You can categorize your articles by folders, star rate them, and share them on Twitter and Tumblr and if you have Echofon Pro it integrates with it. You can also browser the app's directory for more reading material or subscribe to some one's starred items and let them recommend more articles. I have the paid version which is $4.99 but they also have a free version available.

3. Facebook - After version 3.0 this app became amazing. Now you can see pretty much everything that goes on Facebook. The app is free and the only downside is that the videos do not play on the iPhone.

2. Echofon Pro - This app use to be TwitterFon Pro, a Twitter app and it goes for $4.99. You can manage multiple Twitter accounts, it has instapaper integration, push notification for mentions, Twitter search and trends, photo and video upload and so many other features. There is also a free version available.

1. Photogene - With Photogene you can crop, apply filters, color adjustment, exposure, and saturation. You can also enhance your photos with effects, captions, frames, borders, and even rotate the image. You have the option to edit photos from your library or taking a new one. Photogene brings photo editing to another level and it's just so simple to use. The app is $2.99 but it's well worth it. Some people prefer the new PhotoShop app but to me that app doesn't do half of the things Photogene does so I'll stick to this one for now.

Now of course these are only 10 out of 110 apps I have but these are the ones that make my life just a little easier.

What about you? What apps are your all time favorites?

Twitter Search in Plain English

Another great video from the Common Craft show.

Posted via web from All Things Cynthia Medina

Social Media MBA in a day class

If you're a Social Media enthusiast like me you probably would be interested in knowing about this one day Social Media In-A-Day class.

The speaker is Mari Smith - FastCompany.com dubbed Mari the "Pied Piper of the OnlineWorld."

I'm sure you're aware of all the buzz and pressure to integrate social media into your marketing efforts. But are you using sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and more to their full potential?

If you're not getting the results you want from your social media marketing, then you'll definitely want to check out this event:

Social Media In-A-Day with Mari Smith
Friday, August 14, 2009
8am to 8pm PST

Here's the coolest part:
There are TWO ways to attend: (1) LIVE in San Diego if you live locally or are happy to fly out, or (2) VIRTUALLY via webinar room anywhere in the world!

You'll be able to see Mari and the other class participants via webcam and participate via computer headset/microphone.

Mari will be covering everything you need to really accelerate your social media success using the top platforms along with all kinds of ancillary tools, sites and techniques.

If you don't know Mari yet, you're in for a treat! She's a self-described "bubbly Scottish-Canadian" and has a fun accent. Her strong background in the world of relationships and internet marketing, followed by over two years immersed in social media, make her one of the leading authorities to learn from. She's a dynamic speaker and excellent trainer.

Definitely check out this incredible event with a ton of valuable bonuses, including Mari's 8-CD Quick Start Social Media Kit and a complimentary private strategy session.

As a bonus, get Mari's free HOT new 3-in-1 Facebook Tips Report.

Video Review: Share videos, pictures, and URLs on Twitter with Tweetube

Here is another great service that allows you share more than just text and pictures on Twitter. With Tweetube you can also share webcam videos, YouTube videos and website URLs on Twitter and all for free.

So sit back and play our video to learn how this service works.



By the way, if anyone has a Mac and a webcam and would like to show us how sharing a webcam video works on Mac feel free to add your video URL as a comment. Sharing is always encouraged :O)

Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cynthiamedinam

Have you used this service? Or what service do you use and why?

Review: Update all your Web 2.0 Sites in a snap with Ping

If you're like me you probably have accounts with MySpace, Facebook, Hi5, Diigo, Delicious, Wordpress and more. With all the Web 2.0 sites popping up every where and all the accounts we have to keep up with different networks, friends, or family updating these sites are getting out of hand. Well I'm here to tell you that it has become easier thanks to Ping.fm who is here to relieve some of that pain.
Ping.fm is a service that allows you to update your status, blogs and micro-blogging of all your Web 2.0 sites from just one site. You can send your updates through your PC browser, phone, or e-mail.
Before Ping.fm I use to have to log in to Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and Hi5 and update my status in all sites. Now with Ping.fm, I just visit i.ping.fm from my iPhone and by updating my Status here, all these sites get updated automatically. How cool is that?
These are the Web 2.0 sites you can update with Ping.fm:


By clicking on the Add Network link next to the site name you can set up your log in for each web site and specify what information will be updated on that site. For example, if it's your Twitter account you're setting up, you would probably want Twitter to receive all micro-blogging and Status updates.

This service is very easy to use but just in case, you can find a quick tutorial at: http://ping.fm/blog/a-tutorial-for-you/

Oh for iPhone users, here is a tip. After visiting i.ping.fm on your phone press the + sign to Add an icon to your Home Screen.

Try it, you have nothing to lose - it's free. Let us know if you're using it already and how it's going.

Social Traffic Network Training Videos

The other day I received an offer that I couldn't pass, and I think you won't be able to pass yourself. As you know, Web 2.0 applications are taking over the internet and their life span is not short. They are here to stay and those of us that want to succeed on the Internet will need to get on board or else we will be left back.

The new opportunity I have for you is a collection of Social Traffic Network Training videos that will teach you how to use the top social networks which is what you really need to understand before you can incorporate them in your business. Not only will you be able to use them for yourself but they also include Private Label rights so you can brand them instantly and even resell them if you want.

These are just some of the videos you will find and every month 3 more videos are added:

• Del.icio.us
• Bebo
• MySpace
• Digg
• Google video
• Technorati
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Stumble Upon
• Reddit
• Ning
• Squidoo
• LinkedIn
• 43Things
• Fotolog
• Multiply
• Meet up

Membership includes, instant access to all of the videos, and 3 more brand new videos each month. Videos come in Flash and Windows Media Files for Private Label Rights members so hurry and claim your membership today.
Now if you still need help deciding which Web 2.0 services to use visit our Web 2.0 Applications Review Wiki in which I explain and review Web 2.0 applications that I've used. Stop by and join our wiki and even add your reviews, why not it's free.

Top List: My Top 10 Favorite Web 2.0 Services

For those of you that don't know me I'm a huge web 2.0 fan and spend most of my free time playing around with new tools. There are so many services out there and a lot of them do the same that sometimes you don't know which one you should use. So I've decided to share my can't live without sites with you, and give you at least one reason why I prefer these services to help you out.

Here I go by category:

Blogs
Blogger - To me this is by far the best blogging service and it's not because I have a free hosted blog. Other blogging services (like WP) restrict you from customizing the look and feel and also don't let you add a lot of cool things available through widgets or code.

Social Bookmarking
Delicious - I use to be a Favorite's fanatic until I discovered Delicious... no more browser favorites for me. This social bookmarking service is easy to use and very convenient. The only thing I didn't like was the site design and they just redesigned it. Looks great, kudos to the designers at Delicious. By the way, feel free to add me to your network.

Wikis
WetPaint - If you need a Wiki I highly recommend this service. They have several features that other wikis don't have. For example, when you create new pages they automatically appear in the navigation, you can create sub-pages from the start, they have a photo gallery, it looks very professional, and if it's an educational wiki they remove the ads for free. You can check out one of my wikis to see what I mine - Web 2.0 Applications review or Cynthia Medina.

Microblogging
Twitter - The first time I heard of microblogging I asked myself "why would I do that?" Well let me tell you that the best resources I've gotten have been through Twitter. This is the best way of keeping up with your network, news, friends and family. You can Twitter using your computer or phone which makes this service very addictive. You can follow me on Twitter.

Social Networks
Hum - It's hard for me to pick a favorite in this category. I'm in several social networks because the people I keep up with are completely different. I use Facebook to keep up with siblings and coworkers, MySpace for friends in the U.S, HI5 for childhood friends and cousins in the Dominican Republica, and Ning for work related communities. Now if I go by the features I would go with MySpace hands down because just like blogger they are not restrictive and I like to put my creativity to work. I also like Ning, they actually let you create your own social network for free, and it's very easy to set up.

Video Sharing
YouTube - Do I have to explain?

Readers
Google Reader - The application looks like an e-mail inbox which makes it easier to use, and most of the RSS widgets have their one step icon for subscribing.

Online Photo Sharing
Here I have to admit I've been using Shutterfly way before all these other sites were launched and I still use it. They just finally added a community feature to it so I'm a little excited. It's hard to change photo sites after you've been saving your pictures for years some where else. Now from the newest sites, I like Photobucket and Flickr. These two sites just make sharing so easy, they have lots a cool features, and you can embed your pictures in other web 2.0 sites in a few clicks.

Photo Editing
Picnik - Why pay so much money for Photoshop when you can do a lot of photo editing online, for free and without having to download anything. You can also edit pictures that you have saved on other online photo sharing sites.

Creating movies
Animoto - You can create free movies using up to 10 pictures, and you can add music and credits to it. They also have a paying option for larger movies which you can also download and save on your computer. What I like is that your pictures appear to the beat of the music and they look very professional. They also have their own music selection but you can also add your own which is a great feature as well.

For more services and reviews you can visit my Web 2.0 Applications Review wiki.

OK, these are my can't live without sites, what are yours?

App Top List: Top 20 Favorite iPhone Apps

I have the first generation iPhone and now with the v2.0 software us oldies can download iTunes and synchronize your phone.
applications to our phones to make them snazzy. A new icon "App store" appears on your phone that gives you access to lots of applications or you can download them on

I just upgraded my iPhone last week, and I haven't been able to pull myself away from the app store. The good thing is that a lot of them are free because if not, I would be bankrupt by now. Some of them just add little cute things to your phone but some really are useful.

I've downloaded over 30 of them but have also deleted almost half because they weren't what I expected but again most of them were free. If you're going to pay for some I would recommend you really read the reviews specially if you're paying a lot and some of these applications are worth the same as PC applications. Now, to help some of you out, I'm listing my favorites that I think are worth every penny even though most of these are free.

These five applications let you access your accounts on the corresponding websites and perform the same functions you can online. They work very well and they are free.

Twitterlator (Twitter)
MySpace
Facebook
WordPress
Google (for all Google apps)

Shazam - have you ever heard a song on the radio that you can't remember the song title or the artist? Well now all you have to do is play the music and this little nifty application tells you the artist, title, genre,album,and it will show you links to iTunes and YouTube if the song is available in these locations. Even songs that are sung by different artist are spot on by this application. Price? It's free.

Audio Recorder - This one cost $2.99 but it's worth it. It's like having a hand held audio recorder. Imagine creating your Podcast right from your iPhone. You record yourself and the file can be e-mailed to yourself or some one in your contacts list. Now, if you're going to use this one, you need to have a player that reads .caf files like QuickTime.

Tipulator - Ever been at a group dinner party and have to split the bill and no one has a calculator? This nifty application will add the bill amount plus tip, and then split it between the number of people you choose. You can change the bill amount, percentage of the tip and number in party of course by just touching the screen. Price - $0.99

CheckPlease - This one is even better than Tipulator. It does all the above plus it also adds taxes and you can also set a default tip and tax percentage so you don't have be adding it every time you need to calculate the bill. Price - free.

ReQall - Did you ever forget to buy a birthday present before going to a birthday party? With this application you can set up to do's, reminders, shopping list, and even photos that will recall your memory. You can set up your reminders to be sent to you in several ways. I have it to remind me via my iPhone default e-mail but you can set it for text as well. It's free.

Eventful - You can search and buy tickets for upcoming events without having to enter an address because it reads your address on the phone. You can search by event name, performer, venues and even by users. It's free.

Where - This application also reads the address on your phone and gives you the nearest Starbucks, restaurants, gas stations (using gasbuddy.com), events, mountains, and more. By touching the location the address is displayed and by touching it again you see more information on the location including in some cases reviews. It's free.

BoxOffice - Want to see a movie and you don't have a computer or a newspaper close to you? This application displays what's playing at the box office with a touch of the screen. You can set your default zip code and radius and what's better, you can buy your tickets as well and it's free.

vSNAX Videos - Do you like celebrity gossip? If you're like me then I would recommend this one. You can keep up not only with celebrity gossip but also breaking news, models, funny snippets and more and it's free.

My favorite games:

iPint - The goal is to slide a pint of beer to the person at the end of the bar. You're probably saying what is so fun about that? Well it has three levels so it can get a little tricky but the best part is when the person catches the pint. Your phone turns into a glass of beer and if you tilt your phone the beer disappears as if you had drank it. Hey, it's free.

Hangman (MobilityWare) - I don't think I need to explain Hangman, right? You either figure out the word or get hung. It has different levels of difficult and it's just $1.99

Solitaire (MobilityWare) - The is the standard Solitaire game that you play with a deck of cards... not that fancy kind. It's $1.99.

Tap Tap Revenge - This one gets a little challenging. You have to tap the fire balls to the beat of the music. It has four levels, the easy level can get hard so I don't want to imagine the extreme level. You can also have one or two players. It's free.

UEIpong - WOW, remember back in the day when you played pong on the original Atari? well this is it. The only thing is that you don't see two paddles, you see one and you play against a wall. It's $0.99.

JirboMatch - Don't laugh at this one. This is like playing matching with a deck of cards like you use to play when you were a kid. The only thing is that you're matching animals, it's pretty entertaining and it's my niece's favorite. This one is also free.

Now, there is another application called ShoZu which gives you access to a bunch of Web 2.0 applications. Just to mention a few, you can access Facebook, Blogger, Twitter, Photobucket, Flickr, Picasa, WordPress, and the list goes on. This one is also free but I don't think it works very well. I've tried several things and they don't seem to work plus it loads pretty slow but again it's free, so download it and try it out. The worst that can happen is that you delete it later.

So now go on and download some and come back and share your favorites but beware it's ADDICTIVE.

My own Twitter site

I just finished reading a post called "Classroom Twitter Using WordPress" at Will Richardson's blog. It's all about using a new WordPress theme called Prologue which gives your blog a Twitter look. It actually works very well, and it's great for organizations that require security and privacy.

And of course, you know me.... I went ahead and created a blog of my own to test it, you can see it here at Tech Yakety-Yak. The only disadvantage of using WordPress is that you're not following your friends and no one is following you and I must admit I like that Twitter feature.

Now you do have the advantage that you are not limited to a number of characters per post like Twitter and you can have a secure blog at the same time. Maybe now some organizations can incorporate microblogging into their training programs.

What do you think?

Kudos for the developer of the Prologue WordPress theme.

Review: Video and File Sharing with your Twitter friends...

If you're hooked on Twitter then sit down before you read this. Starting today, you can now share videos, pictures, and other files using a new service offered by Twit+. This services works with the Twitter API and it allows you to share pictures, videos and other files with your Twitter friends.

How does it work?

1. You can log in with your Twitter username/password at: http://twitplus.com/

2. Enter your message, and click Browse to select the file you want to share.



3. Select if you want to make the Twit public or send it to an individual follower. If you select Individual Followers then a list of your followers will be displayed for you to select the individual.



4. Click Send twit+ msg button.
In a couple of seconds your followers will receive your files... and the best thing is that your followers don't need to use Twit+ in order to receive your files but it would be great that way they can twit+ you back.......
Does this mean goodbye to e-mailing YouTube links?

Do you Twitter?

Several friends and family members use Twitter all the time, and to be honest I just started using it and I'm getting to like it. I usually don't text message but since I have an iPhone now, even if I don't want to text I can still twitter online.

So now the question is how can you use Twitter in training programs? Although a few uses have been found, it seems like micro blogging is still something that is in the watch. But just because there is no clear need now, doesn't mean it won't be useful in the future.

Some ideas on how to use Twitter to collaborate:

• Sharing resources and links
• Keeping your project team up to date
• Sharing your class notes
• Summarizing a lecture, meeting, conference or presentation as it occurs

Have you found a use for Twitter in the classroom?