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?

Image problem restored

Just a quick post to let you know the image problems have been restored. It turned out to be that my file hosting provider decided to close their doors without notice so I had to find another provider quickly.

I really appreciate your patience, and I'm very sorry for any inconvenience it may have cause.

Having some image displaying problems

If you've visited my blog lately to read my articles you've probably noticed the images in the articles are not displaying. My images are hosted on a separate servers and unfortunately the hosting company has been down for some time.

I've been trying to contact them, but unfortunately their web site is down, and their blog does not have any contact information.

I'm very sorry for the inconvenience, rest assure I'm trying to resolve the problem asap. I'll be posting an update when everything is restored.

Review: Do you Poken?

Are you tired of having to write down your contact information or carry around business cards? Well if your answer is yes then there is a solution for you, Poken.

Poken is a USB that carries your contact information including your social networks. All you have to do is touch another person's Poken with yours and it swaps information. It's like the Bump app for the iPhone.



Poken's come in different forms and colors and you can even customize it with your brand. They are also pretty reasonable in price.

If you're curious, check out this video to see it in action.

Do you Poken?

Review: Do you find Facebook too complicated? Then try Facebook Lite

Facebook released a more simpler version of their existing site called Facebook Lite. A public preview is available to those that already have a Facebook account and that use the English (US) version. You can take a look at Facebook Lite but before you do read on so you know what to expect.

Now remember lite means that you won't have all the features available in the regular Facebook site but if you're a person that only wants to read the latest status, share pictures and videos then this version is for you.

Before I continue I would like to add that I've erased the photos and names of my friends on the screen captures to protect the innocent :O) Just because I want to share information with the general public doesn't mean they want to share their lives with everyone, right?

So here goes my quick overview of the site, hope this helps.

Let's start by saying that after you log in your default page is still what we call the Home page in the regular Facebook so that hasn't changed. With that said, let's look at the features that have changed starting with the top navigation.

Facebook logo

It's just not a logo, it's the only way you get back to your Home page. So remember this important detail or else you will have no clue how to view all your friend's gossip.

Profile

Through this link you can view and update your profile.

Events

Shows you the latest events. So if some one sends you an invite to an event or it's some one's birthday then this is where you would go to check it out.

Chat

No more chat at the bottom right side of the page, it's right at the top. When you click Chat a new window opens which looks slightly different then the chat in the regular Facebook. As you can see you still have the Friend List and Options feature at the top of the chat.

Below this information you will see the various friend lists and your friends. To chat with a friend just click their name, and a new field at the bottom right of the window will appear where you can type your message so the functionality hasn't changed.

By the way if you see a dark dot next to the Chat link on the top navigation that means you're offline.

Inbox

The major difference here is that you don't have the option to delete a message from your inbox by clicking the X next to the subject. You need to view the message and then click Delete.

Settings icon
By clicking the icon you access the privacy settings and account information. This is another important section to remember as you can switch back to the regular Facebook site through here (see Changing your Default Site section below).

Door icon

The icon is used to log out.

Home Page

This page is very clean and simple. Remember how I mentioned this was a simpler version, well
here you can see it.

In the middle of the page you'll see by default all your friend's and group stories and if you want to view only the top stories then you click View Top Stories. If there is any birthday occurring it will display in this section of the page as well.

To the right side of the page you will only see People you may know and the ad section. That's it! Simple right?

To update your status click Write, to add pictures click Post Photos, and to add videos click Post Video buttons. That's it! No notes, no links, no gifts....

Profile Page

The profile page is so simple to update that even a cave man can do it :O)

First notice that you don't have all the tabs at the top, and no side boxes either. All you have are the same three buttons from the Home Page and they work the same too. Under these buttons you'll have all your updates like you usually do.

Editing your profile

Under your profile picture you have the Wall, Info, Friends, and Photos & Video links. To update your profile picture or your information just click on Info and then Edit Profile link at the top of the page. You can toggle from the Basic and Favorite information sections by clicking the buttons.

One cool thing Facebook is doing is displaying tips on the right side of your profile on how to use Facebook Lite so keep your eyes opens.

To go back to your profile just click on your name.

Friends

To view all your friends click the Friends link under your profile picture. In the regular Facebook site your list of friends showed their current status and you had the option to send them a message but not in this version. All you can do from this list is to unfriend some one by clicking the X.

You can view the list of groups you're a fan of by clicking the Fan of link at the top of the page. By clicking the X you will unfan the group.... I wonder if that word will be added to the dictionary next year, hummmm.

Photos & Videos

Click the Photos and Videos link under your profile picture to view your photos and videos. The page is divided in three sections. The top section displays all the pictures you've been tagged on, the middle section displays all the videos you've been tagged on, and the bottom section displays all your photo albums.

You can't add photos and videos from this section. To add photos or videos remember to click

the Post Photos and Post Video buttons at the top of your profile or Home page. After that the process is the same. Now the tag, like and comment features on photos and videos are positioned differently, see below.

Changing your Default Site

If you decide you want to continue using Facebook Lite you can set this version as your default from the Settings sections. Once you access the Settings section click Default Site.

Select the default version, and click Save.

If you select Facebook Lite that means that every time you access http://www.facebook.com/ it will take you to Facebook Lite.

Also notice you can use both versions by selecting "Let me switch between Regular Facebook and Facebook Lite" option. When you select this option you will see on the top right corner of the page a link that says "Back to regular Facebook" or Try Facebook Lite depending on the version you're using at the moment.

In the Settings section you can also update your privacy settings, change your password, e-mail, and more.

I really like the lite version especially because I'm not a Farmville or Yoville person. If it wasn't for me using some applications that incorporate some more advance functionality I would use the Facebook Lite as my default. In the meantime, I've set my account to use both.

Just remember that with the launch of any new web site or new version of a web site things don't work 100% so things are going to go wrong. Just report them fast that way Facebook can correct them quicker.

Well that's my quick overview of Facebook Lite, have you used it? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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?

FAQ: What is Google Wave?

You've probably heard about Google Wave and how everyone is trying to get an invite to try it out but do you really know what it is?

This video gives you the simple round down on Google Wave in a very unique way.

How to create screen captures with highlighted areas on the iPhone

I've been asked the following question by my readers several times "How do you get screen captures from the iPhone and highlight some areas? So instead of just answering my readers individually I decided to write a post with the steps I take to accomplish it. This way everyone wins.

First of all, I have the Photogene app which is a really good photo editor. This app has a lot of really great editing tools, it's like having a mini version of PhotoShop on your iPhone. You can download it here.

After you download the app you need to get all the photos you want to use as screen captures. If you're writing about the iPhone and you need some screen captures, you can press the Home and sleep/wake button at the same time (see image to right). This takes a photo of your current screen and the photos are saved automatically in your Camera Roll.

OK, so now you have all the photos you need so let's get down to business.

1. Access the Photogene app.

2. Tap Edit new photo and then select the photo from your Camera Roll.

3. Tap the crop tool (scissors) and resize the box to cover the portion of the photo you want to keep and tap Crop. This will trim the photo to your liking.

4. Tap the symbols icon (star) and swipe the bottom toolbar to the left.

5. Drag the square figure onto the photo.

6. Double-tap the square figure to remove text and click Done.

7. Tap the outline tool and select yellow and tap the fill tool and select transparent. (Choose the outline color that will be more visible with the background color of your photo.)

8. Put your finger in the middle of the highlighted square figure and drag it to the area of the photo you want to highlight.

9. Use the circled corners to resize the square to fit the area you want to highlight.

10. Tap the Done icon (check mark) and tap Save.

All your photos will be stored in your Camera Roll. Now follow the same steps with all the photos you want to use as screen captures. At first this might seem to long of a process but it's not. Each step takes a second to do and after you do a couple of screen captures you'll be able to do this in your sleep :O)

By the way, all these screen caps with the exception of first full iPhone photo were taken following these steps. To me this is one of the most productive apps that I have. I recommend you play with it because this is just one of the ways you can use it but it does so much much more.

If you want to be more productive you can paste those photos into an e-mail and use them to write an article in your inbox, send it to Posterous, and your article will be live in no time in all your social media sites.

What other cool things do you do with Photogene or any other photo app?