applications

Create Twitter groups with Twibes. While native support for groups and group messaging within the Twitter interface is one of the most sought after features for Twitter to add, it has yet to occur. There have been attempts by third party applications to conquer the task of providing users with Twitter group type features, but so far none are quite up to par with what users demand. The closest variation to Twitter groups that I've come across so far is a little service called Twibes.

Twibes is simple and helps bring together users of a particular interest. Users can expand their network and view Twitter search results of that Twibe straight from the group page. However, as with many of the other Twitter Group clients, it lacks vital features. The ability to send a tweet to the entire group is something "coming soon". Although, this is something I have long opposed and will need to be handled delicately to avoid spamming. The advertising is also a bit much and blatantly let's you know why they are trying to make it a destination outside of the Twitter domain.

On the upside, the main page displays a nice assortment of popular and recently created groups as well as many of the topics that Twibes have been established for already.

A user has the ability to create up to 3 Twibes per Twitter account. This is a great limit in my mind, as it will hopefully restrict too many fake or non-utilized groups from being formed and diluting the service.

Twibes presents a unique proposition from a branding and engagement perspective as well. While there a numerous Twitter directories that allow users to classify themselves into categories of tags, do you ever really create a relationship with the tweeps in that directory? I understand maybe that's how you find them and further interactions can ensue, but that's the point. The directory was to locate them, not interact with them. The aspect of search results from the users in a particular Twibe creates an engagement in which you feel the other members are interested and knowledgeable in that Twibe's topic. As with many social tools the utility you gain comes from your own need and how you would like to interact with it. Twibes has pros and cons, but serves it's purpose of bringing people together beyond a basic directory.

If you would like to see an example or are at all interested in ad operations and would like to expand your Twitter network check out the Ad Ops group that I recently created http://www.twibes.com/group/adops

Ohh and YES, "A Twibe Called Quest" does already exist, sorry!

Following the development and recent release of Google Latitude, I figure it might be a good time to delve into the realm of location specific apps and tools. This is already a big topic, but getter bigger by the day.

One of the main cornerstones upon which social networks are built are status updates..."what are you doing?", " is _" and so on. Geo-specific networks take this a step further and also let your network see where you are posting from.

My network of choice is [drumroll] Brightkite!

Any semi-frequent Twitter user has seen these little buggers creeping around more and more. Hashtags (#), that is. So what's the point? Hashtags are used in tweets similarly to how you might tag a blog post or utilize keywords in meta data. While hashtags won't offer up any additional benefit from an SEO perspective in any of the engines, they can increase traffic to your tweets. By utilizing hashtags in your tweets you add your content to the directory of other tweets classified under that keyword.

So how can you start gaining from hashtags?

First, you will need to follow @Hashtags. Once they follow you back, your username is included in the indexable hashtags database.

Once you get notification that @Hashtags is following you back, you are all set to begin reaping the rewards of #hashtags. When you write up a new tweet, include "#" prior to whatever word it is you want to be recognized. Keep in mind, while hashtags are helpful for organizing your tweets and gaining potential relevant views, they can also be visually appalling. Like anything else you optimize, keep you readers in mind. Would #you #want #to #read #something #full #of #hashtags?

After submitting your tweet, Hashtags.org will automatically recognize the keywords you declared via the hashtag. Anytime you want to see your categorized tweets, just go over to Hashtags.org and you can navigate to the directory of your choice tags.

Additionally, the hashtags.org uses a consistent url structure which allows you to jump right to tags you are interested in. The format will always appear as hashtags.org/tags/YOURTAG. Another added bonus is that each term's directory has a custom RSS feed. This is very handy when you want to monitor a certain set of keywords.

Give it a try and please share if you've had any Twitter-success by utilizing #hashtags!

Since the dawn of the web, there has always been speculation and anticipation for the merger of the two most lucrative media channels. It looks like Yahoo will be the fist to make the long awaited merger a reality. Teaming up with some of the major players in the hd tv game (Samsung, Sony, Visio and LG to name a few) Yahoo will offer widgets that have the ability to run adjacent to the traditional cable tv. While I'm not sure of the technical implementation of how it will function, this is exciting as an all in one media center, other than a computer, which focuses more heavily on the television side with apps as more of a compliment.

If you are like me and ever need to create thumbnails of web pages, you know what a hassle it can be. First, take the screen capture of the page. Then decide if that capture will do. If so, move along...if not grab another until you get it perfect. Next, you'll have to jump into an image editor or some sort to scale it to the size you need, but be careful because out of porportion images will look bad in use. You then apply the effects and touch up anything that looks unsatisfactory. Finally, now you are ready to save and utilize you newly created thumbnail.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a handy little app that could process this all on the backend then spit out the image you desire???

Well, you're in luck! Take a look into Thumbizy You will be glad you did.

Thumbizy is a slick app that will produce thumbnails at various sizes with effects by simply inputting the url you want to thumbize. The only drawback is it appears to have trouble capturing the images from flash, but most browser-based screen capture utilities have this limitation.

Overall its handy and fast. Nicely done.

MakeUseOf is a great resource for uncovering cool, interesting and useful tools. The applications they uncover are always intriguing, even if they don't pertain to you in particular.

Unfortunately, hackers have made MakeUseOf.com a victim of web atrocity, holding the domain for ransom. This is extremely disappointing, but it is good to see that the team isn't going to cave into the criminal's demands. For the time being, MakeUseOf can be accessed via a temporary blogspot site at: http://makeuseof-temporary.blogspot.com

In an attempt to stray from being totally distasteful, let me preface this next comment with the fact that it is totally a coincidence. As one of my favorite feeds, I often check the MUO block in MyYahoo! The final entry prior to this attack is the following: