I’ve just wrapped up version 1.2 of the Amazon Showcase Wordpress Widget. Besides some minor updates improving performance, this release included a new “Template” option to satisfy a highly requested feature regarding output customization.

User’s now have the ability to define a “templates” for each item displayed. This provides total flexibility over the HTML that is generated and outputted in the widget. There are several pre-defined ‘tags’ that you can use within the templates as placeholders for product information. For example, any instance of the tag ‘[author]‘ in the template will be replaced by the product’s author name when outputted.

Head over to the Amazon Showcase Wordpress Widget project page for more information and to download; and of course, feel free to send me any comments or suggestions you have!

Let me clarify something before I get started: Labels are Gmail’s version of tags. Tags totally rock for organization and I love them dearly. They offer a lot of flexibility over hierarchical folders and are really powerful when you start applying several tags to a single item. Fortunately, many services are starting to move away from systems of organization based on hierarchical folders and towards systems based on tagging of data. Google apparently only received half the memo. It’ is so difficult in Gmail to apply more than one label that you find yourself stuck in some wierd “only-one-tag-at-a-time” universe. You are basically limited by the same restrictions as hierarchical folders, but there is a clever “Label” mask on this system to trick you into thinking you can tag like all the other cool kids. I say bollocks!

The best way to describe Gmail’s Label deficiences is through an example. I recently ordered a gift for my hot wife from Amazon. After placing the order, I received the standard order confirmation email with all the details of the purchase. Me being a tag freak, I wanted to tag the hell out of that email so that later on I could find it as needed. I decided to apply four labels (tags): Amazon, Receipt, Birthday, Nikki. So there you go: four tags. Seems simple, right?

Here is a break down of what it takes to apply these four labels to a single message in Gmail:

• Click #1 – Select the email
• Click #2 – Open the “More Actions” menu
• Click #3 – Grab the scroll bar
• Scroll #1 – Scroll to “Amazon” in the list of labels
• Click #4 – Apply the “Amazon” label to the email
• Click #5 – Open the “More Actions” menu, again
• Click #6 – Grab the scroll bar
• Scroll #2 – Scroll to “Receipt” in the list of labels
• Click #7 – Apply the “Receipt” label to the email
• Click #8 – Open the “More Actions” menu, again
• Click #9 – Grab the scroll bar
• Scroll #3 – Scroll to “Birthday” in the list of labels
• Click #10 – Apply the “Birthday” label to the email
• Click #11 – Open the “More Actions” menu, again
• Click #12 – Grab the scroll bar
• Scroll #4 – Scroll to “Nikki” in the list of labels
• Click #13 – Apply the “Nikki” label to the email

Grand Total: 13 clicks and 4 scrolls

Am I the only Gmail user that finds this ridic-a-donk-ulous? (Now, I know you can just use the scroll wheel instead of grabbing the scroll bar, however: 1) some people don’t have scroll wheels, and 2) dammit, I’m trying to make a point here). So, is there a better way? Absolutely.

A Better Way

Here is my solution for a better interface for Labels in Gmail:

First of all, rip the labels out of the “More Actions” menu, they just don’t belong there.

There is a mile of open space in the tool bar. Let’s go ahead and add a “Labels” button there. This button will give you access to an overlay with actions specific to labels:

There is a lot going on here, so let me explain: When an email is selected, all currently-applied labels will be highlighted. Clicking on additional labels will automatically apply them, and clicking on currently-applied labels will remove them. At the top of the list of labels is a text field that allows you to enter new labels. Simply type in all your new labels separated by spaces. Once you click “Apply” the new labels and other changes will be saved and applied to the selected email. Simple as pie.

Now let’s replay the above scenario with my version:

• Click #1 – Select the email
• Click #2 – Open the “Labels” menu
• Click #3 – Apply the “Amazon” label
• Click #4 – Apply the “Receipt” label
• Click #5 – Apply the “Birthday” label
• Click #6 – Apply the “Nikki” label
• Click #7 – Click “Apply”

Grand Total: 7 clicks and 0 scrolls

This new “Labels” overlay halves the number of clicks required and completely eliminates any scrolling. Much better. So, what are you thoughts? Could this be even more efficient (you could definitely eliminate one click by making the “Labels” menu open up when the mouse hovers over it)?

Google, are you listening?

I will be participating as a member of the CrossFit West Chester Team. If you are interested in donating to help me achieve my fundraising goal of $500, please visit my donations page.

Athletes for a Cure is proud to present the 2007 CrossFit Fight Gone Bad. In 2006, hundreds of athletes in 30 centers nationally raised nearly $110,000 to benefit the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) by competing individually and as part of teams on one day in “Fight Gone Bad,” one of the most demanding workout routines in the popular CrossFit exercise regimen.

Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in America, affecting one in six men. Men are 35% more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than women are to be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Ahletes for a Cure, a program of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, is a fundraising and awareness program to assist individual athletes in their quest to raise money for better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer. The Prostate Cancer Foundation is the world’s largest philanthropic source of support for prostate cancer research with a simple, yet urgent goal: to find better treatments and a cure for recurrent prostate cancer.

Feel free to contact me if you would like more information or are interested in participating!

Business schools don’t have a monopoly on worldly wisdom. If you’re serious about learning advanced business principles, the Personal MBA can help. The Personal MBA recommended reading list is the tangible result of hundreds of hours of reading and research, and features only the very best books the business press has to offer. So skip the fancy diploma and $150,000 loan – you can get a world-class business education simply by reading these books.

Unfortunately, I didn’t meet Josh until I was halfway through my MBA at Northern Kentucky University. Luckily though, I was able to supplement that education though my reading of the PMBA books. Many topics just aren’t covered in most business schools, so the books fill in a lot of big gaps. Incidentally, a lot of the books actually teach certain concepts better than some of my teachers could. Ultimately I am glad that I had the opportunity to attain an MBA, but for those who don’t have the time, money, or inclination, the PMBA is an outstanding alternative.

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.

I have put myself on the CrossFit program and will also be implementing The Zone diet in the next week or so. I have heard nothing but good things regarding this combination of fitness and nutrition, so I hope to realize some nice results. The community surrounding CrossFit is absolutely incredible. There are literally thousands of CrossFitters around the world who are friendly and helpful to beginners.

This weekend, CrossFit West Chester will be celebrating their grand opening event, and I would like to encourage anyone who is able to come and check it out. You can find out more at the CrossFit West Chester website. Ben Kaminski is the man behind this local CrossFit affiliate and is an outstanding person to know.

The web offers countless opportunities for anyone who is willing to learn how to use it properly. Too often, however, many non-technical people are easily overwhelmed by the amount of information involved in this task. Solo Signal helps people overcome these issues by breaking down the web development process into easily consumed articles. I hope to provide business-minded individuals with the information, tools and understanding needed to successfully leverage the Web for their benefit.

Hop on over to Solo Signal and subscribe to the feed. I have all kinds of great topics planned and you won’t want to miss any. Also, make sure you leave some comments so that we can get some good conversations going!

As prudent architects of the web, it is our job as developers and designers to argue the case for web standards. It is important to translate our techno-intertube-babble into something that any client (managers being clients, too) can comprehend. Once your client understands the value that web standards provide to their site and their customers, they will be more likely to devote resources towards doing things the right way.

The Business Case for Web Standards is a wiki devoted to helping developers and designers argue the case for web standards. Christian Heilmann created this site to help the web design community band together and collectively tackle this task.

From the site:

The first problem I realized is that a lot of presentations start from the premise that the person we are trying to convince knows and is interested in web standards. This might not be the case, therefore I am thinking that we need to approach the sale with the premise that we need to solve the issues the person has and find the solutions web standards provide that relate to these.

Roger Johansson also points out a great reason to use this resource:

One thing in particular that I like about this is that there isn’t only room for the arguments for using Web standards. Common counterarguments are also listed, which is good since being aware of those arguments lets you prepare good replies to them in case they are used.

The wiki itself is broken down into some really great categories that make it very easy to find the information you need.

• Argumentation
  • Arguments
  • Counterarguments
  • Common Mistakes to Avoid
• Audience
  • Enterprise Managers
  • Small Business
  • Department Heads
  • Non Technical Managers