Emma's Blog

My Take on Website Magazine’s 50 Top Solutions to Optimize the Social Media Experience (Plus four more not on the list) –Published in the February 2011 edition.

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 02:29:00 +0000

My Take on Website Magazine’s 50 Top Solutions to Optimize the Social Media Experience (Plus four more not on the list) –Published in the February 2011 edition.

(First, I'd like to note that the opinions in this article are my own and in no way affiliated to Website Magazine)

I cut out this handy list a long time ago and am FINALLY getting around to checking these sites out due to necessity, as my social media maintenance has turned itself into a tedious Mr. Miyagi log in, log out exercise. I’m too old for this.

So in the general order in which they appeared in the list back in February, here they are with my commentary:

Ping.fm

This site was easy to set up and update to. However, I couldn’t add multiple accounts to it. It seemed like I could only do ONE Twitter, ONE Facbeook, ONE LinkedIn, etc. Maybe I’m wrong and need to go back and try again… as for further investigation, I wasn’t interested due to the lack of multiple account functioning.

HootSuite.com

Skipped – It’s a pay service. Due to its popularity, I’m guessing they are geared towards both individuals and businesses and probably have affordable rates depending on what you want to do.

TweetDeck.com

I like this program! It’s fast, easy, and fun. My Facebook add account function doesn’t work though. Even though I am experiencing this technical glitch, I still like it for multiple Twitter account maintenance. The design style is good and easy to figure out. I’ll go back and figure out how to get the Facebooks to appear later.

SocialOomph.com

This site at first appears to be very useful with a huge list of available features and functions that are separated by free and professional account types. Programs with free versions usually want to bump people up into a paid account. This is fine with me; everyone needs to make money, but the way SocialOomph does this on their site makes using this program a constant hassle. Every other link opens up a ‘this features is for professional accounts’ schpeel.

As for the design, it definitely doesn’t have the bright polished look of most websites today. I don’t need a website to have giant web 2.0 buttons in order to use it, but the lack of depth made this site feel dated. I’m sure that its high level of functions overcomes its plain appearance. After all, I don’t want a SMM utility for its looks, I want it to work.

In the end, side-stepping the constant hustle for upgrades made this site a major PITA to maneuver through. I gave up.

Seesmic.com

I really like this site! It has both a desktop and web application. I haven’t tried the desktop application yet, but am happy with the web one, so I am sure I will be downloading it soon. Seesmic is easy to use and configure. Its design interface is clear and precise and not at all cryptic. There is an art to maintaining a midpoint between expert and elementary appearances. No one wants to end up trying to figure out a cryptic website that makes you feel like a noob. On the other end, a user can get bored with a site that is too simple and seemingly built for three year olds.

Updating your various accounts on Seesmic is quick and there are built in Twitter and imaging functions. I haven’t tried out the translate option yet, as all my friends communicate in English, so there is no way to tell how well it works.

I would definitely recommend this program because it is free to use, has options for multiple accounts, and has enough functions to make it useful on a daily basis.

NutshellMail.com

I should have known when, upon opening the website and discovering that it happens to be a product brought to you by ConstantContact, to use with caution. What do I do? Set it up to spam myself daily with every update I have access and do not need or want to read!

I’m not sure what the end use should be for this site. It’s easy to configure and has a nice looking feel to it. It doesn’t pester you for money either. I can see how this could become a useful tool for updating groups of people, like youth sports teams, crafting groups, clubs, etc.

Flowtown.com

I’m not sure what this site is about or what their stuff is supposed to do. It opens up as a blog page with helpful articles on social media. This could be a useful resource for information! They have been acquired by a company called Demandforce, which offers a service called Timely. Timely is a Twitter management program that picks out the right times to post your updates. (I think) I haven’t looked into Timely yet, but that’s what the description sounds like it does.

Gist.com

Gist is free to sign up with and organizes your social media as if they were business clients and not just random contacts. You can them fine tune your friends and followers with an importance ranking. This probably allows you to be updated on close associates and friends rather than by everyone. The testimonials on Gist’s page laud the noise cutting features of weeding out spammy posts from people you don’t want to hear from.

I will definitely keep using this program, as it has an interesting people-focused protocol. It also lists people in your imported media by company. Wow, I didn’t know I had people from all these companies in my accounts! The visual design is clean and uncluttered. I think it has a more business feel to it and also comes with expansive email, v-card, and LinkedIn profile additions.

ContextOptional.com

This company offers a full suite of software applications for social media management– Being acquired by Adobe. I’m sure once Adobe starts running the show, we can expect some changes.

AwarenessNetworks.com

Must be a great tool – starting at only $500.00 per month!! No thanks. This is a tool for big companies with big ad/marketing budgets. Looks like a nice site, but I’m too little. In fact, here are the rest of the SMM sites I looked at:

They are all pay sites which are vital services to large companies that need a full time staff to perform marketing services in a competitive online world. Plans from these sites are priced anywhere from $0.99 per month up to $899 a month maybe more! Depends on what you want, a simple software download, or full marketing services.

Some of these sites have free resources, whitepapers, articles, webinars, and blogs to help educate you on social media issues. Here are a few of the links I found from the above listed sites.

Radian6.com has some free ebooks tho: http://www.radian6.com/blog/media_types/e-books/ Spredfast has some good resources for learning the latest about social media: http://spredfast.com/social-media-resources/ ArgyleSocial.com’s resources page: http://argylesocial.com/resources Cymfony.com’s knowledge center page: http://www.cymfony.com/Knowledge-Center DirectMessageLab.com has a resources page which includes a handy marketing ROI calculator: http://directmessagelab.com/ Janrain.com’s resources page: http://www.janrain.com/resources

PeopleBrowsr.com

This is an interesting site that allows you to search for analytics information based on keywords or usernames. It has a nice design and easy to use controls. It is a pay site, but they offer a free trial. This site can become a useful tool to help you with your social marketing strategies.

I think that marketing search engine tools should be on another list. Tools such as hashtag.org are free to use, as is Google’s adword generator and more.

Well, that’s it. I’m sure there have been a few new services, software programs to arrive on the market since February, but as I said, I am JUST NOW getting around to browsing this list.

If there is a good free SMM program you know about, feel free to post or email!

Caleb Hanie Loses Bears-Raiders game

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:09:00 +0000

This time I'm learning about intentional grounding. Everytime I see something I don't know about on a game, I look it up later. This You Tube apparently shows a QB attempting to spike the ball, but apparently did it wrong and got called on an intentional grounding. Now I'm left wondering what spiking is all about! hehe

So for a successful throw away w/o ending up with an intentional grounding penalty of a down and 10 yards, you need to be outside of the box and the ball must pass the line of scrimmage. If it doesn't pass the line of scrimmage there must be an intended receiver nearby. There are other rules about this which I don't have memorized right, but I think I got the basic gist of this rule down...

Perfect Bowling Shot!

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 01:22:00 +0000

Yay! I love taking action shots with my camera. I think I was bugging the other bowlers with my repeated use of my flash tho - hehe. They were glad when I finally quit taking pictures of my family's bowling outing at the Dimond Center on Saturday. Here it is: 'The Dude is Bowling'

My Version of Kitsch

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 01:20:00 +0000

Cleopatra of Course!

I've decided that the next batch of glass bauble madness should be of images of the movie Cleopatra, one of my favorite movies of all time forever! I'm making several of these easy to sew felt pieces to stitch together in a frame surrounding a mirror. I'll update as soon as it's done!

Also finished: a few more beaded mirrors.

Hat Madness: Rasta Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 01:13:00 +0000

Gettin ready for the December bazaar table by crocheting hats. I found this easy pattern for Rasta hats on allfreecrochet.com? Some site like that (I'll post an update for the address) Anyway, this pattern is so easy and fast - a great addition to your craft pile in a pinch. It's all double crochet and easily adjustible for a longer floppier hat. I would do special orders for longer dread holding hats, as most people won't have long long dreads anywayz.

Also in the works: my crocheted jester hats. I have made a few previously in Irish colors for some reason. Now I got a few with RGB (Red, Green, Blue) theme. Nice! I'll post for those here soon.

After I do the jesters hats I'm planning on trying my hand at a cute animal pattern - not sure yet. I'm thinking of a chicken hat with dangling chicken feet for the earflap ties - YES!!

Learning About Onsides Kicking

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:41:00 +0000

Watching the Sunday game between the Sand Diego Chargers and Green Bay Packers I caught a play using a technique called an onsides kick. It didn't go as planned for the Packers, who lost possession of the ball because someone from the other team recovered it after it went the required yards forward. I don't even know why they did that because they were ahead at the time.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/onside+kick

This looks pretty risky move to me! (I think I saw another recent game in which this move back-fired.)

http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/ray-guy-explains-how-to-use-onside-kicks-

http://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2011/10/31/2526703/whats-up-with-onsides-kick-decisions-around-nfl

http://www.ehow.com/facts_4778881_nfl-football-onside-kick-rules.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_4523140_kick-football-onside-kick.html

New Ads for GreatAlaskanHomes.com

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:38:00 +0000

Coming up with new ads and web pages for GreatAlaskanHomes.com's Community spotlight feature. I'm really excited about learning more about Alaska's many towns and villages. I can't wait to fill out this part of the website.

My View of Football has Changed

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:35:00 +0000

Ever since my son joined Pop Warner Football (Mighty Mites) I have become more interested in football and how it's played, the rules, etc.. This season for the Eastside 49ers was my first being involved in. The kids were so adorable to watch as they got more skilled in their tackling, running, blocking, and scoring. The Pop Warner teams also added items of pink to their uniforms to also show their support for breast cancer awareness (like the NFL teams are). It was a joy to see my own son face is fears of being tackled and learn to play football and to also learn good sportsmanship.

Now that I've been reading up on the rules of the game, watching the pros play on tv is even better! I'm not sure who I'm rooting for in the NFL yet - it's a toss-up between the Broncos and Ravens. But hey, the Broncos are in the AFC West and the Ravens are in the AFC North - so I can just say I'm going to root for an AFC team right? So to share my education in football, here is a link to an article about What the AFC and NFC are.

Here's a link to keep up the latest scores: NFL Standings

Okay, so if I am rootin for North and West division teams it'll be: AFC North's Ravens, AFC West's Broncos, NFC North's Vikings, and the NFC West's Seahawks. It figures I would come up with a nonsensical convoluted theory on picking a team to or teams to root for! Since I'm an Alaskan and don't want to automatically root for Seattle because they're the closest, I'm free to root around all I want!

Nah, maybe I should cut it down to Northern Teams to keep it simple. AFC Ravens and NFC Vikings - yeah Vikings and Ravens seem like a good combo! But Ravens do love Cheetos, so rooting for Green Bay would seem more fitting...nah!!! Vikings and Ravens it is!

GO NORTHERNERS!!

The Ravens
The Vikings

Gearing up for the 2011 Holiday Bazaar Seaon

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:58:00 +0000

Well I am frantically trying to put together enough short-length beadworking projects for my upcoming bazaar season. I do however, have Written in Stone inventory to fill up the table with as well.....whew! Here's a link to the ADN's 2011 Bazaar list.

Here are the latest items I've finished

Back to Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 05:53:00 +0000

I'm in the process of creating a brand new webpage for my cousin Cy. I want him to be able to post updates straight from his Smartypants phone to his website. I found that using Blogger may be possible. Since I have a Blogger blog, I decided that instantly updating my own webpage would be a good thing too! So many of our good ideas come to us when we aren't near a regular computer or laptop. I think this type of combination for my clients is long overdue! We'll see how this goes, as it seems to not be working right as to customization with CSS, Feedburner, Buzzboost, Blogger, and on and on..... I'm not getting the code with the CSSable id tags, I am only given a javascript snippet - It's late, I'm tired, my brain hurts....the fight for design control continues tomorrow! (For some reason the embedded blog does pick up my CSS styles from being in my webpage....but I have no way to change just the embedded blog and leave the rest of the page unaffected....Can one add an id tag to a Javascript code?)

Machete Chop Shop Dark T-Shirt Machete Chop Shop Echo Forsberg's

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 17:56:00 +0000

Machete Chop Shop Dark T-Shirt Machete Chop Shop Echo Forsberg's

Icelandic Poppy Baby Belt Progress Shot

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 17:06:00 +0000

I'm on the last few leaves - I'll start filling in the background soon!

NOODLE PRON

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 17:04:00 +0000

Maruchen Instant Lunch cups from Costco 10/10

The last few cases of cup o noodles were kind of mushy -can't remember what name brand they were- but these have a better firmer texture - Ya know it says don't microwave the styrofoam cups - boil water in microwave or stovetop separately - oops - I've been microwaving them for years hehe

This picture was of my sad food pron and I dressed up the noodles with a fine cilantro garnish hehe - I was comparing it to my buddies professional quality food pron she shared with me on Facebook-the cilantro actually was awesome in the noodles- I thought I would begin a noodle blog in my love of amateur food pron covering the much cherished food for the masses - NOODLES!

New bracelet for a friend

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 16:57:00 +0000

Already sold custom order - I thought I would share - It's cute! I like the simplicity of daisy chains - they are cute - the next one is going to be forget-me-not colors.

New Purse Finished!

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 16:54:00 +0000

Here it is - I like how it turned out - the sides are stiff smoked moosehide and the front and back panels are pig suede - all lined with red floral silk - size 11 seed beads - I'll be dropping it off at the Alaska Native Arts Foundation soon!

Lately...

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:43:00 +0000

the new site is up!! Finally - I got too lazy to re-do the t-shirts page so instead it links to the Cafepress page which is okay too - eventually I will get into featuring my latest tees before you jump into the main site....later

So lately I'm stitching a new purse together for this piece of beadwork - I hope it works out well....and sells - man I need some money (still working on the poppy baby belt off and on too!)

Up Next: New Doll Bottles!

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 21:40:00 +0000

BEAD ME!!!!

These poor babies are awaiting decoration. I can't wait to finish them - just haven't found the inspiration yet - i am doing the dark haired one as a blue green aqua sky blue blue ocean theme (she's got seashells in the bottle with her) Perhaps a tribute to Yemaya? and the other two are undecided as of yet - I want to do a green forest theme for my Girdwood Forest Faire table.... I definitely post once these cuties are done!

Glass Pebble Madness!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 21:05:00 +0000

Yep diggin out the pebbles again - gettin ready to share a booth with my cousin Cy at the Girdwood Forest Faire - made a new batch of creepy dollface fridge magnets and decided to go further with the pebbles - here's what i've been up to lately:
Alice in Wonderland bracelets

Cherub pebbles
(I don't yet know what i'm doing with them after I do the basic seed bead enclosures shown here)

Cute dollface chokers - I made a few with eyeballs - maybe a take on the evil eye protection pendant - I think these turned out lovely - forcing myself to sell these even tho i want to just keep them - need the moneys!

Interest - Is it just greed in disguise?

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 23:41:00 +0000

Studying real estate topics, I arrived at the issue of interest and got side-tracked (I happened to be sitting in front of a computer - so naturally, I Googled it).

I'm not sure I could actually read a whole book on such a specific economic topic (or any book on economics for that matter!) However, this seems to be an interesting book to read to come closer to understanding the WHY of interest and how it came around to being an accepted practice.

To me personally, I could never knowingly lend someone money and expect interest. In lending money to a stranger or business, adding interest just seems to be the way things are done - of course a 'professional' would be the one writing the contract/agreement for me if I had that type of money available to lend - so in that way, I would be oblivious to the adding of interest to someone.

Once I stopped and really thought about what interest is - I personally think that it is wrong. Charging someone for the use of your money because you could have used it yourself seems to me to be an expression of selfishness. To me, it seems selfish that you would value the use of your own money for something not direly needed more than the use of someone who needs it. If they did not need it direly, why would they ask you for it?

And if that lent money is to be used to make more money with, such as a business venture, wouldn't that lent money be just as needed as money for food and shelter - since the money earned from the business venture would be used to provide food and shelter?

As for the charging of use of money over time and the lost opportunities it could have instead brought to the lender - how can one know what success or loss could have occurred if the money wasn't lent? It's a bet that you would think that your private use of the lent money would have brought the same or more back in profit, thereby charging (punishing) the borrower for a lost gain that might never had happened.

As for covering the cost of potential loss - isn't the person borrowing it still going to pay you even if their business venture turned sour? And isn't taking knowledgeable risks with money and expecting to profit from that risk really called gambling? And we all know that gambling isn't the highest of moral doings as well. (I find gambling to be a foolish waste of money - the house always wins. But hey, I won't knock it if it makes you happy - just don't expect me to cover your totally preventable losses fool!)

In modern times - I agree that lending money has its costs (paying the office workers to fill out and record paperwork - paying for title searches - etc) In my opinion, honestly (and upfront)asking to be compensated for real costs and requiring payment for the time spent doing the pertinent tasks of lending is rightful but adding on percentages just because it is industry standard and technically legal to do so seems to me to be wrong.

Some would say it is just a technicality and the cost of interest is justified. Whether it is called a fee or interest points added to a loan, the money is the same.
I don't think it is the same - I think it should stay a fee only and interest should never be charged.

However opinionated I am, I do realize that I need to read a larger work on how economics work and weigh the positive advantages it has brought to many people before I come to my final and personal opinion on the right to charge interest.

For now, however, I find it totally WRONG and SELFISH.

Here's the link to the book on the history of interest:
http://news.uns.purdue.edu/html4ever/2004/040907.Houkes.interest.html

And always it seems, the Wikipedia take on the issue:
(THX wikipedia - you're awesome!)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interest

New Chillbilly shirt design!

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:51:00 +0000

Hell Yeah! Alaska's got Chillbillies too! Don't know if that's a Canadian/Minnesotan/Fargo etc. word but since it's been given to Sarah Palin - it's definitely an Alaskan thing now! Here's a shirt for yall!

My first fur hat!

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:49:00 +0000

Yay - i bought a set of patterns from the cooperative extension and decided Tyler needs a nice hat. Here it is! Mimi wants one now too - she said she wants purple - I should find some purple dyed fur - too cute.

A few pics from today

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:13:00 +0000

Nice Lawn Ornament!

Mina Beana Bobeana Marshmellow Cheekers
We played at McDonald's Playland for a few hours with Cynthia and Katrina's kids and Linda's grandson - she stayed with me the whole time - my lil minime shadow!

My cutie pie couch potater pooch

A rose my daughter Toinee got for me is starting to grow! I chopped off the flower after it died but the rose is sprouting out the sides in 2 places! Too Cool - I'll see if it will keep growing and root maybe - That would be awesome to get a whole new plant from a single cut flower. YAY!

Lucet Braiding

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 23:42:00 +0000

Okay I couldn't find a lucet handle here in Anchorage - So I was at the Walmart (Darn it forgot my Walmart bingo card too) and happened upon these bamboo utensils. A Lightbulb went off in my head. Yeah I can carve my own lucet handle outta these! - It worked but i think the scale is better for thicker materials. So I tried one out of a bent fork - It worked! I'm making a necklace with it using embroidery thread. Im going to try skinnier thread and then a few beaded lucet cords. This is fun! (Man I'm boring - hehe) Here are my lucet pics!:

Before Carving - Bamboo utensil

After I carved the bamboo fork

I bent up a fork for a smaller scale lucet handle - I works!

Here's the back of the fork - I kept it simple and crossed the 2 tines - the tail threads through the opening created between the crossed tines.

My littelest babies dollhouse

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:59:00 +0000

So I bought a dollhouse kit from the junkstore next to my work (Buy the Pound) Those guys are nice - I got a good deal on it - I'm a junk hound too btw

So my hubby Dan puts it together - Easier said then done - when he opened the box a bazillion sheets of pre-cut shapes are in there and once punched out, glued together - he gets to the roof - It's all shingled - the roof itself is more than half the construction I think....Our babies are lucky to have this man as a father - thanks hun! I can't wait to help paint and wallpaper and carpet it - I was joking around the other day saying that it might end up too fancy to play with once we're done!

I will definitely post more pics as the finishing developes!

Font Choice IS important

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Forsberg) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:50:00 +0000

This reminds me of Idiocracy