All-in-browser is not user-friendly

Let’s say for the moment you did want to do everything in the browser. We’ll take four things – your social media, instant messaging, email and web sites. That’s 4 tabs right there, and having them open all the time chokes your browser to a crawl because it eats up so much memory. Furthermore there is nothing in the taskbar/dock/panel to notify you of anything. There are no toaster pop-ups. If a sound event happens, it’s unlikely you know which tab it came from. If whatever tab is loaded has no dynamic title area change, you don’t know what’s going on in that tab if not selected.

Usability-wise, this is a nightmare to deal with. The browser is not the answer to everything, and there has to be things that exist outside of it to get things done more effectively. We like having small icons in the taskbar/dock/panel that let us know what’s going on. We like small toaster pop-ups at the bottom right of the screen when an instant message and/or email is received. We like having the separation of browser from app.

And if the browser was the end-all/be-all of everything internet, why is it that there are still separated apps on smartphones with nice small notification icons to tell you what’s going on? It’s because it’s easier to use and allows you to get things done easier.

Having everything in the browser is just a stupid idea.

Anti-browser backlash

Facebook is a good example of anti-browser backlash. People generally like the Facebook service but hate the web interface with a passion. I am one of those people. It is so much easier just to have an app carry the task of posting status updates and replying to wall posts rather than dealing with slow, buggy and altogether ridiculous web interface that is Facebook.

And let’s not forget that web-based Facebook apps crash and burn half the time because the system they’re being used on is overloaded/choked with no end in sight.

Cross-posting is not evil when it comes to social media

The term cross-posting is deemed a bad thing by most people because it’s usually applied to spamming – but that’s not the case with social media. What people want is something in the form of an app that posts status updates to multiple services at once, such as Facebook and Twitter. And it must do so in a way where you don’t have to use the browser whatsoever.

All-in-one apps to the rescue

Fortunately there are real true-blue apps that do a very good job of combining it all (or most) in a way that works out quite nicely. There aren’t too many of these offerings as of yet, but they’re slowly coming out of the woodwork.

Here’s a few examples:

Digsby

You most likely know this as a multi-protocol instant messenger – BUT – it can also post status updates to Twitter and Facebook AND reply to updates on Facebook and Twitter AND check your email AND do instant messaging.

Digsby is largely underrated as to how great it does all those things.

AIM 7

AOL Instant Messenger? Yes, the same.

AIM 7 can cross-post to three different services at once, that being AIM Lifestream, Twitter and Facebook. It also has the ability to directly reply to other friend’s status updates like Digsby does.

And possibly the best part about the way AIM cross-posts is that it does not double up/overlap. A single status update appears once on AIM, once on Twitter, once on Facebook. No doubling/overlapping – a common problem when people try to sync separate services. AIM got it right the first time here.

The back-end of how the AIM Lifestream service connects to social media is also very slick in the way it works. It does it in a way that doesn’t require you to jump through a bunch of hoops, privacy options are easy to understand and setup takes only a few minutes.

This is some seriously good forward-thinking by the AIM team concerning both the local app and the back-end it uses.

Pidgin (Linux)

You can outfit the Pidgin app to be able to post Twitter and Facebook updates. Unfortunately it’s a huge pain in the neck to get working, but the point is that it at least can be done.

Getting Twitter working in Pidgin can be done with microblog-purple. That code page does include an Ubuntu tutorial. Facebook stuff is done via pidgin-facebookchat.

Sick of doing it all in the browser and would rather use local apps?

Believe me, you’re not alone. Social media has gotten to the point where many would prefer it treated like a local email or IM application, because after all it’s the messages that matter the most. That being the case, I am in complete agreement that social media should act like email and/or an extension of an instant messenger program.

If you like social media but hate the way it’s handled in the browser, use one of the local apps listed above. And if it works for you, tell people about it. Tell them how much better it is to have a nice small program do the job instead of dealing with the ridiculous nature of how the web interface works. Email people about it, post status updates stating what software you’re using (and whether you like or dislike it), and so on. Alert the masses of the communications stuff you use outside the browser. Chances are there are those you know those that appreciate this information because otherwise it would have never been brought to their attention.

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Cross-Posting Social Media Local Apps Will Pave The Way

That said, if the games you like to play are not hardware intensive then using a netbook as a gaming machine might be an option. By design, the netbook is lightweight and small (albeit not as small as a dedicated portable gaming machine) with a respectable screen size. Additionally, the cost is very reasonable and many great games are available for free.

If I were to use a netbook as a gaming machine, I would load it up with Freeciv and a boatload of games from Abandonia. Of course, you can still use it for everything you can do on a ‘normal’ computer (i.e. Internet browsing) which is a big plus.

Again, I’m not a gamer but is something like this reasonable?

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Using A Netbook As A Mobile Gaming Machine

This extension allows for customization of the Add Bookmark dialog. The bookmarks tree can be automatically opened and elements can be revealed or hidden. Also, the dialog can be resized!

While the functionality of this add-on is straight-forward, to me it is much better than what Firefox has built in. Once you have started using it, you won’t go back.

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Simple Add-On Improves Firefox Bookmark Interface

The Command Prompt in the Windows environment goes all the way back to MS-DOS since Windows was originally an environment that run "on top of" DOS.

The video below will work on any NT-based Windows (Windows NT, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Server 2008, Vista, 7).

For you super old-schoolers out there, "cmd" doesn’t exist in Windows 95 or 98 because the command interpreter in those environments was actually MS-DOS 7 based and not NT. If you wanted to run a prompt in those environments, it’s "command" and not "cmd".

Notes on the video below:

At the portion when you see the right-click inside the Command Prompt window, one option I didn’t cover (but should have upon reflection) is "Select All", which selects whatever is in the window. You can choose that, then press Enter to select it. This may be easier for you than the other methods listed.

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Windows Command Line Goodness (Video)

Even at the MSRP, this is a great deal compared to purchasing individual licenses as it pays for itself after 2 upgrades. Just something to keep in mind.

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Upgrade Several Computers To Windows 7 For A Low(er) Price

After doing some searching on the Internet regarding this subject, it appears my case was isolated to say the least. From what I can tell, they are used by just about everyone with no negative effects. I can certainly see why because dealing with tiny screws is difficult without one.

I imagine most of our readers use a magnetic screwdriver when working on computers. If you do, have you ever experienced a failure you would attribute to the use of one?

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Computer Repair And Magnetic Screwdrivers

WLMM is something which is a separate download in the Windows Live suite of applications. It does not come bundled with Windows 7 but can be added in easily.

The last time I tried this software it was in beta form. Admittedly, I hated it. But now the software is finished so I gave it a go. It is far better than it was in beta and a truly completed product.

There is a video below this showing a basic tutorial of how to get simple thing done in WLMM, here’s a few questions answered up front.

Is it the same as the older Windows Movie Maker?

No. The way in which is operates is completely different. It has the ribbon interface seen in the updated versions of the Office suite, Paint and Windows Live Mail. This is an attempt by Microsoft to make everything look similar no matter what you’re using.

Is it better than the older Windows Movie Maker?

Yes. It supports the native import of more formats (like MOV, MP4 and M4A for example), has effects that are much more streamlined and useful and also has other useful bits, such as direct-to-DVD, direct-to-YouTube and so on.

Is there a learning curve with WLMM?

Yes. You will not take to it like a fish to water. But as stated in the video, once you start using it you’ll realize the way in which it works does make sense, and over time you will be able to edit videos faster and more efficiently. The only people who would purposely stay with the old Windows Movie Maker are robbing themselves of a truly good and useful video editor.

See video below for more details.

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Windows Live Movie Maker Tutorial (Video)

Something FloatLED does that your case light cannot is it can tell you want drive is actually working. If you have multiple disks in your system, this can be very useful as you can actually see the source of the ‘grinding’. Additionally, if you are working on a remote system (via Terminal Services, Log Me In, etc.), by firing up this application you instantly have access to this information on the system you are connected to.

While this is probably not for everyone (i.e. you have a laptop with one disk), for those of you who do have a use for it, FloatLED is a great utility.

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On Screen Hard Drive Activity LED

If you hadn’t heard, AOL will be splitting from Time Warner and will once again become an independent company. This will be occurring on December 10, 2009. ICQ happens to be an AOL property currently.

Know that ICQ has a huge presence basically everywhere but the United States. It is widely used in Russia and China and has somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 to 50 million users. This is something that would be attractive to capitalize on for many internet companies looking to expand their user base.

AOL has internet properties in 40 countries (I bet you never knew they stretched so far) and they are sure to sell off a whole bunch of those – ICQ being one of them.

Will ICQ be snapped up by an American company like Google or Microsoft? Highly unlikely. Microsoft already has a huge worldwide presence with Live (formerly MSN) and Google has Google Talk and Gmail which is also worldwide.

What will most likely happen is that  a non-U.S. internet company will make the purchase.

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ICQ For Sale, Only 300 Million (What A Deal!)

However, social networking is not a new thing anymore and does have tenure. And of course, any social networking site will claim that they sign up new users left and right on a daily basis and have millions of users.

But how many of those millions of users actually bother using social networking is the question. How many are "bouncers", whereas they signed up then never did anything with their social network stuff afterward?

Even though the numbers are rising as far as social networking usage is concerned, its definitely not the hot topic of conversation anymore. Has the popularity of social networking peaked? I believe it has. And there’s only one direction something can go after it peaks.

I don’t want to indicate that this style of communication is a fad that will go away, because it won’t. This is something that I believe will remain on the internet for a good long time. But it’s obvious there are more than a few that have become, said politely, disenchanted with the way it works.

How social networking works is its biggest downfall. Facebook for example has things in it that crash constantly. Even when you attempt to do something as simple as send a message to somebody else, you may get a server error. Twitter has had the same problem ever since it started. MySpace also has its bugs. None of them have ever been able to operate with 100% efficiency.

On top of that, these sites changes their interfaces continually. What you clicked on one day to get somewhere may get moved next week. And then moved again next month. It’s irritating to deal with.

The final blow that gets people disenchanted with social networking is that it can be nothing but a big ball of boring. Like it or not, all social sites act the exact same way, with the only differences being in what applications are available to you. But then there are those who don’t bother with apps, so what you do on Facebook is more or less the exact same thing you did on MySpace. Eventually it becomes tiresome and you just quit using it.

In the end, what you have is a medium where you add a bunch of people on a contact list, trade messages, photos and funny cat videos.

There should be no wonder as to why some people bounce from this. Some call it like it is: "Isn’t a social networking site just a big forum with some extra added crap in it nobody uses?"

Mainly, yes. People recognize this and move on to other things.

What do you think?

Has social networking passed its peak of popularity? Have you become disenchanted with it? Let people know by posting a comment.

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Has Social Networking Jumped The Shark?