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Giving away Google Wave Invitation

Blogmin — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:09:42 +0000

Just the other day I received my Google Wave invite. While, I’m still trying to get the hang of it, I have some Wave invitations that I can spare. So, I will be giving way some free Google Wave invitations over the next few days from here.

Screenshot of Google Wave

I’ll send the wave invitations randomly. I would really like to send invitations to people that will use it extensively. So, if you’re interested just drop a comment on this post. If you want to return the favor, you can follow me on Twitter, FriendFeed, Yahoo MyBlogLog, engage in discussions on my blog, link to my site or whatever you can think of.

When requesting invite, please don’t forget to mention your blog if you have one.

Google Wave invitations are not sent instantly

Please do keep in mind that, according to Google “Invitations will not be sent immediately. We have a lot of stamps to lick.” So, after I send you the invite, it’s up to Google when you actually see it in your inbox.

Here is the Wave invitation counter:

Google Wave invitation currently available 14

Invitations given away so far 0
Please keep an eye on this post. I will update this post frequently and update the numbers as more invitations become available to me.

See who is not following you on Twitter with Refollow

Blogmin — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:36:55 +0000

Refollow is a twitter application by Orginate Inc. This easy to use application has some really useful filter options. It makes mass follow and unfollow very easy. The interface is very clean and not confusing at all. It is entirely web based and no client to install. No sign-up necessary, you can login with your Twitter ID.

Refollow features at a glance:

Group by Relationships.
Sort by Importance.
Explore Twitter Social Graph.
Discover Relevant Users.
Filter Irrelevant Users.
Batch Follow/Unfollow/Block.
Crowd Tagging and Comments.
Lock Relationships.

Refollow login options

Selected user options

Extensive filter options

Right hand panel options

Individual user options

Sort by options

So, give this twitter relationship manager a try and share your thoughts. Don’t forget to checkout their blog for news and updates.

Manage Google Analytics data with TrakkBoard desktop application

Blogmin — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:40:59 +0000

If you manage multiple Google Analytics profiles then there is a FREE analytics API dashboard application now. TrakkBoard is a free desktop application created by German company Trakken. Once you install the application, it allows you to pull data from multiple Google analytics accounts and view them in the dashboard. TrakkBoard fetches data from all your Analytics accounts and profiles by using Analytics API. Best part is, it’s endorsed by Google.

TrakkBoard is very handy for following reasons:

It’s very easy to use and it’s FREE.
You can easily compare Analytics data from multiple websites on the same dashboard.
It eliminates the need to login to your Google Analytics account frequently for key data.
TrakkBoard is visually appealing.
It’s highly customizable.
It makes your life whole lot easier if you have quite a few websites to manage.

You can find the official TrakkBoard feature list here. Do keep in mind though, you are unable to change your Google Analytics account settings through this application. It only provides data that’s already in your Analytics account. If you want to change your Analytics account settings, you would have to do it the old fashioned way by logging in to your Google Analytics account.

Now I will try to show you how to install TrakkBoard application on your desktop with step by step instructions.

Start by entering your email address and click "request key"

Your email address is registered

Click on the link to verify your email address

You will see the confirmation of your registration along with your license key

On the same page click on the "install now" option on your right

Open or Save the file

your license key is also emailed to you

Click install

Change the installation location or leave as it is

When the application loads for the first time after installation, you will be prompted for the license key

Pick a password for the TrakkBoard application

Now enter your Google Analytics account credentials and click finish registration

These notes will be on the same screen when you enter Analytics info

Top panel will look like this when you're logged on

You will see this when you click on add a new widget

Pick your Google account from the drop-down list

Rest of the fields will auto generate

Select the widget type you want on your dashboard

You also have to select your desired timespan

Then click Save

You will see your added widgets on your dashboard at this point

Control center option allows you to add Google accounts

Top right corner has a help section as well

You can create, edit and delete new tabs on your dashboard as well. You can drag-drop and resize widgets. You can also change the view, labels and color of some elements. Don’t forget to click the HELP button on top right of the application if you need any help. So, try it and feel free to share your opinion or experience.

Firefox 3.6 beta version for Windows, Mac and Linux now ready for download

Blogmin — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:45:45 +0000

Mozilla developers have finally released Firefox 3.6 Beta 1 for download. If you couldn’t wait to get your hands on Firefox 3.6 beta then you can go to the official beta download link here. It’s available in 50 languages.

Firefox 3.6, which is code-named Namoroka is built on the Gecko 1.9.2 web rendering engine. Here are some of the key features of this revision highlighted by the developers.

Users can now change their browser’s appearance with a single click, with built in support for Personas.
Firefox 3.6 will alert users about out of date plugins to keep them safe.
Open, native video can now be displayed full screen, and supports poster frames.
Support for the WOFF font format.
Improved JavaScript performance, overall browser responsiveness and startup time.
Support for new CSS, DOM and HTML5 web technologies.

You can read the full list of changes on this version here since the alpha release. Most of the Add-ons may not be compatible with this beta version yet. If you want to test Add-ons yourself and help the plugin authors then you can install Add-on Compatibility Reporter. So, jump right in and start testing this Firefox beta version and report any bugs you find.

Yahoo makes a Hilary Swank boo boo on their front page!

Blogmin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:55:36 +0000

See if you can spot the boo boo? Don’t they have proof readers or spell checker at Yahoo or ITN? Not that it is that big of a deal but it’s a big deal when front page of Yahoo! or ITN is concerned.

Notice the typo. Hiary Swank instead of Hilary Swank! I bet she won’t be too happy. I took the screen shots from Yahoo UK news section and also the news segment of main Yahoo UK front page. Hope they correct it soon!

The link to the news is http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20091027/ten-hiary-swank-wins-at-hollywood-awards-ea4616c.html

Original news on http://itn.co.uk/bbda4d375efecb81a53486a9702ee1ba.html
I just noticed the typo 20 minutes ago.

Please fix it!

Original ITN news site

Google search result

Hurry up and fix it Yahoo!

Still not fixed?

I give up!

Oh well, it was fun!

Disclaimer: Screen shots were taken from Yahoo UK & ITN news site and images belong to their respective owners.

How to create htaccess file on windows

Blogmin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:25:01 +0000

For whatever reason, if you need to create a .htaccess file for your Apache or any other web server in a windows environment then here is the step-by-step guide. There are few ways to create a .htaccess file but here I will try to show you one of the easiest and quickest ways.

If you just try to rename a text file to .htaccess then you will get an error saying “you must type a file name”. Instead follow the steps below.

Open your favorite text editor program like Notepad.
Make sure “Word Wrap” is unchecked under “Format”.
Put your directives that you want to put or just leave it blank if you wish to add them later.
Go to “File” and click “Save As”.
When the save box pops up type .htaccess (don’t forget the dot) under “File name”.
Under “Save as type”, choose “All Files” and click “Save”.

You’re done. Now, if you want to open the file and edit it, just find the file and open by selecting a program, for example notepad. Once you’re done editing just click “Save”.

If you just try to rename then you will get error

Make sure Word Wrap is not checked

Leave blank to edit later or just place your code and click save as

Choose the options as shown above

Right click or double click to open the file

Choose to select a program

Open with Notepad or similar

When you upload the file to your web server, make sure you upload in ASCII mode. I will write more on how to take advantage of .htaccess file in my future posts. In the meantime if you want to learn more about .htaccess then htaccesstools.com is a good read.

Protect your Google AdSense account with allowed sites option

Blogmin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:38:55 +0000

If you’re an AdSense publisher who is worried that your AdSense code is being used on shady or objectionable websites then you can do something about it now. If you haven’t noticed already, there is an option called “allowed sites” under “AdSense setup” tab in your dashboard. This feature basically lets you create a list of sites that are allowed to display your AdSense ads. If you use this feature then any site that is not on the list can still display your ads but page impressions and clicks won’t be counted thus making the ad units useless on those sites. It’s a good feature to protect your account from unauthorized use, which (unauthorized use of your ad unit) could potentially get you in trouble with Google for any AdSense terms or policy violation.

To add sites to your allowed sites list, click on ADSENSE SETUP tab and then go to ALLOWED SITES option. Just add the domains/sub-domains in the box and click SAVE CHANGES. It could take anywhere between 4 hours to 48 hours for changes to be effective. You can get more details about this option on AdSense help section.

Click on AdSense Setup tab

Select Allowed Sites

Add your domains in the format shown above

There are some trade offs if you use this feature. Since, any site that is not on the list will not able to generate any revenue so you might potentially lose some income from websites that display external site content within their sites and cache sites, proxy sites, translation sites etc. It all depends on your situation and your traffic source. So, use this feature at your own discretion.

Free vs Paid- Pick the right wordpress theme

Blogmin — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:06:51 +0000

If you are just about to start a new Wordpress blog then choosing the right theme for your blog will be one of the first dilemmas you will face. Let’s face it, the default Wordpress theme is not very appealing and also when it comes to functionality, it’s very limited or basic. That’s why you need to pick a theme and install it to give your Wordpress blog a boost. There are thousands of themes out there for you to choose from. They have both free and paid ones. So, the dilemma is, should you get a free or a premium or paid theme. I’ll try to point out few things and make it easy for you to decide.

First and foremost, you would have to ask yourself what kind of blogger you want to be or what kind of blog you want to create. If you’re creating a blog just to pass time or for occasional personal entries with no serious plan or goal then the choice is very simple. Pick a free one that you like and enjoy!

But if you want to be a serious blogger or create a blog for your business or establish reputation and identity or make money from your blog then you should make the decision very carefully. Picking the right theme or theme provider from the start will save you lot of money, time and trouble down the road.

Whether you want to go with a free or a paid one, you should consider the following:

• Is the theme compatible with the latest Wordpress version?

• Does the theme support all the wordpress plugins or functionality you want to add right away and also plugins that you might add in the future?

• Is the theme customizable, should you wish to make some modifications?

• Does the theme work perfectly on all the latest versions of major browsers and as well as the older ones?

• Is the theme Search engine or SEO friendly?

• Is there any support available if you need it?

• Will the theme be updated in the future to match future Wordpress releases?

While it’s true that some of the free themes are almost as good as the paid ones, there are few things you should know about free themes. Most free themes aren’t updated on a regular basis or you won’t be able to find an upgraded version in the future. Support for free themes isn’t good either. The reason is, developer of a free theme is most likely not making any money directly or not being sufficiently compensated in any way. So, there is hardly any motivation or means to address support requests or constantly update the theme. In lot of cases someone just makes a theme and puts it out there for people to download and then disappears. It has also been reported that lot of free theme developers place sneaky codes in their theme for personal or financial gain or just some other malicious purposes. Not only that, lot of themes are poorly written that poses a security risk and also results in degraded server and site performance.

On the other hand, paid or premium themes are usually constantly updated and they go through regular bug fixes. Support is usually good as well because they can afford it and they have to think of their reputation. Premium themes are usually lot better than free ones when it comes to design and functionality because they have to make money off those themes.

Having said all that, you shouldn’t just blindly assume that any premium or paid Wordpress theme will be very good. You should do your home work. Search online to see what others are saying about that theme and/or theme developer. Browse through their support forum to see what type of issues people are having with the theme. Ask them as many questions as you want before you buy. After you have done your research, if you’re comfortable with everything then go for a premium theme and chances are you won’t regret it.

Find color code for Google Adsense ad unit

Blogmin — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:56:24 +0000

If you’re an Adsense user then chances are, at some point and time you would want to experiment with your ad unit colors. If you want to blend your ads with the website background, text and link colors then you would have to find the right color code. Finding the correct code for the right color could be a painful or annoying task at times. Sure, you can use the default Google tool within Adsense interface and try to match visually. But it is not always as easy as it seems if you want to create a perfect ad palette. Sometimes you would have to use image editing software or go through CSS or the source code of the page to find the color code.

Well, if you are using Firefox then you are in luck. You can take all the pain and hassle out of the process by using a great add-on or extension called Colorzilla. This great tool includes advanced Eyedropper, color Picker, palette viewer and more. It only takes few clicks to discover the color code of any part of your web page.

Colorzilla on your status bar

Color code will show as you move your cursor

If you’re a website designer or if you work with images then you will love this tool. You can do lot more than just finding color codes with Colorzilla. Just look at some of the features of this extension and give it a try. They also have a good help section to guide you.

Is Microsoft Security Essentials any good?

Blogmin — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 03:43:53 +0000

Microsoft finally released its free anti-virus tool called Security Essentials. Microsoft Security Essentials or MSE will give you real-time protection against malware. It is replacing Windows Live One Care and Windows Defender. You can read Emil Protalinski’s post on ars technica to find out more.

I tried MSE on my pc and it’s not bad at all. How To Geek gave their official endorsement and recommended it. I can also share a few good things about it.

•   It’s Free.
•   No registration or sign-up required to download and install.
•   Very straight forward install.
•   No reboot required after installation.
•   Simple and clear interface.
•   Very light program. Not resource-hungry like other security products.
•   Perfect solution for not so technical users.

However, there is couple of things you should know. You can run MSE only on a valid or genuine windows system. Also, I couldn’t find any option to shut down the program by right-clicking on the MSE icon in system tray. I had to stop the service or end process to stop MSE.

MSE scan snapshot

MSE allows you to exclude files, file types and processes

MSE warning after service is stopped

Even though Microsoft’s track record in security related products isn’t all that great, MSE might change some of that. It’s true that not all users are all that impressed with it. Not everyone is going to dump their current security suite and get this tool anytime soon. According to Gregg Keizer of ComputerWorld, some big players even mocked MSE and dismissed it by saying it doesn’t even come close to their product. However, overall most people gave positive reviews on MSE. It may not be as powerful as some of the leading security products but I think it’s a step forward in the right direction on Microsoft’s part. People who do not or will not use any security products because they are expensive or too technical for them will find it very easy to adopt. Some security is better than no security.

Be sure to download MSE from a trusted source though. Martin from ghacks explained why you should be careful about where you download it from.