Personal search for your Twitter network.

Search is has been a big topic of discussion in 2009, and in 2010 is almost assuredly going to be a bigger deal as users look for ways to distill the internet’s wealth of information to more personal discoveries. Recently, with the surge of social networking, search has become an even more contested topic because the content created by the millions of users worldwide is not just prolific, but is being done daily. Real time search through your networks and contacts postings can be useful to discover what the pulse of your network really is. Unfortunately small steps have been made in this area, and as much as Search.Twitter.com is used, it’s still not giving you a personal search, but rather having you search the entire Twitter network.

One of the few personal Twitter searches is flocking.me. If you’ve got several hundred or several thousand friends in your network, you can erase the noise and focus on only the groups you want, for specific information. This is ideal if your’e looking for trends, industry news, or just looking to see what topics your friends think are hot button issues that you’d like to join in on. An interesting addition to this app is the ability to search your tweets via an interactive map. The map shows the location of the Tweeters and gives you a better understanding of the scope and range of your conversations as you span the globe seeing your search information pop up.

An added bonus is the ability to update your status straight from the site. Much like the Twitter homepage of old, you’ll need to refresh the page to see any of the updates on your profile or those that you’ve done a search for. While the concept is nice, I’m not sure how portable this application is. Mobility is key as we are all on the goal, so I’d like to see this concept put into a mobile app. There are a few out there that offer similar functionality, but nothing that I’ve seen with personal search like flocking.me.

• How to Handle Several Twitter Accounts – September 19, 2010
• Web App Buffers Timely Online Communication – November 6, 2009
• Social Media Revolution – September 6, 2009
• You Could Be Britney Spears New Boyfriend! – October 20, 2008
• 10 Twitter Hashtags to Live a More Frugal and Sustainable Life – October 27, 2011

Personal Search for Your Twitter Contacts originally appeared on: Crenk
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The concept of communicating with your tribe is easy to see in networks such as Twitter, Facebook, or even LinkedIn. What if you wanted to share files in a local depository where all of your tribe can have access to? Or what if you only wanted to share with certain members of the tribe? Gigatribes allows you to build your community, much like any other social network, but now you’re able to share large files seamlessly and with out problems.

But there is a problem. How is this different from DropBox? Or maybe ZumoBox? Or any other of the hundreds of file sharing sites. In looking at the application itself I didn’t see anything that really stood out to make this the go to community file sharing network out there.

What it’ll come down to is comfort level and ease of use for your needs. DropBox and Zumobox both have mobile apps that give you access to your files on the go. No such app was found for Gigatribes which already puts this network at a disadvantage.

• Web App Buffers Timely Online Communication – November 6, 2009
• Social Media Demographics – July 9, 2010
• Social Networking Site for Collectors – June 29, 2009
• Blellow, Social Network for Freelancers – June 12, 2009
• TinyChat Upgrades Amazing Video Chat Application – June 1, 2009

Online Tribes Can Avoid GigaTribe originally appeared on: Crenk
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But do you ever feel like you’re being left behind? Perhaps not enough time to get the right message in a timely fashion? Now there’s a solution to that.

Twuffer presents itself as the buffer between you and your timed messages. By using the web application, you are able to preset messages on a timed schedule to be released on your network at the times you think most important. The possibilities of this type of functionality are as endless as your creativity.

The web app is easy to use and can serve you to better time your announcements, set reminders for yourself or others, engage in timed online activities, or, as the site suggests, make it appear as if you never sleep. The practicality of this app seems pretty straightforward.

The application is currently in beta, but your able to explore what it has to offer pretty seamlessly. I suggest you give it a try to announce regular days when your podcast or blog post will go live, or perhaps some other similar campaign to see if Twuffer is right for you!

• Tweetdeck Evolves For Power Users – December 4, 2009
• Streaming Music Online Via Browser – November 15, 2009
• Raptr Is the Ultimate Gaming Service: Connects PSN, Xbox and More – May 16, 2011
• Linkedin iPhone Update Offers More Functionality – December 29, 2009
• Waving Hard? You Need WaveNut! – November 23, 2009

Web App Buffers Timely Online Communication originally appeared on: Crenk
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Screenjelly is perhaps the easiest screen recorder you'll ever use.

There are a lot of applications that claim to be the leader in capturing and recording your screen. Well I’m not making that claim with Screenjelly, but I will say it’s the easiest I’ve ever used.

Why?

Well unlike most other free screen capture applications, you don’t need to create a profile or sign up for an account. You also don’t need to download anything or log-in for access, you simply go to the site and start the process. The ease of use is a welcomed approach for new users who are not familiar with existing screen recording applications. There is little barrier into the service and users do not get mired down with having to check their emails to authorize emails and other such necessities when creating a new account.

Screenjelly also has a close relationship with Twitter, where you can easily share your recordings directly with your followers, and instantly get feedback. It’s pretty tempting if you’re looking at doing something quick. There are no screen share capabilities to pass it on to someone else, there’s not meeting function for chat function to share with other users, this is just purely setup to record what’s on your screen and the audio being sent via your microphone.

• Classy, Unobtrusive Twitter “Follow” Badges – June 29, 2009
• Create a Screencast and Share it in Twitter – November 7, 2010
• Personal Search for Your Twitter Contacts – December 31, 2009
• Online Tribes Can Avoid GigaTribe – November 10, 2009
• Web App Buffers Timely Online Communication – November 6, 2009

Screenjelly Records Your Screen originally appeared on: Crenk
Join our Community: Twitter, Facebook

Lots of sites out there offer Twitter badges that you install and more often than not they can take up valuable real estate on your site, so here’s a nice SITE that can help you instantly create a very unobtrusive “Follow” badge for your site that users can click on, while saving space on your site.

It’s not an issue for everyone, but I thought it would be useful for some.

• Screenjelly Records Your Screen – July 20, 2009
• Personal Search for Your Twitter Contacts – December 31, 2009
• Online Tribes Can Avoid GigaTribe – November 10, 2009
• Web App Buffers Timely Online Communication – November 6, 2009
• Blellow, Social Network for Freelancers – June 12, 2009

Classy, Unobtrusive Twitter “Follow” Badges originally appeared on: Crenk
Join our Community: Twitter, Facebook

Blellow burst onto the scene a few months ago, and after winning a few awards paired with an explosive launch at SXSW, the social networking site is experiencing explosive growth. For any self starters, entrepreneur, freelancer, or contract worker, this network has been the hub for meeting new people, finding job leads, and joining project teams seeking specific talents. Companies are welcome to also post their job listings for a reduced nominal fee to attract some highly talented professionals.

The unique name is an extension of its unique community. Putting together some of the best aspects of popular social networking sites, it fosters creativity, innovation, and looks to be the dominant force in finding work for the self starters around the world. While Elance and Odesk serve as bidding job boards, Blellow looks to use its extensive network to rely on recommendations and friendly introductions to new people to pair people with the right project.

If you’re looking to expand your contacts, find unique job postings, and converse with people in a specific industry or topic, then Blellow is the place to network!

• Online Tribes Can Avoid GigaTribe – November 10, 2009
• Web App Buffers Timely Online Communication – November 6, 2009
• Reputation Management For Your Brand with Verified Pages – July 20, 2009
• Social Networking Site for Collectors – June 29, 2009
• What’s the Deal With Authority Based Search? – December 28, 2008

Blellow, Social Network for Freelancers originally appeared on: Crenk
Join our Community: Twitter, Facebook

It’s a known fact that if you’re on a social network, there are those that are simply on to connect with a few people, co-workers, family, old friends; there are also those that connect professionally because they are considered industry leaders in their field and they attract a lot of attention when they say something or share something on their profile. I’m not touting to be one of those people, but we all know who they are. Whether you’re in media, finance, law, science, there are people that we follow that people listen to.

Still no matter what level we are in with regards on online status, many of us go through the same facets of life, experience the same problems at the home, at work, in conferences, etc. These topics blur the line of who we are when people do a search for us. Someone doing research or looking to find credible information on a topic might come across someones rant just as easily as they would someones concise opinion on a situation.

It’s this very premise that the idea of authority based searching be something all social networks consider, more specifically, Twitter.

The Low-Down

This most recent cage rattling has resurfaced thanks to Loic Le Meur, and his pleading with Twitter to build in this authority based search function to filter out, for lack of a better word, the rabble. I highly respect Loic and all of his efforts with Le Web ’08 this year, and despite the backlash it received regarding the finer details, I thought what was UStreamed was quality panel discussions and speakers. Someone of Loic’s capacity does a lot of Internet searching, finding hot trends, finding the right people, and ultimately wants to make every minute he spends doing work count. If you don’t like Loic, substitute anyone you’d rather hear about in his place, the outcome is still the same. He only wants to read what top users are saying because their voice as a wider broadcasting scope as opposed to someone who only has 100 followers.

The question becomes does it matter? Well, the topic of discussion might be the same; there is a reason why someone with 100 followers would have come up on a search of that topic, but in terms of people listening, they just don’t have it. Users with a large established follower base are those that people go to when they are looking for information, thus becoming portals or hubs that can connect the seeker with the information he needs from either the hub or someone in that network of followers. Transfer the idea to real life. Do you take your ideas to someone on a soap box with five people watching, or to someone in a conference room with thousands of people listening?

Is This Discriminating?

So you’re one of those people with 100 followers, you’re reading what Loic is saying, and perhaps have heard others clamour for the same thing, are you offended? Does this make you feel like what you have to say has little worth compared to someone with a larger number of followers saying the same thing? I think it’s silly to think that just because you happen to be discussing the same topic as someone noteworthy, that you rank on the same level as them. It’s like having two degreed people with the same piece of paper, except one has 20+ years of experience and one just got their degree, there is no way they stand on the same ground.

As stated earlier in this post, the idea of authority based searching is nothing new. Technorati does this with its blog search function, filtering in search of sites with merit in terms of page hits and readership. It’s nothing new, but to those that fall out of the category it sounds pompous and conceited.

I disagree, I think there is definitely something to be said about finding the authorities on different topics for the sake of saving time and also ensuring that more people here what you have to say. Personally, I don’t see this happening with Twitter, but perhaps Loic has the power to make things happen. Right now Twitter has seemingly tackled the stability issue, needs to focus on a monetizing method, and who knows what else is happening internally.

I’m curious to hear what the readers have to say. Is there merit to authority based searching, or is this just conceited demands made by those in the top tier of their profession looking only to associate with other top tier professionals?

Sound off!

• Online Tribes Can Avoid GigaTribe – November 10, 2009
• Web App Buffers Timely Online Communication – November 6, 2009
• Blellow, Social Network for Freelancers – June 12, 2009
• Twitter: Local Trends Go Live! – January 27, 2010
• Phitter: A Twitter Like Fittness Community – January 8, 2010

What’s the Deal With Authority Based Search? originally appeared on: Crenk
Join our Community: Twitter, Facebook

Crenk is looking towards building a solid community of fans who not only provide us a sense of community around Crenk, but also have an opportunity to share their thoughts on some of our stories, and interact with other fans of Crenk.

The reason Crenk continues to go on is because of all of our loyal readers. Those new to Crenk are just as important and we welcome you and hope you leave your feedback. No site can stand alone, but together we can share ideas, innovation, and progressive thinking.

That being said, here’s what Crenk is looking for. All of you out there are amazing, smart, and techy people no doubt, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. Share your story with us and show us your stuff. We’re looking for two things!

1. Send in a video or photo of all of your tech. Lay in a bed with it, sit in a chair with it, lay it out on a table and put yourself in it. Hell stand in a tech store and take a photo of all the stuff you want around you. We want to know what our fans are using, loving, and wanting to share with others.

2. We also want readers of our site to share their thoughts on stories. Send a quick video of your thoughts on articles posted on Crenk. No censorship as long as all videos are in good taste and profanity is used when appropriate. Otherwise, share your thoughts good or bad, and if you’d like, predict the future and let us know what you see in the future for a specific topic, product or brand.

Crenk’s Facebook Page just went live, so make sure to upload your files there, and we the staff of Crenk will be reviewing them. Could there be future benefits involved? Hmmmm…good question…what do you think?

Have fun!

• Online Tribes Can Avoid GigaTribe – November 10, 2009
• Web App Buffers Timely Online Communication – November 6, 2009
• Official Google Social Network: Google+: Facebook Competitor – June 29, 2011
• Customize your Facebook Fan Box – February 3, 2011
• Facebook’s Original Name, FaceMash, for Sale – October 10, 2010

Crenk Wants You to Show Your Stuff! originally appeared on: Crenk
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