Author: Marc

Marc's Author Bio: Marc works with college students in Berkeley, California. He likes coffee, but only in the afternoon.

4 Free Tools To Get More Out of the Web

17 Replies Marc

The Internet is an awesome and mighty force. It is an creative engine that powers great progress and imagination, but it’s can also become a distracting dead weight that plugs up your work flow.

Due to the nature of my job, I very often need to be on a computer writing, researching, or communicating. I’m always a click away from the infinite reaches of the internet. It’s easy for a quick tangent to become a lengthy absorption, eating up precious time that was intended for work.

Luckily there are new tools created almost everyday to help us tame the vast power of the web and make our time online work on our behalf.  Here’s just a few of my favourites time-saving productivity tools:

Chrome Nanny/LeechBlock

How did you get here?

You sit down at your desk planning to get some serious work done. Three hours later, and you can’t remember how you ended up watching YouTube videos of cats wrestling with ferrets. That’s a big chunk of day that will you never ever get back…

Chrome Nanny (Google Chrome) and LeechBlock (Firefox) both solve the same problem: They keep you from wasting time!

These simple browser extensions allow you place fully customizable limits on what websites you have access to during any given time of the day. Do spend too much time reading the latest gadget reviews? Are you sacrificing your most productive hours of the day to news sites and celebrity gossip?

Chrome Nanny or LeechBlock will block out your favorite sites for certain hours of the day or even certain days of the week. I block all my favorites Monday through Friday from 10 am to 4 pm and after 9 pm.

And if that feels too restrictive, you can merely place a cap on how much time per hour or day you are allowed on a certain site.

Although I love Twitter, personally I find it can become an endless time-suck, a virtual black hole for productivity. I set Chrome Nanny to only allow me to be on Twitter for two minutes each hour. That gives me just enough time to update my status or share a link, but not enough to get close to the event horizon.

This can save massive amounts of time, so just try it!

Read It Later

Often times I’ll come across a great looking article, but it looks a LONG read. Longer than I have time to spend at the moment. What do I now? Having too many tabs open makes me start to feel overwhelmed. If I e-mail myself a link, that clutters up my inbox and adds to the stress of sorting through my e-mail.

It’s time to use Read It Later.

Saving the page to Read It Later quickly stores the page to my Read It Later list (which I conveniently export as an RSS feed). Later on when I’m on Google Reader and have more time, it will show up in my reading list with the other blog feeds I follow. Easy as pie.

It’s a very simple free way to keep track of articles online. Read It Later works in almost any browser and is especially convenient when using mobile devices.

And it does exactly what its name says. I like that.

Readability

Have you ever started to read an awesome article and then suddenly a wave of unnecessarily large ads start invading the screen, dancing across the page and completely ruining the reading experience?

Or perhaps you find a very thoughtful and intelligent blogger with amazing ideas, but unfortunately her blog design hails from 1999 and is loaded with distractingly ugly GIFs matched only by the blocky, unreadable fonts?

Let me introduce you to Readability.

This savvy tool scours your current page and strips away all the unnecessary fluff and add-ons bringing you an incredibly smooth and simple reading experience. If you like, you change the background colour, make the text larger or small, and adjust the margins all to your liking.

Because it exterminates the ads, you probably shouldn’t use it on your favorite sites (like Technology Bloggers!) but for especially reader-unfriendly pages it’s a must have. We could use more clean, user-oriented experiences like this one!

Remember The Milk

A To-Do list is quite handy, unless of course you happened to have left it at home by accident. Or maybe you keep track of your tasks by an ever-multiplying collection of sticky notes plastered all over your desk?

Although I imagine many people have switched to using digital To-Do lists, not many tools out there offer the flexibility and ease of use as Remember the Milk.

Maybe you are at the store and you remember something that you need to do? With RTM you can update your list from a Smart Phone. If you don’t have a Smart Phone, RTM has a handy feature that allows you to send a text through Twitter’s personal message function to add that urgent task to the list.

You can keep your list with you all over the place. A little browser extension can keep a little track next to your e-mail count. Or, you can install the corresponding Gmail extension that lets you manage your To-Do list right in your inbox.

If you are a forgetful person, you can request e-mail or text reminders for time sensitive tasks. It’s truly never been easier to organize all those pesky assignments.

Those are the free tools that I use to maximize my web time, but I’m sure I overlooked some great ones.

What tools do you use?

Blogging Vs. Microblogging

17 Replies Marc

Who Will Win?

I’ve been blogging for over two years now.

It’s been a fun experiment, spending hours pouring into long-winded pieces of prose, carefully editing each word to pull out just the right meaning, and finally clicking the magic publish button… just to have it be read by a total of 3 people (which usually includes both my mom and my mother-in-law).

There’s nothing the matter with blogging. It’s a mighty fine platform for building an audience, spreading the word, and making a difference.

But sometimes I wonder if there’s not something more.

TechCrunch recently reported on the insane exponential growth of Tumblr, a microblogging service that is now getting close to 8 billion page views a month.

What is going on with microblogging and is it better than blogging? (Or the better question: has the train left without me?)

As noted by Wikipedia, über blogger Jason Kottke made the following observations way back in 2005:

A tumblelog is a quick and dirty stream of consciousness…They remind me of an older style of blogging, back when people did sites by hand, before Movable Type made post titles all but mandatory, blog entries turned into short magazine articles, and posts belonged to a conversation distributed throughout the entire blogosphere.

Aha! With just these few astute observations, a new picture starts to emerge.

Blogging Has Developed Rigid Standards

Blogging in many ways has formalized. It’s good for long thoughts, deeper ideas, but in measurable ways it has quietly crystallized into a rigid and imposing system.

Popular blogging services like WordPress force you to come up with a title for every post, no ‘ifs’, ‘ands’, or ‘buts’. And if you don’t choose a category, you’ll end up with the silly looking “uncategorized” label gracing your posts.

Whether you like it or not, there are stringent rules to follow if you want to play the game on their service. And after all, the search engines are hungry to index your posts and make them easily digestible for the web, so why not fall in line?

The conformities are obvious:

  • Trackbacks automatically organize incoming links.
  • Sidebars run down the right side of the site.
  • Subscriber counts brag the latest stats.
  • “Follow Me On Twitter” banners scream for attention.

What started out as an experimental ecosystem has turned into a fairly well-governed digital edifice. And in the meanwhile, the abundant room for free thinkers and self-expression slowly diminishes.

Microblogging Is A Freer Laxer Environment

Let’s be honest.

Most days bloggers write nothing at all because the sheer pressure of creating a masterpiece of a post is just too overwhelming.

But on Twitter, one snarky tweet can say it all with less.

You can write two sentences on your tumblelog and no one will be bothered.

There is a freedom to do whatever you darn feel like doing. On Tumblr if you just want to post a picture that connects with your inner self on some deep emotional and unexplainable level, you just do it.

If you want to reblog a different Mark Twain quote every day, you have permission.There are no rules. You don’t even have to name your microblog.

Many times I’ve run into a very neat tumblelog only to be shocked that it’s completely anonymous. No descriptions, no user image, no advertisements, just a stream of short poignant content.

But Blogging Harnesses the Real Power of Ideas

Despite the benefits and freedom of expression granted by microblogging, the chances of changing the world (or making a profit) are much slimmer than regular blogging.

The reason is the power of a well developed idea.

Tweets are cute, but they lack the intellectual and creative substance of a more sustained thought. 140 characters or even a single paragraph cannot provide enough
context to tell the whole story.

How many times have you seen a quote taken out of context? That’s the fundamental risk of ultra-distilled micro-ideas. You aren’t quite saying enough for people to get what you mean. Traditional blogging has the potential to unlock a deeper meaning that cannot be conveyed by separate smaller units.

Bloggers have helped create a new brand of citizen journalism that is shaking traditional forms of media.

Aspiring authors have garnered the attention of big publishers and earned book deals by attracting a large fan base through their blog.

Blogs can do all those things for which microblogs are much less suited.

Although some Twitter users have made a name for their self and or participated in highly significant events (like the raid on Osama Bin Laden), microblogging still has a long way to go in terms of impact.

However more and more people are turning to microblogging to reach new audiences. By now every company uses Twitter, but more and more like Mashable, the New York Times, and Huggies are leaping head first into Tumblr as well.

So which platform is better?

Which has the greatest potential?

You tell me. I’m going to reblog Mark Twain quotes now.

Is technology taking over your life?

30 Replies Marc

Blogs.

Tweets.

Feeds.

Not too long ago if you had told someone that you spent a good chunk of your spare time with these things, they wouldn’t have had a clue what you were talking about.

As citizens of the new virtual landscape, we are pioneering new technologies at what seems like lightning speed.

It’s Hard To Fly Underwater

The ancient Greeks tell the story of Daedalus and his son Icarus. Trapped on the island of Crete (home the vicious and anatomically incorrect Minotaur), Daedalus skilfully crafted two sets of wings for him and his son thus enabling them to fly away off the island in an impressive escape.

But as they made their getaway, Icarus started to become quite enamoured with this new gift of flight. He flew higher and higher, closer and closer to the sun…

You know the story.

I think this parable could very easily be about our modern relationship with technology. Please, don’t get me wrong. I’m not against technology at all.

In fact, I’m madly in love with it. The new tools available to us today would have been unthinkable in any other period in history. It’s exhilarating to say the least.

But as we integrate more of these “tools” into our life, venturing deeper and deeper into the unknown, we have to realize we are taking a risk. We are flying higher without checking to look at the state of our wings.

Technology wants more and more of our limited time and resources. And as if right on cue, we keep on flying higher and higher, oblivious the wax melting all around us.

No one knew Twitter could spark a democratic revolution.

No one knew that blogs could provide news better and faster than traditional media outlets.

But no one knew either just how heavily addicted to and reliant on the internet we could become. No one knew that World of Warcraft could cost you your job or your marriage. No one knew that without warning their self-esteem could become dependent on how many anonymous “subscribers” or “page hits” they receive on a given day.

Who could have known?

I’m not here to bash technology. (This is after all, a pro-technology blog is it not?) But what I’d like to say is that in our adoption and usage of technology, new and old, we should be careful not to fly too high.

I wont pretend to have all the answers, but here are some guidelines to enjoy a smooth flight away from the evil Minotaur of the interwebs.

Take A Time-Out

Have you ever counted just how many hours you spend online?

Give your self a time-out every once in a while. My wife and I do our very best to be completely done with our computers by 9 pm every night so that we can actually spend some time together.

It’s shocking how hard that can be sometimes. But it’s amazing how much you can think of to do when you’re not on your computer.

Prioritize, Then Move On

Read only the blogs you want to read. Remove the bookmarks and feeds that aren’t quite contributing to where you want to go.

If you have too many sites and social media services in your diet, you are overfeeding yourself. Your body won’t be able to digest it all and it will start to make you sick, depressed, and lonely.

Figure out what is actually important to you and then swiftly and deliberately cut out all the rest. Do online what you came there to do and then move on to something else.

Discover Your Inner Chimp

Humans are social animals. The internet is a great playground, but it’s not always the ideal place to foster healthy and deep relationships.

We are genetically predisposed to want to interact with other human beings. Did I say want? I meant need.

An avatar will not provide the same warmth and connection as another person in the flesh. Find real live human beings in your neighbourhood to play with. I promise you they are more fun and they will (almost always) respond to your comments.

I’m no psychologist but the place where I find deepest and most lasting fulfilment? Yep, it’s offline.

Get Sober

About a month ago, I realized something was wrong. After about a year and half of being a die hard fan of Netflix, I realized that the amazing miracle of streaming movies and television had taken hold of me.

I was watching more than I planned to. It was keeping me up later than I wanted it to. And all of a sudden, it was hurting more than helping.

I love Netflix and think it’s a wonderful company. But it was time for it to go. I had to break the spell it had over me.

You see, I had a goal of reading more books and to improve my writing. But without sacrificing a few episodes of Burn Notice, this blog post would never have been written.

Find out what technological “tool” has a hold over you. Examine where your bigger goals are not matching up with your daily technology habits. Then get some freedom. Sober up.

It’ll be hard but it’s worth it.

Spread Your Wings

So what’s the big take away? Make sure that these new wings of yours are flapping for you.

Or in other words:

Make sure technology is your slave.

Otherwise you might unknowingly become its slave.

And if you are a slave to technology, the only place that will lead… is down.

Happy flying!