digidezinr - fodder by firstlegion

GovDelivery sold to Pennsylvania firm for $19M

2010-01-06T15:28:00.000-05:00

GovDelivery sold to Pennsylvania firm for $19M - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

FBI Launches New Widget

2009-12-07T14:30:00.002-05:00

FBI Launches New Widget

An Awesome Interview with the Founder of GovLoop, Steve Ressler

2009-09-28T13:47:00.001-04:00

An Awesome Interview with the Founder of GovLoop, Steve Ressler

Posted using ShareThis

Twenty Theses for Government 2.0, Cluetrain Style

2009-08-23T17:43:00.001-04:00

Twenty Theses for Government 2.0, Cluetrain Style

Posted using ShareThis

Photos: New Software Maps Personal Strengths

2009-07-12T12:34:00.002-04:00

Photos: New Software Maps Personal Strengths

Avid | News

2009-04-29T08:48:00.002-04:00

Avid | News

Posted using ShareThis

Part 2 of 3- Twitterrific! The Most Useful Web 2.0 Apps/Tools For Twitter

2009-04-01T15:37:00.027-04:00

21. Mr. Tweet: is a personal networking agent who helps expand a network easily by recommending you to relevant followers, helping you discover people relevant to your needs, and improving your Twitter usage via useful statistics. http://mrtweet.net/

22. TwitterBerry: a mobile client for BlackBerry that gives you the power to post updates to Twitter. It works over the data network, so you don't need to use SMS. http://www.orangatame.com/products/twitterberry/

23. ExecTweets: a cooperative product of Twitter, Federated Media and Microsoft, it features Twitter feeds from "top business execs." There are a few other cool features here that Twitter should adopt. http://www.exectweets.com/

24. Ginx: a web-based Twitter client that provides and richer experience for sharing and discussing links. http://ginx.com/

25. Tweetie: a fast, full-featured twitter client for iPhone and iPod touch. You can do everything you expect plus handle multiple accounts, update TwitPic, perform automatic link-shrinking, etc. AWESOME. http://www.atebits.com/software/tweetie/

26. TweetDeck: the most popular Adobe Air app for Twitter, displays useful columns of tweets, replies, retweets, etc., plus it integrates services from Twitter, Twitscoop, 12seconds, Stocktwits and now Facebook. The choice of champions. http://www.tweetdeck.com/beta/

27. Twidentify: Search all of Twitter, but sort the results by the people who get retweeted the most. This will help you find opinions that others feel are worth spreading. http://www.twidentify.com/

28. 2tweet: email multiple photos and videos with a message to 2tweet and they will Tweet on your behalf, including a link to a slideshow of your pics or vids. http://twitterapps.co.uk/

29. Twuffer: allows the Twitter user to compose a list of future tweets, and schedule their release. Appear to never sleep. I love this one. If I want to go out of town or take a vacation WITHOUT TWITTERING, I can. http://twuffer.com/

30. tweetchat: create rooms in Twitter to 'chat' about a particular topic. http://tweetchat.com/

31. Twitroid: a Twitter app for Android mobiles http://twidroid.com/

32. my tweet space: "customize and brand your Twitter space". Select a background, input contact details etc. and upload photos. Good to use if you're not a designer at heart. Wait a minute, I haven't made my on Twitter space design yet either- and I'm a designer! http://www.mytweetspace.com/

33. Qwitter: e-mails you when someone stops following you L http://useqwitter.com/

34. Friend or Follow: lets you know who you are following that's not following you back and who's following you that you're not following back. http://friendorfollow.com/

35. TweetRemote: add Tweets to your blog, but with the option to restrict what gets re-posted.. http://tweetremote.com/

36. EventBox: a revolutionary social application for Mac. It seamlessly integrates many social websites, including Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, RSS and Google Reader. It allows you to interact with them and receive notifications, all from a stunning user interface. http://thecosmicmachine.com/

37. MessageDance: lets you send updates to Twitter from your email. You can have all of your MessageDance messages go there automatically or selectively send the ones you want. http://www.messagedance.com/twittermail/

38. BigTweet: BigTweet installs as a bookmarklet and allows you to post to Twitter from any web page. http://bigtweet.com/

39. OutTwit: (Outlook + Twitter = OutTwit) Use Twitter from Outlook. http://www.techhit.com/OutTwit/

40. twiPing: Twitter Contact Management Software. Follow and unfollow large batches of friends and followers with a single click. http://www.jdwashere.com/twiPing/

These apps and tools are in no particular order. Each logo is a licensed or unlicensed image and the sole property of its owner(s). All images and descriptions are from GO2WEB20.net, selected by Firstlegion for their relevance to further twitter applications in government and business.

Tweeting For Business

2009-03-27T07:31:00.001-04:00

Tweeting For Business

View more presentations from redkitedesign.

Part 1 of 3- Twitterrific! The Most Useful Web 2.0 Apps/Tools For Twitter

2009-03-23T09:41:00.015-04:00

If you are trying to implement twitter in your business or government social networking efforts, these apps and tools may "expand your horizons" for better use. First twenty for review:

1. TwitterAnalyzer: lets you see different statistic charts about you and your Twitter friends' behavior at the site. http://www.twitteranalyzer.com/

2. MicroPlaza: filters your Twitter timeline and displays the Web pages shared by the people you follow along with all associated comments. Essentially it delivers you a personalized news wire created by people of interest to you. http://microplaza.com/

3. TinyChat: a free service that allows you to create a free chat room that is accessible by anyone with a browser. Simply create a chatroom from the homepage then send the link it gives to you to anyone you want to chat with. After you leave the chat room, all the chat data is gone, so its perfect for secure chats. http://www.tinychat.com/

4. Twessemger: when enabled, Twessenger automatically updates your Messenger Personal Message at regular intervals to reflect your latest Twitter tweet. Because Twitter supports updates via the web, IM, and SMS from your cell phone, you can now update your Messenger status message from wherever you are. http://kunal.kundaje.net/twessenger

5. Twickie: a free service that fetches Twitter replies for you (and gives you an easy way to view and export them). http://twickie.pirillo.com/

6. ShareMeme: allows you to communicate with all of your friends from one place. Using ShareMeme, you can send text messages, G-Chat messages, AIM instant messages, Twitter direct messages, and emails all from one easy-to-use interface. http://sharememe.com/

7. Tweet3: whether you've got one Twitter account or manage multiple accounts (friends, business, another language - the reasons are plentiful), Tweet3's got you covered. Easily click between profiles and customize colors for each account. Tweet3 is utilizing Google's powerful charting and map APIs to bring you useful data about your Twitter accounts and URLs that you share. http://www.tweet3.com/

8. TriggaMe: Organize all your social networks in groups - Create groups for buddies, office, family and more. Post to Twitter, Facebook, Friendfeed, Xing, Pounce, Identi.ca, Plurk, Plaxo, Frazr, Rejaw, Brightkite and LinkedIn. [I REALLY USE THIS ONE A LOT. IT'S A REAL TIME SAVER]. http://www.trigga.me/

9. Twitrans: fast human translation of your tweets directly from your twitter account by sending RM (Reply message) to @twitrans with the source and target languages and the message to translate. Text will be translated by freelance translators around the world, translation service 24/7 in all major languages. http://twitrans.onehourtranslation.com/

10. Twtpoll: a simple survey/ poll twitter app. Type in a 140 chars question, type in multiple choice answers, and share it in social networks, or embed it in your blog. http://twtpoll.com/

11. Ping.fm: a simple service that cuts out the middle man when it comes to posting to your social services such as Facebook, Twitter, Jaiku, Tumblr and Pownce with more being added soon. http://ping.fm

12. Sendeo: a single dashboard for your digital life. Sendeo looks and feels like a look up window for all of your people, places, and things. It is your hard drive on the web and everything is securely stored and managed. Clicking publish enables you to share your files via email or onto Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Delicious and Reddit. http://sendeo.com

13. Phweet: lets you accept calls with one click from your Twitter page or Twitter clients. Phweet is a simple service where you don’t need to download or share anything more to talk. The call is contained within a PhweetUrl; a smart link that calls you. And you can share who you are talking to in real time without having to reveal or exchange phone numbers or other identities. http://phweet.com/

14. Sendible: lets you connect with people by scheduling and receiving messages at a time you choose. Send unlimited email, sms and social network messages to be delivered at a time you choose. Easily access all your email and social network contacts and reach them wherever they may be, and more. http://beta.sendible.com

15. Twitzu: Having a meetup, get together or party? Now you can blast it out to your Twitter followers. Twitzu creates an event standard for Twitter. Using the site, Twitterers can create an event page for their meetup, party, get together etc. and send it out to their followers who can then RSVP with just a click. http://www.twitzu.com

16. FeedTweeter: a little service that allows you to link Twitter to your other activities. Basically it's a system that keeps track of an RSS feed and processes any new items that appear. http://www.feedtweeter.com

17. Chirrup: is a comment system which uses Twitter as a datastore. People send Twitter replies to you about your site, then Chirrup fetches all of the replies from Twitter, and sorts them by URL so you can have a comment feed for each page in your site. You can put the comments wherever you want them, and style them.http://chirrup.angryamoeba.co.uk/

18. moblf, (Mobile Life): brings Web to SMS. It is a mobile interface that enables you to interact with web services (like twitter) using your mobile phone, particularly SMS text messaging. It empowers you to access your favorite web services anytime, anywhere from the mobile. http://www. moblf.com [VERY COOL]

19. TweetCube: allows you to share files on Twitter. Blast out your images, videos, music and more with just a couple of clicks. TweetCube is 100% free but the maximum file size you can upload is currently 10mb. You can upload as many files as you want. Old files will delete after 30 days. http://www.tweetcube.com/

20. Twitterfone: is a free service that lets you update your Twitter feed using your voice from any mobile or cell phone. You call it, speak your tweet, and hang up. A short while later, your tweet will be posted on Twitter. http://www.twitterfone.com

These apps and tools are in no particular order. Each logo is a licensed or unlicensed image and the sole property of its owner(s). All images and descriptions are from GO2WEB20.net, selected by Firstlegion for their relevance to further twitter applications in government and business.

2009-03-19T15:44:00.002-04:00

Anyone entertaining ideas of western democracies establishing friendly relations with the radicals of the Islamic world should watch this video. While watching the inflammatory rhetoric of the speaker, remember that this is not a Jihadists from Iran but a professor from Kuwait - a country with every reason to be grateful to the USA for liberating it from the tyranny of Saddam Hussein's invasion.

BatchBook Integrates With Popular SaaS Providers

2009-03-16T09:50:00.006-04:00

On March 13th, BatchBook released beta versions of BatchBook sync with Gmail, Freshbooks, MailChimp and Shoeboxed. This gives users a handy place to store contact information and keep it organized in a way that makes sense to them.

So now you can sync BatchBook contacts with Gmail contacts, convert business cards into new contacts with Shoeboxed, track outstanding Freshbooks client invoices from within a BatchBook account, then send out a email marketing campaign through MailChimp. Here is the brand new related FAQs.

BatchBook is an easy-to-use, customizable SaaS that includes contact management, communications management, and a to-do list management- all wrapped together for small business.

Remaking A Media Platform for Web 2.0

2009-03-11T14:13:00.012-04:00

Taking something old and making it seem brand new- sounds like a "re-packaging" scenario doesn't it? Well, with technology, sometimes a redo is a great idea. What medium has been reformulated, you ask? Drum roll please...RADIO! Yes, you heard correctly...Radio. How in the world can someone repackage Radio and make it work in the realm of twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and others? By reformulating "how" it works.

Enter...Small Plate Radio- a company that has evolved the radio platform by featuring highly customized live radio/podcasting for small business, brands, advertisers, agencies, trade shows, and events. All shows and content are delivered live and then posted as a podcast for on-demand listening. The cool part begins when Small Plate Radio sets up to engage a niche audience by taking live phone calls and instant messaging so that a "real" conversation can take place.

Live "micro-casting" allows Internet users to hear a streaming Internet cast and simultaneously post their instant message with questions or comments. Larger venues can hire Small Plate Radio to set-up a live radio booth at their event. Keynotes, sponsors, display participants and attendees can give interviews, advertising plugs, and recommendations live at the venue- all of which can be archived for convenient downloading. I personally like the idea of pre-selling advertising plugs that can performed live at the event.

Look for this and variations of the idea to really take off. The video version of micro-casting for large venues has already been perfected by Performance Media Group, a next generation travel media company located in New Jersey. Their "virtual travel seminars" are amazing. See their concept at: VirtualTravelSeminars.com.

SaaS Video Overview: Statenewsline.com

2009-02-22T15:09:00.004-05:00

State Newslines operates a nationwide portfolio of free, interactive media properties. Headlines and article links from your state's major news sources are indexed and aggregated into a single, easy to use, webpage that is updated every hour.

Click the video to check out this great free service!

Photoshop CS4 - New features

2009-02-22T13:19:00.002-05:00

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis

2009-02-20T17:49:00.008-05:00

I found this great quote today. I can't agree more:

"Times are tough. Marketing is tough. Competition is fierce. You have to dig down deep to reach the personality and the interesting world of what makes you DIFFERENT from everyone else."Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis, Feb 2009

You should read the whole article.

digidezinr.com - for the digital ones

2009-02-12T15:32:00.002-05:00

My new graphics portfolio. Check it out and rate it!

digidezinr.com - for the digital ones

Avast! Don't Fling That Overboard!

2009-02-03T13:16:00.012-05:00

Why Not To Throw Out Your Promotional Efforts In A Recession

By Adam Arthur

The recession in our country is real. In most cases, it's the same everywhere else in the world. Most businesses are cutting costs wherever they can, making their operations run on the bare essentials. For the most part, running "lean and mean" is a great idea; however, reacting too hastily may cause some companies to make poor decisions.

In a sinking ship, it's standard protocol to jettison items that are not essential, with the heaviest items considered first. To stay afloat, most business owners and/or boards run down their expense charts to find the "heavy" items and quickly decide which must go. More often than not, marketing is one of the first to be cut or altogether discarded. History and research tells us that this is a grave mistake.

Every recession that has occurred since WW II has rewarded the companies that have implemented an aggressive advertising and marketing campaign. In fact, the companies that maintained or increased their marketing and advertising out-paced all other competitors that initiated cut-backs in their promotional efforts. [from the research firm, Meldrum & Fewsmith].

Finding Clarity In A Time Of Danger

I'm no economist, but common sense tells me that cutting advertising and marketing is one of the worst decisions a company can make during a recession. It's like trying to sell your house with no sign in the yard, no ad in the paper, and no real estate agent - don't bother with packing boxes. To keep the lights on, you must make changes that won't sacrifice profit. The decision to increase your marketing efforts must be rooted in logic- you must be able to prove that what you're spending money on is working, and will continue to keep working.

Assess Effectiveness

If you haven't been seriously tracking and analyzing your marketing efforts- now is the time. Investing a small amount in technology that allows you to view your metrics in easy to read graphs, or some kind of "dashboard" view, will be well worth the expense. The easier the information is to read, the easier your decisions are to make on what stays and what goes. Any capital that can be moved into marketing efforts will be well used. Dollar for dollar, I recommend investing any advertising funds in progressive internet marketing. There is an internet marketing venue for every kind of business, but those businesses that fail to see the value in it will get left behind. The internet continues to evolve - to reach farther, and to become faster. There has been a 305.5% percent increase in worldwide internet usage since 2000. [http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm]. If your company has not made serious efforts in penetrating at least one category of internet-user market share, then astounding growth awaits you.

Make Your Move

After you have decided what marketing techniques and campaigns to keep, it's time to replace the discarded with the dynamic. If you decided that your direct mail campaigns were not doing the job, convert your lists over to email marketing. Axed the call center? Create an online social forum. Whatever campaigns you decided to delete, there are amazingly effective and far less expensive internet alternatives available. Investing in the right ones can be the challenge. If you are not up on the latest internet marketing trends, turn to an internet marketing professional.

Win The Day

Managing your business in this economic climate is challenging. Keeping a cool head, measuring your efforts, maintaining effective media spends, and implementing new and efficient Internet technologies will all give your company the edge it needs to emerge stronger. Falling into a mindset of panic and jettisoning the one thing needed to "stay afloat" will surely take your company under. Increasing smart advertising strategies and marketing methods have been proven to work in a recession. It will not only keep your company from sinking, but it will push it far ahead of the businesses that have managed to survive. You will weather the storm, you will save your ship, and you will rescue customers from the businesses that jettisoned their marketing efforts when the recession waves were crashing around them. Arrr!