Thoughtpick: A unique perspective of the Web and social media...
A unique perspective of the Web and social media...

March 12, 2010

Fun-List: Top 10 Ways in Which Social Media Can Get You Fired!

According to Proofpoint, an Internet security firm, of companies with 1,000 or more employees, 17 percent report having issues with employees’ use of social media. Furthermore, 8 percent of those companies report having actually dismissed someone for their behavior on sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. Some other interesting findings from the study:

  • 15 percent have disciplined an employee for violating multimedia sharing / posting policies
  • 13 percent of US companies investigated an exposure event involving mobile or Web-based short message services
  • 17 percent disciplined an employee for violating blog or message board policies

So, how do you avoid getting fired when using social media? What are the things which will, most probably, get you fired? Here we go with another Thoughtpick fun-fact list with a point:

1. Speak ill of your boss or manager

Example: “I hate my job!! I want to tell my bosses how dumb they are and how meaningless this job is, then quit, and be happy!” Revealed by CNN.com [read full article >>]

December 4, 2009

10 Fantastic Free Mac Apps to Treat Yourself to This Christmas

Boost your Mac with this list of some of the best free software out there, handpicked to make your life easier, quicker, and more efficient. A surefire way to holiday happiness, if you know what we mean.

1. Quicksilver:

Free Mac Apps Quicksilver Screenshot

Quicksilver

Quicksilver is a Mac launcher that is really not only a launcher: it is the Mac Swiss Army Knife. If you’re going to download any software from this list, it should be this one, which many refer to as the greatest Mac app of all time. From the comfort of its little elegant application, you can manage iTunes, take screenshots, control windows, define words, tweet, convert units, post to FriendFeed, search any website… (do we really have to go on?)

It boosts productivity by twofold, and has a great plugin library that enhances its performance even further. [Learn How to Use Quicksilver]

Download Quicksilver

[read full article >>]

November 21, 2009

Top 10 iPhone Applications – Reviewed [video]

Despite the negative talk, and attacks, going around about the iPhone, the iPhone seems to be well and alive with innovative, fun and useful applications being released to its users periodically.

Here’s a list of the latest top 10 iPhone applications video, plus descriptions, guaranteed to capture your attention. Enjoy!

[read full article >>]

July 27, 2009

How To: 5 Top Methods & Applications to Reduce Twitter Spam!

How much of Twitter’s trending topics are polluted by spam? How many Twitter verified accounts are there? Have you ever thought of reaching Twitter utopia: a spam-free Twitter where information and knowledge sharing are the main purposes for using Twitter? Is Twitter doing enough to protect us from spam? Would you like to find all the top 5 solutions to cutting down on Twitter spam in one place?

No Spam!

No Spam!

Thoughtpick is here to save the day!

While reading the post about Twitter closing down thousands of spam accounts, I found that it would be interesting and very beneficial if I researched the web to present you with the top 5 methods and applications which could help Twitter users cut down on incoming spam and better enjoy their overall Twitter experience.

  1. Manual Selection: This method might be fun at the beginning yet could become a bit overwhelming especially to those following thousands of tweeps. Basically, this method entails that you monitor the activity, profile, links and tweets of those you are following and manually unfollow and block those who seem to be spammers rather than true tweeps. Things you should be well aware of when manually following and unfollowing tweeps:
    • Be ware of suspicious-looking shortened URLS; these could be links to viruses, pornography, trojans or spam. For example, if you see the same URL with 10 different descriptions!
    • Be careful of trending topics; spammers use those with a combination of hashtags so they would show up more often on Twitter search,
    • Be ware of fake followers; followers who will not RT you or provide you with valuable information, instead, they use their Twitter account to send our promotions to sell their services.
    • Know who you follow before you follow them and unfollow and block anyone who seems to be a spammer immediately.
  2. Tweepi.com: A new application, still in beta, for Twitter users which allows you to cleanup spam users using numbers that are able to reveal bots through various ratios such as number of tweets vs. number of RTs and the number of links per tweets. So if you’re following a few thousand people on Twitter and you noticed that many of them do not engage in conversations, never retweet anybody, or simply just ramble about nonsense stuff all day long (no links to useful content whatsoever!), Tweepi is your answer!

    Tweepi.com's Cleanup to find and unfollow Twitter spammers

    Tweepi.com's Cleanup to find and unfollow Twitter spammers

  3. [read full article >>]

July 16, 2009

5 Top Free Twitter Time-Saving Applications!

Is social media engagement leading people to aimlessly waste time and effort for no high value in return? Can utilizing social media and monitoring your presence on social channels be optimized? What are the current tools available for Twitter users that aim to boost your Twitter productivity?

In a fast-moving technology cluttered virtual environment, any platform or application specifically designed to save both time and effort embraces a high irreplaceable value to its users and its developers as well. When it comes to certain social media channels, such as Twitter, it is absolutely essential to be aware of the applications that allow you to use those channels efficiently and effectively while reaping the benefits you desire.

Therefore, and in efforts to help you obtain the most value out of your social media experience via Twitter, I prepared for you a list of the 5 top free Twitter time-saving applications and sites available online:

  1. TwitIQ: A service which is very similar to Twitter yet offers you added value through options such twitiq_logoas simple “retweet” and “reply” buttons which save time and hassle, in addition to the ability to add and remove followers without leaving the site, both easily and quickly.
  2. Twitter for Busy People: a service which allows you to speed read your Tweets! “The idea is that you can skim all the people you’re following and see the latest tweet from each.” 128x128y
  3. Tweetdeck: A very simple and easy to use application that allows you to carry out the regular tweet and retweet functions as well as perform search queries and be notified when someone is searching for you. Tweetdeck also helps users you save time by allowing them to measure their Twitter buzz.
  4. TwitterFeed: A tool that effectively utilizes time through allowing users to update their brandingTwitter account with their most recent blog posts therefore there is no need for manually entering updates into Twitter. (Must see video: Guy Kawasaki on TwitterFeed)
  5. Last but not least, our newly launched Tweepi: We built this tool with the  soul objective of saving time and effort through a unique and fast way to follow and unfollow tweeps with style and quality! tweepi-justlogo-transTweepi works with numbers calculating the number of tweets and retweets a tweep has made in the last week and the follower to following ratio in order to ensure that you follow quality tweeps within a few seconds! Tweepi also enables you to flush deadbeat followers, reciprocate follows and cleanup inactive users.

After listing to you the top 5 free Twitter time-saving applications, I would love to hear your feedback on which of them you use and why? Also, feel free to share any other services or applications that you think can help tweeps capitalize on their time while using Twitter :)

July 1, 2009

Does Yahoo! Mail Applications pose a challenge for Google Wave?

Google impressed the world with what they promised to be something that would revolutionize the way we perceive email today; an open source product that sets the grounds and opens the way for developers’ innovations. While we all sit here, waiting eagerly for the the launch of Google Wave later this year, Yahoo, as a part of it’s open strategy, have already launched its mail application platform.

Yahoo! Mail Applications

Yahoo! Mail Applications

Today, US Yahoo! Mail users enjoy the features of 11 applications that can be accessed directly from their own email inbox. There are 4 default applications that show automatically once you sign up to the service and another 7 available to add as you choose. Applications include photo and file sharing, Paypal’s money transfer and a Wordpress publish option directly from your Yahoo inbox. I will list the whole set of the available applications at the end of this post.

But what does Yahoo introducing mail applications mean to Google?

The two platforms are open to developers’ innovations, and while Google Wave is revolutionary in its infrastructure, it is still not out there. Yahoo Mail Applications are ready and already out, in no time, third party developers will seize the chance and add to Yahoo mail users’ experience. Google shouldn’t also ignore the fact that Yahoo still enjoys the lead in the email market share – despite their superior g-mail experience – which in a way or another does give Yahoo an edge.

Both Yahoo and Google seem to realize that opening their email platforms would be their way to compete in the social networking arena. Using their email user-bases is not a bad approach to conquer areas that are only possible with platforms like Facebook and MySpace. Competition is good, it brings us – the users – revolutionary technologies! We want to hear your opinion, how much of a challenge do you think Yahoo! Mail Applications poses to the upcoming Google Wave?

[read full article >>]