Lots of publishing news this week – from Google+ updates to Flipboard magazines to the rumors that Yahoo! wants to buy Tumblr. You’ll also find plenty of creative ideas. If you aren’t a subscriber, you can see this week’s edition online.
Moving Away from Free
With the demise of the Posterous blog platform thanks to a sellout to Twitter and Google Reader’s upcoming shutdown, I’m beginning to realize how dangerous free services can be. When you are a paying customer, you have clout. If you’re not happy it’s going to impact the business’s profits and they are going to work hard to keep you – and your money – happy. In the tech world, startup services and platforms often begin with free features. They could have a plan for generating revenue – maybe with a premium service in addition to the free one – or they may just want to get popular enough to attract a buyer. Generally, we (the users) don’t have a clue what their plan is and should remain wary. Even the big guys like Google will pull the plug on a popular service like Reader when they want to point you to a different service. So what if they lose a few (thousand) free customers?
That being said, I’m a firm believer that competition and profit are great motivators. I’ve spent the $5 to reserve an account at Posthaven and I’m amazed at the effort they have made to give us Posterous users a safe alternative. The data migration effort alone was huge! As soon as the email posting and distribution features are functional, $60/year will be a small price to pay to get our family’s private “news service” up and running again. The fact that I can have 9 additional blogs as part of that price is very nice – and will likely be put to good use – but it’s knowing that the developers will do everything they can to keep the platform up, running and well-maintained that is the top of my priority list.
There’s a lot of effort underway to develop alternatives to Google Reader. I have been using the Reeder apps [Mac & iOS] and they are working hard to provide multiple alternatives for managing feed subscriptions and keeping everything in synch across the apps. They have a couple of solutions in place on the iPhone app – both of them requiring a paid subscription. Until the Mac and iPad apps are updated with alternative solutions, those apps are free in the App Store. I’ve paid the $2 to try the iPhone app with Feedbin and so far it works great. The iPhone app even lets me choose which feed service (Google’s still there for now) I want to use. Feedbin also has a web-based reader so it should soon be covering all my reading options. Feedbin’s subscription management is still a bit clunky, but I’m sure that will improve as their customer base grows. I wouldn’t be surprised to see other feed management options appearing either.
With Google out of the market, there’s money to be made in the news-reading business and I think we’re about to have a number of impressive options. Moving away from free could turn out to be a very good thing.
How to follow a Twitter list
We all know how well Twitter lets us keep up with friends and family, but did you know how useful Twitter is for news? Twitter lets users organize the people and organizations they follow into lists. These lists can then be used to create topic-specific news feeds. The @genBUZZ user offers several genealogy-related lists providing a sort of genealogy version of the Associated Press. The @genBUZZ lists let you follow (keep up with) specific topics that match your interests. For example, there’s a list for archives, another for old photographs and another for society news.
This is all well and good, but just how do you keep up with the topic of your choice? To do that you need to know how to follow a list.
View the list page of any Twitter user.
If you know the username for a person or organization, you can easily visit their list page using this URL: https://twitter.com/[username]/lists. So, https://twitter.com/genbuzz/lists will display the page you see above. Scroll through the lists and when you see one you find interesting, click on the list title to display its page.
From here you can see samples of the tweets being feed by this list as well as the Twitter users who make up the list. If this is a list you want to follow, just click on the Subscribe button and it’s added to your Twitter feed. You don’t have to follow a Twitter account to follow one or more of its lists.
While you can “read” the list in your favorite web-based twitter app, there’s a growing number of mobile device apps which will turn that 140 character tweet into a delightful reading experience. Probably the best of these is Flipboard [iOS & Android - free]. It supports Twitter lists as well as searches. Once you have followed a list in your Twitter account, it appears in Flipboard under Accounts > Twitter > Lists You Follow. All you have to do is tap the list name to add it as a Flipboard content section.
Preparing for Google Reader shutdown
Not sure how you’re going to deal with the demise of Google Reader? Don’t be too concerned – alternatives (good ones!) are already showing up and there will be a lot more coming.
In the meantime, here are some steps you can take now to help you move to a different platform:
- The very first thing you should do is go to the Reader Settings page and export your subscriptions. Click on the Import/Export tab, click on the Download your data through Takeout link found under the Export your information heading. You’ll be taken to the Takeout page and you’ll have to wait for your export file to be built. Once that’s done, a Download button appears. Click on it and download the zip file. Right now, all you need to do is save it in a safe place. This file contains details on all the blogs and other news sources you subscribe to. Later, it will be imported into other news readers so you won’t have to manually set up those subscriptions.
- Twitter is a pretty good alternate to RSS distribution. If you are a blogger, make sure your blog is set up to automatically announce each post you publish as a Twitter update. This may be as simple as a setting on your blog (WordPress.com) or it may require installing a plugin/gadget.
- Twitter users can take advantage of apps like Flipboard which will turn your Twitter timeline into a beautiful magazine-style reader. Compare your Reader subscriptions to the Tweeple you follow and add Twitter users as needed. Don’t forget you can use Lists to organize the people you follow.
FYI – Flipboard is already out front on this issue with their announcement Flipboard users won’t
need to do anything to keep reading their Google Reader subscriptions in Flipboard. If you’ve got Flipboard set up with Google Reader now, you’ll still have those subscriptions after Reader shuts down. Flipboard will do the work so you don’t have to. My guess is they won’t be the only ones who see this as an opportunity . . .
Check the suggested posts below for additional information on RSS subscriptions and Twitter for news reading. The Gazette will post the latest in news and apps to make your move to a new newsreading platform as painless as possible.
Pixelmator Adding Text Shapes
They aren’t saying how long we’ll have to wait for the update to be released, but version 2.2 will include an amazing text shape tool that will allow you to do the most amazing things with text. This will be a free upgrade for Pixelmator users. Not a user yet? Pixelmator is still on sale in the Mac App store for $14.99. Click on the image below to view the demonstration.
Scrivener v. 2.4 for Mac just released
Users who purchased Scrivener directly from Literature & Latte should see an update notice when they open the app. If you purchased your version through the Mac App Store, you’ll have to wait a couple of days for it to be approved and posted. Here’s the information being sent to Scrivener’s Mac users:
Scrivener 2.4 adds numerous refinements, is fully Retina Display compatible, and includes many bug-fixes. It is a free update for all registered users of Scrivener 2, and we recommend that you update from whatever version of Scrivener you are using. Updates and fixes include:
- Scrivener is now fully Retina Display compatible (every icon and graphic has been recreated at twice the size to take full advantage of the Retina display).
- Added support for Regular Expressions in all find and replace features (Lion and above only).
- Many improvements and additions to Compile.
- Added full support for the Fountain screenplay syntax (http://fountain.io) to Import, Import and Split, Export, Compile and External Folder Sync.
- Added drag-and-drop support for Scapple notes (Scapple is our upcoming freeform mind-mapping-type app – please see http://www.literatureandlatte.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=42 ).
- The Scratch Pad can now be set up to use plain text, making it easy to sync scratch pad notes with iOS apps.
- Inspector comments and footnotes can now be zoomed with the text.
- Updated MultiMarkdown package to 3.7.
- Improved e-book export, in particular to accommodate Amazon’s stricter Kindle formatting rules and to avoid iTunes Producer rejecting certain EPUB files.
- Fixed critical bug whereby Scrivener could stop saving documents that were part of a scrivenings session that had been open for more than two days.
- Over 100 other refinements and bug fixes.
You can find a full list of changes here:
Evernote forces password reset
Due to suspicious activity on the site, Evernote has implemented a site-wide password reset. Check the security notice at the Evernote blog for more information about the intrusion attempt and what you’ll need to do to protect your content.
How to Remove Java From Your Mac
You have probably heard of the constant issues surrounding the use of Java on your computer. Although Apple quit installing Java on Mac desktops some time ago, you may have added it yourself to support some app or web site you wanted to use. If it’s on your system, you want it off NOW! There are serious exploits circulating that put your computer at risk if you are still running Java.
Here’s an easy way to check your computer and remove Java if it’s there.
- Open the Terminal app. You’ll find it in the Utilities folder under Applications.
- At the prompt, type this command:
java -version
then press the Return key.
If your response looks like this example – stating there’s no Java runtime present – you’re in good shape and don’t have anything to worry about. NOTE: When I executed this command, a window popped up asking if I wanted to install Java. NO! Don’t do it!
If your response identifies a version number – probably either 1.6 or 1.7 – then you need to open Finder, go to the /System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/ directory and delete it. Then, empty the Trash.
Don’t get Java and Javascript confused. They are two entirely different things. Javascript is one component of web development and is quite stable and safe to use.
Tech Notes – 30 November 2012
It used to be my chair.
The news for this week begins with yesterday’s release of iTunes 11 [Mac & Windows -free] with an entirely redesigned interface. I’ve downloaded it and taken a quick look, but will need some time with it to get comfortable. A first glance at the iTunes store was very encouraging. There’s supposedly a lot more iCloud integration included – we’ll see. One thing I found is that iTunes U has its own section. That could be VERY interesting.
Outlook.com – Microsoft’s replacement for HotMail – has released an Android app. You can find it at Google Play.
Momento, the iPhone journal app that also pulls in content from your social networks, has a bit of competition now with Everyday Timeline. This free app can also pull in your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram updates as well as your own entries. And, there’s an Android version in the works. If you’re interested, you can visit the Everyday.me site and get on the list to be notified when it’s ready.
Klip, the social video network that makes it easy to capture and post videos from your mobile devices, has just released an update which makes it possible for other Klip users to post video replies and personal messages at their friends’ Klip posts.
My Klips for iPad
There’s another Klip out there – Klip.me – which will send selected online content to your Kindle reader to read without distraction. There’s also a free My Klips app for iOS and Android devices.
Amazon has released a maps API to developers so with luck we’ll soon be seeing map apps designed specifically for Kindle tablets.
It appears I’m not the only NOOK user getting ugly messages when trying to download books I purchased some time back. The message is telling me I have to enter the credit card number of the card used when I first downloaded the book. Are you kidding me? No more NOOK books for me until this issue is resolved.
Speaking of books, I just finished a most fascinating family history book – Reunion: A Search for Ancestors. Ryan Littrell tells the story of his search to follow his family line back to the MacDonald clan in Scotland. The story of his search and the places it leads him is fascinating in and of itself, but each chapter taking the reader back another generation is interspersed with a chapter telling the story of the MacDonald clan. As his search goes back in time, the history comes forward until he finds the ancestor that makes the connection complete. Not only is it a story you can’t put down, it’s one of the best descriptions I’ve seen yet of how to use DNA as a research tool. If you’re looking for something good to read, you’ll find it here.
Tech Notes – Black Friday Edition
It’s all about shopping this weekend with lots of great deals to get you going.
Apple’s having a one-day shopping event – both online and in-store – with some significant savings on lots of items. And, if you can’t decide what to get them, there’s aways an iTunes gift card – good towards just about anything in the store.
Can’t afford the new stuff? Apple’s opened a Certified Refurbished Outlet on eBay and its full of computers, iPads and iPods.
At Barnes & Noble – in-store and online – not only can you get this great deal on a NOOK Simple Touch, you’ll find coupons good for 50% off on some great books too.
Of course Amazon’s got all kinds of deals on just about everything. First there’s the Black Friday deals and next up are the Cyber Monday sales – which don’t end on Monday.
Lulu.com has some great cyber specials throughout the weekend. Get 30% off all books and more than 50% off calendars. Just enter the code DELIRITAS (all caps) at checkout to get your discount. This works with both your own books/calendars and anyone else’s too.
Blurb is offering 25% off everything thru Monday. The code for this deal is HOLIDAYTHANKS. Use this to give your own custom photo books as gifts this Christmas. And, they’ve also got a new photo magazine format too!
Roku 2 models are $20 off and all models are available with free shipping thru the weekend. In addition to hooking your tv up to Netflix, Amazon Prime and lots more, they can also be used to present your own productions via YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr, Picasa, Shutterfly, SmugMug and many other platforms.
GelaSkins is having a 20% sale on all their skins and cases. And they’ve got gift certificates if you don’t know what style skin to give.
I’m off to get some of my holiday shopping done. See you next week on Tech Notes.
