Archive for September, 2009

TubeRadio.fm music video player – awesome and free

Sep 30 | by Sam Deeks | media, news, online video, review
3 Comments

I’m 10 minutes into TubeRadio.fm and having a great time.  Now where’s the catch?

Picture 3A couple of weeks ago some friends came by and we found ourselves creating a soundtrack to the evening via YouTube.  You know how it goes; guitar out, dancing in the front room to a whole load of old tunes you could never admit to liking in everyday life.

For many people, YouTube is more a place to go for music than it is for moving image.  You can be sure – legal issues aside – that someone somewhere has uploaded your favourite music.  The only downside is the interface; a masterpiece of MySpace style chaos.

Then along comes TubeRadio.fm.  Think YouTube meets iTunes meets Spotify and you’re close.

Unless I’m sorely mistaken (and I rarely am) the TubeRadio.fm web interface is so entirely intuitive that you don’t even need to read the f****n manual.  How refreshing. You just start using it – and, providing there’s no unforeseen catch – you keep on using it.

I’ve no idea whether TubeRadio.fm is the future of music video listening but right here, right now, it’s most definitely the present.

Get over there yourself and try it out.  You won’t be disappointed.

Using a Wiki for business: too much like hard work

Sep 30 | by Sam Deeks | business insight, how to
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Is your business Wiki hard work?  Could it be a solution without a problem?

We all know what Wikis are, right?  They’re web pages that everyone can edit with the result that no one person ‘owns’ what’s written.  It’s the embodiment of the self-managing, self-leveling, self-policing ‘wisdom of the crowd’.  A democratic body of knowledge owned by everyone.

We all know a Wiki, right?  Err…yes! Wikipedia.  It’s that big online encyclopedia that anyone can add to or change – you know that thing that’s always right up there at the top of all Google searches for practically anything.

The thing about Wikis is that they sound like such a good idea in theory.  The software’s free; you’re already using the computer anyway… all you have to do is find a problem to point a Wiki at.

This is what Common Craft had to say about Wikis in 2007:

It all makes sense.  Firstly there’s a clear problem: ‘how do we keep track of what we need and who’s bringing what?’

Secondly there’s a tangible pay-off to motivate people to engage with it: ‘if we do this we’ll end up with all the right gear and have a great camping trip’.

Someone called me this week to discuss the merits of using a Wiki to ‘liven up a business’s Intranet’ and – more tellingly – to download the intellectual property of its employees.  My advice would be that if you have a clear problem that a Wiki can solve with a tangible pay-off for those involved in creating and using it, then go for it.  If, on the other hand, it’s just a nice-sounding idea about creating a shared pool of knowledge or worse, the desire to squeeze people for their knowledge so they don’t take it away when they leave, then it may well turn out to be a mistake.

If you’re going to use a Wiki for business, make sure that it solves an obvious problem and that the people you want to use it get a payoff for the time and effort required to create and input the stuff that has to go into it.

There is another option.  Just the tools in place and just see what happens  – like Wikipedia itself.  In a most un-businesslike fashion, you’ll need to let go of any attachment to the outcome.

And if nothing happens, it’s worth bearing in mind that Wikipedia itself is the product of several hundreds of millions of internet users.

Posting a comment on a Blogger blog

Sep 29 | by Sam Deeks | blogging technique, business insight, feedback
No Comments

Why I can’t be bothered to post a comment on a Blogger blog

I went to add a comment on a Blogger blog.  I got a box to type my comment which I stupidly spent 5 minutes writing.

I filled out the ‘Captcha’ box to prove I wasn’t a spamming auto-bot. No problem there.

Then it asked me for one of two ways to sign in – either using my ‘Google ID’ or ‘Wordpress.com’ ID.  Hmmm.

Why ‘Hmmm’?  Well because I just don’t feel happy signing into Blogger (yes, even though it’s Google-owned) with the er, username and password that controls all my adwords, analytics etc. Why not? Because Blogger is chockablock with spam content and spammers for starters.  Not exactly confidence inspiring.

And nor do I want to sign in with my ‘wordpress.com’ ID because it automatically links the reader to all my Wordpress.com accounts (whether connected to blogs or not).  That’s a step to far for my liking.

What happened to being able to comment as a private individual so long as I left my IP address (in case of being a nasty terrorist or inciting racial hatred or the like) and made sure I wasn’t a machine by filling in the ‘captcha’ correctly?

Well, sorry Blogger but I’m not going to bother commenting on Blogger blogs if those are the only options available.  I’m not willing to add to that subtle but somewhat sinister ‘interconnection’ of personal information you’re trying to build up.

Spotify Premium: review time (coming soon)

Sep 28 | by Sam Deeks | feedback, review
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Ok, it’s time to review Spotify Premium and the iPhone App

Since I’ve benefitted from loads of traffic to my site since first blogging about Spotify back in January and giving out 600 free invites, I think it’s only fair that I finally give the paid version a go and report back here.

So long as it’s ‘easy in, easy out’ I’ll sign up when I get back from holiday, give it a full go and update this post.

Watch this space for the full ‘can-it-really-work-on-an-old-iPhone’ warts and all review from someone with truly rubbish broadband access.

;-)

RYA Day Skipper Course Plymouth Sailing School

Sep 21 | by Sam Deeks | mukau reputation boost
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Good people, excellent instructors and a great Day Skipper experience from the much under-marketed Plymouth Sailing School!

This post is by way of a ‘thank you’ to the team at Plymouth Sailing School (01752 493377) for a really excellent RYA Day Skipper course. Give those people a ‘mu:kau reputation boost!

About four years ago I got the sailing bug after a couple of Boat Shows and a ridiculously cheap SunSail Competent Crew course in Lanzarote.  I decided to do the next step – the Day Skipper course consisting of a classroom based theory course followed by a practical course.

I chose to do both with Plymouth Sailing School albeit with a nearly 3 year gap in between.  Despite being really worried that I’d forgotten everything that I learned in the classroom, I paid for my practical course in Spring 2008.  Even though it took me until Aug 2009 to actually get started, I was treated as if I’d booked it yesterday.

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The two weekends I’ve done so far have been superb and my instructor, Colin, has built my confidence up to a point where chartering a yacht for holidays and beyond has gone from wishful thinking to a realistic option.

A nicer, more genuine team of sail-training people I’ve yet to meet.  The boats (typically Bavaria 34s) are always stuffed with food and drink; clean, tidy, fully-equipped and comfortable throughout.  Nothing is overlooked and they even lend you waterproofs for free.

With a website that looks like it was made in the 1990s, Plymouth Sailing School is in danger of being the region’s best-kept sailing secret.   Which is a shame because whether you’re looking for a day’s sailing with the family or any of the RYA sail training courses, you won’t find a better school or location.

Contact Richard on 01752 493377 or visit www.plymouthsailingschool.com


Spotify invitations: I wish I could help…

Sep 18 | by Sam Deeks | Benefits of blogging, how to
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Sorry not to be able to help with Spotify invitations any more

Since the Spotify iPhone app was released there’s been a surge in traffic here looking for Spotify invitations.  Back in January, I played a small part in Spotify’s online marketing strategy – by helping spread the word about the free service and giving out invites.

It was nice to be able to create 600+ accounts for happy people at the time but Spotify’s strategy has moved on, so I’m not able to help any more.

For those of you interested in the way blogging can create traffic to your site, the recent surge in visitors to my site (see stats below) coincides with Spotify’s release of the iPhone app and their return to ‘invite-only’ free membership.  That traffic is the result of one or two carefully-worded and well-timed posts in January 2009.

Picture 3

“Using Facebook is like eating 100 Oreos” – a spontaneous audio review

Sep 18 | by Sam Deeks | critical approach to online media, what do you think?
1 Comment

nomnom1An in-the-moment review of Facebook captured on iPhone in the office

People in the office know I’m a bit of a social media critic.  Still, imagine my surprise when one of my colleagues (an avid Facebook user) suddenly launched into an appraisal of her use of Facebook – and why it made her feel so bad about herself.

Thanks to the miracle of iPhone’s Voice Memo app and a bit of editing in Audacity and balancing the output in The Levelator, I bring you this critical review of Facebook.

I love the bit at the end about the Oreos.  Nicely put.  Not that I’ve ever eaten 100 Oreos at a sitting…yet. :-)

BBC news iphone app: complete dud

Sep 15 | by Sam Deeks | Big Marketing Mistakes, feedback, iPhone
1 Comment

The BBC’s news app for iPhone has been broken for over 6 months

What a Big Marketing Mistake!

How hard can it be to make an app that will serve news summaries?

[UPDATE: 14th November 2009 - the new version of the App seems to be working (finally).  Well done BBC.  Now I can dump the ITN one.  I want my news serious and deep, know what I mean?]

[DOUBLE UPDATE: December 2009 - ended up dumping it finally because it still doesn't work]

I’m blogging this purely to give a little shout out to the BBC that their inability to a) create a working app or b) take the reams of feedback at the app store seriously sends a very strong message to the world: we are crap.

Big Marketing Mistake!

I wanted a BBC reader on my phone but it didn’t work. So now I have an ITN one instead. I’d far rather a BBC one. Geddit?

Even Twitter will die….

Sep 12 | by Sam Deeks | Twitter, critical approach to online media, what do you think?
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I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Twitter WILL pass away

It will.  One day in the not too distant future, we will look back and cringe.  One day, Twitter will be history.

Personally, I’ve suddenly lost interest in Twitter and I’m at that ‘I think I might just de-activate’ stage’.  One more foot firmly OFF the social media bandwagon.

So what’s the matter with Twitter?  Well, nothing, really.  What’s wrong is me.  I’m just bored with the same people talking the same stuff every day.  No offense, everyone, but I’ve had it up to here with the endless chatter about social media.  And that includes me, by the way.  I’m fed up reading Tweets from people whose lives consist of lurching from one drink after another (do they really have no idea they have a problem?) and I’m tired of the whole undercurrent of small businesses looking to Twitter as a kind of Holy Grail of how to make money.

And the problem with Twitter is that if you’re bored with reading (or writing) the same stuff every day, it seems that there are only two real options open to you: either follow more people or get off the bus.  Since I don’t want to do more of something that doesn’t interest me any longer, I guess the only option is to get off.

And that’s ok because as I get older, I find I like solitude, peace and stillness more and real life as opposed to life experienced through piddly little screens.  And I also have less and less important or grandiose to say and less of an urge to say it these days.  I’m less concerned with how popular I am  or how many followers I’ve got.  I’m not sure I can even be bothered to blog any more or worry about a website.

Eckhart Tolle says that things aren’t a problem until we start seeking ourselves in them.  A work colleague of mine in London the other day spontaneously announced she had suddenly woken up and realised how much she hated the person she had become since using Facebook: vain, egotistical and self-obsessed.  Hungry and addicted.

I think I’ve reached a point where NOT doing things is becoming much more attractive than doing them.  Like NOT having to upgrade;  NOT talking about ’social media’ all the time; NOT Tweeting; NOT needing the latest laptop or the newest phone; NOT chasing top Google spots; NOT worrying about followers, subscribers and hits or how to monetise traffic.

Ahhh. Can you imagine it?

Installing a vodafone dongle on your mac?

Sep 8 | by Sam Deeks | feedback, how to
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Tips for installing Vodafone’s USB Modem stick on your MacBook Pro

vodafone-usb-modem-lite-h11) Make sure that Vodafone have assigned numbers to your sims.  Didn’t happen for us.  It took an hour of 0870 phone calling to get that part sorted.

2) Use installer disk to install Vodafone Mobile Connect software (put icon on your dock)

3) Use this software to ‘connect’ to internet with your dongle

4) Try running browser…ah.  Not connected to internet.

5) Go to Network in your system preferences

6) Choose ‘Vodafone 3520′

7) In ‘Telephone number’ box, overwrite what’s there (in my case it was something like “*/***99*#”) replacing it with “*99#’.  Account name is ‘web’, password is ‘web’

8) Click connect and it should work

So how come this installer disk placed the wrong phone number in my preferences?? Another half an hour on the line to (very helpful) technical support lady at Vodafone confirmed what I suspected: that Vodafone really haven’t been that bothered about supporting Mac users.

Or giving them any readable instructions either.  Which is a pity because it then falls to people like me (and other bloggers) to fill in the information vaccuum.  Oh, and if you’re trying to do it with Snow Leopard, you’ll have even more trouble. ;-)