Deadwood: We’ve all heard the word and what it implies. But, have you ever thought that you could be in support of it?
I read an article by Nick Bilton of the New York Times recently about Apps, which have access to your social accounts. Continue reading
How many of you are wondering if your attempts to control your privacy on-line is probably going to be one of the most challenging tasks before you?
In recent weeks there have been so many news articles headlining breaches in security safety for people as well as for government information! Just when we think we have it under control they pull us right back in with stories that suggest there is no sure-fire way to secure our information. How can we not feel vulnerable?
So are you planning to surrender?
For those of you who believe you want to continue the challenge of protecting your digital identity, below are some guidelines that have been suggested from various professionals. As always, click the link provided at the end of the summary for a more detailed description.
Twitter Privacy
Twitter users will want to read this post about Online Privacy Settings, by Susan Wright-Boucher in Communications, Social Media . Click the link for details. 3 Steps to Better Online Privacy on Twitter | Susan Wright-Boucher.
I hope this is helpful! 🙂
How many of us have given up on the online privacy issue? Just when you think you have it under control by using the tools your browser has made available to you, “they pull you right back in!” Some of you may already know that even if you use the preference signal requesting not to be tracked via your browser choices, web sites can choose not to honor your request.
Recently an article by Natasha Singer of the New York Times discussed the various issues about the privacy of consumers using online services, and what is being done to address this concern. In her article she advises that Microsoft’s latest version of its Internet Explorer browser coming out in October 2012, which is included with Windows 8, will have a “do not track” option. Below is a summary of that article. Additionally, you can click the link to the article at the end of this summary to read all the details.
Some topics discussed in the article are:
♦ What is different about Microsoft’s new “do not track” option? Answer: The new Internet Explorer 10 comes with the “don’t-track-me” option automatically enabled. Users will have to switch the option off on a customization menu to be tracked. Therefore, with this browser non-tracking is the norm.
♦ This is a radical move for a technology company like Microsoft, which has an ad business of its own. Here’s why: The prospect of people opting out of tracking presents a risk for marketers. Consumer data fuels the power of the Internet. Ads support “free” content like email services, search engines, as well as social networks.
♦ If millions of consumers “opt out” of behavior-based advertising many ad-sponsored sites could shut down or put up pay walls for people who choose not to see the ads.
♦ Consumers generally do not change pre-set technology options, which heightens the concern of marketers that this browser could shift millions of people to the do-not-track category.
♦ The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) an international standards body has created a working group to standardize the technology for do-not-track systems. However, marketers and privacy advocates are still at odds over the definition of “do not track”.
♦ In the meanwhile, Twitter users will be interested to know that Twitter has already agreed to honor Mozilla’s do-not-track signal.
What’s certainly true is this discussion will continue to evolve, and as consumers of the Internet, it is a topic that we should continue to watch so that we know how information is being gathered about us.
To read more about this topic click the link below:
I hope this is helpful 🙂
As I searched for the best Mobile Twitter App for Android, what I discovered is the best app to use is the one endorsed by Twitter itself. This app is free of charge, and can be found at the Android Market. Just click the link below.
After you install the Twitter app, I suggest that you use the guidelines I found written by Dan Gookin, which explain how the program works for the Android phone. These guidelines will be least confusing, and give illustrations, which explain the various parts of the screens (please don’t take the name of the article personally). I have found articles by Dan Gookin, and by other authors in the ‘Dummies” book series, very helpful. Click the line after the word via.
How to Use Twitter on Your Droid X
By Dan Gookin
You can use Twitter through your Droid X to share your existence with others or simply to follow what others are up to or thinking. You can create a Twitter account by using your Droid, but it’s a lot more work that just using a computer. After you create a Twitter account, use the Twitter app on your phone to view Twitter updates or to tweet.
A good Twitter app was developed by the Twitter people themselves. The Twitter app is free and available at the Android Market.
The Twitter application provides an excellent interface to many Twitter tasks. The two most basic tasks, however, are reading and writing tweets.
via How to Use Twitter on Your Droid X – For Dummies.
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8 Best Twitter apps for Android phones to download – TechShout.
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This post completes the sessions for using Twitter on your cell phones. I hope this is helpful 🙂
How do I find a Twitter mobile app?
As I mentioned in last week’s post, Twitter mobile apps are probably among the more widely used for sending Tweets, and for keeping up-to-date with what’s happening on Twitter. This week we cover how to use one of the most popular Twitter mobile apps recommended by Simple Help, a blog I often go to for information about various Social Media guidelines. Simple Help provides easy to follow illustrations, which I expect you will find useful in loading a Twitter app on your Blackberry phone. Be aware: these guidelines assume that you understand how find the web browser on your Blackberry device. If you are not familiar with these techniques, now would be a good time to check out the manual for your phone. You can find Blackberry manuals at this link – BlackBerry Smartphones – Manuals and Guides.
This tutorial will guide you through every step of installing and using TwitterBerry, arguably the most popular Twitter client for BlackBerry devices.
1. First up, launch whatever web browser you use on your BlackBerry. Head over to http://orangatame.com/ota/twitterberry (or http://bit.ly/jE4rM – which is just a shortened version of the same link). After scrolling through the text, select the Download Now button. Then when prompted, click the Download button on your BlackBerry screen.
via How to use Twitter from your BlackBerry – Simple Help
I hope this is helpful ! 
How do you network socialize?
In this week’s post we are focusing on Twitter Mobile Apps. As we discussed in a earlier post, mobile apps allow you to use the Internet and social media environments.
Here is a description I found, written by Amy Gahran, which explains mobile apps. Please click on the link to her website for a more detailed description.
What are mobile apps?
A mobile app is software that runs on a handheld device (phone, tablet, e-reader, iPod, etc.) than can connect to wifi or wireless carrier networks, and has an operating system that supports standalone software. via What’s a mobile app? – contentious.com.
Please note:
In upcoming weeks I will continue to provide you with links to sources that I rely on to bring you technology information.
In computing, a hyperlink (or link) is a reference to a document that the reader can directly follow, or that is followed automatically.
via Hyperlink – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
How to use Twitter on your smartphones will have links to Twitter Help, and Simple Help. These are sources that I use for information frequently. However, due to the popularity of the Simple Help site, there may be numerous advertisements on the page. Nevertheless, the illustrations will be very easy to follow.
Also, don’t be discouraged with the new techniques required to view the information. These built-in transitions will give you some ‘hands-on” training in navigating back and forth to more than one blog.. That’s part of what it’s all about, right?
Remember: tech4boomers is focused on helping you acquire, and familiarize yourself, with the skill sets necessary to operate in a social media environment.. Enjoy the transitions…. Here we go…
Twitter for iPhone: An Introduction
Users who are getting started with Twitter for iPhone often have concerns about the following:
1. Where do I find the Twitter for iPhone application?
2. Will Twitter for iPhone work with my iPhone OS?
3. What’s new in the current version of Twitter for iPhone?
4. I need help with Twitter for iPhone!
5. I’m having trouble with an older version of Twitter for iPhone.
6. I want to know more!
Where do I find the Twitter for iPhone Application?
From your iPhone, click the App Store icon, type ‘Twitter’ into the search, and select Twitter for iPhone from the results.
♦ Ok folks take the next step. Click the link below for detailed illustrations and guidelines. 🙂
via Twitter Help Center | Twitter for iPhone: An Introduction.
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In coming weeks we will focus on how to use Twitter on the Blackberry, and Android Smartphones.
See you next week 🙂 !
Twitter is quickly becoming one of the main social media services to promote your brand, sharing interesting links, and keeping in touch with others. Here we’ll take a look at 5 free Twitter apps for the iPad so you can tweet while on the go. Official Twitter iPad . The first one we’ll look at is the official Twitter app for iPad. It works great, but the user interface is unique compared to using Twitter on your site.
Who’s your Twitter in-crowd?On Twitter, it’s all about ‘who and what you Follow‘. Following is a huge part of what’s happening in this particular social universe.
‘Following’ is a personal choice. A good place to start is with ‘friends’ whom you already know, in your personal ‘social circle’, those who are also Tweeps. In this way, they can guide you on how to send Tweets, and give you a sense of belonging to the Twitter community until you get comfortable with tweeting in a larger social network. Ask your friends what their Twitter ID’s are. Once you have the ID’s, you can search for them using the SEARCH field. When you find an ID, click the Follow link.
Another way to get started with Following on Twitter is to find people or publications that interest you. When you find them, just click on the Follow button as illustrated below:
1 – In the SEARCH field, I have entered the word News. On the right of the panel various news options appear with the word Follow next to them.
Click on the images to see a larger version.
2 – After you click on the Follow link. Click the Back Home link to see your Timeline.
3 – When you are back at the Home screen, the News has been added to your Timeline along with everything else (Tweeps) you are following.
4 – If you do not want to Follow a particular choice (e.g., News) anymore, type News in the search field, click the magnifying glass to start the search. When you find what you are looking for, click the Unfollow link. You can also go to your Profile, view all you are following, and select to Unfollow from there.
Following is entertaining, informative, and fun when you become part of the Twitter social network. There is much to learn, and be a part of in this social environment. I hope you will join us soon 🙂
This completes our Beginner, Tech4Boomer Twitter sessions. See you next week. 🙂
‘To be a “Tweep” or not’. There’s no question that Twitter and sending ‘Tweets‘ to your ‘Tweeps‘ is the latest social gadget we have found to entertain ourselves while doing business’. Is this the new ‘game of life?’. I wonder… On the horizon is Microsoft’s new Avatar application. We can replace our ‘real faces’ with an Avatar which looks just like us! Go figure?.. Does that mean Facebook pics will need to be replaced with Avatar pics ? Where where will the real us reside in the end?
Which one are you?
Is an Avatar important to have on Twitter? Well, that depends on your personal preference. For example, some of us do not believe that we are photogenic, and would rather not place a picture of ourselves on the Internet. For those of you who are still pondering how to deal with this issue, you may want to consider why an Avatar of your choice might be preferable, as opposed to having the generic one that Twitter assigns. I mean, an EGG ! For real?
Here is what Wikipedia (my favorite source for definitions) has to say about Avatars for computing:
Avatar (computing) “In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user’s alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities… It is an object representing the user. The term “avatar” can also refer to the personality connected with the screen name, or handle, of an Internet user.“
So for those of you who would rather not appear on Twitter as an EGG, think about a picture, or some representation (a flower), something that you’d rather see yourself represented as on Twitter, then use the guidelines below to create your unique Avatar. Here we go.
Once you have found a picture that you want to use for your Avatar, and save it in a format that you can ‘upload’ (e.g. png, peg extensions), it takes several steps to complete the upload of your Avatar to your Profile. I have created six (6) diagrams to assist you with completing this task. To see the diagrams clearly, just click with your mouse on the image provided. You can also send them to print using your Browser.
Diagram 1 = Save your picture in a format you can upload on your Desktop. Sign onto Twitter. Click the Profile tab.
Diagram 1
Diagram 2 = Look for the picture you saved on your Desktop. Select (highlight) it. Click the Open button.
Diagram 2
Diagram 3 = When the file (name) you selected appears next to Browse, click the Save button.
Diagram 3
Diagram 4 = Twitter will begin to upload the file and the image below will appear.
Diagram 4
Diagram 5 = When the upload is complete your Avatar picture will appear in the picture box.
Diagram 5
Diagram 6 = You have just completed the upload of your Avatar. Click the Home button to return to the screen where you started 🙂
Diagram 6
Note:
Sometimes it takes a little while for your Avatar to show up on Twitter. Be patient, you will see yourself with a new image shortly.
Now you are dressed for the party 🙂 ! See you on Twitter !
tech4boomers 