tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365827962024-03-14T09:50:40.797+01:00iAljaClick. Learn. Share.Alja Isakovićhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162969234960402931noreply@blogger.comBlogger151125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-66318102094155765042013-03-23T09:34:00.001+01:002013-03-23T09:34:54.926+01:00Moving to a new blogBlogger was a pretty cozy home for my main blog for almost seven years now. But the time to move out to my own flat has arrived. You can <a href="http://blog.ialja.com/2013/03/22/goodbye-blogger-hello-octopress/">read more about the whys and hows</a> at my new address: <a href="http://blog.ialja.com/"><b>http://blog.ialja.com</b></a>, where I've also made a copy of all my old blog posts. I'll probably keep this blog as an archive as long as Google allows me to.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.ialja.com/2013/03/22/goodbye-blogger-hello-octopress/"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r09Gb_wFp-E/UU1nneNlWTI/AAAAAAAAAwc/iVp87zRgu-0/s1600/blogger-to-octopress.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you're reading this post in your RSS feeder, please subscribe to the new feed address: <a href="http://blog.ialja.com/atom.xml"><b>http://blog.ialja.com/atom.xml</b></a>. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-27347250915009220762013-03-10T22:00:00.000+01:002013-03-10T22:04:12.894+01:00How a Lego dragon helped me explain programming in 15 minutes<p>Another <a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2013/03/lessons-learned-from-rails-girls-and.html">Rails Girls Ljubljana workshop</a> also meant another lecture on how the internet works and the basics of programming. The goal was to ease in the participants, this time mostly high school girls, into the practical workshop that consisted of creating a <a href="http://guides.railsgirls.com/app/">web app for collecting ideas in Rails</a>. I was pretty happy with the <a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2012/12/explaining-web-and-web-programming-with.html#more">first version of the lecture</a> I did for our very <a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2012/12/when-magic-happens-at-rails-girls.html">first workshop</a> that used a cute story about <a href="https://github.com/">GitHub</a>'s <a href="http://octodex.github.com/">Octocat</a>, who loves sushi, but doesn't eat fish.</p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8DX0ZyAnn0Q/UM4u0gg6VII/AAAAAAAAAoU/fp7QnqPoDow/s1600/rails-girls-intro-web.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8DX0ZyAnn0Q/UM4u0gg6VII/AAAAAAAAAoU/fp7QnqPoDow/s1600/rails-girls-intro-web.png" /></a></div><br />
However, there were two majors issues we discovered by using the first version of the lecture at the workshop:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://tryruby.org/">TryRuby.org</a>, an otherwise super cute website, didn't behave well during our workshop. With about 75 laptops on the same network, the site was painfully slow at moments, making it difficult for girls to keep up. Also, the order in which concepts are introduced in the tutorial is difficult for beginners (arrays make a surprisingly early appearance, for instance).</li>
<li>Beginners were a bit confused during the practical part of the workshop about switching from Terminal and local files with code. The meaning of all those directories and files in their Rails project wasn't very clear.</li>
</ul><div>All that meant I had to roll up my sleeves again and create version 2.0 that includes a giant dragon!<br />
<a name='more'></a></div><br />
<h2>Explaining the basics of programming in 15 minutes</h2>The solution to the first problem was to scratch TryRuby.org from the program. Not saying TryRuby.org isn't useful, but it's not ideal when you have a larger group of people trying to keep up with you. Instead, I advised girls to go through the exercises at home, and introduced some basic concepts of programming in a different way.<br />
<br />
I decided to show participants how to use <i>irb</i> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_Ruby_Shell">Interactive Ruby Shell</a>) in Terminal and how to create Ruby files in Sublime Text and running them from a Terminal (<i>ruby file.rb)</i>. In this way, I also addressed the second problem, as I gradually introduced the tools they would be using during the workshop. With different irb and .rb examples, I quickly introduced some of the most basic concepts of programming languages: different types of objects (strings, integers), methods, variables, if statements. Really basic stuff.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7T4GcLzOyrk/UTzwtRarA3I/AAAAAAAAAv4/RQujf3cOuqs/s1600/big-scary-dragon-lego.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7T4GcLzOyrk/UTzwtRarA3I/AAAAAAAAAv4/RQujf3cOuqs/s1600/big-scary-dragon-lego.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I also decided to introduce a new metaphor for computer programs:<b> a big, scary dragon</b>, which is what code looks like to beginners. It's only upon closer inspection that you realize that the dragon is built with basic Lego blocks you get to know right at the beginning of any coding course. When learning code for the first time, you can't go straight into building a big dragon, of course; it might even seem like an impossible task! So you start practicing by making small houses, cars, until you get a hang of it or find a good coach or online tutorial that shares with you the dragon construction secrets.<br />
<br />
I know, the explanation wasn't perfect, and maybe it wasn't all clear to those with zero experience. I hope I was at least able to show them programming can be deconstructed into smaller, readable and easy to understand blocks.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0A5Xxw8BlxI/UTzxDuPqYgI/AAAAAAAAAwA/wdt84LDOaFc/s1600/rails-mvc-sushi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0A5Xxw8BlxI/UTzxDuPqYgI/AAAAAAAAAwA/wdt84LDOaFc/s1600/rails-mvc-sushi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And finally, I also added a slide about the <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/codeinmotion/mvc-demystified-essence-of-ruby-on-rails">MVC architecture</a> that basically serves the purpose of explaining why there are so many different folders and files in a Rails project. I heard some coaches referring to the slide during their explanations, so I think it did its trick.<br />
<br />
<h2>Web and programming intro slides (English and Slovenian)</h2>I wrote in more detail about how I used the rest of the slides to explain the internet and web apps in <a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2012/12/explaining-web-and-web-programming-with.html">my previous post</a>, so today I'm just going to share the updated slides again. The original lecture used Slovenian slides, but I also made an English translation. If you do find any of the stuff useful, do feel free to borrow.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="421" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/15661527" style="border-width: 1px 1px 0; border: 1px solid #CCC; margin-bottom: 5px;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="512"> </iframe> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 5px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><strong> <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ialja/the-web-and-programming-an-introduction-simple-short-and-friendly" target="_blank" title="The web and programming: an introduction - Simple, short and friendly ">The web and programming: an introduction - Simple, short and friendly </a> </strong> from <strong><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ialja" target="_blank">Alja Isakovic</a></strong> </div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="421" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/15661515" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin-bottom: 5px;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="512"></iframe></div><div style="margin-bottom: 5px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><strong> <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ialja/uvod-v-internet-in-programiranje-enostavno-kratko-in-prijazno" target="_blank" title="Uvod v internet in programiranje: Enostavno, kratko in prijazno">Uvod v internet in programiranje: Enostavno, kratko in prijazno</a> </strong> from <strong><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ialja" target="_blank">Alja Isakovic</a></strong> </div></div><br />
And finally, if you happen to understand Slovenian, you can also watch a recording of my lecture below. Even without speaking a word of Slovenian you'll probably appreciate the awesomeness of the video player used below, combining both video and slides. If that's the case, you should head over to <a href="http://www.viidea.com/">Viidea's website</a> right away to learn more about the awesome platform that makes this possible.<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://tsstartup.viidea.net/rg12_isakovic_uvod_v_internet/video/1/iframe/" width="100%"></iframe><br />
<br />
Disclosure: Viidea was yet again one of the sponsors of <a href="http://railsgirls.com/ljubljana">Rails Girls Ljubljana</a> and also recorded our lectures. They are super cool, so make sure to tell all your friends about their product!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-90701644567186388892013-03-08T11:47:00.001+01:002013-03-08T11:47:17.468+01:00Lessons learned from Rails Girls and why we really do need more women in tech<p>It can be surprisingly easy to not notice things because "that's just the way it is". I have to admit I used to feel that way about the lack of women in tech. Just as a lot of women in the industry, I quickly started to think of myself as on of the guys and not even notice that I'm consistently a part of a minority at most tech events. In some ways, I was lucky that my mom was a geek even before that was a fashionable word and that I grew up without ever knowing computers were boys’ toys. But once you do start paying attention, it's impossible to turn the other way.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/RailsGirlsLjubljana" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4OKqKxKxZV0/UTm6bGHM6UI/AAAAAAAAAvo/7GSUhnkdTfc/s1600/734397_517868904919059_991205745_n.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Self-driving cars will be on our roads soon, so why is it that seeing a large group of girls in front of a computer science faculty is still an exception reserved for Rails Girls events? </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<a name='more'></a><h2>Once you notice the gap, it stings your eyes</h2>I first started paying attention a few years ago. Ok, I'm one of the few women in tech. But surely things are changing because it's getting easier to get involved in the field? I mean, it's not like you've got to be super geeky to have a computer in 2013, programming languages have actually become readable to mere mortals, and you can learn how to code online. Yeah, all right, I see more girls popping up at events, but not nearly enough. Andraž Tori recently did a great <a href="http://andraz.wpengine.com/2013/02/women-in-computer-science/" title="http://andraz.wpengine.com/2013/02/women-in-computer-science/">analysis of women in computer science at University in Ljubljana</a> and the data doesn't really show any positive trends.<br />
<br />
Which is all why I agreed to do lecture at MobileCamp Ljubljana almost exactly two years ago: <a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2011/03/android-for-girls-new-frontier.html" title="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2011/03/android-for-girls-new-frontier.html">Android for girls: a new frontier</a>. I was quite self-conscious about speaking about about the topic. But you know what? It actually got a lot of positive attention! I realized that a lot of guys, developers, in fact don't usually think about half of their potential customers and they welcomed my practical tips on how to make apps more women (aka human) friendly! Crazy, right?<br />
<br />
<h2>Why is it even important to get more women in tech?</h2>After that experience it was easier for me to do a couple of more lectures on the topic of women in IT and especially startups. And while I was preparing the lectures (you can browse the slides below), I discovered more and more research pointing to the fact that this is a real issue in most parts of the world! <b>Women are increasingly more interested in technology, from the consumer side, but they are not as actively involved in the creation of technology. </b>Which of course means that we have tons of gadgets and apps on the market that were clearly made by white, straight guys living in a tech bubble. Nothing wrong by being a white, straight guy, mind you, but that's not even a majority group in the world. So how can we get all other groups to join the fun?<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="421" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/15326515" style="border-width: 1px 1px 0; border: 1px solid #CCC; margin-bottom: 5px;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="512"> </iframe> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 5px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><strong> <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ialja/what-about-the-other-half-of-your-customers" target="_blank" title="What about the other half of your customers?">What about the other half of your customers?</a> </strong> from <strong><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ialja" target="_blank">Alja Isakovic</a></strong> </div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="421" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/15449092?startSlide=3" style="border-width: 1px 1px 0; border: 1px solid #CCC; margin-bottom: 5px;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="512"> </iframe> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 5px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><strong> <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ialja/startup-women-startupday" target="_blank" title="Zakaj v startup svetu nikoli ni vrste pred ženskim straniščem?">Zakaj v startup svetu nikoli ni vrste pred ženskim straniščem?</a> </strong> from <strong><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ialja" target="_blank">Alja Isakovic</a></strong> </div></div><br />
<h2>My suspicious were confirmed by reading applications for Rails Girls </h2>One thing I found I could do was to accept the challenge of organizing <a href="http://railsgirls.com/">Rails Girls</a>, a programming workshop for girls. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. The demand blew our mind. Surpassed even the wildest expectations. And by reading through each and every one of the 586 applications for our first workshop, I did get further proof that this was a real issue.<br />
<strong><br />
</strong> <strong>Girls, women of all ages are eager to learn about how the tools we use every day are made.</strong> Telling us about how their boyfriends, fathers, other men in their lives, dismiss their interest in technology with "You wouldn't understand." or "You wouldn't find that interesting." Women of all ages saying they always felt like programming was only for guys. Women embracing the opportunity to learn a technical subject in a safe environment where guys can’t accuse them of asking stupid questions. And so on and on.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2012/12/when-magic-happens-at-rails-girls.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-783NUjYE_fQ/UTm3TzayW-I/AAAAAAAAAu4/EyiIe92b6dQ/s640/RailsGirlsLjubljana-racunalnik-KatarinaJazbec.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo by Katarina Jazbec</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I already wrote about what a <a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2012/12/when-magic-happens-at-rails-girls.html" title="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2012/12/when-magic-happens-at-rails-girls.html">magical event our first Rails Girls workshop was</a>. Not just because of the girls’ enthusiasm, but also because of our wonderful coaches. Guys and girls, experienced programmers, most without teaching experience. All eager to do it again.<br />
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<h2>Rails Girls Ljubljana strikes again, this time with high school girls</h2>And we did it again. This time with the help of the <a href="http://www.fri.uni-lj.si/">Faculty of Computer in Information Science</a> here in Ljubljana. As we were discussing a joint workshop, we realized we could do a workshop just before high school students in our country decide where to continue their education. And so <b>we specifically tried to promote the workshop among high school girls.</b> This time we got 135 applications, though only 50 girls were under the age of 19 (I'm sure we’d get way more applications if we hadn't specified the event was mainly for high schoolers).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.517860094919940.1073741825.466225130083437&type=3" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r_e76USRVQg/UTm4GEmWdAI/AAAAAAAAAvE/q1aqbZm31MM/s1600/6553_517433124962637_241234575_n.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We accepted all high school girls who applied. And on March 2 had another great event. It was a bit different though. Some girls were more shy, one even gave up after a mere hour - we had no such case at our first workshop, where the average age was well above 30. But some of the girls were even more eager than last time. <strong>Three interesting stories stood out for me</strong>:<br />
<ul><li>A group of girls was interested in seeing the server room at the faculty.<br />
</li>
<li>Another group was discussing about making an app for rating boys at their school. That’s, by the way, how Facebook started #justsaying<br />
</li>
<li>A group told their coach they weren’t interested in the design tutorial. Instead, they wanted their coach to show them how to make another app, so that they would be able to do it on their own at home again.<br />
</li>
</ul>So, you still want to tell me girls find programming and technology boring? All they need is a positive experience, and their imagination starts working at full speed! I was also pleasantly surprised when a TV crew visited our event, saying they got at least three emails internally saying they should stop by. And while we didn't make it into prime time news, we had a slot in the Saturday evening news on the national TV network. If you understand Slovenian or don't mind just looking at the action, you <a href="http://tvslo.si/predvajaj/porocila-ob-22h/ava2.160117678/00:06:31/0:8:20/">can see the news here</a>.<br />
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<h2>Lessons learned from Rails Girls</h2>To sum it all up, here are some of the lessons I have learned while getting more actively involved in promoting technology among women:<br />
<ul><li><b>We need more events like Rails Girls.</b> Seeing a room full of girls coding should be no more strange than a room full of guys coding.<br />
</li>
<li>We still need to figure out a follow up to Rails Girls. Advanced workshops, meetups, hackatons… I don't know yet. But it needs to become a regular thing, not just an occasional flash mob.<br />
</li>
<li>Yes, you can learn to code online in many different ways. But it's still intimidating for a lot of beginners, especially women who still think technology isn't for them. The social aspect of learning and the ability to have a coach tailor the learning experience on the spot is very important for some! <br />
</li>
<li>Related to the previous point, a relaxed and flexible environment facilitates learning. Small groups working at their own pace, coming up with new questions as they go. All girls did learn a lot at our workshops, but they didn’t necessarily all learn the same exact things.<br />
</li>
<li>I really enjoyed working with the faculty on our second workshop. Their coaches had no problem embracing the Rails Girls organized chaos, and they also worked well with other coaches. And I think this can be a good model of academia and the private sector joining forces. It was great seeing coaches with different background sharing their knowledge and experiences with beginners. I'd like to see that happen more regularly, and not just with coding for women.</li>
</ul><div><br />
</div><h2>Encourage women in your life to embrace technology </h2>And by the way, it is not a coincidence that I am writing this blog post on March 8, the International Women's Day. It's a day when my Facebook feed is filled with pictures of flower bouquets and kind words of appreciation. Thanks for noticing us for one day, but you know what? <strong>If we really want to help women succeed, we need to arm them with two key things: education and technology.</strong><br />
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ICT is continuously transforming all areas of our lives, and we can't allow half of the population to fall behind, to stay on the spectator side. Girls, women, it's time to stand up, speak up, and embrace technology! Just because you have a womb, it doesn't mean you can't handle a computer. The <a href="http://blog.fogcreek.com/girls-go-geek-again/">first software programmers were women</a>, let's not forget that! And it's not about talking over the world, it's about equal opportunities and active participation in the shaping of a better future for all of us.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.fogcreek.com/girls-go-geek-again/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CozWAob3BNM/UTm5iuTrQiI/AAAAAAAAAvY/1uftGYgX2GQ/s400/eniac+girls.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eniac Girls started it ... </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Don't get me wrong, I don't want everyone becoming a programmer - I am not a programmer myself, yet I benefit immensely in everything I do by understanding how things work. There are a lot of cool things you can do with technology and soon we will have very few jobs that don't involve any digital skills. Will you be ready for that world?<br />
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To finish on a positive note, I would like to point out that there are many wonderful initiatives around the world you can get involved in. <a href="http://railsgirls.com/">Rails Girls</a>, <a href="http://girlgeekdinners.com/">Geek Girl Dinners</a>, <a href="http://www.ladygeek.com/" title="http://www.ladygeek.com">Lady Geek</a>, <a href="http://sheplusplus.stanford.edu/" title="http://sheplusplus.stanford.edu">She++</a>, just to mention a few. And in Europe we have a big partnership, <a href="http://women2020.org/" title="http://women2020.org">Women2020</a>, launching today at <a href="http://www.digitaleurope.org/" title="http://www.digitaleurope.org/">DIGITALEUROPE</a>, <i>"whose mission is to promote women’s contribution to achieving the Europe 2020 vision of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth."</i> There will be many big scale events and discussions going on throughout the year, culminating in the release of Women2020 Action Plan in December.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://women2020.org/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="56" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1aET6FgYwEc/UTm4uj_gMiI/AAAAAAAAAvM/R_kT5XvMVko/s400/cropped-women202011.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Having just met many wonderful and enthusiastic women both from the European Comission and various big and small enterprises in <a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-i-found-great-chocolate-in-brussels.html">Brussels</a>, I think this could be a big and important thing. But in the end, it will come to each and every one of us, women and men, to play our part and provide support for women entering the field. I certainly hope I will have a lot more to write about the subject this year. And not just about the issue, but mostly about the results of our efforts.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-19154135490485665032013-03-07T00:14:00.000+01:002013-03-12T10:02:50.518+01:00How I found great chocolate in Brussels and glimpsed the flame of hope<p><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CvxmxUrtotE/UTfG6vfWkTI/AAAAAAAAAuU/7IlC4L0NXBs/s1600/flying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CvxmxUrtotE/UTfG6vfWkTI/AAAAAAAAAuU/7IlC4L0NXBs/s200/flying.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
I found myself in a bit of an awkward situation when I had to explain to my friends why I would be flying to Brussels this week. Sure, I knew the official answer. I have been selected as one of the 25 members of the "<a href="http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regexpert/index.cfm?do=groupDetail.groupDetail&groupID=2881">Young Advisors Expert Group on implementation of the Digital Agenda for Europe</a>" (yeah, I had to copy-paste that). I suppose it looks nice on my CV. And I will be visiting the capital of the <a href="http://europa.eu/index_en.htm">European Union</a> for the first time.</p>While I was looking forward to the trip, I didn't really have a clear idea on what to expect. There was some strange paperwork I had to fill in, some very formal documents sent around that say a lot and yet nothing at all at the same time. It started to look a bit better when they created a <a href="https://twitter.com/DigitalAgendaEU/young-advisers-nk">Twitter list of YAG members</a>. I admit I also felt a bit intimidated by some pretty impressive CVs from my fellow group members. What do I possibly have to offer? I don't even pay as much attention to politics as I should, because I get frustrated about the endless talking and too little meaningful action. Discussing important issues is all well and good, but if you don't follow it up with concrete actions, it's just a nice hobby suitable for lazy Summer evening on a terrace, with a glass of fine wine in your hand. I know, I know, big political decisions are hard and should not be made lightly. But hard doesn't mean impossible.<br />
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<h2>My first YAG meeting</h2>Most doubts I had quickly disappeared once I actually met the other members of the YAG group, some members of <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/connect/index_en.htm">DG Connect</a> and (my new hero) <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/kroes/index_en.htm">Neelie Kroes</a>, Vice President of the European Commission responsible for the <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/">Digital Agenda</a>. We kicked off the <a href="http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/neelie-kroes/young-advisers-2013/">meeting</a> by touching upon some common concerns, such as obstacles faced by startups, the inefficiency of our school to prepare kids for a digital future (and present), the lack of a single digital market and so on. But, also encouraged by <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/paul-andre-baran">Paul André Baran</a>, the Romanian Digital Champion, we quickly agreed that we shouldn't spend too much time complaining about things we all know to be wrong, but rather switch to proposing solutions. Of course, there's not much actual power you have as an external advisor. But we can bring a fresh perspective to the table, one not yet spoiled by the bubble of big institutions.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jordanh14/8528190147/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Neelie Kroes by Jordan Hatch, on Flickr"><img alt="Neelie Kroes" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8236/8528190147_bd96c60d77.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by <strong class="username" id="yui_3_7_3_3_1362609990145_1103" style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #222222; display: inline !important; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jordanh14/" id="yui_3_7_3_3_1362609990145_1102" style="color: #0063dc; text-decoration: none;">Jordan Hatch</a></strong></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Diversity is key to finding innovative solutions. And I was pleasantly surprised to see how open the whole DG Connect team was to listening to what we had to say. They asked us to be frank and we embraced the opportunity wholeheartedly. What do we have to lose by speaking our minds? Nothing, but a lot to gain. I also loved the fact that they kept encouraging us, as a group, to get together and come up with practical propositions for the EU related to the <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/">Digital Agenda</a>. Sure, the road to action is a long one and maybe even covered with wild plants, but it's good to know it exists.<br />
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<h2>We can't afford to wait for the big guys to save the world</h2>But perhaps an even more important lesson of the day was learning about all the wonderful initiatives across Europe all of us YAGs are involved in. The <a href="http://b4rn.org.uk/" title="http://b4rn.org.uk/">B4RN</a> network from Lancashire (UK), who teaches anyone interested, especially women, how to fuse fiber optics and thus deliver fast broadband to rural, commercially uninteresting, areas. DIY for the digital age, "easier than knitting," says Chris Condor, one of the founders, who is acting as an observer to our little merry band and has more youthful spirit than some people a third her age. And she carries fiber optic cables in her purse, how awesome is that?<br />
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Then there's <a href="http://www.zendigital.be" title="http://www.zendigital.be">Zen Digital Europe</a>, originally from Brussels, which promotes STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) among young girls. YAG member Mercedes, who was involved with this initiative and many others, is also wonderfully passionate about bringing more women in IT. Then <a href="http://www.telerik.com/" title="http://www.telerik.com/">Telerik</a> in Bulgaria, an internationally successful enterprise software company, which established their own <a href="http://academy.telerik.com/" title="http://academy.telerik.com/">academy</a> to provide practical IT training for people with little or no programming background - not surprisingly, it turns out such an initiative can also be great recruiting tool. All sorts of innovative competitions for schools in Lithuania. And the list goes on. <i>(Side note: the more I look around, the more wonderful women I see having a big impact in their local communities. We just need to learn to speak up more loudly and often!)</i><br />
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All those initiatives are just the tip of the iceberg. But it gives me hope. The more we share ideas like this, the more we can achieve, bottom-up, without any big funding that drowns in bureaucracy. In that sense, the meeting was a great platform for exchanging good practices. And there's of course another important group, the <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/digital-champions">Digital Champions</a>, that are playing for the same team. <br />
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<h2>My own catalyst for action</h2>Come to think of it, I might never have gotten involved with <a href="http://railsgirls.com/">Rails Girls</a>, the super fun and engaging web programming workshop for women that I have organized twice now in <a href="http://railsgirls.com/ljubljana">Ljubljana</a>, if it weren't for <a href="http://lindaliukas.fi/">Linda Liukas</a>, the co-founder of the initiative and <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/linda-liukas">Digital Champion of Finland</a>. She encouraged <a href="http://www.alesspetic.si/">Aleš Špetič</a>, our own <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/ales-spetic">Digital Champion</a>, to bring Rails Girls to Slovenia, and he in turn challenged me to get involved. I am not sure if I would have had the guts to do it on my own otherwise. I had almost no experience with organizing events, but when faced with a direct challenge that could help solve an issue that was already bugging me, saying no wasn't an option.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ev0CQgf8CTM/UTfJIz4CzhI/AAAAAAAAAug/YUZvgbG__jo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-06+at+23.54.12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ev0CQgf8CTM/UTfJIz4CzhI/AAAAAAAAAug/YUZvgbG__jo/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-03-06+at+23.54.12.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>As it turns out, organizing Rails Girls was probably the most meaningful thing I've done so far, with the support of various individuals and companies, of course. My husband tells me I switch to my excited voice when I talk about Rails Girls. But I needed a little nudge and I can now tell you first hand it's not as scary as it seems from the other side, especially if you have a supportive environment - and that's another thing you can't really know unless you try. I am just blown away by the support for Rails Girls from coaches, the girls themselves, the <a href="http://www.fri.uni-lj.si/en">Faculty of Computer and Information Science in Ljubljana</a>, the startups involved in the <a href="http://www.silicongardens.si/">Silicon Gardens</a> community. Actually, our only weakness is sponsorship money.<br />
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<h2>Rolling up my sleeves even more</h2><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L57ELyE9WDE/UTfG6iD5S7I/AAAAAAAAAuA/LZaeIsqJdT4/s1600/chocolate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L57ELyE9WDE/UTfG6iD5S7I/AAAAAAAAAuA/LZaeIsqJdT4/s200/chocolate.jpg" width="200" /></a>So, while I am still not entirely sure what being a young EC expert means, I am already seeing a lot of value in sharing ideas with a diverse group of people from all over Europe. And I will try my best to play my part in the sharing network. Take the experience I had in Brussels back with me to Ljubljana, borrow best practices from other EU countries, try to export the best practices we create here. Our YAG ("yag" apparently means fire in Gypsy language) group has already come up with some interesting ideas in the Facebook group we created right after our first meeting and I think we're all excited about meeting again, in one way or another. My wish is that the next meeting will also involve whiteboards, colorful sticky notes and, ultimately, concrete proposals for action. And great Belgium chocolate, of course.<br />
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We might not be super heroes, but I am thinking we might just be still young and eager enough to come up with crazy ideas nobody told us were impossible. I also don't pretend we're the only eligible candidates to represent our countries. I <em>know</em> there are many other people under the age of 35 around Europe with great ideas, and I'm also hoping to meet you guys and gals (if you happen to stumble upon this blog post, give me a shout!). Being a member of YAG certainly looks nice on my CV, but I also see it as a responsibility towards all the hard working and creative young people from Slovenia and other EU countries that weren't at the table with us (yet).<br />
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<h2>What can one person do? A lot, with the right village</h2>I've seen how girls' eyes light up when they create their first web app, I've seen how excited coaches are to be sharing their knowledge at <a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2012/12/when-magic-happens-at-rails-girls.html">our Rails Girls workshops</a>. All completely voluntarily. That is tangible change. And maybe, just maybe, if we all join our forces, we can create even more positive change in our local communities. I know the political and economical situation is anything but rosy in most part of Europe, which is definitely also true for our little paradise below the Alps. Yeah, it sucks to be young and looking for employment in quickly disappearing fields. It's going to suck for quite a while, I'm afraid. And to be honest, I don't have much hope that our politicians have what it takes to make everything good again (even though we recently got our first female PM), I'll be really happy if I'm proven wrong, but while we wait, it's even more important to get involved when you see opportunity for change. Even if it seems like just a little one, like teaching a couple of girls to code.<br />
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It's not easy giving a big piece of yourself to a cause, more often than not for free, that's for sure. <b>But on my trip to Brussels I learned that I am not alone. And that there are some cool people with actual power that are willing to listen if we make enough positively oriented noise downstairs.</b> Let's get a party started then, not just by walking the streets, but by finding solutions, creating our own little pilots that can be scaled across the continent.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TYBfg-db8ho/UTfJUI9GeQI/AAAAAAAAAuo/rhN6HLtomio/s1600/IMG_6308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TYBfg-db8ho/UTfJUI9GeQI/AAAAAAAAAuo/rhN6HLtomio/s400/IMG_6308.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-13161488374395472142012-12-22T20:12:00.000+01:002012-12-24T22:15:20.957+01:00I quit Evernote: why a company shouldn't choose good looks over their core functionality<a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2010/08/7-things-i-love-about-evernote.html" title="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2010/08/7-things-i-love-about-evernote.html">I used to love Evernote</a>. "Remember everything" is their headline. People talk about "outsourcing your memory" with Evernote. And I did. I made Evernote the hub for most of my work that didn't require documents. I stored everything, from meeting notes and blog post drafts to notes about our cats' health and even kept a shared notebook for our favorite recipes. <br />
<p>One of the things I loved most about Evernote was its ability to keep all my notes synced across multiple devices. Sounds great, doesn't it? Yeah, except things don't "just work" anymore. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OCL2l1Vozc8/UNYA6qqypOI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/E3YhmHfJiBE/s1600/goodbye-evernote.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OCL2l1Vozc8/UNYA6qqypOI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/E3YhmHfJiBE/s320/goodbye-evernote.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<h2>How Evernote started ruining meetings for me </h2><br />
It's not a new problem. I first started having problems this Summer. I like to prepare for meetings in advance, so I spent some time jotting down notes in Evernote in the evening. I was a bit of a hurry to get to the meeting the next morning, so I didn't bother to press the Sync button on Evernote on my iMac. I've always had automatic syncing on, so I didn't really think twice about it.<br />
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Except I should have. On the bus I took out my iPhone to revise the agenda for the meeting. Tough luck. The note isn't there, and neither are all the other notes I knew I created the day before, even a couple of days before! Of course, I have no way to remotely push the Evernote Sync button on my iMac, so I improvise and try to recreate the notes from memory. Luckily I hadn't yet completely outsourced my memory to Evernote despite being a Premium user, so I was able to remember most of it.<br />
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<h2>Do elephants run Evernote support?</h2><br />
The first thing I did when I got back home was to check my Evernote settings. Everything was as it should had been, automatic sync every 5 minutes. I try to manually sync, and the notes then appear on my iPhone. Ok, time to contact Evernote support. <br />
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As a Premium user I did get a response within the business day, but I can't say it was very useful. I sent them the activity log and they recommended reinstalling Evernote. No other explanation. Was this a recurring problem? Just a faulty installation? How can I check that the next time? I suggested they implement a sync checker into the app that would actually tell the user automatic syncing has failed. I don't know about you, but I don't really have a habit of checking apps logs when I except the app to just work. In fact, I didn't even know Evernote had an Activity Log before I ran into problems.<br />
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<h2>Evernote works fine if you're using just one device</h2><br />
Back to my story. Time goes by. I replace my iMac with a MacBook Pro and spend most of the time on the same machine. Meaning, I'm mostly using Evernote on one device. I still like the idea of being able to access notes from anywhere if I need to. However, the few times I do use the Evernote mobile apps, they display weird sync behavior. I don't pay much attention to the issue as I now always have my laptop with me during meetings. So I decide to stick with Evernote for the time being and renew my subscription on December 1.<br />
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As an Evernote user, I'm glad to see them release a big update to all their apps this Fall. The mobile one certainly has some nice tricks up its sleeve, like the sync button that's now easily accessible on the first screen (yep, that wasn't the case before). The Mac app is bloated and takes some time getting used to, but at least I can still access my notes and write them as before. Changes happen, so I don't make a big deal out of this.<br />
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Until yesterday, when I decide to only take my iPad to work. And guess what? I want to look up something in Evernote and notice that all notes from over a week ago are missing. I press the sync button over and over again, on my iPad, on my iPhone. Nope. The notes just aren't in the cloud. And that is where my patience ends.<br />
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<h2>Are regular reinstalls the only way to make Evernote sync?</h2><br />
I contact support again, specifically asking them not to serve me with an automated reply like last time. I want to talk to a human that can actually explain what's going one. But no, no such luck. Either they have machines answering the tickets or their support staff has very strict guidelines on what they can and cannot write. Meanwhile I've had very good experience with Nike Store support, you can see they are actual humans working there. You know, with emotions and the ability to write unique sentences.<br />
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Anyhow, the official Evernote answer is that I appear to be running an old version of the app (after sending the ticket the latest update showed up in the Mac App Store) and that I should reinstall Evernote. Same reply I got last time, same instruction on how to reinstall the app (as if that was so difficult on a Mac...), yet they still haven't figured out Evernote now lives in the Mac App Store.<br />
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<h2>Goodbye Evernote, hello alternatives!</h2><br />
Dear Evernote, I just don't want to talk to support bots anymore. I don't need a bloated app that looks pretty. I want to write notes and have them in sync on all my devices. Which is why <b>I </b><strong>cancelled my Evernote Premium subscription yesterday and started looking for alternatives</strong>.<br />
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I looked at <a href="http://springpad.com/" title="http://springpad.com/">Springpad</a> - but they have no Mac client. I looked at <a href="http://simplenoteapp.com/" title="http://simplenoteapp.com">Simplenote</a> - but apparently they've been having sync issues for a while now as well. And the more I looked, the more I started seeing <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/" title="https://www.dropbox.com/">Dropbox</a> mentioned as an alternative! Dropbox? Yeah, you can easily have a folder for Notes, keep them in .txt or .rtf format and edit them practically anywhere. In TextEdit, for instance, which is one of the Apple apps I use most often on my Mac. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jU0z3W5fi8U/UNYE6kSA12I/AAAAAAAAAqw/NGlEn91YDXo/s1600/springpad-simplenote-dropbox-mobile-apps.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jU0z3W5fi8U/UNYE6kSA12I/AAAAAAAAAqw/NGlEn91YDXo/s400/springpad-simplenote-dropbox-mobile-apps.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And as I started considering this alternative, I started discovering more and more note taking apps that can sync with Dropbox, even <a href="http://www.apple.com/icloud/" title="http://www.apple.com/icloud/">iCloud</a>. Sure, they don't have all the fancy stuff Evernote has, but I rarely use tags after I assign them, and I've only needed audio notes once in the last year. Most of my notes are text notes. I already use <a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2012/01/im-in-love-with-pinterest-and-why-that.html">Pinterest for visual bookmarking</a>, and Springpad seems like a really nice complementary service for that. It has a great mobile app and it's very easy to have a private collection of more visually based notes and share them with my husband. For free!<br />
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So, I realize that instead of a full blown alternative to Evernote what I really need is a bloat-free app that enables me to write, has just a few of the basic formatting options (bold, italic, the ability to make links).<br />
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<h2>I'm in love with the simplicity of iA Writer</h2><br />
And this is where I discover <a href="http://www.iawriter.com/" title="http://www.iawriter.com">iA Writer</a>. Well, discover is not really the right word here. I was aware of the app before, but I thought it was just for fancy writing stuff, a more simple version of Pages. But it turns out it now has both iCloud and Dropbox sync, a gorgeously simple native Mac app and an equally simple iOS client that works for both iPhone and iPad. The runner up was <a href="http://bywordapp.com/" title="http://bywordapp.com">Byword</a>, another simple text editor both for Macs and iOS devices. Both of these apps focus on writing text in an uncluttered way, and both support <a href="http://support.iawriter.com/help/kb/general-questions/markdown-syntax-reference-guide" title="http://support.iawriter.com/help/kb/general-questions/markdown-syntax-reference-guide">Markdown</a> for basic text formatting. And oh, they also make it easier to prepare text for the web, HTML tags and all. Bingo!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/33964031?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=ffffff" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/33964031">iA Writer now with iCloud</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/ia">Oliver Reichenstein</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><h2>iCloud and Dropbox to the rescue</h2><br />
Yeah, I know, I'm quite biased. All the gadgets I use were designed by Apple in California (and Assembled in China, of course), so I didn't blink twice because there's no Android or Windows support in either of these apps. However! I did manage to export all my notes from Evernote to Dropbox using <a href="https://www.cloudhq.net/">cloudHQ</a> in .txt format, which means I can access and edit them anywhere. And while I'll be using iCloud in iA Writer for notes I am using the most (offline ability tipped the scale), I'll keep using Dropbox as a storage/backup tool for less frequently used notes. Spotlight will make sure I can easily find old notes in the Notes folder on my Dropbox.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iEsxNDNvWcA/UNYC-_-VbjI/AAAAAAAAAqg/rz0BvazfO44/s1600/icloud-dropbox.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iEsxNDNvWcA/UNYC-_-VbjI/AAAAAAAAAqg/rz0BvazfO44/s320/icloud-dropbox.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Sure, the solution might not be as elegant as using Evernote for everything, but iCloud and Dropbox syncing has so far been good to me. And I can use the 40€/year I'll be saving for not using Evernote anymore on expanded iCloud storage if I need to (as a legacy MobileMe member I still have more than enough space, but expanding storage might come in handy if I start using iCloud more intensively in various apps).<br />
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<h2>TL;DR: Evernote, make sure your core functionality works before focusing on the looks!</h2><br />
And with that, dear Evernote, I am saying my official goodbyes. I have fond memories of you, we've had some good times together. But I just can't watch anymore as your apps get prettier and prettier and your core functionality lies forgotten in the dust. A quick Google search showed I'm not the only one with this problem. And I'm just not willing to reinstall your app once in a while to make sure it works properly. I'm not playing the Evernote lottery ("Will my notes be synced today?") anymore.<br />
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Mind you, I'm not complaining about a free service here, I'm complaining about a service I pay for and it's just not working as advertised. Goodbye, Evernote. I am moving on, to more simple (and cheaper) solutions. I'll just make sure all notes were migrated properly and then I'll gladly uninstall your app from my Mac, as per your instructions, <strong>permanently</strong>.<br />
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<i><b>Update:</b> Well, one thing Evernote support did right was to refund my account for the yearly subscription. Thanks, I guess, though I would rather have a functional product I was more than happy to pay for. </i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-77435010931861337252012-12-17T14:20:00.001+01:002013-03-07T00:16:21.736+01:00When magic happens at Rails Girls LjubljanaWhat happens when you fill 2 classrooms and 1 big conference room at <a href="http://en.telekom.si/">Telekom Slovenije</a> with over 70 girls of all ages, who want to build their own web app, and 30 coaches, experienced web developers? No, it's not a rhetorical question, it's a real challenge!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vkCHcmWd2Bg/UM72ZDyLCyI/AAAAAAAAAos/mo_g7PzdImg/s1600/219146_482121458493804_716264997_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="393" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vkCHcmWd2Bg/UM72ZDyLCyI/AAAAAAAAAos/mo_g7PzdImg/s400/219146_482121458493804_716264997_o.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Over a hundred people at the first Rails Girls Ljubljana workshop! Photo by: <a href="http://otrokvesolja.blogspot.com/">Katarina Jazbec</a></i></td></tr>
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Sure, the girls are among the most enthusiastic out of the <a href="http://visual.ly/rails-girls-ljubljana-december-2012-english-version">586 that signed</a> up for <a href="http://railsgirls.com/ljubljana">Rails Girls Ljubljana</a>, a free two-day workshop. But most of them have no experience with programming whatsoever. And the coaches sure are all excited to help and hope to see more girls among their ranks, yet most of them have little or no experience with teaching, especially with teaching complete beginners. Even after more than a month of intensive planning, countless emails and meetings, I, as the main organizer, can't help but feel nervous on Friday, December 14, the first day of the first ever Rails Girls Ljubljana. Is anyone even going to show up?<br />
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The doubts and worries dissipate once I see all those smiling faces. Once I see the coaches interacting with the girls. Patiently answering all questions, making sure <a href="http://guides.railsgirls.com/install/">everything is installed</a> successfully and ready to go for the workshop. You can feel the excitement and positive energy in the air!<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
3,2,1... in gremooooo, punce! <a href="http://t.co/zIPk6WPi" title="http://twitter.com/RailsGirls_LJ/status/279636337550843905/photo/1">twitter.com/RailsGirls_LJ/…</a><br />
— RailsGirls Ljubljana (@RailsGirls_LJ) <a data-datetime="2012-12-14T17:17:53+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/RailsGirls_LJ/status/279636337550843905">December 14, 2012</a></blockquote>
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The next day, Saturday, December 15, I wake up an hour before the alarm goes off. My mind keeps running through the to-dos, making last minute plans. The nervousness has already been replaced by excitement. Fueled by the positive energy of the day before, I can't wait to welcome the participants in the morning. A lot of them arrive early, also eager to start and get the first dose of coffee.<br />
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After breakfast we start by welcoming everybody, but I try to keep the intro short. I can't wait to hear our motivational talks by two great girl geeks. <a href="https://twitter.com/sparkica">Mateja</a> tells them about how programming will probably make them feel like Alice in Wonderland, but also highlights the thrill of programming, the joy of <i>creating</i> something on your own out of code. Dunja then takes over to remind us of the rich history of women in programming. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bEur79eYw4o/UM74edH3lDI/AAAAAAAAAo8/g2og-6GANgY/s1600/316607_482120485160568_1640987580_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="393" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bEur79eYw4o/UM74edH3lDI/AAAAAAAAAo8/g2og-6GANgY/s400/316607_482120485160568_1640987580_n.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hana making sure our motivational talks get recorded! Photo by: <a href="http://otrokvesolja.blogspot.com/">Katarina Jazbec</a></i></td></tr>
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Both talks make a great introduction to the practical part of the day. I first explain how the internet works and what we'll be doing during the workshop using <a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2012/12/explaining-web-and-web-programming-with.html">Octocat, sushi and sushi chefs</a>. The smiles on the girls' faces are a good sign, although I also see some traces of doubts "Will I really be able to do that?".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zmXneBGpD14/UM73Ycmo3rI/AAAAAAAAAo0/Njx-IX_4akI/s1600/68657_482120785160538_711443265_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="399" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zmXneBGpD14/UM73Ycmo3rI/AAAAAAAAAo0/Njx-IX_4akI/s400/68657_482120785160538_711443265_n.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Explaining objects and methods with a lot of waving around :) Photo by: <a href="http://otrokvesolja.blogspot.com/">Katarina Jazbec</a> </i></td></tr>
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We play with <a href="http://tryruby.org/">TryRuby.org</a> a bit and then learn how to Google everything with the <a href="http://blog.railsgirls.com/post/20405930015/bentobox-learn-the-language-of-technology">Bento Box exercise</a>. But that's just about enough theory, the girls want to get their own hands dirty with code! Without further ado, they form small groups of maximum three participants and start creating their <a href="http://guides.railsgirls.com/app/">idea app</a> with the help of their coach.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lPQz8L9YktE/UM74fCAYqDI/AAAAAAAAApA/CgIrPcxv_QQ/s1600/380677_482120988493851_1888856434_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="386" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lPQz8L9YktE/UM74fCAYqDI/AAAAAAAAApA/CgIrPcxv_QQ/s400/380677_482120988493851_1888856434_n.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Making sense of the technical mambo jumbo during the Bento Box exercise. Photo by: <a href="http://otrokvesolja.blogspot.com/">Katarina Jazbec</a></i></td></tr>
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And that, ladies and gentlemen, is when the magic happens! There is no other way to describe it. I walk around and all the girls have their Terminal windows open and are building their first app. The coaches are also in the zone, explaining everything, even drawing some of the most abstract concepts on whiteboards.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HLHiffWKyQI/UM74hLRIoPI/AAAAAAAAApY/DZRp_9Bfd18/s1600/60892_482121105160506_1144614278_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="393" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HLHiffWKyQI/UM74hLRIoPI/AAAAAAAAApY/DZRp_9Bfd18/s400/60892_482121105160506_1144614278_n.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>One of the rooms, full of girls and coaches. Photo by: <a href="http://otrokvesolja.blogspot.com/">Katarina Jazbec</a></i></td></tr>
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We have a hard time making everyone wrap up for lunch. I hear girls and coaches talking abut their apps while waiting in line. The girls seem especially eager to finish fast and get back to their code!<br />
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Food obviously makes us all a bit sleepy, so we guide everyone outside for a good dose of fresh air, a quick stretch and we finally do our <a href="http://fridayhug.com/">#FridayHug</a> group shot. There are so many of us we hardly fit into a single frame!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FEIEhhwjspU/UM79gyXUDHI/AAAAAAAAAp4/YB-BSwnERss/s1600/8848_482121291827154_160897704_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="393" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FEIEhhwjspU/UM79gyXUDHI/AAAAAAAAAp4/YB-BSwnERss/s640/8848_482121291827154_160897704_n.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Building a wep app. Photo by: <a href="http://otrokvesolja.blogspot.com/">Katarina Jazbec</a></i></td></tr>
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After the group shot the girls return straight to their laptops and continue working on their apps. It doesn't take long for some groups to reach the "What's Next?" part of the guide. Before the workshop is over, some have already added comments, ratings, deployed their app online with Heroku, some are playing with CSS or working on special assignments their coaches gave them. By 6 PM everyone has their own web app. We are all tired, but happy and excited. The girls, the coaches are all thanking me for a great experience as asking me: "When are we going to do this again?"<br />
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"After I get some sleep," I smile. There is no other choice. <a href="http://railsgirls.com/">Rails Girls</a> will happen again in Ljubljana, probably in other cities in Slovenia as well. Girls want to code, coaches (boys and girls!) are eager to help them out. We still don't know exactly how and when, but we have to do this again. For all those girls (over 500 of them) who couldn't be with us this time, for all those girls who haven't even heard of us yet or maybe who didn't dare to fill in the signup form. We will be back.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PZlbI9WgUgw/UM74fg9mh2I/AAAAAAAAApI/nMkXI1LuevE/s1600/532527_482121845160432_2111096409_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="393" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PZlbI9WgUgw/UM74fg9mh2I/AAAAAAAAApI/nMkXI1LuevE/s400/532527_482121845160432_2111096409_n.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Happy Rails Girls and coaches! Photo by: <a href="http://otrokvesolja.blogspot.com/">Katarina Jazbec</a> </i></td></tr>
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And we're also hoping to keep in touch with the 1st generation of Rails Girls and coaches. We already have a support group on Facebook running, maybe we'll even organize regular informal meetups to check everyone's progress.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iEqZN2ZM4uk/UM74hzoMMZI/AAAAAAAAApk/TOTLuLyzKFw/s1600/74069_482121261827157_1147127405_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="386" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iEqZN2ZM4uk/UM74hzoMMZI/AAAAAAAAApk/TOTLuLyzKFw/s400/74069_482121261827157_1147127405_n.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lots of love and positive energy! Photo by: <a href="http://otrokvesolja.blogspot.com/">Katarina Jazbec</a></i></td></tr>
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Finally, I would like to thank everyone who made this event such a magic experience. <a href="http://www.alesspetic.si/">Aleš</a>, our digital champion and the leading force of <a href="http://www.tsstartup.si/">TSstartup</a> accelerator (where I currently work as a community manager), for offering me the challenge of organizing the event and supporting us along the way. <a href="https://twitter.com/alivea">Živa</a> for all your support and the super awesome <a href="https://github.com/">GitHub</a> t-shirt, <a href="https://twitter.com/AjdaAzman">Ajda</a> for all your energy and help, <a href="https://twitter.com/tadejab">Tadeja</a> for the great texts and tweets, <a href="https://twitter.com/RokPiletic">Rok</a> for surprising us with handmade heart-shaped desserts, <a href="https://twitter.com/anjalazar">Anja</a> for hosting two thirds of the Croatian team. Telekom for providing all the little details needed for such an event, all our other sponsors and partners. All of our coaches, especially <a href="https://twitter.com/nursahketene">Nur</a>, who flew in from Finland just for the weekend to be with us, <a href="https://twitter.com/GregovLucija">Lucija</a> (the cats say hello!), <a href="https://twitter.com/ivanavasilj">Ivana</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/mislav">Mislav</a> from <a href="http://railsgirls.com/zagreb">Rails Girls Zagreb</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/goranche">Goran</a> for simultaneously lecturing in the other classroom with me, DJ-ing at the after party at TSstartup and providing tons of support, and all the other coaches for being so patient and willing to get a sore throat from answering every single question the girls had. Mateja and Dunja for doing their talk twice in both our classrooms and for motivating the girls. Hana from <a href="http://www.viidea.com/">Viidea</a> who filmed the lectures, <a href="http://otrokvesolja.blogspot.com/">Katarina</a> for great event photos (you can see <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RailsGirlsLjubljana/photos_stream">more on our Facebook page</a>). All the participants for your braveness, persistence and curiosity. <a href="https://twitter.com/lindaliukas">Linda</a> for sending us a lovely greeting video (unfortunately we couldn't play it due to audio problems) and for starting Rails Girls in the first place. Even though I wasn't a participant at the workshop, I learned a lot in the past month or so. I got to know GitHub and met so many great people along the way. Thank you all, and I hope to see you next time!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-32004827932448490692012-12-16T21:41:00.000+01:002012-12-16T22:25:03.785+01:00Explaining the web and web programming with Octocat, sushi and fish<p>One of challenges of organizing <a href="http://railsgirls.com/ljubljana">Rails Girls Ljubljana</a> was coming up with short lectures that would prepare the girls, absolute beginners, to understand the basic terminology of the web and what they would be working on.</p>Sure, there are some existing presentations online about what programming is and where Rails fits in the whole story, but I thought beginners could benefit from something a bit more simple, funny and thus memorable. Which is why I borrowed <a href="https://github.com/">GitHub</a>'s mascot <a href="http://octodex.github.com/">Octocat</a> and sent him off on a journey to find sushi without fish on the web. Wait, what?<br />
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Have a look for yourself, here are the slides, both in English and Slovenian (the original I used for my lecture):<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="421" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/15661527" style="border-width: 1px 1px 0; border: 1px solid #CCC; margin-bottom: 5px;" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="512"> </iframe> <br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 5px;"><strong> <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ialja/the-web-and-programming-an-introduction-simple-short-and-friendly" target="_blank" title="The web and programming: an introduction - Simple, short and friendly ">The web and programming: an introduction - Simple, short and friendly </a> </strong> from <strong><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ialja" target="_blank">Alja Isakovic</a></strong> </div><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="421" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/15661515" style="border-width: 1px 1px 0; border: 1px solid #CCC; margin-bottom: 5px;" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="512"> </iframe> <br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 5px;"><strong> <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ialja/uvod-v-internet-in-programiranje-enostavno-kratko-in-prijazno" target="_blank" title="Uvod v internet in programiranje: Enostavno, kratko in prijazno">Uvod v internet in programiranje: Enostavno, kratko in prijazno</a> </strong> from <strong><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ialja" target="_blank">Alja Isakovic</a></strong> </div><br />
In case you find the slides useful, the main tip for presenting with them is: don't explain everything on the slides, focus on the story. In the first part, where I introduce the client-server model of the web, I didn't explain the technical terms too much. I compared IP addresses to phone numbers servers have and DNS servers to a phonebook. I do think it's good for beginners to be eposed to these terms, but they don't really need to know in detail what they mean.<br />
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When talking about GET requests, I didn't explain HTTP or the format of a request. A GET request is all they need to hear, and you can mention that sometimes the server doesn't find what you're looking for in which case you get and <a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/60-really-cool-and-creative-error-404-pages/">Error 404 page</a>. But if the server does find the web page, it sends it in HTML to your browser. Knowing all the steps will make it easier for people tounderstand that there are many steps involved into the process and that fast loading pages can only happen if all part of the process work as they are supposed to.<br />
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In the second part I explained the different between a static and a dynamic web page using Octocat, who doesn't quite want the usual sushi. I explained the concept of a web app with the sushi chef living on the server, ready to tailor the content (or looks) of the web pages to each user's needs and interests, just like Facebook. And once you have a sushi chef, it's easy to explain Ruby as the language you need to learn to make the chef (the web app) do what you want.<br />
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Simple, short, friendly and apparently memorable: one of the participants was just asking me about Octocat and sushi on Twitter, so I guess a different approach did the trick!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8DX0ZyAnn0Q/UM4u0gg6VII/AAAAAAAAAoU/fp7QnqPoDow/s1600/rails-girls-intro-web.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8DX0ZyAnn0Q/UM4u0gg6VII/AAAAAAAAAoU/fp7QnqPoDow/s1600/rails-girls-intro-web.png" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-41768420447945033122012-11-24T12:04:00.001+01:002012-11-24T12:04:51.790+01:00Why I write at least 750 words a day<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j3TUtDyCL8A/ULClgqP_WRI/AAAAAAAAAnY/1nZW8lnc-MI/s1600/badge.pegasus.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j3TUtDyCL8A/ULClgqP_WRI/AAAAAAAAAnY/1nZW8lnc-MI/s1600/badge.pegasus.png" /></a><p>One year ago I first came across this strange website, <a href="http://750words.com/"><b>750words.com</b></a> (thanks, <a href="http://swizec.com/blog/750-words-a-day-keeps-the-insanity-away/swizec/1703">Swizec</a>!). Simple concept, simple instructions. Write 750 words. And come back again tomorrow, write at least 750 more. Rinse and repeat. 750 words. Each and every day in the past year. Now a total of 356,548 words, 367 days.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8VLtGvzcrxY/ULCkYKFYDlI/AAAAAAAAAm0/xPGrElhDOJI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-24+at+10.55.48.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8VLtGvzcrxY/ULCkYKFYDlI/AAAAAAAAAm0/xPGrElhDOJI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-24+at+10.55.48.png" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />
Celebrating the one year anniversary of my 750 words habit makes me look back at the year that is now coming to an end. It certainly has been an interesting one. The health part of the equation wasn't all that good for me, especially due to annoying <a href="http://runjourney.tumblr.com/post/34045812473/have-i-given-up-on-my-running-journey">running injuries</a> I'm still recovering from. Yet on the other side of the equation I got some really great new work opportunities and challenges that make it easier to get out of bed in the morning. Twice a week now I even make myself jump out of bed, feed the cats, get dressed in my running gear, and finish my morning run before 8 AM, so I have the rest of the day "free". Free meaning being able to work without distractions.<br />
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On those excitingly busy days my morning ritual also involves writing at least 750 words a day. In sickness, in health. Whether I feel inspired and write really great stuff, sometimes even a thousand words at a time, or whether I feel completely empty headed and just go with the flow. Often I can't think of anything smart to say and I just write about my day. Journal mode, I call it. But even by doing that I often uncover the unexpected. When you can't stop before reaching 750 words, you have to dig deeper into yourself and often stumble upon buried treasure or skeletons.<br />
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I guess that's one of the things I like most about the 750 words challenge. When I start writing, I rarely know how the story is going to end. Sometimes the trail I follow is a straight line, but more often than not the trail takes scenic detours into strange lands. Another interesting thing is the fact that the website provides stats about the style and content of your writing. It shows your mood, your attitude towards the world. For instance, my level of Happy is above the world average, especially in recent times. I also seem less focused on the past than others, more on the present.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1yk7I4YEK_c/ULCeo8CEVhI/AAAAAAAAAl0/0j4gUmasBPE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-24+at+10.56.09.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1yk7I4YEK_c/ULCeo8CEVhI/AAAAAAAAAl0/0j4gUmasBPE/s400/Screen+Shot+2012-11-24+at+10.56.09.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: x-small;">I seem to be having plenty of "Happy" recently!</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--BjB5WVhs-Y/ULCepOcgc5I/AAAAAAAAAmA/rnUXeJlTSE0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-24+at+10.57.07.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--BjB5WVhs-Y/ULCepOcgc5I/AAAAAAAAAmA/rnUXeJlTSE0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-24+at+10.57.07.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: x-small;">Living in the present, recently writing about the future</span></i></td></tr>
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Writing at least 750 words every day, just for the sake of it, has also made me a better writer. Most of what I do for a living involves writing, so that's a pretty big deal to me. But I never use my 750 words for job related writing. No, the time spent on the website is my time for practice. Writing without a specific goal in mind about anything in the world can do wonders. I no longer put off the most annoying phase of writing - the beginning. I can now sit down, start jotting down thoughts until it all starts coming together. You can always edit stuff later. The important thing is to start.<br />
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I have to admit that when I was just starting out, the badges for different achievements were a great motivational tool. Sure, I was still happy to become one of the 239 people with a Pegasus badge for 365 consecutive days of writing. But it's not really about that anymore. My now 367 days long streak of writing is a living proof of my determination, of my strength. It might not sound like much, but making time (at least 11 minutes) for writing every single day is not always easy. The key part being <i>every single day</i>. I wrote while being sick in bed, barely able to keep my eyes open. I wrote on insanely busy days or insanely great days when I'd rather not sit behind the computer. In the sun, in the rain, during storms, I wrote. And the result of that really can't be measured in badges. It's just priceless.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OmqjRNPYvWk/ULCenlw0B4I/AAAAAAAAAlo/o6wyQfpezyo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-24+at+10.55.11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OmqjRNPYvWk/ULCenlw0B4I/AAAAAAAAAlo/o6wyQfpezyo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-11-24+at+10.55.11.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #cccccc;">750words.com badges I have earned many, but that's not really the point anymore</span></i></td></tr>
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And while writing every day isn't for everyone, I would encourage everyone to try doing something like this for a year. Whether it's taking 10 minutes in the morning or evening for meditation. Or 10 minutes for making and drinking tea. Whatever you like. Pick one thing and try to make a new habit out of it. It will end up making you a better, stronger person, in one way or another. And even if you fail along the way, break your streak, don't give up. You can always start again.<br />
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Thank you, 750words, thank you for making me a better writer and a better person! And don't worry, this isn't a goodbye, this is just a toast. After all, there's this 500 days badge (Space Bird!) still waiting to be conquered. Now that's just 133 days away. Nothing compared to the 367 I already completed. Although, to be completely honest, it doesn't really get that much easier. Every day is still a struggle on its own, but with every day I add to the streak, it seems more foolish to just give up. Who knows, maybe I can even reach a 750 days streak of 750 words? There's no badge for that (yet), but that would still be a pretty sweet achievement.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-31072977519275705192012-10-04T11:53:00.001+02:002012-10-04T11:57:35.109+02:00Forget email, send me a raven!<a href="http://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/index.html">The Game of Thrones TV series</a> gave me a much needed kick in the ass to start reading the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire">A Song of Ice and Fire</a> series of fantasy novels by <a href="http://georgerrmartin.com/">George R. R. Martin</a>. Again. I actually read the first book or two a couple years ago, around the time when the fourth book was coming out. Even though I found the story amazing, I somehow never got to the other books. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DfKojCXOrOM/UG1YUS4vpdI/AAAAAAAAAVE/mGfsL6XxIrs/s1600/Game-of-Thrones.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DfKojCXOrOM/UG1YUS4vpdI/AAAAAAAAAVE/mGfsL6XxIrs/s400/Game-of-Thrones.png" width="580" /></a></div><br />
Watching the TV show did however remind me of the books, and considering the fact that I recently plowed through all three Fifty Shades books without punching something or somebody, I decided it was about time I actually read something brilliantly written for a change.<br />
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And I've been completely immersed in the series for a while now. It's probably one of the only reasons why I still voluntarily put up with the awful public transit in Ljubljana - I found out that I can read a lot on my iPhone while waiting for the bus or riding the bus in peak hours. Which is probably why you always find me at the bus stations minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. More time waiting for the bus = more reading time. <br />
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One of the reasons why I love the series so much is the fact that it gives you a very realistic feel of the world. It's crude, it's real, and it's full of complex characters that actually feel human. There's nothing romantic about Martin's knights. They bleed like everyone else, drink like most, and smell rotten after a week in prison. On the other hand, I can’t really say I know Aragorn that well.<br />
<p>And there is a particularly interest aspect in the books for me: the slowness of communication and how utterly unaware most characters are about what's going on in the rest of the world. They don't have Twitter to cover the latest rumors about the dragons from across the sea. They don't have paparazzi following queen Cersei around King's Landing. They can't make threats to distant foes in a blink of an eye through SMS or email. They don't have people making "King Joffrey totally looks like his uncle Jaime" posters on <a href="http://roflrazzi.cheezburger.com/totallylookslike">meme sites</a>.</p><a name='more'></a>No, in a world where ravens and messengers on horses are the main tools for distance communication, information becomes valuable. If you're good at gathering and distributing information, you can earn yourself a high place at the court, like the eunuch Varys. Messages take a long time to travel, and there are no read receipts. You can't really be sure that the raven you sent hasn't been shot down by an archer in training or worse, fallen into the wrong hands.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ebtCsoxP2fY/UG1WTUW1I2I/AAAAAAAAAUs/KsdFEl_xqIw/s1600/Varys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ebtCsoxP2fY/UG1WTUW1I2I/AAAAAAAAAUs/KsdFEl_xqIw/s1600/Varys.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><br />
You’d think the consequences of this would be devastating. In truth? Eh, sure, having more intel would speed up the game of thrones, but most folk just couldn’t care less. At least nobody wastes their every waking moment obsessing about getting all the news and gossip. If a raven makes it to your place, you get news from a distant place. But most days, you don't, so you’re forced to deal with people around you. And you can just get along with your life without the fear of missing out on something important. <br />
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And because the cost of sending information is so high (you have to have a trained bird and time to spare), there's a special art in writing your letters. You can't afford to send a "u there?" to the other side of the continent. Quills are almost as powerful as swords, and you have to think carefully about what and how you want to write. A simple mistake or misunderstanding could have tragic consequences and you can’t make it right with a simple “Sorry, damn autocorrect!” SMS.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IzbBEyVpyy0/UG1WUNwCk9I/AAAAAAAAAUw/6C7rVnWzQGs/s1600/raven-winterfell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IzbBEyVpyy0/UG1WUNwCk9I/AAAAAAAAAUw/6C7rVnWzQGs/s1600/raven-winterfell.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><br />
Compare that to our hyper connected world. In some ways, it is a true blessing. Information can flow freely, dictators have a harder time holding onto their iron thrones, we can create new content from people around the world. However, as it is in our nature, we don't always use the tools at hand for good. We use Twitter to complain about insignificant things nobody cares about, we use our high-tech cameras to document the food we eat (guilty as charged!), but most tragically, we live in constant fear of missing out, so we keep reaching out to others, demanding attention. NOW!<br />
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Email is often the biggest offender. It's so easy to write an email, it made us all more sloppy at what we do. We're less careful about our work, because in the back of our mind we know that others will soon drop us an email if we forget to do something. We are less confident about our work because we’re always coordinating stuff, waiting for the boss’ blessing. We are constantly scrutinized, every little mistake amplified to absurdity. A great example: Apple Maps. Technology sure is a wonderful thing, but we've come to expect too much of it sometimes. Yeah, I hear ya, pushing boundaries is great and all, but what if we just all took a deep breath and looked around at the big picture.<br />
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That’s why I’m really starting to like this new, radical idea of <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/enterprise/2012/10/why-im-joining-the-movement-to-stop-answering-after-hours-email.php">no after-hours emails</a> *gasp* Back to the basics. The world isn't going to end if you don't see that email right now. We all need time to recharge, time for ourselves when we aren't thinking about what we have to do next and how to please everyone else. Don't get me wrong, I do love what I'm doing (most days), always searching for news, trends, creating something new. But I'm truly happy when I can focus on one thing. When I can get lost in the flow of the moment without interruptions. Getting lost in a good book or writing my own story so intently that I forget to eat and sleep, going on a Sunday long run, making a cat happy and purring while he warms my lap or shoulder, getting lost in my husband's arms or smile. Those are the moments I treasure the most, not the moments of "waiting for the important email".<br />
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I'm not saying we should just go back to middle ages, riding horses instead of cars (although that would be a pretty sweet thing!), fighting each other over stupid titles and lands, throwing all our wonderful tech away. No, I couldn't do that to Siri. But perhaps we should think more about the value of communication, information. Make emails more valuable, not just these annoying nudges in our ribs. If you’re getting nudged often enough, you’ll eventually end up bruised or worse, with a broken rib. <br />
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But perhaps we could bring back the ravens (not necessarily in physical form) for some of the things we do. Wouldn't it be refreshing to get a raven with a general outline of what you have to do, and then you'd have to figure out how to do it without asking for more instructions or constant feedback? Sure, feedback is great, but email only gives you feedback from you loyal small council, which, more often than not, has no perspective on the lives of the smallfolk, yet is full of conflicting self-centered interests.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L-4CVVwiv10/UG1XkTCdXNI/AAAAAAAAAU8/aSSDh2i3FTU/s1600/games+of+thrones+small+council.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L-4CVVwiv10/UG1XkTCdXNI/AAAAAAAAAU8/aSSDh2i3FTU/s400/games+of+thrones+small+council.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><br />
Why don’t we put more emphasis on getting out of the door, out of the office, wander the village asking for help? Maybe join a coworking space and get feedback from people from other industries outside your own bubble. I suspect we might end up with better ideas this way.<br />
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I say, let’s bring back value to exchanging information, don’t treat it like a commodity. Maybe imagine a poor raven flying out whenever you press that Send button. Does the Raven really have to fly for what you have to say? Will more ravens be required to fly back and forth because you’ve spent too little time writing your message? Or maybe we'd just be better off with a meeting over beer/coffee/tea (and cake)?<br />
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Yeah, it might just be that I’ve been reading too much fantasy lately and that is why my head is filled with ravens. Still, I do think we can an should be kinder to each other. Focus less on making noise and more on creating value.<br />
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<i>P.S.: All images property of HBO. Please don't sue me, I'm just a humble (unpaid) blogger.</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-86326384391135575272012-05-09T14:40:00.000+02:002012-05-09T14:49:51.096+02:00Instagram and the new renaissance of visual communication<p>There's a big shift happening in the world of consumer applications. The web is finally becoming a true visual medium. We are finally leaving the limitations of the early, text-based web and computers and embracing visual creative thinking.</p>Want some proof? <a href="http://instagr.am/"><b>Instagram</b></a>. Photo sharing mobile app with artsy filters <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17658264">sold to Facebook for 1 billion USD</a>. <a href="http://mashable.com/2012/04/30/instagram-50-million-users/">50 million users</a>, popular among teens. <a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2012/01/im-in-love-with-pinterest-and-why-that.html"><b>Pinterest</b></a>. One of the <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2012/04/05/pinterest-third-most-popular-social-network/">fastest growing social web sites</a>, centered around visual bookmarking, <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2012/02/28/google-plus-ghost-town/">easily beats Google+ on engagement</a>. <a href="http://omgpop.com/drawsomething"><b>Draw Something</b></a>. Insanely popular mobile game, making millions of users finger paint with a childlike joy. Something is going on.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BkXE-f3Epnc/T6pkeGCifhI/AAAAAAAAAK0/QsrdgbH74F4/s1600/instagram-pinterest-draw_something-cinemagram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BkXE-f3Epnc/T6pkeGCifhI/AAAAAAAAAK0/QsrdgbH74F4/s1600/instagram-pinterest-draw_something-cinemagram.jpg" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><b>In the beginning there was text and code</b></span><br />
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Back in the early days of the web (and computer science, of course) it was all about text. Text was easy to transfer over painfully slow internet connections. Just look at early HTML - all those tags were designed to define text. Just one <img> tag for images. Now, of course we have super fancy CSS style sheets that make almost any design you can come up with in Photoshop possible on the web without image hacks. And it's not really a problem anymore to have an image heavy website.<br />
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Yet a lot of the services we use daily are still heavily based around text. E-mail is of course an obvious example, but traditional blogs, even social networks like Facebook and Twitter have been designed around text. Text messages, status updates. But this is changing. <a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2011/07/making-tumblr-my-online-home.html"><b>Tumblr</b></a>, a more visually oriented blogging platform, is becoming a more popular way to blog. And we create content for our Facebook and Twitter feeds with Instagram or Pinterest.<br />
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This doesn't mean that text is just disappearing. Of course not. <a href="http://www.gerrymcgovern.com/nt/2012/nt-2012-02-13-Why-ugly.htm">Ugly websites are still great at getting the job done</a>. It's just that text is not in the spotlight anymore when it comes to user generated content. Photos and videos are much more fun to click on, seeing someone doing something is believing!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><b>Mobile devices as a catalyst for visual expression</b></span><br />
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Mobile devices are of course a big cause for that. Touching text on a touch screen phone or tablet isn't as fun as pinching in on a high res photo. The new "resolutionary" iPad demands website to get prettier, and mobile apps are becoming little works of art.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Mobile devices are of course making it easier to produce visual content. It's never been easier to take a photo or shoot a video. Or even paint a sketch with our fingers in a fantastic app like <b><a href="http://www.fiftythree.com/paper">Paper</a></b>! We always have our mobile devices in our pockets, and we are finding that it's actually easier to express ourselves visually than with text. A picture really is worth a thousand words.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EtcBOcty44E/T6paRrWYPlI/AAAAAAAAAKU/rKfpeo7GS8U/s1600/iphone-camera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EtcBOcty44E/T6paRrWYPlI/AAAAAAAAAKU/rKfpeo7GS8U/s1600/iphone-camera.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Is it any wonder that the camera is one of the most loved features of iPhone 4S?</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>When I look at my Instagram history, each photo evokes emotions like no text-based status update can. I remember the moment more vividly, I remember how and where I was sitting or standing when I took the photo, and I can almost remember the full scent and touch of that moment….<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><b>Learning to draw and paint to foster creative thinking</b></span><br />
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Like it or not, vision has always been an important part of our species from an evolutional point of view. Writing is an artifact, while the ability to observe our environment with our eyes is deeply embedded in us. And we are just now learning a new visual language, a language that has historically been the domain of various visual artists and too difficult to master for common folk. But now anyone can take a photo with a mobile phone in a matter of seconds.<br />
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No, it doesn't mean everyone is an artist now, just like being able to write doesn't make you a good writer. But I do believe we are witnessing a revival of visual communication. And consequently encouraging people to engage their creative parts of the brain. Instagram isn't about logic, it's about emotion.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ErmunTR5Pes/T6pdSxKex0I/AAAAAAAAAKg/7zscZgK2DXI/s1600/instagram-crow-ialja.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ErmunTR5Pes/T6pdSxKex0I/AAAAAAAAAKg/7zscZgK2DXI/s320/instagram-crow-ialja.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">One of my favorite Instagram photos</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>While the fact that we are writing less and creating images with fancy filters more might worry some, I do believe it's a sign of progress. Our education has emphasized logic and shunned creativity for far too long. We live in a world of big problem that require big ideas. Not just logical ideas, but crazy, insane, passionate ideas.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><b>Rediscovering intuition for big ideas</b></span><br />
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And that means engaging our creative side. Rediscovering intuition. Steve Jobs is a great example of how intuition can guide us towards great solutions. Yes, we need logic to develop the technology, but intuition and liberal arts are also valuable tools that can steer the technology into the right direction. And allow us to see and wonder at the big picture. To pursue beauty and value, not just revenue.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KfWkMUYJQuI/T6piMR9ZZQI/AAAAAAAAAKs/pJqNTagMK8k/s1600/instagram-ialja.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KfWkMUYJQuI/T6piMR9ZZQI/AAAAAAAAAKs/pJqNTagMK8k/s1600/instagram-ialja.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Instagram helps us find beauty in everyday moments</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Am I stretching it too far? Perhaps. I like to dream big. But something is going on. Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, Draw Something, Cinemagram, Viddy, Socialcam… these are not just coincidences. It's an emerging trend we can no longer ignore.<br />
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In fact, I think we all need to embrace it, and to foster the creativity in our kids, in ourselves. Teach ourself design thinking and creative problem solving. We all need to become a little <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/steve-jobs-told-students-stay-hungry-stay-foolish/2011/10/05/gIQA1qVjOL_blog.html">more hungry and foolish</a> to better prepare ourselves for the uncertain future ahead of us.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-70131413954978999652012-01-25T14:56:00.000+01:002012-01-25T14:56:41.808+01:00I'm in love with Pinterest (and why that matters)<p>I've got a confession to make. There is a new website that is capturing an increasing number of spare minutes in life. It provides an endless stream of visual inspiration, and every time you use it, you can't help but feel a bit more creative. Yep, I'm in love with <a href="http://pinterest.com/"><b>Pinterest</b></a>, the latest over-hyped tech media darling.</p>I did try to resist it, I swear. When I saw the first blog posts about it, I thought I didn't need a service like that. I tried to convince myself that Tumblr and Instagram were enough for me. And I didn't want to fall into the whole "<a href="http://www.maternalinstinct.com/2011/11/21/5-reasons-pinterest-catnip-women/">women love Pinterest</a>" stereotype. But then, as the hype kept growing, I gave in to my curiosity and a professional dedication to trying out all the new cool social services in town. And I haven't looked back ever since. Why is that, and why does it matter?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wwpX6y87uyI/TyAEYExDXDI/AAAAAAAAAJA/aB5Dro8MNOQ/s1600/pinterest-ialja.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Pint-huh-ha?</span></b><br />
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So, what is the big deal? <a href="http://pinterest.com/about/">Pinterest describes itself</a> as a virtual pinboard, a place where you can <i>"organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web"</i>. Often, you see it described as a bookmarking service with a focus on images. If you ask me, all these descriptions don't really encapsulate the real spirit of the service. Pinterest in basically a great visual experience that you have to try on your own to really get it.<br />
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Using it is pretty simple: you drag a "Pin It" bookmarklet to your browser's bookmarks bar, and then click on it whenever you stumble on an interesting image on the web. If you've got a minute to spare, you can see how easy the whole thing is in the video below:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/L2tImC_2Gnw" width="560"></iframe></div><br />
Of course, you can also "repin" images other Pinterst users share. Regardless of whether you create your own original pins or play the curator and just choose the best pins from the community to highlight, each pin helps you construct your own visual board around different themes. And you can even create collaborative boards with your friends.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">What can we learn from Pinterest?</span></b><br />
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As you can see, the service itself is pretty straightforward. However, if we scratch the surface a little, we can easily find simple, yet valuable secret ingredients that can help any service or product become more awesome in today's competitive world:<br />
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<b>1) Delight and surprise the curious animal inside me or I'll move on</b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dbarronoss/2407592576/" title="Curious by dbarronoss, on Flickr"><img alt="Curious" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3079/2407592576_b433990b06.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<i>aka</i><b><i> Build insanely great user experiences</i>:</b> It's never been easier to design and create stunning user interfaces that captivate users' attention. This is not the web we knew in 1995 (<a href="http://sixrevisions.com/web_design/the-evolution-of-web-design/">remember?</a>). Honestly, what is your excuse for not investing into good design and a polished user experience? No resources left?<br />
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Well then, what in the world makes you think I'm going to spend my precious time figuring out where to click next or how to open your box? Don't be selfish, take my hand and show me where you want me to go. I don't have time to waste for aimless wandering among buttons, site maps and what now. I'm a curious animal, who wants to be delighted and surprised. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-secret-to-pinterests-astounding-success-a-brilliant-sign-up-process-you-should-copy-2012-1">Look at how Pinterest makes it easy for users to signup, connect with their friends, and discover cool content right from the start</a>. It's an insanely great learning experience!<br />
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<b>2) The importance of spotting the snake in the bush and telling your friends about it </b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonkeegan/935041912/" title="Black Racer (zoomed) by jonkeegan, on Flickr"><img alt="Black Racer (zoomed)" src="http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1130/935041912_11b33dd028.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<i>aka <b>We're all social visual learners</b></i><b>:</b> Yes, looks matter. Not because you can attract women with pointless "bling" (that, of course, couldn't be further from the truth). Looks matter because evolutionally we have been programmed to be keen visual learners. Those of our ancestors, whom failed to spot the snake in the bush, didn't live to tell the tale. And that is what makes all of us naturally curious visual observers.<br />
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And it is why Pinterest is such a magical place. Everywhere you look, it's just full of beautiful photos your eyes can feast upon. <a href="http://www.cs.vu.nl/~cogsci/cogpsy/theeuwes/Visual_Cognition_2006_Faces.pdf">Research has shown that faces capture our attention</a> like nothing else, so why are you still building websites, writing books, making videos etc. that don't have a face, that don't focus on people? Images are a very powerful universal language for connecting people. And social is not just a buzz word, it's the best way to learn, discover, and have fun.<br />
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Us girls have an especially good nose for great social and visual experiences, that's why Pinterest is such a bit hit and is able to attract typically non early adopters. It isn't just about women, though attracting female users early on is certainly a good sign that you're onto something good. Most importantly though, <a href="http://ialja.com/post/16459626047/design-for-how-people-learn-voices-that-matter">learn about what makes us tick as human beings</a>, and apply it to whatever your doing.<br />
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<b>3) Don't make me walk on land when I'm enjoying a swim in the ocean</b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kankan/19828575/" title="Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium by Kanko*, on Flickr"><img alt="Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium" src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/15/19828575_21a849b7f0.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<i>aka </i><b><i>Mobile matters</i>:</b> having a great user experience on the website is all good and fine. But don't make me visit your website at all costs. You can use Facebook to show my friends what I'm up to, a bookmarket to make it easier to create content, and if you really want to stay competitive in today's world, you also have to plan for a great mobile experience. And that is why Pinterest, even though it's a pretty fresh service, already has a <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pinterest/id429047995?mt=8">pretty cool iPhone app</a>. <br />
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The best thing about the app is the way it lets you focus on content as you scroll down the stream of pins; all unnecessary elements momentarily disappear, so that you don't get distracted by what you don't need. A great idea that aligns perfects with the purpose of the app and makes the service more accessible. Whether you need your fix of inspiration at home or on the road, Pinterest is there to provide a great service.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">The big picture</span></b><br />
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So, why am I writing about all of this? Yes, partly it is so I can justify all the time spent on Pinterest as "doing research", but mostly because Pinterest (an several other hip startups as well) makes me excited about the future of the web. A future where it will be easier to get around, where content will be increasingly more engaging, and where it won't matter which device you'll want to use to do your favorite thing; the experience will always be great.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iI-9vICkvgg/TyAJO_pdxaI/AAAAAAAAAJI/mHvpalmpbeY/s1600/pinterest-ialja-boards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iI-9vICkvgg/TyAJO_pdxaI/AAAAAAAAAJI/mHvpalmpbeY/s1600/pinterest-ialja-boards.jpg" /></a></div><br />
And while it might be easy to dismiss Pinterest as a superficial fad with no real value, I think it can be a great discovery tool and a new way for people to communicate and share experiences with one another. Because it is through experiences that we learn best.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">P.S.: <a href="http://pinterest.com/ialja/"><img alt="Follow Me on Pinterest" height="26" src="http://passets-cdn.pinterest.com/images/follow-on-pinterest-button.png" width="156" /></a> </div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-29782696923315345612011-09-24T21:36:00.000+02:002011-09-24T21:36:41.981+02:00Facebook is becoming the next big platform with Timelines, smart social apps and better privacy<p>I know it's super trendy to be anti-Facebook and looking for more "open" or less "evil" alternatives like Google+ or Diaspora. But after the massive changes announced at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/f8">Facebook's f8 developer conference</a> on Thursday, I feel like it's time I say this out loud: <b>I love Facebook.</b></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZOgt-V-8Vhs/Tn4prNgF9qI/AAAAAAAAAIg/M9-C8RchFlg/s1600/facebook-timeline-new-profile.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZOgt-V-8Vhs/Tn4prNgF9qI/AAAAAAAAAIg/M9-C8RchFlg/s400/facebook-timeline-new-profile.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 14px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;">Facebook, one of my favorite web destinations<br />
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</tbody></table><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Skating to where the puck is going to be</span></b><br />
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I love Facebook as a service, and I love Facebook as a company. I completely agree with MG Siegler from Techcrunch on this: Facebook is becoming the new Apple, <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/22/button-down/">skating to where the puck is going to be</a>, and leaving the competition baffled in dust, miles behind.<br />
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Sure, change and innovation are often difficult to accept for the now almost 1 billion strong mainstream Facebook user base. Even a minor repositioning of a button is bound to make someone upset. <a href="http://theoatmeal.com/pl/state_web_winter/facebook_layout">For a week or so</a>.<br />
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And that's why I have even more respect for Facebook: despite being very mainstream, they are not afraid to innovate. They could easily sit on their asses for a year or two and wait for Google+ or something else to catch up. Instead, they choose to run head first into the questions nobody is even asking yet, and often finding answers nobody else can think of. Like Apple, Facebook is still able to maintain the mentality of a startup and has the guts to challenge the status quo.<br />
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Do they get it right every time? No, of course not. But you're bound to make mistakes if you're trying hard to be the first and the best in what you do. The tricky part is knowing how to recover from your falls, move on, and find the next big thing that will change people's lives forever.<br />
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This might seem like a big statement; after all, Facebook is just a social network, right? Well, it seems like they have bigger plans than that. The folks at Facebook are really hard at work trying to find the best ways for people to connect online. And not by pilling up features, but by rethinking the way we connect to each other on a human level.<br />
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And <i>human</i> is the keyword to the two major changes announced on Thursday. Firstly, completely redesigned user profiles, now called Timelines. And secondly, the new generation of Facebook apps that enable social experiences, and finally make seem the semantic web a step closer to reality. Let me explain why I'm so excited about all these new features.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Timelines: not just a profile, but a collection of memories </span></b><br />
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Let's start with <a href="https://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=10150289612087131">Timelines</a>. I think it's really smart that Facebook decided to give these new profiles a new name. Because it really is a new kind of experience. When the first screenshots were revealed, a lot of people were shouting "My Space!", but it couldn't be further from truth. Yes, you do get to choose your own photo to be featured prominently right on top of your Timeline, but what happens below that is… magic.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hzPEPfJHfKU" width="560"></iframe> </div><br />
Facebook will be rolling Timelines to users over the next months; a smart move that will give people more time to adjust and to get used to Timelines by seeing them on their friends' "profiles". If you're a developer or willing to pretend to be one with a <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/09/22/how-to-facebook-timeline/">little, easy hack</a>, you can already turn on this feature today, but for now only other developers will be able to see your Timeline (once you're ready to publish it). The rest of Facebook users should start seeing the new Timeliness after September 30.<br />
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Of course, I'm always in the front row when it comes to trying out new features, so I already enabled mine. Partially, I am writing this blog post so I can justify the hours I already spent exploring and adding stuff to my timeline ;) I think it's a beautiful product, and I suspect a lot of people, even those usually reluctant to change, will love it. Because it really feels more human, and establishes emotional connections.<br />
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Here are the three key things I like about the Timeline so far:<br />
<ul><li><b>The ability to add life events, even in the past.</b> It's just a beautifully elegant way to keep track of your own life and see what big changes your friends have experienced over the years. And the best part? It's super easy to set the privacy for each item, so you can make sure only your friends or perhaps just your family sees certain stories. </li>
</ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DKpcW4bmw2w/Tn4i_Fo860I/AAAAAAAAAIE/IeIUZ0Md98o/s1600/timeline-time-event-cat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DKpcW4bmw2w/Tn4i_Fo860I/AAAAAAAAAIE/IeIUZ0Md98o/s400/timeline-time-event-cat.png" width="400" /></a></div></div><ul><li><b>Seeing important personal events and achievements in one place.</b> It's like browsing through a personal biography. You can spot trends or opportunities for change, be reminded of precious little moments you almost forgot about. It's powerful stuff. And of course, once Timelines go live for everyone, you'll be able to create powerful connections with your friends. Discover things that somehow never got mentioned in conversations - of course, only if your friends give you permission to view certain items, it doesn't mean you'll automatically gain insight into every aspect of everyone's lives!</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EK1jaXTR_sI/Tn4kVvxv--I/AAAAAAAAAIM/dTm3lDaR7Hc/s1600/fb-timeline-memory.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EK1jaXTR_sI/Tn4kVvxv--I/AAAAAAAAAIM/dTm3lDaR7Hc/s400/fb-timeline-memory.png" width="400" /></a></div><ul><li><b>You're control of what is shown, hidden or featured and who gets to see it.</b> Just hover over any item on your timeline and you have the option to Feature it more prominently, Hide it, so it won't sneak up on you ever again, check and change the visibility of items and everything else that's relevant for an item. It's a mission control center even NASA would be proud to have. And it's not just for geeks like me; it's really easy to use and understand. I think even my cat will use this feature once he figures out how to use my trackpad.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QHFrqTiJkMs/Tn4jg94NmMI/AAAAAAAAAII/5WSkBM3N88g/s1600/fb-timeline-story-settings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QHFrqTiJkMs/Tn4jg94NmMI/AAAAAAAAAII/5WSkBM3N88g/s320/fb-timeline-story-settings.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">New generation of Facebook apps: social from inside out, kept in check by smart algorithms</span></b><br />
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Of course, a new generation of profiles also needs great content. That is why Facebook has also announced big changes to their Open Graph protocol<i> "to include other actions and objects created by apps and enabling these apps to integrate deeply into the Facebook experience"</i> (<a href="https://developers.facebook.com/blog/post/564/">source</a>).<br />
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Basically, this will enable users to "read articles", "cook recipes", "do homework" and what not, instead of just "liking" Pages. Using Graph Rank, Facebook will make sure to promote stories based on user activity and engagement. The <a href="https://developers.facebook.com/blog/post/563/">Facebook Developer Blog</a> provides a great explanation of the kind of things Graph Rank can figure out:<br />
<blockquote><i>"We know people are friends with both their college roommates and their colleagues at work, and those relationships are different. Just because my mom is interested in the movies I am watching doesn't mean she is interested in my Github checkins. Graph Rank isn't a global score, but a personalized view of you and your friends' tastes."</i></blockquote><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/q3b94kFBah8" width="560"></iframe> </div><br />
This is very, very powerful stuff. My initial comment to this announcement was: <i>Welcome to the semantic web, courtesy of Facebook.</i> And I'm sure that announcement had Google engineers biting their nails.<br />
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Google is of course great at content, but they suck at relationships. And compared to what Facebook just announced, Google+, their latest pride and joy, looks old and irrelevant. Unless, of course, you're buying into the whole "Google is open and free" propaganda, in which case I strongly recommend reading the recent Guardian article <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/sep/19/android-free-software-stallman">Is Android really free software?</a>.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">The Guardian app: a great example of a new social experience</span></b><br />
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Speaking of Guardian; I would have probably missed that article if it wasn't for <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/insideguardian/2011/sep/22/the-guardian-on-facebook-app">Guardian's new Facebook app</a>. It's a great place to discover popular articles, and the deep social integration makes it easy to see what your friends are reading. At first glance, the fact that your friends see what you're reading may seem scary, but, once again, you have control over that.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GTDUZSCgUH0/Tn4krGg3miI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/FfDAkzPLVRM/s1600/guardian-timeline-news.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GTDUZSCgUH0/Tn4krGg3miI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/FfDAkzPLVRM/s400/guardian-timeline-news.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;">Recent Activity on my Timeline; I could hide it, but I decided to let my friends see it</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>When you first install this new app, you get a review of the sort of content the app might publish, and you get to decided who can see the automatically shared content. You can make it visible to your friends, just your close friends or even just you (the later choice kinda defeats the whole "social reading" concept, but hey! it's still there if you want it). And, once you're on a story, and don't want your friends to see you enjoy reading gossip, you can remove the story from your timeline with just one click.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QCIwOjTY8qI/Tn4l6mq2LJI/AAAAAAAAAIU/xTjEe45jsKQ/s1600/wp-timeline-app-privacy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QCIwOjTY8qI/Tn4l6mq2LJI/AAAAAAAAAIU/xTjEe45jsKQ/s400/wp-timeline-app-privacy.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;">New dialog box for adding apps with easy to use visibility settings</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Of course, if you still feel like that's too much of an invasion, you don't have to install the app and keep reading news on the Guardian site on your own, no questions asked. So, the choice is still yours: either you go for the social experience on Facebook or you don't and keep consuming the content in the way you always did.<br />
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Considering the fact that these new features for developers have just been announced, we still have to wait to see the full potential of the new Open Graph. The main thing for me now is the fact that <b>Facebook will be able to filter down the noise from apps much better with these new tools</b>. You won't see every "like" in the News Feed anymore (the Ticker is now the place for such serendipitous, real-time discovery); instead, your News Feed will focus more on surfacing content that attracts more engagement, which is a great answer to the noise problem.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Simple and easy to use privacy, public subscriptions</span></b><br />
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And I know most users couldn't care less about things like the Open Graph, Graph Rank and other technical mambo jumbo. What they care about is the end result. And Facebook has really made some great improvements in that aspect in the last few weeks leading to the big f8 we just discussed.<br />
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Yeah, yeah, the new Ticker aka stalker box is driving a lot of people insane. Truth be told, it only makes sense when you add the new changes to the app platform to the mix (the addition of "light stories" from apps). But the <a href="https://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=10150251867797131">simplification of privacy controls</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/blog.php?post=10150278932602131">Smart Lists</a> are yet another huge thing for Facebook. And while, yet again, people complained when Smart Lists started appearing, I think they're brilliantly simple and smart.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r9zv-eQy3C0/Tn4nI-pjunI/AAAAAAAAAIY/rI-bdwso8Vc/s1600/facebook-privacy-controls.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r9zv-eQy3C0/Tn4nI-pjunI/AAAAAAAAAIY/rI-bdwso8Vc/s400/facebook-privacy-controls.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;"><i>It's easy to define the visibility of your content with Smart Lists</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>So simple, in fact, that both my husband and I were rather shocked to notice his mom (whom you couldn't really describe as tech savvy) posting content to her Family smart list, even though we've had a private family group set up for a while now. I don't like to put too much weight on anecdotal evidence, but if smart lists make more sense to my mom-in-law than the new groups, Facebook apparently is onto something.<br />
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And finally, I also love the fact that Facebook now has a <a href="https://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=10150280039742131">Subscribe button</a>, which allows you to follow public updates of people without friending them. Kinda like on Twitter. I generally don't add people I don't know in some way or another as my Facebook friends, but <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ialja">I welcome all new subscribers</a>. Actually, this new feature encouraged me to start posting most content as public. After all, it's the kind of content I've already been posting publicly on Twitter; Facebook just allows me to add longer comments.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rghufKtUQp0/Tn4nPGbC2oI/AAAAAAAAAIc/Y4jRl8CHznw/s1600/facebook-subscribe-button.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rghufKtUQp0/Tn4nPGbC2oI/AAAAAAAAAIc/Y4jRl8CHznw/s1600/facebook-subscribe-button.png" /></a></div><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Facebook as the next big platform: will it make desktop and mobile operating systems irrelevant?</span></b><br />
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If you're following rumors on tech blogs, you probably know all of this is just the tip of the iceberg for Facebook. We're all holding our breaths for the release of <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/15/facebook-project-spartan/">Project Spartan</a>, Facebook's HTML5 app platform that will supposedly support both <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/19/project-spartan-f8/">mobile and desktop browsers</a>. In other words, no need for an app store when you can just launch Facebook.<br />
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And, combining recent f8 announcements and what we know about Project Spartan, it's now easy to see that Facebook is doing something huge. Not just simplifying and humanizing the existing experience, but building the next big platform. And with those kind of plans, it's not so difficult to imagine a future in which the desktop or mobile operating system is just a pretty frame around the bigger picture on your wall. I certainly think Facebook's plans are ambitious enough to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-apple-2011-9">make Apple nervous</a>. And great competition is always great for innovation. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-7617451422139413692011-08-12T20:56:00.000+02:002011-08-12T20:56:20.181+02:00Subjot: bridging the gap between Twitter and Facebook with subjects and dicussionsYesterday I came across a <a href="http://thenextweb.com/apps/2011/08/11/subjot-a-twitter-alternative-that-lets-you-curate-content/">blog post on TNW</a> on <a href="http://subjot.com/"><b>Subjot</b></a>, a Twitter alternative. Yeah, I know. At first, I rolled my eyes. (Yet) another Twitter is probably not what we need. But I'm glad I read the post anyway and discovered that Subjot actually offers a solution to a Twitter dilemma I've been having lately and builds an interesting product centered around discussion on top of it.<p>I wouldn't really call Subjot a Twitter alternative. It actually works quite well with Twitter, and in a way provides a middle way between Twitter and Facebook, providing a public space for discussions based around topics user define themselves. Call me crazy, but I actually see Subjot as Google+ done right. Intrigued? I sure do hope so, because I think Subjot is a nice little gem with a lot of potential and a harbinger of a larger trend. Let me explain why.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HJuByKNjFvk/TkVpkxG9MvI/AAAAAAAAAHY/F-KKCIMbnHA/s1600/subjot-splash.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HJuByKNjFvk/TkVpkxG9MvI/AAAAAAAAAHY/F-KKCIMbnHA/s1600/subjot-splash.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="color: #999999;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Subjot: "Talk about your favorite subjects. Let your friends choose what to follow."</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><a name='more'></a><div style="color: #e69138;"><b>The human flaw behind Google+ Circles</b></div><br />
Ok, first, let's get the <a href="https://plus.google.com/">Google+</a> elephant out of the room. Here's a confession: I don't like Google+. Yes, it's new, it's shiny, it has a neat interface, and has the privilege to sit on top of all Google services we love and use often. I was thinking about writing a blog post about Google+, but these two blog posts describe what bothers me about it more eloquently than I could:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://kevnull.com/2011/07/can-we-ever-digitally-organize-our-friends.html"><b>Can We Ever Digitally Organize Our Friends?</b></a>: the post does a great job at explaining what Google+ Circles (and grouping friends in general) do right and why they suck. Spoiler alert: we're not really good at categorizing people in groups, and every worse at maintaining the categorization; the lines are often too blurry.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.allfacebook.com/dont-believe-the-hype-2011-07"><b>Reality Check: Google Plus Is No Facebook Or Twitter Killer</b></a>: nice explanation of the problem sharing with Circles creates. Spoiler alert: again, we're really bad at deciding what other people are interested in.</li>
</ul>It's not that I think Google+ doesn't have potential. It sure does. And Google is very serious about it, so I think that's a rare social Google product we'll have to learn how to live with. I don't think it will kill Facebook; in fact, I see it as a closer threat to Twitter. But unless the majority of friends I interact with the most on Twitter and Facebook ditch Twitter/FB in favor of Google+, I really don't see myself actively using it.<br />
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<div style="color: #e69138;"><b>Subjot's selling point: you get to decide which subjects you want to follow</b></div><br />
Now, back to <a href="http://subjot.com/"><b>Subjot</b></a>. The main idea behind Subjot that makes it unique is that we all have different interests we like to talk about. For instance, I'm interested in education, mobile technologies, running and cats, just to name a few subjects.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x3PtW_4pPP4/TkVz0gzBWMI/AAAAAAAAAH0/mxi5T38P-mU/s1600/ialja-interests-instagram.001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x3PtW_4pPP4/TkVz0gzBWMI/AAAAAAAAAH0/mxi5T38P-mU/s1600/ialja-interests-instagram.001.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #999999;">A few of my interests - and you probably don't want to read about all of them </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Now, when a person follows me on Twitter or friends me on Facebook, she will get my updates on all of these subjects. But my dear follow just might be a dog person that doesn't think my cat is special (gasp!), which might lead her to unfollow/unfriend me because of my annoying cat updates.<br />
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Yes, Google+ is built around the idea that you share content only with a circle of friends that will find certain content interesting. The problem is that I don't always know who out of my friends likes cats. Meaning, some of my friends might end up missing important updates on my awesome cat! (terrible thought, I know)<br />
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And this is where Subjot finally comes into the picture: on Subjot, my followers decide which of my subjects they want to follow. Each jot I share has a subject. And if some of my followers are fellow runners, they can follow just the updates about running. If they are interested in social media, they can follow just my updates on social media and ignore all cat posts (although, to be honest, cute cats have always been a big part of social media!).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3NnQEUhXH78/TkVuLUuAtrI/AAAAAAAAAHg/fWriEmJf580/s1600/subjot-follow-options.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3NnQEUhXH78/TkVuLUuAtrI/AAAAAAAAAHg/fWriEmJf580/s320/subjot-follow-options.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #999999;">Your feed, you get to decide which updates you want to get. There are a lot of different follow options for each person you want to keep an eye on.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: #e69138;"><b>Subjot subjects are not just (hash)tags </b></div><br />
I know what you might be thinking: it's like using hashtags on Twitter or tagging your blogs posts. Well, yes and no. For one, Twitter doesn't let you filter your friends' content by hashtags. If a person you follow tweets excitedly about a conference you're not attending, your feed gets really noisy and there's nothing you can do unless you unfollow your friend temporarily (rude, I know!). <br />
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And while you can use several hashtags on Twitter and on your blog, Subjot only has one subject per update. And I think that's brilliant because it keeps the service simple. You don't have to understand tagging to categorize content on Subjot. Just pick a subject, it's that easy!<br />
<br />
Plus, the user interface for choosing subjects is pretty<i></i> smart. You are always offered the three most common subjects you use in the form of nice, big buttons, and an autocomplete tool helps you reuse subjects you or your friends have already used.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BXorGbNOORM/TkVu8y468FI/AAAAAAAAAHk/WSCpVIfqo9A/s1600/subjot-choosing-subject.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BXorGbNOORM/TkVu8y468FI/AAAAAAAAAHk/WSCpVIfqo9A/s1600/subjot-choosing-subject.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #999999;">Choosing a subject on Subjot - so easy, my cat could do it</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table> And you can also Explore popular subjects on Subjot and find users that job about certain subjects to follow. Again, you don't have to follow everything they post, just the subjects you're interested in.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #e69138;"><b>Encouraging discussion with comments and notifications</b></div><br />
So, is Subjot just Twitter with the ability to categorize content and fine-tune areas of interest you follow? Luckily, no. Twitter is all about fast, instant sharing - and it's really, really good at that! What it's not so good at, is keeping track of discussions. You can RT and reply to tweets, of course, but those actions are usually relevant just in that instant.<br />
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On the other hand, Subjot borrows two very important features from the Facebook side of the fence: the ability to comment on shared content and notification about other people's comments. Consequently, Subjot offers a really nice, public space for discussion.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jvAj0PR0cio/TkVvne7qcwI/AAAAAAAAAHo/8i6g1U3heI8/s1600/subjot-comments.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jvAj0PR0cio/TkVvne7qcwI/AAAAAAAAAHo/8i6g1U3heI8/s1600/subjot-comments.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #999999;">Example of a jot with comments</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: #e69138;"><b>Bridging the gap between Twitter and Facebook with elegant simplicity</b></div><br />
Yes, unlike Facebook, where a lot of people choose to have private profiles, Subjot in a public discussion place. Here, again, it comes closer to Twitter, where most sharing is public. So, we can describe Subjot as both as Twitter with better support for discussions or as a public Facebook with asynchronous connections (you don't have to follow people who follow you). And that's the beauty of it.<br />
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Subjot is not trying to replace either Twitter or Facebook. In fact, it plays nice with both. Whenever you post of Subjot, you can send your updates to Twitter or Facebook or both. And you can easily find friends on Subjot by connecting your Twitter and Facebook accounts.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZjLogAdOpn4/TkVxVkoNp7I/AAAAAAAAAHw/nQMcQH_ehn4/s1600/subjot-add-Twitter-Facebook.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZjLogAdOpn4/TkVxVkoNp7I/AAAAAAAAAHw/nQMcQH_ehn4/s1600/subjot-add-Twitter-Facebook.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #999999;">You can share your jots on Twitter and/or Facebook</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I also like the fact that the creators didn't try to cram too many features in the service right from the start. For instance, there are yet no "Likes", reposts, special privacy settings. And in a way that is ok. I think that at this stage, it's smart to let the users figure out how and what they want to use Subjot for. <br />
<br />
What intrigues me about Subjot is that it isn't really trying to clone any of the big, existing social networks, but it's providing a fresh, simple, elegant twist on the way we discuss our interests online. Of course, the big challenge for this little gem is attracting enough users that will (hopefully) start forming passionate communities around subjects.<br />
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<div style="color: #e69138;"><b>Subjot's potential as a discussion platform and the question of privacy</b></div><br />
And I do think there is a lot of potential for different types of communities to embrace Subjot. For instance, I can see Subjot being used in education, with teachers and students sharing course related content with the ability to follow just that content and not get updates about their teacher's cooking recipes (unless they want to).<br />
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Of course, as we start to imagine such use cases, the question of privacy also emerges and it's one that Subjot hasn't addressed yet. For instance, it might be interesting to have the ability to have private subjects and allow followers to view post on those subjects only after approval or upon invitation.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SHglCyUzpaA/TkV3BnemtZI/AAAAAAAAAH4/hK_kO612prY/s1600/conversation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SHglCyUzpaA/TkV3BnemtZI/AAAAAAAAAH4/hK_kO612prY/s1600/conversation.jpg" /></a></div>Perhaps there's also a monetization opportunity in there - go pro and create unlimited private rooms for certain subjects? Ads and sponsored content could also be interesting opportunity for Subjot down the road. But of course, growing the user base and keeping a close eye on how users are using Subjot should be the main priority in the early stages of the product.<br />
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<div style="color: #e69138;"><b>The big picture: can the Subjot approach cut down the social networking noise?</b></div><br />
I think it's pretty clear by now that there is something about Subjot that really excites me. I really think Subjot is onto something with this idea of allowing users to follow specific areas of interests when they choose to follow certain people. Of course, we yet have to see how the Subjot approach scales up, but I think a few things are pretty clear by now.<br />
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First, we all have different interests we like to talk about, and usually our friends don't share <i>all</i> our interests with us. Second, there is a need to cut down the noise in social networks. Third, we are not so good at predicting what are friends are interested in and neither are machines (yet). Is the Subjot approach a good solution for all of this? I don't know, maybe it is.<br />
<br />
But I certainly think we'll start seeing more and more social networks trying to cut down the noise by filtering content based on users' interests. For instance, just recently, Facebook started experimenting with the aggregation of news feed stories by topic. Isn't the next logical step in this story "<i>More about topic X"</i> and <i>"Less about topic Y"</i>? Not to mention the increasing number of iPad news app that are trying to figure out what content you like and serve you a highly personalized selection of content based on your friends and behavior.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EfXCrQvA78Q/TkVwGCMsi5I/AAAAAAAAAHs/M02XGyOT3DE/s1600/Facebook-aggregated-posts-by-topic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EfXCrQvA78Q/TkVwGCMsi5I/AAAAAAAAAHs/M02XGyOT3DE/s1600/Facebook-aggregated-posts-by-topic.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #999999;">Facebook is trying to get smart by grouping news feed posts by topic</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table> We'll see who does a better job at filtering content - humans (on Subjot or even Google+) or smart algorithms (on Facebook and all those fancy news apps). But it's certainly something that will be an important competitive advantage in the coming years. After all, I don't hear anybody complaining about there not being enough content online, but you can hear a lot of complaints about social networks being too noisy and good content hard to find.<br />
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<div style="color: #e69138;"><b>Still with me? Good, now give Subjot a try!</b></div><br />
Anyhow, thanks for bearing with me through this ridiculously long post. If you did, I do hope you're now ready to give Subjot a try. If you want to connect with me there, just sign up using this link: <a href="http://sjot.it/qwwPUQ">http://sjot.it/qwwPUQ</a>. I really do think that Subjot deserves a fair chance, and I'm really interested in seeing the direction and shape it will take in the future.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-43070845154426562412011-07-19T20:43:00.001+02:002011-07-19T20:44:57.230+02:00Making Tumblr my online home<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">The mission: find a new home for my online hub</span></b><br />
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Not long after Steve Jobs announced <a href="http://www.apple.com/icloud/">iCloud</a>, a free service that would replace (and, quite honestly, dramatically enhance) the existing paid <a href="http://www.apple.com/mobileme/transition.html">MobileMe service</a>, it was clear that those of us that were using MobileMe to host our iWeb website <a href="http://www.tuaw.com/2011/06/12/rumor-steve-jobs-iweb-mobileme/">would have to look for a new home</a>.<br />
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Which, for me, meant looking for alternatives for hosting my online hub @ <a href="http://ialja.com/">iAlja.com</a>. Until recently, my online hub was a simple iWeb website that pointed to all my profiles around the web that I'm using actively, and had a few extra pages for an extended bio and featured work. Nothing complicated, and I liked it that way.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sadooByLa-I/TiWeAwIHOfI/AAAAAAAAAHE/zjnM64SEamo/s1600/ialja-iweb-website.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sadooByLa-I/TiWeAwIHOfI/AAAAAAAAAHE/zjnM64SEamo/s400/ialja-iweb-website.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Goodbye, old iWeb website!</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><p>But apparently time had come to find a new home for my online hub; a journey, which ended up on Tumblr. So, read on if you want to know why I chose Tumblr and how I'm using this micro-blogging platform as my personal website.</p><a name='more'></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Comparing alternatives for a personal online hub </span></b><br />
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I started my journey with relatively simple requirements. I didn't have a lot of content, so I didn't need a complex CMS behind the website. I could have just transferred the website to different host, but I also wanted a simple way to edit the content whenever it was needed, without having to deal with HTML files and FTP upload.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-20_Tj4TomY8/TiXMvVsR1BI/AAAAAAAAAHU/oxM5W1Z0zSQ/s1600/website-alternatives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-20_Tj4TomY8/TiXMvVsR1BI/AAAAAAAAAHU/oxM5W1Z0zSQ/s1600/website-alternatives.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><i>So many different options... which one to choose?</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>At first I considered transferring everything to a hosted <a href="http://wordpress.com/">WordPress blog</a> and purchase extra options such as the ability to use my own domain name, customs designs etc. But that seemed like an overkill, considering that I wouldn't be using most of the features of a system like WordPress. I already have my main blog on Blogger, and I like it just the way it is.<br />
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And yes, I could have just added a few extra pages to this <a href="http://www.blogger.com/">Blogger</a> blog and use my domain to point directly to this blog, but I wanted to keep it as a separate place. After all, it already has several links pointing to its content (or so I like to think ;)), so I didn't want to fix what wasn't broken.<br />
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I also didn't want my domain to point to a profile on a social network, even though <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/11/how-to-build-an-audience-on-the-internet-the-kevin-rose-school-vs-the-fred-wilson-school/">I hear it's fashionable</a> to direct your domain to <b>Google+</b> these days. Partly because I'm not a fan of Google+ yet, but mainly because I still wanted a more unique look and more flexibility when it comes to the content, design and layout of my hub.<br />
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The next option I looked at were simple to use web builders, such as <a href="http://www.weebly.com/">Weebly</a> or <a href="http://www.moonfruit.com/">Moonfruit</a>. Both offer a simple web editor and the premium upgrade options for using your own domain and other goodies. I actually started recreating my old website in Weebly, but I felt the editor was a bit too limited (compared to the flexibility I was used to in iWeb), and I didn't really like any of the templates.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Revisiting Tumblr as a personal website</span></b><br />
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Then, finally, I decided to have a closer look at <a href="http://www.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a>, a minimalistic blogging platform that has been getting a lot of attention lately. I've had a Tumblr blog (ialja.tumblr.com) since January 2009 and I occasionally used it to share different types of content. I've always liked it because it was simple to use and allowed me to share smaller bites of content that were't full sized blog posts, but yet I could share more in a Tumblr post than I can on Twitter.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OqUvRM-TH5M/TiWduOqx_qI/AAAAAAAAAHA/c7QOUmuTSQ8/s1600/tumblr-post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="91" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OqUvRM-TH5M/TiWduOqx_qI/AAAAAAAAAHA/c7QOUmuTSQ8/s400/tumblr-post.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I've read people were using Tumblr as their personal websites, so I was curious to see what I could turn my existing Tumblr blog into. I know I could add static pages to the blog, but was there a way to make the blog look less like a blog and more like an online hub? In other words, was there a way to display some static content right on the first page without the latest post getting all the attention?<br />
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As it turn out, the answer was yes. You just have to find the right theme.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Tumblr's secret sauce: powerful, great looking themes</span></b><br />
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Tumblr has many great features that are making it <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/06/15/tumblr-surpasses-wordpress/">increasingly popular</a>, such as the simple, yet powerful editor for content of different types and the dashboard that makes it really easy to reshare, like and follow content posted by members of the Tumblr community. But one of my personal favorite features of Tumblr is the rich <a href="http://www.tumblr.com/themes/">Theme Garden</a>, which features all sorts of amazing looking themes.<br />
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Tumblr themes aren't just pretty to look at, but can also help you to use Tumblr for different purposes. There are themes for designers/photographers that can turn Tumblr into a <a href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-10-free-tumblr-themes-create-portfolio/">portfolio</a>, professional looking themes for <a href="http://www.sparkplugdigital.com/blog/an-introduction-to-tumblr-for-business/">business websites</a> and much more. And here's the best part: you can get a lot of great looking themes for free!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ES09_CAkQk/TiXKFJUqpvI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/L0hB8HDndC0/s1600/tumblr-themes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="323" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ES09_CAkQk/TiXKFJUqpvI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/L0hB8HDndC0/s400/tumblr-themes.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">A few examples of Tumblr themes</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Ok, I confess: I spent quite a few hours browsing through different themes in the Theme Garden and on different websites. I've never imagined I'd have so much fun playing virtual dress up with my blog! But there's also another thing you should take into consideration when choosing your Tumblr theme: the customization and advanced options it provides.<br />
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For instance, I was looking for a theme that would let me choose custom colors for links and titles, had the ability to easily add Disqus for comments, and my Google Analytics tracking ID. Yes, you can also do all that by fiddling with custom HTML, but why bother if you can find an awesome theme that does all that work for you?<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">The Single A Tumblr Theme: sticky post, featured tag and more</span></b><br />
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Well, lo and behold, at the end I ended up finding the perfect theme for just what I was looking for. It's called <a href="http://singleatheme.tumblr.com/">Single A Theme</a>, it's free (!), and provides some features that I haven't found in any other Tumblr theme and lots of cool customization options. The key feature of this theme is certainly the ability to have a sticky post at the top of the blog - perfect for an online hub!<br />
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So, here's how my online hub <a href="http://ialja.com/">iAlja.com</a> looks now with this great theme:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KKWPUqBtHEE/TiWe09gToQI/AAAAAAAAAHI/0qxTMiSrF90/s1600/ialja-new-website.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="302" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KKWPUqBtHEE/TiWe09gToQI/AAAAAAAAAHI/0qxTMiSrF90/s400/ialja-new-website.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">New, simple look for my online hub </span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>It's simple, it has just the colors I wanted, and it works. I'm using the sticky post feature of the theme to display an intro text with all the key links at the top, and I also use Tumblr's Pages to display static content from my old website (<a href="http://ialja.com/about">About</a>, <a href="http://ialja.com/featured">Featured Work</a>). In addition to that, I've also added a link to this blog in the menu, so it's easily accessible from any page.<br />
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The theme also allows me to display me latest tweets in the sidebar, and I can use the Tumblr blog to post quick thoughts or interesting content I come across. For longer posts, such as this one, I still use my main Blogger blog, and then just post a link to the post on the Tumblr blog.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W0K3m46MTNQ/TiXICE4M1SI/AAAAAAAAAHM/wF5EezYpMoY/s1600/single-a-customization-tumblr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W0K3m46MTNQ/TiXICE4M1SI/AAAAAAAAAHM/wF5EezYpMoY/s400/single-a-customization-tumblr.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Single A Theme: l</span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">ots of customization options </span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Thumbs up for Tumblr!</span></b><br />
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All in all, I'm really happy with this solution and with my newly discovered online home. I found Tumblr to be flexible enough, while simple to use. Yes, it might take a little while to find the perfect theme, but once it's set up, you can just focus on posting content.<br />
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It's so simple, I even decided to open another Tumblr blog dedicated to <a href="http://runjourney.tumblr.com/">running</a>. The fact that it's ok to share bite size content on Tumblr encourages me to share more, and to do it faster, without getting in the way.<br />
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So, if you're looking for a simple way of sharing content that you can make your own with a unique look, and a great community on top of that, Tumblr is definitely the way to go. Thumbs up for Tumblr!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-74902475468120064212011-07-07T23:23:00.000+02:002011-07-07T23:23:16.561+02:005 key mobile trends you should know about [Lecture]Recently I was invited to prepare a guest lecture for a small group of business and management students attending an E-learning course as part of their Summer School in Koper. I was told to choose a topic that would be fresh, something that students don't get to hear about that often in regular classes.<br />
<p>And that's why I decided to put together an <b>overview of some of the key trends in the mobile industry</b> that are already influencing the way we study, work and socialize, and will probably be an increasingly important part of our day to day life. You can find the slides and the video of my lecture, as well as a text recap, in this post.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2aUbDxvFBiA/ThYi-IEQddI/AAAAAAAAAG4/JeD6QsZPcPQ/s1600/mobile_trends_lecture-ialja.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2aUbDxvFBiA/ThYi-IEQddI/AAAAAAAAAG4/JeD6QsZPcPQ/s1600/mobile_trends_lecture-ialja.jpg" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Lecture slides with additional resources</span></span></b><br />
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Because choosing just a few trends, just a few technologies wasn't easy, I decided to prepare slides that students could also use to explore parts of the lecture they found most interesting in more details. That is why I added a lot of links to current articles with cases studies, stats, analysis and what not. You can view all of the slides embedded below.<br />
<div id="__ss_8505250" style="width: 510px;"><strong style="display: block; margin: 12px 0 4px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ialja/5-key-mobile-trends-youshould-know-about" target="_blank" title="5 key mobile trends you should know about">5 key mobile trends you should know about</a></strong> <iframe frameborder="0" height="426" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/8505250" width="510"></iframe> <br />
<div style="padding: 5px 0 12px;">View more <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/" target="_blank">presentations</a> from <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ialja" target="_blank">Alja Isakovic</a> </div></div><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Don't like flipping through slides? Here's a recap.</span></span></b><br />
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To sum it all up in a more coherent form, here are the 5 key mobile trends I decided to highlight:<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">1. Mobile devices are making learning (and other activities) more magical</span></b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rdamdLBTkgI/ThYe6jYoreI/AAAAAAAAAGk/uKosOTlfIS0/s1600/magic_touch_apple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rdamdLBTkgI/ThYe6jYoreI/AAAAAAAAAGk/uKosOTlfIS0/s1600/magic_touch_apple.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">The magic of touch (source: </span></span></i><a href="http://www.apple.com/education/"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Apple</span></span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">)</span></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Interactive content is nothing new. What is new is the way mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets (that include smart sensors and touch screens) allow us to physically touch the content. It does feel a bit like magic, touching just isn't the same as clicking with a mouse. It's more intuitive, more personal. It gets to you.<br />
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And while today apps like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-edAGLokak">Our Choice</a> are often seen as fun gimmicks that you can use to impress an audience, I believe that in a few years we'll wonder how we've ever settled for learning with content we couldn't touch directly. Ok, make that a couple of more years; we all know most edu folks aren't exactly early adopters. But I believe that someday the shift will happen, because touch just feels so natural to all of us. <br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">2. Apps and app stores are rocking the world</span></b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OrnOm-kUMp8/TXJ1CCZiP3I/AAAAAAAAAs8/qbLafMHHrDE/s1600/iPad-apps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OrnOm-kUMp8/TXJ1CCZiP3I/AAAAAAAAAs8/qbLafMHHrDE/s1600/iPad-apps.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">The App Store has over 400,000 apps (source: </span></span></i><a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/from-the-app-store/"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Apple</span></span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">)</span></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>There certainly is an app and an app store for that - whatever your "that" might be. Apart from satisfying our desire to help <a href="http://www.rovio.com/index.php?page=angry-birds">angry birds</a> get revenge on those naughty, egg-stealing pigs, mobile apps (and the development ecosystem Apple envisioned) are teaching everyone some important lessons. There are many reasons why apps are so successful. The most obvious one is because they are just so much more awesome and magical, if you will, than our desktop software.<br />
<br />
But another very important lesson (one that Apple already learned with the iTunes Store) is that we don't mind paying for digital content if it's easy and convenient to do so and if the content provides us with enough value. And, on the other side of the fence, we are eager to develop good content if we get the chance to earn a few bucks and be the coolest kid in town aka the app store of our choice.<br />
<br />
The application stores are also making business models that rely on selling virtual content (in-app purchases) more popular and widely acceptable. I don't think I'm stretching it too far if I predict that in a few year we'll be spending 99 cents on fancy templates for Microsoft Office. Right within the software, or app, as we'll all be calling it by then. One click, ka-ching! Of course, Apple will probably the first one to offer in-app purchases in Pages ;) Which all leads us to the next trend...<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">3. Website and desktops are changing because of mobile devices</span></b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RRirp1lvPqg/ThYf5Xo0HkI/AAAAAAAAAGo/eTX6G3Z5d2U/s1600/mac_lion_launchpad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RRirp1lvPqg/ThYf5Xo0HkI/AAAAAAAAAGo/eTX6G3Z5d2U/s1600/mac_lion_launchpad.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Apps in Mac OS X - looks familiar, doesn't it? (source: </span></span></i><a href="http://www.apple.com/macosx/whats-new/"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Apple</span></span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">)</span></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="http://www.apple.com/macosx/whats-new/">Mac OS X Lion</a>, which will hopefully be released in a week or so, looks like iPad's big brother. Full screen apps, a new app launcher, the Mac App Store, heavily integrated gestures... Yep, Apple has learned a lot from iOS, their mobile operating system, and it's bringing most of it (including the App Store business models) to their big, desktop OS.<br />
<br />
And don't think this is just an Apple fad - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p92QfWOw88I">Windows 8</a> will also look like Windows Phone 7's big brother. It seem like we've got no choice but to adapt to seeing our desktops becoming some sort of clumsier mobile device with a big screen.<br />
<br />
Not to mention websites also all want to look like apps. And <a href="http://www.html5rocks.com/">HTML5</a>, CSS3 & co. will make that all possible. Expect to see more websites that look and behave like apps or at least websites that will be smart enough to have the decency to self adjust to your screen size and even device type. I sure do hope to see more responsive design on the web in the coming years.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">4. Location data makes mobile better</span></b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XxO-4voEnyM/ThYgU-9v5QI/AAAAAAAAAGs/kAvuIEs3yeg/s1600/FB-places.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XxO-4voEnyM/ThYgU-9v5QI/AAAAAAAAAGs/kAvuIEs3yeg/s1600/FB-places.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Even Facebook is crazy about Places (source: </span></span></i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/places"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Facebook</span></span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">)</span></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Ugh, location. Where to start? It's pretty clear that adding location data can make many services more useful and even fun. From local searches that help you discover cool nearby places, to the phenomena of telling all your friends not just what you're doing, but also <i>where</i> you're doing it and getting specials or offers in return, mobile payments and mobile commerce taking off, geo-fences that enable location reminds, ad-hoc social networks based on location, and... and... and...<br />
<br />
There is A LOT going on, so I really suggest you take a look at some of those additional links provided in the slide deck above. There's no doubt that relying on location data to enhance services is a big trend that is just starting to evolve. As a side note, it is of course also worth noting that we have a lot of open questions about privacy and trust to figure out yet, especially when it comes to sensitive location data.<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">5. The cloud will make everything easier</span></b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b4_znBBN3MM/ThYg3oEaQdI/AAAAAAAAAGw/OQle_j38uog/s1600/cloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b4_znBBN3MM/ThYg3oEaQdI/AAAAAAAAAGw/OQle_j38uog/s1600/cloud.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Don't worry, the cloud will take care of everything (source: </span></span></i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Wikipedia</span></span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">)</span></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>As more and more companies expect us to have more and more of their devices of different sizes and shapes, it's a bit of a relief that they are also thinking about ways of connecting all our devices and making up for our instinctive human laziness when it comes to backing up and syncing. The new wave of cloud services from all the big boys are all trying to making it easy for us to access our content, data and files from any of the devices we own.<br />
<br />
And while most people, who today know very well computers just aren't to be trusted, are still skeptical of all these promises (it does look a bit like science fiction, doesn't it?), I think in a few years we'll all get adjusted to things just working seamlessly through the cloud. <br />
<br />
And that is probably the master trend to rule them all - the technology is slowly getting out of the way, fading in the background, while allowing us to be the forgetful, spontaneous, touch fixated human beings that we all are. In this world, experience is the killer app. <br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Prefer video to text? No problem, look over here!</span></span></b><br />
<br />
If you prefer to listen to me go through these key points and watch me passionately gesticulate as an added bonus, you can also take a look at the video recording from the lecture (I do apologize for a few minor technical glitches; an hour long HD video is apparently quite a big bite for my good old iMac to swallow).<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qYfbE8hKVec" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>As always, you are more than welcome to leave your comments, questions, likes, tweets, +1's and what not. All feedback is appreciated!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-34919107307005255462011-06-07T10:02:00.001+02:002011-06-07T10:03:06.390+02:00iPad, AirPlay Mirroring and Apple TV: the new portable interactive white board that can do so much moreYesterday's <a href="http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/11piubpwiqubf06/event/">Apple Keynote at WWDC 2011</a> was full of big announcements. No shiny hardware upgrades this time, but a lot of great stuff coming up for our desktops with <a href="http://www.apple.com/macosx/">Mac OS X Lion</a>, our mobile devices with <a href="http://www.apple.com/ios/ios5/">iOS 5</a> and a solution to keep it all nicely synced together, <a href="http://www.apple.com/icloud/">iCloud</a>.<br />
<br />
I'm still digesting all the new announcements, but here's one particular feature of iOS 5 that I think could really be a huge hit in our classrooms: <a href="http://www.apple.com/ios/ios5/features.html#more"><b>AirPlay Mirroring</b></a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QEbEDSeQPHI/Te3XtGlWBPI/AAAAAAAAADo/5Q5liiyUmKw/s1600/airplay2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QEbEDSeQPHI/Te3XtGlWBPI/AAAAAAAAADo/5Q5liiyUmKw/s320/airplay2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>AirPlay Mirroring brings the ability to mirror your <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/">iPad</a> screen through <a href="http://www.apple.com/appletv/">Apple TV</a>. You can see a short demo in the video I've embedded below.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fp14M7yQV-0#t=3m46s" width="560"></iframe></div><p>Now, imagine this setting: instead of hooking your classroom overhead projector to the painfully slow computer on the teacher's desk, connect it to the $99 Apple TV. And then use AirPlay Mirroring on your iPad to share presentations, your web browser or any of the 90,000 (!) beautiful <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/from-the-app-store/education.html">apps for the iPad</a>.</p>And the best thing? You're free to walk around the classroom and let your students interact with the apps. <br />
<br />
There are of course already several iPad apps that can help you turn your tablet into an <a href="http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2011/03/24/ipad-as-an-interactive-white-board-for-5-or-10/">inexpensive, portable interactive white board</a>, but with this set up you could do so much more. It's not limited to an app - you can do anything you can do on your iPad. Not to mention the setup is super portable, so you can take it along to any classroom you visit, not just at your own school.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, AirPlay Mirroring isn't out yet; it will be available in fall with the release of iOS 5. But I still think we'll be seeing some nice uses of iPads hooked up to the not very expensive Apple TVs through AirPlay Mirroring. Bringing the magic of the iPad to the classrooms or meeting rooms, enabling people to work together just by passing the tablet around the room.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-70580547993077252822011-05-03T21:11:00.001+02:002011-05-03T21:41:58.827+02:00iMoot 2011: the Experience (Part 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jhE_1Fh05Es/Tb_hCJnNIKI/AAAAAAAAADY/qCDNXGE3tAA/s1600/imoot-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-left: 7px;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jhE_1Fh05Es/Tb_hCJnNIKI/AAAAAAAAADY/qCDNXGE3tAA/s1600/imoot-logo.png" /></a></div><p>In the <a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2011/05/imoot-2011-highlights-part-1.html">previous post</a> I highlighted some of my favorite presentations from this year's <a href="http://2011.imoot.org/"><b>iMoot</b></a>, a <b>web based international conference</b> dedicated to <a href="http://moodle.org/">Moodle</a>, an open-source learning management system. The <b>4 day event ran 24 hours a day</b> to accommodate all time zones and was packed with <b>50+ speakers</b> across 6 continents. So, how does it feel to attend such event purely online?</p>First of all, I would like to thank and applaud the iMoot organizers for putting together such an amazing event. <a href="http://moodleman.moodle.com.au/">Julian Ridden</a> and his team worked hard day and night to make sure everything was running smoothly and everyone had the necessary support. And if you're wondering what it takes to orchestrate such an event, just take a look at Julian's "<a href="http://yfrog.com/gycqgqsj">iMoot Control Room</a>". <br />
<br />
The <b>program</b> was well planned and ran simultaneously in two tracks. There was just enough time to catch a little break between sessions, plenty of opportunities to interact with the presenters, and the repeat sessions made it possible to attend almost every session I was interested in in person.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ew0qQ5Ch_0Y/Tb_ogKhQidI/AAAAAAAAAvg/tlxCyT5eDGc/s1600/imoot-session-space.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ew0qQ5Ch_0Y/Tb_ogKhQidI/AAAAAAAAAvg/tlxCyT5eDGc/s1600/imoot-session-space.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><i>Basic options for every iMoot session</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>By the way - all repeat sessions were done live, not with recordings of the previous session! And in case you missed the repeat, you still have the chance to watch the recording on the conference website, usually posted within the day after the session.<br />
<br />
I also got a lot of opportunities to <b>practice Moodle 2.0</b> on the conference site, and the organizers did a great job at providing a <b>dynamic conference schedule</b> (custom coded by <a href="http://twitter.com/ikawhero">Shane Elliott</a>). The schedule showed your local time for all sessions and made switching between sessions a breeze. You could even save it and print it as a PDF file in case you wanted to have it on paper. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kdfk2Pkuqe4/Tb_itYSF4rI/AAAAAAAAADc/mYpolUuB7yw/s1600/iMoot_programme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kdfk2Pkuqe4/Tb_itYSF4rI/AAAAAAAAADc/mYpolUuB7yw/s400/iMoot_programme.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Awesome dynamic schedule with all session links on the iMoot site</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I must say it was a bit confusing to have a <b>separate course for each session</b>, particularly because each session had its own discussion forum in its own course, so there wasn't much discussion going on on these individual forums - after all, it is difficult to follow forums in over 60 courses. It must be said that some presenters did a great job at adding extra resources to their courses and even used them for demos during presentations.<br />
<br />
So, the main place for <b>asynchronous discussions</b> was the iMoot Lounge, though most discussions were related to the technical issues and questions/comments about the program. That's why I think it might be perhaps a good idea to have session discussion all in one place, perhaps right in the Lounge, so we'd all be exposed to more content oriented discussions.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c0WkYqtMZNo/Tb_levua03I/AAAAAAAAADk/35KqK09En7o/s1600/imoot-lounge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c0WkYqtMZNo/Tb_levua03I/AAAAAAAAADk/35KqK09En7o/s400/imoot-lounge.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">iMoot 2011 conference lounge</span></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>But of course, as with face-to-face conferences, most of the interaction took place during the live sessions. All presentations, panels and keynotes were delivered through <b>Adobe Connect</b>, a professional web conferencing solution, which is relatively easy to use and set up (note: I have used the system before in different roles, so I came prepared). Yes, there were some technical problems along the way, particularly in sessions with over 40 participants, when we'd all get occasionally kicked from the session room. It kinda reminded me of Second Life events with sims crashing and all (good old times!).<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hl4IrWq_XdY/Tb_j7dSU1cI/AAAAAAAAADg/Vkvnzy2Yu_g/s1600/iMoot_Martin_keynote-s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hl4IrWq_XdY/Tb_j7dSU1cI/AAAAAAAAADg/Vkvnzy2Yu_g/s400/iMoot_Martin_keynote-s.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Adobe Connect during Martin's keynote</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>But hey, it really wouldn't be a real web conference without tech problems, would it? Plus, the support staff was very helpful and fast in solving any issues, so for the most part the technology did work as it should have and the sessions were easy to follow. I especially enjoyed the <b>lively backchat</b> during presentations that was usually both informative and fun, and provided a great opportunity to learn from one another.<br />
<br />
Big kudos also to all <b>presenters</b> that really engaged their audience in the presentation and did a great job at keeping an eye on the live Chat while presenting. I really feel we had more opportunities to ask questions and steer the direction of the presentation than we would in a face to face conference.<br />
<br />
So, regardless of whether you're a Moodle pro or a Moodle beginning still exploring what Moodle can do, I <b>strongly recommend attending an (i)Moot</b>. It's a great experience and wonderful opportunity to connect with Moodlers around the world, get direct feedback and insight from core Moodle developers, and learn tons of practical tips and tricks. Also, way more affordable than attending Moodle Moots around the world, though that's of course also a great experience if you can afford it.<br />
<br />
And finally, to all fellow iMooters, class 2011: hope to see you again next year! Perhaps I'll even find the time/courage to join in with my presenter hat as well :)<br />
<br />
Related post:<br />
<ul><li> <a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2011/05/imoot-2011-highlights-part-1.html">iMoot 2011: the Highlights (Part 1)</a></li>
</ul><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-34082230577193811652011-05-03T20:59:00.004+02:002011-05-03T21:14:07.026+02:00iMoot 2011: the Highlights (Part 1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jhE_1Fh05Es/Tb_hCJnNIKI/AAAAAAAAADY/qCDNXGE3tAA/s1600/imoot-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-left: 7px;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jhE_1Fh05Es/Tb_hCJnNIKI/AAAAAAAAADY/qCDNXGE3tAA/s1600/imoot-logo.png" /></a></div><p>I'm really glad I took the time to attend this year's <a href="http://2011.imoot.org/">iMoot</a>, a web based international conference dedicated to <a href="http://www.moodle.org/">Moodle</a>, our beloved open-source learning management system. The 4 day event ran 24 hours a day to accommodate all time zones and was packed with excellent speakers and presentations.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wmr0NoOQP7s/TcBRmtRkncI/AAAAAAAAAvo/JN2pNwiQFWA/s1600/1304449411_kmenu_a.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 7pxm; margin-left: 7px;"><img height="100" width="100" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wmr0NoOQP7s/TcBRmtRkncI/AAAAAAAAAvo/JN2pNwiQFWA/s1600/1304449411_kmenu_a.png" /></a></div>That is why choosing just a few highlights from the conference is anything but an easy task. But I want to give it a try anyway, so, without further ado, here are <a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2011/05/imoot-2011-highlights-part-1.html#more"><b>seven of my favorite presentations from iMoot 2011</b></a>:<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<a href="http://draft.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=36582796&postID=3408223057719381165" name="more"></a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span class="Apple-style-span">1) General Moodle tips: Best practices in Course Design</span></span></b></span><br />
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We all know that Moodle can do almost anything a teacher would ever want it to do. But how to organize that "anything" into a format that will be easy to navigate for students? <b><a href="http://twitter.com/michelledmoore">Michelle Moore</a></b> provided a nice set of Best practices in Course Design with clear and simple to follow guidelines. No fancy Moodle hacking or tech skills necessary, just simple tips that work.<br />
<div id="__ss_7789380" style="width: 425px;"><b style="display: block; margin: 12px 0 4px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/michelledmoore/teaching-with-moodle-best-practices-for-course-design-i-moot-11" title="Teaching with moodle - Best practices in Course Design"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Teaching with moodle - Best practices in Course Design</span></a></b> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="355" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/7789380" width="425"></iframe> </span><br />
<div style="padding: 5px 0 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">View more presentations from </span><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/michelledmoore"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Michelle Moore</span></a> </div></div><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span class="Apple-style-span">2) Cool Moodle activities: The Workshop Module</span></span></b></span><br />
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<b>Michelle Moore</b> also had a nice interactive session about the Workshop module, a not often used tool that supports peer-reviewed assignments. Michelle provided us with the opportunity to try out the module, which received a nice upgrade in Moodle 2.0, from the participant's and teacher's point of view - a great experience for all session attendees! For an introduction to the Workshop module, check out her presentation, and I'd also encourage you to play with the module on your own and see what it can do.<br />
<div id="__ss_7804495" style="width: 425px;"><b style="display: block; margin: 12px 0 4px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/michelledmoore/mastering-the-moodle-2-workshop-module" title="Mastering the Moodle 2 Workshop Module"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Mastering the Moodle 2 Workshop Module</span></a></b> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="355" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/7804495" width="425"></iframe> </span><br />
<div style="padding: 5px 0 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">View more presentations from </span><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/michelledmoore"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Michelle Moore</span></a> </div></div><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span class="Apple-style-span">3) Cool Moodle add-on: Flexible Progress bar block</span></span></b></span><br />
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Two years ago, I <a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2009/03/improving-student-engagement-with-game.html">blogged</a> about my idea of introducing some basic game mechanics to Moodle with a simple progress bar. I was really happy to see that <a href="http://twitter.com/salvetore"><b>Michael de Raadt</b></a> had the same idea and actually turned it into an awesome Moodle block that allows students to keep track of their progress in Moodle courses. The block is very flexible, works with Moodle 2.0 Completion tracking and you can have multiple instances of the block in your course (e.g. for each week or topic). The first sample of students also seemed pretty satisfied with this tool, so I highly encourage everyone to give this block a try - you can get it for free from the <a href="http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?rid=2524">Moodle Modules and plugins database</a>.<br />
<div id="__ss_7774753" style="width: 425px;"><b style="display: block; margin: 12px 0 4px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/deraadt/time-management-in-moodle" title="Time management in Moodle"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Time management in Moodle</span></a></b> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="355" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/7774753" width="425"></iframe> </span><br />
<div style="padding: 5px 0 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">View more </span><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">presentations</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> from </span><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/deraadt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">deraadt</span></a> </div></div><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span class="Apple-style-span">4) Cool tool that plays nice with Moodle: BigBlueButton</span></span></b></span><br />
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I was also impressed by <b><a href="http://bigbluebutton.org/">BigBlueButton</a></b> (BBB), presented by Fred Dixon. BBB is an open source web conferencing system with a clear focus on the educational market. They also put a lot on emphasis on keeping the whole thing simple to use, guarantee a simple installation and setup, and provide a nice integration with Moodle 1.9 and 2.0. I like the fact that they are not competing with Moodle, but rather trying to provide a quality product for supporting synchronous activities that you don't usually get to do in Moodle. I'll certainly keep an eye on BBB, and who knows - perhaps the next iMoot will be running on BBB instead of Adobe Connect.<br />
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<a href="http://bigbluebutton.org/" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D_Yma1m33tA/Tb_vkHykjsI/AAAAAAAAAvk/KptQuTFmZFU/s400/BBB-screen.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">5) Cool Moodle 2 feature: Community hubs</span></span></b></span><br />
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Moodle 2.0 comes with several new features and improvements to existing tools. But perhaps the single most potentially game changing feature is the addition of Community hubs, which were introduced at iMoot by <b><a href="http://tomazlasic.net/">Tomaz Lasic</a></b>. In a way, Community hubs provide an open marketplace for Moodle course, but they also provide a space for collaboration. You can have your own private community hubs connecting just a few schools, or make your courses available to the global Moodle community by publishing them on the <a href="http://hub.moodle.org/">Moodle.org Open Community Hub</a> (MOOCH).<br />
<br />
By connecting to a hub you don't give away your user data and such, but just allow others to view or download your courses (your choice). You're in complete control of what courses you want to publish and what kind of license you want to use. Go on, visit <a href="http://hub.moodle.org/">MOOCH</a> and take a look at some of the first courses that are have already been posted! And oh, if you want to try out community hubs and other cool Moodle 2.0 feature, head over to <a href="http://school.demo.moodle.net/">Mount Orange Moodle 2.0 Demo site</a>, where you can play around with a sample Moodle 2 installation in different roles.<br />
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And below you can see an older version of Tomaz's presentation - I'll update it as soon as the new one with a more detailed explanation of community hubs is posted. <br />
<div id="__ss_5791369" style="width: 425px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="display: block; margin: 12px 0pt 4px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/moodlefan/moodle-5791369" title="Moodle 2.0 Community hubs">Moodle 2.0 Community hubs</a></b></span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="355" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/5791369" width="425"></iframe></span> <br />
<div style="padding: 5px 0 12px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">View more <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/">presentations</a> from <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/moodlefan">Tomaz Lasic</a></span> </div></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span class="Apple-style-span">6) Biggest Moodle 2 mystery: Where are my course files?</span></span></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.markdrechsler.com/">Mark Drechsler</a> did a great job at uncovering the inconvenient truth behind the way Moodle 2 manages files. Gone is the course-centric approach to storing files, please make room for external repositories and resource based file system!<br />
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It's certainly a change that is making a lot of Moodle 1.X confused and frustrated, but Mark does a great job at explaining why we should embrace this change. He's certainly got me convinced! If you're switching from Moodle 1.X to Moodle 2.0 and still can't wrap your head around the new approach to files, I strongly recommend Mark's presentation embedded below or a visit to <a href="http://www.markdrechsler.com/?p=481">Mark's blog</a>, where you can find a more detailed explanation.<br />
<div id="__ss_7717673" style="width: 425px;"><b style="display: block; margin: 12px 0 4px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/mark.drechsler/moodle-20-files-an-inconvenient-truth" title="Moodle 2.0 Files - an inconvenient truth"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Moodle 2.0 Files - an inconvenient truth</span></a></b> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="355" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/7717673" width="425"></iframe> </span><br />
<div style="padding: 5px 0 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">View more </span><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">presentations</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> from </span><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/mark.drechsler"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Mark Drechsler</span></a> </div></div><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span class="Apple-style-span">7) The future of Moodle</span></span></b></span><br />
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It really wouldn't be a a real <a href="http://moodlemoot.org/">Moodle Moot</a> without a Martin-note - a keynote by <b><a href="http://twitter.com/moodler">Martin Dougiamas</a></b>, the founder of Moodle, who is still actively managing the whole project. He shared hot info and thoughts about current Moodle development and future plans, and he also took the time to chat with attendees and answer all our questions (he's incredibly friendly!). <br />
<br />
Most noteworthy bits from the Martin-note:<br />
<ul><li>stable Moodle releases (2.X) will be releases every 6 months, no excuses (2.1 coming out in June 2011), so planning for upgrades will be made easier,</li>
<li>official Moodle mobile iOS app is coming with the release of Moodle 2.1 in June,</li>
<li>Moodle.org site will be revamped and made really pretty (we got a little sneak peak!),</li>
<li>Martin is looking forward to teachers sharing courses through MOOCH and other community hubs that will enable global connected communities of learners.</li>
</ul>His keynote presentation hasn't been uploaded to Slideshare yet, so I've embedded his slides from the MoodleMoot Japanese that have some common themes:<br />
<div id="__ss_7038889" style="width: 425px;"><b style="display: block; margin: 12px 0 4px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/moodler/moodlemoot-japan-2011-7038889" title="MoodleMoot Japan 2011"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">MoodleMoot Japan 2011</span></a></b> <iframe frameborder="0" height="355" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/7038889" width="425"></iframe> <br />
<div style="padding: 5px 0 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">View more </span><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">presentations</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> from </span><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/moodler"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Martin Dougiamas</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div></div><br />
<hr /><br />
If all this great content hasn't yet convinced you that attending next year's iMoot is a must, I also invite you to read <a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2011/05/imoot-2011-experience-part-2.html">part 2 of my iMoot 2011 report</a>, in which I'll describe the overall conference experience in more detail.<br />
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Related post:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2011/05/imoot-2011-experience-part-2.html">iMoot 2011: the Experience (Part 2)</a></li>
</ul><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-68809100379156264032011-03-08T12:31:00.002+01:002011-03-08T12:44:00.061+01:00Android for girls: a new frontier<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8O0Q89XOahI/TXYKd-s7kZI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/E3u6RgA8Eus/s1600/MAN-droid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 7px;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8O0Q89XOahI/TXYKd-s7kZI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/E3u6RgA8Eus/s200/MAN-droid.jpg" width="113" /></a></div><p>According to last year's <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/why_are_so_many_android_owners_male.php">AdMod Mobile Metrics Report</a>, nearly three quarters of Android users are male. Sure, other tech gadgets and smartphone operating systems do tend to show a slight male bias, but why is the percentage of Android female users so dramatically low? And can anything be done to make Android more appealing to women?</p><br />
These were the two key questions I tried to answer while searching for a topic to present at the recent <a href="http://mobilecamp.si/">MobileCamp Ljubljana</a>, Android edition. I was pretty sure more than three quarters of the audience at the event would be male (I was correct), so that seemed like a nice topic to explore with the guys, mostly app developers.<br />
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You can see the slides from my talk embedded below. As the slides attracted quite some interest on <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/">SlideShare</a> (my first presentation that got featured on the homepage!), I also decided to do a little write-up on my blog, to expand on some of the key points.<br />
<div id="__ss_7158585" style="width: 425px;"><strong style="display: block; margin: 12px 0 4px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ialja/android-for-girls-a-new-frontier" title="Android for girls: a new frontier"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Android for girls: a new frontier</span></a></strong> <object height="355" id="__sse7158585" width="425"> <param name="movie" value="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=androidforgirlz-110305061532-phpapp02&stripped_title=android-for-girls-a-new-frontier&userName=ialja" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><embed name="__sse7158585" src="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=androidforgirlz-110305061532-phpapp02&stripped_title=android-for-girls-a-new-frontier&userName=ialja" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="355"></embed> </object> <br />
<div style="padding: 5px 0 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">View more </span><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">presentations</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> from </span><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ialja"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">iAlja</span></a></div></div>So, why aren't more girls using Android? What can we do to make Android phones feel right and not (only) a geek device?<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Who defines the user experience and perception of Android?</span></span></b><br />
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Given the complexity of the Android ecosystem, we basically have three major groups of players that define the look and feel of Android:<br />
<ul><li>On the basic level we have <b>Google defining core OS functionality and design</b>.</li>
<li>On the next level we have various <b>phone manufacturers</b> (HTC, Samsung, Motorola, Sony Ericsson etc.), who define the <b>hardware characteristics</b> of the devices and can also create <b>their own user interface modifications and software modifications</b>. Together with mobile operators, they're also the ones that make sure end-users buy their Android devices through ads and promotions.</li>
<li>And finally, on top level, we have <b>application developers</b>, who create apps that <b>enhance the functionality of Android phones</b>.</li>
</ul><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Android as an operating system</span></span></b><br />
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Without any doubt, Google has a "cool" status among geeks. We all love free Google services, and the geeks and hackers rejoiced at the announcement of Android, Google's "open" alternative to Apple's "evil" iPhone walled garden.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://developer.android.com/guide/index.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-vfMPaEgdGtM/TXYLX80qqtI/AAAAAAAAAuU/obEsiQNzXig/s1600/android-system-architecture.jpg" /></a></div><br />
In some aspects, Android is trying hard to imitate iOS (the operating system running on iPhones), but on the other hand, it does provide users, manufacturers and developers a bit more freedom when it comes to customizing your device. Ask any true Android geek, and they'll tell you how awesome their Android phone is if you just install the <a href="http://lifehacker.com/#!5596108/how-to-choose-the-right-android-rom-for-you">right ROM</a> (a modified version of the OS).<br />
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Wait, what? Yeah, it does sound a lot like listening to Linux fans. And we all know that your typical Linux users is certainly not female. Well, the same problem seems to apply to Android. Perhaps the manufacturers, with their unique user interfaces, can make Android look prettier to girls?<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Android as a product</span></b></span><br />
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Well, sort of. To be fair, some manufacturers are really trying to make Android easier to use for us, common people, and not just the geeks, who have the unstoppable urge to hack everything with a chip.<br />
<br />
For instance, HTC is really trying hard to make Android devices friendly little helpers through <a href="http://www.htc.com/www/htcsense/index.html">HTC Sense</a>. It can do some pretty nifty tricks like ringing louder when it's tucked in our bags or displaying friends' latest Facebook status update when they call, so you can instantly tell it's their birthday.<br />
<br />
But then, you get ads for Android devices like the following one for Motorola's Droid. Let's watch it together:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/w83UQkiuNZQ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><br />
Oh yeah! 30 seconds of pure, raw manpower. Did you get the chance to grab a beer?<br />
<br />
Ok, to be fair, it's not a new ad, and some of Motorola's recent ads are a bit more neutral. But the ad above is an extreme case of a trend we often see when manufacturers and mobile operators promote their Android devices: too much emphasis on technical specifications and forgetting the human touch.<br />
<br />
Motorola's Xoom Super Bowl ad was a bit better at making their Android device look more human friendly, but their final tagline still reads <i>"The world first Android 3.0 tablet"</i>. Yawn!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8BPFODsob1I" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><br />
Now, dear Motorola (and others), do watch how you make ads that focus on the experience and human emotion:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6CRfHl1Glwk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><br />
But of course, to make ads like this, you also need products that focus on the end-user, who is not necessarily a geek or a hacker.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Android and apps - the Market(ing) problem</span></span></b><br />
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So finally, we reach the apps, the final piece of any modern smartphone puzzle that can make or break the user experience. Here is when I came across some interesting research; <a href="http://wallblog.co.uk/2010/07/07/women-twice-as-likely-as-men-to-never-have-downloaded-an-app/">according to The Wall Blog</a>, <b>women with smartphones (not such a minority anymore) are twice as likely as men to never have downloaded an app</b>. Hm, that's a huge gap.<br />
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When asked for reasons, some of the most common answers given by women were that the they felt overwhelmed by the choice of apps, and that apps were not relevant to them because they didn't help them or enhanced their lives. So, we clearly have a marketing problem when it comes to selling apps, especially to women.<br />
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My guess is that this problem is more pronounced in the Android Market, where, due to the lack of strict guidelines, it's more difficult to find quality apps. Apple is trying to make app discovery easier by providing curated selections of apps.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kQWDNupkGUI/TXYL8Xk7XmI/AAAAAAAAAuc/NvFJ3ZwUEHw/s1600/apple-apps-for-parents.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kQWDNupkGUI/TXYL8Xk7XmI/AAAAAAAAAuc/NvFJ3ZwUEHw/s1600/apple-apps-for-parents.jpg" /></a></div><br />
For a good example of this, visit the Apps for iPhone section on Apple's website, where apps for different needs, such as <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/apps-for-everything/momsdads.html">Apps for Moms and Dads</a>, are clearly presented with big pictures and short descriptions. And you can be pretty sure that apps that make it to this page have been thoroughly tested and will probably make a good purchase.<br />
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And that is what Android Market could really use. But who will be brave enough to attempt such a massive feat of strength? And how will users find such content, when most of them probably aren't looking for specialized blogs and sites on the subject? Apple certainly has the advantage of being the one and only company to make their phone, market it and sell apps for it through their own App Store.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">What do women want from mobile apps?</span></span></b><br />
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The big question for all app developers is, of course, what do women want from mobile apps? How can we make apps that women will want to download?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-n77AvXbMv_U/TXYMZbJmPkI/AAAAAAAAAug/9UQ43dsNzCk/s1600/iStock_000005891287Medium+Woman+Bench.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-n77AvXbMv_U/TXYMZbJmPkI/AAAAAAAAAug/9UQ43dsNzCk/s1600/iStock_000005891287Medium+Woman+Bench.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I found a really good answer to this on the <a href="http://www.handshake20.com/2010/11/this-womans-gotta-have-mobile-apps-.html">Handshake 2.0 blog</a>, where Maureen Carruthers writes about what she's looking for in mobile apps (emphasis mine):<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">"The final quality of my favorite apps is </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">how they make me feel - about myself</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">. ... these apps help me feel </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">loved, well-read and prepared</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">. ... Most importantly, they are intuitive, so they <b>n</b></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">ever make me feel stupid</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">. No matter how potentially amazing an app may be, if I can’t easily figure it out, it will gather virtual dust." </span></i></div><br />
Another <a href="http://www.handshake20.com/Women_and_Mobile_Apps_Survey_Piedmont_Research_Associates.pdf">survey among female mobile app users</a> came to the conclusion that (emphasis mine):<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">“</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Women want to </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">be connected</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">. They want to </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">be informed</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">. They want apps that </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">help them through the day</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">, whether it is comparison shopping, turn-by-turn directions, or a way to be more organized.”</span></i></div><br />
So, we don't want clutter, we don't need extra bling - we want apps that are easy to use and that makes our lives better or easier! Women are probably more likely than men to see their phones as tools that shouldn't require a manual, but should provide clear value in everyday life.<br />
<br />
Of course, this doesn't apply to just women - many users outside the geeky, tech crowd feel the same! And here's my advice for app developers: <b>focus on everyday usability and experience, not on fancy algorithms and tech talk</b>.<br />
<br />
Instagram, for instance, is a good examples of a great mobile app service that isn't anything special from the technological point of view, but it does provide great experience and community. And that's what counts for most users, not necessarily just women. (Excellent blog post on a related note: <a href="http://madebymany.com/blog/quora-is-from-mars-instagram-is-from-venus">Quora is from Mars, Instagram is from Venus</a>)<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">A girl's app manifesto</span></span></b><br />
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Finally, here are 7 key points I wish every app developer, male or female, would keep in mind when planning, designing or programming mobile apps.<br />
<ol><li><b>Think about me.</b> </li>
<li>I don’t like wasting time. </li>
<li>Make my <b>life better</b> or fun. </li>
<li>Don’t make me feel stupid. </li>
<li>Don’t make me change for you.</li>
<li>I’m looking for <b>experiences</b>, not features.</li>
<li>Yes, I like <b>pretty</b>, but I’m not a princess.</li>
</ol><div>There are of course several resources anyone can find on the web that can help you better understand how women are using mobile apps. Some interesting sites I recently came across are: <a href="http://www.LadyGeekTV.com/">LadyGeekTV.com</a> and <a href="http://www.WomenWithDroids.com/">WomenWithDroids.com</a>. </div><br />
And in the comments, I'd love to hear from more women using smartphones (Android or other) and particularly your experience with mobile apps. Android and mobile app development might still be a man's world, but we can try to change things by speaking out about what we do and don't like.<br />
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<hr /><br />
P.S.: Happy <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Women's_Day">Women's Day</a>!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="25" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8IyKg6Dw1No" title="YouTube video player" width="200"></iframe>Alja Isakovićhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162969234960402931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-514286124337255462011-03-05T19:31:00.001+01:002011-03-05T19:35:47.288+01:00iOS, Android and Windows Phone 7: the classroom potential [Part 2]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--y7jXcdkklc/TXJ0R_rhiLI/AAAAAAAAAs4/VDF-SS_ZO_s/s1600/ipad-education.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--y7jXcdkklc/TXJ0R_rhiLI/AAAAAAAAAs4/VDF-SS_ZO_s/s200/ipad-education.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><p><a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2011/03/ios-android-and-windows-phone-7-facts.html">In part 1</a>, I talked about my personal experience with three of the most popular operating systems for mobile devices of today and the future. In this post, I'd like to continue my analysis by looking at which OS has the biggest potential to become a hit product of our classrooms.</p><br />
So, we have three main contenders running for classroom OS of the year:<br />
<ul><li><b>iOS</b>, the app focused OS running on incredibly sexy Apple mobile devices,</li>
<li><b>Android</b>, the geeky OS of many choices and opportunities that can even be installed on an e-book reader and</li>
<li><b>Windows Phone 7</b>, Microsoft's attempt to catch up by focusing on a simple user experience (and making Apple fans feel bad for liking a Windows device).</li>
</ul><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">What the school is looking for</span></span></b><br />
<br />
And we're at Sunnydale High School. Helen, the principal, really wants to make their school cool and fun by providing their students and teachers with one-to-one technology. After all, it's so hard to capture students' attention these days, and being proficient with computers will surely give students a competitive edge in the information society of the future.<br />
<br />
But here's the thing: the school is on a really tight budget and they have to decide what to invest in. Should they install interactive blackboards in every classroom? Get a computer in every classroom? Give each student their own computer?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jnYoB9KgTy4/TXJ6RjVWPtI/AAAAAAAAAtY/x60voSiDGxw/s1600/thinking_person.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jnYoB9KgTy4/TXJ6RjVWPtI/AAAAAAAAAtY/x60voSiDGxw/s1600/thinking_person.jpg" /></a></div><br />
That's all very expensive, and the investment they made in those tiny netbooks two years ago didn't really pay off. Nobody likes them. The teachers hate them because the screens are so tiny and because Word is so slow to use. The students hate them because they are slower than the computers they have at home and because even their phones provide a better Facebook experience. And the IT stuff hates them because they are just as annoying to maintain and support as their big brothers in the computer lab. So, the netbooks are mostly collecting dust in the closets. or being used as paperweight - at least something they're sort of good at.<br />
<br />
Is the answer in those new mobile, post-PC devices everyone keeps talking about? Let's take a look!<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The smartphones</span></span></b><br />
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There is one big problem with using smartphones in classrooms: most students don't have them (yet) and schools probably can't afford to be buying phones for their students, as the prices are quite steep without a contract with a mobile operator.<br />
<br />
In a few years, when smartphones become common place, sure, they might become great learning aids in classroom, but until them we'll probably see them used as personal learning tools by students with the privilege of owning one. Unless mobile operators start making deals with schools, of course, which is not probably not something we can put our money on.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.apple.com/webapps/index.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2rtNrLvfqgg/TXJ7gOAN0uI/AAAAAAAAAtc/gSVjHNSF5Nk/s1600/ultimate_thesaurus-web.jpg" /></a></div>And even when most students have smartphones, the biggest potential might not be in their operating systems and native apps, but in <b>web apps</b> that students on any mobile platform with a modern browser can use. Even Apple already has a nice webpage dedicated to touch ready <a href="http://www.apple.com/webapps/whatarewebapps.html">Web apps</a>. Truth be told, web apps are probably more convenient for schools than managing native mobile apps (especially paid ones). The only requirement for schools here is a reliable WiFi network that can handle hundreds of concurrent devices.<br />
<br />
Microsoft did however showcase an interesting glimpse into the future of connected devices with a Windows Phone 7 integration with Kinect, a system that allows Xbox users to control games with body movements. The video below looks like pure fun, but just imagine transferring this idea to a classroom full of students and enable them to interact with software with a combination of body movements and touch inputs on various mobile devices.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ehS-AfM4b8I" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><br />
<b><i>Verdict:</i></b><i> Smartphones are probably not a viable option for most classrooms yet. However, as smartphones with modern browsers become more commonplace, web apps might have the biggest potential because they are platform independent. Just make sure to have a good WiFi network in place to avoid expensive data charges. Another interesting opportunity will be brought by the ability of smartphones to connect to other devices and form a rich interaction network based on natural inputs.</i><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The smartphones minus the phone</span></span></b><br />
<br />
The next category of devices to look at is the smartphones without the ability to connect to cellphone networks i.e. mainly Apple's <b><a href="http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/">iPod Touch</a></b>. It's got most of the goodies of its big brother, the iPhone 4, but at less than half its price.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.apple.com/education/ipodtouch-iphone/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uMTq3IgqHhQ/TXJ4Wi0y2nI/AAAAAAAAAtM/_gIhqWNEhQM/s1600/ipod_touch-apps_edu.jpg" /></a></div>The drawback is that you have to rely on WiFi networks for internet connectivity. Luckily, these are getting increasingly popular at more and more places, and practically all schools I've visited recently have at least some sort of WiFi network of their own.<br />
<br />
And the iPod Touch also brings an important advantage to the table: there are already several documented studies of successful uses of iPod Touches (and even the less capable devices in the iPod family) in classrooms. And Apple even provides a special <a href="http://images.apple.com/education/docs/Apple-iPodGettingStartedGuide081809.pdf">PDF guide for using iPod touch and iTunes for teaching and learning</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YPchHSt5tPQ/TXJ406w6mkI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/54MLlmaeVtY/s1600/ipod_touch-itunesU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YPchHSt5tPQ/TXJ406w6mkI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/54MLlmaeVtY/s1600/ipod_touch-itunesU.jpg" /></a></div>We're probably all aware of the fact that podcasting has been in use for several years in education now, and that's all the iPod Touch does extremely well. But it's biggest strength are of course the apps. A lot of <a href="http://www.apple.com/education/ipodtouch-iphone/">quality apps that can be used in classroom</a>.<br />
<br />
And while the school still needs to figure out ways to manage different iPod Touches and keep them all charged and synced, the updating process certainly is less of a hassle than on regular computer. There are <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1495">several ways</a> to use the same computer with different devices or have multiple devices linked to one iTunes account, a <a href="http://www.apple.com/itunes/education/">special program</a> for buying and distributing apps to students in volume, and even custom mobile labs (more on that later). However, having to sync Apple's devices with iTunes is probably the biggest hassle iOS devices have, so that's probably something to keep in mind.<br />
<br />
Ok, moving on to competitors. Hmmm. Ah, there is one - Samsung's <b><a href="http://www.gadgetsandgizmos.org/samsung-galaxy-player-50-review/">Galaxy Player</a></b>, the first Android powered competitor to the iPod Touch. But here's the thing - it's not on the market yet. It will supposedly be a bit cheaper than the iPod Touch - both in price and hardware. So, let's just wait to see this one on the market first and see how it does, ok?<br />
<br />
Right. So, we have Windows Phone 7 left. Sadly, as the name indicates, it's a phone OS, so no real competition here either. On the other hand, we could include <b><a href="http://www.zune.net/en-us/products/zunehd/default.htm">Zune HD</a></b>, Microsoft's portable media player, in the mix, considering the experience is somehow similar to WP7.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_zWi67YPDNo/TXJ5aO-X3kI/AAAAAAAAAtU/oqHc1xUSkIs/s1600/zuneHD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_zWi67YPDNo/TXJ5aO-X3kI/AAAAAAAAAtU/oqHc1xUSkIs/s1600/zuneHD.jpg" /></a></div>So, what does the Zune HD has to offer? Yes, music and video of course. What about apps? Aye, it has apps! How many? 42. And how many apps are there for the iPod Touch? About 350,000. Right, I rest my case.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Verdict:</i></b><i> The iPod Touch certainly is a big winner here with a proven track record of classroom excellence. It's a great device for podcasting, and on top of that supports tons of quality educational apps. It will be very hard for competitors to catch up with this little gem anytime soon!</i><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">The tablets</span></span></b><br />
<br />
Let's just move to the next category of mobile device that will supposedly be a bit more crowded this year: the tablets. <br />
<br />
This week Apple announced the <b><a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/">iPad 2</a></b>. Now thinner, faster, lighter, with cameras, 10-hour battery life, even more magic and the same starting price - $499. It's the original iPad made better and there are over 65,000 apps designed specifically for the iPad.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/from-the-app-store/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-OrnOm-kUMp8/TXJ1CCZiP3I/AAAAAAAAAs8/qbLafMHHrDE/s1600/iPad-apps.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The original iPad is already being used to enhance teaching and learning on all levels. For some inspiring examples, have a look at the short promo video on the <a href="http://www.apple.com/education/ipad/">Learning with iPad</a> site. And for schools, Apple is even offering incredibly sleek iPad Learning Labs (I want a cabinet filled with iPads too!), so it's definitely a big plus to have various <a href="http://images.apple.com/education/docs/Apple-iOS-Learning-Solutions_20110218.pdf">iOS Learning Solutions</a> readily available.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.apple.com/education/labs/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FdO-nCOVebI/TXJyD96zt0I/AAAAAAAAAs0/HPNAN2mCXwQ/s1600/ipad_labs_20110218.jpg" /></a></div>15 million iPads were sold all over the world in just 9 months, so there's no doubt the new model will also be a hit. Probably the biggest challenge that Apple is facing with the iPad is how to ship enough units to satisfy the huge demand for this truly magical device - and that's certainly a good problem to be having!<br />
<br />
Now, moving on to Android. The recent Mobile World Congress was full of new Android tablet announcements. The powerful Motorola Xoom, already on sale in the States, Samsung offering a new, iPad size 10 inch version of its Galaxy Tab, LG G-Slate, Acer Iconia Tabs, Asus Eee Pads, Dell Streak 10... They come in all shapes and sizes, varying from 7 to 10 inches. One thing they all have in common: <b>Android 3.0 Honeycomb</b>. The first version of Android designed specifically for tablets.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.motorola.com/staticfiles/Consumers/XOOM/index.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-n4zcCXxtD6g/TXJ1X2KH_ZI/AAAAAAAAAtA/Y63WKen8Q-g/s1600/motorola_xoom.jpg" /></a></div>My first impression from the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPUGNCIozp0">videos</a> and reviews? It looks... crowded. Yes, some elements are rather nice - the way it does multitasking, notifications. But it seems like it's trying to borrow a bit too much from the desktop world. I especially wonder how that will work out on the smaller tablets. I haven't had the chance to try out a Honeycomb device yet, as they are only starting to ship, so my opinion might change once I actually get to try a Honeycomb device first hand.<br />
<br />
But there is one big elephant in the Honeycomb room: the lack of apps for Android tablets. Sure, Honeycomb does a good job at scaling up apps made for Android smarphones of smaller sizes, but having apps designed for tablets in mind is a different story. Think <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-elements-a-visual-exploration/id364147847?mt=8#">The Elements app</a> for the iPad.<br />
<br />
And here, yet again, <b>Apple has a massive head start</b>. Sure, in a year or two the number of Honeycomb apps will probably be more respectable, but for now, sitting around 100, the lack of apps remains it's Achilles' heel.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/from-the-app-store/imovie.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Vfj-tyM36mo/TXJ1_TiG5rI/AAAAAAAAAtE/A8W1MMAAc7I/s1600/ipad-imovie.jpg" /></a></div>In the meantime, the iPad is getting new, amazing new apps every day. Like the mind blowing iPad versions of <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/from-the-app-store/imovie.html">iMovie</a> (shown above) and <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/from-the-app-store/garageband.html">Garage Band</a> made by Apple. I can't imagine those two running on an Android tablet, but I surely can see those two apps being used by students all all ages in classrooms all over the world!<br />
<br />
So, the impression I get here is that the manufacturers will have to invest a lot of effort in making their Android tablets more user friendly. HTC, for instance, has showcased a pretty nifty notetaking app that works with Evernote on its 7 inch <a href="http://www.htc.com/www/product/flyer/overview.html">HTC Flyer</a> tablet (also just announced at the Mobile World Congress, not yet on the market). Not sure about the additional stylus, but it looks pretty interesting!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/X8R11CNm9kI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><br />
Another interesting fact is that the HTC Flyer won't ship with Honeycomb, but rather with Android 2.3 Gingerbread with a special edition of HTC Sense (HTC's custom UI modification for Android) made just for tablets. HTC says a Honeycomb update is being worked on, but it certainly doesn't help with the <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20023199-264.html">Android fragmentation issues</a>.<br />
<br />
Now, the great thing about Android is its tight integration with Google services. And that could be a good selling point for Android tablets in education, as a lot of students already have Google Accounts, and a lot of schools might even be using Google Apps for Education already. Very convenient!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/edu/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-DbRrfIFx4j8/TXJ29WukIcI/AAAAAAAAAtI/-ROAvsI_Va4/s1600/firstdayofschool09-hp.gif" /></a></div>It would be even more convenient if Google you could get Google Apps for Education in a big package with Android tablets, but unfortunately that is very unlikely considering that Google isn't a hardware company. Which means that schools looking to buy Android tablets will have to do it on their own or get help from some other company (anyone aware of companies providing Google Apps and Android tablets bundles?).<br />
<br />
But let's not forget <a href="http://appinventor.googlelabs.com/about/">App Inventor</a>, Google's free and relatively easy to use tool for programming Android apps that is targeted at the educational market. Now, THAT looks interesting, but it's surely not for every school at every level. It's more of a niche candy that will hopefully attract students to Android development, which might someday result in better Android apps.<br />
<br />
So, Android does have some advantages, but at the same time the tablets are having a hard time matching iPad's $499 starting price. For instance, the Motorola Xoom's $800 (no contract) entry price is anything but compatible. Yes, it does Google services well, but there are still tons of other apps that are still missing.<br />
<br />
What about Windows Phone 7? Again, notice the phone in the name? Microsoft apparently wants your to have the WP7 experience on your smartphone only. And the <b>Windows tablets</b> will be running, well, Windows 7. Windows tablets have been on the market way before the iPad with little success. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-oEPX9PN8uUA/TXJ-3Dy6z4I/AAAAAAAAAto/IBlM4UcxNQM/s1600/Pioneer-windows-7-tablet-pc_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-oEPX9PN8uUA/TXJ-3Dy6z4I/AAAAAAAAAto/IBlM4UcxNQM/s1600/Pioneer-windows-7-tablet-pc_.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Sure, it's a familiar environment for users, but so far it seems that users prefer a much more simpler OS on their portable devices, so I'm not really placing any bets on Windows 7 (or 8) tablets. Steve Jobs had this to say about tablets: “<a href="http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/03/04/steve-jobs-post-pc-credo/">These are post-PC devices, that need to be even easier to use than a PC.</a>” Agreed.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Verdict:</i></b><i> It seems that 2011 will yet again be the year of the iPad. Yes, Android tablets have great integration with Google services most of already use, and the App Inventor is an interesting tool for learning and teaching programming, but the steep prices and the lack of apps are a major disappointment. Plus, most of the new Android tablets that have been announced are not on the market yet, so we'll probably have to wait at least another year for a real Android tablet breakthrough. As to Microsoft, they'd better start thinking about how to make the tablet experience as pleasant as their new smartphone experience. Again, at least a year or more before that happens. In the mean time, the iPad might become just as iconic and commonplace as the iPods on the market for MP3 players.</i><br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Which devices are classroom ready? Today?</span></span></b><br />
<br />
I think I've made it pretty clear that the market for smart mobile devices is far from mature. Apple is leading the way in practically every category and others are playing catch up. Sure, Android is rapidly gaining market share when it comes to smartphones (not surprisingly, considering the number and variety of devices), but the tablet market (much more interesting for education) is still in its infancy. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-s1neteskxXQ/TXJ8Q3-0CxI/AAAAAAAAAtg/0qmkG73WkAA/s1600/iphone-ipad.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-s1neteskxXQ/TXJ8Q3-0CxI/AAAAAAAAAtg/0qmkG73WkAA/s1600/iphone-ipad.png" /></a></div>Apple's iOS devices - mainly the iPod Touch and the iPad - do however have one huge advantage: the <b>choice of quality apps and the affordable price</b>. Additionally, schools can even get convenient mobile learning labs with iOS devices, so they're easier to manage. And that's why I think that today the iPod Touch and the iPad are the best choice for classrooms - and for encouraging learning outside of classrooms as well.<br />
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The Android tablets have been rather disappointing so far, though the situation might change when more Honeycomb tablets (and apps) become available on the market. But without apps that can compare to those already available for the iPad, the competition will be a rather boring one.<br />
<br />
So, for today, my vote certainly goes to the iPod Touch and the iPad (depending on your budget). I know I might sound like an Apple commercial, but these two devices are truly amazing to use, and the competition is still lagging behind. So, for now, I really can't wait to get the new iPad and have tons of fun exploring all the new apps and learning new stuff along the way. What about your classroom?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2011/03/ios-android-and-windows-phone-7-facts.html">>> iOS, Android and Windows Phone 7: the facts and my experience [Part 1]</a>Alja Isakovićhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162969234960402931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-15706943289960056302011-03-04T13:41:00.001+01:002011-03-05T19:33:38.572+01:00iOS, Android and Windows Phone 7: the facts and my experience [Part 1]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Szb0G_nRfYc/TXDP3J16NAI/AAAAAAAAAsw/pL4wrSbRp7g/s1600/ios4_interface20101116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Szb0G_nRfYc/TXDP3J16NAI/AAAAAAAAAsw/pL4wrSbRp7g/s1600/ios4_interface20101116.jpg" /></a></div><p>Q4 2010 brought a big milestone to the mobile industry: <a href="http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/02/07/idc-smartphone-shipment-numbers-passed-pc-in-q4-2010/">smartphones outsold PCs for the first time ever</a>. And that's not even taking into account tables and iPods that provide similar functionality. In short, mobile devices - or "post-PC devices", as Steve Jobs calls them - are hot stuff right now.</p><br />
However, it's easy to get lost and confused by all the devices and even by all the mobile operating systems we can choose from. Apple is certainly leading this new revolution with the iPhone and the iPad, but other software and hardware companies are trying their best to catch up and capture our imagination.<br />
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Last Summer I started blogging at <a href="http://tehnik.mobitel.si/">Mobitel Tehnik</a>, a blog about mobile technologies, on which <a href="http://tehnik.mobitel.si/author/alja-sulcic/">my posts</a> (in Slovenian) mainly cover news and tips related to mobile app development. As part of my assignment, I've been using and following the development of some of the recently most popular smart mobile operating systems on the market.<br />
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That is why I've decided to sum up some of the thoughts and experiences I've had with various platforms on my blog in two parts: in the first part, I focus on introducing facts and my personal experience with 3 of the most talked about smartphone operating systems: Apple's <b>iOS</b>, Google's <b>Android</b>, and Microsoft's <b>Windows Phone 7</b>. And in <a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2011/03/ios-android-and-windows-phone-7.html">part 2</a>, I will try to imagine the potential of using iOS, Android and WP7 mobile devices in classrooms.<br />
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Ok, so let's take a look at the facts and my personal experience with each of the three platforms first.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">iOS: It's all about beautiful apps</span></span></b><br />
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<b><i>Basic facts</i></b><i>: Apple's mobile operating system that runs on iPhones, iPod Touches, iPad and Apple TV - all Apple devices. Launched in June 2007, current version 4.2. Got its application store, the App Store (tied with the iTunes Store), in July 2008 and now features over 350,000 apps.</i><br />
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<b>The experience:</b> Unfortunately, iPhone isn't officially sold in my country (the only blank spot in Europe!), so I've been using iOS on my 2nd generation iPod Touch. Truth be told, I don't really use it as an iPod that much - my primary iPod used mainly for running is the new <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/">iPod Nano</a>. The iPod Touch is, however, my mobile device of choice for browsing and apps. I use it to play various casual games like <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bejeweled-2-blitz/id284832142?mt=8">Bejeweled Blitz</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fruit-ninja/id362949845?mt=8">Fruit Ninja</a> and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tiny-wings/id417817520?mt=8">Tiny Wings</a> (my current favorites), manage my shopping list with <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/shopshop-shopping-list/id288350249?mt=8">ShopShop</a>, plan my runs with <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/runners-world-smartcoach/id377197137?mt=8">Runner's World SmartCoach</a> app, rate my favorite <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/movies-by-flixster-rotten/id284235722?mt=8">Movies</a>, and much more. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-aXdBYvoQG-s/TXDIa7EIt5I/AAAAAAAAAsk/ShU3da3CEmQ/s1600/app_store-billion_apps.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-aXdBYvoQG-s/TXDIa7EIt5I/AAAAAAAAAsk/ShU3da3CEmQ/s1600/app_store-billion_apps.png" /></a></div><br />
And I'm just in love with iOS apps! The <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/apps-for-iphone/">App Store</a> provides great choice of both free and paid apps, and it's really easy to discover beautiful new apps. It's the kind of store where you buy <a href="http://outsideapp.com/">a $2.99 weather app</a> just because it's sooo pretty.<br />
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The magic behind the App Store lies in detailed guidelines and excellent developer tools that make it easy to have good looking apps even if you use just the default UI elements provided by Apple. Yes, a lot of people complain about the strict App Store approval process, but from the user perspective, it pays off to have a store full of quality and well tested apps.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Android: It's all about opportunities and promises</span></span></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-W-_w3nmXMFE/TXDG6wxfoBI/AAAAAAAAAsc/RY8ImzXNwcg/s1600/androids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-W-_w3nmXMFE/TXDG6wxfoBI/AAAAAAAAAsc/RY8ImzXNwcg/s400/androids.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><b><br />
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<b><i>Basic facts:</i></b><i> Usually thought as the biggest iOS competitor, developed by Google and other members of the Open Handset Alliance. Launched in October 2008, current version 2.3 Gingerbread, although the majority of users currently still runs version 2.2 Froyo. Android runs on all sorts of smartphone and tablets devices in various price ranges. The devices are made by different manufacturers, which also provide their unique user interfaces (such as HTC Sense, Samsung's TouchWiz etc). The Android application store, Android Market, launched in October 2008 and now features over 250,000 apps.</i><br />
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<b>The experience:</b> Ah, dear <a href="http://www.android.com/">Android</a>. The joy and love of the tech crowd. The supposedly "open alternative" to Apple's evil walled-garden. And, more often than not, quite irritating to use.<br />
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I've used Android on several <a href="http://www.htc.com/">HTC</a> devices (Desire, Legend, Wildfire) and the overall look and feel is quite good. The hardware was good, but what annoyed me to no end, was the need to constantly fiddle with settings and other details of the software. And the regular need to reboot, which reminded me of what it was like to own a PC.<br />
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All in all, it was usually nothing huge per se, but there was always that tiny little detail that required your attention and sometimes got your head scratching. Like the mystery of why apps that I had never used (e.g. Stocks, Music, News) were always running in the background.<br />
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Speaking of apps. Sure, in theory it does sound wonderful that Google lets almost anyone publish apps on the <a href="https://market.android.com/">Android Market</a>. But in practice? The Market is flooded with poorly designed apps. And as Android Market works with Google Checkout, which is not supported in my country, I was stuck on using free apps only.<br />
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Then, the games... just not comparable to iOS games. And sure, the gaming aspect is supposed to be improved with the next big release - and that is basically what we keep hearing all the time. "The next Android update will kick iPhone's ass!" Anyone else got tired of waiting for the savior?<br />
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Ok, I've got to be fair - Android does have a few strong points as well. I loved the integration with Google services, particularly Google Maps. And the WiFi Hotspot app (for tethering), introduced with the Froyo update, was awesome. And oh, I really liked HTC's weather widget on the home screen!<br />
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Wondering why I've been using the past tense here? Ah, that's because I've been using Windows Phone 7 as my primary phone OS for a couple of weeks now, and I honestly don't miss Android all that much.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Windows Phone 7: It's all about the simple experience</span></span></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HH3TjphatRI/TS7qHIk45oI/AAAAAAAAAqU/_uhvjfHyXvA/s1600/WP7-tiles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HH3TjphatRI/TS7qHIk45oI/AAAAAAAAAqU/_uhvjfHyXvA/s1600/WP7-tiles.jpg" /></a></div><b><br />
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<b><i>Basic facts:</i></b><i> The new kid on the block, even though it's the successor of the ye olde Windows Mobile platform. Microsoft decided to get a fresh start with Windows Phone 7 and introduced a radically different user interface and no backwards compatibility with previous versions of Windows Mobile. WP7 launched in October 2010 and has yet to receive a major update (expected to be released soon-ish). Like Android, WP7 runs on devices by different manufacturers, but Microsoft sets the hardware requirements for WP7 phones and doesn't allow major modifications of the user interface, so all WP7 phones have a consistent look and feel (unlike Android phones). Its applications store, the Windows Phone Marketplace, launched with the release of the first phones in October 2010 and now features over 8,000 apps.</i><br />
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<b>The experience:</b> This may come as a surprise to those of you that know how much I love using a Mac - I actually enjoy the <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/">Windows Phone 7</a> experience. Yes, me, enjoying a Windows product! Shocking, I know.<br />
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But I think Microsoft did the smart thing by dropping the outdated Windows Mobile legacy platform and focused on a fresh, unique mobile experience. It's a mobile OS that tries to help users do what they're supposed to be doing without getting in the way. <br />
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Coming from Android, the contrast can be quite stark at first. But after a while, you just sit back and enjoy the ride. No need to worry about turning the GPS on and off manually. If an app, such as Maps, needs it, it will turn it on and then off again when you're done. <br />
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The home screen with live tiles makes it easy to see important information on the go, and the OS uses hubs to bundle key content and media together. For instance, the People hub brings together your contacts and their Facebook updates in an attractive panorama view. Plus, it can also sync music, photos and videos with your computer and there's even a <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/windows-phone-7-connector/id415571499?mt=12">Windows Phone 7 Connector</a> for Mac OS X that can sync content from iTunes.<br />
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However, it must be noted that WP7 is still a version 1.0 OS, so there are "a few" bugs and oddities that will have to be sorted out. Similarly, the <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/apps/default.aspx">Marketplace</a> is still only a few months old, so the selection of apps isn't that great. For instance, there is no Dropbox or Evernote app, and I miss more apps from Google, particularly Google Maps - WP7, not surprisingly, has Bing Maps integrated and the app just doesn't work as well as Google's. <br />
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And just like the Android Market, the Windows Phone Marketplace doesn't allow purchases from my country, so I can't really enjoy any of the cool game titles already available in the application store. You do however get the option to Try out a lot of the paid apps and games, which is a really cool feature.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">And the winner is...</span></span></b><br />
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One thing is for sure - while similar on paper, iOS, Android and Windows Phone 7 provide quite a different user experience. Which one is best? Well, it really depends on what you're looking for.<br />
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iOS is certainly a more solid platform with an amazing selection of apps, which isn't surprising considering it was the first to launch. Android is perfect for geeks that enjoy fiddling with their devices. And WP7 is cute, but needs to grow up a bit more and get more developers interested in making good apps. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-P7d7H8Wne70/TXDNW4PsVEI/AAAAAAAAAso/bYhPGquR8xQ/s1600/ipod-touch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-P7d7H8Wne70/TXDNW4PsVEI/AAAAAAAAAso/bYhPGquR8xQ/s1600/ipod-touch.jpg" /></a></div><br />
For me, iOS is certainly the first choice. It's simple, yet mature enough to provide all the extra goodies (such as tethering). WP7 is also an OS that I could see my grandpa using, as he probably wouldn't miss any of the yet missing apps. And Android is a solid choice for everyone that is bothered by Apple's "closed" system and is looking for variety in hardware, but not something I'd recommend for the average user.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">What does it all mean?</span></span></b><br />
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So, we have at least three platforms that will be running smartphones and tablets of our future. And we keep hearing the future will be mobile, which also means we can expect the big mobile operating systems to find their way into our classrooms and be used as teaching tools. I therefore invite you to join me in <a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2011/03/ios-android-and-windows-phone-7.html">part 2</a> to explore which of the 3 platforms might have the biggest potential for learning.<br />
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<a href="http://ialja.blogspot.com/2011/03/ios-android-and-windows-phone-7.html">>> iOS, Android and Windows Phone 7: the classroom potential [Part 2]</a>Alja Isakovićhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162969234960402931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-87613526366437142792011-02-01T10:58:00.003+01:002011-02-01T11:04:17.945+01:00iMoot 2011 to explore New Directions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2011.imoot.org/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DSTcHBBvTM/TUfWkWg2FII/AAAAAAAAAq0/yxkBsc_JHYo/s1600/imoot+logo.png" /></a></div><p><a href="http://moodlemoot.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=11">MoodleMoots</a>, conferences dedicated to users, administrators and developers of Moodle, our beloved open-source learning management system, have always been my favorite events for exchanging learning and teaching experiences. This year, I'm particularly excited about attending <b><a href="http://2011.imoot.org/">iMoot2011</a></b>, the second annual web based International Moodle Moot.</p>iMoot2011 will be running from <b>30th April to 3rd May 2011</b>, 24 hours a day to accommodate different time zones. If you want to get involved as a presenter, you can <a href="http://2011.imoot.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=4">submit presentation proposals and academic papers</a> by February 19th, or <a href="http://2011.imoot.org/mod/book/view.php?id=31&chapterid=9">register</a> as an attendee (got my early bird registration yesterday!).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2011.imoot.org/mod/book/view.php?id=31&chapterid=11" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DSTcHBBvTM/TUfWyoZRhwI/AAAAAAAAAq4/aab6wPjlNIk/s320/new_directions.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The theme for iMoot2011 is <a href="http://2011.imoot.org/mod/book/view.php?id=31&chapterid=11"><b>New Directions</b></a>, a fitting title considering Moodle 2.0 has finally been released at the end of last year. However, it's good to know that Moodle's new directions won't be the main focus on the conference; instead, the goal of the conference will be to explore the potential of using new technologies and pedagogical ideas in an evolving online learning space, where Moodle is just a piece of the puzzle.<br />
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You can find more info about the conference on the <a href="http://2011.imoot.org/">official iMoot2011 website</a>. I'm certainly looking forward to participating in the conference, getting new ideas and meeting new and old Moolde buddies. Will you be joining us?Alja Isakovićhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162969234960402931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-165916589276950502011-01-24T15:09:00.000+01:002011-01-24T15:09:03.292+01:00Sharable Bits: Compliments, Doing Nothing, Standing Desk<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Blog post: Genuine compliments matter</span></b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2011/01/students-say-id-rather-have-compliment.html"><b>Students say: "I'd rather have a compliment than sex or pizza!"</b></a></div><br />
<b>Why it's worth sharing:</b> Vicki A. Davis reminds us about how important it is to give genuine compliments to our students and colleagues every day. I certainly try to follow this advice in my day to day work. Remembering to thank people for their effort and acknowledging their success is a simple gesture that can make a big impact. After all, we all want to be good at what we're doing and to know that what we do is meaningful, don't we?<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Challenge: Do Nothing for Two Minutes</span></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DSTcHBBvTM/TT2CuUTc9JI/AAAAAAAAAqs/XKTRdWJDWRI/s1600/do-nothing-for-2-minutes.png" /></a></div><br />
<b>Why it's worth sharing:</b> It's a <a href="http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/">simple website</a> with a simple idea: relax and do nothing for only two minutes. Easy, no? Well, it turns out it can be quite a challenge if you're used to constantly check your e-mails, Facebook, Twitter and what not. It's certainly a nice idea that encourages to stop and relax, even if it is just for our couple of minutes. Perhaps we'd all felt a little bit better if we passed this simple challenge every day. (via <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/01/22/do-nothing-website/">@mashable</a>)<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">Idea: Standing desk</span></b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ginatrapani/5357711375/" title="Standing desk by ginatrapani, on Flickr"><img alt="Standing desk" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5082/5357711375_3850019910.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<b>Why it's worth sharing:</b> Gina Trapani's blog post <a href="http://smarterware.org/7102/how-and-why-i-switched-to-a-standing-desk">Why and How I Switched to a Standing Desk</a> provides a nice overview of the transition from a traditional "sitdown desk" to a standing desk and working on your feet. As someone, who tends to sit behind the computer desk in awkward positions all day long, I find this idea quite intriguing. I admit - I haven't decided to make the switch yet, but at least the post reminded me that I should get up and stretch more often during the day.<br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><b>Sharable Bits</b> is a series of weekly posts that will highlight some of the most interesting bits and bytes that I stumble upon. No bad news, just ideas that inspire, touch or entertain in a unique way.</span></i>Alja Isakovićhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162969234960402931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-43794868710779527612011-01-13T13:53:00.002+01:002011-01-13T13:54:48.775+01:00Mobile single-tasking leads the way to a more human friendly desktop<a href="http://draft.blogger.com/h#" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DSTcHBBvTM/TS7xfggYv1I/AAAAAAAAAqY/vgXUarsDnAM/s1600/appstore_20100403.jpg" /></a><br />
The web seems like somethings everyone should know how to use by now. But what about the less experienced aka the majority of users? Do they really know how to use their browsers? And understand what's going on on their computer screens?<br />
<p>I think computers are still mysterious, magic boxes for a lot of people outside the tech savvy crowd, and we need to keep looking for solutions that can change that perception. Perhaps by learning from simple, easy to use, user centered mobile devices, like the iPad.</p><br />
<b>The web is a strange place for the average user</b><br />
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As a reader (or occasional visitor) of this blog, you probably have a good basic understanding of how the web works. You're probably familiar with the concept of a web browser and how your browser interacts with web servers to display different web locations. You know how to copy, type and check the URL of a website to make sure you've opened the right web page, and you're probably reading this page in one of the many tabs open in your browser, perhaps even an RSS reader.<br />
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But all of the above isn't such an easy task for everyone. If you think the web is easy to use, I challenge you to observe the way so-called "average users" interact with it. Users, who have never received any real training, and are not really interested in understanding how the whole system works. They just want to check their e-mail, share photos on Facebook or find a store's phone number on the web.<br />
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I have seem that many times in the past few months (while trying to teach them how to use a pretty complex online tool), and I must say it has changes my perspective. The web just seems like a different place for the average user than it is to me or probably you. It's a place where the Google search box is your starting point because you don't know the URL of your school's website, it's a place where you only use one window at a time (tabs? what tabs?), it's a place full of confusion and notifications you don't really understand. Update? Pop-ups? RSS? Java script? Is that even English?<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://icanhascheezburger.com/2008/03/03/funny-pictures-we-dint-touch-it/"><img alt="Humorous Pictures" src="http://icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/files/2008/02/funny-pictures-cats-computer-blue-screen-death.jpg" style="font-size: 552267px; word-spacing: 552267px;" /></a></div><br />
It's just so different from the world we, the tech crowd, live in. It's not a world where the lack of multitasking before iOS 4 was a problem, it's a world where no multitasking is a great feature.<br />
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<b>Why do you make me switch windows and apps?</b><br />
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It's certainly something that we should all keep in mind when designing user interfaces and user experiences on the web. You think your registration process, which requires e-mail confirmation, is simple? Think again. The average user doesn't want to switch windows and apps, and doesn't want to read your friendly instructions about activation and other nonsense. They just want to get things done.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DSTcHBBvTM/TS7qHIk45oI/AAAAAAAAAqU/vHMNkHVoYso/s1600/WP7-tiles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DSTcHBBvTM/TS7qHIk45oI/AAAAAAAAAqU/vHMNkHVoYso/s1600/WP7-tiles.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo: </i></span><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-ww/default.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Microsoft.com</i></span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>And that is where we can learn a lot from the new generation of smartphone operating systems (thinking mainly about iOS and Windows Phone 7, I'll leave my Android rant for another post). They make it easier for people to understand what they'll get and where to get it. With big, easy to tap icons, and a simple, physical Home button that always gets you back to the starting line. No complicated lists of programs, no need to decide where to save your files... In many ways, the mobile OS is smarter than your desktop OS, even though the "smartness" is a result of the limits such small devices have.<br />
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<b>Let the OS do the work and just enjoy the ride</b><br />
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Many of the features that make current smartphones so pleasant to use, were first introduced by Apple. Of course, a lot of skeptics laughed at the lack of multitasking, physical keyboard and what not, but 4 years after the original iPhone came out, everyone is trying to make a better iPhone. Not a better smartphone per se, but a better iPhone. And even though the geeks love Android for being a more open platform, iPhone keeps setting the standard for the high-end smartphone market.<br />
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And I think Apple is actually on the right track again with the concept of <a href="http://www.apple.com/macosx/lion/">Mac OS X Lion</a>, the next major upgrade to their desktop OS due to be released this summer. Lion will take a bold step at bringing features from the mobile world - the magic of iPad, as they call it - to the desktop. A unified place to download, buy and update your applications, a launchpad with big, colorful icons, and full-screen apps that take away all the distractions of your desktop.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DSTcHBBvTM/TS7ncrBNCuI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/r6auLqSJrGU/s1600/lion-full-screen-iphoto-app.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DSTcHBBvTM/TS7ncrBNCuI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/r6auLqSJrGU/s1600/lion-full-screen-iphoto-app.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo: </i></span><a href="http://www.apple.com/macosx/lion/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Apple.com</i></span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I can see all this being a big hit with the average users (time to switch grandpa to Mac OS X!). An app for Facebook, an app for your e-mail, an app for your workspace (which lives in the cloud, but you don't really know or care about it), and an app for Google, so you can find everything else. And you don't have to worry about whether apps are closed or open and about saving your work. You want to do something else? Fine, hit the "Home button" and come back to the first app when you're done, picking it up just where you left it.<br />
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<b>Mobile devices are changing our expectations</b><br />
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While the emphasis in the discussions about the mobile revolution often seems to be on portability and the business opportunities of mobile apps, let's not forget about how all these mobile devices are changing the way people interact with computers and their expectations. <br />
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We are already seeing examples of how the iPad and similar devices are influencing web design, and I definitely think that's a positive trend that will make more and more web destinations feel more natural and uncluttered. Now is the right time to take a look at the web sites we build and maintain, and figure out how to make it more mobile and consequently human friendly.<br />
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And the end result will not be something just the less tech savvy users will enjoy; I think we can all benefit from less clutter and distractions. After all, it makes much more sense to have interfaces that adapt to the way people think, than to have people adapt to interfaces they have to use.<br />
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Additional readings:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.inspiredm.com/2010/02/09/ipad-design/">How iPad Affects the Way we Design Websites? | Inspired Magazine</a></li>
<li><a href="http://memeburn.com/2011/01/4-ways-tablet-computing-is-influencing-web-design/">4 ways tablet computing is influencing web design | memeburn</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mashable.com/2010/09/30/ipad-web-design/">How the iPad Is Transforming Web Design (case studies) | Mashable</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzgleuEUz0o">Apple Previews Mac OS X Lion | YouTube @BNETvideo</a> </li>
</ul>Alja Isakovićhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162969234960402931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36582796.post-46085568282156647312010-12-26T10:35:00.000+01:002010-12-26T10:35:35.196+01:00Happy HolidaysI just wanted to stop by for a minute to wish everyone <b>Happy Holidays and a 2011 full of new discoveries</b> with my favorite video of this holiday season. See you next year!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nn2h3_aH3vo?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nn2h3_aH3vo?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></div>Alja Isakovićhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09162969234960402931noreply@blogger.com