pctoolbox.co.uk

I think it is safe to admit that I am not the only one who has a wordpress blog, facebook account and a twitter profile, all of which get updated from time to time.  Some more regularly than others and some with the same info!

In fact I have three wordpress blogs! Brandstar, PCToolbox and a Personal Blog. I also have a personal and business twitter profile and I was thinking, there must be a way of linking all this! After a bit of digging I found, there is!

Basically I decided that I want to get information, updates and more off the WordPress and Facebook accounts and published on Twitter. It seems like the logical way round to me.

The key tool for doing this is TwitterFeed as it makes it nice and easy with just these steps

Register for a TwitterFeed account (you only have to do this once and you can then link lots of RSS feeds to twitter through your TwitterFeed account.)

• Link to your Twitter profile, (make sure twitter is open in another tab), then in TwitterFeed choose ‘Create New Feed’ and choose Connect your feed to your Twitter account
• Give the Feed a name
• Link to the RSS Feed of where the information is coming from!  (more info below)

Ok, so the last bit might be the hardest for some people I admit. On WordPress you just have to look for the icon that looks like the orange one to the right (some themes have varied the style and colour but should be recognisable) or you can go direct to the feed by typing /feed after the blog address … e.g. for PCToolbox it is www.pctoolbox.co.uk/feed and the brandstar.co.uk feed is www.brandstar.co.uk/wp/feed  (the wp is teh directory wordpress is installed in).

Facebook doesn’t make finding the feed that easy … so follow these instructions and you will be away

1. Log into Facebook
2. Click notifications in the bottom right hand corner of the screen
3. Press ‘See All’ when the notifications pop-up appears
4. Under all the tick boxes you will see ‘Your Notifications’, click that
5. You will then see a big list of ALL your notifications, this could be the feed you want, but if you just want YOUR status updates like I did then keep reading
6. The URL in the address bar at the very top will read something like “http://www.facebook.com/feeds/notifications.php?id=123456789&viewer=1234567891&key=t4654562v&format=rss20″
7. You need to change the word ‘notifications’ that I have bold-ed above to read ‘status’ so the URL reads similar to this “http://www.facebook.com/feeds/status.php?id=123456789&viewer=1234567891&key=t4654562v&format=rss20″
8. Hit ENTER and that will show you all your Status updates, copy that URL from the address bar and that is you FEED when you are setting up TwitterFeed to send info to Twitter!

I hope that helps, enjoy, have fun and stay connected!

Grae.

Live Mesh is a new application from the ‘Windows Live‘ range.  Mesh enables you to connect to your devices, desktops etc from anywhere in the world.  This really is a breakthrough in technology in a market which is becoming more and more internet based.  There is just one thing which you must do to be able to use the software which is to have a free Windows Live ID.

You can synchronize information/documents you need between devices which eliminates any reliance on emails.  To do this you’d just simply have to install the Live Mesh software onto each device and then upload the information through the filling system on the application.  This therefore allows you to be able to access all the documents you add to Mesh from anywhere, assuming you have an internet connection.

You are also able to share with family, friends and colleagues by inviting them to use/view a folder in your Mesh.  In the shred folder you are able to update documents, post comments and use instant messaging between folder between members.

There is also a news feature which keeps you up to date on any changes which have been made to any of the folders which you are a member of.  This also shows you if other folder members are online or not.

There of course is a limited amount of space you can use which is just over 5GB.  5GB is plenty for a majority of users, but a few may find it too little.

What do you think of Mesh?

Acrobat.com is a brand spanking new site with some breakthrough and exciting features!  Acrobat.com is from Adobe and it provides a variety of online services such as; Word Processing, PDF Converting, File Sharing, Instant Messaging, Online Conferencing, File Managing and much more!  The five main features that Acrobat.com provides are:

• Buzzword
• Share
• ConnectNow
• Create PDF
• My Files

To use the website’s services you need to Create an Acrobat Account which is completely free!  To do this just go to the Acrobat Website then select the services you would like to use then click ‘Begin’ and then select ‘Sign Up’.

Read the rest of this entry »

We are going to do a couple of series for the quick tip posts, starting with a Wireless Planning Series For Beginners. So here we go!

First thing to think about is Equipment, the two pieces to consider are

• A router of some sort
• A wireless adaptor, either internal (PCI) or external (USB). If your machine doesn’t already have wireless capabilities.

Things to remember/consider when choosing your router:

• If you don’t already have a modem to connect you to the internet remember to get a Wireless Modem Router either for ADSL (BT) or DSL (Cable Suppliers)
• If you do already have a modem that has a spare ethernet port (most likely a router) then you can buy a Wireless Access Point or WAP. These are often cheaper.
• There are different types of wireless connection, B, G, and N. Different connections have different speeds and different ranges, This is important to consider when purchasing your router. Your supplier will be able to advise you. In short this is roughly where to use them:
• B – In the same room or adjacent rooms, I wouldn’t expect it to stretch much further unless you have thin walls (not really used anymore)
• G – Generally a small house will cope with a router like this, or if you require something faster than B!
• N – Fairly new technology and you need to ensure your wireless adaptor can take advantage of the new technology but in theory this should cover your house and some of the garden as well!

Which type of Wireless Network Adaptor is best?

There are three types of wireless network adaptor, PCI and USB are in my mind the ones to consider. PCI is for internal Desktop use, the USB is external and can be used on laptop or desktop. The third option is for laptops and is PCMCIA and I am not a fan as I have found it to be less reliable than a USB adaptor.

USB

USB adaptors are easy to fit, you just need a CD drive to install the software and a spare USB port and you are away and ready to connect to a wireless network.

PCI

PCI adaptors are more tidy that USB adaptors, no cables to worry about although you do need to be comfortable opening up your computer to install them. Also, if the machine is hidden under the desk or under a shelf then you are immediately restricting the signal. If the wireless network point is in the same room this shouldn’t be an issue.

So there we go, a slightly longer Quick Tip this week, but part one of a series in Planning a Wireless Network – For Beginners I hope it gets you started!