While using the Tweetie 2 Twitter client on my iPhone a couple of weeks ago, I realized the app developer saw fit to include the option of using any URL shortening service I might desire if the shortening service provided an appropriate API.
Since dynamIt already has a URL shortener built into our site, all we needed was a suitable API. I was able to use the existing scripting to generate and store the shortened URL, and only needed to adjust how the shortened URL was returned for suitable API use.
TinyURL has set a precedent for the simplest response possible—just the new shortened URL. Try calling the following action in your browser where [URL] is the URL you would like to shorten:
http://dynamit.us/url/api.dT?url=[URL]
The response will be the resulting shortened dynamit.us URL in plain text. You can optionally include the title of the page whose URL you are shortening as well:
While this simple plain text response can be interpreted by most applications, some developers may prefer a Bit.ly / JSON style response that looks something like this:
{ "shortUrl": "http://dynamit.us/222" }
If so, just add the URL variable “json=true” to the API call (with or without the optional [TITLE] variable):
http://dynamit.us/url/api.dT?json=true&url=[URL]
The Tweetie 2 application I use on my iPhone will accept either format. In Tweetie 2, go to Settings > Services > URL Shortening > Custom and enter:
http://dynamit.us/url/api.dT?url=%@
Or if you want to use the Bit.ly / JSON format just for fun:
http://dynamit.us/url/api.dT?json=true&url=%@
Tweetie recognizes “%@” as where it should include the URL in the API call. Now whenever I am tweeting from my phone and want to include a URL, Tweetie will automatically use the dynamit.us URL shortener to shorten the link for me!
Are there other places where you might like to use our URL shortener?
Recently, we’ve had multiple requests for “print” links and printable versions of web sites. So, I started wondering, with widespread access including mobile, does anyone still print from web?
I posed the following question over twitter the other day: Does anyone actually print websites? If so, what types of sites and how often?
Some of the responses:
@Selicker: I print maps, instructions, and recipes
@noahwesley: I’ll rarely print a blog post/article to read later if I’m going to be bored and w/o laptop.
@fricto: My wife @owlpoo prints blog posts about cooking and knitting for the recipes/patterns quite a bit.
@beccarkt: yes! For competitive audits for clients and for articles, etc. Probably a couple times a week
So, YES. People still do print from web. They print stuff like, recipes, instructions, maps, long articles, and reports. Frequency seemed to vary-some as often as every few days, others very rarely-but the fact remains, web users still hit Control+P.
But even if not many users are printing from web anymore (which I have concluded is NOT the case), it is still really important to define a stylesheet for print.
It’s not that difficult to do, CSS makes it so easy for us to implement a print-only stylesheet. Sure it takes some more dev time to define layout styles that hide the fluff, ensure high contrast, and size things appropriately. But, that extra time makes your content and site much more accessible and usable.
Here are some dynamIt tips to writing that print stylsheet:
If you do not already know this here is how to specify the media type for a style sheet:
<link type=”text/css” rel=”stylesheet” href=”print.css” media=”print” />
Remove things that don’t need to be seen when printed: navigation, features that do not pertain to the page’s primary content, ads (maybe?). The easiest way to do this is use display: none;
Make sure that your text-to-background contrast is high. This is essential for readability.
Do not bother making background images or colors print. People do not print from web for the design, they want content. (See above).
If you are building from a fixed-pixel width design, keep your printable content around 700 pixels wide or less.
Don’t forget to test it out by printing (and yes this means printing from IE6, IE7, FF2, FF3, Opera, Safari).
Journalists lead interesting lives, their work takes them to unique places even in the local setting. This is a life that most of us will never know beyond what we see on the news and in the papers.
However, I have found that technology allows us to dig a bit deeper and have a stronger experience than traditional media. Consider this scenario:
Last week dynamIt was interviewed about StartUp Weekend Columbus, which was held over the weekend at TechColumbus. We were talking rather informally with the reporter and the camera man while they setup in our office. We developed a good rapport with the camera man and so I began following him on Twitter (@AndYL_WCMH).
Andy is an avid Twitter user and often tweets (to use the parlance of our times) from his mobile phone while on the job. For example, the day after the dynamIt interview, Andy was down in Cincinnati to shoot an interview with presidential hopeful John McCain. Twitter received periodic updates of the trip, including a few camera phone pics.
Meanwhile, back in the office, I was following along via Twitter, and I could not help but feel almost as if I were there standing right next to Andy as he was at work. When I watched this story on the news I recalled the behind-the-scenes story told by Andy via Twitter. I was captivated by this story because I knew how it came about. I got so much more out of a simple news program because it was supported by web and mobile technology.
Sometimes it seems like the universe of web applications is just too big and busy. This clutter can be distracting and take away from the main goals of web applications- increased efficiency and experience. So, we got the team together and compiled a list of some of the web applications that we actually use - the ones that actually make a difference in everyday experiences and tasks on the web. We hope you enjoy and find some new favorites.
Our Picks
Mint - “Being able to see where all your money is going is awesome. Mint is a totally free finance software for those interested in personal finances. Get alerts about payments, balances, unusual spending, everything you can think of. Mint connects to over 5,000 US banks, credit unions, credit card, brokerage, and mutual fund companies to keep your personal finances automatically up to date!”- Phil
deviantART- “deviantART is tagged as the largest art community online, providing artists with a way to get their work out there by submitting their personal artwork. As a member you can also tag favorites, follow your favorite artist, comment on other’s artwork or your own, chat, and more. It’s a great place to get a creative spark and chat with like-minded individuals who appreciate art.” - Phil
Google Docs & Google Gears- “Google Docs is an entire productivity suite that is completely web based. When I bought my new laptop I decided not to fork over the additional $250 to purchase Microsoft Office. Instead I opted for Google Docs. Google Docs is powerful and you won’t be missing out on anything- it offers a Word Processor (like Word), and Spreadsheet (like Excel), and a Presentation Creator (like PowerPoint). Just create a Google account, sign-in on the Docs homepage, and create a new document. Not only can you do all of the important stuff that you can with MS Office, but there are other features, consequences of it being web-based that make Google Docs even more powerful and flexible. For example,
You can take it anywhere, all docs are stored online so any computer with internet access allows you to open and edit your documents
You can invite other users to collaborate on the same document and Google will store all versions.
You can export to PDF even without purchasing Acrobat Pro.
You can instantly send the contents of a doc through your Gmail.
Ok…but what if you do NOT have Internet access…you cannot use your word processor, right? Wrong.
This begins the discussion of Google Gears. Google Gears is a lightweight piece of software provided by google that you install on your computer. Once installed you are allowed to use certain Google applications (including Google Docs) in offline mode. Google Docs, in particular, lets you create, store, open, edit document while offline. Then when you get back to a hotspot, simply click a button and your online Google account is synced with your offline Google Gears usage.
Gears works great with Google Reader (which Nick talks about later in this post) as well. You can download feeds and read them while offline. Recently, when on vacation and away from Internet I took all my feeds offline with Gears and was able to read them throughout the trip. Upon my return I synced back up and caught up on everything I missed.” - Bobby
Wikipedia -”Wikipedia is a great friend to the researcher and the curious mind. While there are some issues of legitimacy and accuracy you must be aware of, Wikipedia has changed the way I find information. I use it as a starting point (my default search is set to Wikipedia). In this way, it is a connector, a base for research and search. You can read more about my experiences with Wikipedia in my last blog post, Wikipedia: Good or Evil?” - Bobby
Jambase - “All you need to keep track of your favorite band and their concert schedules. Register, create a profile with your favorite artists and music types selected, your location, and sit back and wait for concert updates and notifications to come your way. JamBase also has a unique music community, which offers users a wealth of information in the form of CD reviews, concert reviews, and video clips from concerts.” -Steve
KeepVid- “Want it, keep it - simple.This is a perfect tool to grab videos from your favorite video sites and keep a copy on your computer. It’s perfect for website videos that are slow to load, or when you just don’t have enough time to watch but want to watch it later.” - Steve
Digg- “Real-time user submitted news, links, and pictures. Users can “digg” the submissions, which get them greater exposure and attention from the Digg community. If your story hits the front page, you are likely to be flooded with thousands of hits and priceless exposure. Money.”- Steve
Evernote - “Evernote just recently launched, but it’s already created a lot of buzz and improved the way I organize things. Think of Evernote as an organization suite, a way to index and sort through all the information you pull in from various sources - magazine excerpts, newspaper articles, pictures, web postings, etc. Evernote then runs all these sources through some powerful recognition technology to index all the various words contained in the images or articles. It’s the best way to catalog all the sources of information you use and see every day into a powerful, dynamic interface that makes searching and organization a breeze.” - Dan
Pandora - “Pandora is internet music that creates playlists and stations based on your input. Start off by telling Pandora one of your favorite songs or artists, and it will find similar songs or artists and start streaming them for you. After a short while, Pandora really does get to know you and your music interests, and will provide you with relevant, exciting new music all day long. Try it out, your ears will thank you.” -Dan
Google Reader- ” From Wikipedia, “Google Reader is a Web-based aggregator, capable of reading Atom and RSS feeds online or offline. It was released by Google on October 7, 2005 through Google Labs. Reader graduated from beta status on 17 September 2007.”Google reader allows me to ’subscribe’ to any site out there that publishes a feed. I can sign into reader, see who has published updated stories and content, how many updates they have and when they were made. It allows me to organize, categorize, share with friends, star for future review and even comment. I read all day every day. Keeping up with news and my industry allows me to suggest the best options for projects. Trying to visit every one of ‘my sites’ every single day to see if they have something new would be impossible. Google Reader is my savior - it coordinates, consolidates and organizes so when I do get a few seconds, I can pick and choose what I want to read.” - Nick
Twitter - “Lot’s of hoopla about Twitter recently. I tried it and will take the first step in admitting that I’m addicted. Twitter is a social media piece that allows you to communicate in 140 characters. Where I’ve found it useful is connecting with industry colleagues and people of interest. Participating in and watching conversations all day long allows me to know where people are, what they’re doing and what they’re working on. I also follow the Dispatch, ESPN, NBC4, Experience Columbus and others. Quick updates and headlines that link to stories allow for unobtrusive information and BOOM - I’m up-to-date without breaking my workflow. Note - many companies and even politicians are very active tweeters. You can follow dynamIt on Twitter here, or my Twitter here.” -Nick
Gmail-”Gmail is a web-based email client created by Google. It’s similar to most traditional email clients in that it allows you to search, store, categorize and archive email but has a few distinct advantages. By virtue of its web basis, Gmail can be accessed from any browser - it’s useful when I’m on the road (often), away from the office, or at home. Although traditional webmail has been around for ages, Gmail is part of a breed of 2.0 webmail applications. Gmail is rich in features, easy to use, and generally a pleasure to access. It provides the features of a traditional email client without the cost or local installation” - Matt
Facebook - “Facebook is truly a web phenomenon and, in many ways, it’s representative of the entire Web 2.0 movement. It has succeeded brilliantly by creating a social environment which has become a vital element of a person’s character and relationships. The Facebook has become a method of self-styled personality, identity and livelihood. It’s truly a resource and allows for a level of digital communication never before available: it is a resource for comprehensive information for friends, acquaintances, and, in some cases, people you may have passed on the street.” - Matt
What would happen if 100 or so like-minded professionals gathered for a weekend in pursuit of converting an idea to a reality? If you are interested in such an experiment, you may be interested in the series of programs known as Startup Weekends. Startup Weekends are 3 day events, seeking to compress processes that usually take months into a long, sleep-deprived weekend. By the end of Friday night, the group decides on an idea to pursue, with the ultimate goal of launching the idea by Sunday night. What happens in the next hours is a mess of excitement, frustration, victories and defeats. It’s quite a process, and it’s memorable to say the least.
Sometimes there is a clear, defined product that launches from the program, but sometimes not. What is most important about these weekends is not the product, but the benefits that such a program can contribute to the community. Startup Weekend is, and always will be, a community-driven experiment that expands and enhances connections. The program first started out in entrepreneurial-minded Boulder, Colorado, and has since taken place in over a dozen cities. I was lucky enough to participate in Bloomington, Indiana Startup Weekend.
How does all of this pertain to dynamIt? Well, Startup Weekend is coming to Columbus (July 18-20), and we are incredibly excited about it. So excited, in fact, that we are helping to sponsor the program by dedicating money and time towards the promotion and execution of the event. TechColumbus, an incredibly progressive and innovative group is at the front of the Columbus weekend, and we are honored to be in partnership with them to allow such a wonderful program to happen in the Capital City. (If you are interested in the tech community in Columbus, make sure to join TechColumbus for member events, programs, and networking).
There is still a limited amount of spaces open for the weekend, and you can register and learn more by visiting the Startup Weekend Columbus Blog. It’s being updated all the time with news and notes as the program nears closer. You can also engage by following the Startup Weekend Columbus Twitter.
One of my last posts (Twitter: The Art of Micro-Blogging) gave some examples of how big companies are making big impact by the way they use the service. This morning, I stumbled across another perfect example. It involves an amusement park in Santa Claus, Indiana. Yes, you heard correctly. The name of the park? Holiday World of course. Besides its collection of world class wooden roller coasters and friendly park atmosphere, Holiday World earns praise for its incredibly open and transparent management team. The owners, the Koch family, are often seen walking the grounds and conversing with visitors. They also have taken this conversation online, operating a frequently updated blog and now, utilizing Twitter. On May 7th they wrote:
“Once we’re open daily (Saturday), it’s our intent to provide running commentary about the day. If you’re in the park and have the feed text-messaged to you, you’ll know which rides have the shortest lines. If you’re not in the park, you might still get a kick out of knowing that stuff.”
What a great use. They have been doing a great job keeping things regularly updated. You can follow along here. Besides being better connected to park visitors, the move to Twitter also gave Holiday World some great PR: their use of Twitter has been featured in articles from the Motley Fool and The Evansville Courier & Press.
So, using Twitter can connect you better with followers and fans and also gain you some great press attention. What’s not to love?
ds the promotion and execution of the event. 