A few days ago, I noted that Seesmic Web had perfected the management of Twitter contacts. I was wrong. A new service has been brought to my attention that is much, much better. Actually, it’s a must-use.
While Seesmic Web is great for a number of things (it’s arguably the best Twitter web client out there), ManageTwitter is great at one thing: managing your Twitter followers. To use it, you simply link up your Twitter account (via OAuth) and it lets you know which of the Twitter users you follow aren’t following you back, who is inactive, who is talkative, and who is quiet. Each of these are great gauges for whether you should still be following them or not.
Personally, I was able to eliminate over 200 people I was following that I determined I shouldn’t be. Most of these were users I followed a couple years ago that either were simply not using the service any more, or were no longer that interesting to me.
Unfollowing users is as simple as selecting their name and clicking the “unfollow” button. You can also do this in bulk. And hovering over any users gives you more information about them including their average tweets per day. You can also sort the various ManageTwitter fields by ‘date followed,’ ‘username,’ ‘followers,’ or ‘timezone.’
While there are no shortage of services that recommend people you should follow, I’ve long needed one to suggest who I maybe shouldn’t be following. Of those, ManageTwitter is easily the best.
Created by the Australian company Melon Media, the site notes that it has unfollowed 17092 people for 381 users in the past 3 days.
We love finding and sharing freebies with our readers, especially icons. We do this so you can focus on doing what’s important, instead of spending all your time searching the internet. In this article, we’ve rounded up 20 sets of freshly created free icons. If you don’t have an immediate need for them, I’m sure you can find a place for them in your icon library.
Shiny Icons
Once
Mini Icon Set
Fidelity
Vector Social Media Icons
TRANQUILITI
WooFunction
32 Pixel Social Media Icons
Oxe Icons Set
Mixed Icons Pack
Touchscreen Icons
Applications Icons
Nixus
Roundy
Help
Sketchy Web Icons
Medical Icons
MinIcons
Pos Machine Icons
Absque
Because I hail from Massachusetts, where our politicians are famous for being against something before they are for it, I’ll just state this: I was dead set against another data plan for wireless Internet before I was for it. I pay $70 a month for my Edge iPhone contract. Adding in any sort of additional data plan would jump my “out of house” Internet access costs to over $100/month.
However, as I look to use an iPad to supplement my iPhone usage — or have a device that does sit between an iPhone and my MacBook Pro — I’ve been giving this question a lot of thought. I’m not a heavy traveller. Most of my “travel” time is spent on the commuter rail, and the MBTA has at least one or two Wi-Fi-equipped coaches per train. The service isn’t great — Edge access on my iPhone is faster — but it’s handy if I need to get my laptop online. Due to security reasons, I can’t get a device on the wireless network at work, so I would have to hope that if I needed to get a file onto the iPad, the rumored mounting solution would work.
So, assuming I always have my iPhone with me, the odds are very good I’ll not be without Internet access. The problem, though, is the more I check my e-mail, read blogs, Twitter, watch a video, etc. on the iPhone, I’m running the battery down and can’t use it as a phone. This is problematic for emergency uses, and a hassle when you get home and your wife asks, “Did you get my voice mail about picking something up for me?” As a result, I have a support line of charging cables (one by the bed, one in my home office, one in my work office, two in my bag, one in my truck) because the iPhone battery life is so abysmal.
Which gets me to thinking: if the iPad can handle that and the battery dies down, I’m not crap out of luck. I can wait until I get home, to the office etc. to charge it. Plus, there’s enough times during the year I want a device larger than an iPhone to get online with: My dad and I take road trips, and I’d like to leave my MacBook at home and not worry about getting online if the hotel doesn’t have free Wi-Fi. A month’s worth of iPad data usage is roughly 2-3 nights of paid Wi-Fi in a hotel. So, I came around to the idea that additional “always on” Internet isn’t a bad thing. Once I had that paradigm shift, I started debating the idea of a Verizon MiFi vs. the iPad 3G.
The MiFi is an interesting device. It’s about the same size as a credit card and can get up to five devices online, Without a two-year contract it’s $269 and then $60 a month. With a two-year contact, it’s $99 and $60/month. The iPad 3G is $130 more, and no-contract plans range from $15 (for an almost useless amount of data) to $30 for what they claim is unlimited.
On the surface, the 3G seems like a better economic model. If financial hardships befall me, I can cancel the 3G plan and suffer like the rest of the great unwashed masses, or, if I don’t use it much, I can just activate it when I need to. It’s very flexible.
Where the MiFi starts to shine is connecting more than one device , and each of those devices thinks it’s on a Wi-Fi network. This is very key when you think of the restrictions Apple has placed on the iTunes store. Want do download an album that’s over 20MB? You can’t. Also, apps that simply don’t work on 3G (like placing Skype Calls) now do. The extra frosting is it’s not on AT&T, so I’m doubly covered for data access.
In the end, I’m going to just get the 3G iPad. It’s cheaper with no contract, and if I really have to, I can use it as a bridge to getting data to and from my MacBook — I can’t tether, but if needed I can exchange Word files via sync. It’s also an all-in-one device; I won’t have to worry about extra charging cables or another battery life. Were I a more heavy traveller, carrying all three devices with me, I would be giving the MiFi serious thought. As an aside, for the rare times I need to get my MacBook online, I might look at the Virgin Broadband2go. It’s only $100, and pay-as-you-go prices range from $10-50.
How about you? Are you getting the iPad 3G, or looking into a device like the MiFi?
Related GigaOM Pro Research:
• 5 Tips for Developers Targeting the iPad
• Web Tablet Survey: Apple’s iPad Hits Right Notes
• With The iPad, Apple Takes Google To the Mat
Google Chrome, like Firefox, has the ability to increase its functionality and capabilities through the use of extensions. If you’re a web developer, Google Chrome comes with a nice set of developer tools built in that will make your life easier. But there are also a number of extensions that will give you even more tools at your disposal. The great thing about extensions is that they allow you to perform tasks that would normally require you to switch over to another application. Being able to perform certain tasks without leaving your browser can be a big time saver.
Here are 13 Google Chrome extensions that you should find very useful.
Color Picker
Color Oicker lets you quickly get the Hex and RGB values of any color! Also adjust Hue, Saturation, and Balance.
Firebug Lite
Firebug Lite is a tool for web developers, that allows you to edit, debug, and monitor CSS, HTML, and JavaScript live in any web page.
Domain Availability Checker
This extension checks the availability of a domain name. What’s the point of going to another page when you can check it from your toolbar.
Aviary Screen Capture
Aviary Screen Capture allows you to ake a screenshot of any webpage and edit it directly in your browser with Aviary.com applications. Plus it has convenient access to the Aviary website and tools.
Lorem Ipsum Generator
Lorem Ipsum Generator gives you an easy and convenient way to generate dummy text for your design mock-ups.
IE Tab
Use Internet Explorer to display web pages in a Chrome tab. Some sites can only be displayed using IE, and with this extension you can now see those sites without leaving Chrome. Great for web developers who want to test the IE rendering engine, users who use sites with ActiveX controls, and users who want to use the explorer view for local files (i.e. file:// URLs).
MeasureIt!
MeasureIt! gives you the ability to draw out a ruler that will help you get the pixel width and height of any elements on a webpage.
PlainClothes
This extension styles — or rather “unstyles” — the web. Just imagine: text is black, backgrounds are white, unread links are blue, visited links are purple, all links are underlined. Or any other colors you like. And all text is rendered in your default fonts (as defined in “Options” > “Under the Hood” > “Change font and language settings”). Everywhere. Automatically.
Eye Dropper
Eye Dropper and Color Picker extension which allows you to pick color from any webpage or from advanced color picker.
Speed Tracer
Speed Tracer is a tool to help you identify and fix performance problems in your web applications. It visualizes metrics that are taken from low level instrumentation points inside of the browser and analyzes them as your application runs. Speed Tracer is available as a Chrome extension and works on all platforms where extensions are currently supported (Windows and Linux).
Pendule
Pendule extends the already built-in developer tools of Chrome.
Resolution Test
Resolution Test changes the size of the browser window for developers to preview their websites in different screen resolutions. It includes a list of commonly used resolutions as well as a custom option for you to input your own.
Snippy
Snippy allows you to grab snippets of web pages and save them for future use. It captures rich contents and preserves formatting, so you can capture paragraphs, images, links and more.
This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.
Facebook is known for its uniformity. You can post all sorts of content, but the actual design and layout of your profile is the same as everyone else’s.
But with Facebook Fan Pages and the array of apps you can plug into them, there are a few ways you can customize what people see when they land on your Page.
You’ve probably seen custom Fan Pages like those of Best Buy and Victoria’s Secret. When you land there, you start on what is essentially a mini website within Facebook, instead of the Page’s wall or feed.
These are often used to promote deals, call attention to new products, or simply welcome visitors with an attractive branded splash page. Anyone with a Fan Page can create one, but it takes a little effort. Here’s how.
1. Add the Static FBML App
The tabs at the top of your Facebook Fan Page are apps. Some, like your wall and photos are built into Facebook. Others are essentially plug-ins where fans can view external content, like YouTube videos, Flickr photos, etc.
The app you need for your custom page is called “Static FBML,” located here. If you’re logged into Facebook, you can add it to your Page. It is essentially a blank canvas where you can add whatever content you want, including custom graphics and links via standard HTML.
2. Set Up Your Tab
Once you’ve added the Static FBML app, click “Edit Page” below your company’s profile image. This will bring up all your settings and apps. Look for the FBML app and click the “Application Settings” link.
The app can function in two ways: As a set of boxes, or as one dedicated profile tab. If you’re building a splash page, you’ll probably want to use it as a tab, so go ahead and make sure that the “Box” setting is removed, and the “Tab” setting is added. You can always experiment with boxes later if you find them more useful.
3. Add Your Content
Once you’re in tab mode, go back to your settings and click the “Edit” link under the Static FBML app. This opens a standard text field where you can add your content.
“Box Title” will be the name of your tab, so you’ll want to change it to something appropriate, like “This Week’s Deals,” “Special Offers,” or simply “Welcome,” depending on how you plan to use your Page.
The main text field is where your content goes, and you can add standard HTML to the page as you would any website, including images, text, links, and other formatting. No need for HTML, BODY, or HEAD tags.
Note that your images must be hosted elsewhere (on your company’s website, for example) and only referenced in your HTML code.
4. Make It the Default Landing Page
If you want this new tab to be the “face” of your business Fan Page, head back over to your page settings and edit your “Wall Settings.” There is an option for “Default Landing Tab for Everyone Else.” From that menu, select your new tab.
From now on, it will be the first thing visitors see when they arrive.
5. Engage Further With FBML
FBML stands for Facebook Markup Language, and it is the code used in Facebook applications to reference items on the social network, like user profiles, groups, feeds, and other data. If you’re really looking to integrate your landing page and get interactive with visitors, it might be worthwhile to learn this language.
A great primer on FBML and a resource for optimizing your Facebook landing page in general can be found in my colleague Tamar Weinberg’s Techipedia article on the subject.
More business resources from Mashable:
- 5 Ways to Avoid Sabotaging Your Personal Brand Online
- 4 Elements of a Successful Business Web Presence
- HOW TO: Implement a Social Media Business Strategy
- HOW TO: Choose a News Reader for Keeping Tabs on Your Industry
- HOW TO: Measure Social Media ROI
- HOW TO: Use Social Media to Connect with Other Entrepreneurs
Reviews: Facebook, Flickr, YouTube
Tags: business, facebook, how to, List, Lists, small business, social media, social networks, web design, Web Development