Jeffrey Donenfeld

Tag: via Twitter

  • Updating WordPress – Summary of Changes

    Today has been a big blog update day – not necessarily for content, but more for general code and structure of my site. I’m still running on the standard “Twenty Eleven” theme for WordPress.org, but I’ve updated a few things. Updates today include:

    • oEmbed flickr photo embed size tweaks – I figured out the optimal media embed default dimentions necessary to make Flickr photos look as good as possible. Example at the bottom. Unfortunately, it looks like Flickr is still only serving 640px photos via the oEmbed API hook. Ideally I’d like embedded photos to track the content area width, going all the way up to something like 1024px or 2048px, however it appears that currently Flickr limits the size. I also experimented with oEmbed’s ability to embed different link types from flickr. If  pasting in a normal link to the flickr photo page, the resulting embedded photo will hyperlink back to the normal flickr photo page. However, if you append /lightbox, as is the standard url for the lightbox photo view, WordPress and oEmbed will handle it correctly, and hyperlink the embedded photo to the corresponding lightbox layout. Much better in my opinion. Finally,  links to the flash-based Flickr slideshow will be properly handled, and appear on browsers with Flash as an inline slideshow. However, unfortunately nothing shows up on non-flash browsers (like Safari on iOS). Ideally, the oEmbed should recognize this, and provide a text hyperlink to the original URL, in the case that the Flash cannot be displayed. In the case of the flickr slideshow, if a mobile device without Flash visits the link, Flickr will inteligently route over to a lightbox view, instead of the flash slideshow. Good.
    • Cleaned up and deleted a bunch of plugins. There were at least 10 plugins that I wasn’t using, and those have now been both deactivated and deleted. This includes PubStubHubub, NextGenGallery, AddThis Social Sharing, Flickr Easy Embed, and a number of others. This should make my WordPress installation a bit more lean and fast, and should reduce my reliance on plugins to provide basic site functionality. In the interest of futureproofing my site, I’m very much trying to keep site functionality restricted to built in features. This should reduce the amount of future maintenance needed to keep the site up and working well into the future.
    • Installed and setup the Facebook WordPress Plugin. This is the official plugin from Facebook, and allows me to integrate not only “likes” into my blog, but also comments, shares, etc. It goes both ways too, so that when people comment on my blog posts on my blog, the comments flow to facebook, and vice versa. I’m sure it will still take a bit of tuning to get everything right, but based on my experience with other 3rd party Facebook plugins, this one seems to be the best.
    • Rearrange a few of my Twitter follow me buttons. I also played around with embedding the official Twitter widget, which is much more slick and full featured than the WordPress Jetpack Twitter widget. However, the official Twitter widget’s code would not run correctly in a text widget area, and I abandoned the project.
    • Updated the site background. Yep, now it’s a linen texture, similar to many Apple setup screens and backgrounds. I like the look, although I’m a bit concerned that the 11kb background tile might be slowing down page load more than I’d like.
    • Activated WordPress Jetpack sharing buttons. I wanted to use as few plugins as possible, and since I was already using Jetpack for a number of tasks, I thought it would be more streamlined to use the Jetpack sharing buttons, rather than the Add This sharing buttons.

    That’s about it for today’s updates. Thanks for reading, and let me know if you have any more suggestions or comments. Also, I’ll be looking forward to updating my site with the Twenty Twelve theme, when it’s finally released – hopefully soon.

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/7974434943/lightbox

  • WordPress 3.4 Green Automagically Embeds Tweets

    Great new functionality in the new version of WordPress 3.4 Green – custom embeds for Tweets. Glad to see WP is adding support for new media types, and reaching through URL’s to custom format. Other features of WordPress 3.4 in the codex changelog.

    https://twitter.com/jeffzilla/status/213338436994732032

    They’ve actually already been doing this with sites like Flickr and YouTube, by way of the OEmbed Protocol, and it looks like 3.4’s integration with Twitter really is just an extension of oEmbed. Nice going! According to WordPress, oEmbed now works with these sites:

    • YouTube (only public videos and playlists – “unlisted” and “private” videos will not embed)
    • Vimeo
    • DailyMotion
    • blip.tv
    • Flickr (both videos and images)
    • Viddler
    • Hulu
    • Qik
    • Revision3
    • Scribd
    • Photobucket
    • PollDaddy
    • WordPress.tv (only VideoPress-type videos for the time being)
    • SmugMug (WordPress 3.0+)
    • FunnyOrDie.com (WordPress 3.0+)
    • Twitter (WordPress 3.4+)

    More on oEmbed in my previous post “Using oEmbed for Dynamic, Futureproof Embedded Videos and Photos“

  • The New Twitter Bird Logo Explainer Is A Nod to the Pepsi Logo PDF

    The New Twitter Bird Logo Explainer Is A Nod to the Pepsi Logo PDF

    Is the explainer video illustrating the new Twitter bird logo a nod in the direction of the imfamous Pepsi logo design PDF? Seems like it. The new Twitter logo is a slight departure from the original – and I love their explanation of how the lines were derived.

    Our new bird grows out of love for ornithology, design within creative constraints, and simple geometry. This bird is crafted purely from three sets of overlapping circles — similar to how your networks, interests and ideas connect and intersect with peers and friends. Whether soaring high above the earth to take in a broad view, or flocking with other birds to achieve a common purpose, a bird in flight is the ultimate representation of freedom, hope and limitless possibility.

    (Thanks Doug – @stop)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh20pdCrCAU

    Not quite as crazy as Pepsi, though – remember back to 2009 when the Arnell Group’s design brief for Pepsi’s new logo was leaked. The brief contained all sorts of crazy references, ranging all the way from the golden ratio to equating the Pepsi logo to the Mona Lisa. Download the Pepsi Gravitational Field PDF

    From Fast Company:

    Every page of this document is more ridiculous than the last ending with a pseudo-scientific explanation of how Pepsi’s new branding identity will manifest it’s own gravitational pull. But the craziest thing is that this pitch worked! Pepsi bought it — reportedly for several hundred million dollars — and now we have “the emoticon of a new generation.”

    On a final, similar branding note – I sincerely hope the Twitter rebranding doesn’t suffer the same fate as Tropicana..

  • Social Networks I’m Using At SXSW

    Social Networks I’m Using At SXSW

    The South by Southwest Music, Film and Interactive Conference is coming up this week, and I’ll be going down to Austin to attend. Let me know if you’ll be there too!

    Social media and networking is HUGE at thisthis mega-conference, and in preparation, a bunch of new networks and apps have launched, along with a couple big updates to existing networks. SXSW is really the time that can make or break a new social network or game, and it’s interesting to see what people are trotting out and using. A bunch of these will die quick and swift deaths, but a few of them may pick up the critical mass they need to succeed.

    This year, I’m going to be testing out these networks, and inevitably a bunch of others. Find my personal links to these networks over in the sidebar!

    • Foursquare – Foursquare gives you & your friends new ways to explore your city.
      Earn points & unlock badges for discovering new things. (me)
    • Facebook – Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life. (me)
    • Hashable – Hashable is the ultimate networking app. Exchange business cards, make easy intros and ‘check-in’ with people to track meetings and calls. (me)
    • Instagram – Snap a photo with your iPhone, choose a filter to transform the look and feel, send to Facebook, Twitter or Flickr – it’s all as easy as pie. It’s photo sharing, reinvented. (me)
    • PicPlz – picplz offers a simple way to take photos and upload them in just a few clicks. It’s easy to add a caption, tag your location and check in. Connect and share with your Twitter, Facebook and more. (me)
    • Twitter – Twitter is a real-time information network that connects you to the latest information about what you find interesting. Simply find the public streams you find most compelling and follow the conversations.  (me)
    • GroupMe – Start groups with the people already in your contacts. When you send a message, everyone instantly receives it—it’s like a private chat room that works on any phone.
    • LinkedIn – LinkedIn operates the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with more than 90 million members in over 200 countries and territories. (me)
    • SXSW Social – SXsocial, the official registrant directory tool for SXSW 2011, just released new networking features for the 2011 event. Registrants will now be able to see which of their Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn friends are also attending SXSW 2011. Find your friends and let them find you.
  • Is Twitter Moving Too Fast For Society?

    Is Twitter Moving Too Fast For Society?

    twitter_logo_headerIn this short video clip, Nicole Wong speaks at UC Berkeley on social responsibility and societal acceptance in using Twitter, and how society is adapting it’s usage in real time.

    Interesting thoughts – she makes the comparison to the introduction of TV, Cable, and the relatively drawn out period of time when the new medium’s acceptable usage is being fleshed out by society. Today, with communication technologies moving so fast, there’s much less time for society to figure out what’s acceptable and useful – we’re in a stage of “runtime”, where the value and usage must be figured out as it’s being adopted. This “runtime” makes me think of Twitter’s potentially critical mass inducing introduction to the main stream by Jannis Krums, when he posted the famous photo of the US Airways jet down in the Hudson River on his Twitter Stream, before any formal news agencies were on the scene. Similarly, James Karl Buck was widely noted for being the first to use Twitter as a way of notifying his friends as he was being hauled to an Egyptian jail.


    Video Link – The Unexpected Dangers of Twitter

  • Google Wave In Action

    At their IO conference this week, Google unveiled their new communications platform Google Wave. It supposedly combines multiple forms of communication – namely email and IM, into a collaborative communications suite. There’s been HUGE buzz on this lately, and Ben Parr of Mashable has posted a good Google Wave guide.

    I think Google Wave does have great potential, and its success will be largely dependent on how effectively Google manages to distribute it and enable universal access – users must be able to seamlessly switch over to using Google Wave from their current email/IM platforms. This could mean significant API access for developers (already available), and cross platform interface compatibility. Additionally, I love seeing that they’re enabling access to social nets like Twitter and Facebook. Could we get universal login with our Google login / Facebook login / Twitter login / OpenID login?

  • CNN Making Facebook Status The Next Twitter?

    CNN Making Facebook Status The Next Twitter?

    CNN is pushing hard on their partnership with Facebook this morning. For the Obama inauguration, the two have paired up to allow users to watch the presidential inauguration live stream from CNN, while simultaneously monitoring the Facebook status updates of their friends, and the public. Users can even respond to friends status updates. This is definitely feeling a lot like the use structure of Twitter, allowing users to post in real time, monitor a feed of just users updates, and most importantly, respond directly. Facebook still hasn’t turned on “@” responses, instead using a slightly more organized threaded comment format.

    CNN is pushing hard on this, going as far as mentioning it live on the air multiple times, and showing live screenshots of the live inauguration stream window. I was a bit afraid that if they kept that screenshot up there on their live feed showing a window of their live feed, they would create that infinite mirror effect…

    cnn-facebook

    **Update – Now that the day is done, the inaguration complete, how did the partnership go? I think it went quite well, personally. I had the video + Facebook status window up on my screen for the better part of the day, and really enjoyed seeing the stream of updates from my friends. It was key that users were allowed to comment on friends statuses, and that the comments appeared and updated in real time. There were actually a few threads I got into that quicly racked up 10+ responses. Additionally, the option of seeing a selection of the public feed was a great idea. I only had one suggestion for the public feed. I though that, while informative and interesting, the public feed of statuses was a little bit without much context – seemingly random users from the Facebook community. Obvious privacy concerns aside, I think it would have been a great idea to allow users to select what other data should be appended to each community user’s nametag in the stream – not all data, but perhaps the option to add location or hometown, age, and perhaps political affiliation? Having basic data about a user could help put their status updates into context – especially for a political event.

    Quick update – The NBA is getting in on the Facebook integration action too, streaming the NBA All-Star game live on Facebook.

  • Linking WordPress w/ Twitter t…

    Linking WordPress w/ Twitter to enable field blogging via cellular SMS

  • Geotweeting with iPhone 3G and GPS

    How about “Geo-tweeting”? Automatically posting geo-tagged updates to Twitter via iPhone 3G‘s GPS chip, cell data coverage and wifi coverage? Maybe a Google Maps geotweet maps mashup?

    Needless to say, I’m very excited about the new iPhone 3g, and can’t wait to get my hands on one and try out the GPS, high speed data, and new applications. Regarding iPhone 3G’s features – I’m dissapointed that there is still no native picture messaging, iChat AV integration or video capture. However, I’m hopeful that 3rd party software developers will be able to fill this gap – an all network IM client that could get on AIM, Yahoo, MSN, Jabber, GMAIL, IRC, Skype, Facebook and Myspace instant messenger networks (who sometimes share the same protocols…) would be fantastic.

    Would it be possible to get super accurate gps reading via multiple gps readings? Use iPhone 3G’s internal GPS and Bluetooth connection to connect to a secondary, external GPS, maybe even one with WAAS land-based location accuracy augmentation? That, coupled with data network access could make for some nifty scientific, surveying, research and field applications…

    Finally, the obvious application for a phone paired with gps paired with camera – automatic photo geotagging and upload. Flickr already supports geotagging and uploading via email (as well as third party apps). I’m almost certain this will be coming out of the gates soon after iPhone 3G launch, and almost certain I’ll be using it immediately!

  • How to blog from anywhere

    How to blog from anywhere

    My blog runs on the WordPress platform, which works great. Lately, I’ve been trying to open up as many avenues for posting as possible. I want to make is as easy as I possibly can to publish – including what I’m reading, viewing, notes from my office, from home, from out and about in the city, all the way to remote regions I hope to explore soon. Being able to post from anywhere also ties into this story I read today about a kid who used Twitter via SMS to alert his friends of his arrest.  

    Here’s a list of my current and future posting methods:

    • Direct wordpress post – done
      • Easy – its the core of the basic wordpress interface.
    • Writing/formatting posts offline, for posting when online – done
      • I’m using Qumana for Mac OS X, which offers great integration with my blog categories, posts, formatting etc. I can compose a post offline (such as while flying, etc), format it up, and then just hit the “post now” button when I get an internet connection. It even handles pinging for me.
         
    • Posting Photos – Done
      • Another otherwise complex task, made simply by Flickr. I can use the “post to blog” button in flickr to post a selected photo direct to the blog. I went through a few setup steps, and that was it
      • Additionally, I can email Flickr photos using a specially formatted email address, and have Flickr add the photo to my Flickr photostream, and also have it post the photo directly to my blog. Great great for getting a photo up asap, and even better for posting photos “from the field” – IE quick snaps taken with my cameraphone. Action as it happens, baby.

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