Stories

Kin Lane

Google Updates Forms with Two New Significant Features

Google added two new features into their Google Docs - Forms tool. You can now: Add Page Breaks - Breaks in your form allow a wizard style or multi-page form. Logic Branch - Which allows you to break your form pages up to have different results based upon answers to questions. Both these features continues to push Google Forms out there as...
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Kin Lane

Google Sites Takes Next Step with an API

Google recently opened up Google Site and introduced an API as well as import / export features for Google Sites. I think this will increase the potential for enterprise and other business adoption. You can now get your data out of Google Sites easily, which is...
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Kin Lane

Productivity Advice from Matt Cutts

Just read Matt Cutts latest blog post and he offers some of the best advice for achieving productivity I've heard in a while. Thanks Matt.
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Kin Lane

Social Network and 3rd Party Profiles

I was just seeing which of my social network profiles show up in my top 10 google search results. I was also maintaining the Facebook Page I setup for WebEvents Global. I like the page activity Facebook pages gives you. It also gives your more reporting if you take out ads, regarding their...
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Kin Lane

My Google Results

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Kin Lane

Facebook is #1

Alright, what gives? My Facebook profile just beat out my blog www.kinlane.com for the number #1 search position for "kin lane" at Google. Wondering what in the algorithm would cause that? Is it because there is more activity on my Facebook than my blog? Is it because Facebook has more prominence? Interesting change in my Google search results and profile rankings.
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Kin Lane

So little time...

Going through all my spam comments, and editing a few recent posts. Just don't have time to blog lately. So busy with WebEvents that I just haven't found the energy. Have lots of material I will be working through soon.
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Kin Lane

Two-Thirds of Marketers Now Use Social Media

I am just gonna paste this article I came across on Mashable, called Two-Thirds of Marketers Now Use Social Media because it says it all: Earlier this year, we reported that 63 percent of companies planned to increase their spending on social media in 2009. Thus, it's not too surprising th...
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Kin Lane

I Found My House

I found the house for me. This 3-bedroom 2-story home sits on a beautifully landscaped lot and is waiting for your personal touch. Move in and take your time renovating.
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Kin Lane

A Dark Journey Into A Killer's 'Personal Effects'

I was listening to my NPR today and I just heard an episode called A Dark Journey Into A Killer's Personal Effects. It is a thriller novel about a serial killer, however I find very interesting is the are creating what they call a "multiplatform transmedia experience." Read more →
Kin Lane

Gathering content from around the web and mashing it up...

I just answered a question for someone on the best screen scraping, data gathering, mashup tools out there. I couldn't remember the name of dapper for the life of me. So I figured I would record here so I could find in ...
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Kin Lane

Challenges Facing Google Wave

When it comes to Google Wave, it can be tough to find truly new perspectives on how it works and its potential usage and adoption. I just finished reading a great post by Anil Dash called What Works: The Web Way vs. The Wave Way. He provides a perspective and analysis of Google Wave that left me thinking rather than just feeling I read recycled thoughts on Google Wa...
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Kin Lane

Android Platform Growth in 2009 and 2010

Just read another post with data backing up the growth as Google Android as an application development platform. A post from ReadWriteWeb called "More Developers Start Working on Android Apps" has some good data from Flurry on application platform growth for Iphone, Blackberry, and Android.
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Kin Lane

Mega Dropdown Navigation Tred

I have been seeing a trekinlane-productions2n on top sites out there. I have heard this suggested from friends and colleagues who are graphic designers. Maybe there is another term out there, but for now I am calling it the Mega Dropdown Navigation. I have seen on top sites such as www.npr.org (new redesign), www.whitehouse.gov, and www.nbc.c...
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Kin Lane

Google Wave Federation Protocol Code / Setup

One of the more mysterious parts of the Google Wave environment is the core operations of wave communications. How does the server work? How can you develop in-house tools to keep wave communications behind the firewall? How are things going to be secured? I have seen lots of talk about Google Gadgets, Robots, Embeds and the client. However the Google Wave Federation Protocol is over the heads of a lot of people. This is ...
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Kin Lane

Skype Desktop Sharing

Just downloaded the new Skype which introduced desktop sharing. I can now cut out Webex for internal meetings and discussions and have conference calls on skype. I use WebEx heavily for internal meetings, trainings and other types of virtual gatherings. Desktop sharing isn't required in all virtual gatherings, but is a necessary about 60% of the time. If it is built in and easy to do I will do more often. Now skype is positioning itself against Webex, GoToMeeti...
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Kin Lane

Mobile Browsers Dominating Over Mobile Applications

I was just reading an article on Wired magazing called, "Google Says Mobile App Stores Have No Future". It reflects the same thought I was having last week of the importance of making sure your web application is mobile browser compatible. I feel that mobile applications are an important development area your business should be considering, but it isn't for everyone.
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Kin Lane

Backup My Cloudy World

I came across a post about a new web service. It is a cloud backup tool. Something I have talked about needing several times. Handy backup utility for all my favorite cloud based applications. BackupMy.Net is a handy tool that does this for you. They provide cloud backup services for: Top Email Platforms (
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Kin Lane

Social Profile Order

For some reason I happen to go to my Twitter profile today. I almost never pay attention to my Twitter stream. I have moments where I pay attention using twhirl, but for the most part I just broadcast to it without paying much attention. So anyways I went to my profile today....saw I rolled over 1000 followers while I hav...
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Kin Lane

Writing documents for an Application Program Interface (API)

I am not an expert in writing documentation for application program interfaces (API). I do play one on TV though. No not really, I read enough of them so I feel like I'm an expert. I have written a couple of API SDK documentation packages and by no means were perfect. However I have been struggling with a set of API docs for a housing management integration for conferences, and the documentation really confused me. So I'm sharing my thoughts as I am having them...
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Kin Lane

Quick Look: HTC Hero running Android

Just came across good introductory look at the HTC Hero from Techcrunch. I think this is just the beginning of a wave of Android based mobile phones and webbooks you will see over the next year or two. 2009 will be a big year for ...
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Kin Lane

Mobile Browsers are Definitely the Future

Was just reading a post on Mashable about Google: Browser is the Platform of the Future, Even on Mobiles. Reading this and continuing my journey to understand mobile platforms, primarily Read more →
Kin Lane

Google Wave Sandbox Accounts

I received a Google Wave Sandbox account because I attended the Google IO Conference back in May. They have limited access to the API and Sandbox until it stabilized. I was reading their blog today and they are going to open up the Google Wave API to many people who have submitted their requests. So if you haven't requested access, make sure you do. And let them know your plans, it will inf...
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Kin Lane

Facebook Connect and Your Social Stream

Facebook is definitely a heavy player in the online world these days. I have Facebook open all day and spend moments interacting, posting and generally socializing with my network. I see some well done applications used by friends that casually list data from my friends usage of their applicaiton. Whether its their excercise statistics, diet tracker or otherwise. It really comes down to...if you have a quality application of web site that someone uses and that user has a Faceb...
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Kin Lane

Professional Image and Video Sharing Using Amazon Infrastructure

I was just reading through my Amazon Web Services Newsletter and came across another cool service built on their infrastructure. It is called phanfare, a subscription-based photo and video sharing service for serious amateurs and pro photographers. I definitely feel that Amazon S3 is the best storage for your videos and photos. I store all my raw image, video and other files at Amazon S3. Then I secondarily keep them at the cloud application of my choice such as Flickr, Youtub...
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