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Measure Your Twitter Impact

May 1, 2009 in AllBusiness by Francine

twitter-analyzerMeasure Your Twitter Impact

Though the Ashton Kutcher-CNN race to 1 million followers brought a lot of hype to Twitter, your follower number isn’t the only metric you should be looking at to determine how successful you are on the popular social networking site. Check out the following analytics tools that can help you get a better picture of your Twitter activity, from how many people are retweeting your messages to how you stack up against other users.

Follow Cost: This super simple site asks one question: How annoying will it be to follow you on Twitter? Though annoyingness might not be a typical site metric, it does come into play on a social site where people choose to follow or “unfollow” you at will. Once you enter your name, you’ll find out your average tweets per day, what percentage of your tweets are @replies, and what percentage of your tweets are exactly 140 characters.

[Read more at AllBusiness]

10 Tips for Getting Found on Twitter

April 23, 2009 in AllBusiness by Francine

twitter search10 Tips for Getting Found on Twitter

Twitter is a powerful communications and marketing tool, but it’s all too easy to get lost in the chatter. By applying these simple search engine optimization practices to your tweeting, people will be able to find you more easily, and you’ll gain more followers for it.

1. Choose a meaningful display name and username. These two elements are tied to your every tweet and are the No. 1 way for people to find your Twitter account in a Google search. Also, instead of keeping your username and display name the same, you can double up your keyword power by using your company name for one and your first and last name for the other.

2. Complete your profile. Though you only have 160 characters to describe who you are and what you do, be sure to use them. Your profile can contain supplemental keywords to help people get a feel for what you’re about, and it can also help improve your “findability” on the Twitter user search site, Twellow.

[Read more at AllBusiness]

Dimdim Delivers Web Conferencing for All

April 23, 2009 in Entrepreneur by Francine

dimdim logoDimdim Delivers Web Conferencing for All

The company’s far-flung founders tackled their info-sharing issues by creating a powerful, open-source conferencing solution.

Dimdim is about simplicity. From its name to its web conferencing software, the company strives for ease of use. “We want to democratize real-time, rich media collaboration,” says CEO DD Ganguly, who chose the name Dimdim not because of any relation to his first name, but because it’s memorable, easy to spell and has international appeal.

Though officially based in Boston, Dimdim’s founders and board members live all over the world. Ganguly travels the most, splitting his time mainly between India, Boston and San Francisco, while co-founders Prakash Khot and Jayant Pandit live in Boston and Ottawa, Canada, respectively.

The co-founders got the idea for Dimdim while brainstorming startup ideas from their far-flung locations. They were using Hotmail and Skype to communicate, but they needed more. They researched the web conferencing space, but were unhappy with expensive and complex legacy products and frustrated by the lightweight free ones–so they decided to build their own.

[Read more at Entrepreneur.com]

Purchasing Your First Server

February 9, 2009 in AllBusiness by Francine

allbiz-logoPurchasing Your First Server

Buying your first server can seem like a daunting task, even if you’re technically inclined. There are operating system considerations, RAM and storage space, as well as a host of other technical specs you’ll run into. And though you don’t need to be in information technology to make the decision, it’s helpful to know what you should be thinking about before making this pricey purchase.

[Read more at AllBusiness]

How to Get the Most Battery Life from Your Laptop

February 9, 2009 in AllBusiness by Francine

allbiz-logoHow to Get the Most Battery Life from Your Laptop

Your laptop is great for portability, but what if your battery won’t hold a charge? There are ways you can extend untethered time on your laptop. And if you follow these tips, you can get the most out of your battery life.

Buy an energy-efficient laptop: The size and type of portable computer have a big effect on your battery life; opting for a smaller screen and a solid-state drive will save power. Check out the power ratings when buying a new machine; and if you can get an upgrade on your battery, it’s worth the splurge.

[Read more at AllBusiness]

  • About Francine

    Francine Kizner

    Francine is a writer, web editor, consultant and designer focusing on bringing great sites to small businesses while teaching business owners about new media and technology. She lives in Los Angeles and paints, draws and takes on other creative pursuits in her spare time... Read More