iswipes

Swype on iPhone

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Skip the crap blurb, jump to how to get it.

I believe the phrase is: “O…M…G…”.

Ok, perhaps that was a little over-exaggerative. For anyone who’s used an Android device, the wondrous little app ‘Swype’ will be nothing new. Love it or hate it, you can’t deny that it’s a pretty clever way of typing in certain scenarios. Click the image below to learn about Swype.

Swype allows you to type on the keyboard without lifting your finger. You literally swipe your words!

Touchscreen typing without lifting a finger!

Well, it’s finally available for iPhones thanks to WyndWarrior (a.k.a. Andrew Liu). It’s not an official app, but an excellent port that looks and functions similarly to (and in some ways, better than) the official Swype app.

How to get it

Firstly, you need to have Jailbroken your iDevice (of course).

Once that’s done, go to Cydia > Manage > Sources > Edit > Add and add the following source:

http://cydia.myrepospace.com/wyndwarrior

Once the source has been added and updated open it (wyndwarrior – MyRepoSp…) to find iSwipe. From there, you can install iSwipe (Swype for iPhone :)

Bear in mind that this is still in beta (see the message at the bottom of iSwipe’s installation page) so it’s buggy. Potentially once you’ve gotten used to it you could completely rely on it, but I still find it makes too many mistakes for day-to-day use.

Demo video below courtesy of TodaysiPhone on YouTube:

The Dangers of Mobile Apps with Built-In Browsers

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This hadn’t occurred to me until today when a friend of mine (with a ‘hacked’ Twitter account) sent me a message telling me to check out a ‘bad blog’.

Naturally, my inquisitive instincts kicked in and I had to see where this link would take me – even though I knew from the way the Tweet was written that it was spam.

I observed a website in Twitter’s built-in browser that looked a lot like the Twitter homepage, which I subsequently opened in Safari to reveal the address.

Twittelr - ensnaring the unwitting Twitter user

As you can see, it’s a very accurate copy of the Twitter website, and someone who isn’t paying attention (not least to the fact that it didn’t load the mobile Twitter site) could be forgiven for entering their username and password. And the most obvious and trustworthy giveaway – the URL – is hidden when viewing the site in Twitter’s built-in browser.

So folks, the lesson I learned is to be on even higher alert than usual when using an app’s built-in browser to enter my credentials into a website. Perhaps don’t even enter them at all. Always try to check the URL to make sure that you’re on the right site, and double check that the app you’re using is trustworthy (if in doubt, open in Safari – or whatever your mobile device’s browser is).

Handy Bookmarklets

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Over time, I’ve come to use my bookmarks bar exclusively for bookmarklets. These are little JavaScript applets that sit up there as a bookmark. When you click on them, the JavaScript can execute a host of functions beyond what a simple http:// bookmark can do (take you to a page, and….point made).

There are just four here at the moment, two of which I’ve written myself. One is a neat one from a company dedicated to providing handy RSS feeds. I’ll update this list with more as I find/create them.

 

Drag these to your bookmarks bar to install:
If you have problems with the bookmarlets, LEFT CLICK on them and copy the code beginning with “javascript:”.
You can manually add them to your bookmarks bar this way.

 

Get Page Date This one uses Google to find the publishing date of the current page, great for referencing! Credit to Amit Agarwal for the original Google trick (I just made a bookmarklet out of it).
PDF Search This one searches Google, but limits the file type to .pdf; great for…finding PDFs!
RSS to Email This is from Feed My Inbox. It will send RSS updates from the current page to your email address. Their version wouldn’t work for me so I rewrote the code a little to fix it. Let me know if it doesn’t work for you.
Asteroids This is an AWESOME one that creates a game of Asteroids on the web page you’re currently viewing! You can actually destroy parts of the page, including ADVERTS. Courtesy of its creator: Erik Andersson. You have GOT to try this one.

 

Add Custom Short URLs to your bit.ly .htaccess Redirects…

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This post is for people who are using .htaccess to redirect their custom short domain to http://bit.ly, redirecting the root to their own site (but want to add their own custom short URLs). If you aren’t already redirecting root using .htaccess at all and want to learn how to do both that and get custom short URLs, see this post.

Following on from this post on how to use .htaccess on your bit.ly custom short domain to redirect the root to your site, I’ve added the ability to create your own custom short URLs (like, bit.ly/myphotos).

It’s fairly simple, add the following line of code to your .htaccess file BEFORE the bit.ly redirection:

RewriteRule ^CUSTOMURLCODE$ BITLYCODE [L]

In that line, CUSTOMURLCODE is what you want AFTER your short domain (e.g. I have used http://cjgw.in/quiz, where “quiz” is my CUSTOMURLCODE). Then BITLYCODE is the equivalent code in Bitly, the bit after http://bit.ly/.

What happens now is when a visitor comes to your short domain with your custom code, it redirects them to that specific Bitly equivalent. You keep your Bitly tracking, but you can send out pretty links like mine above.

Everyone’s happy.

Full .htaccess example:

Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteEngine on

RewriteRule ^JillsPhotos$ npu7LY [L]
RewriteRule ^JacksPhotos$ NMuy89 [L]

RewriteRule ^/?$ http://longdomain.com/ [L]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://bit.ly/$1 [R=301,NC]
blog

Own domain URL shortening, with custom short URLs and root redirection, using Bitly

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Know your stuff? Skip to code for .htaccess.

This post is for people who have a short domain (e.g. http://sho.rt) and want to use it as a URL shortener but haven’t started anything yet or have it set up using Bitly but want to redirect the root of the short domain to your own site.

If you’re already redirecting the root using .htaccess but want to create custom short URLs, see this post.

Thanks to Blinktag for their post on how to redirect your custom short domain’s root when using bit.ly.

You’ve seen the pros do it (on.fb.me / on.mash.to / goo.gl), and now you want your own URL shortener. Something snappy that shows off your technical ability and looks great in a Tweet like: jam.es or stev.ie.

Well, thanks to bit.ly, you can now do it for free (+ the cost of your domain & hosting (you can get free hosting from companies such as http://www.000webhost.com/), which I assume you have already).

Click settings, then Add a Custom Short DomainYou need to go to bit.ly and create an account. Once that’s done, sign in to your new account and go to “Settings” (click on your username, upper right corner). Click on “Add Custom Short Domain” under “Custom Short Domain”.

For this bit, you’ll need to edit the DNS records with your hosting or domain provider. Follow the instructions in Bitly (give it your short domain) and set the domain’s A record to point to the IP address Bitly gives you (SAVE THE ORIGINAL IP ADDRESS, YOU WILL RESTORE IT LATER).

Don’t logout because you’re going to change this back once it’s done. Bear in mind that this can take a while (up to 24 hours) so if it can’t verify it the first few times, leave it for a few hours. Also, note that you only need to change the main A record to your site (not mail.site.com or ftp.site.com).

When bit.ly is verifying your short domain (this may be instant, otherwise it will ask you to check back in a  few minutes), it’s time to setup your .htaccess (what’s that?) file. It must reside in the root of your site for this to work. It won’t work with .htaccess files in subdirectories.

There are three parts to this:

  1. The custom URLs. Bitly is full of custom URLs, like bit.ly/JacksPhotos instead of bit.ly/ngHD8. Ordinarily, using your own domain with Bitly wouldn’t allow for custom URLs unless they were still available on bit.ly, but most are taken. However, because we’re using .htaccess and not Bitly’s method, we can create whatever custom short URLs we want. The best bit is, we can recycle them.
  2. Root redirection. Another caveat of using Bitly’s recommended method is that all traffic to the root of your short domain goes straight to http://bit.ly. However, yet again we can tell this to go wherever we want (it’s just like setting a custom URL in .htaccess!).
  3. Your short URL to bit.ly’s short URL redirection. This is the bit that redirects everything else from your short domain to bit.ly (e.g. http://sho.rt/BH2mn to http://bit.ly/BH2mn).
So, copy the code below to your .htaccess access file, which should be in the root of your site: e.g. http://sho.rt/.htaccess.
#Lines beginning with # are explanations and can be removed
#Leave the two lines below (setup lines)

	Options +FollowSymLinks
	RewriteEngine on

#Below you can create custom short URLs, like http://sho.rt/MyPhotos
#Anything between "RewriteRule ^" and "$" is the bit after your
	#short domain, e.g. http://sho.rt/THISBIT
#You can take it to a bit.ly code (http://bit.ly/THISBIT)
	#or straight to a website - this won't allow you to track
	#the clicks using bit.ly though.

    RewriteRule ^CUSTOMCODE$ BITLYCODE [L]
    RewriteRule ^CUSTOMCODE$ http://awebsite.com [L]

#The next line redirects your custom domain to your regular domain
	#when no CUSTOMCODE is found
	#e.g. http://sho.rt/ to http://longdomain.com

    RewriteRule ^/?$ http://yourwebsite.com/ [L]

#This bit takes non-custom codes to the equivalent bit.ly code
	#e.g. http://sho.rt/nmk18Y http://bit.ly/nmk18Y

    RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://bit.ly/$1 [R=301,NC]

Once you’ve copied this code into your .htaccess file, change the bits relevant to your domain (replace THISBIT, http://yourwebsite.com, etc.) and upload it. Now go back to bit.ly and confirm that your A record has been verified (note, mine took a day to do! Normally they take less time).

Once it’s been confirmed, go back to your DNS manager and set the A record to point to its original IP address (your hosting). Now, instead of the A record redirecting all traffic to bit.ly, your .htaccess is managing it so you can have custom URLs and root redirection!

Voila!

Any problems? I’ll be watching the comments so give me a shout there (it’s public so others can see and perhaps solve their problem at the same time).

Enjoy.

iOS 5 beta 7 out now!

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iOS 5 beta 7 out nowIt’s here! The 7th revision of one of Apple’s latest iOS update is out now. iOS 5 beta 7 is available to download as an over-the-air update on your iPhone.

iOS 5 is Apple’s latest update to the well-known iPod Touch / iPhone / iPad operating system.

It includes features such as iCloud, Twitter integration, faster access to the camera via the lock screen and many more. It’s due to be released in line with the rumoured iPhone 5.

According to 9to5Mac, iOS 5 beta 7 includes support for WiFi sync with multiple Macs (which probably also works with PCs).

Don’t forget, you can download iOS 5 beta 7 through Software Update on the iPhone, rather than using iTunes to install it.

Digital Literacy: How much do you know?

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Please help me complete my dissertation by opting to take the quiz below. The quiz should take around 30 minutes to complete. Once you’ve completed the quiz, the button below will become a link to a PDF with the answers and explanations.

You may use whatever means available to you to find the answers (apart from asking someone directly).

Take the quiz After completing the quiz, download the answers here and enjoy this entertaining thank you. If you have questions of your own, or need help with anything, please send me an email. PLEASE SHARE THIS PAGE USING THE LINKS BELOW

When Brands Get it Right

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You know when you buy something, and it’s wrong in some way, yet you fear the hassle of going back to the company you purchased to from because it’ll just cause you more problems. I get that a lot.

That’s why my previous three experiences with three particular brands are worth writing about.

Part One – Free Food!

It began with Barburrito. I go there a lot with Kristina. I think there was an offer on in-store, 15% off burritos or something. We got to the counter and pulled out our student cards, at which point the cashier stopped us. “You can’t use those with this offer”. “What, the student cards?”. “Yeah, it’s double discount, you can’t use it”. “Oh. Ok. You’re sure? I thought I used it before in…”, “Yeah I’m sure.”

Oooook. So I dropped it – she was probably right and it would have led to something in the region of 30-40% off – and bought the burritos. Either way, by the time I got home I had an urge to check. I was so sure I’d done it before. So I went onto Barburrito’s website and sent them an email. It wasn’t aggressive, I simply asked whether the cashier was right. They responded pretty quickly and told me that she was right, but it was under review (i.e. they’re considering allowing the use of student cards on top of other discounts). They asked me for my address, and sent me two free burritos! Fantastic!

So, even though I was a loyal Barburrito customer beforehand, this seemingly small act has furthered my fondness of the restaurants.

Part Two – Trading Silk

Next, was Tie Rack’s turn. I’d never really shopped in a Tie Rack before but since my final placement with Betfred required that I go out to Gibraltar (to meet the MD no less!), I thought I’d splash out and get myself a really nice red tie. The Gibraltar trip came and went, the tie served me well (and looked good). I started to wear it to work afterwards, virtually every day I admit (I like red ties).

It wasn’t until a few weeks down the line that I noticed some fraying around the edges. I figured this was probably just ‘new tie fray’ and that once it had lost a few bits it would be fine. Then I discovered that the tie was coming apart at the back, and realised that it probably wasn’t just ‘new tie fray’ (does that even exist?).

So I did the first thing that came into my head. Sad though it may be. I tweeted about it, and the following found its way from my fingertips to my timeline:

Bought a tie from @TieRackUKabout five weeks ago and it’s falling apart.

Guess I’ll stick with my Primark ties from years ago.

It wasn’t an exaggeration either. I have years old Primark ties that are all doing just fine, yet this one lasted barely weeks. Anyway, within 24 hours I got a tweet back asking me to send an email to someone at Tie Rack HQ. I did and, to cut a long story short, they sent me vouchers to cover the tie and postage. Admittedly, I thought it was a little cheeky covering the postage in Tie Rack vouchers, but the sentiment was there nonetheless.

Part Three – Above and Beyond the Call of Duty

This one involves a brand with which I have never interacted…other than in this little Twitter (yes, again) sesh. A friend of mine was pissed off about some chavs treating her like…something not very pleasant. She tweeted about it and I responded a few times with some humour.

Then I went onto Rentokil’s website and found their DIY Pest Control line. I thought it would be amusing to recommend this to my friend to help her with her chav problem, so I sent the following tweet:

@_sophiemarshall These guys might be able to help you out:http://bit.ly/jGkS27

I would like to point out that nowhere in that tweet does it say “Rentokil”, “Pest Control”, or anything that Rentokil might have a Twitter search saved for.

Anyway, the next day…morning, in fact…I received this:

@cjgwin thanks for the recommendation of our DIY Pest Control products

I was amazed! I mean, they’ve discovered an inbound link from Twitter; checked it in analytics; traced the source back to my Twitter account; and thanked me for it! Now that’s what I call customer service. As I said, I’ve never been a Rentokil customer before (I used to think they were vehicle hire) but it’s a name I won’t forget anytime soon. In the future, if I have pest problems, I know who I’ll turn to.

So there you have it. Three brands. Three experiences. One very happy customer.

Sometimes, brands do get it right :-)

Manchester Masters: Probably the Best Graduate Scheme in Manchester

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Let’s face it, getting a master’s degree is pretty good. Getting it for free is better. Getting the degree; experience in four different businesses in Manchester; countless networking events; membership to the Chartered Institute of Marketing; a mentor from an authoritative position within a business in Manchester; and the phenomenal CV appeal from having taken part in the Manchester Masters programme, is absolutely outstanding.

The Programme

I speak from experience when I tell you that this scheme is worth its weight in gold. Now in my fourth and final placement, I believe that taking part in Manchester Masters has guided – perhaps defined – my career henceforth. The variety of industries I have worked in has given me a greater depth of experience than I could ever have taken from university.

I’ve been with an SEO agency, helping to design their website and write for their blog. I’ve worked for The Co-operative’s food marketing department, where I did marketing research, video editing and helped to compile a presentation based on analysis of video diaries kept by customers. I worked with an online casino, assisting their mobile marketing manager to promote the mobile version of the casino. And I’ve worked for Betfred, where I’m being treated like a data analyst, social media consultant, designer, developer, mobile marketer and just about everything else I can think of. I really do feel special at the moment.

On top of that, I’ve been to a swanky hotel in London for a conference (all expenses paid); I’ve stayed in a penthouse apartment in Gibraltar (all expenses paid); and it looks like I’m going to spend some time travelling around the UK to do my project for Betfred (…all expenses, very much paid). One of the other Masters spent a weekend in Edinburgh, and one of them went to France for a week! You really can’t top the experiences you get through this programme.

Application

Anyway, let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Applications. To apply, you need to fill out the Manchester Masters online application form. You also need to submit a YouTube video (looking for inspiration?). Once you’ve done these two things, it’s a waiting game. The organisers, judges, experts, etc. will all look at your application and video, to decide whether or not you’re good enough for selection. If you are, then you’re about to face the 2 most exhausting days you’ll face for a long time.

Selection

You’ll be tested; mentally and physically. You’ll have to think on your feet, work in teams, work alone, present, discuss and impress your way to victory. In an ‘apprentice style’ contest, 50 people will enter selection on the first day. 20 people will return for the second day. 10 will be chosen to take part in the course. However, when you come out with your 9 successful peers, you will all feel like you have well and truly earned your way onto this incredible degree. You’ll join the judges, the mentors and the tutors for a relaxed, well-deserved drink afterwards; savouring this life-changing moment for the rest of the night.

So what are you waiting for? Get thinking, whip up a storyboard for your video and get filming! Look at the application process and start thinking about your answers. Keep an eye on the YouTube channel for some inspiration if necessary. And check out the Facebook page for news, updates and info.

And if you really want to, take a look at my Manchester Masters application video from last year. It’s not one of the best, but it stood out enough to get their attention ;-)

Finally, please take a moment to share this post. The more people who are aware of this fantastic opportunity the better. You can post it to your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts using the buttons below.

Good luck!

Jamie

Funny Dog Trying to Play Fetch with a Statue

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Wow.

I must say when I uploaded this video, in October 2010, I did NOT expect this! But that’s always the case right? How many of us have seen people on Rude Tube blurting out the same thing: “It’s so amazing, I just wanted to share it with friends and all of a sudden it’s EVERYWHERE!”; “I just thought it’d be hilarious to share this with my buddies at work. Did not realise I was going to become an in’nernet legend!”.

I must say, I share none of the sentiment of these statements. While I did not expect the video to go viral, I do not feel like it going viral has anything to do with me; I don’t think I’m internet famous (nor is the dog); I genuinely believe that this has just pleased a few (million) people and given them a bit of a laugh.

Let’s face it, in the context of web virals, 2 million views isn’t really much.

However, it has given me some food for though. It’s made me realise just how hard, and easy a viral video is to make. See, you can’t really tell if your video’s going to go viral. It might hit the right sharing sites at the right time and bam! It’s all over the ‘net. However, it might just disappear of the face of the cyberplanet. Like this one, it could take months before anything happens, or it could go global overnight! It’s very hard to predict the success of a video on the internet (at least, this is what I believe at the moment based on the results of this video and a few others).

It’s also made me realise the fragility and temporary nature of these videos. One moment this video had between 100 and 200 views. The next time I looked, a thousand. The next time, 10 thousand. And so on. But this increase was massive, and rapid, and the drop off was equally as quick. Now, I think barely a few hundred people are viewing it a day (which I know is still pretty cool, but by comparison…).

Anyway, as the category would suggest, this is just me rambling. I’m not really making a point, nor am I claiming to be an expert, novice or amateur in the art(?) of viral video making. However, I am working on a social media strategy for Betfred.com at the moment, so I’m keeping in mind everything I learn related to social media.

Jamie