11 Ways to Improve Twitter
There is no hiding the fact; Twitter is one of the world’s top social media sites. I previously touched on the Twitter explosion a couple of weeks ago.
Twitter has created a community where individuals can tap into people / information they never had dreamed possible before. I for one have made many interesting contacts from website designers, plumbers, ex-felons to leaders of various industries.
One way that we can show our gratitude for the hard work the Twitter guys put in is to give them constructive feedback to help them make it into an even better site.
The other night I asked my Twitter friends how they would improve Twitter.
Here are the 11 top improvements from the list:
- Threaded Messages: allows to quickly see replies to tweets
- Search within your own updates: currently no easy way to search through ones updates
- Reinstate Twitter Instant Messaging: if it’s good enough for Facebook…remember way back when we used to be able to do this?
- Ability to create groups: organize your Twitter friends into groups so you can manage them better
- RSS for customized groups: related to the above – keep track of groups you’re interested in
- Filters on updates to avoid noise: there are just some days where you’d wish people would shut up
- Popularity tweets of friends, tags: trending of hot topics within your own profile page
- Tweeter Timezone display: Not everyone has their profile filled out properly so it’d be good to display their local time so you can tweet accordingly
- Common insterests with other people: Like the StumbleUpon and Digg way of meeting more like-minded people
- Easy ReTweet ability from Twitter Profile Page: ReTweeting is a big part of the Twitter community
- Get rid of the more button: I can understand that this would save on server load so in my view a nice-to-have rather than mandatory
Do you agree? How would you improve Twitter?
Thanks to the following Twitter users for their input (Follow them):
@Jking89
@labeet
@EmVicW
@mistygirlph
@DigitalSignals
@amitsiwal
@gatorjohn
@iamnotjustmummy
@pedaah
@WillHughes
@netwizard2003
@LostInInaka
Oh and don’t forget to add me too 
@mr_gadget
Using Twitter for Goal Setting and Tracking
As you can tell from my previous post, I’m using Twitter with a passion these days. So the next logical step is to find other useful things for it to do. With it just turning 2009, and new resolutions in place I thought to myself “Why not use Twitter to track these new goals?”
Of course I don’t want the whole world to know every single one of my goals but one that I would like a little help on is in the area of fitness. My goal for 2009 is to jog at least 100 times throughout the year – this equates to around 2-3 times a week which is realistic for my busy schedule. If you haven’t set any goals or don’t know how to, click here for my post on 5 Tips on Goal Setting.
How to Use Twitter for Goal Setting and Tracking
Once I set my goal, I turned my attention towards creating an identifier that:
1. Explained what my goal was about
2. Easily remembered for search purposes
In Twitter, you can define events or topics with a “#” in front of keywords. Try these out in Twitter Search and you’ll see what I mean #happy09, #gaza and #haiku.
So in regards to jogging, I decided on #2009Jogging. Here’s what it looks like:
I’m 2/100 yay! Even picked up another person who was inspired by the idea.
For each #2009Jogging, I want to include useful information to help me track this goal and give readers visibility of my progress. I’ve decided to include number of jogs out of 100, distance run, any additional exercise and weight. By using the #2009Jogging in Twitter Search, I’ll be able to get a good summary of my ability to reach my goal.
Hope this provides you with another handy way to use Twitter. Feel free to add me if you’re on (mr_gadget).
Even better, who’s going to join me for 100 jogs in 2009?!
Happy New Year! Five Goal Setting Tips for 2009
As 2008 sets into history like a sunset, 2009 will dawn upon us with hopes of a fresh start.
How did 2008 go for you?
I had an awesome year with many goals achieved, some even exceeded. One particular achievement I was ecstatic about was being able to maintain the same volume of sales at Mr.Gadget despite the unfavourable economic climate. Thank God!
If you don’t know where you’re going, you probably will never get there
However, if I hadn’t set any goals I wouldn’t be able to see and celebrate these type of milestones. Before 2008 ends, I want to encourage you to at least set one goal for 2009. A lot of people ask me about my success online and I can share that one major part of it is goal setting, tracking these goals, adjusting and then assessing them once completed.
This is the perfect time of year to gear up for success for 2009.
1. Start off with ONE goal
I actually divide my goals into categories such as family, spirituality, business, social media and physical. If you’re new to goal / resolution setting I would recommend just do something really simple – start off with one goal. Take some time to think of where you’d like to be this time in 2009 and then write it down. Very simple.
2. Track it month by month
It’s important to assess how this goal is going so designate one particular day a month to see how that goal is going. For example if your goal is to lose 10 kg, perhaps an approach you could take is to lose approximately 1kg per month.
3. Adjust if falling behind
If you find that you’re not meeting your monthly goal, adjust your activities so that you’re back on track. Using the example of losing weight, you can do some extra workout sessions.
4. Keep the end goal in mind
Always imagine yourself achieving your goal and the benefits of your success. This will keep you going through the tough times when you feel like things are hopeless.
5. Celebrate!
Remember to celebrate and share your success with others when you achieve it. You’d be surprised at how you could inspire someone else to achieve great things with your story.
I wish you all the best for 2009 and if you need any encouragement or wish to share your success please drop me a line
Twitter is growing exponentially – Get on it!
For those even remotely interested in social media or SEO, I would advise you to create a Twitter account immediately.
According to Hubspot.com, Twitter usage is increasing very rapidly with an estimated 5,000-10,000 new accounts being created everyday.
As a business owner (Mr.Gadget), Twitter provides a new way to connect even closer with an international market which is exactly what I have been trying to tap into with my new web projects that are underway.
The other powerful thing about Twitter is the love Google gives each user page – I’ve seen some Twitter accounts whose users have trivial websites (not regularly updated and poorly ranked) have Twitter user pages with Google page ranks of 6/10! This translates into humongous backlinks to wherever it gets pointed to. It’s like their Twitter page has become their website and given them an audience and search engine power that before they could only dream of.
I only started Twittering in earnest at the start of November. Today I have 2,300+ followers, not because I am overly captivating but because I believe I have figured out how Twitter works. As a result, I’m slowly compiling an eBook on how what Twitter is, how to attract a large following in only a couple of weeks and then how to use it to help your business. Keep an eye on this blog for more information. If you’re super keen to get tips right away, send me a direct message or @ message on Twitter (mr_gadget).
Again if you’re not on Twitter yet, I encourage you to get on and start building your network and profile.
My friend Darren (@problogger), has also created a website to help you with a tonload of Twitter tips. His website is : http://www.twitip.com (make sure you tell him I sent you!).
http://www.twitter.com/mr_gadget
30 Day Challenge Melbourne Meetup 2008
It’s not everyday that you get to hangout with an Internet A-lister like Ed Dale, but last night, for 20 or so 30DayChallenge students, we did just that!
Ed Dale is famous for making millions of dollars by creating online niches and buying and selling websites. Some of his other renowned activities include secretly wearing a mankini, doing vidcasts in front of wild animals, collecting vintage guitars and lately generating some cash on the side with his mesmerizing iPhone app (The Mind Machine).
Despite his ultra-busy schedule, Ed is a people-person who values the importance of spending time with his apprentices. He has no airs about him and is very approachable. There are some “gurus” who have accomplished similar feats online through the help of normal people like us, yet won’t give you the time of day. What a sad legacy they’ll leave.
I think I got to meet everyone at the do and I was able to listen to some wonderful stories about how the ThirtyDayChallenge helped them not only understand how to create a niche but also how to make some decent passive income from it.
Some of new friends that I met were (using Twitter names):
- @preneur : Pete Williams
- @alicam : Alister Cameron
- @brenthodgson : Brent Hodgson
- @lynnterry : Lynn Terry
- @paulyoung : Paul Young
- @jaypee : JP
Please follow these interesting peeps on Twitter if you’re on it.
Others whose Twitter accounts I could not find were:
- Rob Anderson
- Cameron
- Ben
I apologize if I have missed anyone. Photos from the night are here.
If you are looking for a way to make money using the Internet, I can genuinely say that the ThirtyDayChallenge.com is the best thing I have seen to date. In fact it’s so good, I’ve joined for the extended version (Plus). Through the former, I have created 5 niche sites which are generating more than enough to pay my coffees everyday. I’ve also used the tools that were introduced in the programme to help me flip my first domain name – I’ll blog about this again some time but in a nutshell, was able to sell a fresh domain name for US$500 while watching a movie one Friday evening!
2009 should mark the year that this blog comes back to life. So watch this space for more regular updates.
If I don’t see you before Christmas, may your’s be peaceful and may you have time to contemplate the meaning behind this amazing birthday.
All-In-One SEO WordPress Plugin Meta Data Tip
If you’ve activated this plugin in WordPress, you may want to check that the All-In-One SEO meta tags are actually being used in your page. I.e. that your page is showing title, description and keywords generated meta tags you specified for each post.
Ensuring that these 3 meta tags are customized and published for each post will certainly help your posts rank better in search engines.
To check:
1. Open up an post / page in your browser
2. View Source
3. Check that the <title>, <meta name=”description”>, <meta name=”keywords”> are exactly what you specified them to be when populating your post.
If not, it may still be using the default WordPress tags.
In my case it was populating the title tag fine but was not showing description and keywords. I found out that the All-In-One SEO generated tags were listed below the default WordPress description & keyword tags.
To fix this I went into the “header.php” file via the WordPress > Design > Theme Editor and removed :
<meta name=”description” …>
<meta name=”keywords” …>
Important: Ensure that you have All-In-One SEO Plugin turned on before doing the above.
After this I then checked out a post, viewed source and confirmed that the meta tags were now being populated correctly.
Hope this helps someone out there.
Speed Linking 3rd October 2008
And it’s the end of another action-packed week – Hello October!
Here are some links that have helped me along the way:
1. Amazing video showcasing the new Canon 5D Mark II Digital SLR HD video capability. Release in Australia is said to be December 2008.
2. My new project Nudgeville is slowly coming together. Seems like it’s getting some traffic love too!
3. Joe explained how the $700Billion will help the U.S.
4. One of my favorite Internet personalities at the moment : Ed Dale aka Tubby Nerd.
5. Robotgirl rides a Unicycle! 
Mr.Gadget breaks into Top 10 Australian Blogs
I was pleasantly surprised to see the Mr.Gadget website rise into the Top 10 of the Top 100 Australian Blogs earlier this week. It’s an honor to be listed with other fantastic blogs, most of which I have on my Google Reader / RSS list
Kudos to Meg for putting this list together and maintaining it @Blogpond. Make sure that you wander around her site and check out the other cool articles that she has written while visiting the list
Go Go Mr.Gadget Team!
Nudgeville – My New Project
Yes you may have heard on the grapevine that I’ve been working on something new. This something is a result of me being banned from Digg for using scripts that I thought were legit. No warning, no message, just banned. I was only on for 3 months so no big loss but I will miss the friends I made there. Fortunately I still speak to many on Gtalk.
So with this extra couple of minutes a day I had free, I decided to create my own mini-Digg site : Nudgeville. It works very similar to Digg; submit stories, promote it and make friends. The difference between the two, will be, Nudgeville will have a friendly environment. Through moderation and communication it’s my goal to make this a site where people can share stories and comment without getting their heads bitten off.
Please check it out if you haven’t.
I’ll be running a competition in the next couple of days to get the word out so keep an eye on the Nudgeville Blog.
I am an open-minded guy so if you have any feedback in how I can improve the site, please let me know.
See you in Nudgeville!
Regularly Check Your WordPress Files: They Could be Hacked
Last night I got a bit of shock when I discovered a strange URL in my WordPress header file (header.php). I cut and pasted into the URL field of my Firefox browser to find that it was some placeholder site that was selling domain names!?
I believe that this could be associated to a vulnerability if one of the older versions of WordPress that I had running.
Once I realised what was going on I immediately removed the offending link and did a scan of all the other main WordPress files (index.php, footer.php, comments.php) just in case.
I’ve found this forum thread on DigitalPoint where other WordPress users talk of similar hack problems especially with redirects from the wp-blog-header.php file.
How to Avoid These WordPress Hacks:
1. Keep up to date with latest versions of WordPress
2. Check your main WordPress files regularly
3. Check your web stats – normally a good sign of a security breach is a visible dip in web traffic
4. Change your password regularly (I know it’s a pain)
5. Visit the WordPress Blog for the latest news
Please feel free to share your stories and tips below.
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