Episode 2: It Just Smells Funny

Posted by on Sep 3, 2010 | 0 comments

John Wolters, Special Guest

On this episode we discuss whether “The Web Is Dead” or if it just “smells funny”, we learn about Disqus.com, how to feed your inner OCD, and more!  We also had an AWESOME special guest – John (Jochen) Wolters, all the way from Aachen, Germany. He was in town for a few weeks, so we grabbed him for the podcast and his input was stellar. Thanks so much to John! Can’t wait for next time!!

Enjoy the podcast, and be sure to give us feedback.

- Steve & Ron

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Episode 2 Show Notes:

[btw, special HUGE thanks to Josh Mulligan for typing up our show notes for us! He's at @JoshuaMulligan on Twitter]

Special Guest: Jochen Wolters – Usability Engineer and Technical Communicator

News:

  • Facebook joined the Geo-Location Race with Facebook Places
    • Direct competitor to FourSquare and Gowalla
    • Facebook Places launched with over 1 million places already in the database
    • Can check in using the Facebook iPhone app, or facebook on a mobile browser (using HTML5!)
    • Lets you see anyone else checked into that location, regardless of whether or not you’re their friend or not
    • Lets you check in your friends for them…
    • Probably a good idea to disable that feature in your Facebook privacy settings
  • www.gomockingbird.com goes LIVE!
    • Webapp for developing wireframes, including interactive wireframes
    • Finally leaving Beta as of September 1, no longer free to use
    • $9/month for 2 projects, up to $85/month for unlimited projects
    • Balsamiq is an alternative wireframing tool, makes lower-fidelity wireframes
    • Mockingbird DOES NOT work on Internet Explorer
    • Not Flash based, powered by Cappucino
    • Future of web apps (vimeo)
  • Jing has launched several new features
    • Service that lets you take a screenshot or screencast of your screen
    • Works on Mac or PC
    • Integrate with Slideshare account
    • Free and Pro ($15/year) versions available
    • Now has ability to select different microphones
    • Now can connect it to a sftp site, instead of just Slideshare
  • iTunesU has reached 3 million downloads
    • iTunesU is a bunch of videos or audio of University Courses
    • Several big Universities have videos on there
    • University of Aachen, Germany has a great course on Human Computer Interaction
    • Search ‘RWTH Aachen‘ on iTunes

Feature

  • Wired Magazine Article “The Web Is Dead”
    • Talking about Apps on Mobile Phones v. Mobile Browsers
    • Most users probably don’t care whether or not they’re using an app or a browser
    • They probably care more about whether they can use it or now.
    • However, Apps have the advantage of being easier to launch than going into a browser and navigating to a site
    • The openness of a platform is also unlikely to matter to any non-geek
    • It DOES appear that things are moving more towards apps
    • This is likely due to the easier monetization of the apps
    • The controlled environment that apps provide, at least in Apple’s case, help increase the usability if apps
    • The things that apps have going for them right now is the ease with which they can be purchased, used, and installed
    • Is it possible to get to a point where it is possible with web apps where they are just as easy to pay and install?
    • “How We Decide”  by Jonah Lehrer is a great book that talks about how humans are wired to do what’s most convenient, specifically on cash vs. card
    • A point that the article missed is that internet speeds are far slower than what you get on a computer, so web apps aren’t as efficient
    • Since the connection isn’t as good on phones, installed software is the alternative
    • If tailored properly however, webapps can still be effective on mobile devices
    • “Apps vs. The Web” by Craig Hockenberry on www.alistapart.com
    • With HTML5, we will get the ability to do stuff offline, and then have the app sync with the cloud when there’s a connection, which is an advantage apps have right now
    • The main thing to look at is how the users access your data, and what data they access
    • The web has a major advantage as being an open publiching platform, especially privately
    • The quality of the content is the key, not always how you say it
    • A downside of apps is that they are platform specific, which makes them really hard to maintain

Book Club

Questions?

  • Send any questions to ask@einsteinandsockmonkey.com
  • Text emails are fine, but if you want to go the extra mile and send an audio question, we’ll play it on the show.

Social Media Minute

  • Nick Armstrong, Gen-Y Social Media Guy – @ImNickArmstrong
  • Disqus.com
  • Comment management tool that is completely free, and has integration with almost any site
  • Features email notifications for new comments
  • Has support for multiple admins, and multiple sites
  • Users can log in with Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo, OpenID, etc.
  • Can even pull their avatar in from their other social media account
  • Can link to users discuss profile, if they have one
  • Can also post user comments to Twitter or Facebook
  • Check out www.iamnickarmstrong.com or www.einsteinandsockmonkey.com for an example

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