So much technology, so little time. As AK Tech Girl, I'll bring you frequent byte-sized pieces of technology to help make sense of all those whistles and widgets. How can blogs, Web applications and gadgets really help you in your work and home life? I'll show you how! Ask your burning Internet and gadget questions here - ask us about anything BUT your computer (see your computer guy for that one). This is your life on tech, made easier.
Image by Karen Larsen, used with permission.
BLOGGER
Aliza Sherman is an avid blogger, a freelance writer for national publications, and works as an Internet strategist for companies and nonprofits in Alaska and around the world. She is a resident of Second Life where she owns a virtual island, holds live events, and hosts a business television show. In her First Life here in Anchorage, she is married to a hunky wildlife biologist and is mom to their precocious 2-year-old daughter. (Photo by Clark Mishler, used with permission.)
iPhone Apps for Household Tasks - 9/27/2009 4:59 pm
Karaoke Apps - 9/16/2009 4:09 pm
Getting Solar - 9/6/2009 10:07 am
Giving Whrrl a Whirl - 8/17/2009 7:39 am
Second Life Revisited - 8/11/2009 7:21 pm
Why I Still Love Twitter - 7/29/2009 10:22 am
No TV? No Problem! - 7/15/2009 8:42 am
Selling Your Stuff Online - 7/6/2009 7:33 am
4 Professional Applications to Add to Your Facebook Profile - 6/29/2009 4:34 pm
Two Must-Have Chargers for Travelers - 6/20/2009 9:43 am
All I Want For Christmas Is... - 6/13/2009 7:21 pm
10 Fun and Educational iPhone Apps for Kids - 6/5/2009 5:34 pm
Getting My Dad Online - 6/2/2009 6:49 am
Learning Through Podcasts - 5/19/2009 3:39 pm
When You've Got Connectivity - 5/16/2009 4:11 pm
How to Approach a Blogger - 4/30/2009 7:53 am
5 Helpful Tools to Help You Twitter - 4/21/2009 8:29 pm
Will Oprah Kill Twitter? - 4/17/2009 9:48 pm
Be a Good Friend in Social Networks - 4/12/2009 9:00 am
iPhone Apps for Travelers - 4/5/2009 7:48 am
The "Twitter" Effect - 3/28/2009 4:17 pm
Finding Things on the Web - 3/22/2009 4:26 am
SEPTEMBER 27, 2009 - 4:59 PM
iPhone Houseplants 411 AppIn exploring the iTunes apps store for iPhone apps, I've come across a number of useful applications for household management. We could all use a little bit of that.
1. WalletZero (Free) - If you have a wallet full of membership and affinity cards such as BestBuy, Safeway and Blockbuster, you can use WalletZero instead. The application produces bar codes for your memberships and store clerks can scan the bar code with their scanning gun to access your membership information.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2009 - 4:09 PM
MyKaraoke iPhone app
I am a sucker for Karaoke. And with winter coming quickly, there is few better ways to spend a cold Alaskan winter's night or dark day than cranking out some tunes and belting them out. When not in Anchorage (where Al's Karaoke is my venue of choice), I have my own Karaoke system at home and there seems to be semi-regular Karaoke in Tok, however, I still haven't figured out the schedule.
But there are also Karaoke sites online and also some for your iPhone so you can indulge your Karaoke habit and even share the results with others. Here are just a few.
SEPTEMBER 6, 2009 - 10:07 AM
solar powered iPhone skin
There are a lot of great tech products out there that take advantage of sun power to keep our gadgets going. Here are just a few that are definitely on my wish list. Isn't Christmas coming soon?
Surge - Solar Powered Skins for iPhones
This is a hybrid solar power charger and a protective phone case. And yes, they come in pink (my favorite color).
juice bag
AUGUST 17, 2009 - 7:39 AM
A story on Whrrl
Nobody can deny the power of photographs to tell stories. In social media, sites like Flickr have proven that people can gather and form communities and conversations around images. Several newer social sites have cropped up that put the focus on photos as the basis of storytelling.
Whrrl starts you off with a question: What's your story? Then it provides you with the ability to upload images with captions to sequentially reveal where you are, what you are doing, and who you are with to give others the chance to "be there" along with you.
AUGUST 11, 2009 - 7:21 PM
Scene from Second Life
I've blogged here before about Second Life, and I recently started up some new ventures in the virtual world after a too-long hiatus. I took the break first because I was preparing for my move to Tok and wasn't sure the DSL connection could handle the load so I keyed back my activities in SL (as Second Life residents refer to it).
Those activities included weekly events on the virtual island I co-own and a Web-based TV show called Real Biz in SL as well as a self-produced podcast about my Second Life experiences as the avatar Cybergrrl Oh (my virtual persona).
JULY 29, 2009 - 10:22 AM
Aliza Sherman's Twitter Home Page
I started using Twitter two years ago, and I'm still not bored with it. More accurately, I'm more in love with Twitter than ever. How do I love Twitter? Let me count the ways.
1. My human filters. I love the way I can zoom in on important and relevant articles because I'm following people in my industry who tell me what they are reading - and by extension - what I should be reading.
2. My watercooler. I love how I can jump into the Twitterstream at any moment when I am feeling isolated working from my home and Tok and be in the midst of vibrant discussions from around the world.
JULY 15, 2009 - 8:42 AM
Hulu is a popular site for viewing television episodes
I don't get television in Tok. Not that I couldn't if I wanted to pay for a satellite dish, but I don't want the extra expense plus find not having television is good for the family. Still, I love well-produced TV shows with great characters and interesting plots. So what do I do?
To satisfy my entertainment cravings, I've been downloading television episodes from iTunes for $1.99 a show. My latest favorites are Saving Grace and Mad Men with a little Weeds on the side. I've recently decided to purchase entire seasons of shows I'm really enjoying, however, the downside is that I'm ending up with duplicates of the individual episodes I've already downloaded. Entire seasons of a show run between $19 to $25.
JULY 6, 2009 - 7:33 AM
Threadless - cool tshirt designs
We all know about eBay, the granddaddy of person-to-person Internet marketplaces, for selling things online. But there are a lot of other sites where you can create and sell things. Here is a sampling.
1. Etsy - Are you into arts and crafts? Homemade crafty creations are bought and sold at Etsy. The site also has a thriving online and offline community of crafty types.
2. Cafe Press - Do you have a knack with funny slogans or funky logos? You can easily produce branded tshirts, sweatshirts, baseball caps, mugs, calendars, even teddy bears. Producing the items doesn't cost you anything out of pocket. You just mark up the price Cafe Press sets to determine your profit. Cafe Press takes care of printing, shipping and the entire online transaction. Another similar site is Zazzle.com.
JUNE 29, 2009 - 4:34 PM
As more and more people use Facebook as a professional networking site and not just for social interactions, many wonder how they can make their Facebook profile as professional as possible. There are so many fun applications to add to a Facebook profile, but by doing so, you might create irrelevant clutter that doesn't put your best professional foot forward.
Here are four applications you can add to your personal Facebook profile to enhance it as a professional networking and image-enhancing tool:
1. Testimonials - You can add this app to your profile and use it to gather references from your personal, professional and academic contacts.
JUNE 20, 2009 - 9:43 AM
battery charger by iGoI was at JFK airport the other day on my way back home to Tok when I passed by an electronics shop. The Gadget Girl in me drew me into the store as I've been on the lookout for a solar charger for my cellphones. They didn't have one, but they did have two other chargers that I purchased and wondered why I hadn't bought them sooner.
1. Battery powered charger for my iPhone. The iGo PowerXtender takes two AA batteries and powers up your phone when you can't get to a power outlet. You can purchase tips to accommodate a variety of mobile devices. It goes for about $15 on Amazon.com - I think I paid almost twice that at the airport tech store so my advice is to purchase one before you take a trip, not during.
JUNE 13, 2009 - 7:21 PM
_ Kindle Store.preview.jpg "The Kindle on Amazon.com")
The Kindle on Amazon.comI know, I know, I'm thinking about Christmas early, maybe a little too early, however, my Christmas wish list - while not long - is quite pricey so someone is going to have to save their pennies if there's any hope of seeing these items.
1. An iPhone3G. I can't tell you any other reason why I'd want the latest, greatest iPhone while living in rural Alaska where I won't get all of the latest, greatest benefits, other than the fact that I love my current iPhone and if there's a better one out there, I'll take it! Of course, since I do live in Tok, this doesn't have to be a high priority purchase.
JUNE 5, 2009 - 5:34 PM
Where's Gumbo? is one of a number of storybook apps for the iPhone
Are parents really using their cell phones as the modern day baby rattle? Well, according to an Associated Press article they are. And yes, I am one of those parents.
I've blogged about iPhone applications for kids last year, and the choice of kid-friendly, entertaining and educational applications has exploded.
JUNE 2, 2009 - 6:49 AM
holding hands in cyberspace
I remember telling my parents about the Internet back in the early 1990s. I had a PC laptop with America Online on it, and I showed him how to "get online" and how email worked.
"I don't get it," he told me back then. "I just can't see a use for it."
At the time, my only argument for the value of the Internet was that he could stay in touch with his daughters because we both had email.
Fast forward to today. My Dad appreciates the emails and photographs my sister and I share with him through email, especially now that he has a granddaughter. But email isn't the only thing he uses. He's been teaching algebra classes online for several years through the University of Phoenix.
MAY 19, 2009 - 3:39 PM
iPhone by AppleNot everyone can listen to an audio lesson and get something from it. I actually used to struggle even listening to an audiobook - especially while driving - and come away with any understanding of the story. These days, even though I'm so much more able to concentrate and absorb the content of an audiobook, I'm so busy that the thought of listening to an entire book - even over days or weeks - is overwhelming.
Enter podcasts. I love podcasts. In addition to recording my own podcasts (Digital Marketer; Cybergrrl Oh: Living a 2nd Life; MediaBabes; and Social Media Goodness), I've been listening to more and more podcasts lately. I especially listen to them while working out, and yes, while driving. While some of them are about an hour long, most are under half an hour, some even as short as under ten minutes and yet still chock full of great information.
MAY 16, 2009 - 4:11 PM
chena hot springsI think it is easy to take connectivity to the Internet or a cell signal for granted. It seems almost a given that we can --and should-- be able to get connected wherever we go. Those of us living in rural areas, however, know how precious connectivity can be, if you can get it.
I'm at a three day conference in Chena Hot Springs, and I think everyone attending took it for granted that Internet connectivity was a given. I was asked to speak about social media and online community building so never questioned being able to get online. Boy were we surprised!
APRIL 30, 2009 - 7:53 AM
Bloggers are people, tooA lot of people look to bloggers these days to help them publicize their products or services. I'm approached many times a week to do this so have come up with a short list of things to consider when asking a blogger to promote something for you.
1. Do your homework. Before you approach a blogger, read some of their past posts and recent posts to get a sense of the themes and topics they cover. Have they blogged about a product or service before? Reference this in your pitch to explain why you're approaching this particular blogger. And before you hit the send button, make sure that your product or service is actually relevant to the blogger's blog.
APRIL 21, 2009 - 8:29 PM
Twilert: like Google Alerts for Twitter
I use Twitter every day. When people ask me what I get out of Twitter, I can rattle off a list of ways Twitter helps me with my work including providing:
1. connections to my colleagues thousands of miles away;
fast answers to my immediate tech questions;
2. insights into what my industry leaders are thinking - and reading;
3. a sounding board for ideas;
4. a marketing tool for my online events; and
5. a gateway to my podcasts and blogs.
One of the most interesting things about Twitter is how so many companies are jumping on the Twitter bandwagon, producing applications and tools to help Twitter users tweet more efficiently and measure aspects of their Twitter use. Here are five tools I'm using these days:
APRIL 17, 2009 - 9:48 PM
 on Twitter.preview.jpg "Oprah Twitters")
Oprah Twitters
The "Twitterverse" has been all abuzz with the recent uptick in celebrity participation on Twitter. Actor and producer Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) has been spending an inordinate amount of time Twittering his life with wife--and superstar--Demi Moore (@mrskutcher), including personal and intimate photographs behind-the-scenes of their jet-setting lifestyle.
APRIL 12, 2009 - 9:00 AM
social networking is about "friends" and being "friendly"
The more we use social networks in our everyday messaging, the more we need to consider how we are using these new forms of communication. I've blogged about the need to establish your friending policy to better manage which friend offers you receive, accept or make. Here are a few more tips about making friends and not annoying people in the world of social networks.
1. Fill in Your Profile. Before you start inviting people to become your friend, make sure you fill in your profile so people know who you are, what you do, and why they might be interested in connecting with you.
APRIL 5, 2009 - 7:48 AM
LonelyPlanet apps for iPhone
You may recall my iPhone envy from last year. Once my other mobile phone contract was up, I rushed to the AT&T store to get my iPhone and haven't looked back since.
In past posts, I've covered a few iPhone topics including iPhone for Kids and 7 Really Useful iPhone Apps. To contribute to your iPhone envy - if you don't already own the amazing device - let me tell you about some great iPhone apps for traveling.
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