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Avoid Twitter Exploits By Avoiding Twitter.com

It seems that all these Twitter security holes and exploits revolve around the Twitter.com website itself. Some relatively intelligent programmer inserts some code somewhere and, by visiting the compromised profile, you get infected. The ultimate solution? Don’t visit Twitter.com. It seems to make perfect sense to me as I can see no reason you actually need to go to the site. Sure, you’ll miss those gaudy profile backgrounds, but you’ll get over it.

Other reasons for using an alternative web interface include:

  • Probably not blocked at work
  • Most have more advanced features like groups, realtime updates, and embedded media
  • May be much nicer to look at in general

You may wonder why I don’t recommend a desktop client, but I don’t like any of them. They are resource hogs and the UI’s are just not pleasing for me. Also, I can use a web client and get the same experience no matter what computer I’m at. So, here is a list of alternative sites you can use that will also put some powerful tools in your hands in managing your Twitter experience.

iTweet.net

iTweet.net is one of the first alternatives to the actual Twitter website that I ever used. Although I’ve moved on, it’s still an excellent site to use. The layout is similar to Twitter.com, but there are many advanced features under the hood if you so choose to use them. This is probably the simplest interface and good for those who don’t need a lot of bells and whistles.

iTweetWeb

Seesmic Web

This one is still a preview release, which I assume means it’s not even in the alpha/beta stages. It’s pretty simple right now, but those used to the Seesmic Desktop may find the interface familiar. Check it out at Seesmic.com.

SeesmicWeb

Sobees Web (alpha)

Sobees Web also sprouted from an existing desktop client of the same name. The interface is based on Silverlight and, I have to say, is quite nice to look at. It’s very flexible in letting you choose a layout and you can also connect it to Facebook. One issue I have with Sobees is the huge and unnecessary banner across the top that invites you to download the desktop client, as you can see in the screenshot.

SobeesWeb

Tweetvisor

Tweetvisor is one of my favorite Twitter interfaces and also one of the most advanced. It packs a bunch of features that make Twitter so much easier to manage. It also embeds videos and photos right in the interface so you don’t have to click a bunch of links to see embedded media. It boasts a couple of different interfaces and also includes groups, which helps you keep up and categorize those you follow. Tweetvisor makes Twitter nicer.

TweetVisorWeb

PeopleBrowsr

PeopleBrowsr also comes in as one of the most advanced Twitter interfaces. It also connects to pretty much all of your other social networks, including: MySpace, Facebook, Identica, and FriendFeed. It also includes advanced enterprise tools for managing your online brand. This is the interface I use currently. For the full breakdown, check out my post on getting started with PeopleBrowsr.  There are a few reasons why I’ve settled on it, but the main ones are:

  • Easily manage groups, including a VIP list of people. I currently follow 1729 people, but a fraction of those are VIP’s who I can follow in a separate column.
  • Selective posting to multiple services. Not only can I post using Ping.fm within Peoplebrowsr, but I can also select from any of the services I’ve connected with.
  • Scheduled updates and even repeated updates. This is a dangerous feature in the wrong hands, but I can schedule an update for a certain time, or schedule an update to be repeated at an interval. I primarily use this when I know I’ve been posting a lot, but still have something to say. I’ll schedule the post for a time in the near future and give my followers a break.

PeopleBrowsrWeb

Do you use any of these services? How do they work for you? What web interfaces for Twitter have you come across that I’ve missed? Inquiring minds want to know.

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Maximize Your Feeds with Feed-Buster

Being an avid FriendFeed user, I’ve had hours and hours of experience in figuring out what items will get attention there. One thing that most users will agree on is the fact that images will usually catch a viewer’s eye. Even before FriendFeed really opened the fire hose and made realtime the default, items with image thumbnails always seemed to get the most attention. Feed-buster is a web application that ensures your feeds are at their best. When you import a Feed-buster feed into FriendFeed, you’ll get all the images and video properly formatted and embedded. Check out this image to see what I mean. Which feed would you find more interesting?

fbDemoPic

This brings me to my experience with my Posterous blog. The reason Posterous has become so important in my workflow is that it allows me to simply forward interesting emails I get directly to my blog (@woodchuckonbass is one of my primary sources in that regard). Not only that, but Posterous automatically posts to all my social networks for me. Check out myPosterous getting started guide for more information.

The problem is that, whether you import your feed from Posterous or set up Posterous to post directly to FriendFeed, you can never ensure that all your images and videos will actually show up in FriendFeed. Feed-buster changes all that and should help with any other feeds that don’t seem to do what you want them to.

Feed-buster has definitely solved a huge problem for me, so maybe it can help enrich your online experience as well. Tell what you think in the comments.

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Entrecard Gets Bought and Adds a Fancy New Video

Entrecard

Entrecard was recently aquired by LA based Ziprunner and it looks like they’ve started to make some changes. The image above shows the link to their new video that helps to explain what the point of Entrecard really is. According to an email from Graham Langdon, founder of Entrecard, he will become more of an advisor and has started a new blog at Ontrapranore.com:

ZipRunner Inc. was chosen out of a number of potential suitors because
of the resources they can dedicate to the project, their exciting
vision for the company’s future, and their understanding of social
media and the blogosphere.

In all honesty, I haven’t been that deep into the Entrecard community, but I have been somewhat active there and I’m hoping their purchase will make the service more useful to more people. Many may think that Entrecard will simply increase your bounce rate and won’t bring you any quality visitors, but this is definitely false. I have made many connections via Entrecard and I don’t plan to stop using it any time soon. It’s just another tool to use to find little known bloggers who post stuff I might like. I also appeciate the fact that other bloggers, most of them serious, are taking the time to take a look at my blog.

If you have an Entrecard account, don’t forget to drop a card here and add me to your favorites. I know I’ve been slacking on my dropping, but I’m working on it and having some fresh blogs in my Entrecard inbox would definitely help.

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What’s Your Skill Score?

Learn.com calls themselves a leader in on-demand workforce development and productivity so, when I came across their website, I absolutely had to dig a little deeper. They are a pioneer in Elearning and “the first company in history to provide a single, integrated platform for those seeking skill improvement for a particular job profile and those seeking to hire skilled, “job ready” workers.”

Personally, my dream job is one in which I can earn a living enriching the lives of others. It sounds really corny when you say it out loud, but it’s still the truth. Many know me as somewhat of a renaissance man. I’m a writer and blogger, specifically covering technology and productivity. I’m also a musician, releasing such esoteric but lyrically charged diddies as Social Media Mogul and Before I Lose It. My interest in my personal health and fitness has transformed my life physically and mentally and I want to help others strive towards their health goals as well.

While my interests are somewhat random, there are some threads that run through them all. Those include sales, marketing, finance, and customer service. These are all basic courses that I could take at Learn.com. Some might even be free. There are also courses on how to operate a home business, which is exactly what I’ve been doing up to this point. Once you’ve selected a job profile on Learn.com, you’ll be assessed a Skill Score that reflects your skill and knowledge as it relates to that job profile.

“We believe the Skill Score will become as important as a credit score within the next few years,” said Learn.com President and CEO Jim Riley. He continued, “This new tool not only gives job seekers an important edge in today’s economy, it also helps employers make better decisions about whom they hire.”

It seems that Learn.com could not only help you figure out where you stand in relation to the skills required for your dream job, but it could also help employers easily pick out the right person for a job. Check out the site, take a free course or two, and tell me what you think.

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