Until twitter came along I didn’t have much use for services that shorted web addresses.  I quickly learned how useful they are, even beyond twitter.  I saw many people on twitter were using bit.ly and decided to check it out.  Here’s what I liked right off the bat:

• There is no limit to how many web addresses (URLs) you can shorten
• They offer a bookmarklet reveals a sidebar to shorten and share any page
• It works with multiple twitter accounts

Though I’ve used bit.ly mostly with twitter,  I learned it’s power and protection go beyond twitter.   Here are a few examples.

Including a bit.ly link in a direct message on twitter (DM), an email, or blog comment gives me insight to the links being followed.  This is particularly useful if the link is to somewhere other than a site I own.   If I need to follow up, I know the message was opened and the link was followed.

I’ve also found a nifty Chrome extension from bit.ly that goes beyond the bookmarklet and offers even more.  Like the bookmarklet the extension will reveal the sidebar but also ads a hover feature.  Hovering over a bit.ly link (and a few other types) not only shows the destination of the shortened link but also how many clicks link has generated.  Hovering over a twitter id will show a snapshot of a persons profile.  I can usually decide from the snapshot if I want to follow a link or the person.

Before I had this visibility I followed a short-link about local flooding on twitter and suddenly landed on a fake virus scan site!  The spammers targeted the trending topics on twitter to grab traffic.  Seeing where a link will go eliminates my biggest fear with following a shortened link.  Now I know exactly where the bit.ly link will go anywhere a bit.ly link appears.

I’m recommending bit.ly.  Let me know what you think and Consider subscribing.

Once you’ve created a resume using Google Docs you can either copy and paste the HTML into a blog page or retrieve it inline.

The resume below resides on Google Docs. Using a WordPress plug-in the resume is retrieved from Google docs using a 1 line of PHP code. See how the resume appears on Google Docs Resume.

One advantage of the Google Doc page is the ability to download the doc as a PDF or a Word document. Recruiters seem to be very attached to attachments.

Feel free to contact me if you want the plug-in code.

The sample HTML used to create the resume is below this resume. Though you can let Google Docs create the HTML for you I found formatting my own code made a better looking resume. If your resume is in Word I strongly encourage you to start from scratch. The HTML generated by Word is very ugly.

<h1>Your Name and LinkedIn Widget code</h1>

<h3>Subheading</h3>

Horizontal Rule
<hr>

<h3><u>Employer</u></h3>

<ul>


<h4>Job Title</h4>


<li>Accomplishments 1

<li>Accomplishments 2

<li>Accomplishments 3

</ul>

]]> http://smallpasture.com/sample-resume-using-google-docs/feed/ 2 http://smallpasture.com/twitter-mobile-page/ http://smallpasture.com/twitter-mobile-page/#comments Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:30:50 +0000 Jim http://smallpasture.com/?p=263

First I tried using twitter’s mobile page but I was left wanting a lot more functionality without having to install yet another application.  Then I found Dabr.  Unlike the mobile twitter page, Dabr:

• Let’s me see my direct messages
• Many more lists like who follows me, my favorites, direct messages, etc.
• Search

If you’re like me and want a mobile twitter page check out dabr.

]]> http://smallpasture.com/twitter-mobile-page/feed/ 0 http://smallpasture.com/google-apps-mobile-sync/ http://smallpasture.com/google-apps-mobile-sync/#comments Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:03:40 +0000 Jim http://smallpasture.com/?p=261

Though it’s been a gradual process I have completely switched from using Outlook to using Google Apps for calendaring, contacts and email.  When I started using a Blackberry about two years ago I was using blackberry’s desktop application but infrequently.  I needed a way to keep everything up to date and found Google’s Mobile Sync App.  I prefer it because it:

• Synchronizes wirelessly.
• Works with contacts and calendars ( I have multiple Google Calendars)
• Runs in the background and doesn’t “take over” during a sync process.

The only reason I ever connect using the Blackberry desktop app is to backup and sync media files.

]]> http://smallpasture.com/google-apps-mobile-sync/feed/ 0 http://smallpasture.com/keyword-tools-and-keyword-research/ http://smallpasture.com/keyword-tools-and-keyword-research/#comments Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:09:31 +0000 Jim http://smallpasture.com/?p=253

Some things I write about are just to put them out there.  Other things like my resume are pages I want people to find when searching with Google or Bing.  Before I start writing I need to know the words people are using to find what they want.  That is the value of doing keyword research.

The keywords and keyword combinations are determined through keyword research. Research the search terms (aka keywords) people are using to find pages you want them to find.

The primary tools I use are:

• My brain, based on my own knowledge of the subject
• Google’s Search-based keyword tool and Google Insights for Search
• Market Samuri which is a tool available for purchase
• Job posts from positions you want

In some cases you might use a single keyword for very unique product names. If you’re targeting a very competitive keyword you’ll need to find keyword combinations. Some will be a few keywords other will have many keywords.

For example I have a job board site I created primarily for my own education and research purposes at Commission Sales Jobs.  Using the search based keyword link tells me the keyword combination “Sales Jobs” is highly searched and highly competitive. But there are many additional and more targeted terms that people use to find sales jobs. These are the keywords you need to be using when building site content.

If you’re looking for employment look for keywords in job postings.  Try searching on some of the terms and see the search results.  I’ve had several recruiters contact me based on my online resume appearing in search results.

Searches with lots of keywords are a pretty good indicator that the person knows exactly what they want. I would argue that those are the people you really want to reach.

]]> http://smallpasture.com/keyword-tools-and-keyword-research/feed/ 0 http://smallpasture.com/planning-a-class-reunion/ http://smallpasture.com/planning-a-class-reunion/#comments Sat, 09 Jan 2010 16:34:36 +0000 Jim http://smallpasture.com/?p=231

A group of us from high school decided late in the year we wanted to have a 30-year high school class reunion.  Because time was limited we needed a quick way to get the word out get classmates to attend.  Using facebook, wordpress and eventbright we were able to have a very successful and well attended reunion.

Ticket Sales for High School Class Reunion

Jeff Davis Class of 1979 Reunion Registration Page

To ensure the cost didn’t keep people away, we sold several different types of tickets ranging from $0 to $75. There is no commission for the free events. Eventbright charges a small commission for priced tickets so using the eventbright registration cost $115. For that raised $4,500 for the event by selling 214 tickets.

]]> http://smallpasture.com/planning-a-class-reunion/feed/ 0 http://smallpasture.com/zero-inbox/ http://smallpasture.com/zero-inbox/#comments Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:30:44 +0000 Jim http://smallpasture.com/how-to-zero-inbox/

Fred Wilson wrote about a Boxee bookmarklet feature of the Boxee TV beta.  Videos items from various sites can be tagged for later viewing via Boxee TV.  My Read/Listen/View folder tends to fill up with video because I don’t want to take the time to download.

Seeing this as a potential solution, I was prompted to write about my experience with having a zero-inbox and how it keeps me focused on what’s important and worthwhile.

Having a zero-inbox eliminated that nagging feeling something important could be sitting buried in my inbox.  The key idea is to process your inbox completely before taking on any activity requiring more than 3-minutes to complete.

If it will take less than 3-minutes, like a quick response, do it and archive it.  The remaining items are placed in one of four folders.  Heres how I have mine setup up:

• .Action – Action is needed which is expected to take more than 3-minutes to complete.
• .Read/Listen/View – Subscriptions, blog posts, etc. Many are deleted right way.
• .Someday/Maybe – Someday I may do this but no immediate plans.
• .Waiting – Items I’ve delegated or expecting a response.  This become a ticker list to follow-up with after a few days.

I’ve presceed the folders with a period (.) so they sort to the top.  All other items are archived (the Y key in gmail).  If I need to refer to them again I can easily search for them.

After doing this for a few days, it also became apparent which lists I needed to unsubscribe.  They either sent too much email or I just wasn’t that interested enough to ever read what they were sending.  Some of these I just subscribe to via Google Reader.

One last bit of advice, don’t cherry pick or scan your inbox, process it from the top to bottom in order.  If you start looking for the “really important stuff” it’s too tempting to get sucked into it, missing the other more important stuff.

]]> http://smallpasture.com/zero-inbox/feed/ 0 http://smallpasture.com/google-nexus/ http://smallpasture.com/google-nexus/#comments Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:38:14 +0000 Jim http://smallpasture.com/?p=194

As anticipated, Official Google Blog: Our new approach to buying a mobile phone.  The Nexus One run’s Google’s Android mobile operating system, but unlike other Android phones it is designed and sourced by Google.  Google contracted with HTC which also makes many of handsets running Microsoft’s mobile operating system.  Unlike the Windows Phone operating system the Android operating system is open source which allows the phone designers more freedom in the phone design.
–

Presumably Google was not seeing the kind of innovation they had hoped their open approach would foster and decided to take matters into their own hands, pun intended.

After viewing Malt Mosbergs review the Nexus One sounds like a contender but the phone itself is not a game changer, yet.

The Nexus One’s most distinctive and disruptive feature is it’s being sold as an “unlocked” phone directly from Google.  By selling locked phones cell phone carriers have subsidized (discounted) the cost of the phone in exchange for multi-year contracts with a higher monthly cost.  But how much higher, nobody knows.  It is like getting a great price on a car so long as you agree to only buy higher priced fuel from the car’s dealer.  It’s OK  until someone starts selling fuel at a lower cost and the price difference become apparent.

I’ll take a serious look at the Google Nexus One when my current T-Mobile contract ends next month.  Right now T-Mobile is offering a “no-contract” plan for $10 less per line than the 2-year contract plan.

P.S.  As an Apple (AAPL) stockholder I’d like to see Apple offer an unlocked iPhone.  And even as a consumer I would probably choose an unlocked iPhone vs. an unlocked Nexus One.

P.S.S. I’m looking forward to knowing more about Google Voice integration with a Google phone.  Any information would be much appreciated.

Please leave a comment, I’d like to hear from you.

]]> http://smallpasture.com/google-nexus/feed/ 0 http://smallpasture.com/how-to-stand-out-in-a-crowded-job-market/ http://smallpasture.com/how-to-stand-out-in-a-crowded-job-market/#comments Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:48:46 +0000 Jim http://smallpasture.com/?p=181

WSJ’s Sarah Needleman talks with David Perry and Kevin Donlin, author and co-author of “Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters,” about how to stand out from the overcrowded pool of job hunters and offer new tactics to get a foot in the door.
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Buy on Amazon: Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0: 1,001 Unconventional Tips, Tricks and Tactics for Landing Your Dream Job

or get even more at

Guerrilla Job Hunting Tools

]]> http://smallpasture.com/how-to-stand-out-in-a-crowded-job-market/feed/ 1 http://smallpasture.com/social-media-trends-2009/ http://smallpasture.com/social-media-trends-2009/#comments Sun, 27 Dec 2009 22:12:46 +0000 Jim http://smallpasture.com/?p=171

After reading Ben Parr‘s artle titled What Twitter and Facebook’s 2009 Trends Tell Us About Ourselves I got to thinking about the trends of Twitter and Facebook in 2009.  I thought I would see just how Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and MySpace fared in 2009 on Google search.  I turned to the Google Search Insights tool and found some surprising results.

—

—

I expected twitter would have made significant gains on facebook, youtube and myspace yet twitter made very little progress at all.  What was even more suprising was how facebook broke-out in 2009 against youtube and myspace.  They were all neck and neck at the beginning of the year and by year end facebook was the clear leader.

The graph above is for the United States but the results are virtually the same worldwide.

What do you think, are you surprised?

]]> http://smallpasture.com/social-media-trends-2009/feed/ 0