Month: May 2011

Using TextExpander to Conquer Email  →

Elliot Jay Stocks joins the ranks of TextExpander aficionados:

My completely non-scientific research has found that the number of times one writes the same thing is explicitly tied to the number of emails one receives. In other words, it’s the law of averages. Like many people, I find myself writing the same thing over and over and over again, with very subtle alterations.

I’ve been using TextExpander for the past six months or so. The Big Ah-Ha Moment for me was when I realized that though I could use it to help automate my responses to certain common emails I get, that automation didn’t mean my replies were any less personal. If anything, TextExpander has helped me to become more personal because it allows me time to actually reply to more emails.

Using TextExpander to Conquer Email

On Pagination Navigation  →

Some food for thought from Jason Kottke which has led me to test something new here. Instead of providing the standard “previous entries” link at the bottom of the homepage (which takes you to /page/2 and onward), I’ve replaced it with links to recent articles, interviews, and reviews.

The idea is that someone at the bottom of the homepage is more likely than not a new reader (regular readers hang out at the top of the site or in the RSS feed). So why direct a new reader to what I linked to last week? It seems to make a bit more sense to tell them about the recent and premier articles that have been written here.

On Pagination Navigation

Voice

Words on a weblog live a very different life than those born to the printed page.

My weblog and I have a voice that is different than if I wrote a daily tech column for the local paper. Sure, my writing style would be the same, but my voice would be interpreted differently by my readers. When my words show up on this website my voice as a writer is influenced by more factors than just the words used.

Words printed onto a physical page are tactile. They can be held, dog-eared, and stuffed into your jacket pocket or backpack. But they are always on that piece of paper.

Whereas the words published onto a weblog are dynamic and living in a way all their own. There is always stuff moving and shifting around those words. Today there will be a different advertisement sitting next to them than there was yesterday. Tomorrow there will be a new post hanging out above them. Sometimes they’ll be read on a large display and sometimes on a cell phone.

Print is physical and tactile; digital is dynamic and moving. It’s one of the juxtapositions of publishing.

It’s fascinating how websites are, in their own way, living and breathing things. They’re dynamic, with a life and personality all their own. And this is why, on a website, it is more than just the text that contributes to the voice of the writer. There is also the structure of the articles and link posts; the topics written about; the items linked to; and even the author’s sense of entitlement to their work. All of these things add up to form the whole of what is a distinct and unique voice.

And so when you consider your design, consider also your voice. When you consider the structure of your links and articles, consider also your voice. When you consider your topics, consider also your voice. Let the design and the structure and the dynamics of your website underpin the words and style of your writing. Because all of it adds up to form the voice of you and your weblog.

If anything on your website is important then everything is.

Voice

Scott Adams on Entrepreneurialism  →

Scott Adams has an article in the Wall Street Journal today. Scott’s a fantastic writer, and his piece for the Journal is a savvy combination of stories, advice, and wit.

That’s the year I learned that if there’s a loophole, someone’s going to drive a truck through it, and the people in the truck will get paid better than the people under it.

Also:

Simplicity makes ideas powerful. Want examples? Read anything by Steve Jobs or Warren Buffett.

Scott Adams on Entrepreneurialism

Mike Rohde’s Sketchnotes from the Chick-fil-A Leadercast  →

Some great sketches by Mike Rohde from the Chick-fil-A leadership conference held in Atlanta, GA this past Friday, May 6. Mike has sketches and notes from sessions with Seth Godin, John Maxwell, Dave Ramsey, and others.

I would have liked to be at this conference, but I couldn’t make it. Fortunately, as is the case with all of Mike’s sketchnotes, these are delightful to look at and they contain many great quotes. Like this page, for example.

Mike Rohde’s Sketchnotes from the Chick-fil-A Leadercast

An AppleScript for Opening the Current Safari URL in Google Chrome  →

I use Safari sans Flash, and so I launch Chrome for times when Flash is needed (which is a few times a week). I was having the same problem as TJ: setting a global shortcut key to launch Chrome via the Developer menu wasn’t always working. However, this AppleScript works like a charm.

Be sure to download the “updated” script found at the bottom of TJ’s post. It fixes a bug in the original script.

And for the curious nerdy, my keyboard shortcut for this is CMD+OPT+G and I’m using FastScrips of course.

(Via DF.)

An AppleScript for Opening the Current Safari URL in Google Chrome

“Link, Pull, Response”  →

Tim Carmody, who guest wrote for Jason Kottke last week, wrapped up his stint with a post about why he loves Kottke.org and, really, what makes for a great weblog.

These [link, pull, and response] are also the elements that help establish bloggers’ identity as readers in conversation with other readers: I have seen something that I feel strongly enough to think and write about, and what would make me happiest is if you look at it, then think and write about it too.

What I like about Tim’s post is how he relates the structure of a weblog to its voice. Especially for sites that post a high frequency of links to other sites, the structure of link posts can contribute greatly to the voice of the author. The words used are not the only elements which establish voice. Other key players include structure and site design.

“Link, Pull, Response”

The Phonetic Field  →

In a contact’s entry you can add a phonetic first and last name. This is great for making sure the Voice Command says the names of your friends and family correctly as well as understanding you when you are trying to voice dial someone.

For example, I used to drive 10 minutes to my office every morning and would use that time to call my mom and say hi. Her name is Bea Blanc but my iPhone wanted me to pronounce it “Bee-ahh Blank”. It was bad enough that the iPhone fumbled up her name, but making me mispronounce it as well was just plain rude.

And so I entered her phonetic first and last name as “Bee Blonk” respectively. Now I don’t have to mispronounce her name when calling via voice dial. I know not everyone uses the Voice commands, but I like them. It’s like having your own assistant. iPhone, get my mother on the line, would you?

To set a phonetic field just go to a contact’s entry from your iPhone, scroll to the bottom, and tap “Add Field”. From there you’ll find the fields you’re looking for.

(Thanks Sean for the tip!)

The Phonetic Field

KanjiPictoGraphix  →

I want to thank Renkara Media Group for sponsoring the feed this week to promote their upcoming app for the iPhone and iPad, KanjiPictoGraphix.

Renkara Media Group has been working with Michael Rowley to turn his best-selling mnemonics book for learning Japanese, Kanji Pictographix, into an app for the iPhone and iPad. To help with the creation of this app Michael re-drew many of the visuals from his book. The app contains not just Michaels mnemonic visuals, but also stroke order diagrams, vocabulary words, and a dynamic filtering and sorting system.

It’s due out soon. You can check out the website to see a promo video and to sign up via email to be notified once the app is available.

KanjiPictoGraphix