i-Lights

Find out more about The Light Stuff and our social media network.

Getting Mashed Up With The Twitter Experience

Twitterlights is an innovative feature of i-Lighter that saves and posts i-Lighted content to a twitter account with just a click of the mouse. I especially like how the feature simplifies the process of sharing content. I simply activate the i-Lighter bot on my toolbar, i-Light the content I want to save, post the tiny url to Twitterlights, and I'm done.

Ever since the two technologies teamed up to become one, The Light Stuff has reviewed other twitter mashups. New ones pop up on the landscape all the time. For fans of the micro-blogging platform, here are a few worth noting:

Tweetstats: Employing color-coded graphics to analyze frequency of twitter usage, the application breaks down personal data into months, days, and time of day. Charts show when a twitter member has been most active and when they don't have much to tweet. It also generates a tweet cloud tag displaying frequently used words and phrases. Not a rival of Google Analytics by any means, but easy to implement and analyze.

Comcast and Plaxo Pulse Merger Begins Integration of Old and New Media

While people like me weren't paying attention, cable giant Comcast Interactive Media acquired social network behemoth, Plaxo, innovator of Pulse technology. This is really exciting news for people attuned to Internet technology. Eventually, the rest of the population will have something to celebrate as well.

The beauty of Plaxo lies in its ability to synchronize different points of contact utilized online. By eliminating the need to check content in different locations, Plaxo provided a free service that was more or less unrivaled. The 3.0 version integrated content from information providers such as Google Calendar, Yahoo, Outlook, AOL, and LinkedIn, and provided different ways to access that content, say from a mobile phone and news feeds. Its launch more than a year ago brought the success of applications developed through social networking site Facebook to the next level. Before there was FriendFeed, Plaxo 3.0 kept members up to date and in touch with their contacts through content feeds without the time and effort normally attendant to email. This in turn helped grow the development of social media.

For a more thorough understanding of the original Plaxo technology, watch the video here.

Windows Live Writer and Blogging Tips

Finding the inspiration for a riveting blog article is not always easy. Certainly, there are times when a story seemingly writes itself. Like a free flow stream of consciousness, the words somehow tumble right out on to the page. Other times, just finding a suitable topic can be excruciatingly difficult.

I carry a gem of wisdom from a Las Vegas bloggers convention I attended last November.  All throughout the day, a blogger should be planning their next article. What to say, how to write it, how to engage readers -- these are the building blocks of the writing process. Creating the skeleton lays the ground work for quality material. As content comes to mind, write it down, or put it on a tape recorder. Pretty soon, the article will take shape. From there, edit like mad.

And when complete, edit again.

Whenever I come across unexpected pearls of wisdom like this on the Internet, I use i-Lighter to gather and save the information for future use. There are many other free applications and tips at a blogger's disposal. Here are a few that seem particularly useful.

Alternate Media Rescues Unusual Topics from the Obscure

As the Internet evolves, so too goes the structure of media. Whereas "infomercials," news coverage, and bricks and mortar sites once littered the landscape, now blogs, vlogs, and gaming portals compete for attention.

The proliferation of alternate forms of media has rescued once obscure topics from the bottom of the sludge heap. With so many sites competing for attention, many write about unusual topics as a way to distinguish themselves from the pack. As a result, topics are now more narrowly focused. For example, pink flamingos. Can you imagine anyone devoting an entire site to these pastel-colored lawn ornaments? Yet every day, such sites are becoming more commonplace.

For the Tuesday Wrap, I decided to embark upon my own little treasure hunt, exploring and i-Lighting slightly strange websites. I give these sites a lot of credit. They've established a unique significance, lending a bit of prominence over the rest. Their draw keeps them circulating among the top search results, almost guaranteeing future relevance.

Who knows? Maybe in the future, there will be a need for this type of information. In the meantime, the following micro-topics make a fun and relaxing read.

Mothers Day Gift and Celebration Ideas

Every year, mothers across the United States anxiously anticipate the arrival of Mothers Day. It's the one day of the year when mothers can relax in bed, leave the dishes and laundry for another day, and focus solely on themselves. All this without a lick of remorse. No wonder some like it better than birthdays.

Honoring mothers is a practice that dates back to ancient times. Reports of ancient Greek festivities honoring Rhea, mother of the gods, appear to be the earliest known. The tradition of Mothering Sunday in midieval England may have been the impetus for a similar American holiday.

Accounts vary as to the American origin. Some say Mothers Day began with Julia Ward Howard, the famous composer of the Civil War favorite, Battle Hymn of the Republic. Others say the credit goes to Ann Jarvis, a Philadelphia woman who, with her sister Elsinore, wished to honor the memory of her beloved mother, Anna Marie Jarvis. Ann Jarvis and her friends began a letter writing campaign to important officials in Congress. In 1912, West Virginia became the first state to adopt an official Mothers Day. President Woodrow Wilson followed suit in 1914, officially establishing the second Sunday in May for national observance.

Niche Social Networks and Social Media

Trying to learn the difference between social media and social networking is a confusing exercise. Is there really a significant distinction? And if so, what difference does it make? Don't the two forms of communication work in tandem?

According to 123Media.com, "you can have social media without social networking," but you can't have "social networking without social media." Social media is a type of technology, a blanket term covering many different forms of online communication. Social networking, on the other hand, puts that technology to work for the purpose of forming online connections.

I still find the slight differentiation between the two somewhat dubious. By writing this article, I'm engaging in a form of social media. If someone comments on this article, only then am I engaging in social networking. But using that same analysis, isn't everything on the Internet a form of social media, the purpose being to communicate through a vast connection of pipes and tubes? If so, social networking merely takes what already happens on the Internet to the next level.

SlideShare and Google Maps News

Last night, I attended a community function debuting a video created by a friend's daughter. Not much more than PowerPoint with live action shorts slipped in for good measure, the different visual techniques grabbed my eye. Transition devices, music layover, and other visual devices, all deftly arranged for maximum effect. For a 14-year old, it was a masterpiece. At the conclusion, the auditorium burst into applause as my friend beamed with pride.

Now, out of Silicon Valley comes news of funding worth $3 million for SlideShare. Described as a "YouTube for PowerPoint junkies," SlideShare is a niche network community where users tag and share PowerPoints, leave comments, and even mashup presentations with background music. SlideShare encourages people to get creative, join groups, and schedule events. Each PowerPoint has a set of statistics showing total views, shares, and embeds. These statistics help propel presentations to the homepage for additional exposure.

I personally like that you don't have to be a registered member to start uploading content. Worth having a look if you enjoy watching different PowerPoints, or use this type of presentation in your daily activities. Here's a featured slideshare covering today's news.

| View | Upload your own

Two More i-Lighter Time Saving Tips to Lighten Your Day

A passing thought entered my brain as I began typing today's article. Who are the people deriving the most benefit from their free i-Lighter accounts? Tech people? People who research online? People with certain lifestyles? Hobbyists? Stay at home soccer moms? Expressive writers?

Truthfully, i-Lighter is tremendously beneficial for anyone using the Internet. It's easy to download, set up, and quite easy to navigate after login. I use my account almost daily, highlighting articles of interest and sending them to my social networks with a simple click of the mouse. It's far easier to communicate my interests in this manner than to link back to these articles with an article of my own. The same holds true for pictures. No need to pirate and upload when i-Lighter easily lets me share.

Popular and Unusual Hobbies to Fill Leisure Time

Everyone likes to engage in some amount of leisure time. Whether to simply relax or engage in creative endeavors, leisure provides a respite from every day pressures and responsibilities. Many view leisure time as a godsend, a way to pursue actual interests and explore their creativity, while others long to be more productive, leisure being thrust upon them by old age or infirmity.

Hobbies are a productive way to fill leisure time. By engaging in worthwhile activities for the pure sake of enjoyment, we expand our minds, nourish our souls, and in the process, achieve a real sense of accomplishment. The list of hobbies is endless. Many people tweak traditional ones to suit their particular interests. For example, a portfolio featuring only motor vehicles, or loving to read only one genre of books.

I thought it might be nice to explore different hobby sites, traditional as well as those slightly off the beaten path. Maybe this article will entice hobby enthusiasts to pipe in with a comment or a link to a their own favorite hobby sites. As always, i-Lighter is there to assist in all hobby pursuits. I encourage you to review the tutorials and other information about free i-Lighter accounts.

If Cruise Website Has Launched, It's Member Spotlight Day

If you weren't one of the thousands who flocked to the blockbuster, Iron Man, this past weekend, then your time away from work may have been spent like the people who use and enjoy i-Lighter. Gathering and saving sports scores, new recipe ideas, travel spots, the best summer travel deals, hobby news, redecorating advice...the list goes on.

Here it is, already Monday morning. Had to be the fastest spring weekend ever. Is it really time for the Member Spotlight, a time to review articles and mentions of i-Lighter and Twitterlights across the Internet? Well, according to other buzz, if Tom Cruise has unveiled his new website, yes, it's time to get cracking.

First up, a MyBlogLog contact. Kevin is an Internet entrepreneur and self-professed geek who writes easy to read tech reviews as well as articles about social networking, games, and gadgets. Interesting Stuff that Matters is one of two blogs he maintains. Judging by the number of blog reactions, Kevin is an emerging authority on technology. His article about i-Lighter and Twitterlights, a quick step-by-step guide for those who have no time for long tutorials, is nicely written. I especially like his assessment of never having to "download content to your computer again" once you begin using i-Lighter. The article also provides relevant useful links at the bottom.