I love it when colleagues share their technical tips and resources! This is the beauty of the Geek List and the NextSpace List in action.

Chris Burbridge, friend and colleague at Nextspace, just shared the following tips and resources for improving MacBook Pro performance.

Chris wrote:

If your Mac has begun to slow…

I began to get frustrated … my 2 1/2 -year-old beloved MacBook Pro began to get slower and slower … Of course, since everything’s supposed to be so automatic on the Mac, it was a bit hard to get data on what was going on.

• First, I found this product Clean My Mac, which cleans out lots of log files and junk … it seemed to make a marked improvement in the performance again. (http://macpaw.com/cleanmymac)
• Then, I found this post the other day on StumbleUpon – http://simplestation.com/locomotion/speed-up-mac-os-x-leopard/ . Lots of good little tips …
• Foremost of which, and by far the best tip yet, was to get iDefrag (http://www.coriolis-systems.com/iDefrag.php), which defragged my 180GB hard drive over a period of several hours …

My Mac is back to normal! This definitely improves my professional life substantially. Makes a huge difference.

I had to share this.
Chris

Thanks for sharing, Chris!

[Note: Originally posted June 15, 2010. Updated with more resources July 22, 2010!]

One of the things I do as a consultant is technology advising with the Silicon Valley Technology Advisory Program (aka TAP). TAP is a program that is part of the Silicon Valley SBDC (Small Business Development Center).

From the Silicon Valley SBDC website:

We’re dedicated to the success of entrepreneurs in the Greater Silicon Valley Area, which includes Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.

The Silicon Valley Small Business Development Center offers a wide variety of services for present and potential small business owners. Our services include no-charge expert consulting, low-cost training, information resources, events and seminars. All consulting services are confidential and free of charge.

I’ve been a Technology Advisor with the Silicon Valley SBDC TAP for two years. Most often what I do is review (“audit”) websites of TAP clients — they’re usually owners of small businesses — and create a written report with recommendations for improvement, and then we discuss the recommendations. I review a wide range of websites!

Recently I’ve been working on creating a Social Media Report with a collection of resources that will help Silicon Valley SBDC TAP clients learn more about Social Media. Note: It’s for Social Media newbies! One of the Appendices that I’ve recently created is chock full of great links for people getting started on Social Media, so I’ve decided to share it here. Here you go!

Social Media Resources (general)

• Mashable’s 10 of the Best Social Media Tools for Entrepreneurs: http://mashable.com/2009/10/26/socia-media-entrepreneurs/

• Mashable’s Social Media News: http://mashable.com/social-media/

• Social Media in Plain English (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpIOClX1jPE&feature=player_embedded

• Hotdesign’s Getting Started with Social Media: http://blog.hotdesign.com/2008/12/getting-started-with-social-media/

• Hotdesign’s 5 Reasons for Social Media Marketing: http://blog.hotdesign.com/2009/03/5-reasons-for-social-media-marketing/

• New! Monitoring Your Online Presence for Free: http://blog.hotdesign.com/2010/07/monitoring-your-online-presence-for-free/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

• New! 11 Free Services for Scheduling Social Media Updates: http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/technology/article/11-free-services-for-scheduling-social-media-updates-erica-swallow

LinkedIn Resources

• LinkedIn’s website: http://linkedin.com

• What is LinkedIn: http://learn.linkedin.com/what-is-linkedin/

• What is LinkedIn (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVlUwwgOfKw&feature=player_embedded

• LinkedIn Learning Center: http://learn.linkedin.com/

• LinkedIn Webinars: http://learn.linkedin.com/training/

• LinkedIn Help: http://linkedin.custhelp.com/

• Mashable’s HOW TO: Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn: http://mashable.com/2009/07/27/linkedin-personal-brand/

• Hotdesign’s Getting Started with LinkedIn: http://blog.hotdesign.com/2008/12/getting-started-with-linkedin/

• LinkedIn for Dummies (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV_7yAPnkFw

Facebook Resources

• Facebook’s website: http://facebook.com

• Facebook Pages (with step by step instructions): http://www.facebook.com/advertising/?pages

• Facebook Pages Product Guide [PDF]: http://www.facebook.com/advertising/FacebookPagesProductGuide.pdf

• Facebook’s Help Center: http://www.facebook.com/help/

• Facebook Pages Help: http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=175

• Mashable’s Facebook Guide Book: http://mashable.com/guidebook/facebook/

• Hotdesign’s Getting Started with Facebook: http://blog.hotdesign.com/2008/12/getting-started-with-facebook/

• 32 Ways to use Facebook for Business: http://webworkerdaily.com/2009/07/21/32-ways-to-use-facebook-for-business/

Twitter Resources

• Twitter’s website: http://twitter.com

• Twitter 101 for Business – A special guide: http://business.twitter.com/twitter101/

• Twitter 101 (video): http://business.twitter.com/twitter101/starting

• Twitter Best Practices: http://business.twitter.com/twitter101/best_practices

• Twitter’s Help: http://twitter.com/help/start

• Twitter Search: http://search.twitter.com/

• Mashable’s Twitter Guide Book: http://mashable.com/guidebook/twitter/

• Mashable’s How to Make the Most of Your Twitter Profile Page: http://mashable.com/2010/05/10/organize-twitter-profile/

• What is Twitter?: http://webtrends.about.com/od/socialnetworking/a/what-is-twitter.htm

• TweetDeck: http://www.tweetdeck.com/

• Hootsuite: http://hootsuite.com/ (new to this list)

• Hotdesign’s Getting Started with Twitter: http://blog.hotdesign.com/2008/12/getting-started-with-twitter/

Blogging Resources

• WordPress: http://wordpress.org and http://wordpress.org

• Blogger: http://blogger.com

• Business Blogging Best Practices: http://socialmediab2b.com/2009/06/business-blogging-best-practices/

• Business Blogging Best Practices (video): http://everything.typepad.com/blog/2009/02/typepad-business-class.html

• Blogging Best Practices: http://www.echoditto.com/blogging

• New! 30 Tips On How To Make Your Company’s Blog Rock: http://www.jeffbullas.com/2010/02/21/30-tips-on-how-to-make-your-companys-blog-rock/

• New! 20 Blogs Every Business Owner Should Read:  http://www.businessinsider.com/20-blogs-every-business-owner-should-read-2010-7

• New! The Yahoo! Style Guide: http://styleguide.yahoo.com/

I recently discovered a new tool that measures your Twitter influence. It’s called KLOUT.

From klout.com:

The Klout Classification is a holistic look at your influence and how you use it. There are 16 possible classifications determined by factors such as how often you tweet, who you follow, who follows you, and how your audience interacts with your messages. Your Klout Class  is like a personality test for your style of influence.

Your influence network shows who you influence and who influences you. Influence is determined by a variety of factors including retweets, @messages, follows, and lists.

On top of a Klout score – score of 0-100, plus numbers for true reach, amplification, network — classification results, based on 25 variables, are shown on a 4 x 4 matrix. The matrix is where the 16 classifications, from observer to celebrity, come from. And, among other things, you can see who you’re influenced by and who you influence.

You can check out your klout by going to:

http://klout.com/<your twitter id>

Of course, replace <your twitter id> with your twitter id or the twitter of id of anybody whose klout you want to know.

As a public service for social media and social networking novices, New York Times Personal Technology writer, David Pogue, demystifies Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Foursquare, and Yelp in his article For Those Facebook Left Behind.

If the novices didn’t get it before, I’m not sure this article will change things, but I love reading articles by Pogue, none-the-less.

In summary, Pogue writes:

THE BOTTOM LINE These sites all derive their power the same way: We, the people, provide the information — not the Web site owner. Some of these services establish lines of communication between people who might otherwise never meet, joining them by interest rather than geography. Others connect you with people you do know, or once knew, so that you can help each other out.

Read the full article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/08/technology/personaltech/08pogue.html?_r=1&ref=technology

Here are some past goodies from Pogue:

http://saraisenberg.com/2009/04/06/david-pogue-on-twitter/

I will be teaching two classes for Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation this Fall:

1. Expand Your Reach with Social Media (co-teaching with Karen Kefauver)
Tuesday, September 28, 6:30-9:30 PM at NextSpace.
We will explore how to use social media for promotion. The focus will be on the most popular tools, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and blogging. You’ll learn how to better promote your website and how to increase your online presence even if you don’t have a website. The class is for beginners and will focus on Social Media basics for businesses, nonprofits, freelancers and entrepreneurs.

2. Build a Blog or Website with WordPress
Tuesday, October 12, 6:30-9:30 PM at NextSpace.
We will explore blogging for beginners, including:
* Why blog, anyway?
* Using blogging to bring visibility to your business or nonprofit.
* What if I’m not really a writer?
* Create an easy-to-use, simple, free blog or website.
Class includes a live demonstration showing how to set up your own blog or website at WordPress.com.

I spent the day at Freelance Camp PRO at NextSpace in San Francisco yesterday. It’s 24 hours later and I still have the buzz.

For those that don’t know:

Freelance Camp is a place to discuss and explore the different approaches to running a successful freelance business / service company. We have based our events on the Barcamp format, which is a network of user generated participatory events whose content is fully provided by the participants. Anyone with something to contribute or with the desire to learn is welcome and invited to join.

Was it worth the time? Yes. Why?

• It felt like an historic event — first <something> at NextSpace SF — and we were there!
• I enjoyed getting to know my NextSpace Santa Cruz comrades more than I already did, in a relaxed atmosphere, both in the carpool and in the camp. During a typical workday, I’m usually rushing or optimizing or focused. It was fun to be at this event without my laptop (I left that at home on purpose) and without my work so I could focus on people, topics, and reflect on work, not do work.
• I enjoyed that there were two kinds of people in the room: those I recognized and those I didn’t. I felt like I belonged — to my Santa Cruz NextSpace tribe, that is, those I recognized. Thanks for being there Eric, Jorie, Mike, Iris, Jermy (new name from Mike), other Sara, Shane, Peter, Chris, Chris, Vania, Pat, Paul, and others. I’m forgetting some names.
• It was great to meet the BarCamp newbies and see their eyes light up seeing the whole camp in process. These were strangers from SF and I recalled how pivotal the first Freelance Camp in Santa Cruz was for our community. Actually, that was historic.
• It was interesting to hear about other freelancers’ struggles and successes, tips and hints, wisdom. I’m sure I learned something, or several things, but mostly I felt inspired and grateful and entertained.
• Great freebies. That’s S.W.A.G. Not, Schwag.
• Yummy lunch in the restaurant downstairs.

Looking forward to Freelance Camp Santa Cruz on October 2, 2010!

One of my favorite lecture series continues in June…

What’s Next’s June 24, 2010 lecture will be about “The Future of Work.”

Panelists include best-selling author Rom Brafman, Joyce Shimizu, VP of Innovation at Plantronics, and Fabio Rosati, CEO of Elance (invited). Sandy Skees, CEO of Communications4Good will moderate.

For more info, go to http://whatsnextlectures.com/

To get your ticket go to http://whatsnextlectures-work.eventbrite.com/

See you there!

[One big bummer is that this event conflicts with Nina K. Simon's Santa Cruz workshop and lecture on design for participation which also takes place on the evening of June 24. So, some of you, go there. For more on that, see http://museumtwo.tumblr.com/post/56982357/presentations-and-conferences. To learn more about Nina, go to http://www.museumtwo.blogspot.com/]

Codex has GREAT online information to help you get started with WordPress.

First stop, go to their New to WordPress – Where to Start page at:
http://codex.wordpress.org/New_To_WordPress_-_Where_to_Start

Codex provides this Four Step Plan to help WordPress newbies get started:

• Step One – Read
• Step Two – Make a Plan
• Step Three – Install WordPress
• Step Four – Set Up WordPress

Next stop, check out their Getting Started with WordPress page at:
http://codex.wordpress.org/Getting_Started_with_WordPress

Here you’ll find many articles about:

• Installation
• Installation Troubleshooting and Help
• Posting in WordPress
• WordPress for Beginners
• File and Plugin Management
• WordPress Support Forum, which includes FAQ.

Next stop, take a look at their page called: WordPress Lessons at
http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_Lessons

Here you’ll find dozens of articles within these sections:

• WordPress for Beginners
• Designing Your WordPress Site
• Template Files
• Features and Functions
• Website Development

Best of Luck! For more WordPress related resources and information, see other WordPress related blog posts from my blog here: http://saraisenberg.com/category/wordpress/.

How I love indexed! And, it’s a WordPress website, too.

Better than a poke in the eye.

I’m back. I took a four month break from blogging. I didn’t plan it that way but it happened anyway. All said, it wasn’t bad to have one less thing on my list to worry about for a while. During that period, I used my Facebook Page as a quick substitute, and that worked well.

What’s new?

My website has been rebuilt and relaunched. It may look similar to my old website (which — if you want to compare — still lives for now at technicalprojectservices.wordpress.com).

However, underneath the hood, saraisenberg.com is all new and is now based on the Thesis Theme for WordPress.

Why did I do it? I wanted…

• my website to live at my new domain, saraisenberg.com, rather than my old domain, http://technicalprojectservices.com (which now redirects to saraisenberg.com).
• more control over my SEO, which I’m still working on.
• to have a more robust theme. I had heard great things about Thesis.
• to move beyond hosting at wordpress.com, which I had outgrown.  wordpress.com was great when I was getting started, great for learning wordpress, and FREE! Indeed, I still strongly recommend hosting at wordpress.com for many bloggers, especially newbies who want life/hosting to be as simple & free as possible.

Special Thanks to Melissa Smith, my special consultant and personal guru during this relaunch onto Thesis! Melissa, by the way, works at Equity Marketing Solutions.