Current Tech Blog

I’ve decided to embark on the experiment of disabling most of my social network sync/forwarding/cross-post settings and just funneling everything through Posterous. The main idea is to create a single pipeline through which all content is routed, and Posterous is a great service to do so, as long as you’re comfortable giving that service a lot of power.

Several heavy social network using friends have recommended Posterous to me already, but I’ve always felt turned off by the email part. I know email’s convenient and ubiquitous and for the most part accepted by the entire world, but it’s my least favorite place to hang out these days (ok, my voicemail inbox is worse, but barely). I pretty much hate checking my Gmail… a wasteland of starred items that I starred to remind myself to come back to, but never did, and now they make me feel bad about myself every time I log in.

But I digress. Using Posterous isn’t about hanging out in my inbox, it’s simply about using the email protocol to post pretty much anything to anywhere: text, photos, videos, etc., to blogs, Facebook profiles/pages, Twitter, etc. I can access my email with my computer or my mobile phone, and I always have one or both of them on me at all times. The service is a lot more robust than how I’m explaining it, so if you’re befuddled I recommend you read the Posterous FAQ for a very thorough walk-through.

Essentially I’m disabling cross-posting Del.icio.us links to Tumblr, blip.fm posts to Friendfeed, Flickr photos to Facebook, Facebook status updates to OMG I CAN’T KEEP TRACK OF ALL MY CROSS-POSTING ANYMORE, DID IT ORIGINATE IN MY LAST.FM SETTINGS OR MY TWITTER OAUTH, I NEED TO START OVER. See? I’ve gone crazy. So I’m linking all my online accounts to Posterous only, and I’m going to use the Posterous email protocol to send my content exactly where I want. I like experiments! This will be fun!

Here’s how it works:

• *I want to post a photo to Flickr: flickr@myaccount.posterous.com
• *I want to post the same photo to Flickr and Friendfeed: flickr+friendfeed@myaccount.posterous.com
• *I want to post the same piece of content to every service I’ve linked to Posterous: post@myaccount.posterous.com
• *I want to post something to my Posterous account, but not to any of my linked services: posterous@myaccount.posterous.com

And so on.

Now, because I really do belong to a ton of social networks that I use regularly, completely switching up my sharing methods is a little complicated, and I’ve already run into a few stumpers. So I thought this would be a good opportunity to share any little tricks I figure out along the way with all of you that 1) might already be baffling you, or 2) you may come across eventually if you decide to use Posterous the way I’m using it.

My first issue arose when I posted a Photo Booth pic from my computer to Flickr via Posterous email:

As you can see, the subject line of my email posted perfectly as my Flickr photo title, but notice how my Flickr “description” is some lame promotional Posterous code and not what I wrote in the body of that email (it was about my stylish pajama bottoms)? No hard feelings Posterous, I know that’s how you’re getting the word out and all, but… no thanks. I already wrote my own Flickr photo description in the body of the email I sent, and that’s all I want to see.

How to fix it:

In your Flickr account advanced settings on Posterous, you see how Posterous auto-populates your Flickr photo’s description with their own footer, which makes perfect sense. They’re not hiding anything or being devious, and I was able to achieve what I wanted simply by replacing their default code with this:

Now, when I send an email to flickr@myaccount.posterous.com, whatever I post in the subject line will convert to my Flickr title, and whatever I post in the body of my email along with my attached photo will become my Flickr description! It will be as if I uploaded through Flickr directly. Nobody will know. Easy as pumpkin pie, right? (Obviously you can screw around with the codes to get your own desired effect).

More Posterous tips as I discover them along the path of my little experiment. If you use Posterous and have any tricks of your own, please share them with the rest of us. This effer took me all morning.

Social networks are getting more creative as new sites come up with unique angles to connect people (and get attention). I took a look at two fun new services that you might like, especially if you’re sick of Twitter and Facebook! Enjoy:

Here’s my full story on Current Tech, with links.

By the way, I should point out that both Twitter and Facebook are evolving as social networks, too. Here’s my tutorial on how Facebook’s new tagging feature works, and a recent video on all the apps you can try to make Twitter more useful. I’m an equal opportunity social networker! Or something.

You can also subscribe to my Current Tech videos on iTunes!

There are three reasons why this is my best blog post ever:

1. Twitter Apps – they’re taking over the planet, not even kidding
2. A slight “more cowbell” reference
3. OMG TWITTER APPS

Sorry, something’s wrong with me today. But I hope you enjoyed my latest Current Tech video! Here’s my full story and website links.

By the way, the green cardigan I’m wearing? Retails for $198 and I got it for free. Watch my shopping tricks video to find out how I did it!

You can also subscribe to my Current Tech videos on iTunes!

People either love shopping or they hate shopping. But it’s something that has to be done, and both sides always appreciate a hassle-free (or at the very least, hassle-light) shopping experience, right? Today’s Current Tech video explores a couple of your best online options.

Here’s my full story, with links, at Current Tech.

By the way, I fall into the “shopaholic” category, which oh-so-coincidentally has contributed to some major money woes. Help me Current Tech community, you’re my only hope.

You can also subscribe to my Current Tech videos on iTunes!

Sick of YouTube? Tired of trolling Vimeo? Worn out on BuzzFeed? Well, what if you could access all the videos these sites had to offer (plus a lot more) in one magical place? You can, with a new video discovery service called Mag.ma (brought to you by the Rocketboom folks, in case you were wondering). I figured I’d give Mag.ma a whirl and share my findings with you. Enjoy the video:

Here’s my full story on Current Tech.

Since I introduced the fabulous new groups functionality a few weeks ago, the Tech group has been cranking along nicely. I’m noticing more submissions on a regular basis, which is awesome, hugely appreciated, and helps me keep our tech content as fresh as possible. Thanks everyone, and keep it up!

I want to start highlighting tech-related groups as well, starting with the Gadgets group. Moderated by gadget lover Get_Cape, the gadgets group is…you guessed it… all about the the tech devices we use and love (or hate, as the case may be). The nice thing about a group just for gadgets is that the content’s really focused. For example, I’m not going to be featuring every single cool gadget in the Tech group’s top carousel, because I need to be more well-rounded. But if you’re a gadgetphile or you just want a snapshot on gadgets without having to wade through the broader umbrella of tech, then the Gadgets group is the place for you!

In my ongoing efforts to make sure my Tech group is the biggest, baddest, most comprehensive place to get your geek fix, I’m going to start lurking around on the Gadgets group and funneling some of its content into the Tech group when it hasn’t been already. So let’s bring that A game, gadget group members! I’m watching you!

One of the biggest challenges that I still face is making sure that stories are tagged and grouped appropriately around here. Sometimes stories aren’t perfect for the Tech group, but they’re most definitely perfect for one of our many other groups. Remember, you need to join a group before adding content. If you don’t see the right group for your story, create one and start adding content! Right now! Go ahead, we don’t mind!

Finally, don’t forget about tags, because not only do tags help your stories get noticed by related groups, but they’re also how your story will surface in searches. Tag away, and remember to add commas in between your terms.

Which other tech-related groups should we all have on our radar? Let me know!

Ever since I started working at Current I’ve been badgering the powers that be to let me do a show of some kind. And either they’ve finally recognized my sheer creative genius, or they’re just tired of saying no. Doesn’t really matter, because I’ve won!

It’s true, my friends. “Current.ly with Sarah Lane” is coming to the Current webwaves soon, and I couldn’t be more excited. It’ll be a live streaming, interactive, weekly show covering everything that’s new and cool in technology and the web. The premise is simple: I digest this stuff all day every day and I know most of you do too, so why don’t we all share and discuss what we love together?

Here’s the thing – even though I got my very own show (hurrah!!) greenlit,  it won’t be easy for me. I won’t have a team of producers working behind the scenes. In fact, I won’t even have ONE SINGLE producer to help me out. Having worked on a variety of tech-based TV and web shows over the years, I know that having a solid team that works together well is crucial to creating solid programming that the audience will enjoy. But this project is literally going to be a one-woman-show, from start to finish. Honestly, I’m a little intimidated by the whole thing. And that’s why I’ll need all of you to help me pick good content and guests each week. Are you up for the challenge? You better be, because I can’t do it alone.

“Current.ly with Sarah Lane” will be going live in a few weeks, so I hope to start picking your collective brains now. What kinds of segments do you want to see? Who do you want me to invite onto the show, and what kinds of questions should I ask them? What type of content are you tired of seeing on tech shows? Anything overdone and stale that I should avoid? Be honest, because your frankness will only help me. I promise I’m listening.

In the meantime, start voting on every Current Tech story if you aren’t already. Is it a good addition to the channel?  Vote it up. Does it suck? Vote it down. Your input will weigh heavily on the types of stories I cover each week, and my choices will come directly from the Current Tech community itself. Don’t see an important story anywhere on the channel? Submit a story yourself, tag it “Tech”, and keep Current Tech up-to-date and relevant!

Like I said, I’m really excited and optimistic about “Current.ly with Sarah Lane”, but I can’t do it alone. So let ‘er rip and let’s make great show we all can be proud of.

Thanks, and see you online!

Sarah

Hey friends! Sarah here. Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve written. Since moving over to the Tech department from News, I’ve been spending a lot of time watching the kinds of stories being posted, who’s posting them, and how often. And we’ve got a great little community here, but it needs to grow. Every day I see interesting, helpful, even scandalous tech-centric stories all over the web that never end up being submitted to Current.com/tech, and I can’t really figure out why. But I do know that the answer isn’t to just do it myself, because we’re a team here! Speaking of teams, have you followed the @currenttech twitter account yet?

So… I have some fun interactive ideas for all of us here, and I hope to be able to tell you about some of them in detail very soon. In the meantime, I want to ask a question that I know you can all answer pretty easily. You can list your answers the comments section, or even better, make a video response on the story page! Ready?

Q: What are your current top three go-to tech sites online? (Be honest! Oh, and absolutely no Twitter allowed.)

My three:

Techmeme – Great snapshot into the big news headlines, trends, etc.

Mashable – One of my favorites for social network news, new/cool services or apps, and a good community.

Lifehacker – Everyday Windows/Mac/gadget/life tips and hacks. Always helpful and often really awesome!

Hopefully we can get some good ideas from each other. I know I always appreciate knowing where folks are getting their tech fixes. Thanks in advance.