GeekSugar

Twitter Lists: Love It or Leave It?

GeekSugar — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:05:55 -0700

After a long wait, Twitter has rolled out its Lists feature to all users.

The new feature allows you to group the people you follow into categories, which means less clutter on the homepage. Plus, you can view or subscribe to other users' lists. There's also an option to make your lists private, though they default to public. I haven't gotten a chance to play around with the lists feature yet, but I'm looking forward to testing it out. What do you think of this new feature? If you're using it, please share your favorite lists below!

If you're not already, be sure to follow me on Twitter.

Get Alerted When Anyone Tweets About Twilight, Vamps, Tech

GeekSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:06:42 -0700

The day is drawing nearer my friends: Halloween is tomorrow and New Moon hits theaters in just three weeks! It's almost too much vampire goodness to bear, but if you just can't get enough, then check out TweetAlarm.

It alerts you anytime anyone tweets about Twilight, vampires, or whatever it is you really care about, since you can customize the alert keywords. Wanting to stay on top of the up-to-the-minute Robert Pattinson news? Or maybe you're more into finding out every detail about the still unconfirmed Apple Tablet? Set an alert for "Apple Tablet," and you'll get an email alert at the end of the day, twice a day, or anytime there's a tweet about it.

Have an interesting website you want to share? To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click "New Post" under the website of the day tab at the top of the page.
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Type "Technology and Gadgets" in the Categories box
Add keyword(s) in the tag field with relevant tags (for example mine for this story was "Website of the Day").
Choose whether you want the post to be private or public.
Click "Create Post" to submit content.

Photo courtesy of Summit Entertainment

Do Celebs Get Preferential Twitter Treatment?

GeekSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:50:30 -0700

A much publicized post on Slate asserts that Twitter is intentionally removing unflattering tweets to celebrities from search results. The author claims that he posted a tweet "teasing" the president of CNN (which he also describes as "as nasty an item as I thought I could write" without sounding like a complete jerk). Later, he tried to search for this "hostile" tweet, but it was nowhere to be found within Twitter search results. A few unofficial experiments later, he deduced that only positive comments directed at celebs were showing in search results.

The author references another article, speculating on the connection between celebrity publicists and Twitter. That article describes detailed processes that publicists go through to create a good image of their famous clients on Twitter.

To see what I think about the whole ordeal, just read more.

If you ask me, Twitter is still a bit like the wild west. Some celebs, like Ashton Kutcher have happily adopted the 140-characters-only platform as a means to communicate with fans. Others, like Miley Cyrus, have made very public departures from Twitter, citing privacy reasons.

So, the initial question remains: does Twitter suspend negative comments about celebrities from search results? We'll probably never know for sure, given Twitter's tight-lipped nature when it comes to revealing insider details. My question: does the Internet really need another dose of negativity?

Follow PetSugar on Twitter!

PetSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:00:06 -0700

Want to know what North and I are up to every hour of the day? Can't get enough cute animals and wild news? Well now you can follow us!

Just sign up or login to your Twitter account and follow PetSugar by clicking here. If you're new to Twitter it's the best way to know what's happening over at Sugar HQ as well as finding new friends and stars to follow everyday. We'll be updating around the clock - so make like a birdie and start tweeting!

Tweet What You Eat: Food Journals in the Digital Age

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:00:09 -0700

If the whole world knew what you ate all day, would it motivate you to make better food choices? That's what the folks behind Tweet What You Eat (TWYE) are hoping.

TWYE is a Twitter-based online food diary that is updated in real time via the web or a text message. And unless a member has opted to keep their diary private, the 15,000 (and growing) members of TWYE get to see what you eat, all day, every day. Most users do go public and the founders admit that this has been key to finding success on TWYE. Users might think twice before gorging on cake, cookies, or donuts if their diary is open to all.

To learn how to use TWYE, read more.

Basically you text or tweet what you eat throughout the day to TWYE, including calories. You can also submit calorie-burning activities to get a more accurate reflection of everything that's going in and out. If you don't know how many calories a particular food item has, that's OK, because the site has a database of popular foods and their caloric breakdown. At the end of each day you are given a grand total of the calories you took in.

The service is fairly new, so all you can really do is track calories - there's no breakdown of fats, carbs, or nutrients - but it's a great tool if that's all you're interested in doing. It seems incredibly helpful for those times when you're on the go, since you only need your cell phone to make an entry.

Would you use TWYE?

Yummy Links: From Sustainable Seafood to Baconfest

partysugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:50:47 -0700

Is it too late to save the world's seafood population?- The Atlantic
Twenty-five reasons to love the spoon. - Mouthing Off
Hosting a party in San Francisco? Consider having it at one of these restaurants. - 7x7
Angelina Jolie is a fan of Sandra Lee's no-bake birthday cake. - Eat Me Daily
Catch up with New York City chefs via Twitter. - Eater NY
Haven't figured out what to serve on Halloween? Here are four awesome menu ideas. - Bon Appétit
Did anyone attend Baconfest in Chicago? - Serious Eats

The Week in Geek

GeekSugar — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:06:12 -0700

This was a week of big announcements from some heavy hitters: Microsoft, Apple, Twitter, and Google. Verizon launched a new ad campaign specifically targeting the iPhone, and of course we caught up on all the geeky details of our favorite shows. Did you miss anything? Check out all the details of the week here.

Photo courtesy of MTV

View Slideshow ›

Daily Tech: Google Calendar Gets Hiding and Snooze Features

GeekSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:15:52 -0700

Google Calendar has just implemented a handy snooze button for notifications you want to disappear momentarily - Lifehacker
Check out an in-depth review of the Apple iMac - Gizmodo
Carve your very own 3D pumpkin using a game called Pumpkin Chop on Xbox Live Indie Games - Kotaku
A database marketing firm says that Facebook accounts for 25 percent of US online pageviews - The Silicon Alley Insider
A university in Australia has introduced a mandatory Twitter course for its journalism students - Switched
Wal-Mart is expected to roll out tech-support services by the beginning of the holidays - CrunchGear

Get Your Own Twitter Handle Necklace - SJP Style

GeekSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:50:57 -0700

As Rachel Zoe would say, "I die." These Twitter St@tus Symbol Necklaces sure do make the tweet necklace look so boring and blasé. Brought to you by Survival of the Hippest, these cute custom-made Twitter necklaces can be designed with your own Twitter name or a favorite hashtag from sterling silver, or 10 and 14k gold (they even offer diamond embellishments!). Just like Carrie's personalized necklace from Sex and the City, you can subliminally give strangers your contact info - hello new followers! Necklaces cost $50 and up depending on how long your handle is.

Daily Tech: Windows 7 Goes On Sale Today!

GeekSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:06:16 -0700

Just as Windows 7 hits store shelves around the country, Microsoft debuts some new commercials - CrunchGear
The Beatles: Rock Band, doesn't seem to be selling as well as analysts had expected - USA Today
Men seem to like tweeting after sex - CNET
Verizon will be hosting an event on Oct. 28 when they will most likely announce a new Android handset - Gizmodo
Are you an old GameBoy addict who now loves her iPhone? Check out this spectacular phone case. - Technabob
Here are some very well-designed USB hubs - Unplggd
It's giveaway and game time on GeekSugar! Be sure to log in and play our Best Video Game Ever bracket! - GeekSugar