Aug
26th

Oneupweb Reviews: Judgment Day – The New Digg

Posted by Adam D on August 26, 2010 at 6:39 am

“Something wonderful has happened…YOUR COMPUTER IS ALIVE!” This was the message I received from our childhood computer after inserting a floppy disk that contained a computer virus. All I could picture were images of Terminator 2 robots coming to kill me! I was so scared that I took the disk out into our backyard and smashed it with a rock until it was dead. After my dad — the computer whiz — came home, I told him about the computer’s attempt to gain self-awareness and kill me. I don’t ever remember him laughing so hard. It was then that I realized the only danger I was in was being made fun of for the rest of my life.

But that was another time — long ago. It was before the World Wide Web, before Wikipedia and before kids knew they could sue their parents for emotional abuse (you’re safe dad).

Now we have sites like Digg.com that we can go to and learn about the top voted content all over the web. And today, Digg just got an upgrade!

The first change you’ll notice (besides the blue theme) is the sign-up process. You’ll be encouraged to connect social networks like Facebook to your Digg account. The reason for this is that the new Digg will list the top stories that have been Dugg by your friends. Giving you news that only you and your friends care about.

But this is only an add-on to the “normal” Digg experience. You can still access the old style Digg feed by clicking “Top News” at the top left of the page.

The submission process also has a few improvements. Most notably, Digg now pulls thumbnail images from the links you submit, similar to Facebook.

Oneupweb Reviews: Thumbs Up!

In case you haven’t noticed, the world is going social. Digg understands this and has made the adjustments to keep pace with Facebook, Twitter and other social services. Semantic web, social revolutions… call it what you will. It’s here and it’s here to stay. Need some social help (of the inter-web kind)? Check out Oneupweb’s Award Winning Services.

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Aug
4th

Oneupweb Reviews: Posterous—The Next Generation of Blogging

Posted by Adam D on August 4, 2010 at 7:50 am

The internet. The final frontier. These are the bloggers of OneupwebReviews.com. Our mission to explore strange web start-ups, viral videos, and really, whatever is awesome. To seek out new tools and services. To boldly write what no one has written before!

Do I love Star Trek, you ask? Does a Farangi love Oo-Mox? You bet they do! And as much as I love Star Trek, blogging comes in a close second. So if I discover a new way to make blogging that much more convenient and fun, you bet I’m gonna write about it!

Enter Posterous (queue 2001: A Space Odyssey theme).

I think a lot of bloggers love to write and share ideas, but don’t necessarily have the technical skills to setup a WordPress blog. So when it comes to blogging, the easier the better. This is where Posterous comes in.

For example, to setup your account, all you have to do is send an email to Post@posterous.com. That’s it. It really couldn’t get much easier than that. Don’t believe it? I know, it sounds too good to be true, but try it. We won’t spend too much time on the setup because it really is easy as pie. So let’s look at some Posterous features.

Posterous boasts the ability to create blogs on the go. You can write a blog on your laptop or mobile phone, email it to Posterous, and your blog will be created for you. Want a few images in your blog? Simply attach them to the email and they will be uploaded and posted quicker than you can say, “Engage”! You also are given a robust set of controls to manage your blog.

But possibly the most attractive feature that Posterous offers is Auto Posting. If you suffer from IAD—Internet Addiction Disorder like I do—then you have several social networks to update (Not sure? Take the Internet Addiction Test.). Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo, Tumblr, and Wordpress to name a few. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to push your blog to these sites automatically? (I know, an obvious segue right? Just go with it.) Well, with Posterous you can!

For filling in that small spot somewhere between desktop blogging (Wordpress) and micro-blogging (Twitter), we give Posterous a

Oneupweb Review: Thumbs Up

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Aug
2nd

Fun Friday: Guy Walks Across America, Newport Rap, Basil, And Jane Austen’s Fight Club

Posted by Adam D on August 2, 2010 at 9:16 am

Hello Oneupweb Review fans! It’s been an exciting week for video. YouTube increased its video limit to 15 minutes, and some very entertaining viral videos were created along the way. As always, you can count on us here at Oneupweb to keep you informed of the most viral/entertaining videos each week in our Fun Friday Review. Let the journey begin!

Guy Walks Across America:

Speaking of journey (Don’t stop believing! Oops, wrong Journey.), the creators of this next video took a very long journey across America, and the result is quite impressive. Now I know that no one would want to watch a video of some guy walking across America in real-time (I have a feeling a video like that would exceed even YouTube’s newly extended 15 minute limit). But never fear! These creative folks applied some nice stop-motion and time-lapse video to create a short-attention-span-friendly video for the rest of us.

Look behind the scenes of this epic video by clicking Behind the Scenes of Guy Walks Across America.

Best Celebration Ever In Football:
Everyone loves a good celebration dance; unless you’re on the opposite team, of course. But we have to give it to this team. This is a new one!

Newport (Ymerodraeth State of Mind):
Comparing Newport (located in the United Kingdom) with New York, as this song creator alludes to, is like comparing Apples to Tangerines. But the extreme differences didn’t stop this professional rapper from creating the massively viral music video you’re about to see.

Basil Marceaux—The Next Governor of Tennessee:
There are some things that you don’t have to speculate about, and in this case, there’s no doubt that Basil Marceaux is the next governor of Tennessee. I had our team of experts look at Basil Marceaux’s website, and for the first time in Oneupweb history, we realized that we really just couldn’t make it any more perfect than it already was.

All kidding aside, Basil’s offer to “IMMUNE YOU FROM ALL STATE CRIMES FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!” if you vote for him is a tempting offer, you have to admit.

Jane Austen’s Fight Club:

Two things at the opposite ends of the spectrum: movies I love, and books my wife reads. I suppose that if you meshed the two together, you would have something similar to this.

Oneupweb Reviews: Thumbs Up!

Well, I hope you enjoyed the videos. Make sure and let me know what your thoughts are by commenting below. And please be sure to let me know if there are any I missed this week that you think are worthy of a Fun Friday Review.

To read more Fun Friday reviews, click Oneupweb’s Fun Friday Reviews.

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Jul
27th

Oneupweb Reviews: StarCraft II Wings of Liberty – The Social Media Strategy

Posted by Adam D on July 27, 2010 at 4:09 pm

It’s a big day for geeks all around the world. Today one of the biggest games in history is being released: StarCraft II Wings of Liberty. 11 years in the making, the newest version of this epic strategy game played by millions has finally arrived, and geeks like me can’t wait to get their hands on it.

The YouTube video above has received over 3 million views in 6 days. StarCraft, the original game, also holds several marks in the Guinness Book of World Records.

StarCraft II YouTube Channel: Total Upload Views = 4,602,811

In addition to the StarCraft II YouTube channel, the game has made waves by effectively using social media channels like Facebook and Twitter. With over 370,000 Facebook Likes, it’s safe to assume creating StarCraft II’s Facebook page was a good move for Blizzard Entertainment, the creators of the game series. Blizzard has also setup individual Facebook pages to target several countries, including Korea, Italy, Singapore, and Russia.

StarCraft II’s Facebook Page: Over 370,000 Facebook Likes

Last night, Blizzard Entertainment held midnight premiers all over the world to kick off the launch of the highly anticipated game. Photos of the Global Midnight Launch events were also uploaded to Facebook.

StarCraft II’s Twitter profile has also been very effective – having already acquired over 38,000 followers. Similar to its Facebook Page, separate Twitter profiles have been created to target several different countries.

StarCraft IIs Twitter Account: Over 38,000 Followers

Being a Gold Level beta tester (this simply means I’m awesome, he he) I can vouch for the game itself. It really is something else, and certainly lives up to all the hype. But the use of social media for marketing and promotion of the game is what I wanted to focus on with this review.

Blizzard Entertainment has done a great job connecting with fans of the game on almost every social media channel possible. For great use of YouTube videos, Facebook Updates, Tweets, and much more on Starcraft2.com, we give the marketing strategy for this epic strategy game a…

Oneupweb Review: Thumbs Up!

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Jul
22nd

Oneupweb Reviews: Google’s New Image Search

Posted by Adam D on July 22, 2010 at 4:11 pm

Google’s image search has been falling behind the pack for a while. Bing and Flickr for example offer much more aesthetically pleasing options for viewing photos. It looks like Google agreed. And that’s why the search engine has released a new layout for its image SERPs.

Google’s image search used to display images that were too small, included irrelevant information, and were too few per page. Now images are large and include more images per page. Google remained consistent with the simplicity of the new image search results. In fact the pages are now even more simple than before.

Now when you click on an image you are taken to the image’s source page. But instead of the entire page loading, leaving you not knowing where the image is on that page, you are presented with an image overlay. Nice! These are just a few of the new key features in Google image search.

Here are the rest according to Google’s blog:

Dense tiled layout designed to make it easy to look at lots of images at once. We want to get the app out of the way so you can find what you’re really looking for.
Instant scrolling between pages, without letting you get lost in the images. You can now get up to 1,000 images, all in one scrolling page. And we’ll show small, unobtrusive page numbers so you don’t lose track of where you are.
Larger thumbnail previews on the results page, designed for modern browsers and high-res screens.
A hover pane that appears when you mouse over a given thumbnail image, giving you a larger preview, more info about the image and other image-specific features such as “Similar images.”
Once you click on an image, you’re taken to a new landing page that displays a large image in context, with the website it’s hosted on visible right behind it. Click anywhere outside the image, and you’re right in the original page where you can learn more about the source and context.
Optimized keyboard navigation for faster scrolling through many pages, taking advantage of standard web keyboard shortcuts such as Page Up / Page Down. It’s all about getting you to the info you need quickly, so you can get on with actually building that treehouse or buying those flowers.

Oneupweb Review: Thumbs Up

Have you had a chance to try the new Google image search yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Jul
20th

Oneupweb Reviews: 4 Ways To Schedule Tweets And Facebook Updates

Posted by Adam D on July 20, 2010 at 4:04 pm

Have you ever just wanted a simple way to send your Twitter and Facebook updates at a later time? Maybe you’re going away for the weekend, or you’re at work all day but you still want to send your friends and family updates. Here are a few of our favorite ways to schedule tweets and Facebook updates.

FutureTweets:

The great thing about FutureTweets is that you can schedule tweets simply and months in advanced. For example, you can schedule all your family and friends’ birthdays, then let FutureTweets remember them for you. I’m pretty sure my grandma does this somehow with snail mail cards. She never forgets a birthday (you can’t keep this secret forever grandma!).

Twuffer:

Twuffer is another free, simple, and easy to use way to schedule your tweets. The layout is clean and professional. It also includes a calendar and lists the tweets that have already gone out.

Su.pr:

StumbleUpon is really starting to grown on me. I’ve always enjoyed using this site personally but now they are adding some nice features that help to simplify your social media world. For example, you can schedule updates through StumbleUpon using their URL shortner, Su.pr, and share it across your Twitter and Facebook profiles.

LaterBro:

The thing I really like about LaterBro is its simplicity. You login with either your Twitter or Facebook account. Next, you’re taken to an intuitive scheduling interface. You will have no problem figuring things out from there. It doesn’t get much simpler than this.

Let me give a warning to those interested in automating your updates. You don’t want to use these services too much, especially as a business. People are looking to connect with another person, not just automated news or updates. While these services can be useful and save time, they are not meant as a replacement for authentic tweets and Facebook updates.

Oneupweb Review: Thumbs Up (but use sparingly)

What’s your favorite Twitter/Facebook scheduler? Let me know in the comments below!

Read more Oneupweb reviews on other Twitter Tools.

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Jul
16th

Oneupweb Reviews Fun Friday Videos: New Spice & Steve Carell Spoofs Lebron James

Posted by Adam D on July 16, 2010 at 1:34 pm

The biggest thing in video this week (even this year) is the Old Spice Man responding to tweets through personalized YouTube videos. I know, I know we already talked about it earlier this week. What’s there left to say? Well I’m glad you asked. (Don’t worry you didn’t forget, I asked for you.)

It’s been interesting to see how these videos have played out. While Old Spice’s personalized video campaign started and ended this week, that didn’t stop a certain Harold B. Lee Library from making its own version of the original commercial.

New Spice | Study like a scholar, scholar:

Very nicely done. I especially like the guy lying next to the plant around 0:18. It is a library; he knew the risks going in there.

To give you an idea of how popular the Old Spice campaign has become, take a look at this screen shot of YouTube’s Most Viewed videos.

The guy with no shirt, standing in a towel, represents the video responses from The Man Your Man Could Smell Like. That’s a lot of Most Viewed Old Spice videos.

Another popular topic this week has been Lebron James and his decision. I’m not going to pretend that I know a lot about tennis or what doubles team Lebron James was traded to, but I will say that this next video is hilarious. Steve Carell is truly a comic genius.

Steve Carell spoofs Lebron James The Decision during ESPYs:

Oneupweb Reviews: Thumbs Up

To view other Fun Friday videos click Oneupweb Fun Friday Blogs.

And I would love to hear your thoughts, leave me a comment below! Seriously… right there. Just type something. Okay fine, just copy and paste this:

Great article! You might find this interesting (insert your website here).

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Jul
9th

Oneupweb Reviews: Fun Friday Videos – Skateboard Disaster & Double Rainbow Mania

Posted by Adam D on July 9, 2010 at 2:09 pm

Hey everyone, are you as excited as I am that it’s Friday? Sure you are. We here at Oneupweb are in the middle of the National Cherry Festival. We’ve seen the Blue Angels, fireworks, parades, and yes the carnival is in town! But of course we did find some time to be productive along the way. This week, while the Blue Angels were practicing right outside our window, a client told me during a call that he felt like he was in the movie Top Gun. How cool is that? Sorry, Goose, but it’s time to buzz the tower!

We also found some time to run into some very piquant (thanks thesaurus.com) videos. First up is…

World’s Largest Skateboard Disaster:

Take a skateboard the size of a house, a huge hill, and what does that spell? Disaster. Well at least according to Woodward Camp. I would describe this as amazing/hilarious, but to each his own! Watch it and let me know if you agree in the comments.

Double Rainbow:

I love this video.

In an exclusive interview with CBS’s Shira Lazar, the video’s creator, Hungrybear9562, talks about his encounter with the double rainbow (maybe even a triple).

You seemed pretty excited about this rainbow…

Because you could actually feel the rays down from the sun but it was rainbow rays. You can’t describe it. It was so powerful that it knocked me down.

The rainbow rays knocked you down?

You couldn’t see me on the ground, but at one point I had been knocked on the ground. But the rainbow was a double rainbow and then it turned into a triple rainbow. You can’t see it on my camera but the whole thing was filled in with color. It was a giant disc of color. It looked like a giant eye looking at me.

Is that common to be knocked down by rainbows?

I don’t think it’s common, but it happened. It was pretty amazing!

Since the video has hit the web it has garnered almost 2 million views, and has become an internet meme. My favorite 2 remixes are listed below. Enjoy!

Double Rainbow Song:

Double Rainbow Remix:

Oneupweb Review: Double Thumbs Up (maybe triple)!

Let me know what you thought about these videos by leaving a comment below!

To read other Fun Friday reviews click Oneupweb’s Fun Friday Reviews.

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Jul
2nd

Oneupweb Reviews: Social Networking Sites for Families

Posted by Adam D on July 2, 2010 at 9:41 am

Last week I was arguing with the wife about something I’m sure you’ve thought about: How cool would it be to be a Care Bear? Looking at an awe-inspiring cluster of cumulonimbus clouds I was thinking about how lucky those bears are – to live in the clouds, now that’s the life.

Well the wife disagreed, and countered with the fact that there is no diversity in clouds. No rivers, no trees, no variety. I was shocked, and thought how could anyone not want to live in the clouds? Besides, staring up at the clouds I have seen all kinds of shapes. There’s no reason there couldn’t be rivers, trees or whatever. Ahh, good times with family.

It’s nice to have family to share your crazy with. Or as I realize after seeing my family, I’m not that crazy after all. And that’s what Fourth of July weekend is all about, right? Spending time with family and getting some perspective on how blessed we all really are. In today’s review let’s see if we can’t help bring your family together by listing some of the top social networking sites for families.

Famiva:

Famiva allows users to build a family tree that shows how everyone links together, use a map tool that shows where family members are located, share photos, blog, create event reminders, and much more. And it’s free to use.

Family Crossings:

Family Crossings has many features that make for a great family social network. Users can share news, videos, photos, live chat, exchange gift lists, share daily calendars and more. The site offers Free and Premium versions. The Premium version allows for more storage i.e. more videos, photos, etc. and includes more features like family history, family polls, and games. Premium version pricing starts at $9.95 per month.

Shutterfly:

If it’s mostly images you’re looking for, Shuttlerfly is a popular site for storing and sharing photos. You can create a unique site with family updates, pictures, videos, and a family calendar. Shuttlerfly promises to never delete your photos. And the free services are robust and useful.

BuddyPress:

If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, you could always build your own family social networking site using BuddyPress. BuddyPress is an extension of WordPress – the popular blogging software. With BuddyPress, you can create your own social networking site complete with profiles, activity feeds, and much more. There are several plug-ins that you can use to add new features to your newly created social networking site. With Ning going to strictly paid accounts only, many users are going to be searching for new alternatives.

Does your family use any of these services? If so, let us know what your thoughts are in the comments section below.

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Jun
29th

OneUpWeb Reviews: Friendly Music

Posted by Adam D on June 29, 2010 at 1:32 pm

Have you ever created a YouTube video with just the right music, only to have the sound removed because of a copyright infringement? Yeah me too, it’s a bummer. You find the perfect music to match the mood of your video and then it’s taken away.

I understand why musicians and their record companies don’t want to give away or grant permission to use their music for free. I mean we all have to make a living. And YouTube gives owners of content the option to monetize it or have it removed. Many publishers choose to target ads on a video for example, rather than having it removed. While YouTube works to educate producers about the advantages of allowing YouTubers to use their music free of charge, the site FriendlyMusic.com is taking a different approach.

For only 1.99 a song (yes you do have to pay a little) you can use music that has been created on FriendlyMusic.com within your YouTube videos. And since the music is licensed for you to use, there’s no more getting your video pulled or music muted on YouTube. Can I get a Woot Woot? Yeah you’re right, it’s not quite that exciting, but it’s a little exciting. If you create a lot of YouTube videos, FriendlyMusic.com is truly useful.

Here’s a quick tutorial on how to use Friendly Music:

Once you select your musical keyword you will be presented with several musical options. To top it off, the music is actually pretty decent.

Friendly Music offers a way to add background music to your YouTube or other videos without having to worry about the licensing. And the music is actually good which is a plus.

Oneupweb Review: Thumbs Up

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