Blog posts

That Darned Ninja Cat: Is Facebook's Social Graph allowing too much click-stream slamming?

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:50:23 GMT

Slamming has traditionally meant the selection of another long-distance carrier without the subscriber's consent, according to WikiPedia. The social sphere has recently resurrected a variation of essentially the same “slamming” process (minus the telemarketers) to gain coveted Facebook likes.

Social Media Experts

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 17:40:34 GMT

Let's talk social media consultants. When in doubt, hire your own. Don't ever let someone come calling on you.

We Have Binders of Content!

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 13:50:28 GMT

The business world has an unhealthy obsession with the printed page. We think Microsoft Word and Outlook are an OK “content management system”. But your enterprise content is not working hard for you if it is locked up in Word documents.

Cupcake Vs. Creampuff

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 19:09:10 GMT

The use of tasty treats by Google to delineate Android versions of the OS seems like a pretty good idea...

The Rules of Navigation. Just ask the digital natives.

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 19:11:27 GMT

No matter how you slice, or dice your web navigation, just know this one thing: You may be wasting your time. Just ask the digital natives.

Sprite: Why I took August off from blogging

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 19:59:22 GMT

Climbing out of a blogging slump isn't easy. What's *my* excuse? Sprite?

Apple to release Mountain Lion OSX upgrade tomorrow

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 19:17:43 GMT

It's been just over a year since Apple release OSX Lion, and there's a new big cat about to join the line-up; OSX Mountain Lion.

Social Footprints: Which is better? Having none?

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 08:06:12 GMT

Since social media gained popularity, employers have become obsessed with knowing what employees think, feel, and say on social media websites. It is the subject of scrutiny in pre-employment candidate reviews. What, however, does the lack of a social footprint say about someone? Consider the case of James Holmes.

Adobe Creative Suite CS6: The good, the bad ... the raster

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 18:00:03 GMT

Overall there isn't much bad to say about Adobe Creative Suite CS6; it's downright impressive. Oh, but there's one small thing that ticks off 'the Staney' — raster pointers? Really, Adobe?

Notes from CONFAB - Outside-In Content Strategy: Attracting New Users by Learning their Content Needs by James Mathewson, IBM

Thu, 17 May 2012 05:45:23 GMT

Tim's Evernotes, snippets, high points and memorable quotes from day two of the world's premiere content conference.

(Disclaimer: These are my raw, unedited or refined notes from the 2012 CONFAB Conference in Minneapolis.)

Notes from CONFAB - Content Strategy: A Dangerous Method by Joe Gollner

Thu, 17 May 2012 05:30:09 GMT

Notes from CONFAB - The Art of the Quest: How Your Mission Drives YourContent by Matt Thompson

Thu, 17 May 2012 05:20:28 GMT

Notes from CONFAB - Content & Cash: The Economics of Content Strategy by Melissa Rach

Thu, 17 May 2012 05:04:31 GMT

Notes from CONFAB - Managing Your Content Strategy for Success by Ann Rockley

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:53:30 GMT

Notes from CONFAB - Think Big(ger): Turning Content Strategy Into a Company Value

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:51:02 GMT

Tim's Evernotes, snippets, high points and memorable quotes from day one of the world's premiere content conference.

(Disclaimer: These are my raw, unedited or refined notes from the 2012 CONFAB Conference in Minneapolis.)

Notes from CONFAB - Creating Emotionally Relevant Content for Higher Education Audiences

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:41:23 GMT

Tim's Evernotes, snippets, high points and memorable quotes from day one of the world's premiere content conference.

(Disclaimer: These are my raw, unedited or refined notes from the 2012 CONFAB Conference in Minneapolis.)

Notes from CONFAB - The Magic Layer: The Secret of Every Successful Content Strategy

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:55:34 GMT

Notes from CONFAB 2012 in Minneapolis - The Magic Layer: The Secret of Every Successful Content Strategy by Shelly Bowen @shelbow @pybop

(Disclaimer: These are my raw, unedited or refined notes from the 2012 CONFAB Conference in Minneapolis.)

Notes from CONFAB - Welcome from Kristina Halvorsen / Keynote address with Dan Roam

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:23:15 GMT

"Content is much more than just a fad or a buzzword. This is probably the first time many of you have been around people just like you - that understand each other. Talk to each other. Welcome home." - Kristina Halvorsen

(Disclaimer: These are my raw, unedited or refined notes from the 2012 CONFAB Conference in Minneapolis.)

Notes from CONFAB: Day One Workshop Notes

Tue, 15 May 2012 05:38:57 GMT

Tim's Evernotes, snippets, high points and memorable quotes from day one of the world's premiere content conference.

(Disclaimer: These are my raw, unedited or refined notes from the 2012 CONFAB Conference in Minneapolis.)

CMS killed the WYSIWYG star

Tue, 08 May 2012 18:12:34 GMT

Have content management systems killed what-you-see-is-what-you-get? Many modern CMS systems dispel/destroy the promise of WYSIWYG.

IT Contracting: Of Mice and Mad-Men

Sun, 06 May 2012 14:09:15 GMT

Being an IT contractor can be very rewarding. The money is often very good, and if you can cost-effective benefits, it's not a bad life. The trade-off however is often unpredictable conditions, misunderstood project scope and some of the odd questions people ask you about your resume.

Like Facebook? LOVE Pinterest?

Tue, 01 May 2012 19:08:46 GMT

Then you'll love PinView. Ever wanted your Facebook page to look like Pinterest? We'll there's finally a solution thanks to a Facebook app. {grumble, grumble}

Facebook Privacy: The only sure thing is change.

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 16:54:39 GMT

I gave a presentation this past week called Facebook Demystified and spoke about the copius privacy settings visitors can choose to employ on Facebook. So, why don't people use them?

Using Twitter for Customer Service

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:42:36 GMT

Using Twitter for customer service is really nothing new. Airlines like Jet Blue and Southwest were early adopters that paved the way for Twitter as a service vehicle. Now, it's everywhere -- and if you hate waiting on-hold or patronizing robot-operators as much as I do, you may find some value in this post. So, read on.

The curious Pinterest URL dilemma; and a whole bunch of blather about hashing images and paths.

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:25:00 GMT

Pinterest is all the rage. It's a great way to inform your audience about who you are and what you like with photos. Great, right? Just be careful about linking out to the content and changing titles of boards.

Where the heck are we on better web authentication? And why aren't we moving faster?

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 15:51:55 GMT

Ten or more years ago during the .COM boom, we probably all envisioned that ten years later we'd have optical or photo scans to authenticate us through on websites.

Facebook takes on employers snooping into personal privacy with a stern warning.

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:27:01 GMT

Erin Egan, Chief Privacy Officer at Facebook, didn't mince words on Friday, March 23 when she warned employers who demand personal information or access to it, about toying with individual privacy on the social network. And the ACLU has taken the fight viral.

Staney to presents two new classes for Corporate Training at SPC

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:58:41 GMT

Tim Staney will present a series of classes for the Corporate Training Center at St. Petersburg College on Social Marketing for Small Buiness and Designing Effective Websites this spring.

Flipboard adds Facebook and Twitter client - Super sweet!

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:30:54 GMT

Just when you thought Flipboard couldn't get any better; it now acts as a Facebook and Twitter client in addition to being the coolest news reader out in the wild.

Resolutions, predications ... blah, blah, blah...

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 15:54:52 GMT

It took Venture Beat releasing its 2012 predictions to anger me out of my blogging slump of almost a month. Thank you, Venture Beat.

Social media for small business: It's the little things that make a difference.

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:49:37 GMT

What would make Mr. Staney drive thirty streets out of his way on a Thursday night? A good deal and tempting social media campaign would.

ITunes Match: Poor Steve Jobs must be rolling over in his grave

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:27:36 GMT

Usually the company expected to release stuff destined to fail is Microsoft, not Apple. Microsoft is aggressive with its launches whereas Apple is calculated and would except little less than perfection for a product launch. Not so: It surely not been a good week for Apple and the release of its iTunes Match service.

Who's killing your website?

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 05:26:13 GMT

In large companies and organizations there are often many people calling the shots on what gets on your site, where it goes and what bits get precious homepage real estate. Are you sure the right people in your organization are making those decisions?

First look at Kentico CMS 6

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 08:19:32 GMT

So, I just upgraded my website to Kentico 6, and I'm actually pretty thrilled.

Will Microsoft dump Trident for WebKit?

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:36:59 GMT

There are rumblings in the IT world that Microsoft may finally put a fork in Trident, Internet Explorer's wonky, buggy and quirky rendering engine and go with WebKit. Could it be? Will the prayers of every web developer fnally be answered?

Yes, data integrity applies at home too.

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:09:46 GMT

I'm all about the following the DRY (don't repeat yourself) data principle both at work and home. So you can imagine my horror when my personal address book was bloated with duplicates.

Curious Apple iOS5 / iCloud features

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 06:29:39 GMT

So, yes I lost all of my contacts and still am not entirely sure where my music is, but at least I can sync my iPhone wirelessly - sort of ...

Woe is MobileMe.

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 06:16:40 GMT

So, iCloud is cool, right? Not so much if you're a current MobileMe user.

iOS5 First Thoughts

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:01:40 GMT

It's way too early to tell, but iOS5 feels rock solid so far, despite a few apps that clearly need updates.

Rest in peace, Mr. Jobs.

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 05:57:29 GMT

Yesterday the world lost one of the greatest innovators of our time. He revolutionized the way we interact with computers. He revolutionized the way we listen to music. He changed the way we view and use mobile devices. His vision set the standard for the next generation of computing.

Fiery Apple Carrot - In honor of the 4GS

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 06:05:53 GMT

Web developer, CMS junkie and hobbyist juicer? Yes, friends, there are many, many, many aspects to Mr. Staney. I'm sort of a "funky" guy and my 'own little man'. And here's one more...

What will the world's most valuable company announce today?

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 05:48:37 GMT

I'm praying for an iPhone with 4G-something. Really, what's the point of another 3G iPhone in the already congested airwaves. #Apple #iPhone5 #4G

Still no response from Klout customer service.

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 05:44:15 GMT

So .... the self-proclaimed "authority" on Internet influence isn't apparently influenced by my blogs and tweets of frustrations about its wonky platform. #klout #kloutscore

More doubt than clout.

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:52:33 GMT

OK, so Klout has put itself forth as the "authority" on your sphere of influence even though its rating system is still in Beta and loaded with bugs and problems. Yet, many employers are looking to Klout to determine an employee's value. Should you be concerned?

Facebook is a keg party; Google+ is sushi and sake.

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 19:33:45 GMT

"Twitter is a crowded room full of shouts. Linked In is a handshake in a suit and a tie. And Facebook is a group hug for close family and friends."

More from F8 - Interactive Apps: Creepy or Cool?

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 05:05:05 GMT

So none of my friends has to know that I like to crank up show tunes and clean the house, how about a little control over which genres get shared with my friends. :-)

No one mourns the wick----e-----e-----d!

Facebook fury over the new UI.

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:16:07 GMT

There's wailing and gnashing of teeth.
#newFacebook

My first "friend" Tom is on Google+ {facepalm}

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:58:57 GMT

Oh, Tom; Everyone's first friend. Why have you defected from My_____?

The holy trinity of career suicide: Happy hour, office romance and Facebook.

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:07:15 GMT

In this volatile economy, it just makes sense to keep a bit of space between your personal and professional worlds.

#brandyourself

Don't bet the Farmville that Facebook is MySpaced.

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 14:25:33 GMT

It's hard to gauge what's going on over at Facebook these days. They're adding new features at breakneck speed and giving back a few things they gave us once and then took away without a word; like subscriptions. It seems grossly premature to declare Google+ the victor and start comparing Facebook to My_____.

The joy that is ASP.NET HTTP compression ... on a budget.

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:49:06 GMT

HTTP modules are one of my favorite features of the .NET framework because they are so easy to implement and allow flexibility.

#httpcompression #asp.net #httpmodules

Please pass the ice cream sandwiches - iOS 5 is due out soon!

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 05:45:52 GMT

iOS 5 is rumored to be in "gold master" status, which means we could see it very, very soon. It brings the promise of cloud connectivity, OTA updates: Yes, you can finally "cut the cord" to your PC...

#Android, #icecreamsandwich, #iOS, #iOS5, #fragmentation

The top 10 signs you hired the wrong Social Media consultant.

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:48:32 GMT

Finding an "expert" is tough work. Lots of people are self-proclaimed experts, but if you scratch the surface, you'll realize you may know more than the expert. Here are some tests to gauge your SME's SME. (That's social media expert's subject matter expertise.)

So, how you liking Windows Vista ... I mean Windows 7?

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:15:55 GMT

Hang on to your Start menus. If you think you're going to get ten years out of Windows 7 (like you did XP), think again.

#snowjob

Remembering 9/11

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 05:58:44 GMT

There's so much to say and so little I can say about today, because it's a hard day.

Drawing the line between personal and professional social media.

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:39:38 GMT

I had someone ask me the question, "How do I politely tell a co-worker that I don't friend my co-workers?" #socialmedia

Why I love landing pages.

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:11:35 GMT

Sometimes I still wonder why we try to do it all in one website. We want to tell our story, sell products and services and we expect the consumer to follow along; no matter what we throw at them.

No one cares about your meatball sub.

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 05:09:33 GMT

I once heard a social media trainer say, "No one cares that you ate a meatball sub for lunch. Those kinds of comments are childish and inappropriate in professional social media." I would strongly disagree.

#bereal #berelevant #meatballsub #socialmedia #mittromney

61,397 reasons I love SharePoint [again] and InfoPath for web project management.

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:02:48 GMT

PM'ing web projects can be a bearish task when you have thousands of pages to tame.

Facebook Vs. Google+

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:34:59 GMT

I've only spent a few days with Google+, but as with Google Wave, and the reams of hype surrounding it, yet so far ... I'm not blown away. Am I missing something?

Coder humor

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 17:18:45 GMT

I've always maintained that coders need their own therapists or a support group, because unless you can relate to what we do, we're hard to understand.

The great ASP.NET CMS battle kicks into high gear this fall.

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 09:19:17 GMT

This fall both Kentico and Ektron will release major versions of their content management system products. It's an epic CMS battle like no other, and it's great news for the industry and the marketplace that CMS has come so far.

Seriously, why bother custom coding when CMS gets you there so much faster?

What happened to your site?

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 08:01:45 GMT

My website has been on the air as TimStaney.com since 1998. So every year or so, I get a little bored with it...

Why I love Google Chrome.

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 08:52:49 GMT

Google Chrome offers one of the best sets of web developer tools and built-in DOM inspectors.

The blessing and curse of video - 7 easily avoidable mistakes.

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 05:23:32 GMT

Placing videos on your web pages is a great way to ramp up page hits, right? People love video...

Marks, taglines and other silliness...

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 04:45:57 GMT

Strong corporate tags have been around forever. But some are just plain silly. Some ask questions with answers that are best left unknown; like what's in Arby's magical roasts.

!important - The inconvenient truth about standards-schmandards

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 05:34:12 GMT

If your CSS house has gotten out of sorts, don't worry; you're not alone. We've all been there.

Perhaps the whole Apple/no Flash thing is starting to make sense.

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:06:53 GMT

Twice in two days, Apple has received very public (and very embarrassing) snubs by two very large media giants over its 30% in-app commission.

RIM should change its name to Verge or Brink.

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:35:29 GMT

Blackberry manufacturer RIM might soon need to change its name to Verge or Brink — as in verge of bankruptcy or brink of disaster.

Adobe dives into HTML5 animations

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 05:07:56 GMT

Last week, under cover of night, Adobe announced it was diving in to the deep end of the pool with a new HTML5 animation generator tool.

A world without big flashing red buttons.

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 11:31:04 GMT

For those for whom hyperlinks are not obvious enough and lack a tinkering nature to poke and prod, the big red button always seems to save the day.

Clean, light, open and fast‎

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 19:02:36 GMT

In my humble opinion, Microsoft hasn't done much for user interface design since XP, but they are on to something with Metro.

In all fairness to OSX Lion - Day 2.5

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 08:46:32 GMT

To be fair to Apple, I probably run more programs/utilities that the average geek and decided today to start with a new, pristine OSX Lion account and see what happens.

My first few days with OSX Lion

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:12:07 GMT

Apple wouldn't be Apple if they didn't break all of the rules and continually throw users a few curve-balls; but taking away scrollbars?

This is unacceptable. The system should...

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 05:40:18 GMT

Perhaps we've just gotten too comfortable letting computers fix our silly mistakes. Perhaps we're just lazy. My favorite line from the world of business is, "This is unacceptable. The system should do _____."

Why isn't Facebook listening?

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 05:37:49 GMT

Version 3.4.3 of the Facebook client for iOS has probably been FB's biggest disaster to date - so where's the fix, Facebook?

Which country has better coders; India or America?

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 12:54:29 GMT

For years American business executives have advocated outsourcing coding projects to India. Now they might think twice.

You have a new Facebook friend...

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 06:36:23 GMT

The FTC recently gave Social Intelligence Corp. of California the right to store your social media activities for seven years and share it with your employer.

Has stock art lost its mind?

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 05:34:28 GMT

Stock photography has always been its own brand of stinky cheese, but lately it seems to have jumped on the express train to Crazy Town.

A lion on the horizon

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 06:58:34 GMT

As the days of desktop computing dwindle, what is the future of applications that need something fatter than a thicker thin client?

To "AP", or not to AP in web content: That is the question.

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 19:22:16 GMT

It makes perfect sense that many key players in web shops have come from the newspaper world. Which begs the question, is Associated Press (AP) style good for the web?

Campaigns: Easier than you think.

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 05:42:37 GMT

One of the great disconnects for many businesses is the campaign.

Put your web content on a diet.

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 06:15:01 GMT

We all want to *tell our story* on the web. But if you're a business selling product, do your visitors really *care* ?

What ever happened to natural language?

Mon, 30 May 2011 06:16:54 GMT

Lotus came up with a revolutionary new spreadsheet that should have clobbered Excel.

Are you ready for Panda??

Tue, 24 May 2011 18:11:22 GMT

Read this post before you pick up the phone to call your SEO 'expert'.

'Mobile First' is a great content strategy.

Mon, 23 May 2011 18:30:47 GMT

Those who still think they can shove War and Peace on a web page and call it a day have a rude awakening coming if they cannot change...

Bring the Rapture: There's no saving stupid.

Sat, 21 May 2011 12:56:58 GMT

...If you want to see how dumb people can really get, give them cart blanche with a web page and see what they ask for.

And the winner is...

Wed, 18 May 2011 19:10:22 GMT

Click in to find out. :)

Conflicted, like a wolf trying to admire the beauty of a cute fuzzy bunny...

Tue, 17 May 2011 19:54:17 GMT

So, I haven't returned the Android phone yet....

I tried to like you, Android: I really did. Sorry 4G Droid Charge...

Sun, 15 May 2011 18:34:01 GMT

So, I took a huge gamble this weekend and decided to dump AT&T (and hence my iPhone) in search of 4G.

Want all of that HTML5 glitz? Want all of the joy of CSS3? Try Modernizr.

Thu, 12 May 2011 04:57:05 GMT

One of the big challenges in moving to HTML5 and CSS3 is dragging old browsers along for the ride.

Want to send a message? Put a bird on it.

Tue, 03 May 2011 18:55:50 GMT

I've gotten very cozy with stock art lately, and one theme jumps out at me. Sometimes you just need to "put a bird on it".

Get the call-to-action right!

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:54:30 GMT

Don't blow the opportunity to engage your audience at the final buzzer.

The App Revolution: That's a whole lot of sodium, bud...

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:35:02 GMT

Because of the mobile application revolution, there are just so many things I don't need to do anymore...

I got my Microsoft Office 365 invitation ... Zzzzz

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 17:55:12 GMT

After reading the pricing and fine print, I had brain freeze like I had just sucked down a box of ice pops and sniffed a box of dry-erase markers.

My great Ektron 8.5 Epiphany

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 17:29:31 GMT

Its multivariate conditional content and business logic engine is just plain astounding. Where have you been all my web life?

Words and tone matter.

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 17:16:21 GMT

Meeting your audience where they are is important; how you express your message and address your audience is even more important.

Imagination Engineered.

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:34:20 GMT

Well, I am back from my second cruise on the Disney line which means it's time for me to dust-off the concept of imagination engineered, or the role of the "Imagineer"— as Disney has coined the term.

Where is Swype for the iPhone?

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 20:04:56 GMT

Where is Swype, the revolutionary new input method for touchscreen devices on the iPhone?

At MIXX 2010, Microsoft declared Windows Phone 7 the iPhone killer - REALLY?

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:24:58 GMT

Well, it's been a year since Microsoft triumphantly announced Windows Phone 7 as the "iPhone killer" ... REALLY?

LizaMoon: You can never be too crazy or paranoid about SQL injection.

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 20:14:47 GMT

Sadly, it wasn't an April Fool's Day joke when the LizaMoon struck and affected 226,000 web pages (and counting)...

Better you pick out your metadata then we do it for you. :)

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 05:34:57 GMT

All web content should be written after three to five key, long-tail search terms have been chosen.

Scope Documents and Web Projects

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:57:14 GMT

Think of it as protection for your career [and your sanity].

Pandora is great, but lacks a great search engine.

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 06:04:27 GMT

The friendly folks over at the Music Genome Project have a great product in Pandora, but really need to look at its poor search engine.

The curse of Netscape 4 and Microsoft's odd-numbered browser disasters - coincidence?

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 19:30:53 GMT

Netscape > Microsoft: You will be visited by three ghosts ... The ghost of IE7, the ghost of IE3 and the ghost all fear the most; the ghost of IE5.

Firefox 4 hits the streets.

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 17:20:06 GMT

The first major browser to give IE a run for its money celebrates a milestone today with the release of version 4.

WCM seeks CMS into heavy taxonomy, XSL and SQL. Must be non-smoker.

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:08:19 GMT

I am taxonomy geek. I admit it. Ever since I worked with my first taxonomy-enabled web publishing system, I was hooked.

Of Nesting Dolls, Javascript, CMS, Onions and Frankenstein

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 07:06:35 GMT

I know. What the hell are you talking about, Staney?? Bear with me and read on... (consider this the follow-up to How Social Media is like the Broadway show Wicked and pirates, and baseball.)

Just call your nephew.

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 06:30:02 GMT

Not all thoughts should become web applications. (If you don't believe me, just call your nephew.)

Watch for the "S"

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:51:56 GMT

As much as I hate to admit it, I — Tim Staney, web developer that should know better — had my credit card number and part of my identity lifted and sullied on the Net.

How does traditional media digest user-generated social content during a disaster?

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 18:59:59 GMT

It's certainly not a new question, but today's tragedy in Japan and Hawaii highlights the challenge traditional media outlets face in addressing user-generated content. When is "real", too-real to show?

iOS 4.3, so good to see ya.

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 05:12:50 GMT

iOS 4.2 was a real disappointment. Hopefully things will get better today.

Kentico 5.5R2 makes building Intranets a "no brainer".

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:48:56 GMT

One of the reasons I love Kentico is its scalability and hundreds of pre-built modules that can be easily customized.

Why a la carte pricing models don't fly in this economy.

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 05:12:27 GMT

Back in the VaporWare heyday of 1990's it made sense to follow the economies of scale approach to software pricing. Now, I'm not so sure it's a wise model for software vendors, considering the current economic conditions.

Be like a squirrel, not like Logan.

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:59:23 GMT

Every once in awhile, you need to stop and see where you are before you go any further.

Have we hit a processor plateau?

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 12:29:05 GMT

I'm not bitter about my two missing cores, really I'm not... ;-)

So long Google Analytics, hello HitBox? Deja vu. Deja vu.

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 04:08:38 GMT

Don't get too cozy with your script and cookie-based web analytics ... your "business intelligence". All of that may soon change.

The future of work

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 04:24:54 GMT

Chris Brogan, one of my favorite bloggers, puts forth an interesting view of what work might look like in the years to come.

Are you ready for two-factor authentication?

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 05:54:33 GMT

If not, you need to get thinking about it...

Make your love a "mix tape".

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 15:15:11 GMT

There's a cute song in the Broadway musical smash, 'Avenue Q' in which Kate Monster celebrates the joy that is receiving a "mix tape".

Why web page "models" and "talking heads" are annoying.

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 16:35:54 GMT

There's nothing getting the death scared out of you during a little 3AM web surfing.

I'm not sure who, if anyone, would want to claim responsibility for the annoying "page models" (or "talking heads") phenomenom.

http://www.voiceovergurl.com/2010/01/female-voice-talent-ibm-avaya-carefx.html

It takes a team.

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 05:56:48 GMT

Your best content and best web resources come from every corner of a company.

.NET makes me feel like a DJ again

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 14:01:10 GMT

Who you know and who you are can determine if you get what you need.

Anti-social media

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:06:10 GMT

And you thought you had to worry about what your employees do/say on Facebook...

Are you competing with content farms?

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 05:31:53 GMT

"Spam-dexing" with real content—and lots of it—gone viral. Content farms are here to stay.

The Internets are flat, and we just sailed off the edge.

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 05:31:36 GMT

Happy February 1, 2011 - the day we ran out of [IPv4] Internet addresses!

Why technical people need their own therapists...

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 05:08:49 GMT

There's a point in every technical person's life where you just need other technical people to surround you, to empathize.

Out of the mouths of babes.

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 05:25:44 GMT

Yes, social media really is for kids; just ask Juju.

Branding: If you don't understand it; we sure don't...

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 05:46:07 GMT

Somewhere in the 1990's corporate America lost its mind when it came to branding. It used to be very simple...

iOS 4.2 is slow.

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 07:14:49 GMT

Don't get me wrong, I love my iPhone, but something went wonky in iOS 4.2, and I suspect I know what it is...

Outed: Microsoft uses Telerik controls

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 04:51:14 GMT

I think the collection of controls that ships with the .NET framework is much like the Island of Misfit Toys.

Dump the slump - schedule it.

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 05:18:37 GMT

Blogging is back. How? I write ahead and schedule my releases through my website's content management system.

If Twitter is good, Trickle is better

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 18:45:50 GMT

Just what the world needs - another Twitter client, right?

An oldie, but goodie ...

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:53:09 GMT

While I think the term, "back to basics" is a little 'fuddy-duddy', sometimes there's just no other term that applies when practicality rules. Such is the case with an article I was reminded of, published back in October 1997.

Will Verizon rescue unlimited data AT&T subscribers from Tether-gate?

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 04:19:12 GMT

One thing that makes me particularly grumpy about AT&T is "tether-gate", AT&T's penalty for grandfathered-in unlimited iPhone data subscribers.

Last year's New Years intention is next year's intention

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 20:53:42 GMT

I promise to get back to blogging. There's been so much going on, but I promise to get back on track soon. :)

Why does Google say my site is harmful?

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 19:24:15 GMT

Well, this one isn't pretty. If you've come across it, chances are, you've got a database behind your website; and some holes to plug up.

Goodbye is the hardest thing

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 20:10:41 GMT

Pardon my diversion from web talk to pay honor to an uncle, a cousin, a co-worker and others that pass from our lives too quickly and unexpectedly.

What to do when you can't blog?

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 18:39:52 GMT

Well, I guess it happens to the best of us; a slump, nothing much to say, un-motivated to write?

Will the iPad save newspapers and magazines?

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 05:35:33 GMT

I've furthered my Apple obsession by adding an iPad to the fold. Perhaps the iPad's biggest strength is how it transforms the newspaper and magazine formats in ways traditional web pages cannot.

I don't agree with Einstein.

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:37:21 GMT

Albert Einstein once said if the end of the world was near he would spend the first 55 minutes analyzing and understanding the problem and the next five minutes generating ideas. I can't say I'd always agree with dear Einstein.

Just be real.

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 18:06:59 GMT

I had the pleasure of seeing Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappo's and author of 'Delivering Happiness' speak today at an American Marketing Association event in Tampa.

Social Media: Be careful what you wish for.

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 19:13:59 GMT

Everyone knows all about social media "wins" like Gilette's "Share Everywhere" and Old Spice's personalized videos. But, we also know "Woody", the 'Where the [expletive] is my free burger?', guy, Oprah's 'not so fried' fried chicken disaster and the recent Gap logo contest backlash.

iPad comes to Verizon Wireless

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 19:23:14 GMT

Well, it's official; Verizon Wireless will begin selling the iPad on October 28, 2010.

Bit.ly adds QR Codes to Short URLs

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 06:00:16 GMT

In response to the launch of Google's URL shortener (goo.gl) which includes a QR feature, Bit.ly recently announced the addition of QR codes to shortened URLs.

OMG, he said the G-word!

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 20:47:51 GMT

As long suspected, content really is king, and relying on fly-by-night keyword strategies based solely on the search giant's keyword tool may guide your SEM efforts down the wrong path.

Is the web really dead?

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 05:21:11 GMT

I read an interesting article the other day that states, "the web is dead". The main point of the article is to acknowledge the explosion of mobile devices and applications, that has contributed to the decline of overall web traffic. Is the web dead?

If bastardizing the table tag was bad for semantics, this is worse.

Sun, 10 Oct 2010 17:23:56 GMT

Let me say using DIV instead of TABLE to appease the "'standards du jour' crowd" is like using a wrench to drive a nail into a board. Personally, I'll use the hammer, not the wrench.

What's a picture really worth?

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:47:14 GMT

I was talking about the importance of wireframes last week, but there are a few steps before that, that I usually like to go through. "Cave drawings" are a crucial part of the process.

You need a team to move the ball down the field.

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 06:33:36 GMT

I've spoken many times about the hybrid nature of the web; a mash-up of IT and Marketing. This blog discusses how to build the ideal web team in your organization; think newspaper.

If your site is lame, try a wireframe.

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 18:35:06 GMT

You wouldn't build a house without a good foundation and perhaps a few blueprints, right?

Stop Fixating on the Metrics - Part 2 of 2

Sun, 26 Sep 2010 16:21:28 GMT

In part one of this blog I was dissing business' over-reliance on web metrics and all the notions we cast as "fact" about our visitors; based purely on analytics reports.

Stop Fixating on the Metrics - Part 1 of 2

Sat, 25 Sep 2010 07:07:28 GMT

Business has a love affair with spreadsheets, charts, graphs and Visio diagrams; but I'm here to tell you, they still don't get it.

ASP.NET has a leak

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 06:14:16 GMT

From the day ASP.NET was released I always wondered why Microsoft chose to push the stack trace to the browser on error by default.

Who does your blogging is more important than having a blog.

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:24:34 GMT

Few business leaders would allow their customer service inboxes or sales orders queues to go unattended for weeks on end, but for some reason, blogs start out with the very best of intentions, but few actually succeed.

Caring is Sharing: Misfit-style.

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 06:05:53 GMT

"Everyone who shares is an influencer," according to ShareThis. And if you're slow to share, a misfit probably has already done it for you.

More dramatic plot twists than a soap opera on Telemundo.

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 06:00:29 GMT

The IIS saga has more dramatic plot twists than a soap opera on Telemundo. In this episode we learn that el Microsofto is cheating on its beloved ASP.NET with — gasp! — PHP! {Insert dramatic organ chord here.}

'Did You Mean' unfairly skews SEO efforts.

Sat, 18 Sep 2010 10:32:50 GMT

I have a big problem with Google and Bing on their dictionary use of 'Did You Mean?' for proper names, perhaps because I am a 'Staney' and not a 'Stanley'.

Best of Breed: Firefox 4, Beta 6

Sat, 18 Sep 2010 08:03:21 GMT

With a completely overhauled rendering engine, new Javascript engine and support for CSS3, Firefox 4 (now in Beta 6) is a formidable browser.

Content Management Systems are for sissies. We like HTML.

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 06:16:05 GMT

Too burly to admit that you might need a CMS? Do you like to rough it in HTML; walk to school up-hill both ways in the cold and the rain?

A company that walks the talk

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 19:55:16 GMT

Salesforce.com doesn't just talk about giving back, they really do.

Huzzah to HTML5! Can I get an "Amen" for autofocus-ah?!

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 06:13:25 GMT

HTML5 introduces thirteen new input types, with validation. Kick that Javascript to the curb! (Well, not just yet...)

No, I will not be your friend.

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 05:17:59 GMT

There's a dangerous movement, flying under the "risk management" flag, that advocates companies mandate "friendships" on social media platforms with their employees. Slippery slope...

Keep your friends close; your enemies closer.

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 18:52:22 GMT

OK, so here's the thing... Many companies claim to want to go social; but the reality is often starkly different than the vision — or lack thereof.

Moving the offensive blob out of the way...

Sun, 12 Sep 2010 18:53:18 GMT

A must read for all .NET CMS Developers (and the fans that adore them) ;-) I just love it when a "haxie" can do some good.

Special thanks to Team Aelred of St. Peter's Episcopal Cathedral for the 2010 AIDS Walk

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 15:38:01 GMT

Special thanks to Team Aelred of St. Peter's Episcopal Cathedral for supporting the 2010 St. Petersburg AIDS Walk.

A day to ponder.

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 12:51:31 GMT

Today I remember many of those that we've lost...

Google, stop reading my mind! (And get my name right, Dammit!)

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 04:44:49 GMT

On Wednesday, the search engine giant explained why, on Tuesday, it perplexed millions of Americans with a 'swirly-dot' logo. (And *I* thought it was a shameless HTML5 plug.)

Why wait for the search engine to crawl you?

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 05:23:03 GMT

Yahoo has introduced Ping! (No, the other Ping!)

I was an Imagineer (of sorts, once).

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:53:02 GMT

I came across a great book this weekend on Imagineering, Disney-style and was reminded of how I followed those principles religiously in the entrepreneurial 1990's. These principles are always good to revisit and can apply to any sort of creative project.

For as much as Disney does well, they lack in loyalty programs.

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 07:19:15 GMT

This blog post comes to you live from The Walt Disney World resort in Orlando, Florida.

For those in peril on the C

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:14:33 GMT

Sure sitting in the dark all day, wired into the matrix and your iPod may seem like a good life, but Men's Fitness puts forth the question, "Are you sentenced to the [office] chair?"

WAML, XAML, CK1 and boat shoes, no socks -- Discuss!

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:01:02 GMT

If you go to enough Microsoft events, you know that they spin with acronym, fad, ego and CK1. Be a rabble-rouser. Stir things up; start your own acronym and pass it on.

Apathetic about Arial? Tired of Tahoma?

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 05:25:18 GMT

Google's new font API may help font fatigue. (Sorta...)

The do's and don'ts of caring for your web developer.

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:07:54 GMT

Much like Gremlins, web developers can be prickly, wiley and unpredictable. But with the right care and understanding they can be amiable and fun pets. Much like the cute, non-destructive Gremlins; pre-Midnight snack -- before the city was set ablaze. Not the ones after ...

Why Net Neutrality Matters

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 05:11:45 GMT

So, what's the big deal -- if the Internets get treated like TV, who cares?

Virtual Machine: It's a thimble, not a bucket.

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:15:24 GMT

Sure, you can spin them up in minutes -- and they may even look and perform almost like a 'real server' -- but you'd better know your stuff -- and get ready to make friends with the help desk.

Want to cut costs? Here's 200,000 reasons to bring your business 'green'.

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:27:23 GMT

In these tough economic and politically charged times, ‘going green’ isn’t just for ‘tree huggers’ – it may save your bottom line. Each year the average American worker prints about 10,000 pages. ¹ On average, Americans use 650 pounds of paper, per person, a year. 2 Each year, Americans trash enough office paper to build a 12-foot wall from Los Angeles to New York City.²

Have you heard; Facebook now offers location services?

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 06:19:08 GMT

{Zzzzzz....}

A little Photoshop goes a long way.

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 13:09:49 GMT

Web editors and anyone handling photos for your website need to have a basic understanding of what looks good and right and what does not when it comes to photos.

It's the little BIG things...

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:42:31 GMT

Wonderland the Musical has made it to Broadway and I am thrilled to have provided web support for this amazing project.

How Social Media is like the Broadway show, Wicked [...and pirates ... and baseball]

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 11:48:12 GMT

How Social Media is like Wicked, and pirates, and baseball

Which is better, the walled garden or the community garden?

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:31:29 GMT

Perhaps it's time for Apple to rethink the "walled garden" strategy when it comes to iPhone development.

Who's ready for HTML5?

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:42:16 GMT

Time to redesign...

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:02:47 GMT

The DOCX, XLSX, PPT, PUB, MOV, AVI, GIF, JPG junkie with FTP access.

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:19:35 GMT

Just because the whole office has Microsoft Office and Windows XP, doesn't mean the whole world has Office or Windows.

Answer this, Steve Jobs...

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:45:33 GMT

Are we over-thinking mobile apps?

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:43:22 GMT

It's not my problem.

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 13:05:25 GMT

I still don't get the notion that anyone involved with a web site could or should draw a line in the sand between development and design.

Are your customers yelping in pain?

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 05:39:55 GMT

For organizations that think they can wish away social media and haven't a strategy to address their customers' voices, a game-changer like Yelp! presents huge challenges.

What sandbags web projects...

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 18:37:36 GMT

Take baby-steps and commit to maintain what you have before you pile-on more.

Content-scaling 101: Part 1 - Typography

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:10:11 GMT

Yes, even your use of fonts is an asset -- and don't forget accessibility.

Content-scaling 101

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:03:54 GMT

Every once in awhile a client comes along that "gets it". Glory, Hallelujah!

Today's new customer is brought to you by the letters Q and R.

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 08:35:53 GMT

You might not have heard much about QR codes yet, but you soon will. In the near future you'll see them in newspaper ads and marketing collateral -- even on buildings and signage. Hopefully this post can help demystify the corner squares and squiggly-things that are QR codes.

Where mobile web sites go horribly awry ...

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:08:11 GMT

Asking what your visitor needs goes a long way. :-)

Why every web site can benefit from a CMS...

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:57:57 GMT

According to Wikipedia:

In a CMS [content management system], data can be defined as almost anything - documents, movies, pictures, phone numbers, scientific data, etc. CMSs are frequently used for storing, controlling, revising, semantically enriching, and publishing documentation.

Not everything is worth fixing or analyzing...

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:22:15 GMT

Much like raising a child, there comes a time in the lifecycle of any web application when you need to bless it with love, send it out the door and be confident that is will be 'OK'. Constantly "fixing" things doesn't necessarily make anything better or anyone truly happy.

Beware of the "Yard Sale" effect.

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:26:28 GMT

The web is a great medium to give your customers lots of information. But are you giving them so much at once that you turn them away?

My Wish List for iPhone OS 4.0

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:53:00 GMT

What's good, bad and ugly about the iPhone operating system...

Don't discount Flash (just yet)...

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 09:34:00 GMT

Over the years, probably no other web content delivery method has take as much of a beating as the ubiquitous Adobe Flash. Why?

Why coding in the .NET framework is like eating at the Golden Corral.

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 19:53:55 GMT

It's just half-baked, and not very tasty.

Just say "No" to SEO (Salespeople)

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:47:24 GMT

If you are going to hire any SEO artisté -- get a good one -- not someone that simply runs your URL through SEOTools and Google AdWords and lops you some silly fear-tactic driven proposal.

Blog posts

That Darned Ninja Cat: Is Facebook's Social Graph allowing too much click-stream slamming?

Social Media Experts

We Have Binders of Content!

Cupcake Vs. Creampuff

The Rules of Navigation. Just ask the digital natives.

Sprite: Why I took August off from blogging

Apple to release Mountain Lion OSX upgrade tomorrow

Social Footprints: Which is better? Having none?

Adobe Creative Suite CS6: The good, the bad ... the raster

Notes from CONFAB - Outside-In Content Strategy: Attracting New Users by Learning their Content Needs by James Mathewson, IBM

Notes from CONFAB - Content Strategy: A Dangerous Method by Joe Gollner

Notes from CONFAB - The Art of the Quest: How Your Mission Drives YourContent by Matt Thompson

Notes from CONFAB - Content & Cash: The Economics of Content Strategy by Melissa Rach

Notes from CONFAB - Managing Your Content Strategy for Success by Ann Rockley

Notes from CONFAB - Think Big(ger): Turning Content Strategy Into a Company Value

Notes from CONFAB - Creating Emotionally Relevant Content for Higher Education Audiences

Notes from CONFAB - The Magic Layer: The Secret of Every Successful Content Strategy

Notes from CONFAB - Welcome from Kristina Halvorsen / Keynote address with Dan Roam

Notes from CONFAB: Day One Workshop Notes

CMS killed the WYSIWYG star

IT Contracting: Of Mice and Mad-Men

Like Facebook? LOVE Pinterest?

Facebook Privacy: The only sure thing is change.

Using Twitter for Customer Service

The curious Pinterest URL dilemma; and a whole bunch of blather about hashing images and paths.

Where the heck are we on better web authentication? And why aren't we moving faster?

Facebook takes on employers snooping into personal privacy with a stern warning.

Staney to presents two new classes for Corporate Training at SPC

Flipboard adds Facebook and Twitter client - Super sweet!

Resolutions, predications ... blah, blah, blah...

Social media for small business: It's the little things that make a difference.

ITunes Match: Poor Steve Jobs must be rolling over in his grave

Who's killing your website?

First look at Kentico CMS 6

Will Microsoft dump Trident for WebKit?

Yes, data integrity applies at home too.

Curious Apple iOS5 / iCloud features

Woe is MobileMe.

iOS5 First Thoughts

Rest in peace, Mr. Jobs.

Fiery Apple Carrot - In honor of the 4GS

What will the world's most valuable company announce today?

Still no response from Klout customer service.

More *doubt* than clout.

Facebook is a keg party; Google+ is sushi and sake.

More from F8 - Interactive Apps: Creepy or Cool?

Facebook fury over the new UI.

My first "friend" Tom is on Google+ {facepalm}

The holy trinity of career suicide: Happy hour, office romance and Facebook.

Don't bet the Farmville that Facebook is MySpaced.

The joy that is ASP.NET HTTP compression ... on a budget.

Please pass the ice cream sandwiches - iOS 5 is due out soon!

The top 10 signs you hired the wrong Social Media consultant.

So, how you liking Windows Vista ... I mean Windows 7?

Remembering 9/11

Drawing the line between personal and professional social media.

Why I love landing pages.

No one cares about your meatball sub.

61,397 reasons I love SharePoint [again] and InfoPath for web project management.

Facebook Vs. Google+

Coder humor

The great ASP.NET CMS battle kicks into high gear this fall.

What happened to your site?

Why I love Google Chrome.

The blessing and curse of video - 7 easily avoidable mistakes.

Marks, taglines and other silliness...

!important - The inconvenient truth about standards-schmandards

Perhaps the whole Apple/no Flash thing is starting to make sense.

RIM should change its name to Verge or Brink.

Adobe dives into HTML5 animations

A world without big flashing red buttons.

Clean, light, open and fast‎

In all fairness to OSX Lion - Day 2.5

My first few days with OSX Lion

This is unacceptable. The system should...

Why isn't Facebook listening?

Which country has better coders; India or America?

You have a new Facebook friend...

Has stock art lost its mind?

More doubt than clout.