HootSuite.com

August 18, 2010

You are desperately looking for a tool that helps you manage multiple Twitter accounts? Or you want to add another layer on Ping.fm? Or you want to follow up the feed of your friends or colleagues? Or you might be interested in following certain keywords or hashtags on Twitter?

Then, HootSuite is the perfect Twitter tool for you! I’ve using this tool now for more than 1 year and I can honestly say : Wow! Hootsuite rocks! Of course, we all know Tweetdeck and the like, but I tell you, HootSuite has some particular additional assets that might suit you as well!

Like what?

  1. Handling multiple Twitter accounts. I personally am using 4.
  2. Direct integration with Facebook, Facebook Page, MySpace, LinkedIn, Foursquare and WordPress!
  3. Integration with Ping.fm (therefor with a wide variety of social media . Read more about Ping.fm!)
  4. URLshortener ow.ly : Instead of posting your long web addresses, it provides you a build in URL shortener.
  5. Easy to track the number of clicks and get statistical overviews of how people are using your Twitter-account
  6. Ability to schedule tweets. I stopped using Tweetlater/Socialoomph.
  7. Link up to 5 RSS feeds to your HootSuite account
  8. You can have multiple people managing your HootSuite accounts. Very interesting for business accounts! Oh, assigning tasks included!
  9. There’s an iPhone and Android version available too
  10. Did I mention it is a FREE tool? Of course, I invite you be generous and donate to the developers.

You see, 10 great reasons for using HootSuite. Even if only 1 or 2 fit your situation, it’s probably more effective than your current way of working (if you are doing everything manually!).

So, after Ping.fm and now this HootSuite, there are no more excuses left for not updating your status on any Social Media! And keep me posted too :-)

Have fun, always,

Bert

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Posted by bertverdonck

Ping.fm

August 2, 2010

Are you spending too much time on updating all your Social Media? Are you also finding it really ridiculous to update your Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo, MySpace and LinkedIn status one at a time?

There must be a shortcut, right? Ping.fm is the Genius Shortcut you are looking for! Ping.fm is active in the social network aggregation space and lets you update your status on several sites at once.

I sometimes get remarks from friends that I am so active on Facebook while it has been nearly 2 weeks since I went there…but because my status is updated regularly, most people think I am present and following up in (nearly) realtime. So, now you know that I am using tools on top of those platforms to stay up-to-date and of course I an saving heaps of time!

So, how does Ping.fm actually work? Easy, let me explain in 3 steps:

1. Go to Ping.fm and sing up for an account.

2. Login and add the various Social Media or platforms you want your status to be updated. This is also called “syndication” of your status. You can actually choose from more than 30 sites, including WordPress, Blogger, Typepad, Yammer, Posterous, Flickr and Delicious!

3. Start broadcasting your updates!

Of course, I need to give you a disadvantage as well : Ping.fm was created with the idea that people want to get their updates out. It is not a tool to follow up on the conversation that happens afterwards. There are other tools perfectly suitable for that (one of the next blogs :-) )!

I am aware that several tools are providing similar services as Ping.fm. Hellotxt.com and AOL Lifestream to name a few.

So, what are you waiting for to update all your Social Networks at once?

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Posted by bertverdonck

150 Lifehackingtips

April 16, 2010

Wie wordt niet dagelijks overspoeld door allerlei soorten informatie. Hoe kunt u er nu voor zorgen dat u overzicht houdt en voorkomt dat u gaat lijden aan informatiestress? De kunst is de informatie op te sporen, te organiseren, te filteren en te delen. Dat is waar lifehacking over gaat, over meer doen, in minder tijd op een leukere en slimmere manier. Tijd overhouden om te creëren en u te richten op zaken die u echt belangrijk vindt. Lifehacking wordt daarbij geïnspireerd door het boek ‘Getting Things Done’ van David Allen. Een handige en complete manier om prettig en efficiënt te werken zonder stress.

Voor wie is dit boek bedoeld? Voor iedereen die in zijn werk gebruik maakt van een computer, maar geen idee heeft hoe je met een kleine inspanning een hoop dagelijkse taken veel makkelijker voor elkaar krijgt. Voor iedereen die veel op het web werkt, maar nog nooit van RSS gehoord heeft. En voor mensen die de schoonheid van een slimme vondst kunnen waarderen, en er hun voordeel mee doen.

Op lifehacking.nl schrijft een team lifehackers over deze vondsten, en dragen de lezers bij in onze zoektocht naar slimme hacks in deze wereld.

Om het jullie makkelijk te maken, volgen hier een aantal antwoorden.

Ja, dit is de intro van het nieuwste boek over lifehacking:
150 Lifehackingtips, om slimmer en efficiënter te werken

Ja, het is de update van het vorige boek 100 Lifehackingtips, om prettiger en efficiënter te werken (nog steeds gratis te downloaden)

Ja, Bert Verdonck heeft ook een lifehack in dit boek geschreven.

Ja, Bert schrijft af en toe ook op lifehacking.nl

Ja, je kan het boek “150 Lifehackingtips” ook bij mij bestellen.

Ja, het staat op #1 bij managementboek.nl

Ja, je krijgt dit boek in april 2010 GRATIS bij bestelling van een of meer boeken uit een speciale actie met Van Duuren Management. Meer informatie over deze speciale actie vindt je hier.

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Posted by bertverdonck

Text 2.0

April 1, 2010

Imagine there were input devices which could allow text to know if and how it is being read – how would this change the reading experience?

A very daring and interesting question! With the help of an eye-tracker, Text 2.0 follows your progress and presents effects just in time.
This means that while reading, music starts to play, new images and animations appear while approaching keywords or elements in your text.

What else can Text 2.0 do?

  • Translations appear when you need them.
  • Words are explained on the fly (intelligent footnotes).
  • Compound words are automatically divided.
  • If you are lost, a red arrow guides you back to where you left off.
  • You can even ask for the pronunciation of words in your text. How cool is that?

As most of you know, I a big fan of speedreading. So, I kept the best for last :

Imagine Text 2.0 would know when you are skimming through a text and it would fade out irrelevant information to streamline your reading. What would that do to you?

Yes, I am a fan already. I can’t wait to start test-driving Text 2.0 myself! Think about where I’ll be going next time I’m in Kaiserslautern? :-)

Have a look at this YouTube movie yourself and let me know what you think?

Where does this come from?

Ralf Biedert, Georg Buscher, Andreas Dengel and DFKI, the German Center for Artificial Intelligence

Contact Ralf directly if you need more info. Downloading a Text 2.0 paper could help too…

Oh, one more thing, Do you want to know why it is called “Text 2.0” and not “Reading 2.0“? Read it at the FAQ of the Text 2.0 website.

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Posted by bertverdonck

Your Book in 100 Days

March 31, 2010

You can write your book in 100 days!

With the right mindset, motivation, guidance and determination to succeed, you will write an excellent book that will help you achieve your goals. “Your Book in 100 Days” is a practical and friendly book and it shows you how to tap into the power of your mind and bring your best ideas to life. You will write your book in much less time than average first-time authors take, and you will have more fun doing it! You will discover the answers to the big questions, such as

  • What is your dream, for your life as well as your book?
  • Who will benefit most from reading your book?
  • How can you structure the book in the best way for your reader?

Follow the advice of two authors who have helped hundreds of people create their books and see your book come to life in just 100 days!

About 1.5 years ago, I wrote a blog on how to publish a book in 1 month (in Dutch, on Lifehacking.nl). When I met Mindy at a Blackstar event (Ecademy), we talked about the possibilities on setting up a partnership by writing a book together. As a bookmidwife, Mindy specializes in delivering people’s books. For me as a lifehacker and life coach,  I am helping people to get clarity on what it is they want to achieve in life (and whether a book fits into that :-) ). On top of that, I suggest different tools and exercises to actually achieve these dreams in less time. So, it was a natural fit for the two of us to create this book. After all, we are two coaches who both believe passionately that if people want to do things in life, they should find a way to do them and they can do them quickly and easily. Did you know that 83% of people interviewed said they dreamed of writing their own book? The problem is that most people never even start, much less finish their book…

So, if you have “a book” in you, it is time to think about how you’d start writing it. Buy this book now at Amazon, Ecademy Press or directly through us and start reading first. Have fun with the exercises and create your own book. We want to hear you shout when your book is in print and we want you to see you reaping all the benefits that a good book can give you!

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Posted by bertverdonck

Twitter Search Tips

March 29, 2010

Twitter is a wonderful tool and platform to share your message. We all know that! What most people don’t know is that Twitter has a magnificent search engine. Almost everyone (including me) is using Google, but if you want the latest trends or events, you’d better use Twitter. Why? Twitter is a real time search engine, while Google indexes everything and that takes time, sometimes up to 6 weeks before a site is included in Google. So, if you are looking for live input on a certain event, Twitter is more likely to find it.

In order to help you find stuff quicker, I am sharing a number of Twitter Search Tips with you. How does it work?
You first go to http://search.twitter.com. Of course, if you just want to use the regular search, you can type in your keywords and find anything right-away! Now, it becomes even more interesting if you would use the advanced search. Here is an overview if you want to use advanced search operators:

Operator Finds tweets…
Genius Shortcut containing both “Genius” and “Shortcut”. This is the default operator.
“happy hour“ containing the exact phrase “happy hour”.
black OR white containing either “black” or “white” (or both).
Belgian -beer containing “Belgian” but not “beer”.
#ff containing the hashtag “ff” (followfriday, interesting people to follow as indicated by others).
from:bertverdonck sent from person “bertverdonck”.
to:bertverdonck sent to person “bertverdonck”.
@bertverdonck referencing person “bertverdonck”.
“happy hour” near:“London” containing the exact phrase “happy hour” and sent near “London”.
near:London within:15mi sent within 15 miles of “London”.
lifehack since:2010-03-26 containing “lifehack” and sent since date “2010-03-26″ (year-month-day).
lifehack until:2010-03-26 containing “lifehack” and sent up to date “2010-03-26″.
movie -twilight :) containing “movie”, but not “twilight”, and with a positive attitude.
movie :( containing “movie” and with a negative attitude.
fun ? containing “fun” and asking a question.
fun filter:links containing “fun” and linking to URLs.
news source:twitterfeed containing “news” and entered via TwitterFeed

Additional easy Twitter Search Tips:

1. Click on the Advanced Search link and save yourself from typing the operators!
2. If you want to search in a different language, use the language switch in the advanced search : “Written in:” and choose your language in the dropdownbox.
3. If you specifically want to search for retweets or you don’t mind that retweets are shown in the search results, then check the box: Include Retweets.

If you want extra Twitter Search Tips, you know where to find me :-)

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Posted by bertverdonck

PocketMod

February 13, 2010

Looking for a cheap alternative for a PDA? Instead of buying a Moleskine, you’d like a thinner version? Or you don’t want to risk your expensive tools to take with you to a party, a trip or a meeting? Or you are looking for a free, recyclable Personal Organizer?

Then PocketMod is probably for you!

What is the PocketMod? It is a small book with guides on each page in which you arrange stuff. You combine several templates with a unique folding style, enabling a normal piece of paper to become your ultimate Personal Organizer.

3 Easy steps to create your own PocketMod:

1. Select a page widget from the list (calendars, notes, formulas, contacts, blanks…)
2. Customize each widget and drag it to the right page.
3. Print your PocketMod and fold it according to this style:

If you need more visual aid on how to do it, here is a YouTube video for you:

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Posted by bertverdonck

Slideshare

February 6, 2010

So many times I’ve talked about Slideshare during trainings and workshops, but it seems that still too few people have heard about it.

Slideshare is basically a website where you can upload and share all your Powerpoint presentations. Also pdf files and Word documents. Besides sharing your content and your message with the world you can also keep them private or share them with your innercircle only.

Why should you use it? Well, you can learn a lot from the newly updated presentations. On top of that, I sometimes use it for sharing my slides after a speech or event. People find it easy to go over them again or even download them.

By uploading your documents you will improve your visibility to a bigger audience. If people are researching your topic, they might find it on Slideshare. And did I mention it’s free?

Another benefit is your improved Google rankings. Thanks to Slideshare your presentations will be positioned high(er) in the search results. You only need to define your keywords well…Many people spend fortunes on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and with Slideshare you can profit from their rankings for free. They take your presentation to a new level on Google.

Oh, did I tell you about LinkedIn? You can integrate your presentations through Slideshare into your LinkedIn profile. Have a look at my LinkedIn profile to see an example. It improves your profile and you are sharing some added value to people who might be looking for you…

Next on my list is the possibility to create slidecasts. What’s that? It’s merging one of your presentations with a Podcast. So, you actually create a new document with integrated sound. Very nice to explain to people what they are seeing…

Finally, you can also follow others or be followed (like Twitter) on Slideshare. Very interesting if you want to be on top of things. Follow your favourite topics and people on Slideshare as well. Who knows, you might build a following yourself too!

And to really wrap it up, I am showing you how you can perfectly integrate your Slideshare presentation in your blog.

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Posted by bertverdonck

ICD Scraper

January 4, 2010

In this blog I’ll explain you the link between Windows 95 and deicing my car.

It’s wintertime. Fun with snow and ice. Yeah! Unless you need to use your car and it is covered in ice and/or snow. Ice scraping!

Of course, when you don’t need stuff, you give it away or sell it or place it somewhere else. I have placed my ice scraper so well, that I don’t recall where it is. Yes, very handy in these winter conditions. :-)

So, I came up with a Genius Shortcut for this situation. What happens if you don’t have an ice scraper? I took out an old cd, which happens to be one of my Windows 95 licenses. I don’t use it anymore, so I started to use it as an ice scraper. I must confess, it worked perfectly well! Of course, I used it upside down, so if it gets scratched, it’s only on the printed side, but it didn’t.

The cd (and you can use any (old) cd or dvd) is still usable if I want to. On top of that, I invented a new word : the ICD Scraper (eye-sea-dee scraper), it’s simply a cd that is being used as an ice scraper.

So, enjoy ice scraping next time with an ICD Scraper instead :-)

image source : http://ow.ly/SA90

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Posted by bertverdonck

Slow Down

January 3, 2010

“Our culture puts a premium on speed, deifying this notion that faster is better, that you must fill every single moment with activity. There’s a powerful taboo that makes “slow” a dirty word. In this hyped-up world, we need to keep an eye on our personal speedometers – it’s very easy to do things fast just because everything else around you is going fast, without even considering whether or not it makes sense.”

- Carl Honoré -

I agree with him we are living in a world of speed. Also with my Genius Shortcuts and lifehacking fun I am speeding up activities, skills and results. This is what most people are looking for, besides a meaning in life, but that’s a different story :-) So, yes, I like speed. Why? Because it creates more time to have fun. More time to relax. If a boring activity takes me 4 hours, why would I be bored for 4 hours? What if I can do it in 1 hour with maintaining the quality of the results? I have 3 hours to slow down or do something else what is important to me. What’s the point in being frustrated for another 3 hours? None!

This also means that I certainly see the value of slowing down. With my focus on simplicity, finding the Genius Shortcuts and improving the fun we have, I know I am speeding up most of  (all?) the time. And I like it, because it brings so much joy and fulfillment. And did I mention the extra time? Right, to do whatever we like with it…This means slowing down tremendously! So, indeed, Carl is right when he talks about the impact of speed. He sees it from the pressure people are putting themselves under to get more and more. The difference is that most people never take time to slow down! Indeed not the right way to go…

Carl also talks about slowing down because of the impact on others and on our own body and mind. When he speedreads a bed-time story to his kids, even skipping a couple of paragraphs, we all agree that the most relaxing part of the day for his kids is hurried up by him. They know the stories inside out and question him about certain details in these stories, like “What happened to Grumpy?” If you only talk about 3 instead of 7 dwarfs in Snow White :-)

You can see how this became a wake-up call for him. And again, he was rushing too much instead of slowing down and take time for this  intimate and tender moment with his kids. So, he decided to change all that. He went on a business trip soon afterward. During that flight the first thing he did was doing nothing. Just sitting there and do nothing. Thinking about it, “wasting” time to reflect. By the time he got of that plane, he decided to take action and do something about it. He came up with 2 questions :

1. How do we get so fast?

2. Is it possible or desirable to slow down?

I’d answer the first question with my Genius Shortcuts.  Finding simple tricks that speed up the process and get the results faster. This means you can choose what to do with that extra time you’ve created. My choice is easy : more fun, more time to slow down and enjoy life. And that answers his second question. For me it is desirable to slow down. In fact it is a prerequisite to enjoy more!

By slowing down at the right moments we eat better, get healthier,  have more fun, are more relaxed and we get things better done. We work better and get better results, in fact a better life. How surprisingly :-)

You see how Carl and I are on the same wavelength here. To give you an even better perspective, have a look at his inspirational talk at TED. Enjoy it and take some time out to watch it fully!

After watching this, what action(s) are you going to take to slow down? Let us know… and take your time :-)

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Posted by bertverdonck

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