Google Holiday Logos

I saw the Google logo depicted for the solar eclipse and want to say that it was an amazing logo. The logo was really depicting the real sense of eclipse and keeping the corporate brand identity of Google.

So, this inspired me to know more about the person behind these designs. And I got this on googling it. He is a 23 year old Korean kid, Dennis Hwang. He started it as a contractor and is now designing all holiday logos for Google. The best part of the interview is his answer the question for his challenging letter of manipulation. He says he relys on the doodles he used to make when he was kid and uses them and he finds it easy to manipulate the ‘o’ and the ‘l’. He finds the first ‘G’ to be the most difficult to deal with.

Few of the holiday logos I like

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss - Valentine’s Day - Veteran’s Day -
But... I like all of them.

Read Dennis’s complete interview and additioanl details here.

And look at the comprehensive list of Google holiday logos here.

Control the Site Links Now Through Google Webmaster

Google announced today in its Webmaster Central blog about a new update named “Summer Sunshine”. The main highlight was you can edit the site links using your webmaster account.

1. You can block the other links from the site links apart from the home page. Site links are generated automatically by Google, but now you can suggest which links you do not want to list in site links.
   
2. The Google site selector now lists all verified sites and allows you to search as you type.

3. It also provides a clear distinction between verified and non-verified sites.

These improvements are really cool. Mostly the #1 and it really helps a webmaster to restrict any links which should not be there.

More Than 100 Free Twitter Tools For You

A list of more than 100 Twitter tools which can be used for an easy tweeting around and keep you updated of the tweets. I have been spending lot of time to keep it updated. You may find some dead links, errors or typos which are unintentional. Please check the tools for credibility before using them. Also let me know if I have missed anything so that the same can be added or updated here.
1. Alex King Twitter Tool – Takes your tweets and posts them to your Wordpress blog
2. BiggerTwitter – Allows you to post longer messages, but uses a link in the tweet
3. BigTweet – Add it as a favorite and IE and send a tweet from any webpage. You can send the url or use the in-built url shortening service
4. Blackbird – It is a Twitter client for Blackberry smart phones
5. Blogo – A blog editor which also helps in search in Twitter. It also updates the status whenever you post a new article
6. CheckYesOrNo – Frame Yes/No poll questions and share it with your friends on Twitter to answer the question
7. Cullect – Helps you find and share. It is a collaborative feed reader that can be used for various accounts. You just need to sign in with your credentials say – your blog, Friendfeed or Twitter
8. Feedalizr – A desktop application that allows to share photos/videos, interact with Facebook and Twitter friends and be updated with the status messages of friends
9. FeedTwit - Get your Twitter @replies as text messages and read your RSS feeds as direct messages in your Twitter account.
10. Flotzam – A desktop application to share photos, tweets, Diggs, pokes and feeds
11. Foodfeed – Share your eating habits. Just point your tweets @having and share with other like minders
12. FreeTweets – Collection of good Twitter backgrounds
13. FriendorFollow – Know who you are following and know those folks that are not following you and vice versa
14. FuelFrog – Keep a log of your fuel and mileage. Compare your mileage with others in your area, or with the same car
15. Green Tweets - Uses semantic language analysis to identify tweets pertaining to green and environmental topics from the public Twitter stream
16. gTwitter – Is a Linux client for reading and posting to Twitter.com web service
17. iTweet – iPhone interface for Twitter
18. Jargong – Is a client application for most of the social networking, instant messaging and feeds. You can also update the tweets from this application
19. jTwitter – A mobile tool to enter updates through your mobile phone
20. KipFolio Widget – Twitter widget for KipFolio
21. LoudTwitter – Helps you to transfer your tweets directly to your blog
22. MoniTwitter – Receive updates of website via Twitter
23. PingTwitter – Add new posts of your blog as status update in Twitter
24. PocketTweets – A web-based Twitter client for Apple iPhone
25. Pwytter – Python Twitter client which can support Asian characters
26. Quotably – Nice tool. Follow the Tweets of a particular account in threaded style
27. SayTweet – Dynamic mashup to have your own pic as a badge with your status update
28. Shareaholic – Firefox plugin to share the webpage via Twitter
29. SnapTweet – Share Flickr photos on Twitter too
30. Spaz – A Twitter client for Palm Pre, Windows, Mac and Linux
31. Snitter – A desktop Twitter client built on Adobe AIR
32. StrawPoll – Tool to create polls in 140 characters
33. TeleTwitter – Open source Twitter client for Windows
34. Terraminds – Search tool to search for users and tweets
35. TopNewsTrends – Combines Google trends data with Twitter search
36. TrackThis – Track your UPS, FedEx, DHL, USPS via Twitter or Facebook
37. TreoTwit – Check and update your Twitter right from your Treo
38. Triqqr – A windows tool to submit tweets and to view profiles
39. Twappi – Provides the Twitter mood
40. Tw-autocomplete – Simple add-on for Firefox that adds auto-complete support for @-messages and DMs
41. TweetBar – Use Twitter to Firebox browser
42. TweetBurner – An url shortening service, which also provides the clicks and referrals details
43. TweetCloud – Know what is buzzing around in the twitter world
44. Tweetdeck - Adobe Air desktop application enables you to split the main feed into group specific columns allowing a broader overview of tweets
45. Tweeter – A java desktop client for Twitter
46. Tweetfeed – As name suggests. Helps in customizing the tweets online so that you can track the ones which are important to you
47. Tweetlater – Sends automated DMs to your followers
48. TweetMyPC – to connect your PC remotely to lock or shutdown, using a mobile device or another internet connected PC just by sending a tweet
49. Tweetr – A cross platform tool to submits tweets
50. TweetScan – Search tool. Search as per keyword or user name
51. TweetWhatYouEat – A food diary online and track your weight. (Hey… should help in burning your calories as well)
52. TweetWhatYouSpend – Cash tracking made simple through Twitter. Built cash journal and export to excel or csv
53. Twellow – A directory of Twitter users
54. TwerpScan – Keep an eye on growing list of friends and followers
55. Twessenger – Updates Live Messenger status as per the latest tweet
56. Twhirl – A desktop client connects you to multiple accounts – Twitter, FriendFeed, seismic and Iaconi.ca
57. Twidget – A dashboard widget that allows to update status
58. Twidroid – Twitter client for android mobile phones
59. Twiggit – Is an automated service that lets your friends on Twitter know what articles you Digg
60. Twinja – A desktop Twitter client (AIR) application that provides all the features of Twitter
61. Twinfluence - a simple tool using the Twitter API to to measure the combined influence of twitterers and their followers, with a few social network statistics thrown in as bonus
62. Twinkle – Location-aware network for iPhone and iTouch
63. Twippera – Opera browser plug-in that can update and view tweets
64. Twit4Live – Sets Live Messenger status as latest tweet
65. Twitbar – Post tweets from the GNOME deskbar
66. TwitBin – Firefox browser add-on to send and view tweets
67. TwitBox – Desktop client to view and submit tweets, supports multiple accounts
68. TwitDir – Allows user to search for users by name, location, or username
69. Twitgit – Submit and view tweets using the dashboard
70. Twitkit – A Twitter sidebar for Firefox. It has a 6-section interface, using tabs to separate content
71. Twitpic – Lets you share photos on Twitter
72. Twitr – Claims to be the #1 Twitter directory
73. Twitscoop – Twitter interface to send tweets, find friends, search and follow what is buzzing around in the twitter world. You can also save searches for future reference
74. TwitSeeker – search engine to find Twitter users as per their tweets and not as per their profile
75. Twitter100 – This app creates a collage of all your friends you are following, so that you do not miss tweets of your special friends you are following
76. Twitter For Busy People – Same as Twitter100. But, if you are following too many friends then this is better
77. Twitt(url)y – A tool to track the URLs people are talking about on Twitter
78. Twittelator – Complete iPhone Twitter client
79. TweetAhead – Schedule tweets to be posted ahead of time with a simple dashboard widget
80. Twitter CLI – A windows tool to post tweets using the command line
81. Twitter for Vim – A Linux tool to publish tweets right within Vim
82. Twitter.el – A Linux tool to publish tweets while in Emacs
83. Twitter100 – Use it to view 100 tweets at a time
84. TwitterBar – Post to Twitter from you Firefox address bar
85. TwitterBerry –Twitter for various BlackBerry devices
86. TwitterBuzz – Find out what URLs are being most linked to on Twitter
87. TwitterCard - Create a 125(w) x 125(h) pixel banner ad to put on your blog or website and display the current status
88. Twit.el – A linux tool that allows publishing of tweets in Emacs
89. twitterfeed.com – A tool which uses the latest blog feed as tweet
90. TwitterFox – Firefox extension that can publish and view tweets
91. Twittergrader – Provides you a grade based on the power of your Twitter profile
92. Twitterholic – Shows the top users and accounts on Twitter
93. Twitterless - Notifies you when somebody stops following you and lets you know who it is and the follower history is graphed out over time
94. Twitterlex – Mac OS X dashboard widget that shows the last 30 tweets which refreshes periodically
95. Twitterlicious – Update Twitter status, check replies and direct messages
96. TwitterLinkr – Collects the links posted trough Twitter
97. Twitterlocal - A tool to filter tweets based upon users’ location. It also provides the searches in RSS or XML file
98. Twittermaps – A mashup technology that allows Twitter users find each other using Google maps
99. Twitteroo – A windows tool to update and view the status
100. Twitter.PollDaddy.com - Create Polldaddy polls and post them directly to your Twitter stream
101. TwitterPost – A Mac client that submits tweets, shows your current iTunes track in your feed and more
102. Twitterrific – Mobile and desktop tool to post and view tweets
103. Twittersearch – Search Twitter and tweets using keywords
104. Twitter SPY - Displays the Twitter public timeline
105. TwitterSync for Yahoo – Syncs Twitter status with Yahoo Messenger status
106. Twittertise - Allows you to schedule your tweets in advance and track the clicks on URLs you tweet
107. Twittervision – See where in the world people are submitting tweets from in real-time
108. TwitterYM – Updates the Yahoo Messenger status taking the latest tweet
109. TwitThis – Allows your website/blog visitors easily share a page or post via Twitter
110. TwittyTunes – A FoxyTunes (Firefox extension) add-on that posts what you are currently listening to
111. Twitux – A Twitter client for the GNOME desktop
112. Twitwall - When it’s too long to tweet, but too short to blog, just TwitWall it! TwitWall is the easy-to-use, quick-to-blast-out blog companion for Twitter
113. Twitxr – Share pictures from your mobile phone. Automatically publish them on social networks and photosharing sites
114. Twonvert – Easily converts your tweets into SMS shorthand language and allows you to say more with the 140 characters
115. Twonvo – Threads your tweets
116. Twuzzer – Twitter / GoogleMaps mashup.
117. Useqwitter – e-mails when a twitter stops following you after a certain post
118. What’s Up? – Gadget that allows you to see latest tweets from your friends
119. WildSets –Twitter app for mobile phones
120. yammer – A similar mico-blogging software to Twitter. Can be used by enterprise companies and can be used as an intranet solution
121. Yoono – Receive alerts, update your status or message your friends in your browser sidebar. No need to switch from one site to another or from your browser to a desktop app. Also integrates other services: Facebook, flickr, friendfeed, major IM services
122. ZenTwitter – A GUI frontend for Twitter using zenity and curl

I thank Shannon. Most of the list is from his page. All credit goes to Shannon.

Men, Women Use Facebook Differently

Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology have found that while woman prefer applications which they can express themselves through, men chose ones they can compete against others with. So, your gender determines which Facebook application you would rather prefer.

According to the lead researcher Russell-Bennett, applications were also considered cool when they allowed self-categorization such as discovering which movie star you are applications which change daily, applications which allows high level of interactivity like scrabble or bowling and lastly applications which are special and novel. Facebook users use the applications and share them only to enhance their standings in their network of friends.

This study is important from a commercial point of view. This will help the organizations developing these applications as they can now identify which features encourage people to recommend the game to others. The more they recommend to others, the more people use it and this will attract a substitute to the traditional and/or viral advertising.