I opened my Yahoo! Mail page this evening to check my email and noticed there’s a whole new version of interface. Like everyone else they’re providing the opportunity to do more "social" stuff like updating a status. The general appearance and layout has been cleaned up and sharpened a bit too.

I’m still working on some in-depth feature improvements. Texting isn’t new, unless I can get it to really work this time then that would be an improvement. The discussion about what’s new with social networking stuff included a twitter icon and YouTube, but still working on what’s involved in that change.

A WordPress application is new. Being able to publish to a WordPress blog could be interesting. Tried to install the app though and there was some kind of error. Will try that again later.

Some other cool applications related to images are abundant: flickr, Photobucket, MyPhotos and even Picnik for editing all of those images. The list of applications starts to remind me of the early days of Facebook.

Still can’t figure out why they’re showing the twitter icon. Let me know if you figure it out.

Coming right off my post on Google continuing to pursue their world domination, I find out today that they’ve now launched Google profiles. Your Google profile is kind of like a personal billboard for yourself online. A place to bring together all of your business, personal and social network personas.

The information available reminds me of the type of site I configured for ClaimID awhile back (and I need to update!). You put together a collection of all the sites you’re active on, in coordination with your contact information and other details about you like where you’ve lived, where you live, who you’re working for and who you’ve worked for in the past.

Your contact information can be restricted to just your contacts in your Gmail address book, distribution groups in your address book, or independent groups you setup yourself through the site. I think they should also add the different groups you may be associated with in Google Groups.

There’s portions of it that also remind me of the types of information you’d share on both Facebook from a social/personal perspective; as well as the professional side you’d share on LinkedIn.

Given that it’s a Google page, you can bet it will be indexed well and come up in search results for the keywords you’ve used in your profile. Depending on the amount of information you share, you may get that Facebook effect of reconnecting with people you haven’t talked to or perhaps even though of in forever.

Image Source

Sometimes uncovering all the cool stuff on the web means you sign-up for a lot of sites to give them a try, only to realize later that you’re really not interested in maintaining your profile on those sites. The challenge can be trying to get rid of those profiles on sites you’re not interested in using anymore.

Photo from stock.xchng

There’s a very helpful article on the PC Magazine website on How to Delete Accounts from Any Website. The article runs through the process of getting rid of your profile on one of 23 different websites: Classmates, Facebook, Friendster, LinkedIn, MySpace, MyLife, Amazon, Audible, Blockbuster, eBay, iTunes, Netflix, PayPal, Blogger, Twitter, Flickr, Photobucket, YouTube, AOL/AIM, Apple MobileMe, Google, Windows Live, and Yahoo.

Digg.com has had its share of media exposure both good and bad. I’ve never been a huge Digg.com user, but will Digg pages that I find interesting and I think about it. I’ll regularly Digg stories from friends as well, but not blindly, only after I’ve read them and I think they’re worth Digging as well. That little process has been a bit clunky in my opinion, but Digg.com has made a change/addition that will make it a little easier.

Snagit of Digg.com New DiggBar

You can click on the image above to see the full-version and notice the new Digg bar that they released that makes it easier to Digg articles that you’re reading and spread them to other social networks as well.

My challenge is that when I see the article on Digg, I click on link to the article to read it outside of Digg before I decide to Digg it again. Now, with the Digg bar, it nicely appears at the top of the original page and let’s you see lots of details about it. I can Digg it, post it to my twitter or Facebook account, or email it to anyone else I may want to share it with. All very nice and useful. If you don’t like it appearing, you can just click the close “X” on the far right and be done.

Perfect implementation. Perhaps even better is it’s not a new toolbar or something else you need to install. It just appears when you click on an article that’s already been Dugg. Nice and clean. Almost self-explanatory. Perfect.

Just how powerful is that Facebook addiction of yours? Maybe taking a look at it from the eyes of these two guys.

This was one of the popular videos that was shared among some family members this holiday season. The video is from the Rhett & Link team of online comedy geniuses. They’ve got loads more videos on YouTube if you’re interested.

Image: Screen capture from ElfYourself.com

One of the most popular posts ever on Uncover the Internet was the post I wrote two years ago now about a little site called Elf Yourself.

Well, now it’s back but the elves are still taking some dance classes it appears. It’s become a holiday favorite and in 4 days you can participate in the fun yourself.

They’ve even got the Elf Yourself application available on Facebook as well. One of my favorite past times is blocking applications on Facebook but this is one I’m going to have to let through.

Image: Screen capture of Elf Yourself Facebook App on Facebook

Image: CNET News Screenshot

Just when I was really enjoying all the connections I have been making in Facebook, some jerk hackers are ruining the fun for lots of people.

A few friends of mine on Facebook appear to be infected, and another friend just called to let me know about it and if I knew anything specific.

They’ve released a new worm into the world that spreads itself through a link being sent around with a Google video. When you try to play the video it prompts you that you need to download a new codec. WHATEVER YOU DO DON’T DOWNLOAD THE NEW CODEC!

Here’s my general reminder and warning to everybody. Don’t upgrade something if you’re prompted unless you absolutely trust the site you’re on. Know what you’re upgrading. Even then, I recommend not doing the automatic upgrade if prompted and going to the manufacturer’s site directly without following a link.

Don’t open attachments from people in e-mail that you weren’t expecting to receive. This includes from people you know and for attachments where you actually recognize the file type. Both of these things can be spoofed.

Article: Facebook worm feeds off Google’s reputation

Image: Screen grab from Facebook.com by Jason Bean

"You live in Indianapolis? Do you know my cousin John?"

I continue to connect and reconnect with a variety of people via Facebook. One of the features of the site though is that they try and be helpful with introducing you to people you may now. The only problem is that I don’t know hardly any of the people they ever mention in the little box.

For example, I don’t know Denise, John or Travis. Sometimes Facebook will suggest someone that lives in the city I live in, or maybe went to the college I graduated from or high school I attended.

I appreciate their attempt at reconnecting me, but I think a prerequisite should be that the person they’re suggesting that I know perhaps should also have at least one friend in common with me?

I went to a small enough high school where that might not be too bad, college perhaps, but just because someone lives in Indianapolis, doesn’t mean I am more than likely to know them.

Mark Mahoney e-mailed me about a week ago and told me I should check-out the ZOHO website. I was familiar with it as a site, but have never really used it. I’ve always just considered the investment cost of having the latest version of Office just one of those expenses that would pay back through a variety of different avenues. I’ve also been lucky enough to win copies of Office 2000 Premium and Office 2003 at some tech conventions or Microsoft events. If that weren’t the case though, checking out some free options for office productivity suites would enter more boldly into my realm of reality.

Mark said this about ZOHO though.

I think you should do a post on some free sites like http://www.zoho.com, an online word processor, slide show creator and much more that allows you to write a paper, with spell check and all, and access it online from any computer. This saves you from having to attach a Word file to your emails, which some computers can’t even open correctly.

Mark, I’ve done as you suggested and taken a look at the ZOHO website. All I can say is that this site seems to have added loads of new features and applications to its list of available solutions for users.

Just look at this list of features:

web-based email, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, document management, notes, wiki, file share, organizer and planning, chat, CRM, invoicing, web-conferencing, database apps, reporting and business intelligence, recruiting and HR management, and more.

I’ve not used any of these services, but I can tell you this, the next time somebody asks me about some alternatives to Microsoft Office, I’ll think about ZOHO first now instead of Google Apps.

Even if you already own Office though, there are plug-ins that are available that allow you to integrate some of the features and functionality into Office from ZOHO. It also works with your iPhone, Facebook or Windows Mobile device.

What’s been your experience with ZOHO apps? Have you loved it? Too many problems to mention? What do you think?

Another great online application I was reminded of while at Blog World Expo 08 is picnik. I’m should be ashamed that I haven’t shared this site for you all yet. It’s a great app that does just about everything most users would want with regards to photo-editing, while all the time being FREE!

Tris Hussey showcased this little app during his "How to be More than a Blog: New Media Integration" session.

Check-out this list of features you can take advantage of in the completely free version of picnik:

• Fix your photos in just one click
• Use advanced controls to fine-tune your results
• Crop, resize, and rotate in real-time
• Tons of special effects, from artsy to fun
• Astoundingly fast, right in your browser
• Awesome fonts and top-quality type tool
• Basketfuls of shapes from hand-picked designers
• Works on Mac, Windows, and Linux
• No download required, nothing to install

Can you believe that? What else does 80% of the online population need in their editor?

The only drawback I can think of is that it’s online and not offline, so those surfers with a slower Internet connection may find the experience less than amazing. Those of us with broadband connections.

Perhaps even just as impressive is that you can use picnik to edit your photos even when they’re already on some of the most popular image hosting sites available for Internet users: myspace, flickr, facebook, photobucket, Picasa, webshots, freewebs, and of course those images you’ve already got sitting on your own computer.

Uncover the best, free online photo editing application on the web. Go have a picnik!