Magic Satchel, Inc. » virtual workspace

Where are all the new posts?

Kim — Fri, 08 May 2009 06:20:32 +0000

All my posts on tech and internet news can now be found at the Inquisitr. Thanks for reading!

Printers Will Never Just Print!

Kim — Thu, 07 May 2009 04:35:02 +0000

This video will be hilarious to anyone who has ever had to print anything, ever. It just seems that printers will do everything there is to do but actually print your documents. Not without a fight, anyway.

(Warnings for violence against an innocent keyboard and rough ink cartridge removal.)

Watch Your Printer is a Brat on CollegeHumor

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Social Media: You have to jump in even if you don’t understand it

Kim — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 05:10:17 +0000

I know everyone is tired of the “what is social media” question, but I found this article to be a great quick-and-dirty argument for embracing social media as it happens. It really nails down how the internet became an essential part of business (apparently sometime in late 1997) and concrete examples of how companies jumped in or got left behind.

It’s not just about having a site, or even having a good site- what you say and how you interact with clients, customers and other businesses always, consistently- that is what now defines your brand. Before we had cameras, image wasn’t as important. Now that the Internet is what it is, it’s crucial to manage the perception of you, your brand and your company, or someone else will end up doing it for you.

It may seem like a lot more work (though it really doesn’t have to be) but it’s really amazing how many levels you can reach people on with the widespread usage of social media.

In a test run by BazaarVoice, Rubbermaid discovered that adding customer reviews to their website increased sales and decreased returns of their products. Skeptics said sales of low-rated products would crater. What actually happened is that sales of low-rated products increased. When shoppers were questioned, they explained that when they read why someone else maligned the product, often they disagreed or didn’t care about that particular problem. If the price was right, it was worth buying anyway.

Why you have to engage in social media, even if you don’t want to.

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Off-Topic: True Blood Season Two Sneak Previews Are Up!

Kim — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 03:39:29 +0000

…and not a second too soon. Fangirls (and boys) rejoice! Is it Sookie time yet?

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Twitter + Overstock= Social Media Win

Kim — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:47:22 +0000

Watching companies having to interact with customers and potential customers or run the risk of being internet hated-on has been interesting. Sites like Consumerist make it so one bad interaction with the public can be forever etched into Google Search Results.

One of my favorite things is when companies are really nice without having to be. I started following Overstock.com’s twitter feed because I like shopping and secret deals, and I got a DM from them. Confession: I almost never read DMs because they’re all generally copy-pasted. I don’t mind them or hate them or what have you, I just ignore them. This one caught my eye.

Thanks for following us! Best of luck with Magic Satchel!

Okay, that might not seem like a big deal. But in that short sentence, Overstock communicated to me that they’d taken the time to check out my Twitter feed, and crafted a personal reply.

Have I ever bought anything from Overstock? Not yet. Will I now? Like, as soon as possible.

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But I Don’t Have Time For (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn…)

Kim — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 01:12:40 +0000

One of the most interesting and valuable-to-me blogs I read is The Fluent Self. Authored by a woman named Havi and her promiscuous duck, this blog provides great intellectual and business insights in such a way that it feels like your best friend is gently but honestly nudging you in the right direction.

This particular post on what happens when you dismiss social networking is an excellent read. When you’re using social media to network, there are always people who chime in and knock your efforts. But anyone who has met their favorite client or landed a great project that way isn’t usually so skeptical. The fact remains that much of our networking and social business efforts have moved, for better or worse, to cyberspace.

Havi breaks down the efficiency of working social media into your marketing and networking strategy, and even details some distinctions a newbie might not pick up on, such as the near impossibility of keeping a Facebook profile business-worthy. (Unless you plan on denying friend requests from classmates and relatives, it’s probably best to file Facebook under “just mainly for fun.”) Also addressed is the seemingly universal phenomenon of “I’m on LinkedIn, now what?” with the caveat of knowing someone who uses it a lot. Lastly, it’s a great post to re-read when you feel like you’re having too much fun with social media.

Sayeth Havi:

Let’s see then. So as far as I can tell your other options are:

Spend half an hour a day leaving smart, insightful comments on other people’s blogs. No, wait. That actually takes longer.

Spend three hours a week crafting careful, deliberate, strategic letters to other bloggers trying to convince them to let you guest post there. And then another few hours writing said guest posts. No, wait. That actually takes longer.

Go to two live networking events each week. Let’s see, each thing is probably at least two hours, plus another hour to get there and find parking.
Plus another hour to shower and decide what the hell you’re going to wear. Plus another hour to transfer the contact information from people’s business cards into your [whatever you use for that]. Hmmmm. 8-10 hours a week. I’m going to go out on a limb and say: that actually takes longer.

And there’s no guarantee that any of those people you meet will end up reading your blog or leaving comments or buying stuff from you, so it’s not only a large investment of your time and energy, it’s also a huge risk.

But I get it. Not everyone has five minutes to hang out and goof off online.

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For Your Magic Laptop Bag: Microsoft Optical Wireless Mouse 3000

Kim — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 06:09:37 +0000

My Former Flame: The Logitech Trackman

I’m kind of embarrassed to be writing this. I’m a design and productivity fetishist. Design nerds buy Apple machines and peripherals and try to use the word “Microsoft” sparingly, so truly off their radar the general consumer computing experience exists. I even use the whole Open Source set of design nerd programs because I’m clued in and Inkscape, Gimp and Open Office rock. Or I don’t want to give Adobe the better part of a grand for markedly similar functionality. Anyway.

While purchasing my new laptop, I impulse bought one of these little dudes and immediately decided to return it. But it was red, which I liked- even with it being 15-minutes in a catcher-stance next to the display waffling over red or green. But I really had my heart set on a Trackball. I love those. I got one by accident and I’m a total computer geek so it saved my wrist a lot of static. Before I cease digressing, I do recommend these if you prefer a more manly mouse or if you like wires.

The product at hand. Late one night in a trackpad-induced schlump I decided to liberate it from its clamshell prison and give it shot before sending it back to Staples. Wow- this thing is so smooth and light. It kind of almost hugs your hand, cutely, with very little commitment for your thumb and ring fingers to cling back. The two button scroll wheel layout is highly intuitive. I feel like my fingers just have to tapple over it. And having the mouse in your hand is just more integrated to your movements.

Setup is easy- just plug in the little stick (and keep your knees away from it, it confuses the mouse to get tapped on the USB stick) and it starts working. My aunt waved it away at first but ended up liking it more than the YouTube clips we were using it to locate. I have a Magic Peripherals Satchel, and when I work off-site, the charger, little wee mousie, USB stick and headset coil neatly in together so my office can be everywhere.

And just in case you were thinking it runs on palm perspiration and Cheeto-crumbs, it does require a single AA battery that I’ve read lasts a month or two. Excellent functionality, worth a look.

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Embed a YouTube Video in Wordpress Without Going Insane

Kim — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 05:26:13 +0000

It’s one of those bloggy quirks. You’ve done it 80 times before, even like, once last week at least. But you’ve gone and forgotten how to embed a video again. Relax. Bookmark this page.

Go to the video’s page and get the embed code there. Pretend Wordpress doesn’t have a button to embed YouTube videos. Just ignore it forever, because that button will cause you nothing but grief. As an added bonus, you can customize the appearance of the video border to match your blog. Nifty!

But oh, no! The video is too small when small and too big when bigger. What to do? In the embed code, go to this part:

“true” width=”660″ height=”525″>

Open up your little calculator widget and divide each number by, for example 75 or 125%. Then replace those numbers with their reduced/opposite of reduced numbers. There. Easy, right?

(The comic is a classic from XKCD, one of my favorite sites.)

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Too Much Twitter?

Kim — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 05:09:30 +0000

This funny video (warning- mild profanity, may be NSFW), while overlooking Twitter’s better points, is pretty funny.

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Web 2.0 & Your Company

Kim — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:33:33 +0000

Instead of sending online shoppers coupons or information about sales, executives and employees at Henderson, Nev.-based Zappos.com regularly tweet about what happens to them at the airport, the fact that they eat marshmallows in between phone calls and the state of the economy.

This article in the New York Times is so informational, I can barely summarize it without re-posting it in its entirety. The most valuable points make the case for overcoming your concerns about social media (like that line from When Harry Met Sally- “it’s out there!“) with the indisputable value of a direct connection with clients, customers and networks.

“You can buy the same shirts at Zappos as at somewhere else. The product almost becomes less important; it becomes about the business.”

via Web 2.0 tools can foster growth in hard times – NYTimes.com.

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Magic Satchel, Inc. » virtual workspace

Where are all the new posts?

Printers Will Never Just *Print*!

Social Media: You have to jump in even if you don’t understand it

Off-Topic: True Blood Season Two Sneak Previews Are Up!

Twitter + Overstock= Social Media Win

But I Don’t Have Time For (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn…)

For Your Magic Laptop Bag: Microsoft Optical Wireless Mouse 3000

Embed a YouTube Video in Wordpress Without Going Insane

Too Much Twitter?

Web 2.0 & Your Company

Printers Will Never Just Print!