Kyle Thomas

The Website of Kyle Thomas (KyleWith)

Hello New Twitter

Twitter has released a new design for their website. To get it though they say you have to update you mobile app first. Good call on their part. Do I like the new mobile app? Well that is still up in the air. I don’t know if I like the Mention/Interactions section. I don’t care what others are doing, just who is talking about me. Am I wrong?

KyleWith Background

The new Twitter Design is clean and sleek, I like it. I liked it so much I decided to change my Twitter Background for the first time in a year and a half. I also just changed my avatar for the first time in that long last week.

What do you think of the new Twitter? Who still isn’t on Twitter?

Blog Graph that makes sense

This totally makes sense for my writing. We start off with a decent idea, we move to an awesome blog post. Then something happens; I write to much about the same thing. Oh noes. It is all over, it sucks, I can’t publish this thing… Then I realize I need to publish something, so I attempt to proof it, make it halfway through and then publish it.

Blog graph

Google caters to the Foodies

Google has won me over once again, as they now offer Recipe Search. There are tons of good resources for recipes online and many which I use. AllRecipes.com, the Epicurious iPad App, and so on. All of these places are good at what they do, so why does this Google search draw me in?

It draws me in because it is in a place I always am. I’m always searching for something, so why not food as well. When you watch the video you will see that there are many options you can put in place to narrow down your search. For example here is a link to a search I did for potatoes with parmesan cheese with only 30 minutes prep time and under 300 calories.

Even though my collection of Company’s Coming recipe books is growing I still foresee myself using this Google Search when I want to try and cook something different. What about you?

I could be College-Approved Social Media Certified!

But I’m not going to! It seems that the Algonquin College over there in Ottawa is try to capitalize off the boom that is social media. In their description of a new program they claim there is a high demand for professionals with Social Media experience. Maybe so, but I certainly don’t think it is worth $1750.00 to become certified in something I already know in and out.

Lately I haven’t been talking a lot about Social Media and admittedly I have lost some klout in the area, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still following it and practicing it. So when I looked at this course – that caused some heated discussion on twitter – that Algonquin College has started offering I was a little annoyed.

When I looked at their course outline I was a little surprised to realize it is exactly the same as what I use for clients and at workshops.

  • Introduction to Social Media – What is Social Media, how is it in our lives today.
  • Developing a Social Media Strategy – Best way to implement it into your business, goals, time mgmt, etc.
  • Monitoring and Measuring – Basic ROR, following the stats, etc.
  • Digital Communications – Etiquette and best practices, it isn’t traditional marketing
  • Applied Social Media in Business – What works best for your Business or Organization.

All of these topics are things that I, myself, have learned over time and things that anyone can learn. I have listened to several Audiobook on Social Media and its Marketing abilities. I also follow many of the big names in the industry, Chris Brogan, Jay Baer, Gary Vee, Amber Mac, Etc. They all offer this information, general free. You aren’t of course going to learn everything from these people, you also have to do it for yourself. See how it works. Use it for your needs, get out there, build relationships, measure what you are doing and learn how to do it better.

Now I’m not claiming I know it all, because I don’t, but I’m constantly learning more. What annoys me about this program and others like it, is that I have worked really hard to gain the knowledge I have in the industry and I work really hard to help others understand it and use it properly, but I don’t have a piece of paper that says that. So I’m put on edge as to how this may affect me in the future. I’m certainly not going to pay $1750 and go through a course that may only teach me a couple little things just so I can say I’m certified. When it comes to Social Media I believe a persons accreditation should be based on their network, those they have worked with and what people say about them.

I’ll be honest, I’m a little threatened about something like this, but I don’t think it will affect me. I am curious about what others who don’t necessarily work directly with Social Media think about programs like this?

New Gmail App for iPhone missed the mark for me

Read Googles blog post about their new app here: Introducing the Gmail app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

It missed the mark for me though. On any given day I have 3 Gmail Accounts going, all with their own purpose. It all started with brand identity, I want an email address for those brand, so people know it is solid. Or at least that is my opinion.

Don’t get me wrong, the app is really nice. It performs perfectly and is much like the browser version on a computer. It is much like the G+ App with it sleek design and ease of use.

Try it, if you have 1 or a primary account. You might just like it.

gmail app