This year I have been trying to make a point to participate in making the web a better place. I know there are a lot of tools and websites out there, and many of us use these on a daily basis, but how often do we notice a bug, or an issue and just move on?

I myself still do this quite often, but I am catching myself doing it and trying to make it a point to correct it.

There are many tools out there that you can use to help notify a website of a particular issue, such as: Google side wiki, forums on their website, contacting the web site owner via email, twitter, facebook, Google Buzz or even calling them on the phone.

If you are a web site owner you should check out my blog postCommunication: A Must For Any Website it will provide you with more in depth reasoning on which tool would work best for you and your web site.

For the websites I work on I make notes of issues or bugs in Evernote. Evernote now makes it possible to easily find all notes that I have made on a particular website using their Evernote Google Chrome extension. Now when I go back to that website I can see all notes that I have made and correct the issues when I have time.

Do you try to help make the web a better place? If so, how?

Why is this important you ask?
If you own a website, aren’t you busy writing articles, improving the tools on your site or even thinking of a new design or layout? Sure you are, I know I am. Doing these things are great for your website as they help your company grow in the direction that you want your company to grow, but what about how your users want or need your company to grow for them? How can you connect to your users? How can your users connect with you? How can your users help you out when you make a mistake, there will always be a mistake, no one is perfect.

Some people may say that this is what Facebook, Twitter or Buzz is used for, and to some extent they are right, but do you read every comment, every post on those services? Probably not.

How to let your users communicate with you:
There are many ways that you can get real and honest feedback from your users about your website. Below you will find a few useful tools/methods that I would recommend:

1. Twitter with Hash tags – On your “Contact Us” section of your website add a statement or two to recommend your user to send you a twitter post using some basic has tags.
   • #Bug – Used when your users needs to share a bug on your website
   • #Suggestion – Used when your users wants suggest a new feature, an article or anything else
   • #Help – If your user needs help about something related to your website
   • #Spam – If you allow comments on your website, this will let users help if they spot a spam comment on your website
   • #Critique – If you have a user who wants to vent about your site or just let you know how they feel about a certain feature or article this is the easiest way for them to do so, 140 characters at a time
2. Create a forum on your site which can be found easily such as forum.yourwebsite.com or yourwebsite.com/forum
   • Create 6 categories:
     1. Suggestions
     2. Help
     3. Critique
     4. Bug Report
     5. Spam
     6. Other
3. Encourage your users to use Google Side Wiki
   • Add a link for users to download Google Sidewiki
   • Have a section showing all Google Sidewiki Posts (The good and the bad)
4. Create a comboniation of support methods like TweetDeck – http://support.tweetdeck.com/home

The Goal:
Your users are a great source of inspiration, guidence and they help keep both you and your company honest. Reach out to them and give them the services they want and they will reach out and bring more users to your site.

Buzz, Buzz, Buzz.

That’s right, I have been stung by the Google Buzz and it has now turned into my main social media platform.

To give you a small back story I tried Google buzz like many others the day that it was announced. When I first opened it I thought it was a direct rip-off of Twitter (being a Twitter lover, I had no clue) so after using it the first day I really didn’t come back to it.

Then two weeks later I started to notice my Twitter stream decrease. This wasn’t a small decrease either. I went from having 5000-10,000 posts a day, to only having 1,000 if I was lucky. The amount of people I was following didn’t change. I was still following near 400 people at the time. I then decided to check out Buzz and low and behold I found a lot of the people I follow on Twitter, now using Buzz. Now I don’t know if people permanently moved to Buzz or what exactly was going on, I did know however that more people were on Buzz then when it first started so I thought I would give it another try.

Now with a full week into it I am totally hooked. The conversations on Buzz is amazing. I am able to have full conversations with people and then i’m able to keep track of these conversations easily since they are all organized separately.

Now that I was using Buzz more often I decided to look into some shortcuts to make my life easier. After a while I started to respond to posts on Buzz where people were asking for help/advice on how to do this, or link to that. After a while of answering the same questions I decided to write a blog post for people to find the issue they are having and see if there is a way around it.

Below you will find a list of Tips, tricks and how to’s for things that I find useful in Buzz. These are not all of the things that you can do with Buzz, just the things that I find useful personally. So to cover different users needs I have included a few links at the bottom of this post which gives more uses for Google Buzz.

Google Buzz Tips and Tricks:

How do I link to or repost a Google Buzz post that I find important?
Right click on the time/date of any Buzz topic and copy url. Now that you have the url to the topic you can re-post/retweet this post topic.

When you share a topic, please link to the original Post. This will allow for the conversation to keep going and so that others can meet new people .

How do I @replay someone on Google Buzz
Right click on a users name that you want to @reply to, copy the url and use the username from that URL as their @reply.

Here is an example on how to find the username in the URL:
http://www.google.com/profiles/buzzusers#buzz

Step 1. The section in bold/red is the username, copy this username.
Step 2. Create a new Buzz post
Step 3. Type in the @ symbol
Step 4. Paste in the copied username directly after the @ symbol
Step 5. Add ‘@gmail.com’ to the end directly after the username
Step 6. The final @replay should look like this @buzzusers@gmail.com

How do I send Google Buzz updates when I am on the go or when Gmail is blocked from my computer?
Send an email with photos and/or content to buzz@gmail.com. Only the subject and images will be used. Text is the body is not currently supported.

You can also setup a Posterous account to post blog articles as Buzz updates.

How do I disable email notifications for Google Buzz?
Step 1. Login to your Gmail account
Step 2. Click on the settings link in the upper right hand corner
Step 3. Click on the Buzz setting link located on the right side
Step 4. In the “Buzz in your inbox:” Uncheck any option that you do NOT want

I currently only have the “People comment on posts after I comment on them” unchecked.

How do I disable email notifications per Google Buzz post topic?
Once you receive your first email from a post that you no longer want to go into your email do the following:
Step 1. Open the Email
Step 2. Click on the link on the top portion of the email that says “Mute From Inbox”
Step 3. Now you will no longer receive email notifications from that post

What are some Google Buzz keyboard shortcuts?
g b – Go to Buzz
Shift+l – like a message (that is and L by the way)
m – mute (ignore) a conversation
r – add a comment
p / n – go to the newer / older conversation
J / k – go to the newer / older conversationo – expand conversation
/ – takes you to the search box (This is also the way that I use to get to the top of the page without scrolling or clicking on the mouse)

How do I add Rich text editing to my Google Buzz post?
*words* – This will bold your word(s)
_words_ – This will italicize your word(s)
-words- – This will strike through your text

Note: You can combine any of these together

How do I hide my Google Buzz contact list?
Step 1. Login to your Gmail account
Step 2. Click on the settings link in the upper right hand corner
Step 3. Click on the Buzz setting link located on the right side
Step 4. In the “Display following lists:” check any option that you want to use

How do I share a website in Google Buzz similar to how I would in Twitter?
I personally use the Google Chrome and Firefox extension/plugin called Shareaholic. It gives you a simple button to click on to share any website into Google Buzz

Is there any way to see some kind of stats for my Google Buzz account?
Step 1. Go to http://www.google.com/dashboard
Step 2. Login using your Google Account information
Step 3. Scroll down to the section that says “Buzz”

Here you will be able to see the following information:
1. Number of Followers
2. Number of People that you Follow
3. Number of Sites that you have connected to Google Buzz
4. Number of Posts that you have created
5. Number of Comments that you have made on to other peoples posts
6. Number of “Likes” that have made

How do I add more sites to flow into my Google Buzz stream?
Add the website to your Google Profile that uses RSS or ATOM feeds

How do I hide my Google Buzz post count?
Drag the Buzz link into “X more” drop-down and you can hide the Buzz label.

How do I Subscribe to someones Buzz account in Google Reader?
Use the following link, change to whatever their username or user id is:

http://buzz.googleapis.com/feeds//public/posted

Is there a way to view the Google Buzz map view that I have on my iPhone or Android?
Use the address of the mobile Google Maps interface to see Google Buzz messages from all over the world. There’s also a list view for nearby messages.

How do I make Google Buzz it’s own desktop application?
Step 1. Use Google Chrome
Step 2. Go to:
m.google.com/app/buzz#~buzz:view=following in your browser, this will launch the mobile version of the app (ignore the warning that if gives you and continue on using your broswer)
or
Step 2. Go to the Google Buzz section of your GMail
Step 3. Go to the “Control the current page” option of Google Chrome (This is the icon on the top right that looks like a piece of paper)
Step 4. Select “Create Application Shortcuts”

Additional Google Buzz Tips

http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2010/02/google-buzz-tips.html
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/4_google_buzz_hacks_for_users_developers_and_haters.php
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/5_google_buzz_tips_for_the_advanced_user.php
http://aext.net/2010/02/google-buzz-tips-resources-icons/
http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/5-buzz-tips.html

Edit: 3/26/10 11:36pm

Thanks to John Hardy we have another great Google Buzz Tip:

In case you aren’t aware of this, in Buzz you can get more info about when a post or a comment was posted by hovering your mouse over the time stamp.
For example this post was posted on 27 March 2010 16:18:48 UTC+11
In case you aren’t aware of this, in Buzz you can get more info about when a post or a comment was posted by hovering your mouse over the time stamp.
For example this post was posted on 27 March 2010 16:18:48 UTC+11

Update 10:00pm 6/14/10:

Two ways to link to your Profile:

1. http://buzz.google.com/amaxwell01
2. http://www.google.com/profiles/amaxwell01

Two ways to link to a post:

1. http://www.google.com/buzz/amaxwell01/ZLfDEoQ9XSU/I-would-like-to-become-a-better-writer-does-anyone
2. http://www.google.com/buzz/amaxwell01/ZLfDEoQ9XSU/

Ways to cut back on stress on anxiety:

1. Remove all spammy posters from the people you follow on Twitter, Buzz and Facebook
2. Organize your blogs that you follow into two simple categories: “Filler” and “Must Read”
3. Use tools to organize your social media streams to cut down on the number of places you have to look for content: A few suggestions are Tweetdeck for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace. Google Reader for All blogs and websites with RSS Feeds
4. Limit the number of Twitter Updates in Tweetdeck to only 100 posts per column
5. Remove RSS feeds from sites who posts numerous times a day that you are unable to keep up with
6. Skim over articles and only read the important ones, don’t try to read all of them
7. Turn off all notifiers, and post count to posts, this guts down on having to look at new posts as soon as they come out
8. Limit the amount of notifications to your phone to either a few a day or none at all
9. Turn off email notifications, and don’t check your email for the first 2 hours of work
10. Limit the amount of time that you spend on social media a day. Set a time limit and stick to it

This past Tuesday Google released their anticipated new social media platform called “Google Buzz“.

Google Buzz takes the best from Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites and brings it directly to you, in your Gmail. You are able to receive Buzz updates in your inbox and then store them away like you would any other email. Having Google Buzz integrated into Gmail was a great plan on Google’s part, this makes the learning curve almost non-existent, making it a lot easier to adapt to and use.

Just like any kid with a new toy I sat down Tuesday night to get a feel for how Google Buzz works. Below you will find out what I thought was Good, Bad and the Unknown about Google Buzz:

The Pro’s of Google Buzz:

• Built into Gmail like Gtalk
• Page Rank for Status Updates, the more useful the post is, the more it will be seen
• Media Gets Pulled In from as Flickr, Picasa, YouTube with more to come
• Mobile Features for iPhone and Android
• Private and Public posts
• Threaded view so that I know what post I am responding to
• Allows people to see your public posts on your Google Profile
• Allows you to make Group contacts
• Static URL’s for all posts
• Built in GPS feature to show where you made a post
• Integrated into Google Maps
• Simple Menu
  • Following (Shows comments from people you are following)
  • Nearby (Shows posts made by people nearby)
  • My Posts (Shows the posts that I have made)
  • How many people I am following (Shows the number of people I am following, as well as who they are)
  • How many people are following me (Shows the number of people who are following me as well as who they are)
  • Find People (Searches based on name or email address you search for, your contact information will show up first, then the global contact information)
• Able to see Buzz posts near you
• Actually makes Google Latitude useful
• Integrates with Twitter
• Easier direct messages then Twitter

The Con’s of Google Buzz:

• I already use Twiiter
• I already have a Facebook Account
• Being too “Open” allows for run-on sentences, too many photos etc. (This is something I dis-like about Facebook)
• Unable to separate Google Buzz from Gmail, basically always on and in your face

The Unknows about Google Buzz:

• If I block someone, do they know?
• If I start to follow someone do they get a notified?
• How does it integrates with Twitter
• How do I backup and retrieve my Google Buzz Information?

Overall Opinion:

Overall Google Buzz has a lot going for it, but at this time I don’t know if it will replace Twitter for me.

Note: I don’t like Facebook so it can easily take the place of Facebook for me.

Check out Google’s Introductory video below:

• @RichardShepherd: Well my code validates. It’s not my fault if yours doesn’t…
• @jamis: unsettling thought: “bread is alive until you cook it”. baking is murder!

12/30/09

• @imrogb: I guess know that you unfollowed and blocked me I guess our short relationship is well and truly over! LOL
• @Anton: A little bird spent the morning dancing naked in the snow, watched silently by his woodland audience.
• @RyanMeray: http://twitpic.com/vwhsm – Spotted at @BeanandLeafCafe in Rochester Hills.

12/29/09

• @tshannon: Fixed my broken tooth with a nail file, nhs helpline and lady in boots both told me to stop being a big pansy about it
• @merttol: Some of spam comments on my article are asking my thoughts about Albert Einstein’s quotes… interesting.
• @hotdogsladies: The Two Kinds of American Men: 1. Guys whose sexual cosmology has been hopelessly distorted by hot lady comic book characters. 2. Liars.

12/28/09

• @nicepaul: Love the kids and all, but when you have stuff to do a baby demanding your 100% attention is a productivity black hole
• @tshannon: Fixed my broken tooth with a nail file, nhs helpline and lady in boots both told me to stop being a big pansy about it

12/25/09

• @codepo8: OK, I wonder how my suitcase will hold all the presents I got from my family. I should send out size restrictions like airlines do.
• @zeldman: It’s astounding how many presents children can open without even having coffee.
• @boagworld: I got hit by a falling Christmas tree while eating Christmas dinner. Only in my world #fb

12/24/09

• @imrogb: Waiting for my apple mouse software update to d/l so I can get ‘touching’ my magic ;)
• @jayeffvee: Wondering if Santa uses Evernote for his list, though.
• @lwcavallucci: @jayeffvee Of course Santa uses Evernote. That would be the smart thing to do, wouldn’t it?
• @vndybudd: I want digital tv to have embeded meta data so I can press a button to get contextual info about the current character, location, song etc.
• @hellomuller: Vintage 1978 Tie-fighter toy for Christmas. Suck on that nerds! I haz teh awesome wife!
• @EverythingMS: The Google-Microsoft rivalry now extends to Santa Web sites http://bit.ly/6srstf
• @mike9r: Bunch of folks are re-creating Home Alone on Twitter with 23 separate accounts, 1 for each character: http://idek.net/qYk
• @cwilso: My wife’s belly is a source of never-ending amusement this evening.
• @cwilso: (She IS 8.5 months pregnant, and baby keeps sticking out an elbow or somethin’. :))

12/23/09

• @AndrewCrow: My Kitchen Aid is making so much noise tonight it should have its own Twitter account. #cookies
• @FuzzyHall: RT @thecomeup: By the end of 2010, I swear ill get an iphone!
• @notasausage: Every time the weather person on the news mentions “rain”, I hope to hear (dramatically): “The rain in Spain, falling mainly on the plains.”

12/22/09

• @leahculver: Just put a password on my parents wifi. Who mooches wifi in the suburbs? Jerks, that’s who.

12/21/09

• @saurabhshah: Google sees you when you’re sleeping….Google knows when you’re awake…Google knows when you’ve been bad or good….
• @boagworld: lol… they are even banning a video promoting progressive enhancement – http://bit.ly/4Otxlh – Does Vimeo love IE6 perhaps? ;-)
• @simplebits: Some might call my present wrapping skills messy or unkempt, while others praise their rustic and handmade qualities.
• @paularmstrong: *facedesk* is the new *facepalm*
• @ccatfishcatfish: RT @TonyNeyer: Haha RT @micahbmx: #baco #baco #baco http://twitpic.com/ukmg5

In order to communicate these successes and failures I use Twitter for my micro posts on the go and while working, and I use this site for any longer posts, but I needed something that would fit somewhere in the middle. After sometime spent researching and reading articles I came across a blog system which would allow me to, what I like to call “Medium Post”. Thanks to Paul Boag of Boagworld and his great blogs and podcasts I found Posterous. Posterous allows me to create these medium posts which don’t belong on Twitter because they are too long and they don’t fit on this blog because they are too short.

You can now find my medium posts at andrewmaxwell.posterous.com

Hopefully in the beginning of the year you will see a better integration of these three mediums on this website.

Let me know if you find these new mediums posts useful and what type of topics you would like to read.

Are you a Deuce Tweeter?