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Uncategorized / Untagged Content Penalties

March 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment

As bloggers, writers, journalists, and other Google Reader users search for a solution to the disappearance of Google’s ubiquitous feed tool, one of the most popular alternatives is the NewsBlur service. Offering web, iOS, and Android portals to one’s feeds, NewsBlur provides a clean interface and supports quick keyboard navigation for power users.

Training NewsBlur

Another neat feature of NewsBlur is that you can “train” the software about which topics, authors, and feeds are of most (or least) interest. Power RSS users often subscribe to hundreds of feeds… in my case I have subscriptions that include:

  • individuals’ personal websites/blogs
  • news websites (both general news and niche news)
  • company blogs for products or services I use
  • blogs and websites of my competitors

The list goes on… while I subscribe to all of these feeds, some are of more importance than others. RSS is not email; it’s not critical that every item be read in a timely manner (or at all). Some topics are of more importance however. NewsBlur allows a user to indicate which tags, categories, authors, or keywords are more or less important, and it provides an interface such that if I’m quickly dipping into my feeds, I can easily view only those items that match my “most important” indicators.

Categories and TagsYour Untagged, Uncategorized Content is Going to be Overlooked

What I’ve discovered since I’ve started tagging is that there are a lot of folks leaving tons of posts as “Uncategorized” and there are quite a few content management systems that aren’t serving up categories or tags at all. This means that I’m not going to see these items and feeds if I’m using NewsBlur’s priority system to view my feeds. If, for example, I’ve told NewsBlur that I want to prioritize things in a WordPress category, or tagged as having to do with Flickr, your unmarked content won’t be caught.

Help me to indicate I might want your content. Categorize and tag appropriately.

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Alfred 2 Workflow: Create OmniFocus Tasks

March 15, 2013 by 1 Comment

[Alfred icon]Here’s an Alfred 2 workflow for creating tasks in OmniFocus. This workflow contains three separate actions:

  • New OmniFocus task – keyword ofnew – creates a new OmniFocus task in the inbox using the argument supplied as the task description:
    ofnew Enter the Task Name Here
  • New OmniFocus task from Chrome URL – keyword ofchrome – creates a new OmniFocus task pulling the page title from the currently-focused tab in Google Chrome, with the corresponding URL as a note
  • New OmniFocus task from Safari URL – keyword ofsafari – creates a new OmniFocus task pulling the page title from the currently-focused tab in Safari, with the corresponding URL as a note

Feel free to adapt, modify, and build on these scripts as you see fit. If you find a problem, please leave a comment below and I’ll update as needed.

Download CreateOmniFocusTasks.alfredworkflow

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Save 15% off Nik Software Products

July 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Nik SoftwareUpdated March 25, 2013 for the new Nik Collection Pricing: The pricing for the entire Nik Collection is now under $150 – and my discount code “abh” (enter that at checkout) saves you an additional 15%.

All of my photographer friends should like this Nik Software coupon / discount that I can offer. I’m now an affiliate1 for Nik Software products, so if you want to purchase HDR Efex Pro, Silver Efex Pro, Vizify, Color Efex, or any of Nik’s other great photo processing packages I can offer you a 15% discount.

I’ll talk a bit more in the future about some of the strengths of Nik’s software (I use their stuff, and it’s great), but I wanted to share this link with you sooner rather than later.

Use this Nik Software coupon to save 15% on software purchases through Nik’s online store – when you get to checkout, enter discount code “abh” (no quotes) to save an additional 15%.

  1. If you use my discount, I get a small commission from Nik. You save a few bucks and I get a few bucks that helps fund my writing and website. Win-win. ↩

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Why I’m Bullish on Google+ Again

May 14, 2012 by 2 Comments

I joined Google+ on the day that it became available, and have always enjoyed the service. I generally find the web interface to offer a nice, visual view that allows me to easily connect with and browse the work of other photographers. It’s a much nicer experience that some other leading social networks.

While the Google+ web browser experience was pretty good, their mobile experience (at least on the iPhone) was pretty bad. There was a lot of wasted space, navigation was cumbersome, and some serious performance problems made it an onerous task to do something as simple as post a status update or share a photograph. My mobile photo sharing continued to focus on other applications while I mostly ignored Google+ when I was away from my desk.

The lack of a good mobile app led me to question how much time I’d spend with the service in the future. I became skeptical.

And then last week, this happened:

Google+ photo display Google+ photo display

An update to the iPhone app brings a new, beautiful photo-centric display which makes browsing a Google+ steam a very nice experience… arguably even better than the Instagram stream which now looks a bit plain by comparison. It’s easy to +1 photos (just tap on the + count), easy to comment, and the performance when posting new items is improved. In short, Google got this mobile experience right. Mobile photography is a big deal ($1 billion for Instagram, anyone?), and a beautiful mobile experience represents a big plus (pun intended) for Google.

There’s one big piece that’s missing (still): an API for third-party apps. My current mobile photo workflow involves using Camera Awesome to upload mobile photos to SmugMug and then cross-post to social services (sometimes Twitter, sometimes Facebook, sometimes Instagram). If I could post the images easily to Google+ as well, that would be a huge time-saver that could only increase my usage of Google+ while on the go.

I’m on the fence about switching to Google+ as my primary mobile social network (instead of Instagram). The API would make it easier, but it’s not too bad now with the new app. There’s a local Instagram meetup in a few days; I’m curious to hear what other Instagram users think about the new Google+ interface…

Join me?

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Easy Online Invoicing: I Like FreshBooks

April 27, 2012 by 2 Comments

FreshBooks Online InvoicingRunning a photography business (much like running any small business) involves not only the activities directly related to serving my clients, but also various bits of overhead such as bookkeping and invoicing. These administrative tasks aren’t where I want to spend most of my time, but I want to ensure my clients receive great service.

I use FreshBooks for invoicing and have done so for a few years now. It’s easy for me and my clients seem happy as well. Yesterday I received this comment in an email message:

Aaron – I just have to say that your site/process for accounting stuff (freshbooks) is SUPER awesome and easy. LOVE IT.

When my clients are happy, I’m happy. FreshBooks allows me to invoice via email or paper and allows me to receive/record payments via checks, PayPal, or a number of other services. Invoices can be customized to reflect your look and feel.

You can try FreshBooks for free for 30 days using this link. If you sign up, I get a small referral commission.

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Three Little Words that Trigger Disappointment

April 20, 2012 by 1 Comment

Piled TechThree little words tell me so much about someone’s attitude about their software values.

The conversation usally happens after I mention an app or web service provider. Perhaps I mention how much I like Instacast. Or maybe I show how I love the Instapaper iPad app. Possibly I’m blabbing about how SmugMug is a great way to show off and sell photos.

And then it happens. The first words out of their mouth. Or maybe not the first words, but it’s usually not far behind.

Is it free?

I sigh. Sometimes audibly, sometimes internally. I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed that we’ve reached a situation where free has become the standard by which comparisons are made. Software is hard. Applications and web services represent the results of dozens, hundreds, or thousands of hours of work. And the response when I suggest a great $2 application often begins with “is it free?” This response comes from someone usually carrying a $200 smartphone for which they’re paying $40-100 each month.

The software or services in my examples will help you keep up with news and entertainment, improve your reading experience, or allow you to archive and present your creative works in a beautiful way. And you sit and hem and haw about whether or not it’s worth the price of a coffee.

The Oatmeal said it well.

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On Facebook, Instagram, and Me

April 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Facebook logoI generally don’t hide the fact that I loathe Facebook. The company has repeatedly made moves which aren’t good for the internet, yet somehow has convinced most of the world that they should spend hours each week participating on the Facebook website. I reluctantly use the service since it’s a way to keep up with some people who, for various reasons, don’t use the rest of the internet.

Until last Monday, I was a big Instagram fan. I actively used the service, enjoying the photo-based social network. And then Facebook bought Instagram.

Instagram IconI stopped using Instagram and haven’t uploaded any photos since the acquisition. I didn’t go as far as deleting my account, but I wanted to spend some time thinking about what a Facebook-owned Instagram would mean, and whether or not I wanted to participate in such an endeavor.

While I’m pretty sure that Facebook will find some way to screw up Instagram, I’m going to continue as an Instagram user for the time being. The social network component of Instagram has no equal and I want to continue participating with the individuals I’ve met via the app. Although I’d love to quit Instagram on principle, there isn’t another viable photography social network where I can interact and share at the level that’s possible via Instagram.

I will also be uploading all of my mobile photos to a SmugMug gallery so that I’ll have a copy of my images in the event that Facebook does something stupid.

Feel free to add me on Instagram, my username is aaronhockley.

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7 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Using Instagram

April 3, 2012 by 16 Comments

Instagram IconI see that Instagram is now available for Android. As someone who was a late-comer to the Instagram thing (but who has now used it for almost a year), here’s what I wish I knew when I started:

  • Don’t Think of Instagram as Photo Hosting. Instagram ends up storing your photos, yes, but it’s not somewhere for a permanent archive, or to keep things you want to embed elsewhere. Instead, you should…
  • Think of Instagram as a Photo-Centric Social Network. Connect with interesting people. Comment on their photos. Like their photos. Share the love.
  • Follow creative people. If you follow interesting people who are making interesting images, you’ll find that Instagram is great. If you follow people who only post boring photos, you’re going to find that you don’t get much fun from Instagram. It’s much like any other social network.
  • Ignore the haters. Some will tell you that you’re doing photography wrong. You’re not.
  • Keep a permanent copy of your Instagram photos elsewhere. Maybe you want to upload them to your computer. Maybe you want to use an app on your photo to post them somewhere else online (I’m now keeping a copy of things in a SmugMug gallery). Maybe you want to use ifttt to automatically save a copy of your Instagram photos to Dropbox.
  • Find a local Instagram meetup and go meet some other local photography enthusiasts. Here in Portland, there’s a gathering about once each month. Do a search for Instagram meetup and your city in Google to find your local group. You will meet cool people and perhaps go on photowalks to create neat photos.
  • Use the News / Following feature to see what your connections are doing. If you’re following someone because you think they are a good photographer, odds are that they have good taste and can connect you to other people you might want to follow.

Are you an instagram user? What else do you wish folks knew?

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iPhoto for the iPad: My Question (and Reaction)

March 6, 2012 by 11 Comments

Update: iPhoto was in fact announced. Further thoughts at the bottom of this original article.

Please do not handle. At Pike Place Market in Seattle.Some well-reasoned pundit speculation about the hours-away iPad 3 announcement indicates we may see iPhoto announced for the iPad. You’d think I’d be all excited about that as a photographer, right?

I’m an Adobe Lightroom user who’s found the experience of editing photos on the iPad to be clunky, awkward, and slow. These problems weren’t because of software, but because a finger-touch system is a crappy way to make precise photo edits. iPhoto won’t fix that.

Why should I care about a system that will involve importing photos from some external camera device, editing them in a clunky interface, and managing them in a system which isn’t compatible with Lightroom?

What am I missing?

Update after the announcement: Apple did announce iPhoto for iOS (both iPad and iPhone). I might load it on my iPhone, but I’m pretty sure I’ll never really use it on the iPad. As I mentioned when I wrote this piece last night, the issue isn’t software – it’s hardware and workflow. I don’t capture images on my iPad… so if I’m going to spend the time to import images onto another device for editing, why would I import to the iPad (with a limited set of photo editing tools) instead of my MacBook Air (with Lightroom)? And when I’m done editing and want to share the photos online, would I rather do that from the iPad one-app-at-a-time interface where sharing/uploads are often clunky, or would I rather do that as a Lightroom export including the various publish services?

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VentureBeat Flubs Flickr/Pinterest Restrictions: It’s Not a Copyright Situation

February 24, 2012 by 6 Comments

Code RedIn the interest of publishing a sensationalist Pinterest story (it’s all the rage right now, ya know), tonight VentureBeat seriously bungled their story about a move by Flickr to restrict the pinning of some images. VentureBeat’s article is titled Flickr disables Pinterest pins on all copyrighted images. However, as they say in the voiceover in the opening credits of the Alcatraz TV show, that’s not what happened. Not at all.

The Flickr restrictions have nothing to do with whether the photos are copyrighted.

In a quick primer on US copyright law1 (which we’ll cite since Flickr is here in the US), I’ll note that all works, such as photographs, are protected by copyright at the moment they are created. Even those works that the creator has chosen to license under Creative Commons (relatively common on Flickr) are protected by copyright law. Thus, if Flickr truly were disabling pinning for any copyrighted photo, they’d be disabling sharing site-wide.

What Flickr actually said, according to the VentureBeat article, was this:

Flickr has implemented the tag and it appears on all non-public/non-safe pages, as well as when a member has disabled sharing of their Flickr content … This means only content that is ‘safe,’ ‘public’ and has the sharing button enabled can be pinned to Pinterest.

What this means:

  • You can’t pin photos marked as private
  • You can’t pin photos that are marked as being for adult audiences only
  • You can’t pin photos where the Flickr user has explicitly disabled sharing
  • Photos not in one of these three categories can be pinned.

If a photographer is allowing their content to be Tweeted, blogged, or otherwise shared, it can still be shared via Pinterest. If a photographer has chosen to lock things down so that their work can’t be shared, that restriction is now honered with respect to Pinterest. This seems like a correct decision by Flickr. A better headline might have been “Flickr Adds Pinterest Restrictions to Better Reflect Users’ Sharing Preferences” but that just doesn’t sound quite as exciting.

  1. The fact that writers for a major publication, itself protected by copyright law, don’t understand copyright law, bothers me. ↩

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