Scroll down to see all the answers or click on a specific question:

• How are contacts added to Gchat?
• Is there a way to receive an alert when a contact signs on to Gchat or becomes “available”?
• Can my employer (my boss or my company) read my Gchats?
• Can I be invisible to some people on Gchat and available to others?
• Can you recommend an app for signing onto Gchat from an iPhone?
• I have other questions about Gchat that you haven’t answered. Where can I learn more?

How are contacts added to Gchat?

Contacts are automatically added based on the number of times e-mail messages are exchanged. Contacts must be using Gmail as their e-mail provider.

Is there a way to receive an alert when a contact signs on to Gchat or becomes “available”?

Unfortunately, there currently is no way to receive an alert when a contact signs on to Gchat or becomes available.

Can my employer (my boss or my company) read my Gchats?

The short answer here is ‘maybe’. It depends on what/how your company is monitoring your computer use. One way to make it a bit harder for someone to track your Gchat conversation is to sign onto Gmail securely which will encrypt any data within (include Gchat). Here’s how to change the setting to make sure you are always signing in securely: Sign in to Gmail. Click Settings at the top of any Gmail page. Set ‘Browser Connection’ to ‘Always use https.’ Click Save Changes. (Note that “Always use https’ is now the default setting in Gmail but it is good to double check this.)

However, companies can monitor every keystroke made and even take screenshots of what you are doing on your computer, so it’s best to be careful about how you use your computer at work!

Can I be invisible to some people on Gchat and available to others?

No. The status that you set – Available, Busy or Invisible – will be shown to all your contacts. Currently, there is no way to have different statuses for different contacts. If there are a few people that you’d to not be able to know when you are online, the best alternative is to block them.

Can you recommend an app for signing onto Gchat from an iPhone?

I think Fring and IM+ both work well for this, but I personally use Meebo. All three do the same. (I’ve just had a Meebo account for a few years so I liked that I could easily extend it onto my iPhone.

I have other questions about Gchat that you haven’t answered. Where can I learn more?

Simply leave your question in the form of a comment below and I will do my best to help you.

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Philips DC315/37 Speaker System for iPod/iPhone with LED Clock Radio (Black)

Why it’s geek-worthy: iPhone/iPod compatible alarm clocks are becoming much more in demand as the geeks among us try to get a handle on nightstand chords. But after a long research period, I can tell you that while there are many choices for this type of gadget, many of them are sub par.

I recently ordered the Philips system I’m featuring today. I had been on the lookout for an iPhone compatible alarm clock and I knew it was exactly what I had been looking for as soon as I walked past the box in the store…

There were a few things that sold me on the Philips speakers in particular:

• Dual alarms. The number one reason I have strayed from a tradition alarm clock and instead use my iPhone is the ability to set my alarm to only go off on workdays.  I love not having to worry about remembering to turn the alarm off for weekends (and back on again).
• The design. The iPhone is integrated very nicely with the overall design of the alarm clock. Without a doubt, it’s a modern, clean and sleek look that doesn’t look cheap,
• Gradual alarm volume. I think this is a really cool feature that makes waking up much more pleasant.  I really disliked the inability to have my iPhone play music or the radio as the alarm. With the Philips speakers, I’ll be able to do just that, and in a less jarring way at that.

For about $84 on Amazon, this Philips system is sure to be a hit with the iPhone and/or iPod carrying geek in your life!

You might also enjoy these related posts:

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Eye-Fi Wireless SD Memory Card

Why it’s geek-worthy: One of the things I love most about my smartphone is the ability to share my life through pictures no matter where I am. For this reason, I find more and more that I’m inclined to pull out my phone rather than my camera to snap a picture. But as we all know, the picture quality on a phone camera leaves a lot to be desired at this point.

Enter the Eye-Fi Wireless SD Memory Card to solve that problem! The card fits into the SD slot found on most cameras and stores media (audio and video) as your memory card does now. What makes the Eye-Fi card different (and priceless) is that it as built-in Wi-Fi so that you can upload pictures and vidoes to sites like Facebook, Flickr and YouTube through a variety of wireless networks that you designate during set-up and through a variety of hotspots provided by Eye-Fi.

There are four different types of memory cards available (offering a variety of functions at different price levels) but I recommend the 4GB “Explore Video” Eye-Fi Wireless SD Memory Card pictured above which allows to upload both photos and video and gives you one year free of uploads through Eye-Fi’s designated hotspots – a function which has a $15 yearly fee. The card is valued at $99, but through Amazon, Eye-Fi is selling it for $79!

(Two gripes/wishlist items to note: I think Eye-Fi needs to add the number of services to which one can upload media and to improve how uploads are handled – I would love to be able to search – for free – for nearby wi-fi networks and upload videos and photos that way.)

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3. 1664

DOTS Gloves

Why they’re geek-worthy: By now every geek – and beyond – has an iPhone or similar smartphone. And although many may have forgotten since we haven’t yet pulled out the gloves this season, it’s impossible to use a touch screen while gloved. DOTS Gloves have the perfect solution – the fingers of the gloves have little balls of threads (I think that’s how it works, at least) that enable you to reclaim use of your phone during winter months. AND they keep you warm, to boot. The D105 (picture below on the left) are already sold out, giving an indication just how geektastic of a gift this is, but you can can snag the D110 (pictured below on the right) for $20, and the even more solid D200 for $25.

If I have my history correct, DOTS Gloves were the first to create these types of gloves, making me like them even more, but since the D105 is sold out and the D110 is only available in Medium, I’d like to point you to a variety of other brands available on Amazon.

You might also enjoy these related posts:

1. Julie’s “Guide to Geek Gifts 2009″: Philips DC315/37 Speaker System for iPod/iPhone with LED Clock Radio
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3. Day 52: Fall in the District

1. People who have no idea what Google Wave is

2. People who have heard of Google Wave but don’t understand it (and are therefore apathetic)

3. People who have heard of Google Wave and know they should be excited about it but just don’t understand it

Let me take a stab at an explanation:

From using it, I think the easiest way to grasp what Google Wave is to imagine the intersection of a public bulletin board and an online document that people you invite can edit (think Google Docs). To me, the power of the service is the ability to collaborate with your social network (ie your Google Contacts) as well as connecting to others around the world who share a similar interest.

I found the video and Lifehacker article below really helpful when trying to wrap my head around the idea of Google Wave. I think they may help you as well:

Click the image to read the Lifehacker article

As you see below, I recently was awarded Google Wave invites to give away. If you’d like one, leave your e-mail address in the comments or send me an e-mail and I’ll be happy to send you one.

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Let me start by saying this. If you are still using Hotmail or Yahoo or any other type of web-based (or even worse: non-web based!) program that is not Gmail, finish reading this post and then go SIGN UP!

Google is one of those companies of which I am truly in awe. (Facebook, Twitter, Apple, AIM, are others that come to mind). Google’s products have COMPLETELY revolutionized our lives. Gmail, Google’s web-based mail application, simply BROKE THE MOLD and shifted the way we think about e-mail communications.

The first example of Gmail’s uniqueness I can think of at the moment is the threaded conversation feature, which has made it easier to follow the life of an e-mail. And the second is its chat feature within the mail client.

In fact, GChat is to this second era of the internet what American Online and American Instant Messenger were to the first. (And, as I wrote in October, it has helped bring about the convergence of our offline and online identities.) People you e-mail a certain number of times get added to the list of people you can chat with. And there are different ways to alert those people to your availability: you can be available to talk, idle if you’re away from the computer, ask people not to message you if you are busy and, lastly, you can “go invisible”. This last status allows you to view and message your contacts without allowing them to do the same.

In the past few weeks I’ve had several experiences which have led me to the creation of my first rule for GChat: I do not talk to those who have made themselves invisible. Why, you ask?

To begin, I consider myself to be a compassionate and loyal friend who stands by and supports the people she cares about. And, truly, I expect nothing less from the people that I allow to be a part of my life. Yes, those words were chosen carefully – being a part of my life and commanding my friendship are privileges.

When someone is “invisible” it means that they can contact me if they need me, but I can’t contact them to do the same. It ruins any chance at a reciprocal relationship which makes it inherently selfish. And that’s the sort of thing that I just can’t tolerate from those around me.

Listen, folks, I know it seems like such a trivial thing to get caught up in, but I think it’s a small thing that reflects a person’s general personality and that’s why it bothers me.

But, let me turn it over to you. How do you feel about “invisible” people on GChat? Do you yourself have rules for GChat?

HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT GCHAT? My “Answers to Common Questions About Gchat” post may be helpful to you.

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The conversation covered a large array of topics including the inability of the newsroom to fulfill its original purpose of serving the community, the difficulty for smaller organizations to attract and keep diverse talent and the necessity to understand a person’s being deeper than just demographic categories.

However, one of the most interesting peripheral points that was made is how the decline of the newspaper (and the rise of online news) will change our society as a whole.

One of the internet’s biggest advantages – the ability to cater to niche markets and audiences – is also potentially one of its greatest dangers.

When people received their news through newspapers, it was much more likely that they would wander and read articles in sections other than those in which they were interested. (For example, even if they were primarily a Business section reader, they would read the Arts section as well.) 

Now, because it’s possible to completely customize the news experiences online — by only reading entirely Business-focused publications or searching specifically for Business articles, for instance — we settle into exploring only the familiar.

This has astronomically dangerous implications for our society as the barrier to receive information has increased. (You need to actively seek out information which may not be readily available through these narrow information streams.)

The same scenario has already played out with the advent of cable television. When individuals could only receive their TV through three major networks, they were very likely to end up watching programs that they may have not otherwise actively sought out (but just happened to be on at the time). Now, with cable programming — and DVRs! — it’s very easy to ONLY watch SPECIFICALLY those shows that we are interested in.

The issue is that there’s something to be said about the loss of receving unintentional information. I may really enjoy the History Channel, but if I’ve never stumpled across it and taken the time to see if I like it, that’s a lost opportunity for personal enhancement – and at an aggregate level, a lost opportunity for society as a whole.

Progress, both individually and collectively, can’t take place if we stop learning. And the increased ability to block (or simply not actively look for) additional information through modern technology makes me wonder how our society will develop in the future…

(The whole thing would make for a great Vonnegut story, wouldn’t it?)

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1.  Movies by Flixter – With this application, you can check to see all movies that are currently out in theaters, find nearby theaters with address and phone information, find upcoming showtimes (by movie or by theater), see upcoming movie releases or recent DVD releases, get to review sites like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB with just one click…

In the words of George Gershwin:  Who could ask for anything more? (Interestingly enough, this application was created by a Jeffrey Grossman, a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon University, and it became the first acquired iPhone app when Flixter bought it in August 2008. Read the full story here.)

2. Fring – Fring brings instant messaging to the iPhone – which isn’t that impressive since other applications can do that as well – and do it better, I might add. The IM Plus application allows the user to sign onto MULTIPLE instances of different Instant Messaging platforms like Google Chat and AIM.

But what sets Fring apart is that it enables you to use Skype from your phone and have it count as a (free) computer-to-computer call. This means that Micki in Israel will be getting to hear my voice a lot more frequently now.  Is your best friend studying abroad this semester? Have family overseas? All I’m saying is, you can thank me later.

Back in October,  I made a list of my favorite iPhone applications. I’d like to call out my favorite three that aren’t newly discovered (and therefore don’t qualify for the preceding list) but are now tried-and-true staples that deserve mention just the same.

3. Sportacular. Pro: Allows you to get updated scores for a variety of sports. You can even set it up to see all your favorite teams in one view. Con: Means that I know right away when my Red Sox and Pats aren’t doing so well. Ignorance is bliss sometimes, my friends.

4. Shazam. Pro: Hear a song on the radio, at the gym, during a night out, etc, and don’t know what it is? Shazam will tell you the title/artist and save it for you to view/listen to later. Con: Sometimes it does get stumped. (For example, it didn’t recognize Christina Arguilera’s “Keeps Getting Better”)

5. Twitterfon. Pro: Allows me to update my twitter status from my phone and shows my friends’ statuses. UPDATE: Allows me to see top trending twitter terms, locates nearby users and makes it super easy to reply, retweet and load others’ timelines. Perfection. Con: I’m not convinced that it provides any additional functionality that twitter.com is lacking. Sometimes, my friends remind me that I MUST put my phone away when I’m with others.

So, there’s my five. Now, what have I missed? What’s the iPhone application you just couldn’t live without?

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Therefore, after three years, I think it’s time to upgrade. My options are to buy another Dell or switch to Mac. I’ve always heard that Macs are the premium standard, especially for those involved in web development or design. But, I have some hesitations – my computer now is super small, and even the 13″ Macbook is bigger and heavier, I’m afraid. Also, looking ahead to the possibility of Grad School, it seems like PCs are still the requirement there. (I could argue, however, that Grad School is at least three years out, if at all, and by then, it would be time to invest in a new computer anyways.) And, to be frank, Macs are pricier than PCs.

So, I’m asking you, my friends and readers, for help. Please take the poll below and, more importantly, leave a comment on why you have chosen the computer you use and/or any advice you may have for me. If you switched from one type to the other, what was reason? Was it hard to learn a new system? How do you view Macs versus PCs?

Thanks in advance!

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Here are five interesting facts I learned:

• 77% of Americans under the age of 24 use SMS
• Rock the Vote observed higher SMS opt-in rates among Latinos, African-Americans, women, those under 30, and those living on the coasts. (I might have had that written down incorrectly, it might just be East Coast…)
• The Obama for President Committee found high value in texting people on Election Day to inform them of polls that were kept open late, but were unable to find a viable way to message Americans oversees, due to the variety and number of possible systems they would have to test and integrate.
• Rock the Vote and the Obama for President Committee both had multilingual mobile campaign components – RTV had a Spanish mobile site and each was able to answer texts in a variety of languages
• The Rudy Giuliani for President Committee did not include mobile messaging as part of their overall strategy with obstacles including the perception that SMS was not appropriate for the target demographic (older audience) and the cost was too high

In the future we’ll be seeing other entities incorporate mobile campaigns into their marketing strategies through the use of optimized websites, iPhone Apps, and SMS (text messaging). SMS is a key component of a successful mobile campaign because of its guaranteed deliverability, ease and speed of use, and the two-way interaction that it facilitates.

And as these mobile campaigns become more commonplace, we’ll see higher levels of sophistication and integration between different social media avenues – in other words, people will be texted a link to a website, they’ll view the optimized website, which perhaps has a YouTube video embedded, and will then share the video with their friends on FaceBook.

As a marketing professional, it a relief to know there’s a new medium out there which is successful in getting information to the public. But as an individual, this all concerns me.

Of course, there’s a distinction between opt-in marketing campaigns, where you’ve elected to receive the texts, but I’m already experiencing unsolicited advertising coming through with AT&T/Apple sending me promotional texts. (They have my number since they are my mobile service provider.). It’s only a matter of time before all the junk I’m getting in my email comes to my phone and clutters that space as well.

SO – What do you think? Are text messages a way you’d want to get information from your political candidates and other companies? Or is your phone a sacred safe zone where ads don’t belong?

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