Just as I was pondering how I should categorize all of my blog feeds into folders in Google Reader, I got tagged by Cartoon Barry on how I use Google Reader for reading and managing RSS feeds.

As I mentioned before, I have only used Google Reader for managing feeds, and tried to keep that number to around 200 – and it is at 217 today, with a few added and deleted over the last several weeks. The opening message on the Trends page of the Reader states, “From your 217 subscriptions, over the last 30 days you read 2,862 items, starred 1 items, and shared 0 items.” Wow, that many?

Here’s what my reading looks like over the last 30 days:

Trying to maintain a balance of work and life, I don’t read feeds as much on the weekends, and if I do it is using the Reader on my Treo, which by its nature and design is much slower than reading in a browser.

The times of the day that I read most often did not surprise me:

For those who know me, I am not a morning person, so I rise early, get caffeinated and catch up on email and feeds prior to the start of the work day.

For the days of the week that I read, this also was not surprising:

Some days it seems like there are more feeds than others, but that is just a gut feel. I know recently my postings have been on a less regular schedule, and that has been more related to the projects I have been working on.

This is the first time I have been tagged, so now I really feel like a blogger! To keep this going, I will tag the following people – Daniel Sitter, Matt Maldre and David Dalka. I’m not sure what readers they use, but neither did Cartoon Barry.

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Have you ever had a hard time using a Web site? That frustration where you feel you should be able to do something a certain way on a Web page? I did not ask for a call of hands as I am sure everyone reading this has experienced it, no matter your level of experience with the Internet. This is compounded when someone else has no problem using the Web page.

My good friend Peter forwarded me an email exchange he had with LinkedIn’s customer support, where he reported about changes made to the presentation of the list of your connections. He is unable to read it… as JAWS is unable to read it. JAWS is screen reader software that Peter uses to not only access the Internet but to use his Windows PC. For example, when he presses the Start button, a voice that sounds a lot like the electronic voice of Stephen Hawking reads every item on the menu, and continues reading as he uses his computer.

This software is essential for him as he has retinitis pigmentosa, or RP, an eye condition that has significantly reduced Peter’s eyesight. RP did not hinder Peter from getting a masters degree from Harvard, travel the world solo to do the research for his masters thesis or run the Boston Marathon. However I have personally witness him, and JAWS, have a hard time find the “buy” button on many eCommerce Web sites.

In his dialogue with LinkedIn, Peter inferred that their changes to the My Connections page were an intentional error on their part. We talked afterwards and I shared with him my take that I was extremely confident that it was not, and most likely they did not even consider people who use screen readers or test for them when they released these changes. I am not bashing fellow Web designers and developers, but merely am pointing out what is a difficult part of this industry – developing Web sites and Web applications that are truly usable by all users on all devices. Getting a Web site to look and function the same across Internet Explorer and Firefox is just scratching the surface on this issue.

It was with Peter in mind that I decided not to use captchas on The Hot Iron and instead use manual moderation of comments. I have had Peter try Web sites with JAWS to test their usability. Where this one issue with LinkedIn has held him back a bit, he is able to use all other functions on the site and is growing his connections. This is something to keep in mind as people define their potential target markets for their Internet-based businesses.

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With the upcoming spin-off of Chrysler from DaimlerChrysler, we will surely see less of the chairman of the parent company, Dr. Dieter Zetsche. A brilliant engineer and executive in his own right, he led the merger and now divestiture of the German and American automakers.

Most Americans first saw the chairman in TV commercials, referred to as Dr. Z, as well as his own animated Web site, Ask Dr. Z. I have to admit, when I first saw this, I thought it was a joke – would you expect someone in his role to be doing sketch comedy, or be an animated character? But a little research found this to be true. The ad campaign did not prove to be that successful and was short-lived.

The Web site remains, however, as of this posting, so check it out while you can.

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Do you have a MyBlogLog account? It wasn’t until shortly after I started this blog that I created one. For me, MyBlogLog is a community and a way of connecting myself to bloggers – learning of others and informing others of my own. Others I am sure have other definitions, but the increased traffic to my site as I traverse MyBlogLog proves my point.

I was unable to make the SOBcon conference this past weekend here in Chicago due to a prior commitment, but there have been plenty written on it. One announcement came from the new community manager of MyBlogLog, which is now owned by Yahoo! Fellow Chicago blogger and Internet analyst David Dalka was at SOBcon and reported that MyBlogLog will be rebranding, getting a redesign and other features which will seek to expand its market. Yahoo! is also seeking input and suggestions, which is also welcome to hear.

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If you own a Palm Treo 680, or any other model, you may want to check the CD that came with your device and make sure that it works. If so, make a backup copy of your CD and keep it in a safe place, as you won’t be able to get a replacement copy.

Every year I completely rebuild my PC – stripping off all files and reinstalling Windows and all software individually. I do this because I need to, as my machine starts chugging to a crawl and this complete refresh allows me to use a clean and fast running PC. One of the first programs I installed was the Palm Desktop and sync software, necessary for moving files from my Treo to my PC and synchronizing all calendar and contact information. When I put in the CD for the Palm Desktop that came with my Treo, my PC couldn’t read it. Shocked, I tried it on a number of other PCs at the office, and none could read it. I then went to the Palm Web site and downloaded a copy of the Palm Desktop and installed it, synced and had all of my data in place, or so I thought.

The version of the Palm Desktop that came on the CD is a more advanced version that what I could get online, and upon further check I could not even download this advanced version from their Web site! I first discovered this as media files – photos and videos – that I took with the camera function of the Treo were not on my PC after a sync.

I then went back to Palm’s Web site and submitted a help request to have them send me a new CD, and they responded that they do not have replacement CDs, told me to download and install the less advanced version and acknowledged that it would not sync media files. The message concluded that they wanted to be sure this issue was resolved, they would be sending me a satisfaction survey, and that I was not allowed to post their response on any public forum.

So I responded that this was unacceptable, and that I am awaiting a replacement CD. I am being courteous and not posting their verbatim message, and of course I have yet to receive the survey. In the meantime, does anyone out there have a Treo 680 and may have a CD for it that they could copy from me? Of course, I would be willing to bet that doing so violates the license of the software, but this violation is nothing compared to what Palm has done to me.

Business • Technology • (2) Comments • Permalink