Two Features Social Photo Sharing Services Must Have

I'll be the first to admit I'm a social photo sharing application addict. I install apps all the time on my iPhone and try them out. Most of the apps I delete as fast as I install them. There are two must have features every social photo sharing service should have, or they will struggle to catch on; a web site for each user, and a mobile application.

You Must Offer A Web Site

Viewing one photo at a time is, a waste of time. I want to see a grid, or a gallery, or a time line of photos. I want to see a description, the ability to like, republish (via Twitter or Facebook), and comment. I want the ability to build a community around a photo or a collection of photos. Many of the most popular photo sharing services offer this type of web experience.

Not offering a web site, or one that is so restrictive and lacking in features, is a huge misstep.

You Must Offer A Mobile App On Multiple Platforms

Apple'siPhone is a very popular device, and is becoming one of the most popular ways to take photos. Just recently flickr announced the iPhone is number one camera used to to take the photos uploaded to it's service. That is huge. But it's not the only game in town.

Android based phones are becoming, if they haven't already, the most popular phone in the world. As this new platforms gains popularity, with phones having larger screens, dual core processors, and cameras that exceed 10 mega pixels, to ignore it would be another huge misstep.

No one else in my Family has an iPhone. Services that require an iPhone to view photos in a mobile app don't work for me. Many of my developer friends don't have an iPhone, they have an Android based phone. A large portion of the market is being left out. And it's a misstep if your services doesn't cater to all mobile platforms.

Developing For Android Sucks

David Karp, CEO of Tumblr recently said in a live interview at TechCrunch DISRUPT, Android "Absoutley sucks to develop for." Wow, what a statement.

Crazy amounts of investor money is being thrown at photo sharing services, and I'm hoping these services have something up their sleeve besides an API and an iPhone app. I know Android isn't the easiest platform to develop on, but there are alternate methods that would allow you to get started. I'll post more on those later. In the mean time, give us the full experience, and the ability to share with all our connections, not just the ones who own an iPhone.

 

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Salt Lake City Is The Perfect MozCation Destination

SEOmoz is looking for a destination on the #MozCation. And of course Salt Lake City is the perfect place. Why you ask? Because we have all the perfect things this planet has to offer:

1. The best snow on earth
2. The best natural wonders on earth
3. The most Dinosaur bones on earth
4. The most ice cream on earth
5. The best biking and hiking trails on earth
6. The most burger joins on earth

and... the most SEO experts on earth.

Yes, it's an SEOmoz paradise. If you don't #MozCation here, you will have missed the opportunity of a lifetime.

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30-day Geek Challenge | Day 11 - Favorite Movie

This post is part of my ‘30-day Geek Challenge‘.  As I stated, the order isn’t important, and I might not do one every day.  Feel free to make your own list, or copy mine and participate.  Should be a lot of fun!

Today's challenge is to name my favorite movie. There are so many, I can't name just one. So I'm going to give my top 5.

Coming in at number 5 is War Games, the 1983 edition. This was the first real hacker geek movie that I remember. There were plenty of nerdy computer movies, but this one was a little more real and not so nerdy. It was me in the 80's.

Coming in at number 4 is Star Wars,  Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. These are the originals, with the first release in 1977. Star Wars was probably the first real adult movie I remember seeing. I watched them at the Trolly Corners Theater in Salt Lake City, multiple times, and was amazed at the special effects and story. Thanks George Lucas.

Coming in at number 3 is Star Trek, the movie, 2009 release. This is such a great movie. The special effects are incredible. Zachary Quinto makes a great Spok.

My number 2 favorite movie is Star Trek: First Contact (and Generations, and Nemesis). The Generations series was great on TV and was very well done in a series of movies.

And my all time favorite movie is... Galaxy Quest. Yes, the Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver space comedy. Corny at times, but I love the story, and the termites, er, Thermians are awesome. Love Guy, Tech Sergeant Chen and Laredo.

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30-day Geek Challenge | Day 1 - Very First Geek

This post is part of my ‘30-day Geek Challenge‘.  As I stated, the order isn’t important, and I might not do one every day.  Feel free to make your own list, or copy mine and participate.  Should be a lot of fun!

This one is pretty easy for me. My first geek experience was with my neighbor, who just so happened to work for a very large computer company. I apologize, I can't remember his name, but I have never forgotten how he changed my life.

I would say it was 1978 or 1979 (somewhere around there), he introduced me to... wait for it... the TRS-80! I was hooked. I wasn't really in a position to afford one of my own, so I spent as much time as I could hanging out with him and learning what I could.

I remember getting RadioShack catalogs and drooling all over the pages displaying the latest PC's. I would go into the stores, and stand there for what seemed like ever, just playing. I wanted one of my own in a big a way. I don't know what it was, but my brain just clicked. It was my calling.

My Father took my first geek experience to the next level, by coming home one day with a Commodore VIC 20. Far cry from a TRS-80, but it was mine. And I devoured it. Soon I moved to the Commodore 64. A little more power, a lot more fun. And I was on my way. More than 30 years has passed, and I'm still pounding the keyboards.

That was my first geek experience. What was yours?

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30-day Geek Challenge

No, this isn't an April Fools joke, I really am posting. This is going to be fun, a challenge right up my alley. Thanks to my fellow geek Herlo, he's doing a 30-day challenge too.

This challenge may be difficult to do everyday, but I'm going to try. It's April 1st, so I figure one a day would give me 30 new posts. That's a great number. I will probably do them out of order because some of these will need more thought than others.

If you want to take the challenge, please leave a link to your post so I can see who's doing it too. The list below is one I took from Herlo, and it's modified for my taste/needs. You are welcome to do the same.

Day 1 – Very first Geek
Day 2 – Favorite Geek
Day 3 – Your Geek Inspiration
Day 4 – Favorite book / book series
Day 5 – Geek you feel you are most like (or wish you were)
Day 6 – Favorite Web Show / Web Comic
Day 7 – Favorite Board Game
Day 8 – Favorite Shirt/Hat/Shoes (Something you wear)
Day 9 – Saddest geek scene
Day 10 – Favorite TV Show series
Day 11 – Favorite Movie
Day 12 – Best alien /alien race ever
Day 13 – Geekiest quote/phrase
Day 14 – Current (or most recent) geek wallpaper
Day 15 – Favorite OS / Config
Day 16 – Favorite Developer
Day 17 – Favorite Hardware Vendor
Day 18 – Most Undesirable Tech Company
Day 19 – Favorite Gadget
Day 20 – Best! Videogame! Ever!
Day 21 – Favorite Vehicle
Day 22 – Favorite Tech Company
Day 23 – Favorite Language (coding language that is)
Day 24 – Geek Hero
Day 25 – Best Website
Day 26 – Your favorite number
Day 27 – Favorite tv opening theme song
Day 28 – Favorite Comic Book
Day 29 – Favorite Robot
Day 30 – Biggest Geek Wish

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