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Year: 2009

TweetDeck + Facebook = Killer App

It seems Twitter is everywhere today. The social networking service is being used by TV news talking heads, members of the U.S. Congress, and celebrities, not to mention the millions of other regular people out there. Some folks use the web to tweet. Others (like me) use applications to update their Twitter status. There are a few apps to choose from – Twhirl, Twitterrific, Spaz, and more. When I first signed on to Twitter, I used the web interface, then switched to Twitterrific (when sitting in front of my Mac), then to Twhirl at work on my ThinkPad, and as recently as two weeks ago, I started to use TweetDeck. I like TweetDeck for all the same reasons other people use the app. I like the multi-pane interface and the ability to search across Twitter. I also like how easy it is to follow other people. Of all the other apps I’ve tried, TweetDeck integrates a feature set that suits my way of using Twitter.

Well, today, the fine folks who develop TweetDeck updated the app to include a feature that now brings it into Killer App status. TweetDeck now integrates Facebook.

In a blog post, the developers announced, “You can click on the Facebook icon at the top and, once you have signed into Facebook and given TweetDeck authorization, this will add a new column full of each of your friends most recent status update which updates automatically once a minute.

From here you can email the update out to anyone, tweet it out over twitter, view the users online status and if they are online right now click on their name (or the green online status indicator) to open Facebook chat right within TweetDeck.”

If you’re like me, you hate checking multiple social networking sites. I love it when everything is located in one place. Sure, I could go to the web and use FriendFeed, but I’m loving what TweetDeck is doing, and now with Facebook integration, it’s becoming my go-to app.

Abort! Abort! Abort!

OK, so I didn’t exactly make it to New York City last Friday night. The reason? An emergency trip to the ER for yours truly. Yep, that was me, riding in the back of the ambulance and into the hospital. Seems that out of no where my heart started racing at not normal speeds. I didn’t have any other characteristics of a heart attack. I just had this racing heart thingy. So, rather than take chances, we dialed 911. I spent 4 hours in the ER to find out that nothing looked wrong with me, other than my heart going too fast. They administered some drugs and my rate came right on down.

I did a treadmill test and an echocardiogram yesterday just for good measure. Looks like an ongoing prescription for a beta blocker is in my immediate future. Of course, we’ll see what the doc says.

So, that’s why I didn’t make it to NYC, or to the O’Reilly event. I’m bummed to say the least, but whatcha gonna do? Health comes first, right?

UPDATE: It appears that my heart is completely healthy and that I still have work to do on this planet. The results of my test have come back normal. 🙂

Off to NYC

I’m looking forward to my trip to NYC tomorrow. This will be my third time attending O’Reilly’s Tools of Change for Publishing conference. Each one has been a worthwhile experience. I’m especially looking forward to this year since I’ll be participating in a panel on digital rights along with a few other folks in the industry. Of course, I’ll be ready for those impromptu meet-ups that often happen at these things. you never know who you’ll bump into!