Alert Thingy - maybe not!

Lately I have been hearing a lot of noise about the Alert Thingy. A desktop client, build on Adobe AIR, which allows you to monitor updates on your FriendFeed, and as a side bonus of its latest release you can also post to Twitter and Flickr. FriendsFeed, for which Alert Thingy was build, is profile activity aggregator. You sign up with FriendFeed and add the usernames to a number of web services like Twitter, Pownce, Jaiku and number of other others. Then when there is any activity on the linked profiles, it is distributed to FriendFeed and any other site via API or a RSS feed. FriendFeed takes those feeds and mashes them up into one.

Image via WikipediaBut back to Alert Thingy. The app has been hyped up so much by Michael Arrington, the founder of TechCrunch, in the last two weeks that I decided to turn off my Twhirl and try it out. As I finished installing it, Twhirl had an update, so I installed it, too. Looking through Alert Thingy I found myself with very limited options and customization choices. I mean Alert Thingy counterpart, MySocial 24×7, which is a FireFox plugin, offers more options. Yes Twhirl requires two different windows for each service, but I will stick with it. Especially after tonight’s update, which added few new features, and now I can get my FriendFeed through it as well. Not that I care much about FriendFeed, at least at this time. If anyone is interested in adding me as a friend on FriendFeed, this is my profile.

So Michael, why all the hype? Other than freeing desktop space, I just don’t see how Alert Thingy is better than Twhirl.

Invites - Social Thing

I have 20 invites to Social Thing.

It is another friends’ activity aggregator, similar to FriendFeed, but with fewer features. At least for now. Looks like the developers are working on adding more monitored services. But since I visited it last, a month or so ago, there haven’t been any new choices. When adding micro blogging services, like Pownce and Twitter, you are able to post to them from inside Social Thing, but that’s something you can do now-a-days from any integrating site.

Invites - Evernote

I have 10 invites for web notes service Evernote. Evernote is like ClipMarks, except you can save more that clippings, like images and text, from web sites. Both web services offer a desktop client/web browser plugin, but with Evernote you can also submit clippings from your cell phone.

If you want an invite just leave me a comment. In the form below use the email you want the invite send to.

FON’s personnel must be high!

This post was delayed for some time, but that’s because I forgot about it. So, it remained as a draft. But, here it is…

FON, once again you show how pathetic you are. Yes, some of the views and practices of the FON’s underlinks can be silly.

FON’s new site “twitxr”.com (no link for you) is pronounced “twitcher” according to their newsletter. I have nothing left but to wonder - “FON … HOW THE FUCK DID YOU GET “CHE” out of X, pronounced “EKS” or “KS”.”. Hens the true pronunciation of the word – twitksr or twitkser. Yet, looking at it again, you might by trying to combine “tx”, but then it only ends up sounding like “teks”, which reminds me of Kotex. I am positive that a ladies product is not exactly what you are trying to convey to potential users.

Way to go FON!!

Of course, I could be wrong. FON is an international organization, and an example of the letter x or combination of the letters tx pronounced as che in another language would be appreciated. BUT, this site does target an English speaking audience, which is probably why we had to be told how to pronounce this tong tying confusion.