Sunday, March 22, 2009

Internet Chores

One of Arnold's musings was about one of the major issues I have with the Internet: having to maintain over a dozen "networks".

I just felt like replying:

Good news: No, you're not the only one who cares. :)

Bad news: There isn't an elegant solution for that, for now. :(

There are services out there who try:

1) Ping.fm (http://ping.fm) -- you can update your Twitter, Plurk, Facebook, etc status all at one go! You can also post on several blogs. The problem is that you HAVE TO post using Ping.fm.

2) Mechanical Plurk (http://mechanicalplurk.com/) -- Update your Plurk timeline when you update your Twitter status!

3) Plurk's connections to other networks (Twitter, Multiply, Facebook) -- 'Nuff said! Also, you can harness the convenience of phPlurk (http://phplurk.com)!

Currently, I use the combination of Mechanical Plurk and Plurk's connection to Facebook. The bulk of my online friends are on Twitter, Plurk and Facebook, so I feel that that's enough to cover any updates I make. :)

My usage is:

a) When I'm at work and on my workstation, I post status updates on Twitter, which get posted on Plurk, then on Facebook.

b) When I'm on the road, I txt phPlurk, who posts my update on Plurk, who in turn posts it on Facebook.

Yeah, I know Twitter's left out when I'm mobile -- GPRS access is still usually clunky in the SLEX. Sadly, Twitter's SMS interface isn't available locally yet.

Good luck to us! :D