#Its2012WhyYouStill Writing Anything Down: Evernote

That hashtag (#Its2012WhyYouStill) was trending on twitter yesterday. If you look past the grammar, you’ll see the relevance to the squeeze of today’s society to get with the times. On that note, lets get you hip to Evernote, your virtual notebook.

• You can easily make checklists so can keep track of what you’ve actually accomplished.
• A voice recording feature is useful when you have a lot to say, but no time to write.
• Snap pictures with Skitch for those board meeting with more than enough written on the board.
• It’s available on most devices to virtually jot notes down on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. They sync up.
• The web clipper lets you capture the jist of an article minus all the noise that comes with it to view on your mobile devices.
• Tagging your notes makes thing easier to search by category once to get addicted to using the app.
• You can share your notes with others and even give them the ability to edit just in case you missed a key point.

Here’s an example of the Skitch app, for capturing & editing visual notes, in action with Evernote.

I’ve been using it a lot more lately. Evernote made it really easy for me to keep track of the jobs I’m applying to so I can follow back with them later. I’ve talked about it with members of the KJLH team and some have been using it for months already. iPhone and iPad users get a ton of extra features like easy contact sharing abilities that I’m pretty jealous of. Those of you with android should transfer the app to your SD card and download the widget to save room, and keep easy access to the app. So…what do you need help remembering? – @GeicoTheQue
For more tutorials and interesting ways to use Evernote, check out the YouTube Channels of  Evernote Andrew or Butterscotch.

5 Reasons to Start-up your Tech Start-up with NewMe

Have you looked at the latest in tech start-ups like Instagram or Pinterest & thought you could have done that? Get over those jitters & get that new wave idea off the bricks with NewME Accelerator. It’s a 12-week program for developing tech start-ups.

• It’s geared for minorities giving you the strategies tailor-made for your needs.
• They connect you with venture capitalists & teach you how to pitch so you’ll have to worry less about the funding, so you can focus more on the quality of your product.
• You’ll be coached by countless experts in the field.
• You’ll be learning smack dab in the technology capital. Can you say Silicon Valley? If the distance is trouble, you still have the NewMe Community.
• If these weren’t enough, you be privy to various perks from partner accounts.

Here’s a video with the founder, Angela Benton, introducing you to the NewMe Community. If you need more inspiration, check out the NewMe Accelerator Startup House Tour 2012 afterwards.

They are sponsored by Google, Tagged, & HP alike. I know so many people out there with awesome app/website ideas that could use this support system. I have a few, myself. Anybody go live with a start-up already? Be sure to let me know, so I can showcase it right here. I’ve already downloaded the Playdit gamer app, one of the start-ups from the Summer 2011 class. Can’t wait to what you come up with next. – @GeicoTheQue

AT&T 28 Days Campaign for Black History Month

AT&T has one last stop in Detroit for it’s 4th Annual 28 Days series for Black History Month. They’ve been going around the nation visiting African American communities like Howard University promoting the use of technology in making their dreams happen.

• The likes of Common, Holly Robinson Peete, & Mario Armstrong (Tech Guru) have participated on the tour.
• They’ve incorporated Live Stream to allow folks who aren’t so local to be able to view online.
• It’s a free event folks only had to worry about getting a seat.
• An article in the Washington Post reported a girl receiving a laptop when Mario Armstrong saw her taking note on pen and paper.
• They provided leads on websites like Kickstarter and apps like Evernote to help people get the show on the road.

Here’s some inspiring words from Common at their top in Oakland, CA:

It’s an awesome movement. I totally wish they came to Los Angeles. I actually started using the Evernote app myself so be on the lookout for some killer notes on technology, bible scriptures, & whatnot. If you were in attendance let us know how it was. What’s the best technology that you’ve been using to make your dreams come true? - @GeicoTheQue

Pinterest for Business: Boost Your Social Media Marketing

Pinterest is a digital scrapbook. People all over are joining up. If you have a business you might benefit from pinning.

• You create a bulletin board of pictures. This is a great avenue for posting exclusive footage.
• The custom pin-it button makes your website instantly sharable on a high traffic sight also familiarizing people viewing the posters page more aware of your brand.
• Email marketing can be taken advantage of considering that it’s still invite-only. We’ve seen familiar tactics with Google, and you see how that’s flourished.
• Apps for the iPhone & iPad have been made available for the ever increasing mobile users allowing easy navigation and even the ability to pin a photo captured on the go.
• Depending on how many times your pins gets liked or re-pinned, you can begin to gauge the heat of your content.

Here’s a video from Digital Mom Blog’s YouTube page explaining the iPhone app.

We have seen lots of posting websites & apps emerge lately delivering pretty much the similar capabilities for sharing content. What you can’t deny is how viral this is going. I’m actually in the process of posting some snapshots of this beautifully architected park I’ve seen. Got some hairstyles you want to show off to future customers, or show off your ink designs for future tattoos? This site is for you. Feel free to leave links to your Pinterest profile or ask for a invite so you can get your foot in the door in a comment. – @GeicoTheQue

Here’s a nice Pinterest 101 for the website in general.

5 Reasons To Use Bit.Ly To Put Power in Your Post

So everyone is getting twitter now. If you’re one of the newbies/noobs just jumping on the train, it’ll take a lil adjusting to get your thoughts into 140 characters. You definitely could use bit.ly for these reasons:

• You’ll have room to actually let people know what you’re posting about before providing a link.
• When you post a link to a picture and video on Facebook and Twitter, content will actually show up on your timeline without them having to leave your page, or at least a preview.
• Lots of social media clients have integrated the use of Bit.Ly so you don’t have to go far to use it.
• Bit.Ly actually tracks clicks and delivers analytics so you can see demographical information about who’s responding to your posts.
• It also ensures less chance of a mistake on the end-user to getting to your link. Some people have trouble with lengthy links and one typo can cause a misconnection.

I use this all the time. I have a Google Chrome extension that lets me automatically shorten a link of any page I’m on and it copies it to my clipboard for easy pasting as well. Hootsuite has it’s own url shortening system that adds a sharing feature at the top of the page you’re referring to. Let me know if this helps you or if you have any questions. – @GeicoTheQue

7 Ways This App Helps You Stay Strong for Lent

Whether you’re giving up cupcakes or anything else for Lent, it’s going to take some serious support to get you through these 40 days. I’ll using the bible app from YouVersion myself. Here’s why you should too:

• Read from over 200 bibles between languages & translations made available. Different translations of the passages help you get to the core meaning of the passage.
• Some versions are available for download to keep access for times when you don’t have too much service while you’re in service.
• They offer countless reading plans for all different kinds of topics like the bible in a years, relationships, or even Lent.
• You can bookmark & write notes on passages or a collection of them. If you think someone else could benefit from your insights, feel free to share them on your social networks.
• It’s available on blackberries, androids, the iFamily, & more. If you feel like starting a plan online but finishing up on a tablet in bed, that’s no problem.
• If your hands are full, you can listen to a reading as well. This help when driving or during your morning run.
• It’s an online community offering cool features such as Live that allows you to observe highlights of a local upcoming sermon & interact through voting, answering questions, etc.

I could really go on about the cool things you can do with this app. The funniest thing is seeing the looks on my pastor’s face when he sees the congregation on our phones, & tablets following along with the sermon. The kids love it. Definitely a tool for the family. So what plan will you start?
-@GeicoTheQue

Turn Your Phone Into A Mobile Hotspot for Mardi Gras

Having trouble connecting to your local Wi-Fi hotspot? The airport asking you to pay for internet? Sounds like you could use this app called FoxFi. It lets you turn your phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot. Here’s why you should be downloading it:

• It’s free. Purchasing this feature through a cellular provider can cost around a C-Note a month. That’s $1200 a year.
• It allows you to connect multiple devices, instead of Bluetooth and USB tether which usually only allows one connection at a time.
• You don’t have to worry about carrying around an extra device to provide internet access, let alone charging up something else. Your phone is all you need.
• Nearly everyone has a 4G phone nowadays, so you know the connection will be decent enough to navigate on. I’ve heard of online multiplayer games being played with these.
• You can add a password to keep your network private so people like me can’t take all your bandwidth when I see an open network.

So far, it’s only available on the Android Market. I’ve seen a similar app called MyWi that requires you to jailbreak your iPhones first. I’ve always said that an Android phone delivers stock what iPhone/iPad users have to hack their devices to do, but hey. Download the app and tell me how it works for you. Is the speed of the internet up to par? Were you able to upload your pictures and videos to Facebook, Twitter, & YouTube like normal? – @GeicoTheQue
Here’s a link to an informative page on Wi-Fi tethering.