Twitter Challenge!

This is for anyone on Twitter or not!

The Lance Armstrong Foundation received a $25K challenge if their CEO makes it to 25K followers on Twitter by May 29th. Get involved! Let's make it even bigger. Pledge to make a donation of whatever if he makes the goal. $1, $10, $25 or whatever you can!

If you don't have a Twitter account, its simple and free. Just go to www.twitter.com and get an account (you don't have to if you just want to donate but you will miss out on some of the fun!).

Pledge your donation as a post on Twitter and append it with '#LAFTC', Lance Armstrong Foundation Twitter Challenge. Let's see how viral we can make this fundraising effort. The LAF, aka LiveStrong, does so many great things. Check out thier website at www.livestrong.org.

I will also put together a Twibe for LAFTC.

I will periodically post the pledge totals on Twitter with the tag '#LAFTC'.

THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT!

For Twitter-gins a post would look something like this with the tag:

'I am in for $25! #LAFTC'

Since I am posting this during 'working hours' I may be doing another fundraiser to temporarily replace my salary! ;) This is my lunch hour...

Biking, Running...What is the Third One Again?

Yes, as the title would suggest, my swimming has been lacking so far. But, my first (and so far only) Tri of the year is only a 500m open water swim.

I have been running and biking pretty well. Yesterday I had a nice workout on the trainer in my office since the weather, for yet ANOTHER weekend, has been crap. I was going to hit the pool after but no one could watch the kids.

Today, I had a nice brick. Hit the bike for about an hour (on the trainer thanks to the weather again) and then braved a run Barr Trail to the top of the W's. No thunder or lightning so the run was unenvetful except for the rain coming down. It was actually warmer than last year's Ascent! :)

And by the way, do not discount trainer workouts for the bike. Unlike being out on the road, you do not get the nice coasts downhill. you are working the whole time. I have been giving my hamstrings a nice workout on the trainer lately. Hopefully this will pay off in the Barr Trail Race and the Ascent this year!

My Essential Tools - For Work Anyway

My Essential Applications

For some reason I decided to do one of those posts where I go through and describe the things I just cannot live with out. At least from one perspective, applications I use for my job. If you don't know, I am a Product Manager for a software company.

Microsoft Disclaimer: I use MS tools. I know there are great alternatives. I just have not made it over that hump just yet. For the sake of this post I will be referring to MS tools (MS Word, MS Excel, etc) but I fully recognize that what I am using these for I could use other "brand name" tools that are similar.

1. Microsoft Office

I had to lump these together. I spend most of my day "coding" in Word, outlook or Excel. The hot days are when I get to use PowerPoint. Fact is that I spend so much time everyday writing documents, editing documents, creating spreadsheets, answering emails, etc. These tools are certainly essential to what I do everyday

2. Microsoft Project

I have to communicate so much information for so many different stakeholders along the way that MS project helps me keep it all together. Dates change? No problem; input the new date and MS Project (provided you know what you are doing and set the plan up right from the beginning) calculates the changes. I love it! Couple MS Project with other tools like SharePoint and project Server, you have got yourself a nice way to manage projects, products, departments, etc.

3. Microsoft Visio

OK, this is the last MS product, I promise. MS Visio allows me to create diagrams of processes and systems easily and quickly. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Well that should make the Product Requirements Document (PRD) a lot shorter :) ! When presenting to my development staff, the more complex you can make the diagram, the more they like it. Just kidding. My development staff likes pictures...so does my 2 year old.

4. Blackberry

I am addicted to the CrackBerry. I recently upgraded to the BlackBerry Bold from AT&T (I like the Verizon network better, why can't we use the same phone on any network!?!). I love this thing. The UI is better than the old UI. I believe the Storm has the same UI but I have not heard great things about the Storm (I have not heard too bad either but no one "Loves" the Storm that I know).

5. TweetDeck - www.tweetdeck.com (and TwitterBerry for the BlackBerry)

How can anything Twitter be essential for work? I am still working on that. But, I use the search functions in TweetDeck to keep an eye on my competition and trends. I know before anyone else when iPipeline has a press release out. I am also using Twitter to network and research. As you have probably guessed from past Blog posts, I am a proponent of Twitter. TweetDeck helps me organize lots of different searches, Direct Messages, replies as well as integrates with URL shortners, TwitPic and many other features. Also, Tweetdeck is an Adobe AIR application. So if you download it, it will also install Adobe AIR.

6. Balsamiq Mockups www.balsamiq.com

Its simple. Make mockups that mean something. It is an Adobe AIR application. The 'controls' that are included in the base product make it easy to create screen mockups. I use their mockup tool to create mockups or even on web presentations to show what we are discussing and get buy in from stakeholders immediately. The tool is very inexpensive ($79 for a desktop install) for what you get. Balsamiq is also using Twitter and Facebook to not only get the word out about their product but also to provide updates. Periodic mockup templates are published and announcements are done via Twitter. Balsamiq as a company is doing very well. I love the ISV model and their business model. Peldi - Want to put me on your Board of Advisors!?! :)

7. Straight Forward Tools

This is just a simple collection of templates that are great for Product Management. I stepped into this role with when there never had been a formal Product Manager before. I used the Straight Forward Tools set of templates to help me design Product roadmaps, produce standard product info sheets and standardize on PRD and other document formats. To a lesser degree I have also used the 280 Groups free template sets to base some things from.

There are certainly many other tools that I use but these few are essential to my day to day.

Twitter Plugins

Playing with a couple of Twitter plugins. One requires Flash 9 to view, the other is just HTML based. Had to mess with the template on Blogger to get the Flash one to dispaly properly.

Let me know if you have any problems with the view!

Using Twitter

I have been using Twitter more and more lately. Not necessarily to post things but for research. You can find some good info out there! Also, I have set up searches on TweetDeck for several items.

One thing I have found while 'playing' with Twitter that there are a lot of questions from people about how to use Twitter for business, to make money or what Twitter is? The last one is my favorite! :)

I have found 2 really good examples of using Twitter for your business lately. The first comes from the Colorado Springs branch of Modis. They have started using Twitter to send out open positions that they have. They post the highlighted skills and a link to the position details on their website. A fast, cheap method of advertising! (Note - I am not looking for a job, just thought this was a good use of Twitter).

The second example was the Colorado Springs Pride Soccer Club. I have 2 kids that play soccer for them so our weekends are filled with shuttling between fields. This Spring has been bad for soccer schedules in Colorado Springs. Snow, rain, and...very little sun! Pride is now using Twitter to update game statuses! Instead of having to call all the different coaches, then the coaches calling the parents (I am sure there are a couple other levels of calling trees also), you just check Twitter. Plus, I may be out at another game so I won't get the message about the next one being canceled. I can just check Twitter on my phone. School districts, governments, etc could us Twitter in this way as well.

Now, neither of these are going to cure cancer or save lives but it is convenient (I still think the best use of Twitter was the status communication method in the Southern California fires a year or two ago!). Kudos to both organizations for embracing this new medium!

I must pass along my advice to both (and future) organizations...keep the updates relevant. I (and I have to assume at least a few others) do not want to hear about every little thing that you do or opportunity. That will make me unsubscribe and defeat the usefulness of what is being done.