Google + Video Playlist: Eleven to watch that should make learning easy

In my attempt to learn Google +, I came across these videos. So far, it all makes sense. Many people, I have never been a facebook fan.  Many more know, I am a total Google user.

How Many Global Websites are there? And how many are active?

I often find it hard to answer this question (accurately). Two sources just discovered. 

First, the rather obvious Website page at Wikipedia: In February 2009, Netcraft, an Internet monitoring company that has tracked Web growth since 1995, reported that there were 215,675,903 websites with domain names and content on them in 2009, compared to just 18,000 websites in August 1995.

Netcraft July 2011 Web Server Survey

With a closer inspection at Netcrafrt, we find this brilliant graphic where there seem to be 108 million global active websites in July 2011.

Newsgathering: Pick n Mix and Hit and Fade

I have a few theories knocking around on news gathering. Pick and Mix is where a council agenda list is published. Newsrooms may take what they like one day, publish, then come back for some more later on - or just pick n mix as they feel fit.

Hit and Fade is when a an item from a council agenda is reported ahead of time (or as soon as possible) and is NOT reported gain. This is certainly the case when using phrases like the council will make a decision next week. So a follow up story would be expected, but may not come.

This can be contrasted to the Nick Davis Ninja Turtle Syndrome where one title runs a storym then another and then another - then WE say, they have it, so MUST we (see Flat Earth News, page 145).

The Media Standards Trust and BBC College of Journalism debate on the quality of journalism in the UK

This happened last week   BBC College of Journalism @churnalert  churnalism.com

The Media Standards Trust and BBC College of Journalism held this lively debate on the quality of journalism in the UK. The motion: This house believes news articles based on press releases should be marked 'advertorial'

For the motion: Chris Atkins (Director of StarSuckers, & Taking Liberties), & James Randerson (Guardian Science/Environment Editor)Against the motion: David Higgerson (Head of Multimedia, Trinity Mirror), & Trevor Morris (former CEO of Chime Communications PR Group; author of 'PR - A Persuasive Industry?') Chaired by: Fiona Fox (Science Media Centre)

Twitpic v Twitvid - is there a difference? Which one should you use?

I mainly use Twitter from a laptop, upload photos to Google's Picasa and use Google's YouTube for videos. Oh, and I also upload blogged photos to Google's Blogger. Did I just say Google three times - seems that way. Why then, does Google not have a photo uploader that opens within Twitter? Perhaps it does, but I've not found it.

So, I have New Twitter on a laptop (sporting win7). Screen is split, we all know that, new tweet comes flying in and the tiny photo thumbnail tells me - a photo is active. Usually this can be via Twitpic, Twitvid, Yfrog and others. Is there a need for me to use, yet another app - I think so, here's why.

When I post, I then tweet it to tell my followers it's new. Photos and Videos are held within the blog post as that's where I'd like the audience to end up. That helps my stats. Then again, as a reader of tweets (not my own), I want the image (or video) to be instant and not open in a new browser. Twitpic and Twitvid do this (Yfrog is supoposed to do it, but seems I can make a sandwich in the time some stuff opens.

Well, we have Twitpic owned by Noah Everett (see the Wiki), launched early 2008 and an Alexa ranking of 97. Odd, no mention on wiki page that twitpic handles videos too - but we all know it can. The widget embeds easily and it loads fast on my whatsinKenilworh site. I've just found the cool head tagging tool - very useful.

Where Twitvid is owned by Twitter (defaults in Tweetdeck), ranks in at 3,980 with Alexa and cannot be found in Wikipedia, odd that, it redirects to Twitter page, then has no mention. The widget, not great - stalled many times at my blog, so now it's gone.

My vote goes to...no surprises, you've guessed it - Twitpic all the way.