I’m catching up with Gmail blog posts and thought this tip was particularly useful. You can modify your Gmail address when you give it out to different organisations, so the next time you get emailed (or spammed) you know who the source is.
You can add a ‘+’ or ‘.’ after your Gmail username and emails will still be delivered to your main account. The benefit is that you can filter these modified email addresses. I’m going to start doing it now when I sign up for new accounts and newsletters.
After hearing the buzz about Gmail offering IMAP access, but also hearing that this new feature wasn't rolled out to everybody yet, I decided to check if my account had it. Sadly, it didn't look like it and I thought, maybe it's because they're enabling it for the earliest Gmail users first.
Then I checked out the Gmail blog which explains that the feature is actually available for all Gmail users. Then why wasn't it listed under my Settings? Because Google has only rolled it out for those using Gmail with the US language and will be working on the other languages in the next few weeks. I, being the typical Anglophile, had set my account to display UK English and thus had prevented myself from receiving IMAP access immediately.
So I switched to US English and voila! IMAP was enabled.
I'm now watching Thunderbird load up my mails. All my Gmail labels are appearing as folders. Wow, I haven't had IMAP mail since University days. This should be pretty useful.
I was interested to hear about Google's OpenSocial API. They have cleverly stepped in to address the proliferation of social networks with different standards and made themselves the central connecting point.
Despite the global popularity of sites such as MySpace and Facebook, the rest of the social network market has been fragmented into a Long Tail which makes it difficult to target a wide range of people in a cost-effective way. The new API will be a master key to unlock easy access to the whole range of networks participating in this initiative.
Having said that, I don't really forsee a major problem targetting the Singapore market specifically, as most of us are probably on Friendster (the older ones), Multiply, Xanga, Facebook (the latest craze) while the more professional networkers are on LinkedIn. Correct me if you think otherwise. However, if we're 'kiasu' (afraid to lose out) we'd welcome the OpenSocial API - isn't it always better to know that we could unlock many other networks now?
Facebook in particular is going to be very interesting over the next year as we move beyond creating Facebook groups and start developing our own apps. A good app has viral marketing potential as it gets forwarded to friends and integrates itself onto personal profile pages, becoming part of that user's identity - at least until the user gets tired of it and uninstalls it. The app has to be well thought through, if not I'd rather not attempt one at all!
We have a Facebook group for Singapore developers, do join if you haven't already. There's an OpenSocial Initiative group on Facebook, and an official forum.
If you happen to be a Facebook developer, drop me a note. It's a new market but we have some ideas.
Just added Google Co-op's customised search engine to my website. You can try it on the right nav bar (if you're viewing it from the home page, scroll down further).
Customised some of the layout but need to tweak it further. It's time to sleep...
... where else but in a Youtube video!
They seem delirious with joy. I'd be too, if I was in their shoes.
Update:
I like how Gizmodo calls it GooTube. (link via Boing Boing)
Before the announcement was made, Kevin noted plenty of blogs theorising that copyright owners could just be waiting for Youtube to be bought out by a bigger company, before 'suing their pants off'. Heh. You bet! Lawyers must be rubbing their hands in glee now. Let's wait and see.
I read on Reviewsaurus that thanks to some sponsors, certain videos on Google are now free.
Tried to view a cartoon but was told that the provider of the video had not authorised Google to display the video in my region. Aw shucks. [Update: While I couldn't view Mr Magoo, I could at least watch Felix the Cat, courtesy of Burger King.]
And we're still waiting for the iTunes Store to come to Singapore (next year)...