Now with 3.0 goodness
Writes for Macworld, Macworld Indonesia, and Jakarta Globe. Tweets a lot.
Disclaimer
This little blog of mine hosts my personal thoughts and opinions about the technology and communications industry. In no way it reflects anything of my employers' or anyone else's unless with attribution.
Contents © 2008-2009 Aulia Masna unless otherwise noted
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Twitter: @aulia
Email: aulia dot m at gmail.com
Filed under
tips
Using Twimailer effectively
I signed up to Twimailer recently to better manage my Twitter followers. It certainly saves me at least one click and a tab switch because I no longer have to click on a link and switch to a new tab on my browser to see what my newest follower is like on Twitter.
While Twimailer takes over Twitter's email notification to include additional information that will help you decide whether to follow back the person who just followed you, it apparently tends to eat direct messages, as in it doesn't always email direct messages to your inbox.
Because I rely a lot on my email to monitor my direct messages, this is a crucial issue for me. This ingenious tip by @peppery via @beaugiles seems to be doing the trick as twitter still sends me regular notifications but as soon as there is a new follower notice, Gmail will forward it to my twimailer address and delete the original email before I get the chance to see it.
This way I get my direct messages directly from Twitter's notifications and my new follower email from Twimailer.
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Updating system and applications
Mac users can update their software via several methods. The most common of which is through Software Update which can be accessed from the Apple Menu on the top left hand corner oft the screen (see that Apple logo on the corner?). Through this piece of mechanism, Apple expects its customers to keep their Macs up to date.
Software Update
On the face of it, Software Update lets you choose which updates you want to install by clicking the check boxes and subsequently clicking the Install button at the bottom. But did you know you can also choose to only download the updates without installing them? Apple has yet to make this obvious but it's dead simple. All you have to do is select the updates you want to download and then click on the Update menu on the menu bar.
While the menu bar has always been an active part of an application, the user interface of Software Update makes this fact almost invisible, just like with the menu bar during Mac OS X installation or set up, which is the subject of next week's Mac tips.
When you download an update package, you'll find it in the Downloads folder. Double click that to install. If you have multiple Macs to update and have difficulties in going online, this should save you the trouble. However, keep note that some updates may be specific to a particular system, so they may not work on different Macs, namely the Mac OS X System Updates which does vary from system to system when downloaded via Software Update.
Support Downloads
A way to avoid this is to do it the old fashion way which is to go to Apple's Support Downloads site and download the updates manually. While this is not ideal, it saves the uncertainty and is the only way to get the Mac OS X Combo Update which will update your system to the latest version regardless which version you have.
A combo update is one that can be used to update a system directly from an early version to the latest as opposed to the Delta or standard update which has to be from a version immediately prior to the current.
Here's an example to make it easier to understand. If you have a Mac OS X 10.5.0 and want to go to 10.5.6 in one swoop, you need the Mac OS X 10.5.6 Combo Updater downloaded from Support Downloads. If you go via Software Update route, you'll have to download each update from 10.5.1 to 10.5.2 to 10.5.3, etc. If your system is already on one version prior to the latest, this method is not necessary but you’re still welcomed to do it.
If you have Mac OS X 10.4 or earlier and want to use 10.5.6 for example, you will have to buy 10.5 first from the stores or from Apple Online Store. This is call
Downside of the Combo Updater is it's massive. The 10.5.6 update will fill up an entire CD whereas the standard update takes up only half a CD. Personally, I always go for the Combo Update route because it also lets me use the updater on my colleagues' Macs and it's only one download. Standard updates mean you have to download each update one by one, impractical.
Avalanche of Updates
While Combo Updater is in my opinion a fantastic option from Apple, I can’t help but wonder why this is not an option for all their other apps. When I was a Mac instructor and makeshift admin at my previous job, I dread the days I see Macs with iLife and iWork that are yet to be updated or when I have to do a reinstall.
That’s because I have to install each update for each app one by one from my external HD. I’m not savvy enough to use Automator (Yes, it’s meant to be easy but I still have no idea how make it do what I need to do) so it’s all manual. I have to install the first batch of iLife app updates, then the second, then the third, then the fourth, and same goes with iWork. You cannot miss one update or it just won’t let you update to the latest version. Sometimes I had to do this for multiple Macs at the same time.
I’ll treat you lunch if you have a solution that works. My choice.
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Twitter @ Replies
When you're on Twitter you will often see @ replies.These are messages sent by people that are directed at a specific person but also available to the public. Rather different from direct messages or D's, also known as dm's in that direct messages are private between the sender and the receiver. @ replies can be read by anyone looking at your timeline of updates and can be searched via Twitter's search feature
So have you been receiving @ replies on your Twitter timeline from people you follow but not directed at you? Are these bothering you or would you like to know who your friends on Twitter are talking to just in case they're talking to someone who might catch your interest?
Either way, here's a tip to choose whether you see @ replies or not on your timeline.
When you log in to your Twitter account, click on the top right of the screen where it says Settings. Then you'll see the page as displayed below. Click on Notices and click again on the drop-down menu next to where it says @ Replies.
If you pick all @ replies, you'll see messages from people whose updates you follow regardless of the recipient.
Selecting @ replies to the people I'm following means you'll only see @ replies when the intended recipient is also someone whose update you follow. If your friend sends a message to someone you're not following, you won't see that message. Often this helps reduce noise and messages you're probably not interested in or not wanting to read. By default this should be your setting.
No @ replies means just that. You won't see conversations in your timeline, just regular updates from your friends. You will however see messages intended for you when you click the Replies tab to the right of the timeline. This is useful when you prefer not to see conversations at all. Often people use (or misuse) Twitter as a conversational tool like instant messaging and these can sometimes be overwhelming.
Two options on Notices that I find most useful are the ones I selected that sends me email whenever someone starts to follow me and whenever somebody sends me a direct message. Sometimes I'm not on Twitter, which means I'm in the middle of checking email while mobile. When somebody sends me a dm, I would know right away because the email would contain the message. Unfortunately right know you're not able to reply direct messages by email as far as I know so after reading a direct message on email, you'll have to go back to mobile Twitter or whatever Twitter client you use.
Once you're done with setting up your Twitter preferences, don't forget to click Save.
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