New #WebGradEngine V2

A week on from the first release of The Web Grad Engine and I'm already rolling out V2.

Presenting http://www.webgrad.co.uk

What's new?

• More Twitter keyword searches integrated into one feed for better results
• Facebook Like button
• A designated Twitter account for your suggestions - @WebGrad
• It's own domain name - webgrad.co.uk
• More results from feeds. No 50 results per feed
• More RSS feeds from other websites included
• A deeper explanation of the project found under 'Info' tab

Hope you like the improvements!

For more updates on the Web Grad Engine follow @WebGrad on Twitter

Posted via email from City&Wool's Posterous

#WebGradEngine V2 In The Making

Today has been the release of The Web Grad Engine V1 and I'm already buzzing with ideas for V2 which will be the next update. The reason for V1 being so limited in gathering information is because I wanted to get the ball rolling. Now it's a case of adding to improve usability and scope in the information it provides to the user.

Some notes I wrote down last night for V2 include the following -

Merging different Twitter searches into one feed

Although merging these Twitter feeds will remove their avatars, just provide the user with a link to that particular Tweet, it might provide users with better quality of information. Last night while keeping track of the Twitter feed I noticed a Twitter user tweeting back to those who mentioned they 'need web designer.' This user would then tweet 'Hey, I here you need a web designer.' This would trigger my search to pick his tweet up too resulting in a mass of reply tweets. In merging the three it would break these mass reply tweets up.

Styling & Extras

Maybe some custom colours relating to where the information has come from for the RSS feeds. May be a little difficult as it will all be coming from one feed.

Adding in some more social media connections, for example, a Facebook 'like' button and Twitter stream for updates and developments on the Web Grad Engine.

More columns for more information to be displayed. These columns will have vertical scroll bars to hold more results but not increasing the page length.

Contact form for suggesting improvements, more RSS feeds sources, etc. Also a deeper 'About' page explaining the reason for creation and the face behind the product.

Further Expansion Ideas (V3+)

Although not a key aim of the project yet, I have considered adding in some adverts relating to the subject of web design and job hunting as this could act as a source of income to keep the project going. I have however postponed this part of the project as I want to aggregate quality content, build up visitors, Twitter followers and general website assets then go on to selling ad spaces.

Adding in location based real-time results with Geolocation or post code/city being inputted manually. This would then improve the quality of the results.

For more updates on the Web Grad Engine follow @WebGrad on Twitter

Posted via email from City&Wool's Posterous

Introducing The #WebGradEngine - The Graduate Web Designer's Aggregator

Over the last few days, and as my graduation has got closer, I've wanted to increase my job searching capabilities. What better way to do this than through a single page that updates in real-time!

Using a custom search in Twitter and multiple 'Web Design jobs' RSS feeds combined into one RSS feed, I'm creating some sort of a custom TweekDeck for job hunting.

As I slowly develop it into including more RSS feeds and better custom searches through Twitter I hope that this will be a product that can help any type of Web Designer looking for work.

Being released as Version 1, I know it's not perfect but the information it's gathering is so I wanted to be able to share it as early as possible.

Feel free to add suggestions of RSS Feeds or particular Twitter searches you might use. I am wanting to add in multiple searches like 'need web & designer' being one, 'want, web & designer' being another and 'hire, web & designer' being a third. These are ones I've used in the past and have worked.

I've also considered a Freelance section and a Professional section. Freelance being more small jobs picked up through Twitter, then Professional being more permanent job related.

Well, here it is for you're enjoyment...

The #WebGradEngine found at http://webgrad.cityandwool.co.uk

Posted via email from IMPS

Introducing The #WebGradEngine - The Graduate Web Designer's Aggregator

Over the last few days, and as my graduation has got closer, I've wanted to increase my job searching capabilities. What better way to do this than through a single page that updates in real-time!

Using a custom search in Twitter and multiple 'Web Design jobs' RSS feeds combined into one RSS feed, I'm creating some sort of a custom TweekDeck for job hunting.

As I slowly develop it into including more RSS feeds and better custom searches through Twitter I hope that this will be a product that can help any type of Web Designer looking for work.

Being released as Version 1, I know it's not perfect but the information it's gathering is so I wanted to be able to share it as early as possible.

Feel free to add suggestions of RSS Feeds or particular Twitter searches you might use. I am wanting to add in multiple searches like 'need web & designer' being one, 'want, web & designer' being another and 'hire, web & designer' being a third. These are ones I've used in the past and have worked.

I've also considered a Freelance section and a Professional section. Freelance being more small jobs picked up through Twitter, then Professional being more permanent job related.

Well, here it is for you're enjoyment...

The #WebGradEngine found at http://webgrad.cityandwool.co.uk

Posted via email from City&Wool's Posterous

Getting Your News Through Social Media

Four hours ago the news of a possible stabbing incident/hostage situation at Nottingham Trent University Clifton campus library started to emerge on Facebook and Twitter.

The big tweet that kicked it all off

I then wanted to keep up to date with any developments so started to follow the situation realtime through Google. This was done by using some keywords to narrow the search.

Within an hour of it hitting Twitter @FlyFM_News were on it! Various tweets from a collection of tweeters then followed as the real details emerged of the situation.

This then resulted in a full press release from the Nottinghamshire Police to clarify on what actually happened.

 

Due to students using Twitter and Facebook the news was 'escalated' but it also reminded me of a story I came across about five journalists planning on locking themselves away in a French farmhouse with access only to Facebook and Twitter to test the quality of news from the social networking and micro-blogging sites. This was back in January 2010.

Unfortunately I couldn't find any outcome to the experiment either.

I then stumbled upon this interesting article that referred to the French experiment as 'flawed' and highlighting that social media is a conversation, not a newswire.

To add to that, tonight I've seen an interesting side to news and Twitter. Although you can get one off tweets that people could start taking as fact, you also have the conversation that develops from that which brings out more clarity to the situation. In hearing murmurs of a shooting, stabbing, kidnapping or any sort of situation you can always rely on journalists, which in this case were our very own Fly FM team, that are ready to explore the credibility of the initial statement.

For me tonight has highlighted the power that one tweet can have in sparking conversation, but it has also highlighted the importance of testing the credibility of statements before taking them as fact. Within 3 hours a short tweet gets put straight by a Police statement. A crazy night for news through social media.

Posted via email from City&Wool's Posterous

What Twitter Really Wants to do to Facebook

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Facebook vs Titter - An Infographic

via gigaom.com

Interesting to see the figures on users following brands and users that follow brands that will purchase that specific brand too. Seems like Twitter has a more personal connection with users that actually use their products. Good for customer service.

Posted via email from City&Wool's Posterous

I've Come to a Big Conclusion!

I have successfully been able to research ways of how I might approach getting work experience or a work placement and conclude that networking is crucial to my success and very important. Through self-promotion and using social media sites to network, I see these as invaluable ways of getting my name and work known by other designers and design agencies.

In light of this, I will be improving my online portfolio by wiping off the cobwebs and updating it regularly with more current work and blog articles, signing up to more designers and agencies via Twitter feeds to get a wider understanding of their thoughts and works and I will also start signing up for newsletters and RSS feeds in order to increase my knowledge of certain works within the wider industry of interactive media.

I have also come to realise that creating a creative CV in an innovative way and sending it to different design agencies and companies would be a unique way in which I could get my foot in the door.

In doing all these steps, I will ultimately develop myself as a multimedia practitioner on an interactive pathway and be developing and expanding my network as a whole to help me in getting work experience or a work placement in the near future.

OK, it sounds very 'essay-like,' (which it is) but over the Christmas holidays I hope to start putting into action these methods highlighted. I've started by re-jigging my blog template and adding various links to my top bar.

Over the next few weeks, I will be giving my online portfolio a new like of paint and trying to design something that can be implemented throughout my other social media links, for example, my blog and Twitter pages.