This is something of a personal post and an invitation for everyone in the Pittsburgh area to come along and have a good time and wonderful people and great coffee (and more).
Affogato is one of the area’s best kept little secrets. Located on Lincoln avenue in Bellevue, Affogato is a great, artsy, friendly, inexpensive little coffee shop.
The owner, Victoria (a friend and my Cadbury Chocolate supplier)  is looking for new business and decorating ideas to keep the business running.  She’s reaching out to the local Twitter and Social Media Community for ideas and hosting a TweetUp.

It’s businesses like Affogato that any town, large or small needs to keep it alive. Yes, there’s a time and a place for chains and franchises but small businesses like this, they’re special.
Where else can you find a whole lunch for (truly) less than $5, free Wifi, and such friendly personal service. Every time I go in there I get my ‘usual’ – it’s a Vietnamese something – the point is that the staff there know what it is and that I don’t have to remember to ask for it!
Stop by, check it out. See what Victoria has to say below:

Come by Wednesday evening to hang out at your favorite Pittsburgh coffee shop. Affogato’s in trouble, and we need you to help! Just coming out and buying a coffee will help, or brainstorm with Victoria about ways to redecorate and promote the biz. Of course, you’re also welcome to just show up and say hi too.
We’ll have plenty of panini options, some homemade soup, a variety of baked goods, and of course all our delicious espresso drinks, coffee, loose tea and unique sodas.
We’ll be playing the Pens game on the radio, and you are welcome to BYOB (or wine or liquor or whatever you like).

Wednesday March 24th 6.30pm – 8.30pm

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I was playing around with some design stuff recently and thought I’d record this moreso for my own reference than anything but feel free to use it

In web site design, you have a cater to different browser sizes, different window sizes and different computer screen resolutions. Fixed dimensions aren’t always the best answer.

There’s a little piece of CSS code you can use to define a background image and make it full window width no matter how large or small the browser window is.

See below:

body {
background: url(background image URL here) no-repeat;
background-size:100%
}

I’ve found that this code works best for me. Do you know of a better one? what works for you in your designs?

How often do you buy a product before you or anyone you know have seen it?

Normally, when you buy something you see it on a shelf, you get to manhandle it, play with it, test it, drive it, heck at grocery stores they even let you taste food before you commit to buying it.

There have been nearly 200,000 people who have preordered the Apple iPad, they haven’t placed their hands on it, they haven’t seen it in ‘person’, it’s unlikely that someone they know has recommended one to them because there isn’t one to recommend. In fact, there are those who suggest not buying one until you know what it does do.

At Apple’s keynote unveiling of the iPad there were what, 400 people? Most of these people got to try out the iPad there and then. 400 people out of 200,000 isn’t a lot at all.

Even now, there are previously unknown features coming to light and still a lot of questions yet to be answered.

But still, hundreds of thousands of people have spent between $500 and $900 or more on a product that hasn’t yet hit the market.

So, why? are we all crazy?

I’ve heard it said that Apple isn’t selling so much a product, they’re selling more of an experience. This is true – when you turn on an Apple computer, you know what it’s going to do. When you pick up an iPod or iPhone you’ll know how to use it.
When you pick up an iPad, the idea is that you’ll know what to expect and how to use it. Anything that the iPad does that isn’t… iPod-ish but iPad-ish will be nothing more than a pleasant surprise, a bonus.

Yes, I have an iPad on the way. It’s a 16GB, 3G Version. I figure that even if it is just a huge iPod/iPhone, that’ll be enough for me. Anything else is gravy.

What are your thoughts? have you ordered one? did you have second thoughts when you realized how little you know about what you bought?

(ARA) – The warmer months are always a great time to do a little spring cleaning, but don’t ignore the digital gadgets and gizmos you have laying around the house. It’s probably been months since you organized your computer files, or double-checked the batteries in your emergency devices to make sure everything is ready to go when you need it.

So get organized this spring, and make sure you add all your digital devices to the list. Here are some tips for tackling a digital spring cleaning:

* Start with your computer, because you might be surprised at how much faster it processes information when it’s organized. De-clutter your e-mail inbox by sorting e-mails into folders or deleting messages you don’t need any longer. You might discover communications you forgot to respond to, or work that you put on your “later” list that really needs to get done immediately. Also, run a defragmenting software program for the hard drive and remove any unwanted items from your desktop so you can find everything quickly and easily.
* Switch out the old batteries in all your small electronics. Restock your pantry with batteries to get prepared for power needs that usually come up at a moment’s notice. Look for Duracell’s  AA and AAA battery packs that now offer 20 percent more batteries for the same price. Some of the electronic items you can replace batteries in include your digital camera, remote controls, alarm clocks, flashlights, toys and pagers. By changing out all the used batteries with fresh ones, you can guarantee that these electronic items you rely on will be ready to go when you need them.

* Change the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Your family’s safety is very important and you rely on these two detectors to alert everyone in a time of emergency. Fire departments across the country recommend replacing batteries in detectors when you change your clock for Daylight Savings Time. “A working smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector is the simplest way to protect yourself and your family from a fire,” says Nicholas Scoppetta, commissioner of the New York Fire Department.

* Combine your digital spring cleaning with your regular organization of receipts, tax records, car repair receipts and anything else you would file in a cabinet. Scan in documents you need to keep and save them to your hard drive as well as to a back-up  external memory drive, such as a Duracell  Flash memory card or USB Flash Drive. This system allows you to shrink your storage needs while maintaining easy access.

With a digitally clean house, you are making your life a little more organized while also staying prepared for any technical emergencies that might arise. So get your cleaning going now, and enjoy your clutter-free house. Visit www.duracell.com to learn more.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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(ARA) – As we enter the second decade of the millennium, screen technology, Internet connectivity and 3D capability are transforming the experience of watching television, experts say.  

A new study from Opinion Research Corporation found that nearly two-thirds of U.S. households now have a high-definition television (HDTV), and another 12 percent are looking to purchase one in the next two years. If the market plays out like this research suggests, by the year 2013 approximately three out of four American households will have upgraded to a flat-screen HDTV.

At this year’s International Consumer Electronics Show, HDTV manufacturers showed off the latest and greatest in flat-screen technology and offered a sneak peek of what’s ahead for HD in 2010. According to Gary Arlen, noted industry analyst, anyone currently in the market for a flat screen HDTV should consider these emerging trends:

Thin, thinner, thinnest

Ultra-slim units are all the rage, with HDTV manufacturers showing sets that are less than an inch thick. “While the difference may seem small, the impact to a room’s decor is monumental,” Arlen says. Ultra-thin flat screens, like LG’s LEX8 LED HDTV, which as the world’s slimmest full LED HDTV, measures only 7.1 mm in depth, can go virtually anywhere in the home. “In addition to their ultra-thin design, these LED models offer the latest technology with more high-tech upgrades and are often more energy efficient than older models,” Arlen notes.
3D comes to your living room

According to a new study from DisplaySearch, global sales of 3D-ready TVs will grow from 200,000 units in 2009 to 1.2 million units in 2010. By 2018, there will be 64 million 3D units available. New 3D-enabled HDTVs, like the LEX9 and LX9500 LED HDTVs from LG Electronics, will make you feel like you are a part of the movie or on the field with the team, bringing the action to life in your own living room.

“The 3D effects grab your attention and bring your entertainment experience to the next dimension. Most 3D-enabled sets require glasses to view 3D content, but the viewing experience is so lifelike that it’s easy to forget you’re wearing them,” adds Arlen, who heads Arlen Communications Inc, a Bethesda, Md., research firm.

Endless content options

Sure, you can access the Internet from your smart phone – not to mention your laptop, desktop and netbook – but now you can have full access to thousands of movies that stream instantly to your TV as well as a full menu of Yahoo! Widgets. Manufacturers at CES were offering an abundance of content options. LG’s 2010 line of net-enabled plasma and LED TVs, offers seamless connectivity and limitless content.

“This allows viewers to stream entertainment content from Netflix, YouTube and VUDU directly to the TV,” Arlen explains. “It adds options and choice, bringing the desktop or laptop experience to the living room.”

Beyond the entertainment options, the NetCast also offers a Skype feature, so you can make free calls via the Internet and communicate with family and friends from the comfort of your own living room.

More for your entertainment dollar

HDTVs can now be found in about 60 percent of American homes. Arlen predicts that the approximately 45 million households that don’t yet own one will find budget-friendly pricing will make it easier than ever to acquire and HD set in 2010.

“The slow economy has actually fueled HDTV sales as more Americans look for cost-effective ways to get the most for their entertainment dollars while spending time with their families,” he says. “Consumers recognize that the investment in an HDTV provides long-term entertainment for the family. ”

To learn more about HDTV trends, prices and technology, visit www.LGusa.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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I had an interesting conversation recently about a local newspaper and why it should have a web site.

The argument was that the average reader age of this publication is possibly just a little less than 200 years old. No reader is going to stop using the paper and get online and look at the site instead.
Of course, I argued that the current readership doesn’t have to drop their newspaper and take up reading online. This is what prompted this post

The first thing I ask my clients is, “why do you want a web site?”. This is a question that either prompts a puzzled, perplexed or thoughtful look or a knee-jerk answer.
Sometimes I hear “because the boss said so” or “because PR said so” or even “because we don’t have one”.

I often either don’t get an answer or am told “everything!” when I ask “what do you want it to do?”.

Your site can be either of two things. It can be a source or a resource…. or something of both.

Your site is a source:

Readers come directly to your site for information, they type your address in their address bar and read what you have to say.
eg. I use IMDB a whole lot – I go to the IMDB.com site and search for movies, actors, etc. etc. for me, IMDB.com is a resource.

Definitively you’d call this Direct Traffic.

Your site is a resource:

If you were to fire up Google and search for ‘Tattoo Text’ or ‘Facebook badges’ TechBurgh would be one of the first sites in the search results.
I created TechBurgh.com as a resource. Mostly for me but you’re welcome to use it too. I needed somewhere to keep my information and handy links. It’s a resource and is accessed by internal or external searching. More than 65% of all traffic to TechBurgh is from search engines, proving my point (and that I know a little about SEO )

This is called search engine referral traffic.

You’re both?

Wikipedia is a great example of how sites can be both sources and resources. If you use a search engine to look for pretty much anything, Wikipedia will have an entry in the top few search results.
There is a lot of direct traffic to Wikipedia too. Users type in the Wikipedia address and use the site as a reference.

Which do you need to be? Well, it’s a good idea to have in mind whether you want to be a source or a resource. It’s something of a objective.
In the case of the newspaper it has pretty much been decided already. Yes, the current readership isn’t going to solely access the site alone to get their news, however there are many, many people all over the World who will search for something online that will happen to have been written about in the newspaper and will show up in a search result or will be linked to from another site.
There would be such a mass of information from a business such as a newspaper that it would be such a shame not to post it online and make this resource available to the global population.

Try not to think just of your target audience whether it is online or offline. Think instead of the broader picture. Think or your potential audience.

If you know me, you’ll know that I’m a big Woopra advocate, I love my iPhone too. Wouldn’t it be great it there was some way to bring the two together?

There soon will be! The fine folks at Woopra are developing a Woopra iPhone app.

I use Woopra as one of my main analytics engines and have done since it was in private beta.

As it stands, the app looks really great – giving you a live look at visitors to your site on an animated screen with the ability to look at what individual users are doing on your site.

There’s way to much to go into in a post so watch the video below to see how the app works and check out Woopra.com to learn more about Woopra

See more here

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of LeapFish Inc. All opinions are 100% mine.

I came across this terribly dramatic video about where Internet Search has been and where it might very well be going.
We live in a society of instant everything, and although it’s close, web search isn’t quite instant.  Web search isn’t live, it’s not quite…. real time.

We need it all now. It’s been proven time and time again. Celebrity deaths, natural disasters, man-made emergencies and more. We want all the information, we want “live on the scene” we want people tweeting, we want steaming video and more. You and I are pushing the media to do it all more instantly if at all possible.

The Internet in it’s essence was always individuals, businesses and groups posting information to the World Wide Web. It still is. What changed though?
Well, we’re not looking at grandma’s cookie recipes, uncle Mo’s conspiracy theories, text based chat rooms and bulletin boards and more. We’re looking at sharing the information that is now. We’re sharing current and instant.

The Internet evolved and you pushed that evolution.

Look at Facebook and Twitter – they don’t ask “what did you do?” or “what have you done?” Twitter asks “What’s happening?” Facebook asks “What’s on your mind?” they’re looking for doing types of words, active words, now words.

Yes, the Internet was always…’created’ by people, content was published in forums and on web sites. Online content is so much more… personal now. It’s far more accessible than it ever was. Links spread like wild-fire, information changes hands. Sources ask questions, initiate conversations and make things happen. The public is doing a better job of driving the media. In fact, the media is reaching out to their public for the news.

This all has to be indexed. There has to be some form of cataloging all of this now information, doesn’t there?

Search engines, in their simplest form, haven’t changed a whole lot over the past 10 years. Type what you’re looking for into a box and get a page with a list of results – as they see fit to give them to you.
Don’t get me wrong, search results are faster, more accurate, and overall.. better now than they ever have been. Search engine indexing is great and I make a living telling people how to look better to search engines, but the box and results principles are still there.

Search engines have to change, there has to be an evolution in search. Search engines have to step it up another notch and look at what is happening now. It’ll be remarkably difficult but it’s possible.
Look at Twitter for example. Wouldn’t you want more authoritative tweets to rank higher on search engines? wouldn’t you want results to look at conversations on your chosen topic? How about considering information coming from professionals in an arena rather than someone just making an off-handed comment?

Where do you see search going? what do you want to see in the Search Engine of the future? are aggregation services like leapfish going to move in where search engines are dropping the real-time ball?

NEW YORK, March 5, 2010 — Let’s face it: craigslist’s
heyday as a vital and useful marketplace is past. These
days, nearly all that remains is a haven for spam, a mass of
confusion and red tape for legitimate users, and a fading
realm of influence. It’s high time for some improvements on
the "community marketplace" theme to make it more suited to
today’s truly global community and economy. That is the
perspective of http://www.GlobalListings.org, a new forum
specializing in global, national, or multi-area classified
ads that says it has arrived to fill the void.

While craigslist.org states, "If your ad is equally relevant
to all locations, your ad does not belong on local
craigslist sites at all," GlobalListings acknowledges that
there are many valid reasons for posting on a national or
even multi-national scale. If a business or service is
international in scope – or could become so in the future –
why limit its potential?
Imagine that a consulting firm needs to hire a fantastic
copywriter, but doesn’t care whether they telecommute from
London, Miami or Sydney. Or perhaps an artist or artisan
living in Madrid is seeking to sell products that can easily
be shipped anywhere in the world. While craigslist only
allows local ads by its very design, the GlobalListings team
understands and supports the idea that much of today’s
business is conducted on an international scale.

GlobalListings offers solutions to many of the problems that
have long plagued craigslist. Instead of polluting the
database with millions of low-quality ads that only attract
more spammers, GlobalListings feels that the time visitors
invest in posting and searching needs to yield results. With
quality built into the system and the cost per ad depending
on the circulation area, spammers are automatically
discouraged, and commerce has room for exponential growth.

Ads placed on GlobalListings can be set to remain online as
long as they are relevant, rather than needing to be
re-posted frequently – a fix to another key craigslist flaw.

"For Sale" listings on GlobalListings.org are a
cost-effective alternative to using eBay, a major craigslist
shareholder.

"There are thousands of postings on the Internet where
disappointed craigslist customers vent out their
frustration, so we took it upon ourselves to develop a
better platform," said Alex Konanykhin, the President of
KMGi, an internationally acclaimed interactive production
company. Founded in 1997, KMGi has provided online solutions
to such clients as Intel, Google, Boeing, Molson Coors, CNN,
DuPont, General Electric, Macromedia, Pfizer, Aventis,
Verizon, Volvo, Accenture, Energizer, CBS, MTV, Best
Western, Washington Post, and Siemens. KMGi also owns
various online portals including BidsFromLawyers.com,
AllPublicists.com and SyndicatedNews.us.

The world may be feeling smaller these days, but with
classified ads on GlobalListings.org, every business has
limitless room to expand its horizons.

Everyone take a breath.  How much technology, information, statistics & convenience do we need?  Will be living in the world depicted in movies such as Wall-E, Idiocracy and Surrogates?  Do we need more so we can do less?

I have to admit that I was hesitant to guest write for a blog called Techburgh.  I poked around here and found things that I never heard of and will never use. I see references to technological wizardry that I will never understand.  Then, I had an ‘Aha’ moment.  If Andy walked into my world and looked around at over 400 bottles of American craft beer, listened in on my meetings where we discuss pairing chocolate beers with raspberries and cashews, or infusing an American craft beer with bourbon soaked oak, he might be a bit overwhelmed with it all too.  He might be interested to learn a little more, but he’d be satisfied by just tasting the final product, rather than worrying about the sources and the methods used to bring that amazing beer to his taste buds.

I took those concepts above and shook them around in my snow globe of a brain, which led to a bit of personal growth on my part, or at least personal acceptance and understanding of just how technology has improved my quality of life. I am old enough to have owned an Insta-matic camera with a big square disposable flash bulb.  I had a Walkman that was just a transistor radio and a cassette player.  As a teen I fought to use the one telephone in my household which was on a 25ft cord enabling private conversations in closets and on porch roofs.  I am also old enough to remember that my dad’s cars were all rear wheel drive, and that he would ‘can’ cucumbers, peaches and tomatoes to last throughout the winter.  Today, I will gladly admit: I love my digital SLR, my satellite music on my XM Roady, my smart phone, front wheel drive and traction control, and the convenience of a fresh vegetable being a just few miles away year round.

So yes, change is good, new technology save lives, entertains us and helps us do the tasks we must do just a bit better.  Now, enter the idea of social media, (which is what this blog is supposed to be about) location based services, cell phones that are smarter than their users, and placing your most important and previously, private thoughts all over the world through something called twitter or facebook.  Again, I was hesitant. Wow, everyone can hear me think!  This is a change that might not be so good for some.  I will sit on the sideline here and see what this is all about.  I don’t really want to be texting instructions to the staff, or accepting their texts for call offs.  I surely don’t want to know whether they are playing Mafia Wars rather than working.  I don’t want to be a spy or voyeur in this world, nor do I want to be spied upon.  Can I get past this? Is forty-five the line for me, to say “Go ahead technologically advanced world, pass me by.”  Is this a mid-life crisis?  Will I have to hire a social media coordinator? What is a social media coordinator?  Do I need an IT person?  Wait, what does IT stand for again?

As I wrestled with just how much was enough, along comes another player to this game, foursquare.  Here, this is really creepy stuff… Oh, good, this is exactly what I don’t like about this all, right in a nutshell.  Why does anyone need to know this stuff?  What is the benefit? Why do I care if someone is picking up their dry cleaning or buying shoes?  Why would I want to tell anyone what I am doing and when?  I hope most everyone is too busy for this one. It’s gonna #fail.  Ha, ha, slang and a hash tag is creeping into my everyday lexicon.  What is going on?  I think I am actually getting caught up in this.  (I hope I don’t use an emoticon before this is done.)

As a business owner, I realized I never accept status quo and I have to push the envelope daily, these social media leaders do the same.  By the time I am done writing this there will be a new gadget or widget, a new platform, and we will all adjust.  I had to hop in.  I don’t want to be on the outside looking in.  My personal makeup won’t let me.  So here I am with a fan page, a few twitter accounts and now a foursquare ‘special offer.’ Most all it is for the business, but some of it is personal, too.  I just put the foursquare application on my phone last week to understand it better, and I have to admit, it is fun.  I am already the mayor of something!  It’s not too creepy.  If someone is going to creep on you, they can do it with or without social media.  And hell, let them creep away, if they have nothing better to do.  If you’re talking, you ought to want someone to notice, right?  If you are bothering to type your innermost thoughts, check in, post a picture of your dinner, voice frustrations or give advice, someone better be on the other end of the ‘conversation.’

So hop right in, if you want, understand it or don’t.  I am glad it is there and I don’t need to understand API, GPS, or 3G to get by.  I just need to understand that there are many new ways of communicating out there, and that I, personally, love to communicate and that my business needs these channels to grow.  Thank you ‘technogadgetry’ for giving me new avenues to share my thoughts, my living history, and a few swear words and emoticons.  Oh, and the benefits from a business stand point are endless.  Here is a living billboard!  Social media has given us a free method for reaching a targeted audience, a way to embrace your fans, followers, and mayors. No matter what you call them, they are your customers.  You ought hang out your sign in this virtual world, or the train will not stop at your station.

So the next time someone stops for just a minute, hopefully they will be checking in on foursquare, shouting something to someone, and adding something new to this world, and if you do your part right, it may just be about you or your business!

You can find Chris on twitter @uncapd, her business, Bocktown Beer and Grill is there too: @bocktowntaphot Search Facebook for Bocktown and become a fan.  Check in on foursquare if you make it to her restaurant located just moments off the Robinson Town Centre exit and give her a shout.

Chris Dilla is currently working on opening a second Bocktown Beer and Grill in Monaca, Pennsylvania.  She’s dreaming of five restaurants in the area, and a future where she actually has time to blog, consult and play with her dog, Growler.  She secretly hopes someone will get around to inventing a usb port for her brain, so she doesn’t have to sit and type it all out.

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