At about this time I do a Blog related review of the year so here goes…
Best Blog Discovery:
Last year it was Twitter & TweetDeck, This year it’s Twitter Lists. Lists allow you to group and see tweeps tweets without “following them”. Using this I went from following 1200+ to about 200 but still see all their tweets in subject based lists.
I had used lists but not realised the impact of listing without following until I tried to DM @noozeeland. I couldn’t as he wasn’t following me (the only downside) yet obviously saw and responded to my tweets. That's when I found how he used lists as later detailed in his post: Twitter Tip: Lists - How to & why
Best Comment:
Often the inspiration for a post is getting stuck, finding a solution and hoping it it will help someone else (or me as web searches occasionally lead back to my own blog!). That’s why this recent comment on an old ADT/ACA post made me smile:
“omg omg omg omg thankyou so much. i am just at the last plot of a hellish day, it's 10:30pm and i'm still at work. i couldnt plot or save and it was THE last thing i had to do before i go home. just type save and enter. THANKS”
Biggest Surprise?
I booked and paid to attend Autodesk University in September. Work sent me last year so this trip was on me. In November, a few weeks before the event, a media invite arrived from Autodesk which effectively credited the AU fee portion of my costs. Thanks Autodesk as it also means I’m ahead of budget saving for AU 2011!
Best Blog Event(s):
Autodesk University is always an awesome event, a chance to meet fellow bloggers and readers. However, this year it had stiff competition this year from another meeting which lived up to it’s AMAZ!NG title. For me the highlight of The Amaz!ng Meeting Australia was James Randi (below left). I’d read his books, seen him on video (TV and via the net) but the chance to hear his TAMOz sessions and meet him more than justified the trip to Sydney. However, TAMOz also meant meeting a fantastic bunch of people, social events (both official & fringe) and several days of fascinating sessions. My “Science Skeptic” Twitter list has 200+ tweeps and I met many of them on twitter, via the #TAMOZ tag, and at The Amaz!ng Meeting Australia.
An example of worlds overlapping was learning a fellow Kiwi at TAMOZ uses Autodesk Maya/Max for TV production!
Best Podcast(s):
Two tie for a recognition this year and both relate to TAMOZ. I first learnt of the event via The Skeptic Zone - - The Podcast from Australia for Science and Reason. They were also instrumental in organising TAMOz and recorded a podcast live on stage.
The Skeptics Guide to the Universe is a (mostly) US based podcast and they travelled down under to appear, and record a podcast at TAMOz. I listen to both regularly and it was great to see/meet the people who create them and be in the audience at a recording.
Blog Related Concern:
Say media, by which I mean SAYmedia.com. Videoegg acquired TypePad’s parent company Six Apart recently forming “SAY Media”. The concern is Say seem to be more focused on blogging as a business and this one isn’t. While they promise to maintain and enhance TypePad for non-commercial blogs it’s a bit unsettling.
Best New Blog Tool:
It isn’t exactly new but last year I had to switch from BlogJet to Live Writer. Although BlogJet has been fixed I haven’t gone back. Live Writer has been good and the 2011 update gave me another ribbon to love
“Doh!” of the year:
Trusting QANTAS to get me to Autodesk University 2010 on time: They didn’t.
You think I’d have learnt after the same thing happened going to AU 2009.
Thanks!
Thanks to all who visit, read, comment & write. Seasons Greetings and Happy New Year.
Boring Blog Stats (for me!)
TypePad Community: 74 [39] Following | 106 [53] Followers [2009 figures]
Twitter: 281 [608] Following* | 824 [473] Followers | 88 [24] Listed
* Lower as I’m now following another 1,000 or so just using lists.
RobiNZ CAD Blog
Posts: 1811 [1654] | Comments: 1440 [1241] | Pages: 8 [5]
Page Views: Total: 906,273 [750,905] | Average Per Day: 368.10 [358.90]
FeedBurner Subscribers: 4023 [2652]
Most Popular Post from 2010: The CorelDRAW X4 error 24 – details and an offer - I suspect because it linked to a very generous offer from Corel regarding a license issue.
Most visited post of 2010 was from 2008: Revit and AutoCAD's Visual Styles - A SketchUp alternative? – No idea why!
RobiNZ Personal Blog
Posts: 1777 [1637] | Comments: 921 [840]
Page Views: Total: 294,119 [243,794] | Average Per Day: 138.41 [138.52]
FeedBurner Subscribers: 158 [98]
Most Popular Post from 2010: Why the Fiat Bravo HGT Interior photo? – A post about my most visited Flickr image became the most visited post!
Most visited post of 2010 was from 2005: Auckland City for Microsoft Flight Simulator - Real New Zealand – Either lots of Flightsim fans or, more likely, searches because of the Auckland City/Super City elections.
