McFadden Place » Web 2.0

Web optimization - Pingdom

Michael McFadden — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:13:20 +0000

This post is not as exciting as pictures of Campbell but it does highlight a pretty cool tool anyone can use to test the speed of a web page. Go to http://tools.pingdom.com

How it works

The Full Page Test loads a complete HTML page including all objects (images, CSS, JavaScripts, RSS, Flash and frames/iframes). It mimics the way a page is loaded in a web browser.

The load time of all objects is shown visually with time bars.

You can view the list of objects either in load order or as a hierarchy. The hierarchy view allows you to see which objects are linked to in for example a CSS file.

Every test also shows general statistics about the loaded page such as the total number of objects, total load time, and size including all objects.

Note: This version doesn't load objects included in JavaScripts. We have also put a limit on the number and size of the objects that are loaded (to prevent the tool from downloading movies, for example).

This Full Page Test was inspired by the OctaGate SiteTimer. We liked what they did and wanted to take the idea one step further.

Pingdom - The Uptime Company

Visit Pingdom Tools and test your website.

Pomona High School class of 96 entreprenuer

Michael McFadden — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:31:06 +0000

Check it out. Eric Schell (PHS '96) has recently launched IndieGoGo.com, an «online social marketplace connecting filmmakers and fans to make independent film happen». Eric and I played on the golf team back in the day. Since then Eric has been roaming the world and now has settled down (sort of) in Berekely and founded a company with two other friends. Most recently they were featured on TheAlarmClock, and Eric's partner, Slava gave a great interview.

Anniversary Bike Ride in Santa Barbara

Michael McFadden — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 21:37:00 +0000

We had a great trip to Santa Barbara for our anniversary. We took a beautiful bike ride up Mountain Drive and then up the coast. You can see our route on this new tool/site I found : Sanoodi (not sure what the name means but it's pretty cool).

Source: http://www.sanoodi.com

Name: SB Bike Ride
Activity: Cycling
Location: Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Total Time (h:m:s): 01:00:00
Moving speed (mph): 15.8 (avg.) 16.9 (max.)
Distance (miles): 15.8
Elevation Gain: 800 ft

In addition to our outdoor adventure we spent some time navigating around the town. It happened to be the final weekend of the SB international film festival. We saw Al Gore and Forrest Whitaker that weekend. Even though we didn't plan the weekend around the film festival we dicided we better not miss out... we watched a great documentary called Darius Goest West. I think Kelly is going to write a little more on the film and the impact it had on use later this month. In the meantime, check out the site (link above).

Resource for bloggers

Michael McFadden — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 00:48:00 +0000

Check out problogger for some useful tips on blogging. The tips range from design to promotion, voice to affiliate programs. If you blog, this site is worth reading and subscribing to the RSS feed.

Make Money Online with ProBlogger Blog Tips

Enjoy.

How far did you walk/run?

Michael McFadden — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 06:52:00 +0000

So Kelly and I have been trying walk/run/bike more this year. Well, let me rephrase that, Kelly has a great track record of taking walks and runs. I have a slightly more vacant excercise chart. However, in the last month I have 4 runs, 1 bike ride, and several walks. We'll see if I can keep it up. If you're wondering what kind of walks/runs/bike rides are going on check out the links below. I think you'll enjoy the program.

The walk/run route around Balboa Island is 2.6185 miles.
ht tp://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=655635

My first bike ride of 2007 was about 9.0527 miles.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=655800

How did we know the exact mileage? Check out the website http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ and find out for yourself.

Free 411 Calls

Michael McFadden — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 18:22:00 +0000

For those in the US, add this number to your speed dial

1-800-Free-411 (1-800-373-3411)

That's right, free information calls. No more $2 charges on your phone bills. You do have to listen to a 10-15 second advert but it's worth it.

Check 'em out at www.free411.com

PS You probably don't want to call 1-800-411-Free (it's an adult phone site).

Best Web 2.0 Acquisition Bait

Michael McFadden — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 02:03:00 +0000

Check out WIRED magazine's recent top 10 web 2.0 acquisition bait.

Wired 15.01: START

1. FACEBOOK This social networking site is gaining on MySpace as the hipster destination. Reportedly, it spurned a $750 million offer in hopes of netting $2 billion.

2. DIGG Claiming 20 million users a month, Digg is the Mack Daddy of news filters. News Corp. is rumored to have flirted with a purchase, but Rupert rejected the reported $150 million asking price.

3. TECHMEME Think Google News for tech blogs. The well-trafficked aggregator also has drill-downs for gossip, politics, and baseball. A deep-pocketed owner could easily extend it to dozens of other niches.

4. WIKIPEDIA You know it. Heck, you prob-ably contribute to it. The crush of traffic would be a financial windfall for any buyer, but the site is famously independent. Founder Jimmy Wales won't even accept banner ads.

5. ZILLOW Thanks to this real estate data hound, everyone can know what you paid for your house, give or take a few grand. Accuracy is questionable, but every savvy home buyer has the site bookmarked.

6. TECHNORATI How else do you find out what the blogosphere is saying? The site tracks 59.7 million blogs, a few of which might even be talking smack about you.

7. WORDPRESS The new de rigueur blog-management software, WordPress is favored by the majority of high-traffic posters. One caveat: It's open source and unlikely to accept a corporate come-on.

8. FEEDBURNER Probably the largest, most reliable provider of RSS services, FeedBurner cleans up and reformats RSS for blog sites. It then channels the feeds to nearly 30 million subscribers.

9. 37SIGNALS With its vaunted collection of Web-based collaboration and shared productivity tools (to-do lists, calendars, and so forth), 37signals offers the most genuinely useful service here.

10. RIYA This photo-search engine's signature site, like.com, helps shoppers find celebrity-look-alike fashions. Still in alpha, it might change the way we sort through images.

I'm familiar, and a user, of 7 of the top ten. I've heard of Riya and Wordpress but have not used either and I've never heard of Techmeme. I'll have to check those out soon.

Kudos to Facebook though. I would agree that they are next up in the major web 2.0 acquisition game.