I have a bad case of the changes. That is, I don’t spend too much time sporting one item. Usually this applies to purses, but lately I’ve been itching for some new iPhone gear. Well this itch couldn’t have come at a better time because I just found these awesome iPhone cases!

Unfortunately, after checking out the Etsy shop that makes these, I learned that they’re sold out. Boo-urns. Hopefully they’ll be restocked soon because my geeky heart is in love.

Do you use an iPhone case? Know where I can find a super cute one that isn’t too girly, but doesn’t scream “I eat babies!”?

Just found this CollegeHumor parody of the Internet set to a West Side Story medley. Twitter, Pandora, eHarmony and Evite are just a few of the sites mentioned.

Web Site Story

I’m not going to lie…Tony can come back to Myspace and Twitter all over my Facebook. (Thanks Threadless.)

The other day someone asked me how I sorted through my following/followers list on Twitter. I find that this can be quite a daunting process when you have numbers in the triple digits.

What I look at immediately: Profile picture, bio statement and number of updates/followers/following.

I start the sorting process the minute I am notified of a new follower. I always go to their profile and check their stats: how many followers do they have and how many times have they updated? If they’re following 100+, but only have 1-10 followers, it makes me feel a little odd about returning the follow. If they’re following 100+ and I can count the number of times they’ve updated on one hand, then I definitely don’t follow.

Twitter is not a numbers game. I look at Twitter as an opportunity for conversation. I can have a quality conversation with one or ten people. If you make it obvious you’re only after a number, I will block you.

I admit that sometimes it’s easy to fall behind on a busy day and not have time to check out each profile. In that case I look at my followers list and let my mouse scroll over a Twitter username. If a bio pops up, I’m more likely to click on your profile and follow you back. Sometimes, depending on your bio, I won’t even check the profile – I’ll just follow. If you don’t have a bio, or if your username looks like “jslihgisae,” more times than not I will check out your profile, but proceed to blocking you.

So how do I find new people to follow? One of my favorite Twitter tools is Mr. Tweet. You start out by following Mr. Tweet and within a few hours, you’ll receive a DM with a link for you to click on. This link will show you who you should be following, based on who your followers are following. You can also see who is following you, but you aren’t following back. This is also a great place to recommend tweeters for others to follow.

Another great tool is #followfriday. #followfriday is a way for tweeters to highlight some of their followers or people they’re following. Check out your followers picks and recommend a few of your own.

Don’t underestimate the awesomeness of a tweet-up. Many people ask if they should go. Do you have Twitter? Yes? Then you should go! A tweet-up is just a meet-up for folks on Twitter. If you’re in Chicago, check out Chicago Tweetups for a list of all the fun tweet-ups happening in and around Chicago (follow them on Twitter and Facebook, too!) Outside of Chicago? No problem. Check out Happin.in. It shows you what’s being talked about in your city, including tweet-ups.

Here’s a great post from Mashable: 9 Ways to Find Twitter Users in Your Town

How do you find new people to follow on Twitter?

Another great guest post by Web Hosting Search

If you’re new in the freelance web designer business there are a few things that you should know about. If you follow these “rules” you’ll have an easier time to understand how the business works and therefore have a greater chance of success. Working as a freelancing web designer can
sometimes be struggling and every tip is valuable. So, here are a few tips that help you become a freelancing success.

Know what kind of clients you want

Not all clients will be suitable for your business. Target yourself on the ones that match your criteria. Both you and your clients will be more pleased if you get what you’re looking for.

Charge appropriately services

Take a look at your competitors – what are they offering and what do they charge their customers? Don’t overcharge as this will scare away your customers but still, don’t underestimate your services.

Get paid in a timely manner

Also a no-brainer… As you’re doing your job you also have to make sure that you’re getting paid in a timely manner. Unfortunately, people like to stretch out their payment plans and for new-comers getting paid in time is often a must in order to survive.

Get a website

This might seem as a pretty obvious tip but you really have to set up an online portfolio so that people can find you on the web. Make sure that you include everything (contact information, about) they might need to know and the site has to look professional. And make sure your website is designed well, a bad looking portfolio site is indicative of your quality. If not, your business will have a snowball’s chance in hell of making it.

Provide web hosting only if you have the know how

You’ll notice that some web designers are offering “packages” which includes web hosting. We understand that it might be tempting to work with reseller web hosting, major companies will probably want a dedicated server, and present your potential clients with these popular packages. However, only do so if you have the needed knowledge.

Be realistic

As a new-comer it’s often easy think as if you’re going to be able to do everything at once. Be realistic with your goals and remember that it’s often better to grow at a slow and steady pace than rushing through things.

Plan ahead

This point might correspond to the previous one but good planning will be crucial for you and your business. First of all, you will know what to do and when to do it and secondly, your clients will know when they can expect the finished product.

Seek help when needed

There seems to be some kind of pride in the web designer business that is somewhat unhealthy. No one can know everything and if you need help with something – turn to a professional. It’s better to ask and learn than providing mediocre results.

Learn SEO

The web of today is much about working with SEO and it’s important that you learn how to implement it in your business/web design. Your customers will not only want to have cool looking sites – they also want to get found.

Find a good balance

Applying video/audio/images to a site is often much appreciated by the visitors but it has to be done in a balanced manner. Too much of anything will only get annoying and scare away people.

You may possess the brains and creative talent to create and develop beautiful sites but get started on the right path. Build up clients through word of mouth and of course on the internet. Be prepared for long hours and technical nightmares along the way.

New to Twitter and not sure who you should be following? Or maybe you’ve been using Twitter for a while and are looking for more people in your area.

Check out my guide highlighting some of Chicago’s top Twitter feeds. If you see anyone who’s missing, or even if you want to add yourself, just leave a comment on the guide!

The iPhone blog reported today that customers are still flocking to AT&T for the iPhone.

Well are you surprised?

I bash AT&T every chance I get, but that doesn’t mean I have any intention of leaving them. Sure I was reluctant about switching. I waited nearly two years after the iPhone came out to get one. I really loved Verizon, but my little geeky heart is weak.

When people ask me today about switching to AT&T, I tell them not to do it, but then I still welcome them to the iPhone club. What can I say? The phone is amazing. I haven’t had a functional problem with the phone itself. With AT&T? Well that’s a different story.

I do feel like AT&T is holding us hostage with the iPhone. They know that the minute it becomes available to other companies that they’ll lose a lot of customers. I know that I’ll switch back to Verizon the minute they start carrying the iPhone.

If you don’t have an iPhone, are you waiting for other companies to get it?

With networking events scheduled up the wazoo & BlogHer ‘09 right around the corner, having business cards on hand at all times is important. My cards were printed last year for BlogHer and I left out one important piece of information: my twitter link.

So far I’ve been using the back to write @freeandflawed on it, but then I found these:

Etsy shop-owner Scribblemonkey prints adorable twitter business cards to make your life that much easier. Printed on thick white glossy cardstock, these cards cost only $19 for a pack of 50.

Check out the rest of goodies Scribblemonkey has to offer here.

Below is a guest post by Web Hosting Search. The article is full of great information for anyone looking to create their own website. If you have any tips to add, please do so in the comments.

Still don’t have a website? It is about time you get your lazy self into cyberspace. Here are five simple steps of how to launch a website that will take you from zero to online hero in no time.

Here is what to do:

Get creative – The first step that you obviously will have to take is creating the website. Depending on how skilled you are there will be two alternatives to choose from. If you are somewhat skilled, you can take advantage of programs such as EditPlus, NotePad and DreamWeaver. Still a novice? Do not worry as it is easy to create a website through WordPress or other free CMS software’s such as Joomla. After time, as you get more skilled, you can create your own WordPress theme if you so wish.

What domain name should I pick? This is not as easy to come up with as you first might think. Most of the best domain names are already taken so you really have to get creative. Try to at least find a domain name that people will remember. Complicated domains name are a bad idea because people will not remember how to type them in the browser. Find a name that is easily connected with the stuff you have on your site.

Get hosting that is right for you – The term “top hosting” will vary depending on your needs. For some sites, cheap hosting equals great hosting but other sites will need more hosting options to be fully functional.

Make a list of what you need from your hosting provider before you buy any web hosting. Do you want to sell things? Then you need e-commerce options and secure sales certificates. Or maybe you want to have a lot of storage so people can upload videos, then you will need a provider that caters to higher bandwidth use. Once you find your perfect match – go ahead and partner up!

Get it published – Now is time that you upload all of your files to the root directory. Either do this through the hosting accounts file manager or through an external FTP client. Our recommendation is to use an FTP client since you can access your hosting account in a web browser. Or you can take the easy route and use WordPress or Joomla to publish your content.

Keep your site alive – Your site is up and running. Is it the end? No, your journey has actually just begun. You need to update your site, maintain old material, and remodel the site when it starts looking old. Quality assurance is a constant process and validating, testing and redesigning will be a big part of your new site.

If you liked this, be sure to follow Web Hosting Search on Twitter and check out their website.

For $12 you can get a set of six handmade Pac-Man wine charms. I don’t have many people over for wine, but I’d be tempted to invite folks over just to use them. Yes. I’m that big of a geek.

They may look childish, but why not add a little color and humor to your next dinner party? I guarantee these will get more attention than those crappy little palm trees or music notes your aunt has.

Source

I’m all for cute accessories that make my life a little easier, but I’m not sure how I feel about this laptop organizer from The Container Store.

It sticks on your laptop and features a sleeve for holding a business card, a pocket for storing a small notepad or calculator, and a pen holder. It seems ideal for students or professionals who spend a lot of time in coffee shops or study labs. I can also see how it’d be convenient at blogging events. Not only would it make sure your computer stood out in a room full of other black and white notebooks, but it allows you to carry more around without juggling a bunch of items.

What do you think? Would you purchase this? ($5.99)

View more info here.