8 Hilarious iPad Parodies That Will Crack You Up

Posted on 31. Jan, 2010 by Zahid Lilani.

Internet is currently awash in iPad parodies. Steve Jobs is either very happy or very sad or somewhere in between, depending on what time of the month it is. [sorry]

Please agree with me when I say that all this ridicule could have been avoided if iPad was called iSlate or iTablet. Maybe in future we will find out that iPad was really named something else but because of so many leaks and rumors, it was named iPad.

Until then, enjoy the creative geniuses…

Obama: State of the iPad Address

CollegeHumor Team

Pee-wee gets an iPad

Apple’s latest invention, iPad

Little misplaced because iPad can’t make phone calls but what if it could?

Steve Jobs impersonator introduces the iPad.

Hitler responds to the iPad

This video below by MadTV was done in 2006. Does it make sense that no one from Apple watched this video on YouTube?

Did I miss an iPad parody? Tell me about it…

Are Bloggers Really Writers?

Posted on 27. Jan, 2010 by Zahid Lilani.

I write to express myself but I blog to inform and educate. Does that make sense? Most of us toy around the idea of being called a writer just because we have been able to write couple hundred blog posts but is that a right title?

My curiosity is related to the fact that I think bloggers never write and writers never blog. Blogging is more connected to attracting and engaging readership whereas writing has more to do with the art form and literary element. My definition of a blogger is someone whose battleground is the world wide web and a writer is one who has print media at his at disposal.

We can all name bloggers who have written books but we might have a hard time if asked to talk about writers who have become bloggers and now write about topics that would otherwise be published in a book or some other form.

Writing is a way up for most bloggers because even in today’s digital age, the feeling of having something published in tangible form can be quite a thrill. So once again, we come to the same question, are bloggers really writers?

My personal take on it is of course not, bloggers are just bloggers. Some bloggers are good writers but they are still bloggers. There is one major difference between a blogger and a writer and that is medium.

Bloggers are more technically sound then most writers. Writers tend to perfect the content but bloggers on the other hand make sure they have content at regular intervals at the expense of quality (occasionally). That happens because of the medium. A writer takes days, months and maybe years to come up with one book but someone like me will write a blog during the 30 minute lunchtime (not in this case) and be satisfied.

Even though there are video and photo bloggers, the original blogging style is the one that still dominates. Writing.

Here is the defining moment my friend, are you a blogger or a writer?

Blogger for life…

Jon Stewart Speaks To Bill Gates About Twitter

Posted on 26. Jan, 2010 by Zahid Lilani.

I love Jon Stewart and Bill Gates is a guy I have a lot of admiration for. As we all know in the social media sphere that Bill Gates joined Twitter, lets take a look at what he had to say about it:

Twitter Applications for Your Small Business

Posted on 24. Jan, 2010 by Zahid Lilani.

In 2010, we will see a big push by Twitter to help small business understand and embrace social media. There are hundreds of Twitter applications out there that help you manage the way you use Twitter but if you are a small business owner, you don’t want to deal with thousands of Twitter apps, you just want to use the one that will work for you and help you manage and market your small business profile on Twitter. Apart from managing and marketing your small business on Twitter, it is also important you monitor Twitter for latest trends and check the pulse.

You want to use all the Twitter applications the way Pros do, right? Below is the list. Did I mention all these services are free?

Management

CoTweet – With CoTweet you can manage one Twitter account while allowing several employees to contribute. Each person maintains their own identity and their activity can be monitored. The service is one of the best of its kind and it will only improve, you should be on CoTweet if you are serious about Twitter reputation management.

HootSuite – Best web based Twitter client to help you manage multiple Twitter profiles, pre-schedule tweets and measure your progress. Use the ow.ly URL shortener to track clicks and get stats.

Tweepler – Manage your Twitter followers in a simple yet efficient way. As a small business owner, your goal should be to follow active Twitter users and not bots or “run on” Twitter users. Tweepler helps you archive followers in follow or ignore buckets and saves you time by giving you detailed stats that eliminates the need to visit each follower’s profile.

Monitoring

Monitter – It is true to its name, lets you monitor what the community around your small business is talking about on Twitter. You can enter your business name and even find out without registering what others are saying about your business. You don’t have to register to use any of the features on the website. You can also add the RSS feed for the location and the keyword you would like to monitor to your favorite RSS reader.

Tweetbeep – It is like Google Alerts but for Twitter. Tweetbeep tracks Twitter conversations that mention you, your business or your products and services. Alerts are sent to you via email every hour. Basic service is free, you have an option of signing up for a premium account with no ads and alerts every 15 minutes.

Marketing

twtQpon – Create coupons for your small business services or products and share them with your Twitter followers. Posting coupons on Twitter is a sure way to get re-tweets and generate buzz.

This list is not comprehensive, I will be updating it every time I find something new, interesting and useful. Be sure to bookmark this post so that you don’t miss out.

Foursquare’s New “Special Nearby” Feature

Posted on 18. Jan, 2010 by Zahid Lilani.

Surfing the blogosphere I came across couple (1|2) of stories related to “Special Nearby” feature on Foursquare. I hadn’t personally seen one while using Foursquare but that changed a week ago when I made a trip to Chipotle in Sunnyvale.

Foursquare	Special Nearby Ad

The “Special” that was offered to me as a user of Foursquare was quite tempting. Buy one latte, get the second for one cent. It was dinner time in my household, I had to pass…

Here is the coolest part.

To get the latte for one cent you had to show them that you checked in, more check-ins means more exposure. I think it is a pretty good return on investment for 1 cent. Measurable or not is up for debate but little promotions like these do create more buzz.

I might be an exception here but when I check in, I ping Twitter and my friends on Foursquare. Few hundred of ME out there Tweeting and Pinging can create quite a bit of exposure.

Do you agree? Have you seen this new feature on Foursquare yet?