FredMcKinnon.Com

Hello Everyone – welcome to “FreePlay Friday”.

Today, I want to talk about technology, specifically, Twitter, and more specifically, a third part service called TweetLater.Com. I have three primary twitter accounts at the moment that I manage:

@fmckinnon:  personal tweets about me, life, family, church, music, leadership, worship, and a lot of @reply to friends and dialog

@theworshipcomm:  co-managed by Russ Hutto, this is the twitter account for TheWorshipCommunity.Com.  It’s mostly automated with announcements on new threads, replies, discussions, and articles at TheWorshipCommunity.Com, but we also post quick news, updates, etc.  Russ has made it more fun by engaging directly with our followers with daily Q&A, polls, etc.

@ebusinessonline:  a brand new account that will be the hub for a new forums-based/articles site I’m creating on e-business and e-commerce.  I’m looking for a bunch of people who are interested in e-business and e-commerce to help launch these forums with relevant discussion.  (I also need someone who can make a great design of the vbulletin skin, and who is gratis or VERY CHEAP).  See http://www.e-businessonline.com

As I said, I’ve been using a service called TweetLater.Com.  It’s been very effective for me in how it allows me to:
1.  manage multiple accounts in one screen (with their premium service)
2.  schedule tweets to post while I’m away (during the night, etc)
3.  automate followeres (auto-follow, auto-unfollow, etc)
4.  manage scheduled or automated DM’s (direct messages – I don’t recommend that one!)
5.  Keyword Tracking

Keyboard Tracking is perhaps the biggest deal for me.  I have TweetLater.Com setup to send me an email digest several times of day with any tweets using words like “worship pastor, worship leader, worship team, worship confessional”, etc.  It’s helped me to find and network with followers who share my passion.

TweetLater.Com has both a free service and a professional service.  For a limited time, the professional service is $19.97/month (no contract).  I hope you’ll check out this service.

In the interest of integrity and transparency, I want to let you know that these links are affiliate links, and should you signup, I get paid.  Yeah!  Hey, that’s the entrepreneur in me.  However, it’s just as important for me to say that I’m not just posting a spam affiliate post .. I believe in the product, and use it!

So go check it out – try the freebie version first, and if the professional version is right for you, then go for it!

*** Follow the “Live Blogging and Twittering” from the Annual re:create conference!
Click Here! (that is, AFTER you read and comment on this post, haha! ***

Good morning everyone,

I’ve been asked this on Twitter (and as a result of Twitter updating my “status”, on  FaceBook as well) a bunch of times this week … “what is #recreate”.

This morning I had a dm (direct message on twitter) from one of my favorite solo piano artists on the planet, David Nevue:
(David’s Site | David’s Twitter)

@fmckinnon OK, it’s driving me crazy. What exactly, is “#recreate”?

Since I’ve been asked that several times in Twitter world this week … I actually had time to spare this AM and wrote a response … here ya go:

David,
Hey man, I don’t think I can answer in “140 characters or less” …

re:create is a conference (shall I call it an event, not a conference … better yet, an “experience”)  I’m attending in Nashville – “an annual thinktank for arts and worship leaders” … it’s an amazing time … unlike any “conference” I’ve ever attended.

Anyway, on twitter, you can use the hash mark (pound – #) to identify a certain “group” or “event” … such as #recreate

This allows you to find all “tweets” related to that event by simply searching #recreate.

Or, for example, you can go to http://www.tweetchat.com and login w/ your twitterID/password, and then enter room #recreate …. and all tweets show up in that room, etc.

I’m blogging live on my site using the ScribbleLive.Com platform – and they have a feature while you’re blogging that allows you to enter something for all tweets to go into the liveblog, etc … so everyone here is identifying their event-specific tweets with the hash … #recreate

Hope that makes sense!
Fred

So, there’s your lesson, my friends on the use of the Hash mark in #twitter!  How have you folks out there been this week?

Hey Everyone!

I don’t always post on Saturdays … but I missed saying so much this past week on vacation, I’ve just gotta blog!

First, thanks to those who are voting daily for my song, “Restore My Heart” on IndieHeaven.Com’s “FanFaves” charts. I need you to vote every day. And if you’ve got multiple computers, vote from each one! (yes, that’s fair!). Today, “Restore My Heart” finally hit the Top 20. But time is running out to get it into the Top 10. Just go to www.indieheaven.com/fanfaves.php.

This morning, while waiting on the sun to dry out our soaked yard so I can mow, I’ve spent some time setting up (and cleaning up) my account on a few social networking sites.

Thanks to Russ Hutto’s recommendation, I’ve signed up for an account with HelloTxt.Com. Because my “Twitter” account automatically updates my FaceBook status, I’ve tried to limit myself on how many times I use Twitter to send @replies to friends. I can now use HelloTxt when I want to update all my social networking sites at once, and turn off the Twitter App on FaceBook.

Twitter is quite the rage these days. I use it often. There’s a great dialog happening right now on Billy Chia’s blog about it. It’s both friend and foe. I have a lot of friends that use it. Last night I posted about the Olympics and since my tweet updated my FaceBook status, I heard from lots of friends about how they were reacting to the opening ceremonies. It was like having everyone in my living room together. That’s cool.

Speaking of Twitter, there is a similar site called Plurk. I’m reserving Twitter for my microblogging, but think it’s always cool to stay informed, so I’ve opened a new Plurk account. It will mostly be updated from my HelloTxt account. If you have a “Plurk” account, come follow me.

Though I don’t often use it, I do have a LinkedIn profile as well. Feel free to add me if you are using that as a means of communication.

As for my other sites for “social networking”, join me on FaceBook and MySpace. FaceBook is preferred. I only login to MySpace if I must. Try FaceBook, it’s much better, in my opinion.

Of course, my favorite way to communicate with you is via email. You can contact me right here through the blog.

Well, time to mow the lawn.  Speak up, though – what are YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL NETWORKING TOOLS?

Fred

Hey Everybody -

Just found out that the staff at Worship Leader Magazine have created a blog for you to follow during the National Worship Leader Conference next week. Add to that a new WLMagazine Twitter account … should be for some great updates.

FYI, I’ll be blogging and twittering all next week from the NWLC in Austin myself, and hope to be bringing some updates on TheWorshipCommunity.Com as well.

OK, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Fred

Hey Everybody

Pardon the off-topic interruption … but wanted to let you know about a great opportunity for you to do two things:

1.  Find some great deals
2.  Be a blessing to me (and my family) at the same time.

As must of you know who’ve read my blog any amount of time, I operate an e-biz called “HPP Enterprises” which sells products (mostly electronics, electronic accessories, iPod, iPhone, Apple MacBook, computer software, games, etc) on multiple storefronts, including GetSkinsNow.Com (cases and accessories), HPPEnterprises.com (electronics, components), DiscountKidsGames.Com (games, software), and on 3rd party sites like Amazon, Ebay, and Pricegrabber.

Yesterday I decided to create a “twitter” account for the e-biz which will be used to send out updates of special deals and sales.  For example, we have cool cases for the 3rd Gen iPod nano for less than $10 (both leather cases and toughskin or clear plastic cases).  We also got a great deal on 7″ Audiovox Portable DVD Players for $89.00!

If you’d like to be notified about deals like this, follow the twitter feed and/or the blog feed for HPP Enterprises.

Some of the products are shipped from my office on St. Simons, but many are dropshipped directly to you from the manufacturer or distributor, which is how we can have really low prices (and how I can have this business to supplement our ministry income).

So … I’d like to ask all of my friends … if you’re in the market for electronics, computer games, video games, or any type of electronic accessories (cases, chargers, etc), keep me in mind.  You can always surf the sites, or even contact me directly … maybe you’ll get a special COUPON CODE for a discount if you blog about the purchase!

As for the content here on the blog that counts most … thanks for allowing me the opportunity to pitch this commercial … more worship leading tips, worship confessional, and ministry/leadership info soon to come.

Thanks, gang!
Fred