Talk with your Blog visitors using Google Chatback

Ever thought of talking with your blog visitors? How they feel about your blog? What they expect there? Would you like to communicate with your visitors? But the question is - How? Google recently launched a new Google Talk feature that lets visitors to your web site to chat or talk with you. It called as "chatback” by Google because instead of you doing all the talking on your blog, your visitors can talk back to you. Sure, they could leave comments, but those are public and hard to use for a real conversation. With chatback, it’s a real instant message session. It opens in new window so user can continue with his other works on your blog.

To use chatback, the blogger must have a Google Talk account whereas it is not necssary for blog visitors. They don’t even need to have an email address, or to have ever used instant messaging. When they visit your site, they’ll see a badge/image like the one on the top right showing your online status (available, busy, offline) and, if you’re available, they can just click and start chatting. Chatback uses the web-based Google Talk Gadget so your visitors don’t need to download and install anything.

This chatback can be used anywhere, blogs, portals, static webpages, online profiles etc. You can use it on any web page that you can add HTML content. To get started, visit the chatback start page. Then just copy the provided HTML snippet to your web site. Visitors will then see a badge on your site indicating your availability, and can click to start a chat with you. The status which you set in your gtalk will be visible on the badge.

If you’re using a Google Apps account, you can create a chatback badge by visiting here where DOMAIN is the name of your domain. From the page, copy and paste the HTML into the page where you want the badge to be displayed. You’ll know it’s working if you see a large Google Talk bubble showing your current online status along with the message ‘Chat with [your name]’ (or whatever you selected as your badge title).

So what are you waiting for? Do you see me online ??

Configure Gmail on Sony Ericsson P990i

There are 3 ways you can access your Gmail on P990i.

1. Using the phone browser (just like you check Gmail on you PC's web browser)
2. Using the Gmail Application (you can download this Gmail application from Gmail website depending on which OS your phone uses Eg: Windows Mobile, Symbian, S60 etc)
3. Use your Email application on P990i to download emails from Gmail just like a POP email client.

Today i am going to discuss how you can do that !

On you Gmail Account:

1. Make sure you have the POP Download enabled and settings saved.
2. For more information see here.

On your P990i do the following:

1. Goto Messaging ->Settings->Email Accounts->New

2. Under Basic Tab
- Account Name : Gmail
- Your Name : ABC
- Email address : your gmail email id (you@gmail.com)
- Connection Type : PoP3
- Push Email : UNCHECKED

3. Under Inbox Tab
- Incoming Server Address : pop.gmail.com
- Username : your gmail email id in full (you@gmail.com)
- Password : your gmail password
- Download Restrictions : Select your choice here
- Smaller Than : This option is based on the Download Restrictions
- Limit is set to: 200
- Receive Using Group: Select your Data Account configured on the Phone

3. Under Outbox Tab
- Outgoing Server Address : smtp.gmail.com
- Use SMTP Authentication : Checked
- Use Inbox Login details : Checked (Next two fields should automatically populate)
- Send Using Group: Select your Data Account configured on the Phone

4. Advance Settings (Click on the drop down arrow on GMAIL at top left corner of screen)

Under Incoming Tab
- Secure Connection : select SSL
- Incoming Mail Port : 995
- Secure Password Authentication : Unchecked

Under Outgoing Tab
- Secure Connection : select TLS
- Outgoing Mail Port : 587
- Use MIME encoding : Checked

5. Click SAVE (this is the most important part)

6. Now you will be back to messaging.

7. Click on the Messaging drop down arrow on top of screen and select Get & Send

Happy Messaging !!

Blackle ??

Now this is something interesting people....Use Blackle search engine (powered by Google custom search) to save energy.

Blackle (http://www.blackle.com) was created by Heap Media to remind us all of the need to take small steps in our everyday lives to save energy. Blackle searches are powered by Google Custom Search.

According to the website, Blackle saves energy because the screen is predominantly black. "Image displayed is primarily a function of the user's color settings and desktop graphics, as well as the color and size of open application windows; a given monitor requires more power to display a white (or light) screen than a black (or dark) screen."

In January 2007 a blog post titled Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year proposed the theory that a black version of the Google search engine would save a fair bit of energy due to the popularity of the search engine. Since then there has been skepticism about the significance of the energy savings that can be achieved and the cost in terms of readability of black web pages.

Now here is Google's version.....

"Reducing climate change by saving energy is an important effort we should all join, and that's why we're very glad to see the innovative thinking going into a variety of solutions. One idea, suggested by the site called "Blackle" (which is not related to Google, by the way, though the site does use our custom search engine), is to reduce energy used by monitors by providing search with a black background. We applaud the spirit of the idea, but our own analysis as well as that of others shows that making the Google homepage black will not reduce energy consumption. To the contrary, on flat-panel monitors (already estimated to be 75% of the market), displaying black may actually increase energy usage. Detailed results from a new study confirm this."

Blackle believes that there is value in the concept because even if the energy savings are small, they all add up. Secondly, seeing Blackle every time we load our web browser reminds us that we need to keep taking small steps to save energy.

So take your call and do the best you can. Oops ....did you switch off the television ?

What is GooSync?

GooSync (http://www.goosync.com) is a server based synchronisation service that allows you to synchronise almost any mobile device over-the-air with your Google Calendar, tasks and contacts.

GooSync works on any device that is SyncML compliant which includes the latest Nokia, Sony Ericcson and Motorola phones. It also works on Windows Pocket PC, Windows SmartPhone, Palm OS, Treo, BlackBerry and Apple iPhone by installing a SyncML client. You can view a full list of supported devices here.

GooSync uses an open standard called SyncML (Synchronisation Markup Language) designed for platform-independent information synchronisation. This allows you to synchronise your calendar, contacts, tasks between your mobile device and GooSync in both directions. You can synchronise your mobile device to GooSync over-the-air using GPRS or via Wi-fi.

GooSync synchronises your calendar appointments from your Google Calendar. GooSync uses Google's AuthSub authentication to access your Google Calendar service without ever handling your Google account's login information.For more information click here.

So what are you waiting for folks....?? Happy synchronizing :-)

Google Voice Search - Hyderabad

Google recently announced limited launch of Call Google 1 800 41 99 99 99 pilot in Hyderabad. This service is a part of Google's initiative to make local information easily available at the touch of a button on your phone. You can call this service any time of the day for toll free (from mobile and landline phones), find a local business, get your call transferred and receive an SMS with the results. Now you don not need to know

You can call and ask for:

1. Local Business Information. e.g. where can I find Pizza in Panjagutta?
2. Movie Showtimes. e.g What movies are running in PVR today? or What are the show timings for watching "Jodhaa Akbar" ?

Call Google is completely free. You will not be charged anything to find a local business and connect the call to talk them. Remember the number 1 800 41 99 99 99 ( One eight hundred - four one - double nine - double nine - double nine) when you need help with local information. Currently, this number is active for callers from Hyderabad only.

Share it will all your friends and family and let them know about this new service from Google for callers from Hyderabad.

Trust me.....it works....Happy searching !

Awesome Gmail Tip !

I just found this ......one of my top favorite feature in Gmail !!!

Let’s say that your email address is ‘GeorgeBush@gmail.com’, basically everything sent to any of the following email addresses will be forwarded to your primary email.

Ps: No offence !! I user George Bush because all of you know him :-)

GeorgeBush@gmail.com
G.eorgeBush@gmail.com
Ge.orgeBush@gmail.com
GeorgeBus.h@gmail.com

.........
GeorgeBush@googlemail.com
G.eorgeBush@googlemail.com
Ge.orgeBush@googlemail.com
GeorgeBus.h@googlemail.com

And that’s not all, you can place as many dots as you want, it can be even something like ‘G.e.o.r.g.e.B.u.s.h@gmail.com’ and you’ll still get it on ‘GeorgeBush@gmail.com’

Additionally, you can embed random text to your email ID using ‘+’ sign. That is to say ‘GeorgeBush+anythingyouwant@gmail.com’ can be used as your email address, as well.

Because Gmail doesn't recognize dots as characters within usernames, adding or removing dots from a Gmail address won’t change the actual destination address. Messages sent to yourusername@gmail.com, your.username@gmail.com and y.o.u.r.u.s.e.r.n.a.m.e@gmail.com are all delivered to your inbox, and only yours.

Gmail allows only one registration for any given username. Once you sign up for a particular username, any dot variations are made permanently unavailable.

However, for security reasons, when you log in to Gmail, you must enter any dots that were originally defined as part of your username.

Ok I got it.....its fun....big deal.....Now what ?

Here is the good part......

1. One email for every purpose
Instead of using different email addresses for various purposes (work, school, friends, etc.) you can use different variations of your Gmail and filter incoming mails by ’sent to’ address. For instance, all incoming mail sent to ‘Name.Surname@gmail.com’ can be put to folder ‘work’, messages sent to ‘NameSurname@gmail.com’ can be put to ‘friends’, ‘N.ameSurname@gmail.com’ can be used for newsletters, and so on.

2. Track/Block spammers
When signing up for some website, say thatwebsite.com, you can add thatwebsite to your Gmail user ID (eg. GeorgeBush+thatwebsite@gmail.com). This way you can block your subscription whenever you want and even identify those websites that distribute your email address to spammers.

More Tips? Surprise me in the comments....have fun !!!