Reference

  Twitter Conversations To Listen In On

You don't have to have a Twitter account to be a part of the community. You can listen in on what people are saying simply by visiting their site.

TwitterVision.com takes this idea to a global scale. You can watch updates from around the world almost in real time.

Click here to see who's posting the latest deals.
Metroplex Baby also posts deal information and family-friendly events.

A lot of these accounts have their own site, but they're on Twitter because they know there is a huge audience on the site. And sometimes it's easier to browse through their news feed than sifting through multiple deal sites.


Update: Facebook Changes Tune On Privacy Policy
In an about-face following a torrent of online protests, Facebook is backing off a change in its user policies while it figures how best to resolve questions like who controls the information shared on the social networking site. Click here to read more.

 Video Blog: Recap of the whole Facebook protest.

Getting The Runway Look For Less
In her blog, The Cheap Chica's Guide To Style, she recreates those runway looks on any budget. She is also is a guest writer for SuperMelon.com, which is an online guide to the "best in style, global trends, art, and travel from all over the world."
To hear her stylish observations and recommendations, click here.

Facebook Users Keyed Up Over Kept Data
Tens of thousands of Facebook users are protesting new policies that they say grant the social-networking site the ability to control their information forever, even after they cancel their accounts. Click here to read more about this story with embedded links.

Video Game Headlines For Feb. 16

• Study: Female Gamers Growing In Number (Includes link to get free computer games)
• Activision Trademarks DJ Hero
• Nintendo Power! Heath Bell Credits Wii Fit For Weight Loss

Valentine's Day!
According to Yahoo!, searches for affordable Valentine's Day gift ideas, restaurant coupons and homemade gift ideas are shooting through the roof.

But you don't have to go through site after site to find all those items in one place. Check out these resources to make your Valentine's Day memorable:

 Affordable Valentine's Day Gift Ideas
 Handmade Gift Ideas
Restaurant Deals
 Green Gift Ideas

In the Entertainment section, we've also posted a slideshow of how celebrities are spending Valentine's Day. And in our exclusive video, "21 Things About Dr. Phil In 2 Minutes," he shares his Valentine's Day plans with his wife.

When you're in a relationship, you tend to integrate your technology -- but what if you just broke up with someone? How do you split up the shared technology like music and photos?

The Geek Squad has a list of making a clean break from a relationship filed with technology integration.

If you're like me, you know all of your partner's passwords. So one of the most important things to remember is to change all your passwords! Click here to see the rest of the tips.

And just for fun, click here for Yahoo's top ten love lessons we can learn from romantic comedies.

Using Twitter To Network And Find Jobs
Social networking sites like Facebook.com and MySpace.com can help you reconnect and keep up with friends and family. People are also using those sites to network and find jobs. Click here to find out how.

3 Ways To Splurge & Save On Your Wedding
I went to this year's Dallas Bridal Show looking for interesting trends for those of you planning a wedding this year. I looked for vendors with a different take on traditional wedding necessities. Click here to check out something new, old, borrowed and blue!

Twitter In Plain English
Twitter.com is a micro blog. It allows you to update your online network in less than 140 characters. For those of you who familiar with Facebook, this is like updating only your status. There isn't a lengthy "About Me" section, a place to upload photos or leave comments in the traditional sense. 


While we don't have a Twitter account for TXA yet, we do have one for CBS 11 News. And I'm starting to dive into Twitter a little too. You can follow me by clicking here.

We'll definitely talk more about Twitter in the upcoming weeks, but if you want to learn how to use it, check out this great how-to video called "Twitter in Plain English."

It already has half a million views, which means if you don't know how to use Twitter, don't worry -- you're not alone.

And if you are thinking of getting a Facebook account, on Thursday (Feb. 5), we'll walk you through that with out own "Facebook in Plain English" segment.

 

Twitter.com
North Texans kept each other informed about today's (1/27/09) severe weather using the hashtag #dfwicestorm09 on Twitter.com.
 Click here to learn more about hashtags.
 Click here to learn how to use Twitter ('in plain English').

Thanks to Alex Tan & Kent Chapline for the heads up!


Politically-Charges Art Tackles Heavy Issues
A Denton artist admits the subject matter of his latest works can be hard to handle. But Angel Cabrales says it's all in an effort to get people talking about controversial subjects.
 Click here to check out his work.

Communicating With President Obama Online
Obama's MySpace Video Channel
Obama on MySpace
Obama on Facebook
Obama's YouTube Channel
Obama on Flickr.com
Leave your suggestions to the president on Change.gov
Leave a photo message for Obama on Flickr
The Presidential Pledge on MySpace


Obama's Used Car, Cpt. Sully's Facebook Fan Page
The bidding for President-elect Barack Obama's 2005, fully-loaded Chrysler 300 Hemi starts at $100,000 on eBay. Potential buyers have to be pre-approved before they can even begin the biding process.

Obama drove the car for about 3 years before trading it in for the more environmentally friendly ford escape hybrid.

The man who currently owns the car paid $24,000 for it and says it wasn't until after he signed the papers that the dealer told him it was Obama's car.

Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger, the man who safely landed the U.S. Airways plane in the Hudson River, has his own online phenomenon developing.

When we first found his Facebook fan page at around 2 p.m. he had about 30 thousand fans. When we checked back at 8 p.m., the number had grown to 60,000!

Fans have uploaded their photos of the crash and left thousands of comments thanking and praising him.

While you're online checking out his fan page, be sure to check out the new TXA 21 fan page on Facebook!

I have to thank Chris Best for sending me these links. If you come across any interesting sites, let me know.


Relatively Easy Ways To Create Digital Home Movies
Many of us love taking photos and videos of our lives, but sometimes it's hard to figure out what to do with all those digital home movies. Here are some creative ways to share those memories.
5 Free Online Video Editing Sites Reviewed
8 Ways to Remix Online Videos
Reviews Of Online Sharing & Printing Sites
JumpCut: Creating A Mix 101
Animoto.com: Automated Video Slideshows

Webisodes: Online Only Shows
Go Potato 
Seth McFarlane's YouTube Channel 
Atom.com
Blip.tv
EscapeTheCube.com
PC Magazine's 10 Web Shows To Watch

Transformers - Jazz With A General Problem
TXA 21 News Managing Editor Chris Best showed this YouTube video during Tuesday night's Hot Shots. It's a short Transformers film using toys and stop-action to create a spectacular fight scene. Click here to see how they made the movie.

Most-Viewed Content On CBS11TV.com & TXA21TV.com

SLIDESHOWS
46 Weird Photos
Unflattering Photos From The Campaign Trail
In To Be Out Gay Celebrities
Hurricane Ike Storm Damage Photos
2008 Celebrity Deaths

STORIES
Texas UFO Mystery Solved
Lab Results Show No Drugs In Cookies Taken To Cops
Officer In Clinton Motorcade Killed In Crash
Woman Escorted Off Bus For Reading Bible Aloud
Hillsboro Boy Recovers After Near Decapitation

VIDEO
Stephenville Abuzz Over Reported UFO Sightings
Man Claims To Have Video Of Alleged UFO
Man May Have Captured UFO Video On Cell Phone
McKinney High Finds Altered Images In Yearbooks
Chopper 11 Over Clinton Motorcade Accident


Top Viral Videos Of 2008
I have to admit I had only seen four of the 10 most-viewed videos in 2008 when the list came out.

And in doing research on the others, I found out Avril Lavigne's video for "Boyfriend" is the most watched video on YouTube EVER. But if you look at time spent viewing the media, the puppy cam surpasses the amount of total viewing time. Puppies always win.


New Possibilities In Virtual Worlds
Sony released "Home" Thursday. It is a virtual world for Play Station 3. Based on the reviews, people are either really excited about the interactive possibilities, or they don't seem to care.

Right now you can play games with other people in the virtual world, interact via text or voice and buy things for your world using real money. Sony plans on expanding the world and its capabilities, including allowing users to share media.

So at one point, you will be able to invite your virtual friends over to your cool new virtual pad and all sit down to watch a movie together that you already downloaded to your console.

Players are given an apartment to start off the game, and there are public and private places to visit. Here's Chris Kohler's description of hanging out at the public bowling alley:

The Bowling Alley is also where I witnessed one player attempting to flirt with a female avatar, getting right to the point by asking her: "r u this hot in real." First of all, pal, she's probably not even a girl "in real." Second of all, of course not: Everybody in Home (except me) is 7 feet tall and 180 pounds, which I'm sure is an accurate representation of themselves.

Xbox LIVE also recently underwent updates, which also allows you to build an avatar, interact with other gamers and stream videos from your Netflix cue.

Also on Thursday, a company called Give Real built an application for FaceBook that allows users to actually buy someone a drink. FaceBook currently has applications that allow people to give each other virtual gifts, birthday presents and so on.

This new application will allow you to transfer money from your account to another person's account. Here's how it works, according to the company's PR people:

"1) Through Give Real's Facebook application or the stand-alone web site (www.GiveReal.com), users can purchase up to $99 worth of credits for friends, family, colleagues, or other gift recipients of their choice.

2) The giftee accepts the e-mail gift by logging onto GiveReal.com, and registering their banking information with our secure service so their account can be credited later.

3) The gift recipient heads to a bar, restaurant, club, or café anywhere in the U.S. and uses their card to redeem their gift.

4) Their drink credit is applied as soon as the bar/restaurant transaction posts to the recipient's account (typically 3-5 days)."

So what do you think about the new possibilities in virtual worlds?


Unique Holiday Web Site Campaigns
Retailers are coming up unique Web sites they hope will drive holiday traffic to their sites this year.

TXA Anchor Chris Salcadeo sent me this video, "Beware Of The Dog House."

Basically the video delivers the message that if men give a bad gift to their wives, they will end up in the dog house. The only way to get out – according to JCPenny – is to buy a diamond. The site also includes a coupon to help you with your purchase.

This next site is a fun alternative to sending a holiday greetings via email. It's the UPS re-gifter. They have pages of weird gifts you can virtually send to someone. You can also upload photos of bad gifts and add them to the gallery.

And some of you may remember the awesome holiday elves from OfficeMax. Well they're back and they've partnered with JibJab so you can add up to five dancing elves! You can also buy the image of your elf-self on the various products.

Click here to watch the TXA Dance Team!
Click here to watch the Morning Show Dance Team!

And now that you've seen our dance -- we want to see you as an elf!! Be sure to email us your creations at iTexas@ktxa.tv.

And while you're online, make sure you head to our site and check out the holiday photo booth. We've already added some of our holiday photos, but we want to see more of you and your family.


2008 HOLIDAY GUIDE
"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas…" the holiday deals are every where!

The only thing I love more than shopping is saving money. So lately I've been focusing on ways to save you money this holiday season.

All of the links you've seen in my latest segment can be found in the 2008 Holiday Guide.

The guide also includes helpful tips for shopping safely and suggests cool sites to explore for gift ideas. And as always, if you have links to suggest please e-mail me! 


2010 Mustang
Tuesday night, Ford unveiled the 2010 Mustang at the Los Angeles Auto Show. 

You guys know I'm not a car guru, but I do love technology. What's exciting about this car (and newer Ford models in general) is it integrates your phone, GPS and entertainment system with voice activation. It's all displayed on an 8-inch touch screen that also shows personal photos.

Since the car is hooked up to your phone, it can call 911 for you in the event that your air bag deploys. It also sends Ford diagnostic information about itself.  

You even have a rainbow of options to set your mood lighting.

A writer for AOL reviewed the experience of being in the driver's seat and compared it to being Michael on Knight Rider.


Hand-Made Gift Ideas
These sites make it just as fun to shop for someone else as it is to buy something special for yourself.

All these sites offer hand-made items from artists around the world. So if for whatever reason you can't make it yourself, you can still give someone an unique gift.

These three sites offer an under $25 category:

• Etsy.com is also cool because you can shop by location, which will allow you to support your local business. 
• I always hear people complain about art work being to expensive. In addition to the other cool items, Copacetique.com offers digital prints at a very reasonable price.
• Elsewares.com is offering limited-edition wallets designed by up and coming artists.

If you have a little more than $25 to spend, Timbuk2.com allows you to create custom bags. This is very handy for a fashion-conscious student or business person.


blankTUBE.com
A lot of these sites do essentially the same thing as YouTube, but they're all focused on niche audiences.

A relatively new site is TroopTube.tv. The site allows friend and family to connect with loved ones in the military.

Another unique community can be found on Deaf-Tube.com. This is a community of deaf vloggers. The site allows them to express themselves in their natural language -- including facial expressions.

WARNING: Para-Tube.com will make you want to sleep with all the lights on! If you want to scare yourself, I would suggest starting with the most popular videos and work your way down from there.

Here's a few others worth mentioning:
EcoTube.com
GospelTube.com
GodTube.com
Bird-Tube.com/ (Video on homepage cracked me up... I had to add it!)


The Obamas and Fashion
A new site called the Daily Beast challenged past contestants from Bravo's reality TV show Project Runway to design the first lady-to-be's gown for the Inaugural Ball. Click here to see the designs. 

Barack Obama has also inspired designers. His face and last name have been used on everything from shoes to boxer briefs. A quick search on Google reveals there are over 434,000 Obama-related items for sale.

Who doesn't love runway pictures? Here are photos from the entire collection of Michelle Obama's favorite designer Narcisco Rodriguez.

And finally, I really like this slideshow BET did of Michelle and Barack. It really showcases their style.


Gross, Edible Halloween Recipes
John Struan's Super Punch blog provided a great list of spooky Halloween treats. Most of the ideas from the segment came from his blog.

His blog led me to find the Cannibal-Themed Halloween Supper, which is wonderfully morbid. However, I can see how some of the items might offend people, so enter at your own risk.

Here are the links to recipes for the rest of the items seen on the segment:
Flesh Worms
Black Bat Wings
Lady FIngers


Last Minute, Cheap Costume Ideas

We're only two days from Halloween, but that doesn't mean that you have to settle for the last costume on the shelf. The following sites list great last-minute costume ideas for a good price. Click here to see the best ideas from all the sites.

Find a costume on CraigsList.org
Ideas with items laying around your house (a bit cheesy!)
Costume Idea Zone (funny ideas!)
Last minute ideas from 365 Halloween
Crazy Costumes Made From Junk
50 unique and weird ideas
Unique ideas from Robyn's FYI
The Best Recycled Halloween Costumes on the Web


'Evidence' Of Ghosts Captured, Shared Online All of these sites are dedicated to ghostly happenings right here in North Texas. Click here to e-mail us if you have any ghost stories, video or photos to share.
VIDEO: 'Evidence' Of Ghosts Captured, Shared Online
Metroplex Paranormal Investigators
DFW Paranormal Research
North Texas Paranormal Investigation
VIDEO: Mysterious Orbs Of Light At Local Church
SLIDESHOW: Paranormal Occurrences
Lone Star Spirits
Texas Haunted Places
Ghosts Of America: North Texas Ghost Stories
More Ghost Stories On CBS11TV.COM

Changing The World One Click At A Time Here are some simple actions you can incorporate into your daily, online routine.
List Of Micro-Loans
KIVA
Click To Give
Good Search
20 Simple Ways To Help The Environment By Using Your Computer
World Comunity Grid
A Look At Some Real Life Superheroes

Technologic Language Our language is adopting and evolving along with technology. Here are a few links to help you keep up with the new lingo.

Urban Dictionary
Text Shorthand
Emoticon (Smiles) Guide
Basic Glossary of Internet & Web Jargon


Join Our Conversation On Air With Your Vlogs! Every week night on TXA 21 News from 7-9 p.m. we have a different topic we want you to weigh in on. You can vote in the poll, join the chat or call our hotline. Now you can also e-mail us the link to your video at iTexas@KTXA.TV.
Example: Cowboys Disappoint Some Local Vloggers
Call For Vlogs

What's The Latest Viral Video? If you find yourself lost during talks around the water cooler about the latest viral video -- and you've never heard of "Chocolate Rain," "Numa Numa," or "Ask A Ninja" -- here are some ways to stay ahead of the curve.
Check The Viral Video Chart
YouTube's Most-Viewed Video This Month
Latest YouTube Star?
Past YouTube Stars
CBS On YouTube


Safe Ways To Make Money Online There are tons of sites helping people make money. None of the sites listed are get-rich-quick schemes, but they will help you earn some extra cash. All of the sites are free to use. Click here for the links.


Social Networking Blues
We're all aware of the predators that lurk on social networking sites. And if you're not careful you can be fired for posting video or uploading images. For concerned parents, I have one suggestion: If you can't beat them, join them. Not only will it - in most cases - prevent your kids from posting inappropriate items, it will also allow you to privately search their images, friends and blogs.
MySpace.com
Facebook.com
Twitter.com


Innovative Uses Of User Generated Video
YouTube paved the way for innovate use of user generated video. These are just a few sites taking online video a step further. Click here to find out how.
Stickam
Blinkx
Mogulus


Musical Technology News
The San Francisco Chronicle reports SanDisk will roll out a new medium for music. slotMusic is scheduled to launch later this year.
MySpace's new music service brought major record labels together, but a group that licenses song rights for independent labels feels left out. Click here to read why. 
Bob Dylan's new album will be released at 12:01 EDT Tuesday as a free online stream on National Public Radio's site. It will be available until Oct. 7, when the album is officially released.


New Internet Browsers
The beta versions of Google's new internet browser Chrome and Internet Explorer 8 are now available to download. Click on the links to take them for a test drive.
Google Chrome
Internet Explorer 8
List of Other Web Browsers



Have a link to suggest? E-mail Anna!

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