Last week we asked has the economic down turn affected your future spending and 53% said Yes. This weeks question is…

Twitter has been called a microblogging platform, because it gives users the opportunity to go through a similar process as publishing a blog post, but for items that may not warrant a blog post of their own. For example, you may find an interesting link on the Internet and you want to share this with your readership, but it’s not noteworthy enough to dedicate an entire blog post to it.

As I’m sure you already know, it is very much possible to integrate your blog with your Twitter account (and vice versa). For example, there are several WordPress solutions out there that will automatically send out a “tweet” each time you publish a new blog post. On the flip side, you can install a small piece of code on your blog that is automatically updated with each of your Twitter tweets.

For this second scenario, there are generally two schools of thought. Here on the BlueFur blog, you may notice the Twitter widget in the sidebar, reminding readers of the BlueFur blog that we also have a Twitter account. People can click on that widget and follow @bluefur should they choose to do so. On Beyond the Rhetoric, however, you’ll find that the three latest Twitter updates are displayed in the sidebar.

Naturally, there are pros and cons to both approaches. The icon-only approach serves as a reminder of a Twitter account without taking up too much room, whereas the constantly updated list of Twitter updates is more comprehensive, but could also be seen as more intrusive (and possibly a waste of valuable space).

What’s your take? If you have both a blog and a Twitter account, how far do you go with integrating the two?

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock these past couple of weeks, you’ve surely noticed that all kinds of holiday decorations are being put up just about everywhere. Whether you’re going out to Starbucks for a coffee or looking to grab a book at Chapters, you’ll be inundated with all sorts of garland, decorated trees, and other adornments. I’d imagine that if you have your own business, you may feel inclined to get in the festive spirit as well.

And this is where political correctness could run you into a bit of a snag. Generally speaking, most companies err on the side of caution and avoid any mention of any “religious” or culture-specific references. Instead of images of Santa Claus, they may just go with reindeer and snowflakes. These are much more neutral and much more universal. Even if you don’t go so far as to erect a nativity scene, there are some people out there who may be offended by other Christmas imagery. Should you be concerned? How far should this go?

Going to most stores in the mall, you’ll find signage that say things like “Happy Holidays” and “Seasons Greetings”, rather than “Merry Christmas.” In general, culture-specific shops can get away with culture-specific phrases. For example, a food store that specializes in kosher foods can probably put up Happy Hanukkah signs without a hitch, but a culture-neutral store like Future Shop may avoid that.

The issue of “Christmas” will continue to spark debate for many generations to come, because there really is no “right” answer. What are your thoughts? Do you decorate your business with “Christmas” adornments or just “holiday” or “festive” themed ones? You can probably guess BlueFur’s stance on this matter, based on our creation and support of XmasRadio.ca.

In this 45-minute webinar, learn about the 10 not-so-easy steps to convert an impossibly complex, seldom-used corporate intranet into Intranet 2.0: a simple, social intranet that helps employees collaborate, share ideas and find information.

When is the webinar happening?
Tuesday, December 9, 2008 8:00 AM - 8:45 AM
Thursday, December 11, 2008 1:00 AM - 1:45 AM

Where is it happening?
Online

Registration
To register for this event you need to register here.

It is that time of year again to hang your lights and roast chestnuts by the fire. To bring in the holidays again for a fourth year with 24 hour Christmas music streamed live from our office. We now have over 5 days worth of music so your guaranteed to hear all your favorite Christmas tunes. This free service will run from December 1 to January 2, 2008.

You can access the Site at XmasRadio.ca or follow twitter.

In case you haven’t noticed, touchscreen cell phones really have exploded onto the scene recently. Everywhere you turn, you’ll find someone fiddling around with their Apple iPhone 3G or swooning over the upcoming BlackBerry Storm. Touchscreens are much more versatile for mobile phones than conventional displays with conventional keypads. Part of this has to do with customization, but it also has to do with productivity.

While the Samsung Instinct hasn’t quite achieved the level of success that Samsung would have hoped, consumers may be much more interested in the much more powerful Samsung Omnia i900. Available as both a CDMA phone and as a GSM model, the Samsung Omnia is a little more business-oriented with its Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system.

What makes this WM touchscreen phone different from all the others, however, is the innovative TouchWiz user interface from Samsung. This acts as “skin” over top of Windows Mobile, completely changing the user experience. Perhaps the most notable feature is the Widget Desktop. People who own a Samsung Omnia can completely customize the home screen with a series of widgets. These widgets can be rearranged and ordered just like a home computer. You are not restricted to a menu-style grid.

Furthermore, these widgets can be dynamic, offering you at-a-glance access to things like the calendar, appointment book, real-time weather, and more. Other notable features on the Samsung Omnia include high-speed 3G access, stereo Bluetooth, 5 megapixel camera, and integrated aGPS support. The GSM version also has Wi-Fi.

Seeing how Verizon has the Samsung Omnia in the United States, it is perfectly possible that either Bell or Telus (or both) could be picking up the Windows Mobile touchscreen smartphone at some point in the future.