Fun Fun Friday

How YOU doin’? It’s been quite a week, which ended with Sydney being sick today with a viral infection. Not how I planned to start the weekend. If you’re in Austin for SXSW this weekend, be sure to catch my sister Lesli’s band The Redwood Plan tomorrow at Lovejoys. I had planned to be there, but we’ll be staying home to get baby girl better. Alrighty, onto news around the Interwebs:

@Firgs recently wrote on her blog that she’s a Photoshop Snob. As a fellow enthusiast, I can understand the passion. However, while Photoshop is an AMAZING piece of software, it’s not for everyone. Even it’s little brother PS Elements can be a bit much, especially if all you want to do is have fun with your photos. And that’s what Vertus has done right with its latest software creation Play with Pictures.

It was quite a coincidence that the same time I was reading an email from Vertus, I was catching up with @DawnMHSH‘s blog. Dawn wrote an excellent review/tutorial of Play with Pictures, and she’s even running a contest which you should enter. As your local Adobe guy, I can say I had a blast with this package. It is fun for everyone, and easily mastered, which is perfect for home enthusiasts, families or the creative who wants to stretch their imagination. Download a free trial or Join the Play with Pictures Facebook group which has photos & videos. I had to get in on the action so I posted a quick video for you my dear reader:

Other notable links this week:

Nearby Tweets – What I like about this app is it gets you connected with people who tweet locally on topics you’re interested in. I love technology, but I enjoy an opportunity to meet folks face to face. What makes this app strong is searching by both location and topic. My new favorite.

Tweetlater – OK. Here’s my Twitter secret. I automate my Adobe Tips both on Twitter & this blog using Tweetlater. *shock & awe ensue* Scheduling tweets seemed like a silly idea until I realized the value a regular format gave to my followers. Loyal readers know that I tweet my Adobe Tips Monday through Friday at 9am & 9pm. Using Tweetlater allows me to organize all those tips “offline” and I don’t have to worry if something else keeps me from tweeting. Having a schedule for certain tweets means my followers know when to listen to me, which is vitally important as chatter static grows with each new follower. It also has a feature to vet new followers, a process for auto-following that allows you to check the twitterers first to see if you really want to add them. I use this constantly, especially with the rise in spambots. Finally Tweetlater has RSS feed capabilities which I use to update the sidebar with my daily tip.

Alright, it’s now early evening, and I should get back to the family. Everyone have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll catch you with Adobe tips next week.