Brain Tags

I just discovered that it currently is not possible to comment on this blog. At first sight it looks like the problem is caused by the AJAX part that tries to publish the data to another domain.

However, it has been a while since I last touched the templates, and the commenting feature worked fine in January, when I received the last comment.

When I have time I will try to fix it or I will simply remove the fancy AJAX part. I`ll keep you informed.

[Update 2009.03.16] I have removed all AJAx stuff from the templates, so commenting should be possible again. I still have to remove some rough edges though.

I am back from the CeBIT show. Actually, I came back on Monday, but have been too busy to post. This year has been been a huge success for our company, mainly because we had a better place for our booth and because we presented right in the middle of this crisis a revolutionary low cost product on which we have been working for three years (sometimes you need a little bit of luck),

The show has been such a success that this year I haven`t been able to visit the other halls of the show to see what is happening in the IT sector. Anyway, nowaday we don`t depend on big trade shows anymore to inform us about the latest new products.

I just saw the screen above, which is the ClamWin antivirus software uploading its virus database. On the left hand side they have an animation trying to show that the virus definition files are being downloaded from the internet onto my PC, but in my eyes it looks more like virus infected files arrive from the internet to my PC.

Designing good and clear icons is an art!

I know that Spain usually lags behind the rest of the world, but Google Spain really doesn't know what is going on. While all over the internet you can read stories about the dismantling of the Google Notebook team - a sign that this product is about to disappear, Google Spain still presents Google Notebook on my Google Account page. And not as a regular tool, but together with Google Chrome as new option!

Please Google Spain, wake up!

One of the most interesting parts for web site owners are the access statistics, and Google Analytics offers one of the most complete statistics solutions, which I use on a weekely basis for my most succesful blog El Canasto.

Besides being a typical blog with pages, I offer calendars for downloading, and of course I also want to track those downloads. When two years ago I started with the downloads I search Google`s help files for a solution to track them, and found a small javascript sniplet that when a visitor clicks on a download link registers the download as a pageview. This trick allowed me to analyse the downloads.

The disadvantage of this trick is that it inflates the pageviews, and I never have been completely satisfied about this solution. You can imagine my happiness when last week I discovered the Event Tracking feature, designed specifically to track downloads, videoplays, etc.

I quickly changed my code to use a javascript sniplet like the following:

onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackEvent('Downloads', 'XLSX', '/calendario-compacto/calendario-compacto-2009'); "

This sniplet registers the download under the category Downloads, the action XLS and the label /calendario-compacto/calendario-compacto-2009. Google Analytics has Event reports by category, action and lavel, so now I know for example which of the four file file formats are more popular:

Until now I always had a very simple e-mail signature, with just my name and usually one of my web sites. But now that more and more people are active on several social networks, I have created a new signature with links to my profile on several social networks and even a link to download my vCard. What do you think of it?

 Jeroen Sangers • www.jeroensangers.com

El Canasto: Productividad Personal
Brain Tags: Themeless blog

Mobile: +34-619204630

IM/VOIP:  jeroensangers  jeroen.sangers

Contact me:           

I already posted this a few yaers ago, but it is still valid (or even more).

Image taken from Luis Suárez

Last weekend I attended the Evento Blog España conference in Seville, and one of the more attractive talks on the schedule was called 2.0 services and technology in business by Luis Suárez, technology evangelist at IBM.

Luis explained how he stopped using e-mail completely and replaced the functionality by a variety of web 2.0 tools, each specialized for a specific task. When he started talking, I remembered how Tim Ferriss also 'attacked' e-mail in his book.

Lately I notice more and more cards driving around in Lleida with the Apple logo, and each time I see one I think by myself "why on earth would somebody stick that onto his car?" I also have that sticker at home, but it never occurred to me to stick it on my car.

Of course, Apple is a cool brand, is different and has a very nice logo. But whichever way I look at it, I see it as a profitable company, and sticking that logo on your car is free publicity for this company.

I guess it is the same people buying Bikkembergs shoes (if you remove the logo nothing is left) and certain Nike sportswear (a manufacturer logo on clothes should never be bigger than 2cm and preferably not visible at all) without asking any payment from the manufacturer in return.

In fact, the only logo I wear on my clothes is the logo of my employer, and only because they pay me to do so!

In my opinion, driving around with an Apple logo does not make you look cool, but rather stupid for making free publicity for a company.

This is just a short post to commemorate the eleventh birthday of this blog. Eleven years ago I decided to post short notices on my personal site, not realizing that this habit would become very popular eleven years later. I still like it, and probably will continue blogging for a long time.