Putting the “API” in “Giving”

Cloudy, with a chance of Clinton.

I spent the entire day at Dreamforce. Thus, I read nothing related to dummies or Twitter applications. I did get to see Stevie Wonder and President Bill Clinton speak to about 20,000 people. Both were unbelievably inspiring, and made me more focused than even on being part of a re-emerging thought economy in the United States.

“We’ve got to get back in the tomorrow business.”
President Bill Clinton– Dreamforce 2010 Keynote

The economic and education stats that President Clinton shared concerning where we rank in relation to the rest of the world were staggering. In a room full of people who could make a direct impact on helping business get back to business, I think the message was pitch-perfect and perfectly timed.

The fact that President Clinton was there highlights a broader focus Salesforce.com founder, chairman, and CEO Marc Benioff places on giving. I love the passion Mr. Benioff has for this, and would love an opportunity to combine it with a larger philanthropic effort at Twitter. The Salesforce.com Foundation, Intel Foundation, Google.org, all of these are projects successful companies have built into their business models to do more than just focus on making profits; they are making good.

It reminds me of a book I read while still working in Florida: Robert H. Frank’s What Price the Moral High Ground?. The basic premise is that doing well and doing good are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they go hand-in-hand. It’s something I’ve always been interested in, and an idea I’d like to implement at Twitter, if I ever get there. Until then, it’s back to the book.

By the way, Twitter VP of product, and all-around nice guy, Jason Goldman announced at Le Web that he is leaving at the end of the month. I’m not going anywhere, and will see you on the ‘morrow, on the Web.

Birds of a Feather, in the Cloud

Robert Scoble went to Dreamforce last year.

I was at Dreamforce today. I didn’t take my trusty companion with me because I didn’t want to lug it around the show floor all day. I ended up loaded down anyway. While there, I got my hands on a couple of publications that Salesforce.com were giving away to encourage developers to start building applications for their cloud platform. This might sound like a distraction, but the more I flip through them, the more they seem helpful; not from a Twitter API-specific perspective, but more from a developer-logic perspective.

One in particular, Fundamentals: An Introduction to Custom Application Development in the Cloud, seems to give a simple, comprehensive look at deciding the type of customization you want, assessing what tutorials you need, and developing the skills which allow you to build exactly what you’re expecting. More study is needed, but I’ll be back at the Moscone Center tomorrow to try and squeeze into President Bill Clinton’s afternoon keynote. But I’m sure I’ll find some time for something other than caring about calls from the cult of cloud.

For instance, today I noticed that Twitter now supports some new media partners, including Instagram. Although this isn’t precisely what I was looking for over the weekend, it may be a step in the right direction. But if Twitter makes it easy to change my image hosting in Twitter for iPhone, then part of this process will be futile. So, I better start figuring this stuff out soon before they go and do it for me.

Lastly, I am regretting mentioning yesterday the holiday auction; I can't afford to win now. My only worry is that I have been bidding against a family member who is trying to grant my Xmas wish. Santa, if you’re reading this, I hope I see you on the ‘morrow, on the Web.

Diving in the Deep End

Hello, Tweetie.

Without much idea of what I’m doing, I’ve jumped way ahead in the learning process. I was trying to change the services I use to shorten URLs and post pictures and video through Twitter for iPhone. If you look closely at the app, there is a fantastic manual filed under the “Settings” button.

The manual has five chapters, and covers everything you think it should. But my favorite part is the “Tips and Tricks” section. Without giving away all the secrets, I’d recommend you give it a look if you are using Twitter for iPhone; there’s some fun stuff in there.

Getting back to my original purpose, I was looking for a way to post images from my Twitter profile to my Instagram account, and use the Google URL shortener instead of one of the ones listed. The manual includes a site for more information on customizing your settings, but those pages have yet to shed any light on the subject for me. They describe how to use “custom endpoints” for image hosting and URL shortening, but at this point, I still have no idea what any of that means.

Back to the book. So for now, my short-term goals have changed a little, but I still intend to make a finished—but not necessarily ready-for-prime-time—application off of the Twitter API. I’ll keep plugging away, and keep you posted if I stumble on anything that resembles progress.

In the meantime, Twitter is auctioning off some holiday cheer, with proceeds going to Room to Read. There are some rare Fledgling wine bottles, lunch with Biz Stone, and a one-day internship. Bids are open until 16 December. Make a bid. Help a good cause. But don’t outbid me. See you on the ‘morrow, on the Web.

Chapter 1

Twurn the page.

I got through chapter one of the book today; no real accomplishment since that consisted of a whopping seven pages about the basics of Twitter. At least I haven’t quit in frustration yet, right?

As I inch farther into the book, I have a couple of concerns: the Twitter landscape is changing faster than the finality of a printed book will be able to convey, and the chief focus of the teachings may turn out to be making money off of the Twitter API, which is a tangental concern, at best, for me.

I just want to learn enough about the API to be able to talk to users and developers in an informed, interested, and engaged manner, and relate to the same concerns and quandries I might stumble upon during my use.

My final product idea is still very simple, little more than an attempt at a “Hello world,” but with a little something specific to my quest for Twitter employment. But the more that I bang away on this keyboard, the fewer of Dusty Reagan’s pages get read. So, see you on the ‘morrow, on the Web.