David's Blog

Experimental Project: Di Franco Arcade

2010-07-28T13:38:12Z

For a while now I have been primarily focused on creating and managing technology related websites. While TekSocial and TekSetups have both been great successes, I'm ready to try something new. I have always wondered what it would be like to manage an online gaming site where users can play and download any games of their choice. With that said, I encourage you to check out my newest project, Di Franco Arcade.

As the title of this post suggests, Di Franco Arcade is an experimental project of mine. Its outcome at this point is unknown, but I am very interested in seeing where things go. The site features games, online and offline, for both Mac and Windows users. Some are free to play, while others are not. And for those wondering, everything is provided by Big Fish Games, including the web site's interface. Game selection and pricing are not determined by me.

No account is required to use the site, so go check things out and have fun! There is also a link to Di Franco Arcade in the navigation bar above. Please leave any feedback you may have in the comments.

Featuring Forum Discussions in YouTube Videos

2010-07-19T15:30:03Z

In an effort to make the TekSocial community more interactive, I have decided to begin featuring select discussions from the forum in future YouTube videos of mine. These discussions can be about anything that comes to mind. There's always the chance that yours will be selected and featured in a video, so be sure to include your name to receive proper credit. That's about it, so start a conversation and enjoy!

Note: Please do not use the forum for video requests. You can email me regarding that.

Introducing TekSocial.com

2010-07-17T21:14:11Z

For a while now I have been meaning to rebrand this website's domain to a more fitting name. Navigating to "thecreativeone.tv" no longer makes much sense, especially considering the suffix being used. This website started out as a domain focused around live broadcasts and the occasional blog update from myself. While this kind of content still exists, it's no secret that this website has evolved to become a vibrant community.

Between the heavy emphasis on the Social Blog and the amount of interaction seen on a daily basis, it's obviously time for a change. I'm very proud to announce that the new primary domain for this website is TekSocial.com. I have chosen this domain for the following reasons:

"Tek" signifies the main focus of this website, which is clearly technology
It's important that I use the name "Social" to differentiate this blog from other tech blogs
The use of "Tek" ties in with TekSetups.com, which is the other website I regularly manage

So what exactly is changing? First of all, navigating to "thecreativeone.tv" will auto redirect users to the new domain. At this time, you are not required to update bookmarks or links. Everything is being handled automatically. However, I do suggest updating them in your browser anyway just for the sake of change.

I have also taken the time to add an integrated forum to the site. While forumbytes.com isn't going anywhere, this new forum allows users to initiate conversations all within the same domain. User registration is not required at the moment, so anyone is free to post.

Other changes you may notice are mostly interface related. This means a new website logo, better organized page layouts and overall a cleaner interface. New site features will be introduced as time progresses, so definitely expect good things to come. This is just the beginning!

I have great confidence in this new domain, but as always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions, feedback or concerns. User feedback is always appreciated. Thank you and keep on blogging!

Wanted: iPhone Developer

2010-07-16T19:36:23Z

I'm going to be straight and to the point with this. Apple's App Store is hot right now and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. After reading this article on Mashable, you can't blame me for being motivated. I've actually been wanting to create an iPhone app for a while now. Unfortunately, I do not have the patience to learn the iPhone SDK. Believe me, I've tried.

I am writing today in hopes of finding someone capable of developing an app for the iPhone and iPod touch platforms, as well as the iPad if you so choose. What kind of app am I looking for? Obviously it would have to be something that has the potential to take off, but as of right now I have nothing particular in mind. It could be a simple flashlight app with a unique twist or something as complicated as an arcade shooter. The only requirements I ask of the developer are the following:

App is free to download
Included iAd support to help pay for costs
Revenue from iAd earnings will be shared

That last bullet point is an important one. In exchange for share of iAd revenue, your app will be strongly promoted in the form of social networks, especially Twitter and YouTube. Details can be discussed via email, so please contact me here if you are interested. Serious inquiries with existing portfolios are preferred.

Update: Please note, this is not intended to be a quick way of gaining exposure or making money. If all goes well, I am hoping for this to turn into a long-term partnership that could possibly include future projects. Also, if requested by said developer, I am willing to pay a fee upfront for the time and labor that will be put into development.

Seaside Heights 2010

2010-07-12T05:26:51Z

iPhone 4: The Obvious Solution

2010-06-28T21:58:32Z

Wanted: Bot for Ustream Chat Room

2010-06-16T20:09:49Z

For those who used to watch my live streams a couple years ago, you may remember that my chat room had a bot that could do the following:

auto kick and ban users
display relevant information (Twitter, email address, etc.)
randomly pick a chat room participant for giveaways

Between then and now, it seems my chat room bot has disappeared. This is where the community comes in. I kindly ask this: Is anyone willing to create a bot for my live streams? I would need it by next weekend in order to randomly pick winners for some giveaways I am hosting during the Week of Streams 2010 event. Also if possible, it would be nice if the bot was able to automatically display links of interest, such as my Twitter, YouTube and email address.

If you are interested, please contact me. I am willing to pay you for your hard work. We can negotiate a price via email and then go from there.

Update: The IRC room is currently hosted at #thecreativeone-live

Pre-Launch: "Show Off Your Mac"

2010-05-07T20:07:19Z

Your Input Needed: Regarding "Show Off Your Mac" Relaunch

2010-05-02T17:13:20Z

I need everyone's honest opinion on this. I'm really wanting to relaunch Show Off Your Mac. It was such a great success, but unfortunately the web host I was using at the time couldn't handle the amount of traffic the site was bringing in. For the past year or so, I've been looking for all kinds of software alternatives that could offer users a photo gallery to view and participate in. I've tried software after software and nothing impresses me as much as Squarespace does, which is what I am using right now to run and manage the Social Blog.

Squarespace features an awesome photo gallery module. It's very stylish, simple and to the point. However it's very light on features. There is no ability to comment on photos or even leave a rating. My question to everyone: Would the lack of these two features stop you from wanting to visit the site? The first version of SOYM had hundreds of great photos, but not many of them actually received comments, which makes me think it wouldn't be a huge deal. If I did relaunch SOYM with Squarespace, it would be a gallery for viewing purposes only, and no interaction. Now I have heard Squarespace has some great "media management" features in the works, so the site would definitely improve over time.

What do you think? Relaunch the site using Squarespace or hold off until a better solution comes along, which could be a really long time from now? Everyone's input means a lot to me, so please be honest. I just want to move forward with this project and stop tossing ideas back and forth.

Site Update: Interface Changes

2010-04-17T08:15:46Z

The Social Blog's interface has received quite the facelift tonight. While everything is not final at this point, I do want to take this moment to briefly explain what has changed.

Two Column Layout

Content is what it's all about and going with a two column layout allows the site's visitors to concentrate more on the blog posts, while leaving the sidebar to static information. Now that the main column width is a little larger, Social Blog writers are presented with the benefit of posting more media rich content. This means larger videos and higher resolution graphics for readers to enjoy. Bigger is better, no?

Larger Sponsorship Banners

To express my thanks to my sponsors and all that they have contributed to keep the Social Blog running, ad banners are now 125 x 125 pixels in size. Not only are they more rich in design this time around, but pricing is untouched. Yes, that's right. These large banners are still just $10 per month. There's never been a better time to advertise.

User Submissions Gallery

All user submitted wallpapers are now presented in a styled gallery. As usual, they can be downloaded and used right away. If you would like to submit wallpaper to the gallery, please email it to daviddifranco@gmail.com.

That pretty much covers the major changes. You'll notice some minor tweaks here and there. I encourage you to contact me with any feedback or feature requests you may have. There will be some more changes in the near future. As always, thank you so much for your support. Keep on blogging!