Tag: Social Network

The Social Media Country Club

But there’s an aesthetic and editorial sensibility that permeates any defined online community that is almost always inherited from its earliest dominant users, and once it’s established, it’s almost impossible to change. Worse, geeks get so enamored of the first two, admittedly important, core values of the social web that they forget the third, and most socially critical, value: inclusion.Anil Dash (Emphasis mine).

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I started down this rabbit hole this morning. I had every intention of just downloading and post processing a set of photos I took last weekend. Instead I started reading an interesting article from my news feed. The article was posted to Medium. I remembered what Medium was and I logged in to see if I could start using the platform. Then I remembered that it was exclusive and closed. That didn't feel right.

So ... I found my way around the Internets looking for reviews of the platform. I found others discussing the exclusivity issue. Which of course led me to more discussion on white flight and white boys clubs.

I think it's time to go outside, shovel some snow, and spend some time with my son. Time to be truly social.

The Glooko cable is now part of my daily diabetes kit

About two weeks ago I posted about my decision to stop using the iBGStar glucose meter. I love the iBGStar. It is perfect in every way. It's small, light and connects to my iPhone for data download. I ranted and raved about it to everyone I know. People in my family were starting to think I either owned significant stock in the company or were on the payroll. However, for budgetary reasons I had to stop using the meter.

Someone on a social network suggested the ACCU-CHEK nano. However, the nano doesn't isn't OS X compatible so I ruled that one out right away. Someone from Glooko commented on my blog post and I remembered that I already had the cable.

Take a look at a photo of my daily diabetes management kit:

It's neither convenient nor elegant. The LifeScan OneTouch mini connects to my iPhone via the Glooko cable. The cable is also compatible with my Abbot FreeStyle Flash but the system is much bulkier than the small sleek iBGStar. The Glooko software is functional but lacks the user interface finesse that I've come to expect from iPhone software.

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Like the iBGStar software, I can download and track my blood glucose (BG) and add a note about a number of carbohydrates in my meal and my insulin dosage. I can tag each BG entry as before or after a meal. This is useful for spotting trends.

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The Glooko has a database of foods. I can look up nutritional information on brand-name foods but also generic things like raspberries. That's something the iBGStar can't do (yet). I don't eat much-packaged food or chain restaurant food — who wants bland, high sodium, fatty, HFC laden food? — so the food database is not of much use to me. However, I could see why it might appeal to the other people with diabetes.

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I can export the downloaded information from the Glooko app to email (CSV), eFax (really!!??), AirPrint or any app that supports the "Open in…" feature of iOS such as Dropbox, Box or iBooks (PDF). I think my favourite is going to be Dropbox. I'll have access to my information from my Mac, iPhone, iPad or any computer with a web browser.

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There is an opinions tab in the app. Click that and I'm taken to Glooko's Facebook page. I guess they wanted some social media around their product but I won't be using this feature.

To use the Glooko, I purchased a cable that was compatible with my brand and model of meter. The list of meters isn't comprehensive but it does include the major brands and meter models. I have a LifeScan OneTouch Ultra mini and Abbot FreeStyle Flash so those are the meters with which I tested. I plugged one end of the cable into the data port on the meter and then plugged the other end — the one with the iPhone dock connector — into the iPhone. I had to go into Settings in the app to select the brand and model of meter I was using then back to the Home screen and tap the Sync button. I wish this step was automated. I wish the software could auto detect the meter type so I just plug in the cable and tap sync.

One the data is downloaded from the meter, I can add other information.

The setup isn't pretty and I don't like carrying around the cable but it works for now. The OneTouch strips are covered by insurance so my endocrinologist can send a prescription directly to my mail order pharmacy service which covers everything for a nominal c-o-pay. However, the Glooko can connect to the range of glucometers I already have and is inexpensive compared to buying a bunch of new meters. I always have multiple meters. I like to have a backup.

Before I decide on a long term solution I want to try the Contour USB. The Contour USB (and strips) are covered under my pharmacy benefit so my endocrinologist called in a prescription. Until I have that device and I have used it for awhile I'm sticking with the Glooko cable.

One way Google+ helps Local Business

I recently attended a meeting of the Mercer-NJ Small Business Coffee Talk. After a round of introductions and some discussion about how each attendee used social media to engage their customers and grow their business, we broke out into to groups to learn more about using Google+. The first group was led by Lynette Young, a Google+ expert who started the Women of Google+. Lynette has a huge following on Google+. The second group was led by me.

During our discussion it was mentioned several times by a number of people that they felt that Google+ did not function as well at reaching a local audience. Some felt that Facebook was better for that sort of engagement and that they were wasting their time using Google+.

To some extent I agree with that sentiment but I’ve had some time to think about that sentiment and I think Google+ is still necessary as part of a social media and brand management strategy. I think it requires that local business owner look a bit differently about how they use the service.

In the past few months I’ve had the need to order flowers but for two different reasons. The first reason was as a condolence to a friend who had recently lost his father. The second was as an anniversary surprise for my wife. In both cases, I ordered an arrangement from Monday Morning Flower & Balloon Co.. The business is owned by Georgianne Vinicombe with a store in Princeton, NJ and one in the other in Yardley, PA. Both of orders were for local delivery but I could just have easily ordered from a large national retailer. But I wanted quick service with a personable touch.

But my Mom wanted to send flowers to me from her home in Florida? Could she get the same quick personable service from a national brand? Perhaps. But what if Mom wanted to shop “local’ and get speedy service? Mom, could do a Google+ Local search for florist in the Princeton zip code. She could look at customer reviews, get contact information, and maybe engage in some social media chit chat before choosing which florist will get her business. Looking at the results, I can see that Monday Morning Flower and Balloon Co is the second florist on the list.

I’m planning a trip to Niagara Falls, Canada with my family this summer. We’ll be staying for a week and I’m using Google+ Local to help me find restaurants and entertainment options. Local businesses who have a Google+ page that ranks on the first page of search results will most likely get my business.