Richard Mackney

Creative Technologist

Social

Make A Simple Twitter Header With iPad

I was messing about on the iPad last night creating a new avatar for 2013 and wanted to also update my twitter header image. This is what I did: Found seven squared instagram images that related to me or my interests and saved them to the camera roll Added each image to a new iPad album with the name of "." Screen grabbed the album screen using the home button and power button Uploaded the … [Read more...] about Make A Simple Twitter Header With iPad

Limiting Your Social Media History

A few years ago I decided to run scripts to automatically delete old posts from Facebook and Twitter. If you've landed on this page following a link from one of those accounts, this post from 2012 explains why ... Since the worries about Instagram's (owned by Facebook) new Terms of Service I've been re-thinking about my historic traceability and the data mining that is most certainly being … [Read more...] about Limiting Your Social Media History

Facebook Cover Photo Dimensions

Like most I'll do a Google search when I'm making a new Facebook cover photo to find the dimensions. Most sites will tell you what Facebook themselves tell you, it's 851px x 315px and these have been the dimensions I have used when creating cover photo's for our client pages. However, I recently uploaded a personal photo to my own profile and was surprised to see that within the mobile view on … [Read more...] about Facebook Cover Photo Dimensions

Should Facebook use your face?

I read that Facebook had settled a lawsuit with five users whose profiles were being used in advertising on the site. The 'sponsored stories' facility allows brands to use your photo's and names if you have 'liked' the product. The problem is that some people don't actually want their likes known to everyone, especially If your face is showing up as liking something like Partypoker and you might … [Read more...] about Should Facebook use your face?

UK Cookie Law

Last year a new privacy law came into effect in the EU that requires website owners to get permission BEFORE they plant web cookies (or any technology for storing information) on a visitors machine. This has MASSIVE implications for not only businesses but for bloggers and personal website owners too as the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has the power to slap you with a penalty of up to … [Read more...] about UK Cookie Law

How to get seen as an Author in Google

Google are taking it social and you might wonder why some search results are now showing the author of the result and others are not (this is different to the "Richard Mackney shared this" that you might see if you follow me). In the above example Edgar Cervantes is clearly attributed with writing the post and his Google+ avatar appears under the result. This also applies to YouTube video … [Read more...] about How to get seen as an Author in Google

Life after Posterous – a search for a new blog tool

Twitter has acquired Posterous – hooray! I'm happy for the Posterous team, they made a great product and are now moving onto greater things. Posterous users might rejoice at the thought that Twitter will be enhancing the service, but the recent demise of Gowalla from the Facebook acquisition has left users wondering if Posterous will go the same way. This feeling is reinforced by the … [Read more...] about Life after Posterous – a search for a new blog tool

I Do Web Sites

When I meet people for the first time they ask "What do you do" and sometimes I sort of forget. I think it's because I've become a Jack of all trades, but I can't just say this can I? My twitter bio doesn't mention my day job, I've always used twitter on a personal level rather than for business. My first twitter account was @mackney in July 2008 which I handed to my Brother 10 months later. My … [Read more...] about I Do Web Sites

VLOMO11 Video Blogging month

It's November and that means it's Video Blogging Month. The idea is to post one video for each day in November and a fair number of vloggers from around the World take part. There aren't really any rules, it can be a video that wasn't necessarily shot on that day as long as it is the first time it's been uploaded to the internet. It certainly gets you thinking about what to post each day and the … [Read more...] about VLOMO11 Video Blogging month

Profile Snapshots – Nov 2011

In May I posted some profile snapshots and the idea was to create a range of profile snapshots when things change. I've changed my custom Posterous theme and profile skins again and this time I've gone for minimal white. I see many online identities constantly evolving and I love looking back at old profile screen-grabs to see how things have moved on. In May we didn't have Google Plus, but we … [Read more...] about Profile Snapshots – Nov 2011

I made the Posterous Inspiration Center

So, YAY! I made the Posterous Inspiration Center ... does this mean my site is 'Inspirational' ... No? ... didn't think so. Anyway, here is the guff ...   Richard Mackney "I'm an early adopter and I've been helping people and sharing information online for well over a decade. My site is a photoblog and digital scrapbook documenting and sharing things that I find interesting. I post … [Read more...] about I made the Posterous Inspiration Center

How I Increased my Klout

Like many of the early adopters I follow on twitter I have had my Klout profile setup for quite a while but with so many new services popping up it’s very tricky to know which ones deserve time and which ones have the commitment to development to stick in the online social World. YouTube, Flickr, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter all have made the grade and stuck. Each have their own area of … [Read more...] about How I Increased my Klout

Profile Snapshots – May 2011

I'm always changing the themes on my profiles, it's evolving as my tastes or targets change. I'm going to start capturing them for reference - sometimes it's good to revert to an old theme. I'm currently in the 'Eating My iPhone' phase, and this is echoed on the platforms that allow background images. Not every platform allows you to customise the theme (Google Profiles, Flickr) but you can still … [Read more...] about Profile Snapshots – May 2011

Social Media Portal

It seems that when you move in the circles of early adopters one thing comes across very clearly "early adoption is not early enough" and by this I mean that we all seem to want the next step and go to great lengths to try and facilitate it. This is good, it pushes boundaries and gives others the ideas to push their own products that ultimately lead to mass adoption of that product. It also means … [Read more...] about Social Media Portal

How to backup flickr

It's a sad reality that in recent times there has been talk about the stability of some online social services. Since Delicious determined that there is not a strategic fit at Yahoo! many flickr members are starting to think that this service may go the same way. I don't think flickr is going anywhere anytime soon, especially as it's a paid for service. However, it's always important to have an … [Read more...] about How to backup flickr

Add Twitter to Posterous using Dropbox

(Update September 2012: Twitter have A New Twitter Widget that has blocked the ability to have a widget on Dropbox!) One of the current issues with Posterous is the lack of support for JavaScript. One way to add widgets to your site is to host the JavaScript on another site and display it on Posterous using an iframe. Some people don't have the web space to host widgets, but not everyone … [Read more...] about Add Twitter to Posterous using Dropbox

How to publish your RSS feed to twitter

Sometimes I'll motor along and grab the latest online tools available to solve problems. It's easy to forget that not everyone has their head stuck inside the arse end of the Internet and could use a nod or wink in the right direction when trying to solve their own problems. So here is a quick review on how I automatically publish blog content to a twitter account. Before you start moaning about … [Read more...] about How to publish your RSS feed to twitter

The Freebees Challenge

Last week I got one of those calls from Christian Payne, you know the ones where he tells you something really really interesting (and often hush hush) and then asks if there is anything you could do to help out ... no? - must just be me then ;) Anyways, it turned out he had agreed to travel from Lands End to John O'Groats - but get this, he has to do it with no money for travel, food, water … [Read more...] about The Freebees Challenge

VLOMO10 Video Blogging month

I've decided to take part in National Videoblogging Posting Month 2010 (#VLOMO10) but don't worry I won't subject you to thirty idividual Posterous posts of me rambling away, I'll just keep updating this post with the latest video and thumbnail links for the rest. Click to view the VLOMO10 Playlist: The idea is: One video per day, every day in November. Any length, any subject, … [Read more...] about VLOMO10 Video Blogging month

Pushing the brand

Today was a thought provoking day, Christian Payne (aka @Documentally) paid a visit to the Fish Media office and I got the opportunity to show him around the Mackney Photography Studio before we grabbed a bite to eat at one of the local ale establishments. We all had so much to talk about and it seemed as if we were talking at a hundred miles an hour to fit the conversations into the schedule. … [Read more...] about Pushing the brand

My Twist on #Twissup – Brewing in Burton Upon Trent

These are my thoughts on the recent #Twissup in Burton Upon Trent. This was an event arranged through twitter and was organised in the main by three people; Andy Mogg, Mark Dredge and Kristy McCready. #Twissup followed on from #Beerswap, another initiative arrange by the gruesome twosome Andy Mogg and Mark Dredge and as I was involved in the first #beerswap I was interested in attending … [Read more...] about My Twist on #Twissup – Brewing in Burton Upon Trent

Baavet Natural Wool Duvets

  In my day to day role at Fish MediaI do 'stuff' that I am proud of but mostly can’t be talked about or linked to for one or another large corporate reason, so when I noticed a tweet requesting some design help with a great new project one evening, I thought I could help and maybe even shout about it for a change. I’ve always used the little knowledge I have to help people. I like helping … [Read more...] about Baavet Natural Wool Duvets

Twissup

Today (May 15th 2010) is #twissup You can read all about #twissup here Here is a list of handy URL's to get me through the day: http://twitter.com/twissup - The official twitter account http://twitter.com/Twissup/twissup-burton-upon-trent - The twitter attendance list http://gowalla.com/trips/6178 - Gowalla trip bit.ly/twissup - A Google map of the points View #Twissup in a … [Read more...] about Twissup

Photoblog, Moblog, Microblog, Vlog …

I thought I would make a blog post about my experiences with the different types of blogging. So much has developed over 2008 for me and more and more great free online tools are available and getting better. It used to be that when I wanted to send a mobile pic or a message to my mates I'd use email with GSM data on my mobile phone. The ability to take a photo and send it to multiple … [Read more...] about Photoblog, Moblog, Microblog, Vlog …

Twitter Taste Live

(foreword: this blog post will update throughout the day, so please refresh for the latest post) I'm quite excited! ... it's nearly 2pm and I'm looking forward to a live UK wine tasting event that I am taking part in - the interesting fact is that it is being done via social media, mainly twitter 12seconds and twitpic! The wines arrived on Monday and the online tasting is to be held in … [Read more...] about Twitter Taste Live

My Second Life

Pictures of my avatar in Second Life. Sadly, I haven't been 'in world' since the end of 2007 - maybe about the time my Flickr addiction took over! Anyway, I thought it would be good to document the stage of my avatar in 2007. I created skins and clothing in Photoshop using downloaded templates and applied them as skins in Second Life. The wings were bought from a shop in Second Life from a guy … [Read more...] about My Second Life

What happened to Mackney.com?

There has been a big change ... for years (since 1999) mackney.com has been a personal site with a personal profile and blog, but the time came to promote Mackney Photography as a business concern. My brother Simon Mackney started a photography business over seven years ago and ran it under simonmackney.co.uk. Now after a complete re-jig of usernames and online identity Mackney Photography is … [Read more...] about What happened to Mackney.com?