DocShots: New tool for presenting multiple docs via your blog

Docstoc now introduces DocShots, the best way for you to publish multiple documents via your blog. Installation is fast and easy and the service is FREE. Simply cut and paste a snippet of code into the background of your blog and DocShots will convert any posted documents (.doc, .pdf, .ppt, .xls) into hover-able links. Your readers can then scroll over these links to instantly preview files in our feature-rich viewer. No longer will they have to download files to preview them, meaning they stay engaged at your site and no longer face disruptive wait times or potential computer freezes.

DocShots is a free service for website and blog owners. Simply add your custom DocShots code just one time into the background of your site and all your posted documents (.doc, .pdf, .ppt, .xls) will be converted to DocShots links.

DocShots provides publishers with a new option for presenting documents online while providing readers a better way to preview and download these documents. This free, turnkey service converts any posted document on your website or blog into a hover-able link that enables instant online document preview. With DocShots, there are no heavy downloads or disruptive wait times. For example, hover or click on this document to instantly preview it.

Features:
# Enable instant preview & interaction with any doc
# Enter one snippet of code and ALL your work is done
# Turns doc links into shareable, viral content
# Automatically convert all doc links on your website
# Eliminate the need to download a doc to preview it; eliminate download wait times and system crashes
# Provides real-time tracking statistics on each doc

Sign-in or Create an account on Docstoc, to generate your own custom DocShots code. The code is a few lines of javascript that you cut & paste into the bottom of your site’s HTML pages. All the documents you post on your website or blog will be accessible through your Docstoc profile. This way you can easily follow their usage statistics.

DocShots provide you controls to:
– Modify the default width and height of the document preview
– Set documents to display as public on docstoc or store privately in your own account
– Include or exclude our Related Docs and Other Docs features in the DocShots display

DocShots works on various websites and blogging platforms, though still can’t work with WordPress.com blogs.

Check out DocShots in action here

To learn more about DocShots, watch the DocShots Video. Ready to start using DocShots?

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Look.fo – Simplify Linking To Google Searches

Everybody hates having to copy and paste a link to a Google search? The URLs are often so long, that you can’t cut and paste the whole thing. If you’re having that problem, you should see the simple solution provided by Look.fo. With this site, you’ll be able to create simple links to Google search results, which are much easier to share through any IM client or Twitter. Now, when you want to share a Google search, you can tell your friends to just look.fo/(search keywords). I’ve been trying it out for sometime and it makes sharing Google searches a lot simpler.

This is one of those sites that seem so simple yet they’re very useful. You’ll be quickly drawn in to the site’s simplicity and high usefulness factor. When in doubt, just “Look Fo It”.

Features:
* Get short links for Google search results.
* Create as many short links as you like.
* No sign-up needed.

I tried Look.fo out with something easy like “TheTechTalker” and the site performed well.  It quickly formed the URL (http://look.fo/thetechtalker) and the Google search results it returned were accurate enough for me to justify sending that to someone who wants to know more about TheTechTalker.com.

Similarly use http://look.fo/microsoft for search results of ‘Microsoft’. Also, for specific Youtube, Wikipedia and Dictionary Definitions searches:

* For Youtube searches, http://look.fo/youtube-queen
* For Wikipedia entries, http://look.fo/wiki-blogging
* For Dictionary definitions, http://look.fo/define-freaky

Checkout Look.fo for easy sharing of Google Search result URLs. Something different or one should say – a twist in usual URL snipping service!

Get Your Twitter Feed into SQL Server with Tweet-SQL

If you’re reading this post, you’re probably a Developer or SQL Server DBA, and you’re probably into Twitter, so you’re probably going to be interested in Rhys Campbell’s Tweet-SQL.

Tweet-SQL is a set of SQL Server stored procedures that let you work with the Open Source Twitter API just by writing T-SQL code. You can do things like:
* Get the list of people you’re following into a database
* Retrieve their messages into a table
* Analyze who’s following who, and figure out who you should be following
* Compile metrics about what’s going on out there

Tweet-SQL Features
* Simple deployment.
* Simple GUI for configuration.
* Stored Procedures for configuration changes with TSQL.
* Over 30 procedures to interact with the Twitter API.
* Flexible ways to deal with resultsets.
* No unfair licensing restricting you to a single Twitter account.
* Free updates for 1 year.

To get started, you’ll need a 30-day eval copy of Tweet-SQL. It’s free to evaluate, and costs £25 at this point of time.

The Twitter API is pretty darned powerful, and it enables you to do things like:
* Find out who your followers are following, which might be people you also find interesting
* Find influential people in your Twitter network
* Get recap reports of what links have been sent out recently, or what hot topics are out there
* Get peoples’ updates without actually following them directly
* Build a web-based equivalent to TweetDeck, with multiple user functionality

For sample scripts, check out SQLCLRNews, Rhys Campbell’s blog where he posts how-to examples for Tweet-SQL.

Add Video to your Twitter profile

BubbleTweet allows you to add a video to your Twitter profile. This is accomplished by adding a link to your “Bio” section. This link can also be forwarded at will by e-mailing or tweeting it. This way, you can greet your followers in person and cause a better impression, in the hope of consolidating your position in the Twitterverse.

View a Demo

How To: Send Classified, Confidential Email over the Web

Send.™ is a free, easy-to-use email encryption service. It is Simple, Powerful & Secure way to send Top Secret information via email.

I don’t have much experience of sending encrypted emails, but as Send explains in the diagram below, it seems to be a cumbersome process.

What does Send.™ has to say :
It’s not that there aren’t other secure methods to send an email… It’s just that they’re too hard to use. We think everyone should be able to send a secure email…and we all have better things to do than spend an afternoon installing and configuring an encryption solution.

We don’t require you to maintain encryption keys – Though we think the public/private key method works, we also think it was created for geeks and technicians.

Send is compatible with all email solutions including web mail – Anyone with a browser and an internet connection can use Send.™ and, unlike other available solutions, Send requires no software downloads or additional system configuration.

The service is easy to use – We created Send because the previous process for sending secure messages was too difficult. Our studies suggest that people will not send encrypted messages if the process is even marginally more difficult than normal. Simply put…security is important, but cannot impede productivity.

Using Send for delivering an encrypted message is incredibly easy. Here’s how it works:
1. On Sendinc.com, enter your email address, your recipients, a subject, your message, and any attachments (Max size allowed is 10MB) .

2. If this is the first time you are using the service, Send will require you to verify the sender address by sending you a confirmation message. You’ll also have to setup a password for using that account in the future.

3. Send your message

4. Recipients will receive the message and be required to open an attachment, which contains the encrypted message.

5. From the attachment, recipients click-thru back to Send, where they’ll also have to create an account.

6. Send decrypts the message and shows the contents to the recipient.

Simple enough! So start using Send.™