Pligg – Stay N Alive

Category: Pligg

New Series: Social Coding

Posted on by jessestay

I’ve been contemplating for awhile now a good way to share what I know about Social Software Development and helping business owners, marketers, and developers learn how to set up their own social apps. Especially for developers, I know there are many out there looking for howtos and ways to learn more about starting their own App, promoting it, and getting it off the ground. As the author of FBML Essentials, I feel I am well suited for the task so in the next few days I’m going to start doing howtos and overviews on how you can get your own Apps together. If you’re “the business type”, I may get a little technical on you, but I do recommend you keep watching and forward these onto your IT personell – your CIO, CTO, and the like should read these so they can learn what’s possible to integrate into your existing environments. I’ll also try to throw in a little goodie here and there for “the business type”.

So, I’ve created a new category to the right, “Social Coding” – if you want to track just that, click on the category name and add it to your RSS. I’ve also started a new FriendFeed Room where those involved or that want to get involved in Social Coding can discuss, learn, and talk with each other. You can subscribe to that here.

Let’s start by going over the types of sites I could cover. Here are just a few – let me know if you have a particular interest in learning about how to code for any one in particular:

  • Facebook

  • OpenSocial

  • Google Friend Connect

  • Twitter

  • FriendFeed

  • Pligg

  • Digg

  • LinkedIn

  • MySpace

  • WordPress

  • MoveableType

  • Google App Engine

  • Bungee Connect

Stay tuned! I’ll keep posting news and other rants as we go forward – I’ll just be adding in some good howtos at the same time. Oh, and if you’re a developer and would like to do a howto in your preferred language for us, contact me – I’d love to let you do a guest post.

Reminder: Utah Social Media / Facebook Developers Garage Tomorrow

Posted on by jessestay

I just wanted to remind everyone that the Utah Social Media Developers Garage will be tomorrow, December 11, at 7pm at the Twelve Horses offices in Draper, Utah. We will have the privilege of hearing from Jeff Barr, evangelist for Amazon Web Services who is traveling all the way from Seattle, about how Amazon AWS has been utilized in Social environments. After Jeff’s talk, we will be having a round-table discussion, where I would love to talk more about Google’s OpenSocial, and any other Facebook developments that have occured over the past month. Following the discussion we’ll get a tournament of Xbox 360 Dance Dance Revolution, Halo 3, and possibly Guitar Hero 3 going. Bungee Labs has offered to offer the snacks and drinks for the event. This should be our biggest event yet, so be sure to mark your calendars, and invite your coworkers!

We’d again like to thank Twelve Horses for hosting the event, and Bungee Labs for providing the food. Of course, I also need to make a shameless plug for my Social Media development and consulting company, currently called SNAPlic8 (we’re debating on our name still), who is organizing the event. The first 18 people in the door will get a cool Google-provided Google Code notebook to take notes in. We’ll look forward to seeing you there!

If you’re wondering where Twelve Horses is located, their address is:

13961 Minuteman Dr, Draper, UT 84020

View Larger Map

Basically, it’s off Bangerter on the East-side feeder that parallels I-15. The Twelve Horses office is located in a series of three buildings, in the middle building. Their office is on the left on the first floor, right as you walk in.

Next Utah Social Media Developers Garage Meeting: December 11

Posted on by jessestay

I mentioned this in the official group, but the next Utah Social Media Developers Garage meeting will be held Tuesday, December 11 at 7pm. Amazon.com’s Jeff Barr will be our featured speaker and will be talking about Social Networking sites that currently use Amazon Web Services and why AWS is beneficial to this medium. I’m excited to have him here and look forward to hearing what he has to say – I appreciate him taking the time to address our group. We will have at least one more guest speaker after Jeff, which will be announced soon – I’ll update that here and on the event page.

After the event we will hope to play some Guitar Hero, Halo 3, or Dance Dance Revolution on the Xbox 360 – bring your GH guitars! As always, the event is bring your own snack, and SNAPlicate will provide drinks for the group.

This event will be sponsored and hosted by 12 Horses and will be held at their new headquarters in Draper, unless there are too many attendees to accommodate. I’ll post a map and directions here and on the event page when that is officially confirmed. The event will also be sponsored by my Social Media development and consulting company, SNAPlicate – we are the ones organizing the event.

Please RSVP on the Facebook event site so we can have a good idea of the number of attendees that will be there – if you don’t have a Facebook account, please comment here and let me know you’re coming. This is critical to us knowing if we’ll have enough space or not. RSVP here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=20803448528

Jesse Stay is a Utah Facebook Developer and Consultant

Posted on by jessestay

Well, I’ve officially made the plunge! As of today I have announced my resignation at UnitedHealth Group and will very soon be completely self-employed, working on your business’s projects full time under my consulting business, Stay N’ Alive Productions. If you have a project of any caliber, I am giving short-term (that could become long-term) contracts first priority, but will consider anything.

I mentioned previously about my friend Thom Allen being a Facebook developer. Well, I’ve let him have the limelight for long enough and now it’s my turn! I am a Utah Facebook Developer. I currently have 4 applications written, one with near 10,000 users and growing. I also have been doing Facebook consulting since almost the launch of the Facebook platform. I have taught classes on Facebook and am definitely your man if you need some consulting or projects based on the Facebook platform.

So if you need any work, give me a ring via the GrandCentral “Call Me” button down on the right of this page and we can work on a bid or estimate for consulting work. You can also read through this blog to understand what I know and how I can help you. Feel free to blog or Twitter about me as well! I need all the help I can get to get this off the ground!

Pligg Presentation Cancelled

Posted on by jessestay

I apologize to those looking forward to it, but I’ve had to cancel my presentation on Pligg modules at UTOSC this week. I’ve just got too much on my plate right now. I realized I needed to blog this today as the Pligg guys just gave me a really nice plug on the Pligg blog. I feel really bad for canceling now! If anyone is making a special trip out here for my presentation, please inform me ASAP and I might still be able to get back in as a presenter – I don’t want to put anyone out for this. I’ve just got a lot going on right now with about 3 businesses I’m trying to push off the ground, contractual obligations on the side, a full-time job, my wife being sick lately, and more. Again, please let me know if this puts you out and I’ll re-prioritize (and maybe take you out for dinner too!).

For those Pligg users and developers, I’m still planning on finishing my Email_Latest module, and also maybe a Facebook integration app (if someone doesn’t beat me to it – please, don’t hesitate!). I haven’t forgotten you guys!

For Sale: Pligg.com

Posted on by jessestay

Several posts have been floating around the blogosphere lately about Pligg.com going up for sale. It appears the makers of Pligg are opening up bidding for the sale of pligg.com. Bids start at $25,000 on Sedo (just type in 24999, and then type in 25000 and you’ll see what I mean). This is a good thing. Pligg has had 60,000 downloads alone on SourceForge.net and is continually growing, with sites like VH1’s Best Week Ever, and Rocket Boom. They need the help to propel it further. The code itself appears to continue to remain open source, with just the business going up for sale. I at least hope so, as I have code in the main source tree that I’d hate to see go. It will be interesting to see who takes this on.

New “I’m Presenting” Badge

Posted on by jessestay

I was just given this badge to display on my blog to encourage everyone to register and come see me present at UTOSC. As mentioned earlier, I will be presenting at the Utah Open Source Conference, September 6-8, 2007 on development of Pligg Modules, and probably a little about Pligg itself. This conference gets bigger every year so reserve your tickets early! I hear Bruce Perens, author of the Open Source Definition will even be there. I’ve got a couple other presentations in the works as well (at other arenas), so stay tuned.

Pligg Presentation at UTOSC

Posted on by jessestay

I’ve been asked to present on developing Pligg modules at the Utah Open Source Conference, September 6-8, 2007. So if you’re in the area and would like to learn how to write one, please be sure to attend! I’m thinking of going through a 15 minute or so walk through of creating a simple module to show how easy it is. This also means I’ve got to get my Email_Latest plugin fully functional and maybe make the Digg plugin a little better. Also, expect a Facebook module here shortly that will allow you to tie Pligg into Facebook Applications. What would you like to see in the presentation?

Collaborate With Smaller Groups of Digg Users Using Pligg

Posted on by jessestay

Yesterday, I announced the release of a new feature of Came2Pass.com, allowing users to specify a Digg User ID in their profile, and have all their Digg-submitted and voted-for articles automatically appear under 2 new categories with other Digg users on their Pligg-based website. Today, I’m happy to announce the release of the code for that feature of Pligg.

Using the link below, you can install a module into your Pligg installation which will take the Digg User IDs of members of your Pligg-run site that also use Digg.com. Once they have entered their Digg User ID in their profile, feeds will begin to import into 2 pre-specified categories (be sure to edit your digg_users_settings.php beforehand to specify these categories!), of which will show all the Digg submitted stories, and Digg voted stories of your Pligg site’s members.

What’s the big deal, you ask? Well, the big deal is you can now bring smaller groups of Digg users into one location, encouraging them to use your site, while being able to congregate, collaborate, and continue in the great community that Digg.com provides. Consider it a grouping tool! This is only the beginning, too – in the future, I hope to add search features to look for particular digg user ids on your Pligg website. You’ll also soon, when adding users of your Pligg website as friends, also add them as friends in Digg if they have specified a Digg ID. The possibilities are endless! Also expect future similar grouping tools for other social bookmarking websites as well (delicous? flickr?).

So, to install, just download the link below into your modules subdirectory in Pligg. Untar and un-gzip it in that directory. Now, under your God/Admin user in Pligg, go to Admin, Module Management, and click on install next to the Digg.com User Feeds module. You’ll also need the “Profile Extra Fields” module by AshDigg for it to work. Good luck, and let me know if you have any comments or suggestions!

http://forums.pligg.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=37&act=down

Email_Latest Pligg Module

Posted on by jessestay

As promised, I’ve created a Pligg module that will allow users to “sign up” for Pligg pages. Right now I’ve only finished the “sign up” part. You will need to create your own cron script that interfaces with the notifications table, and integrate it on your own into the user profile page if you want your users to be able to remove themselves from notifications. I wanted to get this out there anyways so others could help me out on it. “Release early, release often”. Expect the other features I mention above here shortly, and if you happen to beat me to them, please let me know with the code you’ve produced so I can integrate it into the next build! Here’s the download link:

http://forums.pligg.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=38&act=down

To install, copy to your modules directory, and untar and un-gzip it. Then, go to your admin and you’ll see the module under the Module Management section. Enable it, and you’re set! Read the readme.htm file (or click on the “Email Latest Stories” link) for more details on installation. You’ll also need to add the notifications table to your pligg database, included in the notifications.sql file.