I have been helping out a friend that needed to add a Twitter button to a number of different pages. I could find lots of complex ways of doing this but not much in the way of reliable copy & paste solution that would capture the page title and also shorten the URLs.

I decided the easiest thing to do would be to put together a simple ASP.net web app that performed the URL trim, formatted the message and then redirected the user to twitter. I already knew I could use JavaScript to capture the page URL and Title.

After grabbing a bit.ly API key I found this .net DLL that makes working with the API super simple. Then I knocked up a simple button in English and Norwegian (for my friend).

The code to display the button is here and feel free to add it to any page you wish to be easily tweetable.

Incidentally, I made the button the same size as the ‘Share on Facebook’ button so they will sit nicely together. I will try to do some more buttons at some point.

The Poker Tree is launching their national pub and bar poker gaming concept throughout the UK in July 2009. With hundreds of pubs already on board and more signing up every day, the poker league will be reaching all corners of the country over the coming months.

By operating a national points driven league system The Poker Tree will provide all the necessary gaming equipment free of charge to all signed up venues.

Better still, there are Las Vegas holidays and large cash prizes to be won by the players who make it through to the regional and national finals. Not only do the players win prizes and trophies but the venues associated with the winning players can also reap large rewards.

The Poker Tree has developed a unique website which combines social poker networking for all members. Every member will have access to their own home page with league statistics, profiles, messaging and lots of other exciting features. The site will be fully operational in the coming weeks at www.thepokertree.com.

If you are interested in hearing more about The Poker Tree then you can contact them on 0844 980 0422 quoting the code PTR1.

http://www.pokerplayermagazine.co.uk/pokerlife/pokernews/8956/the_poker_tree.html

Well I didn’t win first place but second, and you know what?

I’m totally bloody chuffed to bits!

Listen to the results here:

Here is the first place entry by David Carrington which I think is quite frankly, fantastic:

Huge props to TheReallyMobileProject for running the competition.

JW

Previously I have feared Wordpress upgrades but to my surprise the new one button method is a breeze!

Whilst I was fiddling I also decided to install the Disqus comment system (not that I ever really get many comments but thats besides the point!). I have seen it used on a few sites now (MIR, TRMP) and really like the idea of it. Again setup was super simple and it works great.

My only problem now is having done some blog housekeeping I really want a new look to the place!  Do I be lazy and find a prebuilt theme, design my own or a combo of the two? Either way any ideas or pointers to some nice themes would be great.

Ta!

A great use of social media here from my friends at AD, done in a similar way to the #uksnow map we saw earlier in the year.

When a user on Twitter tweets #atishoo + postcode + score out of 5 it gets aggregated on to a map plotting the level of hay fever agitation in that area.

Good work Kleenex highlighting the plight of hay fever sufferers up and down the country.

Check it out here