Just as “like” has entered our every day vocabulary (don’t even get me started on other tech words that have come to mean person to person interaction that drive me crazy), I think “PLUS” will also enter our daily vocabulary in the near future.  I doubt the long form “Plus One” will catch on as quickly, but I can definitely see “plus us on Google” or when someone does something good in real life, someone else saying “oh plus!”

So, what is this new little +1 button?  It’s basically the new “like”.  When you see a comment, a status update, a link or post that you like you click the +1 button.  On your Google+ profile you will have a stream of just your +1’s.  This is actually great for you as well.  Instead of a Facebook ‘like” that gets lost with all of the other content you share, you can easily look at something you have +1’d, so if you want to refer to a website or blog post later, you can simply click the +1 button and it will be right there in your profile to check out again later. 

Another thing about the +1 button, is that if you +1 a website (such as the marvelous www.tech4mommies.com) If one of your Google+ friends goes searching for tech information and they see my website come up in their search results, they will also see a picture of you saying that you +1’d the website.  I’ll be more likely to click on something that I know my friend already likes, instead of another website that may or may not be good.  Google has created a GREAT referral service to get the content that is right for you in front of your face.  I do have to mention that Facebook also has something similar with Bing.  If you do a search in Bing you will see when your Facebook friends has liked a website in the search results.

So while +1 is a method for you the share out content that you have already seen and liked, Sparks will help show you content that you may be interested in.  You can create your own Sparks that will act as an RSS feed, or you can do a spark based on a topic or general interest of yours.

Go go forth and +1, but don’t forget to +1 my page! 

Early in my IT career I worked for a homebuilder.  A lot of the time when we would be setting up a brand new neighborhood, the infrastructure wasn’t in place yet.  We’d have a trailer out in the middle of nowhere with constructions crews and they would need a way to get online.  Many times there would not be Cable or DSL available in these new locations.  We toyed around with the idea of satellite internet, but the technology just wasn’t where we needed it to be in order to make that happen.  Granted this was 10 years ago!

Then we moved to Utah.  I was in a home, and it was a fairly developed neighborhood, and yet I was shocked to learn that Cable wasn’t available in my area.  DSL wasn’t available in my area.  What’s a techy girl to do without her highspeed internet?!?  We signed up with a satellite internet company local to our area.  The speeds turned out to be pretty good.  We now live in an age where you can have high speed internet wherever you are.  Here are some options for you…

Satellite – So this is the option we are currently using at home.  You can stay up to speed with satellite internet that’s faster than ever.  This is definitely not the kind of internet that wasn’t going to cut the mustard 10 years ago.  I am able to remote control servers, workstations, stream Netflix, and play Xbox live, all at the same time.  It is comforting to be able to have high speed internet wired to my home, even if I do live in the sticks.

Mobile Broadband – This is a great option for the “traveler”.  If your job takes you all over town, or even all over the country, this is a great idea.  What you do is purchase a broadband card from your cell phone provider (Sprint, Verizon, etc) and you purchase a data plan to go with it.  This will allow your laptop to use the cell phone network for your high speed internet.  Speeds are definitely coming up, but you will be limited if you are in a low signal zone.

Mobile Hotspot – This option will turn your phone into it’s own little wifi router.  Meaning you can connect your laptop to your phone just like you would connect it to someone’s home wireless network.  Several phones offer this option, you just have to check with your cell phone provider if yours has the capability.  Plus, again, you are limited if you can’t pick up a cell phone signal.

Steal Wifi – OK, you don’t necessarily have to STEAL it, but you at least have to be someplace that offers it.  Many coffee shops, bakeries or even some fast food restaurants, are all offering free wifi.  You just have to go, order something, and hop online.

So, no matter where you are, or where you go, you can be online lickity

Go Crazy? … Don’t mind if I do!  Today I have a wonderful post just about ready to go live about a great new product from Chicalogic called ChicaPC-Fix. The mission of this company is completely right in line with my goals and mission, and I’m looking forward to a close relationship with Chicalogic.  

Here is the problem… Yesterday when I woke up, out DirecTV was down.  This can happen from time to time when our Satellite dish gets covered in snow.  There was no snow that morning, so I figured it would eventually come back on.  It hasn’t yet.  Then during he course of the day yesterday the internet crashed as well (which oddly enough also uses a satellite dish on our roof…have I mentioned I live in the sticks where I can’t even get cable?)  So, I phoned the intenet company, who had to escalate me to tier 2, since apparently people who are smart don’t work after hours.  

So, now I’m writing a lovely post on my phone, which truthfully is not the best way to compose a post.

So when connections to the outside world resumes at my house, I will be able resume working…. Humph!

ChicaPC-Fix Chicalogic 

All winners will be announced at 5 PM MST!  Stay Tuned!

The individual videos for the BlogHer Voices of the Year is now up, so today’s vlog is a better recording of my community keynote speach.  You should definitely check out the rest of my friends’ video’s at the BlogHer website.

I know you’ve seen them . . . the commercials with the brand new car parked in the drive way with the big red bow on top.  Wouldn’t you love to have that happen to you?  Well here’s a chance for you to win a 2010 Ford Mustang in time for Christmas (and support an outstanding school in the process)!

Sherwood Charter School is raffling off a new Ford Mustang on Dec. 13^th, 2010.  Tickets are just $10 each and they’re only selling 4500 of them.  As a charter school they only receive 80% of the state funding that the public schools get; leaving the parents and students to make up the shortfall with fundraisers like this one.  Sherwood Charter School is an up and coming school where students are held to a higher standard and receive an outstanding education, all while doing it on a minimal budget.  Please visit www.sherwoodcharterschool.org/node/11 to securely make a donation towards your raffle ticket.

Thank you for your support and good luck!

I’m going to a “baby shower” in a couple of weeks that is going to benefit a great cause.   Read about it here…

If you would like to donate anything, please either come with me, or bring it to or send it to my house prior to the event!  THANK YOU!!

While I wish that everyone could win, because it’s really just such a GREAT phone, I was only given one phone to give away… The lucky winner is Deanna! who posted..

“Wow, I am so excited! I am already following you on twitter and am now a fan on facebook!

Here’s my tweet: http://twitter.com/deegibbons/status/9831543491

What I am really excited about with the Palm Pre Plus is Everything! Okay, if I had to pick just one, I would say email. I really love the idea of having all my email (4 addresses) integrated so that I can get all of it on my phone!”

Congrats and check your inbox for more details. 

Here is one of the things that I enjoy so much about my Palm Pre… You don’t have to buy a brand new device in order to get some really great upgrades!  This last weekend Palm released an update to it’s operating system.  One of the great new features is video capture!  This device is quickly becoming the only piece of hardware you need to carry with you wherever you go.  Some other great new features are the ability to have flash (still waiting on an app in the catalog from adobe for it to work though.), and a brand spanking new Facebook app that offers so much more than the previous app did.  One thing I was hoping would come in 1.4 was windows live messenger incorporated into the messaging app, but alas I guess I’ll still have to wait for that.  

Another feature that has been improved is the phone.  Now when you go into the call log there are several options for you to choose from such as a call history for that specific number and the ability to text, call, add to contacts, or view their contact card.  It is so much more useful than it used to be.

The last feature that I was super excited for is the ability to dial a phone number from a text message!  That was really starting to bug me.  Also you can email a text!

All in all I’m very happy with the new updates.  It does seem slightly slower than it used to be, but I’m sure they’ll fix that soon.  They have been churning out the updates like champs!!

If you have any questions about the Palm Pre (or any tech for that matter) just send me a tweet about it twitter.com/tech4mommies or you can comment right here on the post and I’ll answer them as soon as I can! 

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for your very own Palm Pre Plus! (also I just wrote this post entirely on my Pre while my daughter is at gymnastics! Go mobile!)

Here’s a fun little video of the Palm Pre Plus in action during a typically busy day for a Mom!  Enjoy!