How and why to keep in touch while on the go.
The mobile phone has evolved from a simple tool to chat with friends, family and coworkers while on the go. It's now your lifeline to the world offering text- and multimedia messaging, push email, web surfing, radio and TV broadcasts, GPS navigation and online shopping.
You can now add social networking to this laundry list of features, as your phone can help you stay in touch with those who matter most in your life, wherever your life takes you.
No longer restricted to your PC, mobile versions of services such as Facebook, Twitter and Flickr are catching on quickly among young Canadians. And if you own a smartphone, such as a BlackBerry or iPhone, there are often free applications ("apps") - opposed to a mere website -- to grant you access to your favourite social network, and with advanced features.
Here's how to get going on a few of the biggies.
Facebook
Love Facebook, but spend most of your time on your BlackBerry or iPhone? You can now have best of both worlds with a mobile app designed for fans of the mega-popular social networking site.
While a cell phone version of Facebook has been around for a while (m.facebook.com), offering a stripped down interface designed for 1-inch screens, Facebook for BlackBerry or iPhone makes it even faster, easier and more intuitive to stay in touch with your network of friends.
Specifically, this software lets you: receive Facebook notifications and messages automatically, leveraging the handsets' push-based email architecture; quickly access essential Facebook features such as pokes, wall posts, status updates and Facebook email; and easily snap and post pictures from your phone to your profile page.
The free Facebook app can be downloaded for the iPhone from Apple's App Store (part of iTunes) or by clicking on this link http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=6628568379 while the BlackBerry version can be downloaded here http://www.blackberry.com/devicesoftware/desktop/termsConditions.do;jsessionid=FFQ5b+vndR1wMAdz2dLkAA**
from a PC or BlackBerry smartphone.
On a related note, by the time you read this, MySpace for BlackBerry and MySpace for iPhone should both be available for download (details at myspace.com/blackberry and myspace.com/iphone, respectively). In the meantime, you can visit m.myspace.com to access the site form your mobile phone.
Twitter
For the uninitiated, Twitter asks you to answer one simple question: "What are you doing?"
Consider it a quick and easy way of keeping those who matter to you up-to-date with your life at any particular moment. The free Twitter Mobile for cell phones is even more convenient than its PC brethren. With it you can update your status with quick exchanges between friends and family or answer the question about what you're doing over a short text message, or "tweet," and the responses are shared between your contacts immediately. Also, you can view your profile (which includes a twittering timeline in chronological order), check out your friends' profiles or search for updates from people you follow. View stats such as how many followers you have. Go nuts and "twitter" away.
How to get going? Sign up for your free account on a computer or on a mobile phone by browsing to m.twitter.com. iPhone users can download the free Twitter app from Apple's App Storey and soon, a dedicated BlackBerry app for Twitter will be available.
Flickr
The web's hottest photo sharing site is now a button press away on your phone.
Flickr Mobile (m.flickr.com) or dedicated Flickr apps (see below) let you upload your favourite pics - even ones taken seconds earlier from your phone - to your Flickr Mobile account, and your friends can check out your shots immediately on their phone or PC. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words, so you can give your texting thumbs a break for a change and keep your peeps up-to-date with your on-the-go adventures.
Naturally, you can also access everyone else's photos -- anywhere, anytime -- from virtually any phone, plus you may choose to tag photos with searchable keywords, or mark your favourites. Whether it's access to your friends, family or the world's best photographers, the entire (and huge) Flickr community is at your fingertips.
Finally, with the free Flickr Mobile you can also search, view and make comments on your friend's photos or those by other Flickr members, and you can also review and respond to comments made on your photos by others - all from your phone. Flickr Mobile also gives you access your Flickr contacts to send a message to a friend while out and about.
Keep in mind data charges might apply (especially when uploading photos) so be sure to check with your carrier.
Download Flickr for BlackBerrys here http://na.blackberry.com/eng/devices/features/social/flickr.jsp while the m.flickr.com site recognizes the Safari browser and optimizes the site for iPhone viewing.
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