Links for the month of February.

Here are a few links of interest to the folks who read my books and articles or watch my training videos.

• The ‘Twitter Effect’: Possibilities and limits – Interesting article about the effect of retweeting links on a grand scale. On CNET. Thanks to @mjvalente for sharing this link.
• iMovie ’09 – Jeff Carlson, author of numerous iMovie-related books, reviews iMovie '09. Spoiler: Good news. On Macworld.com.
• Commercial Twitter spamming tool hits the market – This is not a good thing, but by making this public, it will hopefully spur the folks at Twitter to improve the registration process and put tools in place to stop automated tweets and accounts. Thanks to @mjvalente on Twitter for the link. On ZDNet.com.
• Top 10 Twitter Related Sites – One user's list of top ten sites for Twitter users. On SpookyIsMy.name.
• Google Next Victim Of Creative Destruction? – Interesting article that includes insight on how Twitter might be better for search results on current events than Google. Thanks to @jodene on Twitter for sharing the link. On AlleyInsider.com.
• Creative Ways to Use Twitter for Marketing and Branding – This article is a bit old and outdated, but it has some good ideas. On ShoestringBranding.com.
• Writing My Twitter Etiquette Article: 14 Ways to Use Twitter Politely – A handful of tips for using Twitter more politely. By Margaret Mason on The Morning News.
• A Twitter Decision – Deciding who to follow on Twitter. This makes sense. On Rands In Repose.
• Twitter: How to Get Started Guide for Business People – Not sure if this is a good one…a primer for business users who are interested in getting started on Twitter. Like we need more people [ab]using the system for profit. On CIO.com.
• Twitter’s Potential for Business Users – One take on how business users can benefit from Twitter. On CIO.com.
• MacVoices #950: Maria Langer and Scott McNulty Share Their Knowledge of WordPress – Thinking of starting a blog with WordPress? Maria Langer, the author of Self-Hosting a WordPress Site and WordPress.Com 2.7 Essential Training on Lynda.com and Scott McNulty, the author of Building a WordPress Blog People Want to Read, share some tips from their respective projects to help you make the right choices. Maria and Scott talk about deciding on using WordPress.com or selecting your own host, one-click vs. user installs, why permalink structure is one of the first things you should think about, and finding and customizing a theme for your blog and more. Backup options, favorite plug-ins and why their video and book compliment each other are discussed.
• Favicon Generator – Yet another online tool for generating favicons. This one lets you base your icon on an image you upload or draw one online.
• [ws] Color Scheme Designer – Great site for folks who struggle with color schemes.
• 8 Useful Tips To Become Successful With Twitter. What are YOUR tips? – Great article for becoming a Twitter success (whatever that is). On the Blog of Mr. Tweet.
• Rise of the Twitter Scrapers – There's a new kind of spammer in Twitter town. Learn more on PlagiarismToday.
• 10 Ways Microsoft’s Retail Stores Will Differ From Apple Stores – PC World has a sense of humor. Unfortunately, their readers don't. Thanks to @danfrakes on Twitter for sharing this link.
• 15 Useful WordPress Tricks to Make Your Theme Even Better – A good article with easy tips for modifying WordPress themes. Some of these are pretty basic, while others are more interesting and advanced. On ForTheLose.org.
• Create Groups for Twitter – Interesting article on Mashable explains how to create groups on Twitter, using 3rd Party sites and clients.
• Consumed – A Successful Failure – Fail Whale – NYTimes.com – New York Times article about Twitter's "Fail Whale," including its history and some information about it's original artist.
• Life is tweet: How the Twitter family infiltrated our cultural world – Excellent article on the Guardian about Twitter in the U.K. and beyond. Thanks to @twitter on Twitter for the link.
• Apple – Support – Apple Expert – Get support from an Apple expert — when you need it. Would love to know how this works out. If you've tried this, drop a comment for the links post on my blog.
• 9 Common Usability Mistakes In Web Design – There's nothing that bugs me more than a Web site that I think might have the content I want but is so poorly designed, I run out of patience before I can find it. This article talks about common Web design mistakes that affect usability. On Smashing Magazine.
• 5 Ways to Instantly Write Better CSS – NETTUTS – Simple tips for writing better CSS. On tutsplus.com.
• Field Trip to the Apple Store – Teachers, PAY ATTENTION. This is a great idea to introduce your kids to technology. Thanks to @BWJones on Twitter for the link.
• UnTweeps – Cleanup Twitter users who don’t tweet often enough. – This quick utility will identify the Twitter users you follow who haven't posted an update in 30, 60, or 90 days (your choice). You can then unfollow them as desired or take other action. Requires your Twitter password, but doesn't store it. Great way to weed out the people you follow who don't actively participate in Twitter — or to nag the ones you want to continue to follow. Thanks to @AndyPiper on Twitter for the link.
• The Netbook Effect: How Cheap Little Laptops Hit the Big Time – Excellent article about the history of the Netbook and why it has become so popular. Apple? I'm still waiting for my Mac OS X netbook. Thanks to @jmoriarty on Twitter for the link. Read it on Wired.com.