Web Worker Daily

1Password + Dropbox = Password Sync Posted: 29 Sep 2008 01:00 PM CDT We always like a good utility here at WWD. But we like it even better when two of our favorite utilities start working well together. That’s the case with 1Password and Dropbox: if you’re storing your passwords (and other confidential information) in 1Password, you can now use Dropbox to keep those passwords synchronized across multiple computers. Here’s how. The first thing you need to do is install 1Password on all the computers where you want to keep the same passwords. (Yes, this only applies to OS X users at the moment - though it seems that you can at least view the password file contents on a Windows box if you know the master password). Next, you need to step up to the most recent beta version of 1Password: open Preferences, go to the Updates tab, and turn on “Include Beta versions”. Then click the “Check Now” button and upgrade your copy of 1Password to the current beta. Remember to do this on all of the computers where you’re running 1Password. After installing the update, you need to turn on the new Agile Keychain format in 1Password. Open a command prompt and run the command “defaults write com.1passwd EnableAgileKeychain -bool YES” (without the quotes, of course). Now reopen the 1Password Preferences and go to the Keychain tab. Click the “Switch to Agile Keychain Format” button. 1Password will take all of your existing data out of the Apple Keychain and put it in their own data format. This is where Dropbox comes in. Click “Change Location” in 1Password preferences and move your new agile keychain into your dropbox (you can also use other sharing utilities like SugarSync or FolderShare - the key is to pick something that does automatic bidirectional synchronization). Now, move to your other computer. Make sure that 1Password is upgraded to the beta version and that the agile keychain is enabled. Then open your dropbox in Finder and double-click on the synchronized keychain file. Confirm to 1Password that you want to load this file, and voila!: all of the passwords from computer #1 will be available on computer #2. If either one adds a new password, it will synchronize to the other via Dropbox. There are, as we’ve pointed out before, many options for password management. To my way of thinking, this setup - using a native client-side password manager with encrypted synchronization over the web - is one of the slickest ways to set things up.

10 Everyday Ways to Use Twitter for Work Posted: 29 Sep 2008 12:00 PM CDT I said it once, and I’ll say it again. I love Twitter. WWD has been talking about using Twitter as a professional tool for quite some now. I use Twitter daily and often, almost always from my laptop on the Web, occasionally from Twhirl if I want to post to one of my 5 accounts other than my main one, sometimes from my mobile phone and once in a while from my iPod. Twitter is my watercooler as I work solo from home (or a local cafe) in Alaska. It is my finger on the pulse of social media and things happening in the Lower 48. It is my way of touching base with friends, acquaintances and people who I’d like to get to know better. Looking at my Twitter account over the last few weeks, I also saw distinct ways I used Twitter in my work proving once and for all that Twitter is not just chatter but a useful business tool. Here are some ways I recently used Twitter for my work: Got help working through UStream.tv issues for my first live streaming of a presentation. Sent links to some of my most recent blog posts and client projects. Got troubleshooting tips on how to get my .Me mail via Mac Mail. Got a few beta invites to some new web apps to test. Got feedback if the operating system is pronounced Oh-Es-Ex or Oh-Es-Ten for a podcast I was doing (Twitterfriends were tied so I went for Oh-Es-Ten). Invited people to a free teleseminar on social media that I participated in. Used Twitter as part of a national Tweetup for WeVote08 - I organized the Anchorage regional event. Invited people to an event I organized in Second Life. Got feedback about portable but high quality MP3 recorders to purchase. Canvassed for input for an upcoming WWD blog post. Twitter is a great promotional tool but for personal accounts you need to be careful not to be too spammy (I may sometimes tread that line a bit too finely - oops!). Twitter is also a knowledge base with people ready to respond to questions almost instantly. By the way, be sure to follow the brand new @WebWorkerDaily for the latest site updates. Check the Following link for the Twitter accounts of most of the WWD team. How are you using Twitter for your work?

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