Thursday, May 5, 2011

FW: The Resources I Used to Learn Python

Author: BorkoQoq | Posted at: 10:15 PM |

The Resources I Used to Learn Python

Last week I explained why I decided to go with Python as my first programming language. Today I want to talk about the resources I used to get started.

Before jumping into code I wanted to get a general picture of what computer science and programming was about. I had some ideas, but I figured it would be a good idea to cross check them. After researching a bit online I found the Wikiversity website, which proved to be very valuable. The website is part of the Wikimedia foundation (the guys behind Wikipedia), and it aims to provide free learning materials and courses.

The course I used there was the Introduction to Computer Science one. After going thought it you should have a good understanding of how computers work, what are algorithms, how to solve problems using computation and so on.

After that I purchased a book called Head First Programming. It aims to teach you the basics of programming while you solve practical problems and tasks. The language used is Python, so it will help you get started with that as well. Costs around $30.

Another very useful book I started reading in parallel was How To Think Like A Computer Scientist. It also uses Python along the way, but it’s open source, so you can read it straight from its website (or even download the PDF).

Once I finished those two books I could already create some basic programs in Python, and I was having a lot of fun doing it. Then I figured it was time to take on something more advanced, and I started looking for online courses from universities.

I came across the MIT Open Courseware program, and decided to follow the Introduction to Computer Science and Programming course. They have all the video lectures, slides and test materials available and completely free.

This course is probably the best introduction to computer science you’ll find anywhere online or offline. You need to understand the basics of programming and have a solid math background to follow it, but if you manage to watch all the lessons you’ll definitely be on the right track to become a real programmer. I was so impressed with the course that I decided to donate money to the MIT Open Courseware program (my name is on their website!).

And that is pretty much all I used to learn Python and programming initially. After that it was just a matter of practicing a lot, coding games, small programs and the like.

Next week I’ll talk about moving from Python to C, and about other books and resources I am using these days. Stay tuned.

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2 Responses to "The Resources I Used to Learn Python"

  1. Justin | Mazzastick on May 5th, 2011 9:58 pm | Reply

    Sounds like a great and easy way to learn about computer science.

    I started my blog because I enjoy writing and sharing ideas but I actually do enjoy learning all of the little nuances of programming and coding.

    I will definitely look into this program.

    • Web Marketing Tips on May 6th, 2011 12:54 am | Reply

      Doing those little design change even when you do not know coding is simply awesome.

      This give satisfaction when you realise that you can modify your blog.

      @ Daniel

      Yes we were waiting for this post after reading your last post on Python.

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Feed: Daily Blog Tips
Posted on: Thursday, May 05, 2011 9:49 PM
Author: Daniel Scocco
Subject: The Resources I Used to Learn Python

 

Last week I explained why I decided to go with Python as my first programming language. Today I want to talk about the resources I used to get started.

Before jumping into code I wanted to get a general picture of what computer science and programming was about. I had some ideas, but I figured it would be a good idea to cross check them. After researching a bit online I found the Wikiversity website, which proved to be very valuable. The website is part of the Wikimedia foundation (the guys behind Wikipedia), and it aims to provide free learning materials and courses.

The course I used there was the Introduction to Computer Science one. After going thought it you should have a good understanding of how computers work, what are algorithms, how to solve problems using computation and so on.

After that I purchased a book called Head First Programming. It aims to teach you the basics of programming while you solve practical problems and tasks. The language used is Python, so it will help you get started with that as well. Costs around $30.

Another very useful book I started reading in parallel was How To Think Like A Computer Scientist. It also uses Python along the way, but it’s open source, so you can read it straight from its website (or even download the PDF).

Once I finished those two books I could already create some basic programs in Python, and I was having a lot of fun doing it. Then I figured it was time to take on something more advanced, and I started looking for online courses from universities.

I came across the MIT Open Courseware program, and decided to follow the Introduction to Computer Science and Programming course. They have all the video lectures, slides and test materials available and completely free.

This course is probably the best introduction to computer science you’ll find anywhere online or offline. You need to understand the basics of programming and have a solid math background to follow it, but if you manage to watch all the lessons you’ll definitely be on the right track to become a real programmer. I was so impressed with the course that I decided to donate money to the MIT Open Courseware program (my name is on their website!).

And that is pretty much all I used to learn Python and programming initially. After that it was just a matter of practicing a lot, coding games, small programs and the like.

Next week I’ll talk about moving from Python to C, and about other books and resources I am using these days. Stay tuned.

Original Post: The Resources I Used to Learn Python

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FW: How Businesses Should React to Negative Social Media & Reviews

Author: BorkoQoq | Posted at: 10:15 PM |

How Businesses Should React to Negative Social Media & Reviews

How Can Businesses React to Negative Social Media & Reviews

By Michael Gray on May 5, 2011

Social Media still scares many businesses both large and small. But hiding from social media isn’t the answer. The real answer lies in embracing it … in all of its brutal, raw honesty.

Not participating doesn’t make people stop talking about you. It just means you aren’t part of the conversation…
Let’s look at the case of restaurant reviews. In the past, small local restaurants had the upper hand. If they offered poor quality service, people would tell their friends–but it would take a while before the message spread. With the emergence of social media, the roles reversed. All it took was one obnoxious, fussy, or overly-particular customer who was active on social media, and a restaurant could meet an early and unwarranted demise. This got so bad it led one coffee shop to overreact and put up a No Yelp Reviewers sign.

However, now that social media has matured, many sites have tools for businesses to respond. I recently came across an example of a negative review …

…we’d gone out of our way to make reservations for 7 of us, and while 3 of us showed up on time, the rest of our party was lost somewhere in Gpoint. At which point the uber bitchy hostess says, we can only hold your table until 9:15pm and then we’re giving it away. We offered to go ahead and order for our lost compadres and apologized profusely, promising that our companions were definitely on their way, but she refused to make any accommodations. She snidely suggested we try to sit at the bar. ALL SEVEN OF US.
Now I’ve eaten at a lot of hoity toity restaurants, but NEVER have I encountered such a terrible attitude from a hostess. You’d think we were trying to get a table at Daniel. And we made a reservation!! This is Gpoint, dude. How do you get off with an attitude like that for a sweet neighborhood restaurant in Gpoint?!?!?! I am never coming back.

Maybe she just needs to get laid.

Now this could have gone poorly. Not responding would leave a big question mark in the mind of anyone coming across the review. The owner could have fired back with guns a-blazing, which would have become a case of he-said/she-said. While doing so would lessen the effect of the question mark, it doesn’t remove it. What really happened was the owner got involved, leaving a measured, honest response:

Hi Joan. I am the hostess, although most people know me as the owner. I just wanted to say thanks so much for making it clear what our super reasonable seating policy is. We do not seat incomplete parties in our 30 seat restaurant, especially on a Saturday night, especially when we have other customers who have been waiting an hour for a table. And, let’s be honest Joan, you and two of your friends arrived at 9:15 for your 9:00 reservation, and the rest of your party was still not complete at 9:25 when I finally gave away your table. Your friend had made the reservation that afternoon for 8 people and I explained to him our rules. He said no problem. Sorry you felt the need to personally attack me about this, Joan. Seems likes it best for all involved that you’ve sworn to never return.

The owner responded perfectly. Anyone who reads both versions will probably believe her and not the whiney customer.

The lesson here is that companies need to understand that review websites and social media sites aren’t going to go away. Not participating doesn’t make people stop talking about you; it just means you aren’t part of the conversation. What businesses need to realize is they have to become part of the discussion and get smarter about how they do it. If you need a detailed plan, one of the best I’ve seen comes from the US Air Force chart for social media engagement. However, it really boils down to 4 key points:

Monitor – Companies need to monitor what’s being said about them on websites like Angie’s list, Yelp, HotPot, Expedia, Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare or any other niche-specific review websites. I like to use Raven Tools, because it’s fairly extensive, and it’s part of my daily workflow. Other similar services include Trackur, Radian6, and Lithium.

Listen – When I worked in retail, one of the important lessons I learned was that, when a customer complained about you, what they are really doing is giving you the opportunity to fix a problem. Too often most people take criticism personally and overreact, turning a bad situation into a worse one. If you listen–and I mean REALLY LISTEN–you’ll see that most customers are telling you what’s wrong and how to fix it …

Respond  & React – Now that you know what the problem  is, how are you going to react/respond and fix it? Yes, some customers are going to expect too much, but those are the fringe cases, not the everyday ones. If you are getting more complaints than compliments, then there is something wrong with your product/service and the way you’re positioning/selling it. You need to react to that problem to prevent future problems down the road.

Amplify the Message – Hopefully some of your customers are saying nice things about you somewhere. What are you doing with those messages? Are you spreading them around? Understand the difference between a review and testimonial and treat each of them differently. At the very least you should have a separate review and testimonial page on your website. However, if you want to be really smart and proactive, ask your customers for permission to republish the testimonials. Then set up satellite websites to do proactive reputation management and point some targeted anchor text at them.

So what are the takeaways from this post:

  • Understand that reviews and public customer feedback are now a part of almost every business.
  • Monitor what’s being said across a variety of websites, and gauge where and when you need to be involved.
  • Identify what are the key places where you need to be part of a conversation–don’t dominate or lead it.
  • Listen to what the customers are saying and realize it’s an opportunity to fix a problem.
  • See if there’s a problem with how you are selling/positioning your service/product that’s creating the negative feedback.
  • Amplify your successes. Make sure everyone knows about them. Use them strategically for proactive reputation management.

 

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Feed: Graywolf's SEO Blog
Posted on: Thursday, May 05, 2011 9:16 PM
Author: Michael Gray
Subject: How Businesses Should React to Negative Social Media & Reviews

 

Image removed by sender. How Can Businesses React to Negative Social Media & Reviews

Social Media still scares many businesses both large and small. But hiding from social media isn’t the answer. The real answer lies in embracing it … in all of its brutal, raw honesty.

Not participating doesn’t make people stop talking about you. It just means you aren’t part of the conversation…

Let’s look at the case of restaurant reviews. In the past, small local restaurants had the upper hand. If they offered poor quality service, people would tell their friends–but it would take a while before the message spread. With the emergence of social media, the roles reversed. All it took was one obnoxious, fussy, or overly-particular customer who was active on social media, and a restaurant could meet an early and unwarranted demise. This got so bad it led one coffee shop to overreact and put up a No Yelp Reviewers sign.

However, now that social media has matured, many sites have tools for businesses to respond. I recently came across an example of a negative review …

…we’d gone out of our way to make reservations for 7 of us, and while 3 of us showed up on time, the rest of our party was lost somewhere in Gpoint. At which point the uber bitchy hostess says, we can only hold your table until 9:15pm and then we’re giving it away. We offered to go ahead and order for our lost compadres and apologized profusely, promising that our companions were definitely on their way, but she refused to make any accommodations. She snidely suggested we try to sit at the bar. ALL SEVEN OF US.
Now I’ve eaten at a lot of hoity toity restaurants, but NEVER have I encountered such a terrible attitude from a hostess. You’d think we were trying to get a table at Daniel. And we made a reservation!! This is Gpoint, dude. How do you get off with an attitude like that for a sweet neighborhood restaurant in Gpoint?!?!?! I am never coming back.

Maybe she just needs to get laid.

Now this could have gone poorly. Not responding would leave a big question mark in the mind of anyone coming across the review. The owner could have fired back with guns a-blazing, which would have become a case of he-said/she-said. While doing so would lessen the effect of the question mark, it doesn’t remove it. What really happened was the owner got involved, leaving a measured, honest response:

Hi Joan. I am the hostess, although most people know me as the owner. I just wanted to say thanks so much for making it clear what our super reasonable seating policy is. We do not seat incomplete parties in our 30 seat restaurant, especially on a Saturday night, especially when we have other customers who have been waiting an hour for a table. And, let’s be honest Joan, you and two of your friends arrived at 9:15 for your 9:00 reservation, and the rest of your party was still not complete at 9:25 when I finally gave away your table. Your friend had made the reservation that afternoon for 8 people and I explained to him our rules. He said no problem. Sorry you felt the need to personally attack me about this, Joan. Seems likes it best for all involved that you’ve sworn to never return.

The owner responded perfectly. Anyone who reads both versions will probably believe her and not the whiney customer.

The lesson here is that companies need to understand that review websites and social media sites aren’t going to go away. Not participating doesn’t make people stop talking about you; it just means you aren’t part of the conversation. What businesses need to realize is they have to become part of the discussion and get smarter about how they do it. If you need a detailed plan, one of the best I’ve seen comes from the US Air Force chart for social media engagement. However, it really boils down to 4 key points:

Monitor – Companies need to monitor what’s being said about them on websites like Angie’s list, Yelp, HotPot, Expedia, Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare or any other niche-specific review websites. I like to use Raven Tools, because it’s fairly extensive, and it’s part of my daily workflow. Other similar services include Trackur, Radian6, and Lithium.

Listen – When I worked in retail, one of the important lessons I learned was that, when a customer complained about you, what they are really doing is giving you the opportunity to fix a problem. Too often most people take criticism personally and overreact, turning a bad situation into a worse one. If you listen–and I mean REALLY LISTEN–you’ll see that most customers are telling you what’s wrong and how to fix it …

Respond  & React – Now that you know what the problem  is, how are you going to react/respond and fix it? Yes, some customers are going to expect too much, but those are the fringe cases, not the everyday ones. If you are getting more complaints than compliments, then there is something wrong with your product/service and the way you’re positioning/selling it. You need to react to that problem to prevent future problems down the road.

Amplify the Message – Hopefully some of your customers are saying nice things about you somewhere. What are you doing with those messages? Are you spreading them around? Understand the difference between a review and testimonial and treat each of them differently. At the very least you should have a separate review and testimonial page on your website. However, if you want to be really smart and proactive, ask your customers for permission to republish the testimonials. Then set up satellite websites to do proactive reputation management and point some targeted anchor text at them.

So what are the takeaways from this post:

  • Understand that reviews and public customer feedback are now a part of almost every business.
  • Monitor what’s being said across a variety of websites, and gauge where and when you need to be involved.
  • Identify what are the key places where you need to be part of a conversation–don’t dominate or lead it.
  • Listen to what the customers are saying and realize it’s an opportunity to fix a problem.
  • See if there’s a problem with how you are selling/positioning your service/product that’s creating the negative feedback.
  • Amplify your successes. Make sure everyone knows about them. Use them strategically for proactive reputation management.

 

Image removed by sender. tla starter kit

Related posts:

  1. iPad Apps and Social Media In case you didn’t already know, I’m the owner of...
  2. Why It’s OK to Offend People in Social Media Recently, Kenneth Cole took a bit of criticism in the...
  3. Social Media and Publishing Paths For websites that are going to participate in social media...
  4. Talking Social Media With Loren Feldman of 1938 Media I had the pleasure of hanging with Loren Feldman of...
  5. What are You Doing With Your Social Media Traffic? While I may have some level of notoriety within the...

Advertisers:

  1. Text Link Ads - New customers can get $100 in free text links.
  2. BOTW.org - Get a premier listing in the internet's oldest directory.
  3. Ezilon.com Regional Directory - Check to see if your website is listed!
  4. Directory Journal - Get permanent deep links in a search engine friendly directory
  5. Glass Whiteboards - For a professional durable white board with no ghosting, streaking or marker stains, see my Glass Whiteboard Review
  6. Need an SEO Audit for your website, look at my SEO Consulting Services
  7. Link Building- Backlink Build offers 45 PR5+ Backlinks for $295
  8. KnowEm - Protect your brand, product or company name with a continually growing list of social media sites.
  9. Links From PR9 Sites - - Get In Top 3 Google ASAP
  10. Scribe SEO Review find out how to better optimize your wordpress posts.
  11. TigerTech - Great Web Hosting service at a great price.
  12. What Motivates You - what makes you want to get up and be successful

This post originally came from Michael Gray who is an SEO Consultant. Be sure not to miss the Thesis Wordpress Theme review.

How Businesses Should React to Negative Social Media & Reviews

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