Please sign this petition. We can actually say right now, “Rogers WTF?”

We will be delivering this petition on July 11 to Rogers Communications which is the day they are launching the Apple iPhone 3G. This means we have seven days to change the face of the cell phone industry in Canada by putting enormous pressure on Rogers and other companies to adjust their pricing, to make it at least comparable if not better than plans in the U.S. and other countries.

For reading my feeds I use a feed reader, called Google Reader.

Right now I have about 200 feeds in their, which I check on a daily basis. Another Feed reader which I use sometimes is called NetNewsWire.

The way I organize all these feeds is by using tags and folders. (e.g. “Apple” “Science” etc.) One of the most useful tags I use, is what I call “1st.” So whenever I have just a couple minutes to check my feeds, I know where to go. Those are my most important feeds.

Yep, the two couldn’t go better together. They are both extremely funny guys.

In light of that, I though I would make a list of some of the most memorable moments they have had together. Either caught on Diggnation or The Screen Savers. Here are the 8 videos:

Lip Sync to Queen

Playing Doom

Alex throws up on Kevin’s couch

Last Screen Saver segment

Kevin (drunk) talks about the iPhone

“Kevin Rose’s House is on fire…. Digg”

Outtakes of Thanksgiving episode

Male breast implants

Now this.. is a guitar solo. Period.

Picture courtesy of Michael

So, you’ve submitted a story on the oh so many social news websites. But, will I vote for it? I have created a list of things that will either decide whether I like it or not.

I hope most of this list will apply to you too.

What does deserve my vote:

• I agree with what the article is saying.
• The article is well written and has enough content in it.
• Original idea. Meaning, I haven’t seen it on any other site before.
• Has pictures and diagrams.
• A story I would want to follow-up in a blog post.
• Trusted source.
• A lot of my friends have already voted for it.
• What I feel a trusted user, who has submitted quality stuff in the past.
• Original witty picture, with good description.
• I saved it to my delicious bookmarks, for future reference.
• Something that made me laugh on the inside… Laughing out loud and you get a comment.

What doesn’t deserve my vote:

• Linked to a spam site. Just trying to make some money of advertising.
• Duplicate.
• Absolutely wrong category.
• Rip-off from another site.
• Sent the story to me more than once.
• The story doesn’t have enough content.
• Totally inaccurate.
• More than 3 advertisements.
• Over use of the words “BEST” and “EVER”.
• Didn’t warn me about being NSFW.
• Pop-up. (Even though I can’t tell anymore, since I installed Adblock Plus)

Bloggers

Michael Mistretta. He is a really passionate blogger talking about technology and life in general. Just recently launched a podcast called Discovr.

Chris Thompson. He really does a great job at going in-depth into new technologies and applications.

Glenn Wolsey. He blogs about tech. Just two weeks ago he launched a site called Desktop Vibes. He has really grown to have a huge voice on the web.

Leo Babauta. Zenhabits has grown into a huge blog over the years. Leo blogs about productivity, simplicity, and basically how to live a happy life.

Jeff Atwood. “Programming and human factors” Yep, that pretty much sums him up. He also has a site called Fake Plastic Rock, which talks about Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

Tina Su. She really tries to help us think simple. Enjoying the little things in life!

Blogs

Slashdot. It has been around for a long time, but Slashdot really does serve my geeky needs.

Techdirt. Covers a wide rage of technology. Going into detail about different issues.

Engadget. This is an obvious one. Ryan Block really does a great job at managing a blog.

Neatorama. Alex covers some really neat stuff he finds on the web.

What makes us keep logging back on? And submitting and voting on stories?

The community

You really get to know the community on these sites. When you start adding people as your friend, you will start to vote and take note of their interests. If you vote for their stories they might start voting for yours. But in the end you have to enjoy the content you are voting for. (Yes, I do)

You then start to get to know these people better through Email and IM. You get to know that they are real people, with real lives . What I’m saying is that you really get attached to the community and their story submissions.

The competition

Social news is sort of a competition (in a way.) To see how many of your stories you can get popular. And sometimes you get mad when that certain story, you thought was interesting and cool, didn’t make the front page. But when stories do make front page you feel a sense of joy, knowing that X amount of people have enjoyed that submission.

I remember when my first story on Digg reached the front page. It was a while ago, but I do remember it. I literally felt this feeling inside that was so great, that I literally wanted to scream. Haha. Nowadays, I find it a lot easier to make front page, because: I know what the community wants to read about, I know what sites are a go and a no go, And, I have built relationships with other users, who vote for my stories.

Way better than a newspaper

It has been way easier for me to just log on to a social media site, and see the day’s news. And as a plus it is totally free. I don’t see the newspaper dying anytime soon, at all. All I’m saying is that social news is gaining momentum, fast. Like I said in my previous post, I have never picked up a newspaper in the last year, and I don’t intend on doing so anytime soon.