Facebook Makes Changes to ‘Pages’

February 11, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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Great to see that Facebook has made some changes to their ‘pages’.

They regularly upgrade the standard profiles, causing cheering from some and jeering from others, but they’ve now added some extra functions to what they call ‘fan pages’. (I still have issues about calling them fan pages but more of that in a moment.)

What have they added?

Notifications when other Facebook users interact with your page or posts.
A place to showcase photos along the top of your page.
A news feed for your page.
The ability to Like and post on other pages as your page.

Great news for those of us who have such pages as it allows us to interact more naturally with those who’ve ‘liked’ our pages.

I still feel a little odd having something titled as a ‘fan page’. When you set up your own Facebook ‘fan page’ it does seem somewhat cheesey and self serving. I get that, but that’s not what it’s about. I’m not looking for fans. I’m simply wanting to stay connected with a wider group of friends.

So why would an ordinary bloke ask people to click the link that says they ‘like’ him? Overinflated ego? Umm … no. A deep cry for acceptance? No again.

The truth is that I jumped on board with Facebook some time ago and have built up quite a number of Facebook friends. Some are family, some are close friends, some acquaintances, some are old school friends, while others are those I’ve ‘met’ online.

I’ve been torn between wanting to accept every friend request I receive and keeping Facebook for those I know personally. Having a wider group of friends means I sometimes can’t share as much as I like, while keeping a very closed Facebook page means I can’t share stuff with as many people as I’d like.

While it’s not a perfect solution I decided to set up a new Facebook page that’s completely open to everyone. You don’t even have to make a friendship request, just click the button and add yourself as a friend.

If you’re already a Facebook friend and you feel you’d fit better with the new page, feel free to ‘unfriend’ me and join the new page. You’re also welcome to stay connected through both pages.

I post a lot of the same content on both pages but the ability to share things a little differently allows me to protect my privacy and especially my family’s privacy a little better.

I hope to see you at my new Facebook page soon.



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What’s Your Cancer Story?

September 16, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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If it hasn’t touched your life yet, I can almost guarantee that it will.

We don’t like to talk about cancer so we can sometimes start believing that we’re alone in facing its cold hand. The reality is that since I’ve started talking to others about cancer I haven’t encountered even one person who hasn’t been personally affected in one way or another.

With that in mind I’m determined to do something about cancer and the grip it has on so many lives.

What’s your story?

Please use the comments section of this post to share your story. Have you been touched by cancer? Are you battling cancer now or beaten it in the past? Does a loved one have cancer? Have you lost a friend? If you’d rather not leave your story in the comments section of this post, you can go to my contact page and send me an email.

Help spread the word.

I’d also ask you to share the link to this post through your blog or whatever other means you have available. At the bottom of this post are buttons for sharing the details on StumbleUpon, Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Digg Reddit or even emailing the post to others. Just click your preferred button (or all of them) to get the word out.

I’m about to undertake a bike ride of over 500 km to raise funds for Cancer Council Western Australia.

I’ll be joined by ten other cyclists and each morning for a week I’ll be sharing cancer stories on my 98.5 Sonshine FM radio programme before hopping onto my bike just after midday to cycle to the next town.

Here’s the itinerary:

Monday 15th November 2010: Albany to Cranbrook 91 km

Tuesday 16th November 2010: Cranbrook to Katanning 80 km

Wednesday 17th November 2010: Katanning to Wagin 55 km

Thursday 18th November 2010: Wagin to Pingelly 100 km

Friday 19th November 2010: Pingelly to York 87 km

Saturday 20th November 2010: York to Perth 97 km

TOTAL: 510 km

The team is hoping to raise over $15 000 for Cancer Council WA.

My personal goal is $1000. That means that I need 10 people to donate $100.

Can I ask you to consider donating $100 to help those facing cancer through Cancer Council WA? I know that not everyone can afford to give so generously so please feel free to give whatever you can. Every amount of $2 or above is tax deductible in Australia and will make a difference for so many.

You can donate directly by following this link.

The link will take you directly to the Cancer Council’s secure site. If you do donate to support me, can I ask that you leave a message on the site to tell me that you’re supporting me so that I can track those sponsoring my efforts? Alternatively you can email me to let me know you’ve donated.

If you know anyone in any of the towns along the way who you think would be a good contact, please let me know. If you can think of any other way you can help us with the event, please contact me.



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New Kindle Only $139

July 29, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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I wrote just over a month ago about a big price drop for Amazon’s Kindle.

Now they’ve gone one better. They’ve not only slashed the price, they updated the product. The latest Kindle Wireless Reading Device is only $139.

The all new Kindle is smaller, lighter, faster and with 50% better contrast. Check out the New Kindle Wireless Reading Device here.



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Panasonic’s 3D Experience

July 28, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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Last night I was invited to hang out with a bunch of people, have a few drinks, some great food, and watch TV. Apart from the fact that I didn’t know anyone else in the room I had a great time.

It was a Soup event. Soup is Australia’s first Word of Mouth Marketing Agency and last night they were marketing Panasonic’s range of Full-HD 3D Plasma Televisions. There were several Panasonic experts on hand who gave us a very comprehensive understanding of how the 3D experience works and how Panasonic is at the forefront of developing 3D technology. (By the way, if you want to become part of the Soup community to sample products and have great nights out like I did, you can click here to sign up for Soup.)

The idea of 3D TV hasn’t really grabbed me in the past. I guess my previous experience of 3D is of clunky effects and dull colours. Not bad for an occasional experience but I’ve had my doubts about regular programming in 3D. It’s all seemed like too much of a gimmick. It’s OK to see objects flying towards you and people reaching out beyond the screen but if that’s all there is I can do without it.

I was pleasantly surprised watching the Panasonic VIErA Full-HD 3D Neo Plasma TV. The eyewear does reduce picture brightness a little but nowhere near as much as my previous 3D experiences. There was still plenty of colour and the 3D imagery was incredibly sharp, not like the slightly fuzzy images I’ve experienced in the past.

The content we watched wasn’t full of junky effects, instead it was a well shot slice of reality. The 3D effect was so good that it didn’t need gimmicks to shout out, “Hey, look at this”. We also saw a demonstration of 3D gaming. While I’m not a big gaming fan I could see that this would add so much to the gaming experience. It gave the user a much greater sense of being part of the action.

One of the things that really impressed me is that the eyewear and 3D vision didn’t leave my head spinning or feeling nauseous like other 3D experiences.

These plasmas are not only great 3D televisions, they’re excellent 2D TVs. They perform brilliantly with regular content with the added feature of going 3D when the content requires it.

So I guess I’m a convert. 3D TV isn’t simply a junky gimmick.

I’m not the only one who enjoyed the experience. You can check out more Panasonic 3D TV reviews here.

I can’t see our family affording a 3D television anytime soon but I would certainly recommend that you check them out. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the experience.



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Congratulations Leanne

July 20, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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Congratulations to Leanne Aqulina of South Penrith, New South Wales. Leanne won the $50 Menulog Home Delivery Voucher Competition that was drawn this morning. Bon Appétit.

For everyone else who entered, remember that you can still save money when you order something tasty from the Menulog Restaurant Delivery Guide. They’re still running a very special offer for RodneyOlsen.net readers.

Menulog is Australia’s largest restaurant guide, boasting over 20 000 restaurants, with over 1 000 of them letting you order home delivery online.

For the rest of 2010, as a reader of RodneyOlsen.net you can get $10 off your first delivery order from Menulog. Simply use the voucher code: E25CC9 to save $10.*

With a minimum spend of just $20, you can get up to 50% off your order.

* Conditions: Available for participating restaurants only which display the Accepts Vouchers sign. The voucher is valid until the 31st of December, 2010 for your first order on participating restaurants. Minimum purchase of $20 to qualify for $10 discount. Participants must use the voucher code E25CC9. Unfortunately this offer is only available to Australian readers.



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