Ricky Mondello

What Twitter Means to Me

Published on March 10, 2017.

I tweeted for the first time ten years ago today.

https://twitter.com/rmondello/status/6559421

That’s not very interesting, but it is an excuse to write a little bit about what Twitter means to me personally.

Lots of people are down on Twitter these days, and there are legitimate reasons to be. The open API that allowed third-party clients to flourish has been locked down in a way that’s discouraged the kind of innovation we used to see on the platform. Unchecked harassment that started on Twitter during GamerGate has fueled a movement of hatred that arguably contributed to the toxic atmosphere surrounding the 2016 US election. At different points, it hasn’t been clear whether the company takes harassment seriously, and if it does, whether it’s capable of addressing it. And recently, Twitter shut down Vine, a service that was source of joy for many people, including me.

Moving beyond issues that are within Twitter’s direct control, friends of mine have been talking about or actually leaving Twitter solely due to increased non-harassment negativity leading up to and persisting beyond the 2016 US election. Twitter reflects and amplifies our anxieties; it’s hard to escape news of Donald Trump, a resurgence of fascist tendencies, and a political movement that rejects empathy and science.

These are real problems, and if someone wants to stop using Twitter, that’s their decision to make. I still use it daily, because I love the people that Twitter has helped me meet or stay in touch with, and they’re an important part of my life.

When I was in high school in a small town in upstate New York, I didn’t really have anyone around to help develop or even share my interest in technology with. Twitter was my connection to the world I wanted to live in. Although I’d been a member of several forums in the past, I liked Twitter more than any forum because there was no pretense of being limited to any particular topic. In 2008, Twitter was accessible on my iPod touch in a way that other communities weren’t. From that iPod, I followed people who talked about Mac software, making web pages, podcasting, and politics, and that stream of information helped me figure out what I wanted to do with my future.

What started as a way for me to fill a void in the types of people I knew in “real life” changed as I left that small town. Today, Twitter is how I get my news. It’s helped me see different perspectives, particularly around gender-related issues both in and outside of the technology industry. It’s how I tell the world about the cool stuff I’ve worked on. And recently, I count on it as the first place I’ll find out where important protests are taking place.

I can find humor and entertainment in all sorts of places, but Twitter is the online community where I can check in with friends I care about. Friends who share common interests, like Apple, web development, certain music, or a narrow interest in video games. Friends who are sincere, thoughtful, and willing to change their minds. Friends who share their jokes, their hopes, their fears, their good days, and their bad days. Friends who cheer each other up, push each other forward, and celebrate each other’s accomplishments.

From what I can tell, the cloud of anxiety that has surrounded everything since the 2016 US election is real, and it’s affected a lot of us. As a society, we’ve moving backwards, and many of us are directly under attack by the new administration. While attempting to cope with this new reality, my Twitter friends have been a bright spot. If you are one of these people, I hope you know that I think you’re great.

Introducing Safari View Controller

Published on June 28, 2015.

I presented a session at WWDC this year. The video, along with a transcript, can be found on developer.apple.com.

Ya Facked

Published on February 3, 2015.

Here are some photos of things in Boston that are currently facked. My iPhone shut itself off twice while taking these from being too cold.

This bicycle is facked.

These receptacles are facked.

This bench is facked.

These pay phones are facked.

These bicycles are only slightly facked.

These parking meters are pretty facked.

This car is facked.

This car is also facked.

This car used to be facked. Good job unfacking your facked car, somebody.

This car is so facked.

This car is pretty facking facked.

No. Seriously. Look at how facked that car is.

This facked thing? Another facking parking meter.

To end with some hope, this bicycle is totally non-facked.

Published on March 16, 2013.

SEO is important because it keeps the search results fair.

Most people think that the best way to increase your Google SERPs is by improving your website. Unfortunately, that isn’t true, and we need to come up with another approach, one that covers all the SEO services entirely.

So let’s talk about how you can boost your SEO with a legitimate email list. I think that it’s crucial to not just send out newsletters to your subscribers. I’ve seen some people just spam their subscribers with links to their blog posts, but I don’t think that’s ideal.

The best way to send emails to your readers is by having them read and subscribe to a relevant blog post. So how do you make sure that your emails reach them?

First, you need to go to a web address like Listverse.com, click on the button with a red dot, and sign up for a newsletter.

Then, you need to use the Follow Blog button to make sure that your email doesn’t just go to the first email blast. The purpose of this is to try to open your email to see who it’s from and read through it. It’ll help you target the email recipients in your network.

After signing up, check the unsubscribe list box because this can bring on a flood of spam.

Now, I’ve used this system with others who were unable to get it to work. So, if you don’t get it to work right the first time, you may have to give it a try in a week or so. Just make sure to subscribe to the newsletters of bloggers who are relevant to you, and also not spam your readers.

If you just want to make sure that your emails are open and read, you can also check out Hubspot.com. It’s a tool that allows you to see the emails from a particular website and do a little search to see if it’s a relevant blog.

As far as which blog to focus on, there are actually a lot of different blog sites to find good content. One of the best is Moz.com which is a resource that organizes thousands of search results. It’s a great way to find content that is relevant to your niche.

The other one to try is Uwe Krause’s blog. Uwe Krause has an interesting method for promoting your blog using social media. Basically, you tweet and blog all at once, and people read your posts and then share it on other social networks. The email blast won’t go to anyone on your list, but it will increase traffic to your blog.

The best time to do this is on your blog posts. Krause said in the interview with BuzzSumo that you can do this when you publish your blog post.

Last but not least, you need to make sure that you’re using the latest, best tools to keep your emails open and read. Many of the links that you write are going to get deleted in a couple of days, so you need to be sending out more than once a week to stay relevant.

Published on April 1, 2012.

Choosing the right online cyber security masters program is crucial because it helps you to take control of your online career and get the information and resources to protect your online identity and business operations. Cyber security masters program is a master’s-level education in computer science and information technology that is nationally accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Career Schools in the Information Systems Industry (CAICS).

Cyber security masters programs are accredited by CAICS to teach a person how to handle the vulnerabilities that will arise from their own or others’ actions (visit websites like Fortinet to get all the details). The program provides the student with the tools to prevent these vulnerabilities from being exploited, and helps him/her apply security principles to carry out business practices on a daily basis.

Bachelor’s Degrees

To earn a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity, students must obtain a minimum of 52 credit hours and a cumulative average of 2.50 in two years of study. A minimum of four foundation courses, three research courses, and three electives must be earned. The four foundation courses, 3.50 each, comprise the majority of the coursework for bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity. An additional eight foundation courses, 5.50 each, can be taken to add electives. However, at least 25 of these credits must be online courses.

Certificate of Completion

A student may earn a certificate of completion by successfully completing the 48 foundation courses and all 50 elective courses. Students do not have to earn at least 52 credit hours. At least 3.0 grade point average in the courses that comprise the foundation requirement and at least 2.5 grade point average in the courses that comprise the elective courses are required for the completion of a certificate of completion.

Autumn at Night

Published on October 31, 2010.