Throughout my years as a developer and programmer, I've worked closely with many technical people, where I regularly required their assistance with everyday, work-related issues or problems. Even close friends or contacts of mine are technically-inclined, especially friends made through social networks, where it's my goal to meet like-minded people.

I realize there's that double standard going on when it comes to helping people with technical troubles. I've been on both sides of the fence. I've been annoyed at user's constant requests for piddly things (at least, things I think are piddly). I've also been in dire need of help, and been treated like my problem was piddly, with little or no help from others.

So I can accept that I can't expect superb help every time I need it, when I myself may have inadvertently treated others poorly.

The difference, though, is that I always go above and beyond to help someone. I don't just supply a two-word answer, or tell them "It works for me," and then ignore them. Sure, initially, I may provide a quick answer, because perhaps I'm in the middle of something, or maybe the user really is annoying and the request is piddly (if you asked most people, they'd think it is piddly too), but the difference is I will always follow up, no matter how piddly that user's issue seemed. I'll take the extra step to make sure the user was able to figure it out. Usually that means just stopping by and saying, "Hey, were you able to figure that out?" Just that extra level of care is what separates helpful people from unhelpful people.

I can usually tell pretty quickly who is helpful and who is not.

Helpful

Those that are helpful, I am comfortable pointing out bugs or issues that probably originated from their own efforts. I can simply say, "Hey, there's a bug on this page." Rather than getting defensive, they'll welcome the opportunity to fix something that they may have overlooked. They don't necessarily like bugs, but they enjoy challenges. This is the mark of someone who really loves what they do.

Those that are helpful also linger until the problem is fixed. This could be perceived as good or bad. They can often become overly helpful and continue to press the issue, when perhaps you just wanted a quick answer.

You know the type. They'll stand there by your computer while directing you to open a certain page or process, so they can look over your shoulder at the source of the problem. Eventually directing you becomes too difficult, so they'll completely overtake your computer.

Although this may seem annoying, this is a helpful person. They'll stay there with you until it's completely resolved, even if it means getting really behind on their own work.

Unhelpful

Those that are unhelpful are typically unapproachable. The slightest question will outwardly irritate them. Perhaps they don't come out and say they are irritated, but you can tell by their body language and response. It's like your completely interrupting something so important.

The most common response from an unhelpful person is:

"It works for me."

Unhelpful people will always find the gray area where they are neither right nor wrong. It's just enough to get you off their backs.

What are you?

It might be wise to consider what category you fall under. How do you respond to questions or problems directed at you? Do you immediately get defensive or argumentative, or are you open to hearing the person out?

It takes a certain amount of character to admit that you're wrong. Those are also the people I admire the most - selfless and caring.

I don't want to come across as the "morale police" here. I am not suggesting that I have never been unhelpful. We are all guilty of being unhelpful from time to time. However, if you try to be more helpful overall, you'll be doing a lot of good for those around you.

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When creating applications using API's, I tend to follow this mantra:

"Find out what's lacking, or could be improved upon, and use the API to create that."

With Brightkite's API, I have a few ideas for applications that could extend the usefulness of the service:

• Scheduled check-in's. Each weekday I usually check in at the same places, at the same time. Perhaps such check-in's could be automated, occurring in the background, not requiring my input or attention.
• Enhanced Twitter integration. Designate whether each check-in actually gets sent to Twitter. Sometimes I just need to update my location, and not necessarily "broadcast" it.
• Checking out of a location. Sure, you can check-in, but what about that gray area when you leave a place, and have yet to arrive at another place?

All three ideas could be created using the Brightkite API. I may opt to create one or two myself.

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Since I've started using GrandCentral, I've been a much happier telephone user. But the interface needs major improvements if GrandCentral ever wants serious adoption. There hasn't been a single front-end change since Google's acquisition.

The most glaring hole is lack of https. I'd feel a lot more secure if my sessions were encrypted, rather than possibly exposing my login credentials, allowing access to sensitive voicemails.

I've also noticed that older voice messages (anything older than four or five months) no longer play. It shows the message, but says it is 0:00 in length:

So much for never having to delete a voice message, eh? It seems they delete themselves.

I've also noticed strange looking URL's. For example, when I go to page two of my inbox (the screen showing my voice messages), the URL changes to:

http://www.grandcentral.com/messages/page/2//

The two slashes on the end makes it look like something is incomplete or broken.

It appears the entire interface is in need of a major overhaul.

I'd like to claim that I'll stick with GrandCentral forever, but to be honest, if a similar service comes along with a more fine-tuned experience, I won't hesitate to switch.

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I've never been enthused about contact manager applications - for example, within Gmail, or on my iPhone. I just can't get excited about organizing my contacts.

I think this is because, contact managers applications, by nature, are full of flaws. The larger your contact list grows, the more confusing it is to pull information from.

This is because the term "contact" is too vague. A "contact" could be a person, a place, a web service, etc.

You may not have all the information for a contact, so every contact appears differently. Some have a complete first and last name. Some just have a first name. Some just have an email address. Some are a name of a place, not a person.

Sorting all that information is never accurate, because there's never one field that is always filled in.

Duplicates are easy to create, since contact apps usually don't require any fields to be totally unique. For example, my Gmail contact list has numerous duplicates - the same person under different email addresses.

Some contacts I don't even recall how or why they are my contact. Perhaps I emailed the person once, three years ago, and never talked to them again. Should they still be in my contact list?

Then there's the problem of syncing. I have a contact list on my phone, another one on Gmail, and probably a few more elsewhere. None of them contain all of my contacts, but all of them contain some.

Some contact apps are web-based, providing me access anywhere with an internet connection. Others are client based, meaning I need to be using that device or machine. Unfortunately, I'm never near the one I need.

The emergence of social networks hasn't helped either. For every social network I am a part of, I have a different list of "friends" or "contacts." If I need to touch base with a particular person, first I have to remember which network I know that person from.

Altogether this leads to an organizational nightmare, further complicating the concept of "keeping in touch."

Unfortunately, I don't have an answer to this problem, or any ideas on how to improve it.

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This is absurd. Here's what a I want, and what Twitter will not allow:

Every day, I want to see the tweets I posted exactly a year ago, this date. From what I can tell, there is no way to specify a date in an API request. There are two methods that appear to do this: "since" and "since_id" - but neither of them work properly, nor make much sense. I don't want to see tweets since a certain date, I want to see tweets created on a certain date. This should be a simple parameter, something like:

http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline.rss?post_date=2007-07-12

Nope, that would be too easy.

There is no way to access tweets other than your most recent 200. (Or whatever Twitter is currently allowing - 200 is generous lately...)

What good does that do? I have almost two years worth of daily content posted to Twitter, and I can only see my most recent 200, which would probably equal the past two weeks for me.

I try other tools like Summize and Tweetdumpr, and they too are limited to how many tweets they can pull.

This is just not cool, and really limits things from a conceptual point of view. Twitter is just an entity, but my tweets are my tweets. I should be able to get them all whenever I want, and not be given an excuse that Twitter's servers can't handle it. That's not my problem. Give me my tweets.

I would be willing to pay for the service if they just fixed the damn thing.

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Back when Jim Thome played for the Cleveland Indians, he had a phrase, or a mantra, if you will:

"Don't believe the hype."

I believe he had that abbreviated into "DBTH," and written on his helmet, or something to that effect.

The phrase is one of my favorites, and often comes back to me, as I go through life and make internal decisions on what's really important, and really worth getting hyped up about.

Today the phrase stood out quite apparently, bouncing around in my head as I approached the Apple Store on Michigan Ave in the early morning sunshine.

As I glanced at the hundreds of people waiting outside the store for the 8 AM opening, I realized I was only looking at hype. These people weren't in line for a true need, like when you need food, or need a job. They were there because of a manufactured inner desire that was strategically given birth by extremely intelligent promotional genius.

The problem with hype is that it's short-lived, and it messes with your head. When you immerse yourself in hype, your normal, rational decision-making processes aren't functioning. Much like "love is blind," so is hype. And similar to love, eventually hype fades. True reality sets in and your affection and passion for whatever the hype was directed towards lessens.

As much as I love "iPhone release days" and the endless Apple hype machine, I still try to base purchases on needs, not hype. I try not to let hype make purchasing decisions for me.

I own an iPhone already. It's only a year old. What God-for-saken reason do I have to buy a brand new one, when there's nothing wrong with the one I have?

Being smart with your money means being able to tell the difference between needs and wants.

Here's to my discipline so far. Let's see how long this theory lasts. Will hype overcome me, or will I remain steadfast in my ideals?

I hate you Apple.

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I've always had an internal debate (OK, sometimes it's external) over JavaScript and Flash "widgets" that sites let you embed onto other sites.

Benefits are it's an easy way to quickly provide cross-network content, with minimal development skills required.

Drawbacks are that widgets often look tacky, and can sometimes break your page layout. They also slow page loading because if the server to be reached is slow or down, it affects the sites you embed onto.

Rather than using the pre-built widgets that some sites allow, I've become accustomed to grabbing that same content via the RSS feed. In a sense, I parse the RSS feed using a server-side language (PHP, in my case), then spit it out onto my site, all the while keeping the content appearance as if it's coming from my own database.

I find this approach more flexible, but I still ache from the page loading problem. The content still has to be accessed from another server, which could potentially be down. (Let's face it, in Twitter's case, being down is a frequent occurrence.)

Service like Gnip intrigue me, because supposedly it can handle the overload of API requests without hiccup. This is a fascinating idea that I'd like to see become a reality, with all the cross-network stuff going on these days.

Consider Gnip the Amazon S3 of API requests. Gnip scales with your application.

Imagine a world where data can be smoothly passed back and forth from one network/server to another without latency or throttling. This would benefit everyone involved: developers, application creators, and users.

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Shortwave is similar to Firefox keyword searches, except as a JavaScript bookmark, it is browser independent. This is useful if you use many different browsers, or just wish to have a central list of functioning keyword bookmarks.

Although, I don't like having to manually click on the bookmark before typing in my keyword search, but I suppose I could get used to it. The nice part about Firefox keyword search is that it allows you to use the address bar, which is where you'd type in your URL anyway.

However, I like the idea of having my keyword searches accessible regardless of the current browser I am using. In a way, this makes my keyword bookmarks portable and future-proof.

Also, it's an absolute must for iPhone/iPod touch users. It will save time typing, as well as reduce page loading time over the slow EDGE network, by bringing you directly to the search results page, rather than first going to the search page, then the results.

Create your own custom Shortwave

Creating your own Shortwave is easy. Just download the default waves.txt file, edit it with your own bookmarks, then upload to a web server of your own.

Go back to the Shortwave home page, and paste the URL to your waves.txt file into the box.

Sync your iPhone/iPod bookmarks

On your desktop Safari, drag the Shortwave bookmark to your bookmarks toolbar. In iTunes, sync your bookmarks to your iPhone or iPod touch.

You'll then have a JavaScript-prompt bookmark saved on your mobile device, ready for your keyword searches.

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Brightkite recently released a feature that allows users to customize their updates that get sent to Twitter.

Here's a standard Brightkite update on Twitter:

I'm at 150 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60602, USA http://bkite.com/977U.

If you ask me, this is rather bland. It sounds like a computer talking.

I've decided to make my Brightkite-to-Twitter updates look more human. I've converted the above example to:

I'm at or near 150 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60602. Say hello if you're here!

First, I added "at or near" since I'm not always exactly at the place when I update. "Near" means I could be just arriving, just leaving, or somewhere around the area. I've also added a personal touch to the very end: "Say hello if you're here!"

I use Brightkite and Twitter to meet people, after all. I want people to know that I'm open to meeting anytime, so don't be afraid to walk up to me and say hello.

I also removed the link at the end which normally takes you to the Brightkite site, with a map displaying exactly where I am. I've decided this is not necessary for Twitter. If you follow me on Brightkite, you have full access to the map already, so there's no need to send that to Twitter as well. I just want my Twitter followers to get an idea where I am. Doesn't have to be so precise with the map link (which also takes up extra characters in the tweet, so removing it saves room for other text).

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When I developed Twordy, I did so with the intention of filling a need - being able to post as much content as you'd like, while still taking advantage of micro-blogging services like Twitter.

This is especially useful for those that don't want/need to maintain a traditional blog, and already have a growing group of followers on Twitter.

I'm really not expecting this idea to take off and be a huge hit, but what I do expect is similar services to hit the web which mimic Twordy's concept.

One such service, called TinyPaste, does just that. You can copy/paste, or type directly into a text box, and then submit your content. You then receive a permanent URL for pasting into micro-blogging services. Essentially you're writing your content elsewhere, and just linking to it from micro-blogging services that would otherwise have limited the amount of text you could type.

This is no different from writing a separate blog post, and then linking to it on Twitter. The difference is that services like Twordy and TinyPaste remove the complexity and overhead of traditional blogging systems. They simply reduce the number of steps it takes to write content and share it - taking advantage of your micro-blogging network, which is already established and probably growing.

I think we're going to see more services like Twordy and TinyPaste, as social networks become more prevalent and necessary to conduct relations of any kind.

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Ads have been immersed into web pages for as long as I can remember - specifically HTML pages. I don't mind ads mixed into web content, as long as they're not deceptive, intrusive, or downright annoying.

For years, my RSS reader has been ad-free, and I've enjoyed the clutter-less environment for absorbing content without distractions. But lately I'm starting to see more ads alongside feed content in RSS readers.

Since RSS is, more or less, a stripped down version of the HTML page, I'm accustomed to seeing only the content I wish to read. An RSS reader is not meant for visual layout, and is typically more confined space-wise. An HTML page, on the other hand, can utilize the entire browser viewable portion to designate certain sections for content, and sections for ads. If this is done effectively, the ads do not intrude on the content.

With RSS readers, though, you're not designing a layout, you're just presenting the raw content. Therefore, ads in RSS feeds are more intrusive than they would be on an HTML page.

Take, for example, this screenshot:

This is way too obnoxious. It's also hard to differentiate whether the ad image is, in fact, an ad, or part of the content (maybe they included an image in the content source).

What I find additionally unnerving is that this particular feed only gives me a brief portion of content, suggesting that I click through to read the fullarticle. Couple that with an obnoxious ad, and it's a poor user experience.

I suppose I'll take the same stance regarding ads in RSS feeds, as I do with ads in HTML pages. If done effectively and minimally, ads shouldn't intrude on the users ability to absorb the content.

Overall, I suppose it will just take some time to get used to ads in RSS feeds, because they're certainly not going anywhere.

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There's more to social networks than simply spraying your content around the web.

Ping.fm was created with the sole purpose of being able to simultaneously update multiple networks with the same message without having to visit each network individually.

Now you don't have to fumble around the web in order to post anymore, you can just post once, and be done with it.

Services like this are bad for the social web. Content is no longer created for a specific community or network, and is instead sprayed out ambiguously from a central source. This cheapens the value of the networks to which the content is directed, because the content is not unique to that network.

Users should know better than to mass spam all their followers with the same message.

I've said this before - if you can't find the time or proper balance to update each network with a unique message that encapsulates what that network is about, you're probably involved with too many networks. It would be wise to review which networks are actually doing something for you.

You won't need a service like Ping.fm if you only join networks that differentiate your content offerings. For example, here are some networks I'm in, and what type of content I offer each:

• Twitter: activity stream. What am I doing? Also can be used for micro-content on thoughts, ideas, or anything on my mind.
• Brightkite: placestream. Where am I? Notes and photos about the specific place.
• Utterz: voicestream. When text isn't enough.
• Flickr: photostream. Photos.

As you can see, each network manages uniquely different types of content. No two services are identical in purpose. Therefore, I'll only duplicate content when the content relates to both networks. For example, if I'm at a place (Brightkite), and take an awesome photo (Flickr) - I'll post it both to Flickr and Brightkite.

This is not to say Ping.fm is completely useless. With caution, it can be effective in promoting your social network presence without annoying your followers.

Related

• Facebook "Blog It" app cheapens content
• API connections and cross-network auto posting
• FriendFeed adds to content overload

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Twitter "broadcasting" is when someone follows you, then immediately unfollows you after you've returned followed them.

Since Twitter only sends an email notification when someone is following you, you have no way to know when someone unfollows you, unless you check manually.

"Broadcasting" is a method of getting a lot of people to follow you, while still keeping the number of people you follow to a manageable amount - close friends and people you know. This is evident for Twitter users who have an extremely off-balanced Following to Followers ratio.

For example, if someone has 500 followers, and is only following 82, they are probably "broadcasting."

Broadcasting is bad because it defeats the purpose of a social network. Instead of truthfully making a connection with someone, "broadcasters" only care about inflating their own content to as many eyes as possible.

Of course, there are legitimate reasons why someone could have such an off-balanced follower to following ratio. They could be an A-list blogger, or perhaps they simply can't keep up with all the followers.

On the other hand, they could also be a "bot," which is a Twitter account that has system-generated updates.

Thankfully, Twitter shows us the total number of Followers and Following for each Twitter user. This information helps us to make the decision of whether or not to follow that user.

Here are three example Twitter users (they shouldn't exist, but they may), and their Followers to Following ratio. Included is an explanation of what type of user they are, and whether it's wise to follow them.

If you think you followed a broadcaster, you can easily check to see if they are still following you by using doesfollow.com.

Ideally, it would be great if Twitter could send an "unfollow email," which would alert users when someone unfollows you. This probably won't ever happen because it fosters a negative community vibe.

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Brightkite acts like Twitter for places. Post photos, notes, and check-in anywhere in the world.

This is useful for organizing events, meeting new people, or just having an idea of where your friends are at.

It's also useful for collecting photos and notes about a specific location. Think of it as a social network version of Travelocity.

Any physical location (an address or business) has a permanent page on Brightkite, where Brightkite users can post photos and notes at or about the place.

For example, if I'm currently checked-in at Wrigley Field, any notes or photos I submit will reside underneath the Wrigley Field address page on Brightkite. I can also submit photos and notes while not at that place - let's say I'm just talking about the place, such as:

"Wow, that game last night was great!"

I'd reference Wrigley Field's location on Brightkite when leaving this note, so users can apply further context to my note. Any future Wrigley Field visitors will see my note amongst all the other photos and notes collected for that location.

It's called a placestream.

It doesn't even have to be a landmark location like a baseball stadium. Any physical address (or even just a city and state) can retain notes and photos about it.

Here's the placestream for the CTA's Jackson Blue Line stop in Chicago. How about a placestream just for a city and state, effectively zooming out from street level? Check out Mount Prospect, IL.

Imagine a future where you're visiting a place, and you already have dozens of notes and photos about that place. And these aren't media-filtered notes and images. It's pure user-generated content - raw and real.

If I were a small business, I'd make sure my Brightkite location page had good reviews coming in. I'd also "build up" that location page with good photos and thoughts.

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Utterz is great for posting voice notes while on the go. Trouble is, it works more like a traditional blog, than a status update tool. To follow a user on Utterz, you have two choices: RSS, or dial into the universal Utterz phone number and cycle through the automated menu options.

Neither of these options come to you. You have to go out and check for updates yourself. In other words, I'd have to open my RSS reader on my mobile device and check for updates to that feed. Or, I could call the Utterz phone number and cycle through until I find only the updates I want to hear. Both of these options are time-consuming and not worth the effort.

I'd prefer an "alert" mechanism, such as SMS or email. When someone posts a voice-only Utter, I should get an SMS or email with a link or callback number to immediately hear the Utter.

This is exactly how Pinger works. You leave a message, and your message is "broadcasted" to all followers.

It's also how services like Twitter and Brightkite work. You are able to follow users on an individual alert basis, using SMS or email.

The only way to follow an individual user on Utterz is with RSS. This is bad because RSS is server delayed, meaning the updates won't come across in real-time. Also, as far as I know, there are currently no nifty RSS applications for mobile devices that treat RSS updates as "alerts" to you.

In a sense, to follow others on Utterz, it's all or none. You have to follow your entire circle, or no one.

I'd like a service that combines Utterz ability to post voice, notes, photos, etc - with something like Pinger, which provides immediate SMS or email alerts, a callback number for voice notes, and the ability to fine-tune alerts on an individual user basis.

Of course, in an ideal world, all the services I use could be merged into one, super-blogging service.

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It's rare that I'll gripe about a product, and a few days later see a new version released, correcting many of my complaints.

The Flip Mino is the latest addition to the Flip Video line of camcorders.

As for the name, I'm not quite sure yet how to pronounce "Mino." I'm thinking min-O, but it just sounds wrong altogether.

If you recall my initial complaints:

• AA batteries only source of power
• Conversion time lengthy for longer videos
• USB "arm" not practical

Two of these have been resolved (somewhat):

• AA batteries only source of power: The Flip Mino has a rechargeable battery.
• USB "arm" not practical: The USB "arm" now extends from the top, as opposed to the side, making more room for other peripherals.

Clearly, they've taken some important aspects into consideration, making the Flip Mino much more usable.

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I really like the Flip camcorder. I wrote up a quick introduction to it on Pain in the Tech.

The best part about the flip is that it promotes spontaneity. Just flip it on, and hit record. No confusing menus or set up required. Recording videos has become more natural now, without requiring heavy technical knowledge.

However, there are some things about the Flip that I would like to see improved:

• AA batteries only source of power
• Conversion time lengthy for longer videos
• USB "arm" not practical

AA batteries only source of power

The Flip does not come with any sort of A/C adapter or rechargeable battery. This means you better invest in those old, clunky AA batteries that you thought you'd never need again.

I've decided the Flip is best used for short, quick videos. If you intend to use the Flip as your primary podcast camcorder, for example... then those 30-45 minute podcast episodes will eat the batteries really quick.

The Flip is best designed to use on the road, while not near a power source. If you're near power, and you intend to record more than 30 minutes of video, you might as well use a digital camera's video recording capabilities, with the connected power source.

The Flip can hold up to 60 minutes of video, but as I mentioned above, it's best to fill that capacity with many short, quick videos, as opposed to one long 60-minute video.

A rechargeable battery, and/or A/C adapter would be nice in a future Flip release.

Conversion time lengthy for longer videos

As mentioned above, it's best to use the Flip for short, quick videos. Recording longer videos (anything longer than 20 minutes) will eat the batteries quickly, and cause an extended conversion time. (When you plug the Flip into a computer, it converts the videos for sharing on the web or elsewhere.)

I tried converting a 40 minute video for sharing on the web, and it still wasn't complete after an hour. I ended up canceling the process.

USB "arm" not practical

The Flip's USB "arm" is cute, but not practical. Try plugging it into a USB port on your laptop, and you'll quickly discover that all other connections need to be unplugged first. This is inconvenient and could be improved by including a USB extension cable.

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My thoughts on being a web developer and dealing with user requests/problems.

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When I was in high school, I always felt a sense of reflection and sentimentality on the last few days before summer vacation. This feeling only deepened as a senior, knowing that once I walked out of those doors, I'd never again return to those cramped hallways where I spent so many hours during the past four years.

I had a little routine that I did before I physically left the building prior to summer. I'd take one last walk around, passing familiar windows and classrooms, of which I never had enough time to notice as I hurried from class to class.

Just before I'd leave the building out into the warm June sunshine, I'd pause for a moment. I wouldn't exactly do anything during that moment. To passersby, I may have appeared as if I was waiting for a car ride.

In reality, I was soaking up as much of that last moment as I possibly could - and not because I particularly enjoyed my high school years (I didn't), but because I knew it was a momentous occasion - the changing of times. It was a moment of reflection to myself - a deep breath before moving on.

I feel the same way today, on the last day of my current job. Jobs are somewhat like high school - you're forced into a room with the same people for an extended number of months or years. Like it or not, you get to know your co-workers almost more than your own family.

I'm not sure if I'll pause before I walk out the door today, but I'm sure I'll glance around and definitely take that deep breath.

As Ferris Bueller wisely said:

"Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

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I posed the question on Twitter and Pownce, but I'll ask it again here.

On many social network sites, you are allowed to edit your profile and include relevant links to other sites about you. Here you'd include links to your Flickr account, Facebook, etc.

Some social networks allow you to include many links, but on some you can only post a single URL.

In these situations, which URL do you pick? What is your main, "this is me" site? What site best depicts who you are?

Some would say Facebook is their "home," others their personal blog.

I tend to use my personal blog as my "base" page about me. Lately, though, I've started just pointing people to my Twitter page, since it contains more frequent updates and is not just centered around my interest in technology.

URL friendliness

It also depends on the "friendliness" of the URL. For example, Facebook URL's are ugly. Here is the link to my Facebook profile:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=711582259

What can anyone decipher from that URL? Nothing. The system understands that, but human beings can't.

Take, instead, my Twitter page:

http://twitter.com/Matthom

This is much cleaner and more descriptive.

Flickr is even more descriptive:

http://flickr.com/photos/matthom/

For people who have no idea what Flickr is, they'll still gather some context just by seeing the word "photos."

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