The 9 software choices every Mac user needs to make

Choosing the right applications for your Mac often feels like a choice between these two different identities: the choice between a shiny, stylin’ Mac-specific app, and an often less-shiny, cross-platform-compatible alternative. Here are my recommendations on the key software choices for every Mac user.

Getting the most from your new Mac

The first part of a series in which I’ll walk you through the five steps to becoming a happy and fulfilled Mac user after years in the PC closet.

When and how to communicate online

Don’t e-mail what you can blog. Don’t blog what you can tweet. Don’t tweet what you can DM. Don’t DM what you wouldn’t publish.

5 time-wasting Internet rules that you should think about breaking

Internet sages are full of rules about stupid things you should never do. But like most recommendations delivered as inviolable laws, the cardinal Don’ts of life online mostly distract you from Do’s that would be more rewarding. Here are some don’ts I believe in breaking, and some dos you can undertake once you’ve let go of these time- and worry-wasters.

Vendetta of the week: Twitter ponzi schemes for building followers

Twitter friends and followers are more than statistics. They’re real relationships, real people. When we get so obsessed with the number that we’re willing to entrust the following process to a ponzi scheme, we’ve lost sight of the purpose of this — or any other — social network: to connect us, and to help us communicate.

Twitter quickstart: 10 ways to make time to Twitter

Whether you’re an ambivalent Twitter newbie or a chronic tweeter in the throes of a growing addiction, your tweeting is going to take time that you’re currently using for something else. Here are my suggestions for activities you can pare back on — or give up entirely — to make room for tweeting.

Twitter quickstart: Effective twittering in 5 minutes a week

If you’re new to Twitter, you want to quickly eliminate the five sure signs you’re a Twitter newbie. Here are some quick ways you can follow people, attract followers, and keep your feed regularly updated — all in less than five minutes a week.

Twitter quickstart: Your first 21 tweets

If you need to stake a claim to your Twitter identity, but you don’t know what to tweet about, here’s an easy way to get your Tweeting underway. You don’t need to look like the world’s most longstanding Twitterer (after all, Oprah just started tweeting last week!), but an empty Twitter feed is just, well, a little forlorn.So I’ve taken the liberty of writing your first 21 tweets for you.