25 Things – Week 4!

10th and 11th Things — RSS Feeds and Bloglines

It is Sunday afternoon and I am trying to complete Week 4 before Monday’s new list of  Things.  RSS feeds are completely new to me.  I have obviously seen the orange feeds icons on web sites, in my Favourites Center on my web browser and I even have a RSS Feeds folder in my mailbox…always wondered what it was for. 

I  set up both a Bloglines and a Google Reader account so that I could compare them.  Both were equally easy to set up and subscribe to newsfeeds, though for some reason I could not add the 25 Things feed in Bloglines but did so in Google Reader.  I think I prefer Google Reader – I like the way it shows how many new items you have when you log in, highlights items that have been read, lets you star items and you also have the benefit of accessing your Google account.  And I also had several annoying adverts popping up in Bloglines.  I can definitely see the benefit of only logging in to one site instead of having to visit lots of sites individually, but I guess you need to use it regularly and not be tempted  into subscribing to too many sites or you might end up with information overload!

I did like Bloglines’ search tool, it retrieved excellent matches for my searches.  When I used the link for Topix I was impressed with the local feeds and it looked easy to change location, but I actually struggled to set a new UK location.  I found Syndic8 quite confusing and didn’t like it.

Now, back to my ironing!

25 Things – week 3 (cont)

9th Thing — Mashups

I have really struggled with mashups.  I played around with several applications including Spell with Flickr.  I created my image but then found I had no idea how to save it so that I could add it to my blog and I could find no info to help.  I decided to try out iMapFlickr to add some photos to a google map…the blurb said it was quick and non-technical.  After an hour, which included having to geotag my photos in Flickr, I had finally created my map only to find that to embed it into my blog I had to have knowledge of HTMLs.  Non-technical it said - I would hate to use a technical app!!  However it did give me an option of using a link, so I have tried that.  Hopefully it works and my sweat and tears weren’t totally in vain!

Zak in Paris

25 Things – week 3!

7th and 8th Things — Flickr

I was a bit nervous about using Flickr as I was sure it would be beyond my capabilities, but I found it very easy to set up my account and to upload my first photos.  I love the way that you can organise your photos in batches…I only discovered that option after I had added tags and titles to my photos individually.  Now all I have to do is see whether I can actually add an image to my blog.  Oh it is there before I have even published this post!  I used Flickr’s blogging tool – it was so easy that it took me by surprise.

I have really enjoyed playing around on Flickr and have found some amazing photos.  Perhaps I will post one later, but it is very late now…time for bed!

First runner beans

First runner beans

Originally uploaded by Suffolk Fair-Maid

My garden is not really suitable for vegetable growing but I have got round this by trying to grow things in pots. Last summer I grew runner beans for the first time….and I was very proud of the delicious results!

25 Things – week 2!

I feel slightly more confident about blogging this week, so progress has been made.

5th Thing — Social Networking

I joined Facebook a couple of years ago initially as a sneaky way of accessing some photos of my Goddaughter for a surprise scrapbook I was working on for her 21st birthday.  It became obvious that using Facebook was actually a good way of communicating with the younger generation of my extended family so I continued to use it.  Facebook suggested I become ’friends’ with several people from CLS and gradually a few members of  my family who are of my generation joined as well, and the grandchildren even set up an account for my Dad.  So my list of friends began to grow – impressively, I thought, until I realised that the average for some members seems to be about 300 or 400!!  Do these people really know all of their friends and want to know what they are up to?  

I was surprised that one day when I logged on to Facebook it showed me a message about someone I might know;  a friend who is living in China.  Nobody who I was already friends with is in any way connected with her so how did Facebook know that I knew her?  I am guessing it must have been through my email contacts.  Sadly China has blocked Facebook now so we have to keep in touch the old fashioned way by writing email messages to each other.

I am still learning about Facebook and am still surprised when someone starts chatting to me when I am online.  Oh, and the games are a nuisance…I accidentally started using one when a friend sent me a flower.  Now I have to log on at least twice a day and tend the garden that started up when I clicked on my flower.  It is so addictive and competitve!!

6th Thing — Microblogging

Twitter is new to me.  Well, not strictly true – I did have a look at Andy Murray’s tweets during Wimbledon last year when someone sent me the link.  I have had absolutely no desire to tweet!  I created my account and my first impression was that I didn’t like it and would not be using it again.   But actually, having found one or two people or things to follow, I can see there are benefits and have found some really useful information.  I think Twitter is definitely a good way of keeping up to date with groups and events.  So I will persevere and may well become a fan of Twitter, though I don’t think I will be posting many tweets myself!

Tasks 5 & 6 completed.

Hello world!

Ok here goes…I am blogging!

But what to say?  I am not a talented writer, have never kept a diary, am sure I have nothing interesting to share and realise my blog will certainly not be as gripping as belle de jour’s!

But I will attempt to record my experiences as I progress through the 25 Things programme.  First problem…trying to think of a name for my blog. 

• my own name – a bit boring
• nicknames used by my family – nooo!
• something describing my place of origin -  ah, a possibility

Second problem…can think of lots of good names for all the places I have lived except for my place of birth.  People from Suffolk are known as Silly Suffolkers but that sounds too rude, so I have used another name sometimes used.  Suffolk Fair-Maid it is!

Next problem…the instructions for this week suggest choosing a new theme to personalise our blog’s appearance once we have set it up.  I tried several different ones and didn’t like them.  Will have to work on this one…

Have now completed the first 4 tasks!