#13 Library Thing

Wow! I think this is probably the most fun (and useful) "thing" I've learned yet. I can see so many uses - keeping track of books I've read (I am terrible with titles), listing ones I'd like to read when I have more time, maybe even getting some new ideas for Battle books! Definitely a keeper. http://www.librarything.com/catalog/barbwilson60

#12 Twitter

Well, another new experience. I have officially tweeted! http://twitter.com/neerumley I don't think this is something that I will keep after this experience, but you never know. I am hoping that clicking on follow for other people means the same thing as signing up to be friends with them. That might be a question that I need to fire off to Elaine, if I can find the spot where I'm supposed to do that. I think it's the 25 things page - I really need to get the hang of multiple windows being open! One thing I've learned is that I don't like a lot of visual distraction - hence the lack of open windows. Anyways, I'm signed up to follow 11 people/organizations, mainly authors or book review sites, with the exception of Fanshawe College - home of my middle child. There is talk of community college staff going on strike, so it would be nice to get the heads up on that.

Thing #11 - Finding Feeds

I preferred Technorati for its clear format and easy-to-use browse the directory feature. Sometimes I think these directories are a victim of their own success - they grow so huge that they become overwhelming. For example, beside books it says 3079. I can't imagine visiting even a fraction of those feeds to see if they are worthwhile. I found Syndic8 very slow to load, but perhaps that was just my bad timing. Library weblogs was very cool, with blogs from libraries and librarians from all over the world. I could definitely kill a few hours visiting countries that interest me!

RSS and Newsreaders

RSS feeds should, theoretically, narrow the amount of information that you receive. However, I found adding feeds was like leftover Halloween candy - you keep saying that it's the last one. Highly addictive - but useful. I signed up for Google Reader, since I already have gmail and blogger (thanks for the tip Elaine). I subscribed to some sites for Reader's Theatre, which should be helpful as I am always looking for new scripts for Reading Buddies. I hope in the future to add Flickr to it. My middle child is away in London (Ontario, that is) taking Fine Arts at Fanshawe. She's e-mailed me a few pictures of her artwork but I think it would be great if she got a Flickr account and then I could use the RSS feed to see what new pieces she has posted. Some of the canvases she's working on are huge (wall-sized) and she also has sculptures that she can't just pop in her bag to bring home. Plus, if I have any hope of retaining this new knowledge, I have to use it on a semi-regular basis, lol!

#7 More Flickr Fun

When my kids leave for school (2 out of 3, now :( ) I make them a scrapbook of their lives, leaving a few pages empty for them to add new memories. This worked well for the girls, but I had my doubts that Tom would want to haul a scrapbook off to wherever with him. Now that I've discovered Flickr photoalbums http://webdev.yuan.cc/famaker.php , I might use this method instead ( I have 1 1/2 years to master the technology, lol). At the very least, I will be able to impress him!

#6 Mayan Riviera

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Originally uploaded by Robber Esq

Robber Esq uploaded this picture of the Mayan Riviera on April 18/09, two months after I was there with my family. It brings back amazing memories of what a wonderful time we had. Incredibly, the sand on the beach really is that white!