Things 8-9 + Cool Extra Thing

I was aware of Creative Commons but had not thought about it in the context of Flickr before, as I had never used the site.  I tend to use my own photos but now feel excited about the untapped resource I have to explore!

I decided to continue the ladybird theme but didn't have much luck with the tiny variety so thought I would try the other extreme, and what could be more extreme than a ladybird the size of a baby elephant!



Thanks to asw909 for image via CC licence



I found it extremely simple to add images using Blogger, although I only discovered how to do captions by accident.

Cool Extra Thing

I do like to play about with my photos but have tended to use Photoshop.  I was a bit disappointed with Fotoflexer, as I had seen most of the effects before.  That said, I was still rather pleased with this:

Branston and Pickles in pop art

I had great fun with PhotoFunia and have already got a couple of friends interested in having a go themselves.


Week 2 Update

I have still been making use of iGoogle but only to keep an eye on Wimbledon and the Tube.

Things 4-7 + Cool Extra Thing

I have experimented with setting up a homepage like iGoogle before, and found that features such as the weather forecast are a novelty to start with but that this soon wears off.  With that said, I am currently enjoying Wimbledon updates and also hope that it will stop me forgetting to check the tube before leaving work.  I was most tempted by the games (my beloved Bejewelled was available) but as it is for work I decided I should probably steer clear so just added London Daily Photo and Spider, as a bit of frivolity.

Trying to find a RSS feed made me realise that there aren't really any websites that I check daily.  I had a flash of inspiration however and checked First Great Western.  I was met with an unpleasant list of cancellations and delays but I guess it is better to be prepared.  It took a while to find the actual feed but Google Reader itself was simple and I found the blogs that I am following were already there waiting for me.   I set up some folders to help manage my different subscriptions.

Extra Cool Thing -

Again my lack of searching for meaningful things regularly became apparent and my first idea for heartwarming pictures of baby guinea pigs was thwarted, as you could not filter by image!  I then remembered my developing obsession for all things ice cream and am proud that I think I have successfully managed to limit to UK updates.

I have found this week more time consuming than last, this wasn't due to the tasks themselves, but more with trying to think of sites and searches of interest.  I can see how the Google Alerts in particular could be of use to others, I was intrigued by the concept of keeping an eye on your competitors this way, as I have never worked in that kind of field.

Things 1 - 3

Setting up the blog was easy enough, the hardest part was trying to decide on a name and a design (I am still not entirely happy with either!).  I was however pleased when, in my search for a profile pic to make my blog a bit more exciting and individual, I stumbled across my photo of the tiny ladybird!

I currently don't find Blogger the most user friendly site to navigate but I am sure I will get used to it in no time.  It is quite alien for me to reflect publicly on my progress but this will be a new skill to develop alongside learning the Web 2.0 technologies.  However, I don't think I will get hooked like I could potentially with something like Twitter!

Adding tags was also simple and they seem a good way to check quickly if a post is of relevance.