Final notes

The class is over, and I never really started. There was soooo much to learn. I am very greatful for the experience and the introduction to web tools. I would have shide away from them had I not come here. This intro to the tools has taught me that they are not only for the tech savvy or the teens. I hope that there will be a time when I can take what I have learned and use them for either myself or for someone else that feels as intimidated by them as I had in the begining of this class. I like furl and del.icio.us. I use them quite often. I like blogging as well, although this blog would make one think otherwise.

Our world has changed in the way we communicate, shop, we have fewer 'downtowns', and if a simple blog can help to pull people together, then I am all for it.

Flickr, Podcasts...

Well, I can't say that I have done enough with either of these to warrent a post, but I also can not say that I have not learned anything. I can see how flickr.com could be used for new items (if I could ever get any done) with ease that a web site does not offer. I realize that flicker is not ment for advertising products and is ment for the 'photograph', at least that is what I have gathered so far. Even though, there may be a place for my artwork here.

Podcasting? Well that was not even touched upon. If I were to have an event or special show of my work, my late father's work, or a collaboration of the families talents in a show with my brothers music, then there would maybe a use for a podcast. But I still need to get to the basics of a simple emailing address list entered into a database.

Social Bookmarkings

I have been trying to incorperate delicious and furl in my everyday and class assignments. What I like about furl is the snap shot of a web page. Recently I furled the hockey flickr site because I kept losing it. I like to look for property for sale, an addiction of mine, and it is nice to catch the site. I like that I know this; whether it is used on a regular basis is anyones guess.

More on Blogs and RSS

So I have created a blog at Multiply.com, but decided to stay with blogger.com. I would not mind working with the other at sometime, but for now I will stay here. I want to change the look, I am afraid that I will lose all of my data if I do that. Will it save the info and just change the template?

I have been sucsessful at getting the class blogroll into my blog and other links as well. That is very easy, but I can see how the knowledge of coding helps. The link to 'edit me' was a nice guide that even a newbie can follow.

I have already found, if I can master my own blog, that I could be useful in the community with blog knowledge. A recent article in our local paper tells of a school parent group who are discusing the recent colaboration of the two schools and the desire for the purchase of some land to build a new school. All of this communication is via e-mail between 85 people! There is definitly a place for blogs in our new world with little time to make meetings or even coordiate meetings.

My bloglines account has too many feeds, but I just chose things of interest to get started. I have not been succesful in categorizing/organizing the feeds into folders. I tried to find the "Reorder/Sort" link that Richardson refers to with no luck.

What I am Learning

First, just getting set up has been a process, I spent too much time just picking out a template on my first blog and than had to do it all over again. On my first attempt in blogger.com, I chose large font. When I went to view, it was ridiculous, so I tried to change it and that felt like turning a balloon into an animal, it never stayed in shape! URGH! Well, it took awhile for me to get my fathers stubbornness of fighting with an inanimate object out of my system and realize that starting over would be a better bet. So I created another, that went much smoother. On the first, I also tied to up load a photo, but it could not find it. I need to review the URL bit to find out how to place a photo that way. I have learned from Susan that you can manipulate your templates. I like the fact that you can have your post e-mailed.

How I can use blogs as a collaborative space?

A blog could be added to my web site as a way for me to communicate information on events, closing dates, new items, my own take on the craft or, show schedule, special sales or one of a kind releases for limited time sales.

A customer could respond back to request that I bring a particular piece in a particular color to a show (this just happened to me recently because I was out of stock and will be in his area this Sept). I am not sure if you can print a photo from a blog, but a customer could request that I e-mail a photo of that one-of-a-kind item so that they can print it out a look at it away from their computer. Customers always have questions and many are the same. I can answer many people on the same topic. People like to know if there is a store near them where they can purchase my work. I could have a page just for that on my web site, but this may be an easily updateable way to present this information.

What is the relationship between blogs and wikis?

They both are tools to inform and collaborate to a large audience. Blogs are more of a place to share information and it is flexible where someone can share their point of view on that information or ask a question of the blogger and so on. A wiki however can have that information edited by another person, which might change the original post.

First post

My work environment is mostly self empoyed. I work in the family business, a production pottery studio. I do not own the business, but my work is stuctured as if I were the owner. I have worked as a jewelers assistant, screen printer, layout artist, stick furniture maker, prep cook, pizza maker, and of course waitress. Most of my work has been with the pottery. My experiences have been in marketing, bookkeeping, production, kiln firing, retail and wholesale sales.

I hope to take from this course a clearer understanding of the technology that is available in order to give my business and my business skills the edge that they need to compete in a fast changing market. I hope to be able to break any fears that I may have and actually use one or more of the tools taught here.


I am not sure were I will be going in the future. My current career is not grounded and I need to be prepared in the event that I should have to move on.

Jenepher