Betty Blogger Summary

I evaluate success in my life by a feeling. If I feel that I am moving forward or growing I feel satisfied. Inner satisfaction for me means a peaceful ease. A sense of pride and self assurance. If I feel that I have come to a halt, mentally, physically or emotionally I feel like I have more work to do, risks to take and rewards to gain.

When I signed up for the Betty Blogger course, I was looking for outer success. How to make my blog look better. For this outer success, I risked being vulnerable. I risked failure and judgement. What I gained was the outer success of a better looking blog, but also I gained knowledge and acceptance. Acceptance from others and more importantly acceptance of myself.

• On a scale of 1-10,how would you rate your knowledge of Web 2.0 and its applications?

I'd say that I am a solid 7.5 I've learned a lot and hope to continue learning.

• Did the Betty Blogger summer school meet your expectations.

Yes, I had wanted to learn how to follow a friends blog, how to link and how to make those nifty collages in Picasa, - check, check and check!

• Did the Library Lady meet your expectations.

Both Melissa and Library Lady exceeded my expectations. They were great.

• What was the most challenging part of Betty Blogger? Why?

For me, the most challenging part was the You Tube task. I tried every way I could think of but could not get the clip on my blog from my home computer, so in frustration, I tried it on my laptop and it worked.

• How did you find the "self-directed" learning model?

Convenient, and enjoyable.

• If we ran this program again, would you recommend it to a friend?

Sure would!

Betty Blogger Task #9 Library Thing

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/trishmcb

I think that the Library Thing is a great tool. I will definately use this one in the future.

Betty Blogger Task #8: RSS Feeds

RSS is a process through which you can streamline your online browsing.

For the Betty Blogger task this week, I subscribed to Jenn's Journey, a blog written by my friend. She blogs about her running, guiding, crafting and family adventures. I also subscribed to the Shutter Sisters website, this is one of my favorite places to go for great photography articles and inspiration. And finally the last blog that I added was one I stumbled across not too long ago called Made in the Midwest, these ladies have a quirky sense of humour and are also involved in a 365 project.

I found Google Reader a little tricky at first, but it was easy enough once I got the hang of it. I will continue to use Google Reader to add/manage my favorite websites or blogs.

Betty Blogger Task #7 - Wikis

For Betty Blogger task #7 we were introduced to wikis. A wiki is a collection of web pages that any one can add to and edit. Wikipedia is the best know wiki.

• What dish will you be bringing to our family meal?

I will bring a party sized pizza and drink boxes for the kids.

• How was your PB Wiki experience? Was it easy to use?

My wiki experience was very straightforward. An easy stress free assignment.

• Do you have any need for your own wiki?

No, I don't think so, not at this time, but I am always happy to learn about new things.

Betty Blogger Task # 6 Productivity Tools

For this Betty Blogger task, I had to write a cooking story on Google Docs, and publish it to my blog.

https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=10IxN_rdPxXf6WHQu4ba7Uqf0dj0G-Uw8tLH468v9fEw&hl=en

Betty Blogger Task #5 Photo Sharing

In January I started a 365 project. A 365 is taking a picture a day for a year. Before starting my project, I took a lot of pictures, but it was sporadic. I would go weeks without picking up the camera. For me, 365, meant a commitment to myself to work on becoming a better photographer. My images have improved, and I am proud of most of them. My journey has been a joy and I am literally seeing my life through a new lens. But now at over 200 days into my project, I feel like I am in a bit of a creative, mid summer slump. It is easy to take a beautiful image of flowers or fruit, but some days I feel like I am cheating myself out of the more rewarding shots.
I enjoyed looking at the pictures posted on Picasa, especially the ones tagged with 365. I found Picasa to be interesting and inspiring. Looking at other photographers images revs up my own creative engine. I will continue to browse through it in the future. Also, I plan to download it to my computer. I think that their photo editing tools will give my pictures a fresh look - just like an artist gets a new look from using different mediums. The picture I sent to the Library Lady was of a water drop. Now that would be a rewarding picture to capture! I just have to clear the sink of the dirty dishes first. The image was tagged with: 365, day 34, drops.

Betty Blogger Task # 4 Social Networks

When I read through this weeks Betty Blogger task I thought it would be a breeze. Someone wants my opinion of facebook?! Well, as it turns out my opinion of Facebook is as varied as my friend list. Facebook is a social network, so it reflects both the best and the worst of society itself.

I love that with facebook I feel connected with people that I care about. I can cheer up a friend going through a rough patch, or "LOL" at a funny picture that without facebook I might never have seen. I love that on facebook I can put out a call for a last minute, much needed Girls Night or plan to get together with a friend that I haven't seen in years. Facebook is a great tool to share and connect with others.

And then there is the down side. Just who am I connecting with? Is it safe? Now that the Kid is on facebook, there is the concern for her safety as well. There is also the issue of cyberbullying. I have witnessed cyberbullying with both adults and teens on facebook, and have seen friendships crumble.

Facebook reflects both the best and worst of society. Most people, most of the time are good. To protect myself from the bad in the world, I feel that I would have to be in a bubble. A a parent, it's my job to street proof and Internet proof my kids, not keep them shut off from the world altogether. Facebook is here to stay. It may loose some popularity over the next few years, but I think its going to remain as a tool for communication. With some caution, it's a tool that I will continue to use.

Betty Blogger Task #3 - Tagging

This week's Betty Blogger task was to join Diigo. Diigo is an online bookmarking service that enables users to access their tagged photos and websites from any computer in the world. The added benefit to Diigo is that it is a community in which to share and recommend favorite reads/ images.

I have a L-O-N-G list of favorite websites/blogs that I check regularly, so I was interested in checking out Diigo to see if their service was one that would make my life easier. Joining was quick and painless. The process of adding my some of my favorite sites was also super simple.

I added five of my favorite web sites. U create, DLTK-kids, Busy Bee Kid Crafts, Flickr: Shutter Sisters 365 Group, and of course Betty Blogger 2010. The first three sites were all tagged with "crafts". I added the tag "mom" to U create as it has more adult craft content, and the tag "kid" to DLTK-kids and Busy Bee Kid Crafts because the crafts found on these sites are child oriented. Flickr: Shutter Sisters 365 Group got tagged as "photography". The Betty Blogger site was tagged "education" and I think I should go back and add the tag "blog".

As easy as Diigo was to navigate, I am not sure whether or not I will use it often. I am usually on my home computer; my habit is to go straight to the favorite list and click on the site I want to visit, as the saying goes "old habits are hard to break" It will be interesting to see the recommendations that Diigo makes based on the sites that I have added to my profile. I am always on the lookout for new blogs to read. ( now I just need more time to read them ! )

Betty Blogger Task #2 Streaming

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This week's Betty Blogger Task was Streaming. Streaming is when you watch or listen to media on the Internet without downloading it to your computer first. You Tube is arguably the most popular form of streaming.

You Tube is very popular in our home. We have used You Tube for both entertainment and education. I think the popularity of You Tube is due to the fact that we as a society are so busy. You Tube enables us to have a free source of information/entertainment on demand at our finger tips, without the hassle of downloading it first.

I enjoyed surfing You Tube this week. It was difficult to decide which video to post, but I ended up with Mom 2.0 because I found the photography and words inspirational. Inspiration that I found I needed. The surfing was fun, but the task of getting it posted on my blog was frustrating.

I will continue to use You Tube, and even post another You Tube video my blog. Thankfully the level of frustration is equal to the level of accomplishment I feel.

Back with a new challenge - Betty Blogger!

Well, I am back from a week long camping vacation in Arrowhead Provincial Park ( pictures coming soon!), refreshed and ready for a new challenge for myself. I've signed up for a "Betty Blogger" course at my local library.
The purpose of this course is to "develop a better community wide understanding and appreciation for web 2.0 technologies" uhhh...yeah. Considering that I had to google what web 2.0 was, I would say that my current knowledge of it would be low. On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being web 2.huh and 10 being web 2.guru, I would grade myself as a 4 - web 2.muddling through.
It's my hope that through this 8 week summer course it will help me with some of my confusion. Things like how to follow a friend's blog, how to have a link to a favorite book o web site, and how to make those fancy pant photo collages are just some of what I hope to learn.
Already I think I may be cheating....the first assignment was to create a blog - I am using pictures from the patch, mostly because I feel that it is here, at the patch where I want to improve my skills, grow and learn.