I've really enjoyed exploring all of the 23 things. Some I was familiar with already and others I had never heard of before. The program certainly made me excited about the possibilities offered by many of these technologies and I'm keen to keep exploring.
I found it great to blog about my findings rather than just completing the task and moving on. The blog posts required me to really think about what I was learning and how I could communicate my explorations to others. Even when I was already familiar with something, having to post about it made me look at little further into why I was using it and how it worked.
Task 22: Social Networking
I don't really like Facebook but I see it as a kind of necessary evil. I originally joined so I could see photos from a friend's wedding and I don't really post alot myself but it is useful to connect with people overseas or if you're part of a group that only catches up every now and then but you still want to (kind of) stay in contact.
I tend to keep my posting to a minimum because firstly I don't really think I have anything that interesting to say (though this doesn't seem to stop other people) and secondly because I don't really like the idea of having massive amounts of information about myself online, especially given the fact that, regardless of privacy settings, there have been a number of security breaches on the site in the past.
Not sure if it really is 'social' networking. I'm supposed to be going to a high school reunion this year but it seems like it might be cancelled due to lack of interest. The general consensus was that we were all on Facebook and could see what everyone was getting up to so why bother with a reunion at all. Not really the same thing and not really that social if you ask me.
I tend to keep my posting to a minimum because firstly I don't really think I have anything that interesting to say (though this doesn't seem to stop other people) and secondly because I don't really like the idea of having massive amounts of information about myself online, especially given the fact that, regardless of privacy settings, there have been a number of security breaches on the site in the past.
Not sure if it really is 'social' networking. I'm supposed to be going to a high school reunion this year but it seems like it might be cancelled due to lack of interest. The general consensus was that we were all on Facebook and could see what everyone was getting up to so why bother with a reunion at all. Not really the same thing and not really that social if you ask me.
Task 21: Twitter
I started using Twitter as a bit of fun, not doing any significant tweeting myself but following other, more interesting people. For a while it was a novelty and then my interest dwindled. It wasn't until the 2011 floods that I understood the power of something like Twitter. Suddenly you could get a message out to thousands of people. Users, including the general public, Queensland Police and the Brisbane City council were tweeting and retweeting updates about road closures, people who needed assistance and generally what was going on, in real time.
Twitter is more than just a place for actors to tweet about what they ate for lunch or sports stars to get themselves into a spot of scandal, though most of the time this is probably what it's known for, it can be an invaluable communication tool.
Here's an example, a video from YouTube demonstrating the swiftness of communication around the Japanese earthquake and Tsunami in 2011.
Twitter is more than just a place for actors to tweet about what they ate for lunch or sports stars to get themselves into a spot of scandal, though most of the time this is probably what it's known for, it can be an invaluable communication tool.
Here's an example, a video from YouTube demonstrating the swiftness of communication around the Japanese earthquake and Tsunami in 2011.
Task 20: Mobile Apps
My phone is not 'smart', it is at least seven years old, has been dropped down the stairs countless times and is not a touch screen (which turns out to be a blessing, given the number of times I've dropped it) so I don't have a huge amount of experience in the smart phone department. I do have an ipad though which is a little less mobile in that you can't have it in your pocket at all times but is able to run many of the same apps.
I think I've mentioned it before but one of my favourite apps is Flipboard which keeps all my RSS, YouTube and Twitter feeds in one place and presents it all in a kind of digital magazine with lots of pretty pictures that can be quickly flipped through. I also like using an app called Pocket which lets you save interesting things you've found online for reading offline later.
There are apps for word processing, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, studying, exercising, calculating...basically if you can think of something then there's an app for that.
Like everything, some apps are more useful than others but mobile technology in general is extremely handy. It's amazing that we have the ability to carry mountains of information around with us, access our files from wherever we want and interact with others all over the world while we're at the gym, grocery shopping or relaxing on the beach. A decade ago this wasn't really possible, something my phone can attest to.
I think I've mentioned it before but one of my favourite apps is Flipboard which keeps all my RSS, YouTube and Twitter feeds in one place and presents it all in a kind of digital magazine with lots of pretty pictures that can be quickly flipped through. I also like using an app called Pocket which lets you save interesting things you've found online for reading offline later.
There are apps for word processing, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, studying, exercising, calculating...basically if you can think of something then there's an app for that.
Learning about mobile technology starts young these days
Task 19: Wifi and Security
Free wifi in public spaces has, to a certain extent, come to be expected. It's just about everywhere now; shopping centres, fast food outlets, parks. While I think many people now at least understand the need to secure their home network I don't think that most are aware of the security issues related to using public, unencrypted network connections.
Hearing about people recording data and personal information from others or setting up similarly named 'free' wifi hotposts near genuine ones to trick people was a little disturbing.
Fortunately there are a number of steps that can be taken to make using wifi a little safer;
- Using a firewall
- Turning off wifi on your device when not using it
- Using SSL where possible (especially when accessing things like email that contain personal data or the entry of a password)
- If using public wifi frequently think about enabling or setting up a VPN
PC World - How to stay safe on public wi-fi
Life Hacker - How to stay safe on public wi-fi networks
Microsoft - 4 safety tips for using wi-fi
Task 18: Podcasts
I've been downloading and listening to podcasts for a while now. I used to use a program called Juice (though I think it was called something like Lemon then) until I got iTunes and sort of aggregated all my audio stuff in one place. I subscribe to things like podcasts of radio programs, TED, npr and the occassional podcast of a book. The only problem is that it's so easy to subscribe to a podcast and there are so many different podcasts available I could easily be overwhelmed by interesting things that I'll download and probably never get around to listening to so every now and then I have to cull a few subscriptions.
Task 17: YouTube
YouTube is a fantastic tool for teaching and learning. It's so much easier to learn how something is done when you can see it right in front of you, pause, rewind and watch again. Youtube seems to have videos on just about every topic (and then some) from teaching students about Boolean searching techniques to teaching yourself how to stitch a french knot.
Not only is YouTube a great place to learn new things it is increasingly becoming a place where creative types can show off their stuff, subverting traditonal channels of production and traditonal formats.
It's really inspiring to watch the ways in which people are able to use new technologies to create new formats. Web television is particularly exciting, covering a variety of genres from cooking and talk shows to sci-fi and musicals it's all there somewhere. Shows like 'Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog' and 'The Guild' are good examples of this. Many web shows encourage viewers to comment and contribute, creating a more interactive enviroment than traditional television. They even have their own awards night for web shows, The Streamys.
In particular at the moment I am more than a little addicted to a web series called 'The Lizzie Bennet Diaries' which is an awesome, beautifully adapted, modern take on Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'.
Not only is YouTube a great place to learn new things it is increasingly becoming a place where creative types can show off their stuff, subverting traditonal channels of production and traditonal formats.
It's really inspiring to watch the ways in which people are able to use new technologies to create new formats. Web television is particularly exciting, covering a variety of genres from cooking and talk shows to sci-fi and musicals it's all there somewhere. Shows like 'Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog' and 'The Guild' are good examples of this. Many web shows encourage viewers to comment and contribute, creating a more interactive enviroment than traditional television. They even have their own awards night for web shows, The Streamys.
In particular at the moment I am more than a little addicted to a web series called 'The Lizzie Bennet Diaries' which is an awesome, beautifully adapted, modern take on Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'.
Task 16: Technorati
My experience with Technorati was a positive one. Searching for blogs and posts provided an easy way to find information on a specific topic and the Technorati authority ranking, which rates blogs on a scale of 0 - 1000 based on popularity, linking and influence, seemed like a good way to organise search results (though there did seem to be great dispairties between the ranking of many blogs , either very high or very low with few in between, and a large number of results on the topic I searched had a technorati authority of 1). The ability to examine tags also seemed like something that would be of great use and the 'Top 100' would be a good place to browse.
I found 'the state of the blogosphere' to be particularly interesting, providing insight into the way the use of blogs has grown and altered over time.
I found 'the state of the blogosphere' to be particularly interesting, providing insight into the way the use of blogs has grown and altered over time.
Task 15: Delicious
Delicious seems like a great way to share links with others and find new links yourself. I like tagging even if it's sometimes difficult to understand why someone has tagged something under a certain heading. Looking at what others have bookmarked and tagged is interesting but, for me anyway, can sometimes lead down a virtual rabbit hole (a rabbit hole in which all burrows eventually lead to Kevin Bacon apparently).
Task 14: Prezi
My high school Modern History teacher once banned the use of Powerpoint from all class presentations. She decided that sitting through fifty or so of the same static slides, irritating transition effects and sounds that in no way related to the topic was boring and she wanted to encourage us to think more 'creatively'. If only we'd had Prezi then, it's a far more dynamic and interesting way of doing things than just putting a few words on a slide and clicking through. The transitions are simple, effective and look really professional.
I'd never used Prezi before and this has definitely converted me. While it looks a little more complex than Powerpoint or slideshare I think any extra work would definitely pay off, unlike my teacher's ban which for the most part resulted in the less than creative use of OHTs and butchers paper.
I'd never used Prezi before and this has definitely converted me. While it looks a little more complex than Powerpoint or slideshare I think any extra work would definitely pay off, unlike my teacher's ban which for the most part resulted in the less than creative use of OHTs and butchers paper.
Task 13: Slideshare
Slideshare seems like a great way to share presentations with anyone and everyone as well as discover presentations on topics that interest you. Integrating social networking and all kinds of new tech stuff it's kind of like Powerpoint on steroids.
Task 12: Skype
Put on your self lacing shoes and slip on that jet pack the future is here people! Well sort of. Watching films like Back to the Future, 2001 a Space Odyssey, Blade Runner or Total Recall a sure fire way to tell that you were in future land was the video call (well that and those flying cars we're still waiting on). They could talk AND see each other! I know!
Skype lets you make calls, text and video chat. I've never used the video function but I have made a few Skype to Skype calls when a relative was travelling and found it really useful and way cheaper than using a land line or mobile.
Facetime is a similar app for mac and though I've never really had a reason to use it yet it seems pretty cool too.
Back to the Future Part II, in the year 2015 video calls are the norm (but for some reason the fax machine still plays a big role too?)
Skype lets you make calls, text and video chat. I've never used the video function but I have made a few Skype to Skype calls when a relative was travelling and found it really useful and way cheaper than using a land line or mobile.
Facetime is a similar app for mac and though I've never really had a reason to use it yet it seems pretty cool too.
Task 11: LibriVox
LibriVox looks like fun. You can download podcasts of books or stream them. I wish I'd known about this when I was studying English, it would have made trying to read three or four books a week a little bit easier. I could have multitasked and listened to one while I was at the gym or on my way to Uni. Still, I'm pretty excited about being able to listen to all 38 hours of Anna Karenina in the car to and from work. That should keep me occupied for a bit! Bring on the tragedy... and the long explanations of nineteenth century Russian agricultural practice...
Task 10: Google Books
I have mixed feelings about Google Books. I love the fact that libraries around the world are able to use it to faciliatate access to their collections where there would otherwise have been little access before. It's exciting to be able to look at something held in a collection on the other side of the world. It's great that people have the ability to find books that are now out of print or otherwise unavailable commercially.
What I don't like, personally, is the controversy that surrounds the project. The whole Google vs. the Authors Guild thing sits uneasily with me. While I agree that it's fantastic and really handy to be able to preview a copyrighted boos online before making a purchase, as Amazon does with it's 'Look inside' feature (in the same way we would have traditionally browsed in a bookstore) I feel as though Google initially overstepped the mark, went beyond the acceptable and put a number of people and communities offside unecessarily. Though I understand how useful and exciting the concept of Google Books is I think it will take a little time to be completely at ease with it.
What I don't like, personally, is the controversy that surrounds the project. The whole Google vs. the Authors Guild thing sits uneasily with me. While I agree that it's fantastic and really handy to be able to preview a copyrighted boos online before making a purchase, as Amazon does with it's 'Look inside' feature (in the same way we would have traditionally browsed in a bookstore) I feel as though Google initially overstepped the mark, went beyond the acceptable and put a number of people and communities offside unecessarily. Though I understand how useful and exciting the concept of Google Books is I think it will take a little time to be completely at ease with it.
Task 9: LibraryThing
For someone who is depressingly organised when it comes to
books LibraryThing is a kind of paradise. I hadn't used LibraryThing before and I found it really simple, it required very little information to set up an account and adding books, collections and tags was really straightforward. I use Goodreads alot which is similar but less about cataloguing and organising collections and more about sharing what you've read with others, though you can also do this on LibraryThing if you choose. At home I use a program called Delicious Library to keep track of books I own, the big selling point for me was the fact I could use my computer's camera to scan barcodes and instantly download related information (although it's nowhere near as detailed as the info LibraryThing provides), plus it puts pretty pictures of your books on a pretty little bookshelf and I like pretty things. LibraryThing even gives you the call numbers for your books where possible so, if you desired, you could, theoretically, arrange your home library using the LC classification system. Not that I'm thinking of doing that or anything. My collection is arranged by subject, author and date of publication so I'm not that bad...right?
Task 8: Dashboards with Netvibes
I've never used Netvibes before so I found the experience interesting. The layout provided a good breakdown of where information on a specifc topic could be found and the ability to save topics as 'dashboards' to be accessed later could definitely be useful if you were seeking up to date information on that subject on a regular basis. Adding widgets and feeds personalises the experience further but I couldn't see that this was any more or less useful than just subscribing to feeds via a newsreader, just a different way of displaying and gathering updated information.
Pinterest, which was also suggested as something we look at, is a website I'm all too familiar with, the all consuming, time sucking vortex that it is, like the opposite of Narnia, a place where 10 minutes on Pinterest is actually more like 4 hours in the real world. It's kind of a virtual pinboard where members can stick up things they come across in their web travels, arrange them into themed boards and share these boards with others. I love Pinterest, it's fun, visual and people can share all kinds of weird and exciting things they've found on the internet, but it is a little addictive and should probably come with some sort of warning.
Pinterest, which was also suggested as something we look at, is a website I'm all too familiar with, the all consuming, time sucking vortex that it is, like the opposite of Narnia, a place where 10 minutes on Pinterest is actually more like 4 hours in the real world. It's kind of a virtual pinboard where members can stick up things they come across in their web travels, arrange them into themed boards and share these boards with others. I love Pinterest, it's fun, visual and people can share all kinds of weird and exciting things they've found on the internet, but it is a little addictive and should probably come with some sort of warning.
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| WARNING: Entry into this site may result in an hour long clicking frenzy. |
Task 7: RSS and Newsreaders
I had an addiction, it was called 'bookmarking'. I would stumble across (I say stumble because I wouldn't have a clue how I got there) a really interesting, intelligent, funny, website all about the stuff I liked and I'd bookmark it. Then I would NEVER EVER visit that website again. I would forget about it, maybe stumble across it again one day, repeat the process and find out I had been there before, about six months ago. I used to do this, until I started using RSS (now I have an addiction to RSS feeds but that's a different story). Using RSS I could subscribe to the website, not just one website but all those poor bookmarked websites I'd forgotten about, and have new content sent directly to me. This turned out to be way more efficient than happening to stumble across the site again.
Originally I used the Mail app on my mac as my RSS reader but this disappeared after an upgrade so I started using Shrook instead. I find it easy to use and the layout is clear and simple but nothing spectacular. It's very similar to using Google Reader. At the moment, however, my favourite thing is Flipboard which imports all your RSS feeds, Youtube, blog, Twitter and Facebook followings and displays them in a magazine style format where you can turn pages and there are lots of pretty pictures!
Many libraries are using Newsreaders and RSS to keep patrons updated about what's going on in the library and the community at large. RSS is also a great way for libraries to inform clients about new acquisitions. La Trobe Univesity, for example, allows users to subscribe to 'new titles' feeds based on subject area, as does the State Library of New South Wales.
On a side note re: finding interesting things on the web and never visiting them again author Robin Sloan has written a really great interactive essay on a similar topic. It's called Fish and it's all about how we bookmark, share, link and like things on the internet, tell others how much we love this website or that video but rarely come back to them again and again as we would a favourite book or movie. It's really interesting and, yes I know I'm sharing this link and saying how much I love it, but I promise I have revisited this essay quite a few times.
Originally I used the Mail app on my mac as my RSS reader but this disappeared after an upgrade so I started using Shrook instead. I find it easy to use and the layout is clear and simple but nothing spectacular. It's very similar to using Google Reader. At the moment, however, my favourite thing is Flipboard which imports all your RSS feeds, Youtube, blog, Twitter and Facebook followings and displays them in a magazine style format where you can turn pages and there are lots of pretty pictures!
Many libraries are using Newsreaders and RSS to keep patrons updated about what's going on in the library and the community at large. RSS is also a great way for libraries to inform clients about new acquisitions. La Trobe Univesity, for example, allows users to subscribe to 'new titles' feeds based on subject area, as does the State Library of New South Wales.
On a side note re: finding interesting things on the web and never visiting them again author Robin Sloan has written a really great interactive essay on a similar topic. It's called Fish and it's all about how we bookmark, share, link and like things on the internet, tell others how much we love this website or that video but rarely come back to them again and again as we would a favourite book or movie. It's really interesting and, yes I know I'm sharing this link and saying how much I love it, but I promise I have revisited this essay quite a few times.
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| Read (and re-read) Robin Sloan's 'tap essay' Fish and you'll understand. |
Task 6: Pixlr!
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| "You're not the first..." |
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| "How do I get back?" |
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| "Just tap your heels together three times and say 'there's no place like home page'." |
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| "There's no place like home page. There's no place like home page. There's no place like home page..." |
I really enjoyed using Pixlr, in case you hadn't guessed. Usually I'd use Instagram, Photobooth or Hipstamatic all of which have similar features and are equally simple and fun to use.
Task 5: Flickr or Picasa?
Increasingly the internet is becoming the medium through which we share things with friends, family and the world. Photos play a huge role in this sharing. Applications like Flickr and Picasa provide places to organise and display our images.
Flickr and Picasa were similar but on the whole I found using Flickr to be a more pleasant experience. Both applications allow you to add images by simply dragging and dropping. I felt it was easier to add tags, add people, add the image to a set or group and check that visibility settings were correct in Flickr, with all these options appearing in column on the left hand side immeadiately after choosing the image to be uploaded. Picasa seemed much less intuitive, with the option to edit or add a caption appearing only if the image is hovered over. You can add in tags etc. later but it is more convenient to see it all laid out in front of you before the image is even uploaded.
One thing I found particularly frustrating about Picasa was the fact that it automatically added albums of photos from my Google account, including things like screen shots or clip art posted on a blog. I can understand how this might be useful, to have all images in the one spot. but I found it messy, and if you delete the image from Picasa you also delete it from your blog! Altogether Picasa seemed less neat and tidy than Flickr.
Flickr also allows you to explore a variety of public images (though Picasa does this to) and join groups, where members add photos to group collections. The Commons, a section in which institutions including the National Library of Australia, the State Library of Queensland and the Library of Congress have digitised and displayed a variety of images from their archives and made them open to public discussion, is particularly interesting. In some cases enabling people from around the world to comment has led to the discovery of more information surrounding the images. This is pretty exciting for images which may previously have gone unviewed for years on end.
Flickr and Picasa were similar but on the whole I found using Flickr to be a more pleasant experience. Both applications allow you to add images by simply dragging and dropping. I felt it was easier to add tags, add people, add the image to a set or group and check that visibility settings were correct in Flickr, with all these options appearing in column on the left hand side immeadiately after choosing the image to be uploaded. Picasa seemed much less intuitive, with the option to edit or add a caption appearing only if the image is hovered over. You can add in tags etc. later but it is more convenient to see it all laid out in front of you before the image is even uploaded.
One thing I found particularly frustrating about Picasa was the fact that it automatically added albums of photos from my Google account, including things like screen shots or clip art posted on a blog. I can understand how this might be useful, to have all images in the one spot. but I found it messy, and if you delete the image from Picasa you also delete it from your blog! Altogether Picasa seemed less neat and tidy than Flickr.
Flickr also allows you to explore a variety of public images (though Picasa does this to) and join groups, where members add photos to group collections. The Commons, a section in which institutions including the National Library of Australia, the State Library of Queensland and the Library of Congress have digitised and displayed a variety of images from their archives and made them open to public discussion, is particularly interesting. In some cases enabling people from around the world to comment has led to the discovery of more information surrounding the images. This is pretty exciting for images which may previously have gone unviewed for years on end.
Task 4: Google Maps and Docs
I am really bad with directions so I have used Google maps quite a bit in the past. I like the fact that I can type a couple of addresses in and get a detailed description of how to get there. I also find street view useful when I want to check out what parking might be like around an area I'm visiting.
I haven't really explored the cycling or walking options before but I could see how they would be very helpful, especially if you had Google maps installed on your smart phone. The option to print, link or collaborate on maps is handy, particularly when planning with others.
Byron Bay is just a short 11 hour bike ride away...or around 2 hours by car, your choice.
Google Docs also offers alot in terms of collaboration. I've never used Google Docs before, I've previously used Etherpad to work collectively with others which I've since found out, like so many things, has been acquired by Google.
Google Docs seems pretty straight forward. I liked the many options available for sharing; Twitter, Facebook and email, as well as the fact that other Google Doc users, with appropriate permissions can edit, comment and view documents. Files can be downloaded in a variety of formats which also makes sharing and working together easier.
Google documents would certainly be useful if working on a document with colleagues who may be on other campuses, it's a faster easier option than constantly emailing files back and forwards.
I haven't really explored the cycling or walking options before but I could see how they would be very helpful, especially if you had Google maps installed on your smart phone. The option to print, link or collaborate on maps is handy, particularly when planning with others.
Byron Bay is just a short 11 hour bike ride away...or around 2 hours by car, your choice.
Google Docs also offers alot in terms of collaboration. I've never used Google Docs before, I've previously used Etherpad to work collectively with others which I've since found out, like so many things, has been acquired by Google.
Google Docs seems pretty straight forward. I liked the many options available for sharing; Twitter, Facebook and email, as well as the fact that other Google Doc users, with appropriate permissions can edit, comment and view documents. Files can be downloaded in a variety of formats which also makes sharing and working together easier.
Google documents would certainly be useful if working on a document with colleagues who may be on other campuses, it's a faster easier option than constantly emailing files back and forwards.
Task 3: Google
After reading about Google I have to admit that while I was familiar with the variety of services it offers I knew relatively little about the company itself. I found this a little disturbing, I use Google every day, it's my home page, sometimes I find myself typing the address into my browser without thinking, I use Google maps to find my way around, Youtube for videos and Blogger to blog, when someone asks me a question I don't know the answer to I offer to "Google it". If I'm using something that much shouldn't I know all about it? But there's so much to know!
I found it interesting to read about the criticism surrounding Google and though I was aware of some of the privacy and copyright issues it was worrying to read about the possible manipulation of search results as well as the 2012 announcement that Google would no longer be strictly distinguishing its search results from paid advertising.
I found it interesting to read about the criticism surrounding Google and though I was aware of some of the privacy and copyright issues it was worrying to read about the possible manipulation of search results as well as the 2012 announcement that Google would no longer be strictly distinguishing its search results from paid advertising.
Task 2: Lifelong Learning
After conducting a search for information on lifelong learning one of the best definitions I found came from The Lifelong Learning Council of Queensland which defined lifelong learning as "learning that is flexible, diverse and available at different times and in different places".
This definition recognises that lifelong learning is something that is not exclusive to formal places of education.
Learning throughout life is something that has always been done, I don't think anyone can possibly say they have nothing more to learn. The difference in our present era is that there seems to be so much more to learn (and fast!!), however there are also many more avenues through which learning can occur.
Want to learn how to play the ukele? There's a Youtube video for that. Interested in learning the basics of HTML? Here's an online course. Attempting to bake the perfect cookie? Try this blog.
New techonolgies, when we know how to make the most of them, provide us with the ability to learn more "at different times and in different places".
I'm doing this program to learn about where and how I can make the most of new technologies and continue to broaden my avenues for lifelong learning. Having looked at the technology blogs Readwrite and Mashable I can see there is a great deal to explore and I'm excited to learn all about it.
This definition recognises that lifelong learning is something that is not exclusive to formal places of education.
Learning throughout life is something that has always been done, I don't think anyone can possibly say they have nothing more to learn. The difference in our present era is that there seems to be so much more to learn (and fast!!), however there are also many more avenues through which learning can occur.
Want to learn how to play the ukele? There's a Youtube video for that. Interested in learning the basics of HTML? Here's an online course. Attempting to bake the perfect cookie? Try this blog.
New techonolgies, when we know how to make the most of them, provide us with the ability to learn more "at different times and in different places".
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| Flexible learning means I could be here, learning to play the ukele via the Youtube app on my phone...but I'm not. |
I'm doing this program to learn about where and how I can make the most of new technologies and continue to broaden my avenues for lifelong learning. Having looked at the technology blogs Readwrite and Mashable I can see there is a great deal to explore and I'm excited to learn all about it.
Task 1 - Choices, choices... Blogger or Wordpress?
I've used both Blogger and Wordpress in the past and I don't really think that I could definitively say that one is better than the other. Both are fairly straightforward to use and both have a multitude of easy to follow tutorials and how-to sites (Blogger - Getting Started Guide and Learn Wordpress).
As a beginner blogger I found Blogger easier to customise, I could pretty it up a bit more easily and fiddle around with the layout. Wordpress seemed a little more complicated in this regard. The other reason why I chose Blogger was the fact that I already had a Google account and therefore didn't have to create an additional account and add another password to the list of passwords that my brain struggles to remember :-)
As a beginner blogger I found Blogger easier to customise, I could pretty it up a bit more easily and fiddle around with the layout. Wordpress seemed a little more complicated in this regard. The other reason why I chose Blogger was the fact that I already had a Google account and therefore didn't have to create an additional account and add another password to the list of passwords that my brain struggles to remember :-)
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