Thing 15: Podcasts

I am quite a fan of podcasts. I enjoy listening to comedy podcasts as wells as a lot of band-interview type podcasts on my ipod. I always use Itunes to find and subscribe to various podcasts. I find this easiest because it is what I am used to, but also because Itunes happens to have the podcasts that I am interested in. Last and certainly least, I can honestly say that I don't really care what Walt Whitman would podcast about, sorry.

Thing 14: Research Project Calculator

I feel like the calculators presented in this "thing" are a little ridiculous. I'm sure they work well for some people, but it's just not my thing. As a responsible student, you have to learn how to manage time on your own. Everyone works at their own pace. Similar to the calculators, teachers will often times have a rough draft due at a certain time check point, where you will receive points, which is totally acceptable. A lot of my teachers in high school would even hand out printouts much like the timelines seen on the calculators to keep us on track. That is much more useful, as it keeps the class together as a whole.

Thing 13: Online Productivity Tools

I used to have Google set as my homepage, which was helpful when I started up the internet with the purpose of searching for something, but now that I use Safari internet on my Mac, my homepage includes icons for all of my most visited sites, including Google! This is SO convenient. I have used nearly all of the tools discussed in this "thing" before today. I use the virtual sticky notes quite a lot when I need to get something down quickly so I don't forget it, or need to be reminded of it later on. As far as the to do lists, I usually just use sticky notes for that as well, or stick with the classic pen and paper. Same goes for the calendars/planners, though I have before used an online calendar.

Thing 12: Tagging and Del.icio.us

I am definitely familiar with tagging and its benefits. I have used tagging before with other blogs, as well as vlogs on YouTube. Tagging things when you post them helps you to get much more traffic to your site, whether, it be a blog, a vlog site, or really anything else. Tags are also useful for quick research, or when you are looking for photos of a specific thing. It is like google, only a bit more general in some circumstances.

Thing 11: Online Creations

This "thing" was a huge time waster, in my opinion. I feel like a middle schooler again, trying to make her myself page look better with photos and glittery graphics. This is college. It is a good way to share your photos with people, I suppose, but so is Facebook... And it was fairly easy t navigate and understand... but so is Facebook...haha. I probably would not recommend this to others, though I know some people would probably enjoy it. I would suggest Facebook for photo sharing, as it is simple and there are a lot of other things to do on there as well.

Thing 10: More Flickring Around

Well, this "thing" was fun, I suppose. Very simple. I don't believe this is something that will ever help me out in the professional world, but I guess you never know. That's about all I have to say. See above and below, the things I created with some of the mashups and image generators for this "thing."

Thing 9: Photosharing with Flickr

(:
Originally uploaded by craziixme23

Upon arriving at the Flickr site today, I discovered that I still have an account! I used to use Flickr several years ago for embarrassing things such as MySpace photos and icons. I can't really picture myself using flickr much these days, as I can search for images with google, and I share all of my photos over Facebook. More of my friends/family see the pictures I upload to Facebook than would if I used Flickr, that's for sure. The photo uploaded with this blog is one of a collage I made a year or so back, just for fun, that I now uploaded to Flickr, in order to complete this "thing."

Thing 8: Wikis

When I think of Wikipedia, I think about high school, and how we were always told "do NOT use Wikipedia for your research." I also think about the way that I always used it anyways. It's true that Wikipedia, and other such sites, may not be the most reliable, as anyone is free to change details, but as long as you are careful, it can still be a good place to start searching for information. Illogicopedia, WikiHow, and Book Lovers Wiki, are examples of wikis from which you can have fun surfing the web, as well as gain knowledge of the opinions of others.

Thing 7: Online Collaboration Tools

I can think of several times in the past, and possible times in the future, that sites like Zoho or Google Docs. My thinking here, however, is that Zoho seems a bit safer, as not just everyone with the web address can edit it. Collaboration tools like these could be very useful for group projects and such, but also for just having some family and/or friends, proofread a paper for you. Something I will definitely keep in mind throughout college, and someday in the work world.

Thing 6: Digg, Reddit...[et al]

Digg, and other such sites, make it easy to find the popular, the most read, the most relevant stories around. I must say, even after completing this "thing," I am not sure that I completely understand Digg. I feel like there must be something more to it that I am missing. It seems to simple, and not so much useful... What did I learn from this "thing?" Well, more about Tila Tequila than I ever cared to know. I do rather enjoy stumbleupon, and I will admit that Digg can indeed be rather entertaining, but that is just my point. In my opinion, Digg is for entertainment, not for projects or for displaying professionalism.

Thing 5: Beyond MyFaceSpaceBooking

I'm not going to lie, I kind of hate Twitter. I have one, and I tried it once, when it first came to be popular. I decided it was a good idea to get updates to my phone from my best friend, but the day came when I would get a message every five minutes, "Eating lunch with my sister!" "Just finished a delicious lunch!" "Still full from that mac and cheese!" I started to go crazy. I never used it much at all, because I didn't want people to get pissed off, the way I did with them when they updated way too often. I do still have my Twitter account, however: http://twitter.com/craziixme23 Let me tell you why: I am a member of several street teams, where I can earn point towards free merchandise, simple by tweeting about their new album, upcoming events, etc. This is one way Twitter can be used for good, rather than email. When the information you are getting is information that you would actually like to know, rather than every detail of a friend's day. I would say I look at my twitter maybe once a month, if even that often, and I certainly do not receive any updates to my phone. But for some people, Twitter is something enjoyable. I, personally, just don't get it. That is all.

Thing 4: Social Media

What would we do without social media? No, I don't even want to think about that. I, myself, am indeed a Facebook addict. (http://www.facebook.com/craziixme23) I also have a MySpace from way back in the day, but I don't use it anymore, ever. To be brutally honest, MySpace has for sure gotten to be a pretty trashy site. One thing that I do use it for, on occasion, is music. I keep my profile clean and friendly, yet still unique, because I have used MySpace to connect with clients in the past, to design album art and such. But Facebook, well, we all know it's wonderful. I can only think of two or three people I know who do not have a Facebook account. It is so easy to connect with people via Facebook. Searches can be done in several different ways, such as name, school, location, etc. depending on what/who it is you are looking for. It is also extremely easy to update people and be updated by people on, well, just about everything. As far as Plaxo and LinkedIn go, it is not something I am interested in at the moment, but something that I have taken note of, as I see how it could be very useful in the not-so-distant future, working with potential clients.

Thing 3: Online Communication

This "thing" was the easiest so far. Why? Because I already had an account. We have only gone over it in just about every single class... anyways, I do like the idea of the MyAiCampus site, as it is a lot of good information and resources all in one place. I have only been in school for a week or so, and I have used this site multiple times already. Having a special email account for AI is very convenient for me, and makes it very easy to reach my teachers. That's about all I have to say.

Thing 2: Set Up An RSS Account and Add Feeds

I actually quite enjoyed this "thing." I will admit, I knew nothing about RSS before tonight, and I am an active internet surfer. If you are someone who is working on completing this "thing," and are still a bit confused, I would suggest watching this video, if you have not yet. It was extremely helpful: http://www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english This "thing" reminds me a lot of youtube, and how simple it is to subscribe to others users, and see their new videos right on your homepage, rather than visiting their site all the time in search of new videos. But with a reader, I can now view the new videos from my favorite youtubers, and view any updates on my friend Kay's caringbridge site as well! Very convenient. I can't really say that there is much I need to keep track of right now, I am not sure I will really use my reader at this point in time, but I can definitely see how it may be useful in the future.

Thing 1: Set Up Your Blog

I have to do all 16 things as an assignment for my Computer Applications class, and I had time during class, so I thought I would get the first "thing" out of the way. As you can see, my blog is all set up, complete with the pointless avatar and everything. Not much to say in this post, I suppose. I didn't really learn anything, as I have blogged in the past. I will write more after completing the next, "thing," perhaps.