Thing 10. Instagram

OK.  I've finally jumped on board with this one.  A lot of my fb friends are using it, so I thought I should see what it's about.  I still haven't figured out what makes Instragram such a big deal, though.  If I can take pictures directly from fb and post them, why do I need a third-party app to do that?  If instagram is like fb for picture-takers, then how is it different from Pinterest?  I guess I'll have to spend some more time playing with this to find out!

...1/2 hour later.... I've figured out how to search through hashtags now, but I'm still leaning toward liking Pinterest better than instagram.  In Pinterest, you can follow someone's board, and that is hopefully going to be limited to a particular subject.  When you follow in Instragram, you follow the person posting the picture, and it may be that person only posts a few pictures that you're actually interested in.  Makes me feel more like a creeper to just randomly follow a stranger and see everything they post versus following a subject specific board....

Thing 9. Color Splurge

I used a lot of Photoshop when I made that series of Read posters back in WI.  So I have to admit that I'm a bit spoiled.  This Color Splurge app is OK for quick "fast-and-dirty" color changes to photos, but it doesn't have as many features as I would like.  The re-color feature is especially limited.

The app itself turned off 3 times in the middle of my explorations and the persistent ads are very distracting.  It's not an app that I will keep.  Since PR for my current library is done centrally, I also have very little need for an app like this.

Extra, extra....

Try out the free version pf tinyscan and see for yourself if it takes better document pictures than just using your ipad or iphone camera. Maybe we don't need to offer scanning machines at libraries after all...  (Thanks for the tip Andy.)

Thing 8. Buffer

I am not very intersted in this batch of things because I don't really have a lot of social media accounts.  I was going to play with Buffer because being able to create several posts and schedule when they appear on various sites makes a lot of sense to me if I were still the social media manager for my library, which I'm not.  So... As a personal tool, Buffer (and similiar multi-platform managers) doesn't really apply to my lifestyle.  As a possible professional tool, I think it might be very useful, but I couldn't find it in the App store, so I'm just going to pass on this Thing.

Thing 7. Pinterest and Bitly

I have had a Pinterest account for a few years now.  I enjoy it for browsing pictures in a thematic manner.  I use it both personaly and professionally.  Personally for my interests in weaving, knitting and other art topics.

I don't use it as often professionally, but it is good for gathering furniture ideas, as well as teen and children's craft ideas for programming.

Bitly sounds like an interesting app, but I have to say that I feel like I've been there, done that, with that sort of web-based storing of bookmarks.  When de.li.ci.ous was alive, I had a huge collection of bookmarks that I posted on my library's website.  I was left empty handed when they closed it down, so I don't feel like I care to start up another collection like that again.  I'm not sure it's worth my time.

Thing 6. CloudOn

I have to say this app did not last long on my ipad.  There were several things I didn't like about it from the get-go:  I didn't like tht it required me to cross over and open another account before I could use it; I didn't like that it offered paid upgrades in an interfering fashion (i.e., I couldn't just ignore the pop up and get on with my business)...  I was willing to appreciate the tour of the program, but when I realized that the app requires a constant internet connection, that was the death knell for me.

I have Comcast, and there's no such thing as a continuous internet connection in my house.

Thing 5.5. Remember the Milk

I decided to try this out, too.  Partly because I like the logo!  I was beginning to think that springpad might suck up too much of my time what with its ability to scan the internet and clip things to notebooks.  Pinterest keeps me distracted enough;  I'm finding that I spend less time these days sewing or knitting and more time surfing the net.  Not sure that's a good thing :/

But I have been looking for a fast and simple note app.  I was content with the ipad's notepad until they upgraded it and took the lines away.  Now those notes are just a jumble all over a blank white screen and I just don't like it as well.  It has no character or warmth.  I tend to write lots of little notes on scrap paper left all over my desk.  Maybe Milk is a simple enough interface that I will get in the habit of using it instead of making my scrap piles. I like that the lists are easy to make and easy to pitch and have an immediacy to them that isn't pretentious.  Just jot it down and move on.  Will try to work with both Milk and springpad for a few weeks to see which I tend to favor for work.

Thing 5. Springpad

This has a lot of potential and I think I could enjoy working with it.  But right now I'm really frustrated because I can't make the springpad clipper to work with safari.  I've followed all the bookmarking steps, but when I go to another page to try to clip it, the bookmark doesn't work.  The pinterest pinner was no trouble to load when I added it to my desktop.  I'm wondering if the clipper would work easily if I was to turn on my desktop and try it from there.  Maybe this is another instance of mobile platforms not being as functional as we'd like them to be?

I'll play with it some more before I give up on it, although honestly, if it doesn't work the first few tries, then it still has some bugs to work out, in my opinion.

3-21-2014 update

I was at the Library Tech conference this week and used springpad to take all of my notes.  That seemed to work really well.  I like having all my notes bundled into noteooks with their own desktop so that I can easily browse each file before opening it.  Next thing to try will be to see how easily I can transfer my notes off of my ipad and onto my PC for printing

Thing 4. Zite!

Absolutely hooked, immediately.  I used to use RSS feeds when blogs first became popular, but got out of the habit and let them slide off my radar.  This zite account is neat because you don't have to request a specific website, you can just add a subject heading and it finds the articles for you.  It's a bit like browsing the library stacks for that next great read.  I like the icons and scrolling format.  Gonna waste a lot of time "staying informed" on this one! :)

Thing 3 - google search, QR codes

I am experimenting with the google search app because I already have other google accts.  I like the idea of having all those google features available in one place.  Google search works a little more slowly than safari, though, and there seems to be an extra screen step involved when doing searches, which slows things down even more.  Not sure I'll keep putting up with that.  My biggest question is to wonder of this is supposed to be a google chrome experience or is it a totally different google search engine?

The voice-activated search feature is kind of fun, but not really necessary for me.  Maybe if I had an iphone and therefore was truly more mobile, I might be inclined to use it more often.  I'll keep google search for awhile and keep testing it.

The QR code reader was not in the app store when I looked for it.  I tried a few of the other QR readers  available for free, but wasn't really excited by them.  Since I hate to shop and don't use coupons, I don't have as much use for a QR reader in my personal life.

As a librarian, I thought that creating QR codes might be a fun way to set up a teen scavenger hunt, but the free apps I looked at didn't offer a make-it feature; they were only readers. Plus, I'm wondering if QR codes are still as popular as they were when they first came out.  Has this fad faded already?

Thing 2, OR Why I rarely mess with the Control Panel

NStarting off this program with asking us to familiarize ourselves with the options available in our operating systems is a very sensible, logical first step.  I get it.  Make sure everyone has the basics before moving forward.  But it sure isn't a recipe for excitement.  I am not new to my ipad2 and have changed up settings as needed when I wanted to do something specific.  I figure the rest of the options will be there when I need them (and if I never discover them, I probably never needed them in the first place).

But the assignment was to learn more about my ipad2's OS 7.0.4.  Fine.  So I spent some extra time with it last weekend.  Played around on the General tab, learning about Restrictions- 

"Well, look at that!  You can lock this thing down all kinds of ways if you're a parent whose child is using the device...  interesting... you can censor the content before it's even downloaded for books, websites, movies, tv shows.  Huh..."

I'm flipping switches back and forth, turning options on, then changing my mind and turning things off again, just tooling around.  When I realize how much time I'm wasting and head back to my home screen, I discover that all my apps have been blasted out of their folders and now sit singly on multiple screens.  Worse, the docking bar at the screen bottom no longer has five apps in it - it only has three.  Safari has totally disappeared, can't find it anywhere.

Gah!

Took me another 1/2 hour (at least) to put it all back to rights and find the internet again.  And another 3 days before I could bring myself to write up this blog.  Who says we can accomplish each Thing in one hour?!

(I am never messing with that Control Panel again.)

Several days later... GAH!!!! Just sat down to start working on Thing 3, only to realize that my APP STORE app is missing, too!  Honestly, I'm not tech illiterate.  I know how to use this thing.  But of all apps to take a hike, how do I get this one back???

another several later days... the short answer to fixing this missing app store problem is to never mess with the Restrictions settings on your device. Period.

Thing 1.5

I'm stuck here at the beginning because I really don't care much for typing lots of text on my ipad.  If I were more of a geek, I'd buy a keyboard to hook this into, but I'm too cheap.  Because this is supposed to be an exercise in using my "mobile" device, I've had to wrestle with myself over how strictly I want to adhere to that premise.

So it's probably safe to predict that any of the longer posts you may read from me going forward will have been composed on my desktop, using the full blogger website.  There's more options on the full site for adding extra features so it will be interesting to toggle between the two.

Not very mobile friendly

I was playing around with adding more sidebar info to my blog.  Blogger makes me need a full mouse click/drag ability in order to finish customizing my blog.  Loving my ipad means that if I have to power up the desktop on the weekend, it's too much like work and I won't do it.

So...

I feel that working with my ipad puts me in a "middle" category:  the device allows me access to blogger's full website, but with restrictions.  The blogger app is clearly designed for a smaller device that only allows the basics of jotting a post.  I keep beginning with the app and ending by switching to the full website experience, even with its restrictions.

I am still wondering if I should try another blogging platform alltogether.

Later..... Also, the ipad doesn't play nice with the goodreads widget I added to my blog.  That's a bummer.

23mobilethings.1.blogging

Went back to the website to register this blog and discovered that if I had read the instructions before I downloaded the app, I would have been warned in advance about needing the full website to start a new blog.  Just goes to show that it's always best to read the instructions instead of just plowing ahead!

So I guess I'll give the blogger app another chance rather than trying a whole new platform.

Begin again... 23 mobile things!

I've worked with blogger on and off for a few years now, so I'm familiar with the concept.  I don't use blogs in an ongoing manner, though.  I've always used them within the context of a specific project.  For example, as an online discussion forum for community focus groups.

I also used pbworks very successfully with my extended family as we compiled a family history to give to my in-laws as an anniversary gift.

With this 23 mobile things project, I was disappointed with blogger's ipad app immediately because I was not able to set up this new blog within my existing account.  I had to log in via the website to get the full dashboard options so that I could add this second blog to my account.

---Advice from Leadership Training: To be successful, always do the hard things first.---