Thing Three - email on the go

Email on the go is another thing I've used quite a lot before, but some of the discussions made me consider how and why I do things. I only use it for my personal email - not work (in part because the technicalities are beyond my desire for access, and in part because I only work part time - and it's too easy to do more work than I should as it is!)

For example, I'm very much a filter into folders person. Some things I want to know about immediately - like messages from the bloke. They're more likely to be things I need to know about immediately. So they stay in my inbox, and I get a notification on my phone. However, things from other people or organisations that I regularly get emails but they aren't time critical, get pulled into one of about 20 folders. I then chose at different times of the day (normally about 4 times, depending on how long I'm waiting outside a child's classroom, or in a queue) to check the ones I find most interesting. Some are only checked weekly.

I've also been unsubscribing to email lists - I do this on a regular basis, but the messages seem to keep on increasing. Some things I still keep receiving, but only because they're too hard to unsubscribe from (seriously, why should I have to provide a password to unsubscribe from a flood of information after I had to 'register'  to purchase one item about 5 years ago. Why Fisher Price!!! You are now spam in my book!). I know now I should use a throwaway email address for that kind of thing...

I've also read with interest the discussion on how you sign off your name. And realised that with work emails, unless I have a personal relationship with the individual I don't leave a cheery greeting or anything like that. I state what I need to let them know, and then just sign my name (or for friends if it's a one liner, I just put my first Initial). Might be a bit blunt, but we're all busy and it's just one more piece of guff! This article by Matthew J.X. Malady says pretty much the same thing, in a more articulate way.

Thing Two - Photo taking and Sharing apps

I've been loving the camera on my phone since I got my phone a couple if years ago. (Mind you, I must admit to camera envy when the bloke got an updated model 6 months back which is much quicker to respond as well as better resolution - and this week is exacerbating that!)

The flexibility if having a half decent quality camera with me at all times means that my children DO have photographic records of most months of their lives and I like sharing selected ones via Facebook. 

I started to play with Instagram and enjoy the filters to give a different look, and I'm going to try out Snapseed and a couple of others this week. But I'm less about the social side - many if my photos are for family/close friend's consumption,  and I there are privacy and safety issues that I don't feel that comfortable with. I have my Facebook settings locked down quite tightly so feel a measure of security (probably quite unwarranted!) there. But the whole point of Instagram etc seems to be to connect widely. I think. 

Having said that, I had a better look around the app this week and discovered 12 follow requests - most of whom I was happy to grant. And then I had fun looking at their images - I can see this being another dangerous app for my time management skills!

Thing One - Twitter

I've signed up to do the #anz23mthings program, and I've decided to try to reinforce my learnings by blogging using my mobile. This blog was originally started during MPOW's original 23 things program, so it seems appropriate. I'm hoping that by blogging this way I will also get more regular in blogging - small posts more often.

So, thing one. I've been using twitter on my phone for a couple of years now, very much as a consumer - following interesting people in the library world and a few selected people in other areas of interest. I've only shared a little - mainly RT of article links I found very stimulating or thought provoking. 

I encouraged others in my team to do this program with me and its been great to have chats about, and be able to offer my fairly limited expertise.  And it's encouraging me to examine new areas - different apps and trying to get my head around lists are two examples. 

I'm also trying to share more - not just other people's content (although that will still be my focus) but some of mine as well. 

So far so good. Lets see what the next months bring.