Weblog Tools & Design

inspoetica Originally uploaded by inspoetica.

Posted by sbmontana from Flickr.

I didn't post on Tuesday, but I did work on my weblog; you may have noticed a few new additions:

First, in the sidebar just under SB|Writing, is my Flickr badge. These photos will rotate each time the page loads, so you should always see something new. Flickr is a web-based photo-sharing program. This is from their "invite" email:

Flickr is a new way of sharing photos with others in real time.  You can drag and drop a photo ... right onto someone else's desktop -- it'll pop up on their screen instantly. You don't even have to install any software, and it works right from your web browser.

It has lots of social network features, but the ability to use it with my blog is my favorite (like the photo above, from inspoetica.) If you would like a Flickr invite, leave a comment or email me (it's free.) If five folks accept an invitation from me, I get a free "pro" account for three months.

The second thing I've done is to make a series of Kinja digests, by subject. The Montana Bloggers digest has been here for some time; I've added Artists & Writers; Blogging & Tech; Culture & Politics; Poets & Poetics; Visuals; Weblogs|Journals (for personal weblogs with good writing/ interesting stuff); and Older Bloggers, completely stolen from Ronni Bennett at Time Goes By. These are all "public" digests; feel free to steal any of the links if you'd like.

I still have, and use, Bloglines, which continues to be available to you on my Links page (note the cool new lynx) along with others of interest that neither Bloglines nor Kinja will pick up. Also, there are some blogs that Kinja can get and Bloglines can't, and vice versa (I don't know why) so the two lists are not entirely consistent.

As you can see, I read too many blogs (and I do read them.) So when I found another whole list at Time Goes By, I realized I must do something to get this in hand. I am going to read less and scan more. At some point, I know, I am going to have to simply bring my own list down to a more manageable length, but these will stay available to all of us when we want them -- and if any of you have additions to suggest, feel free.

One other web tool I have recently discovered (via montana mUsIngs) is Furl, an on-line bookmarking tool. Since I use two computers, this is a wonderful shortcut for me -- one bookmark list that is available wherever I am. I recommend it.

So, my collecting propensities are becoming apparent here at Watermark. Is it getting too cluttered around here?

Comments

[Ronni]

It is one thing to disingenuously admit to stealing an idea - as though it makes it okay if you admit it (buried deep in your site) - but it is quite another to create a list on Kinja of the same name and purpose as mine and not even include my site in the list.

You might want to reconsider your personal ethics in "stealing" other people's ideas.

[SB]

Ronni,

You certainly are included on the list, and on my "Favorite Places" list on my sidebar as well. I had no idea you would object to this; I have, of course, removed the digest.

My sincere apologies.

Sharon

[SB]

*&%^%! Now I have to learn to do strike-outs. This blogging experience does have its ups & downs . . .

[Ronni]

I just posted this over at my place, Sharon:

Apology accepted, Sharon. I pretty much don't care who uses my stuff as long as I'm credited or asked ahead of time.

In the case of the Older Bloggers list, it was weeks and weeks of blindingly boring work to track down most of that list before I found The Ageless Project, and then most of the folks on that site I already had on my list, though I found a few more there.

So it felt like being ripped off to see my hours and hours of work under someone else's name.

Thank you for taking down the list at Kinja. You can put it back up if you can find a way to credit it to me.

Again, thank you for the apology.