Mommy life: Techie tips

This is from a post on my other blog (the Mommy blog?) that, after talking to some of you, I thought might be helpful here also... I kind of forget that just because you might read this one doesn't mean you also read that one. Silly me! Hope it's helpful!

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Here's some little things that have come up recently in conversations about blogs and internet in general, so I thought it might be helpful to share the info. Many of you will be in the "been there, done that" category, but maybe there will be something new. I really appreciate that many of you are not big "internet junkies" like some of us, so the fact that you check in with us regularly makes me feel very special!

~When you see a highlighted word of phrase, like this, it's called a "link" and means that you can click on that word or phrase and it will take you to another web page or another place in the current blog or page. This is very helpful in avoiding alot of retyping and copying what others have written. Don't be afraid of a link!

~In Blogger (blogs that have "blogspot" in the address), the pictures used in a post can be clicked on in order to see them a bit bigger and more clearly. So anytime you can't quite see something as big as you'd like, just click on the picture.

~For those of you that have a bunch of blogs, or even a few, that you check frequently, I highly recommend Google Reader. And especially as a part of iGoogle. Google Reader is a feed reader that you can set up to tell you when your favorite blogs, news sites, and other internet pages update, post new items, etc. This saves you from having to keep checking blogs to see if they've posted new things. iGoogle is great for a home page for your internet browser, and it can incorporate the weather for your area, a to-do list, jokes for the day, news info, and a host of other possibilities customized by you specifically. Both can be used with your Google/Blogger account, and they're super easy to set up. If you don't have a Google account, sign up for one! It's quick and gets you access to lots of neat places. Here's a screen shot of my home page, Google Reader is on the left side, and you can see that Michelle at Big Blueberry Eyes has put up a new post.

I'm not a paid endorser, but the functionality of these tools is great. If you have questions about getting it set up, send me an email. It's in my profile.

~If you click on the title of any given post in Blogger, and most other blogging formats, it will show you the post as well as the comments that have already been posted. Just another way to see the post.

~Bloggers love comments, and they don't have to be anything especially clever or witty. It's just a way for us to see who's checking us out and have some feedback of what others are thinking. I've learned a whole lot from the comments made here and on others' blogs...tons, really. So when you read a new post, take a minute and let the author know what you're thinking. In Blogger, just click on the link for comments at the bottom of the post, type in your comment, then click on "other" and put in whatever name you'd like to use in the "name" box. You don't need to put in an email or web address. If you have a Google account, then you have the option to use that as well. Then just click "Publish your comment." It's like an online hug! Send a comment!