Bowery Mural

Blog Flitting and Why I Love Twitter...

Monday 1 February 2010

Project Everest was going to go through an extreme makeover (of sorts) last weekend.  I toyed with the idea of moving the blog over to a new space.  A Square Space to be exact.  I spent last Friday night, Saturday and Sunday setting up a new blog over on Square Space.  I was even considering paying $8 per month to blog!  But after my illness last week I was mulling it over and decided that blogging for me is something I enjoy doing and I do not want to pay for it.  I blog about all manner of things and I don't want to have to pay for that hobby.  So for now Project Everest is staying right here in it's original home.  I may make a few changes to the top banner cos the one I made for the Square Space blog was pretty damn cool.  

However, if you are a more professional blogger (or have money to spare each month) then Square Space was very easy for a relative non-technical computer person to set up and it really did look rather professional.  I would recommend it.  I have played around with Wordpress but find the templates a bit dull or just not what I am looking for (and again I don't want to buy a new template).  In saying that if some nice person would like to design me a new simple blog template for Wordpress then I would consider moving.  I want to add pages to store things I like that I catch sight of (mostly via Twitter), I want to jot down some of my favourite websites and blogs and share with you guys here.  There's lists down the right hand side of this here blog but how many people actually check them out?  I think a dedicated page would look better and more professional. 

Although not very technical at computery type stuff I am a geek and like to have an eye on what's going on.  So to remedy me finding cool things that I'd like to share with you people, and not being able to set up pages on this blog, I am going to resurrect my Tumblr site that I set up in December 2008.  I would say Tumblr is a cross between a blog and Twitter.  A short blog where you can post blog posts, pictures, quotes, favourite links to websites... anything really.  You can find it here.  http://projecteverest.tumblr.com/  I'll try to link to it from this blog so that you can go check it out if there's anything I find worth sharing.

Which brings me nicely on to why I love Twitter so much.  Now is love a bit too strong a word to use?... for me the answer is no.  I love Twitter because first and foremost I am quite nosy and I like to know what people are up to.  I like the short little paragraphs that can, in 140 characters, give you a sense of what someone is feeling, doing, hating, loving or capturing on cameraphone.  It's also connected me to a load of cool people I would otherwise never ever have come into contact with.  I'm not talking about celebrities or anyone like that because lets face it @lancearmstrong is never going to reply to me or even read my Twitter timeline is he.  No these are just people on Twitter (no not Twits but Tweeps).  There are some people that I don't know why I follow them but I do because every now and again they Tweet about not bad stuff. 

I don't know if I'm any good at tweeting.  Sure I get replies but mostly from the same people I know will reply.  I don't seem to engage people in great debate or anything.  Well except when I tweeted about bacon rolls on Sunday mornings and got a new follower that all they do is tweet and retweet about eating bacon and the many different recipes that bacon appears in.  I didn't block this one... yet!  

But every now and again I get a nice new follower and I think to myself wow this cool person is following me! and it's kinda nice you know.

Another thing I love about Twitter is that it's been a means in which I have found loads of cool stuff through people tweeting links to music, art, walking, gear, outdoors just anything and everything really.  Like a very cool online village that I've become part of - when in ral life i probably would not have been part of it.  I've found gorgeous artworks and illustrations that now hang on my wall from @BenAndFi 


I've had info about bikes from @CliveAndrews  @owenp and @flyingfoxbikes   I've found lovely little trinkets of cross-stitching craftiness and handmade jewellry from people such as @misofunky @ladyluckrulesok  I've had inspiration from courageous and bold women such @AnnieBeee @cupcakemafia and @theclimbergirl  plus there are loads more favourite tweeters that provide me daily with amusement, replies and banter @1obster @MarkOfRespect  @cyclingtheamericas  @stewyphoto  @macrobert  plus loads more, I could go on but I won't.  Instead I'll create some new lists on Twitter and categorise people as I see fit, such is my want.

And that's it.  This blog was nearly on it's way to a new home but never.  And a few little reason why I love to tweet on Twitter.  Job done.

Ange x 

Musical update: 
I quite like the song Stay Too Long by Plan B  a nice wee tune.  Plus don't tell anybody but I love the songs from Glee!!  It's fabulous.  :o)

2 comments:

  1. I've been in a similar dilemma for a good wee while, moving the blog.
    Not so much to a new home, but to a new format where you can actually find stuff. Every post or comment makes it a little harder to do and a little further off...
    I want it to look the same as well.
    Ach!
    Maybe staying where we are is a good plan right enough.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yours is on Wordpress? and i think you can add pages on those blogs? check and see. Then you could have a Questions/Kit chat page (like the one that reached 500 comments!) I'm sure you can, unless the template you're using won't allow it. I'm sure all of those do have the 'add page' function though. (I've done a lot of different blog research!).

    Also if you are willing to pay(!) that Squarespace place was easy to change and you can have your own colourscheme etc. But they charge you on traffic/bandwith used and since you get a lot of visitors then they'd likely advise using the 'professional' type which is about £25 a month or more!

    I don't want to have to pay for blogging and I just couldn't find a free Wordpress theme/template I liked or could change to my colours so this little Blogger blog will be staying put. And you know, I kinda like it. It feels like home. it used to be a really dark grey background and coloured text but that was hurtng my eyes reading it so that's why i changed it a while back to all white and grey text with only a few accent colours.

    I might change the top banner picture too - much as it pains me to say but the Everest chapter in my life is sadly over and in reality probably will never happen again (I have to face facts).

    Jees there I go again, on and on and on. This comment could in fact have been another blog post.

    :o)

    ReplyDelete

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