Online versus real life?

On 8 out of 10 cats the question "Would you rather communicate with your friends online?" was asked. Good grief, is that really where we are at?

In the space of 30 years we have gone from being completely amazed at the magic that is Bungle on Rainbow walking backwards through a door because we could record it on VHS for the first time and there was a magic button on the VHS machine called Rewind.

We've gone from sitting on our bottom stair for hours talking to our mates on the phone, because the landline was in the hall, and the only place to sit was on the stairs.

We've moved on from vinyl LPs, a dodgy stylus and the magic that was the record button on your tape deck to enable you to record the top 40 every Sunday.

And to where have we got?

Apple products: I have well and truly crumbled

Two years ago I said that I 'absolutely' wasn't going to buy any Apple products.

 I loved my Samsung Galaxy Wonder (The Ace's paired down cousin). And, quite frankly, if there's something that absolutely everyone else has or wants, (an iPhone is a case in point) then I am less likely to want to get it.  It's an 'individual' reaction. I was taught to go my own way, to not worry what everyone else was wearing, doing or listening to. In short, I was taught to want to be different.

So whenever there is a product that hits the mass market, be it the Ford Focus, One Direction or Corrie, I, by default, will hate it.

So how did Apple products manage to infiltrate this barrier?

My husband got an iPad. He let me have a play on it. He popped a couple of films on it. And then he added a couple of children's apps. He let me surf the web on it. Before I could frenzily shout "get that mass-market crowd-pleasing over-hyped product out of my house" I found myself addicted to iPad online surfing.

The BritMums beauty round-up: Collecting the best BritMums beauty blog posts each month

You may or may not be aware that I am lucky enough to write for the BritMums Blog.

I'm still not entirely sure how it happened.  One minute I was sending a light hearted tweet to the BritMums team suggesting that, of all the great round-ups that they regularly publish, they didn't appear to do a monthly round-up of beauty-related blog posts.  As a parenting and beauty blogger I was interested in what other mums were blogging about on the beauty front.  Were they blogging on this subject? Or once you have children, does it really all turn to talk of nappies to the exclusion of skin care or hair fashions?

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on whether I'm having a productive writing day, the response that came back was; "Great idea, we'll set you up to start it next month".  Hmmmmm. What had I gotten myself into?

My reaction was a simultaneous "oh, pants" and "brilliant!"  And today my third beauty round-up, Shedding the pounds, goes live on the BritMums blog.

I now have to remember to bookmark the great blog posts I come across that provide skincare, make-up, haircare or other beauty advice.  It's an added pressure, but the great advantage is that I'm discovering some great tips and making new friends.  I am so pleased that the Britmums team had faith in me as I'm really enjoying myself.  Thank you!

This month it's all about weight loss.  Enjoy it and let me know what you think and what sort of beauty posts you'd like me to look out for.
 
Those of you who want to contact me, share your own beauty tips, or pass on your advice on how to be a yummy mummy, are welcome to comment below, or to join me on one of the many social networks I tend to roam in these days.  Sign up to follow via Google+, Twitter, Facebook or RSS feed via the feed reader of your choice (click the links here, or pick a coffee cup over on the right to click*)

If you're a BritMums blogger and you'd like your beauty posts featured in the monthly round-up, please comment below to let me know who you are, and sign up to follow via Google+, Twitter, Facebook or RSS feed via the feed reader of your choice (click the links here, or pick a coffee cup over on the right to click*) so you don't miss the monthly reminder to send me your links.  


*I am somewhat over excited by my new coffee cup social media icons. :-)

How to use "Lists" on Twitter & how to get organised with Tweetdeck

Follow @ymummyreally

I have recently discovered the joys of Twitter (click above to follow me on Twitter @ymummyreally) and have been using it to keep up to date with the news, as well as to share the fun things I find on-line.  I absolutely love it, but in the beginning I had misgivings.  Read on to find out why and to learn how to use 'lists' and 'Tweetdeck'.

One of the main frustrations I initially had with Twitter was that, once you start following people or companies and the numbers you are following reach fifty and upwards, you end up with a stream of unconnected 'tweets' that you need to check hourly to keep up to date with and which make no sense intermingled as they are.  It's like trying to listen to a serious news report with someone telling you about their night out in one ear, and someone else trying to sell you their must-have product in the other.

I also struggled to understand hash tags to start with.  But these are just ways to 'tag' something to enable it to be found easily by someone searching for that topic.  Or to enable folk to chat about a subject even with people they aren't necessarily following.  For example, if I tweet about parenting, then I add #parenting to the end of the tweet to make it searchable.

But two things have made Twitter really come into its own for me.  Two things that mean I am now an utter Twitter convert.

Lists
I love lists.  And in Twitter 'lists' are my way of keeping control.  So how do you use 'lists' on Twitter?

It is a way of categorising your interests.  So say I follow BBC News.  I add that to my 'news' list.  I also follow Ashley Banjo.  He is added to my 'celebs' list.  And my fellow bloggers go in my 'mummy bloggers' list.

To set up a list, go to your Twitter homepage, then click on "Following" to bring up the list of the people you follow.  You can then select the "Lists" option on the left (under Tweets, Following, Followers and Favourites)  This then gives you the opportunity on the right hand side to create some lists.  It's like creating folders.

Create your lists, calling them names appropriate to you.  You can make your lists private or public, it's up to you.  Then click on "Following" again, to bring up the people you follow.  You can then select the little drop down arrow next to each person, select 'add to list' and choose a list to add them into. 

It took me a fair while to go down my list of folk that I am following, and to pop them all into a list.  But once done, it's just a matter of doing it each time you follow someone new.

Now you can be clever.  If you click on "Lists" again, and select one you are interested in, you get the tweets from only those people within that particular list.  It means you can focus on news, or gossip, or shopping, as you wish.  And, if at anytime you want it all again, go back to your homepage to see your full timeline.

Tweetdeck
I then discovered the joys of Tweetdeck.  This is a piece of software that you can download to your PC for free.  It shows all your Twitter information as you'd expect, only in a slightly different layout.  It is set up in columns, with your usual time line, and mentions.  But you can then add as many 'columns' as you like.  And the columns can be based on anything.  So I have a column to show one particular 'list', a column to show a particular hashtag subject I am following and I add or remove columns as particular topics or lists interest me.
 
It means I can have a usual home column as well as my mentions, a hash tag based column and a particular list column.  I don't even need to have my 'mentions' as a column if I don't want to, as a little window pops up each time you are 'mentioned', even if you are working on something else, with Tweetdeck open underneath your open windows; just like having email's pop up as they arrive.

So if you haven't tried Twitter yet, or if you have and are finding it a little cumbersome; get organised with Lists and Tweetdeck!

Joining Mumsnet and learning a lot!

Last week I became a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Network (hence the shiny new badge appearing on this site!).  I am still excited and nervous.  Despite jotting down the odd thought on this blog at random intervals over the last couple of years, I have not really thought that much about being a 'blogger'.  I guess I didn't want to be defined by any particular stereotype;  I just wanted to share a little and hopefully bring about the odd smile or two.

So now that I'm officially a member of a larger blogging network, full of experienced (and famous) bloggers, I am feeling somewhat meek.  I am not sure if my words can stand up alongside blogs by the likes of David Miliband and I notice that all the bloggers in the network seem to know each other well, and have a raft of shorthand abbreviations that they use which require a dictionary to decipher.  I suppose that's the same in any organisation or occupation - jargon is used as part of the bonding of the group.  So it's not a problem; I just need to keep reading and work it out I guess.  Like any new girl.

Having said that, my first foray into the bloggers forums seems to have gone alright and people have been very nice to me.  Thankfully.  (Still feeling meek here - like the new child in the playground hiding in the corner, wanting to make friends but not sure how!)

One of the great things about the Bloggers Network is that it introduces you to other Blogs.  Much like learning how to paint requires a study of other painters, I think learning how to blog well requires a study of other blogs.  I have discovered a lovely blog by Emma Lee-Potter, who really does know how to write (and has published four books to prove it - I'm a little jealous, but in a good way!) And another by ATOMum called 'Attempting the Ordinary' which makes me smile.  Hopefully their good example will urge me to try harder!

I have noticed though, that some of the most appealing blogs to read using a computer (laptop/netbook/ipad etc) are those with good artwork and photography.  The eye likes the colour!  But, when surfing through blogs using a smart phone or ipod, the small screen means that it's preferable to see summaries.  I guess this is where the creation of Apps comes in.  (By the way Mumsnet - Keep working on that App for Androids won't you!)

So it's all given me a lot to think about, since I am a hopeless photographer!  Luckily, I can at least download some free photos off the web to Christmasify my blog this month.  You never know, maybe I'll get snapping away myself in the new year!

The downside of all this is that I am spending far too much time with my nose stuck to my phone reading the active conversations in Mumsnet Talk.  My hubby will just have to watch the footie instead of having a chat! (Hmmm - I don't think that's good relationship advice...!)

Keep voting in my 'How much will you spend on the Children this Christmas' poll.  (you'll need to switch from mobile web view to full screen to do this... sorry!)