Thing 8: Social Media Management Tools

Thing 8 is Social Media Management Tools. I have both Facebook and Twitter apps, but use Facebook more often than Twitter. I am not a big tweeter anymore, but used to use it quite frequently. I also manage the social media streams for my library, so have to keep up with any changes to both of these platforms for work.

I use the Facebook app multiple times daily. I don't often post to Facebook (try to limit my posting to once per day or even less frequently than that), but I do like to see what others post and what's trending. The only things I don't like about the app are that the in-app browser for following web links is kind of annoying in that it won't let you go back in the same way a normal browser does, and I also don't like all the posts about Game of Thrones (oh, wait, that might not be a problem with the app...).

In order to make Twitter more useful for me personally, I need to unfollow a bunch of stuff I first followed back in 2008/2009 when I joined Twitter. The main problem I see with all social media is that it's only as good as who you follow. I have to spend time curating the people I follow so that I get posts and updates I really care about, otherwise it becomes a vast wasteland of useless or annoying posts.

Thing 7: Content Saving & Sharing

Thing 7 is Content Saving & Sharing. I have been using Pinterest since 2012, and recently downloaded bitly.

Pinterest is probably one of my most-used apps. I have been keeping track of books I've read each year (2012, 2013, 2014) by pinning the book covers, and find my recipes board really helpful when I'm struggling with what to eat or buy at the grocery store. I also have lots of outfit ideas pinned, because my goal was to stop buying lots of new clothes and just figure out how to wear the stuff I already own in a new ways. I keep a wish list of things I'd like for gifts, as well as a secret board with gift ideas for others.

Bitly could become very useful, so it's one of the few apps that I'll probably not delete. I like the idea of saving links from work or home and being able to access them anywhere via the app.

Thing 6: Creating & Editing Docs

Thing 6 is creating and editing docs. I downloaded CloudOn, Quickoffice, and SignNow. I didn't find CloudOn or Quickoffice any easier to use or more intuitive than the Google Drive app I already use for editing documents. I could see potentially using SignNow in limited situations, but don't regularly need to sign electronic documents.

One semi-related note: when downloading new apps, I find it annoying that I must make a login for each app. Very fews apps I've downloaded DON'T require some kind of login or username creation. Sometimes I am forced to connect these apps with my Facebook or Twitter, or make an independent login. The independent login is usually the selection I make, because I don't like apps even having the option to post to Facebook or Twitter for me (even though I am careful not to select this option, I've had it happen anyway with rogue apps), but it's always the most cumbersome option to create a new login just for a simple app. It seems that many of the apps also make you 'confirm' that you want to use your e-mail to login, so you must go into your e-mail and confirm before you can do anything with the app.

Thing 5: Notetaking

Thing 5 is notetaking. I didn't really find any of the apps all that helpful. I use my phone's built-in 'Reminders' app, which syncs with my work task list and has the ability to set reminder alarms (even via Siri, which is helpful. "Siri, set a reminder for 3:30pm to take out the trash").

I also use an app called AnyList for my shopping/to do lists that I need to keep track of, and really like that app. I had tried Remember the Milk before, but didn't really like it any better than the built-in app for reminders. I have never once used the actual Notes app on my phone. I guess I don't take notes on my phone, probably because the only time I take notes, I take them by hand (during work meetings or trainings, mainly). The Springpad recipe feature could be nice, but I already have a Pinterest board of favorite recipes, and they more recently introduced the feature of putting the ingredients/recipe instructions direct on Pinterest, so I think a separate app isn't necessary for me.

Thing 4: Keeping Up

I struggled a bit with this Thing (#4: Keeping Up). I downloaded both Flipboard and Zite for my iPhone, and also got the new Facebook app, Paper. I knew what RSS was and used to use Bloglines for an RSS reader to keep up with various blogs, but was, quite frankly, somewhat relieved when Bloglines bit the dust and I stopped having all of these RSS feeds that I felt like I should be reading, but wasn't really all that interested in anymore, and it was too much work to go through and delete probably 50+ feeds I was no longer enjoying.

To be honest, that's how Flipboard and Zite feel to me. Overwhelming. Too much information. If I am looking for information on news, I go to Google News or the NewsMap, or see what's trending on Twitter or Facebook within those apps. I guess if I were a bigger newshound or looking for content, these apps would be good for me.

Thing 3: Utilities

Thing 3 is Utilities. I already have a QR code and barcode scanner, so I decided to download Google Search for this Thing. I had it on my previous Android Google phone, so I was vaguely familiar with it.

I used the Google Goggles feature in the Google search on my Charley Harper calendar. I used it on this photo on my calendar, which is titled "Maritime Maternity":

It brought me to more information about Charley Harper, who was an American modernist painter and designer.

The 'Thing' instructions are to explore whichever app we download. I didn't really discover anything new, aside from the Google Goggles option. Siri takes care of most of the things I liked about the Google app when I had it on my Android, so it seems a bit superfluous. I will see if I use it much over the remainder of the 23 Things experience.

Thing 2: Mobile Device Tips

Thing 2 asks us to learn more about settings and options for our specific device:

Look at some of these websites and/or videos and try some of the tips on your device. Write a blog post telling us some new tips you’ve discovered. If you know of additional tips for your device, tell us about them in your blog, too.

I've got an iPhone 5s (gold, of course) so I watched this:

And read this list. Most of the tips from the video I was already aware of, because my dad also has an iPhone and showed me a lot of things right when I got my new phone back in December. One tip I could see being handy is finding images with Siri, simply by telling her "Show me images of ______." I was able to find this image of a cute dachshund puppy by asking Siri to find me images of dachshunds:

From the list of tips, I learned quite a few things. I had wondered how to delete Cupertino, CA off my weather listing, because it comes as the default location for weather (Apple is based in Cupertino). Now if I could only figure out how to get Siri to realize that, in Minnesota in January, 25 degrees isn't all that cold! I found the tips about maps the most helpful. I'll definitely be using some of those (like the Quick Route feature). One of my favorite tips is that Siri can send a message or write an e-mail for you, which I've found very handy. You just say, "Send a message to _____" and Siri will ask what you'd like it to say, so you can dictate pretty much hands-free. I also learned this week that you can ask Siri, "What does the fox say?" or "Who let the dogs out?" and she will answer accordingly.