60 posts categorized "Computer Geek"

January 10, 2012

How to create + upload a pin on Pinterest

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Have you fallen victim to the Pinterest craze yet?  I know many of us have and use it religiously to keep some of our favorite recipes, organizational tips, and even those favorite phrases + sayings that we want to remember.

But recently I've seen a boat-load of comments on my Twitter + Facebook streams about peeps feeling sort of "lost" on the site simply because they couldn't figure out how to "pin" something.  I'll agree that although the site still has a lot of room for improvements, I think it is pretty straightforward and can become such a great resource if you can figure out the best way to use it to your advantage.

So, here's my no-frills, simple tutorial on "pinning" on Pinterest.  I hope this is able to help some of you out there who are struggling with getting going on the site.  And while you're there, why not follow me on Pinterest?  I'd love to connect with you there!  Happy Pinning!

 1.  Once you login to the site from this link, you'll see something similar to this (bear in mind if you have zero pins you will see empty boards instead of ones with photos in them like in mine below):

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2.   Click the "Add+" button in the upper right hand corner.  This will then show a new screen like this one:

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3.  Click the "Add A Pin" option.  This type of pin will allow you add a website/url/video/pretty much anything online that you have a link for.

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4.  You're then taken to an upload screen where you'll be prompted to enter the url (website address or link to) whatever it is you are wanting to pin.

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5.  Copy and paste your link from its source into the box.  Or, alternatively you can simply type in the entire link / url of whatever it is you'd like to pin, like so:

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6.  After putting in the link (either by pasting it in or typing it in manually), click the "Find Images" button and you'll get this new lovely on your screen: 

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7.  Notice the link to your pin is still visible and now there may be an image associated with the link, which will appear on the left side of the box that opens up.  If you want to change the image or if there is no image that previews there, simply click "Next-->" to slide over to an alternate image.  Notice also that there is a default "board" associated with this pin.  In this case, it has defaulted to my "Get Organized" board.  There is also a small box below that which is where you can type in any description or special notes that you want associated with this pin.  I love this little text area.  I use it to remind myself of why I am pinning this in the first place or to make other random notes that correlate to my pin.  If you would like to change the default board that this pin is assigned to (e.g., instead of "Get Organized", I want this filed under something else), see #8 below.  If not, simply click the red "Pin It" button to complete saving your pin.

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8.  To change the board that this pin will be filed under simply click the drop-down box and you will see all of your current boards.  Note that if you would like to start a new board category, you can simply start typing where the text "Create New Board" appears and then click "Create".  A new board will now be created with the title you just typed!  You'll then need to click the red "Pin It" button like in step 7 to complete saving your pin.

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9.  And there it is!  Isn't she lovely?  After clicking "Pin It", you will be taken to the board where you've saved your pin and you'll be able to see it - along with all of your other related pins - instantly!

10.  Pat yourself on the back!  You're officially "on Pinterest"!!

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{FYI - the pin used in this example are free and beautiful printable lists and calendars from Life Made Lovely, which was a feature on my most recent {friday finds}.}

December 29, 2011

#midwestmoms - It's a wrap.

I've been amazingly blessed this past year as a mom, wife, and yes, even a blogger. You may have seen me sporting this profile pic on my Facebook page over the past several months:

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Well, I remember first hearing about the #midwestmoms campaign several months ago and thinking, "that is TOTALLY me!".  I was eager to learn more and see what Verizon Wireless was all about. 

And I never expected to feel as tied to a brand or company as I do with them.  And never in my wildest expectations would I have felt like I've gotten so much out of knowing a great group of my fellow midwest mom bloggers as I do now!

These chicks


and these chicks


fuuuuuhhhreakin' crack me up!  I had THE most fabulous time with all of them this past summer in Chicago at Midwest Moms Media brands & bloggers summit.  We connected about our families, our blogs, our lives as mothers, and of course -- our techie gadgets!!

I even got to meet another real, live Candy!!  This NEVER happens!


Over the past few months I've shared so many laughs with these ladies online and I truly have a special place in my heart for ALL of them! 

And the folks at Verizon and at their agency, Rauxa, have been impeccably professional to work with and have gone above and beyond with the #midwestmoms campaign.  I am humbled and honored to have been a part of it all!

And yes, things have certainly changed a bit around here.


It's awesome that I've been able to share such great technology like the Motorola Xoom and my Droid Bionic smartphone with my kids.  They now have hands-on experience with tablets, smartphones and understand the basics of apps, 4G LTE, WiFi, hotspots, and other fun techie stuff.  I am such a firm believer in teaching kids to embrace our technology, not to shield them from it.  The way I see it, the jobs of their future haven't even been invented yet, so any advantage I can give them on various technologies that exist will work in their favor one day. 

My oldest now LOVES to play Words with Friends with his Grammy who lives two states away.  Not only is he experiencing technology and what it brings to this world, but he's able to use it to engage with her even when she's not visiting.

So to my peeps at Verizon & Rauxa -- as we close out one of the most awesome years, I want to say "THANK YOU!!"  for inviting me to be a part of this fun #midwestmoms experience!  It has been wonderful beyond measure, and more than I could have ever imagined!  I'm sad this campaign is coming to an end, thankful for what it has been, and dreaming of when our paths will cross again!

 

 

 

{Disclosure: I am part of the Verizon Wireless #MidwestMoms project and am being compensated for this series of posts, however, the opinions expressed herein are those of my own. No one's the boss of me!}

November 08, 2011

Recording kids' violin lessons on the Bionic

One of the most amazing things I've discovered that I can use my Droid Bionic with 4G LTE smartphone for is its amazing video recording capabilities.  Each week my kids have violin lessons on Tuesday and while my 5 year-old is learning fairly simple things at this point (since he just started last year), my 8 year-old works on much more complex pieces.

I am SO not musically inclined or talented so it really takes some effort on my part to pay attention during his lesson and really focus on what his instructor is saying/teaching/showing him.  And then one day as I was sitting in his lesson I remember thinking "jeez, I wish I could tape these lessons so I could view them later in the week!", and it was like I had an "AHA!" moment!  I busted out my Bionic, hit the camera button, switched from still to video and hit "record".  The entire explanation of what the instructor was saying was effortlessly captured on my phone for later viewing.  Genius!! 

Before, I would have to write down all these musical notes in sort-of jacked-up shorthand I'd invented, which I'd later not be able to understand what I'd written.  That often resulted in a frustrated child and me feeling like a complete parental failure because I couldn't help my child with his lesson.  And then we'd have to wait till the next week on Tuesday until he could get explanation and ask his questions and then by then we would have missed out on all that he should have been practicing the week before.  It was a vicious cycle.

But since I've discovered my Bionic's wonderful recording features, we are able to take the lesson with us for the entire week and my son can reference back if he forgets something or if my scraggly handwriting can't be understood by either one of us.  The playback quality, including the sound, has been amazing!  It has been SUCH a lifesaver!!

So, my point is this:  if you have a video recording feature on your phone (preferably a Verizon Wireless phone -- shameless plug!), think outside the box when it comes what you use it for.  Yes it's nice to be able to record life's precious moments on the fly, but think about how you can use the video feature to make your life easier.  Record your kids' lessons and instructions for classes, extracurricular activities, and more.  Or maybe record the doctor at that emergency room visit as they give you follow up an at-home care instructions.  Use your phone to capture not only the everyday memories, but the everyday occurences that will free up the brain space!  I love it when technology is made to really work for you so that life can be just a teeny-weeny less hectic!

 

 

 

{Disclosure: I am part of the Verizon Wireless #MidwestMoms project and am being compensated for this series of posts, however, the opinions expressed herein are those of my own. No one's the boss of me!}

October 31, 2011

I am the Bionic Woman!

I have had my Motorola DROID Bionic for a little over a month now and have been enoying every waking moment with this phone!  While there are MANY features I could go on and on about, one of the most convenient and mom-friendly features of this phone is the MOTOPRINT feature. 

I'm a busy mom of three and truthfully, I loathe having to go down into the dungeons of my basement office to have to print something.  You know what I'm talking about -- the occasional school form, coupons, photos, forms, and just about anything else I access from my PC or phone.  So, when I first learned that MOTOPRINT comes standard on the Bionic, I was so excited to try it out.  Then a few weeks ago I found this Epson wireless printer on a steal-of-a-sale for just $39.99.   I bought it, set it up, then decided I'd put the MOTOPRINT app to the test.  Let me just say it was easy as pie to print directly from my phone over to my wireless printer!  Talk about making life easier for this busy mama!  I am SO hooked and LOVING this feature!  Here's how it works:

First, you need to have the WiFi connected onto the network on which your wireless printer is on.  Just go into Settings and connect to WiFi.


Then go back into settings and scroll over to the MOTOPRINT icon and tap it to connect and print.


You'll then be presented with options on what you want printed -- documents, PDFs, photos, and more.


So just for kicks, let's assume you want to print a photo from your phone.  You'd simply tap "Picture Gallery" and be presented with your options.


Then, tap your photo selection and the MOTOPRINT will take you to the screen where you can specify your printer by clicking "Add printers" at the bottom of the screen.


And, you'll click which type of network printer you are wanting to connect to.


I, of course, clicked "At Home" to connect to my home printer, and then was presented with the following options to find printers:


You should select the first option, "Automatically find printers" if you are connecting to a computer on your WiFi network.  As you can see, once I click that, my Epson printer is automatically detected.


I then click "Save" at the bottom and MOTOPRINT takes me to the final screen before choosing "Print".  Here is where you can change all of your print options like paper size, orientation, etc. 


And once you hit print your document or photo will be sent to the printer seamlessly and you'll be left with the most awesome feeling in the world that you just printed from your PHONE!  How cool is that?  MOTOPRINT -- just another reason why I'm such a DROID girl!

 

 
 

 

{Disclosure: I am part of the Verizon Wireless #MidwestMoms project and am being compensated for this series of posts, however, the opinions expressed herein are those of my own. No one's the boss of me!}

August 31, 2011

Hello, Moto {Xoom tablet}!

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For the past month or so, I have been using my new Motorola Xoom to keep nearly every facet of my life in check. Seriously.

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Isn't she lovely? Yep, that's what I thought, too!

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this gadget. I can't wait to reveal to you why it beats the iPad in so many ways. Over the next couple of months, I'll be sharing some helpful info for those of you who may be on the fence when it comes to purchasing a tablet. This thing is SO what you need!

I have used this tablet for everything from taking photos and videos of my family to keeping track of my to-do & grocery lists, and even to serve as our WiFi connection while we were on a road trip last month.

One of the main reasons I am totally head-over-heels for this tablet is because it is optimized to work with everything that is in my everyday world -- Google products! The iPad can't touch the way this Android-powered tablet works with your Gmail, Reader, Picasa, YouTube, and more!

I must say that my new Xoom is 99% always with me in my purse and I find myself using it to check-in on Foursquare, read email, and browse online when I'm on the go.

So, are YOU in the market for a tablet? Why or why not? Or, do you already have a tablet? What are favorite features and what are some of the limitations you could do without? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

{Disclosure: I am part of the Verizon Wireless #MidwestMoms program and am being compensated for this series of posts. But, the opinions expressed herein are those of my own. No one's the boss of me!}

March 11, 2011

Bloggers & Brands: What's your take?

  

These are the bloggers who particpated in the panel along with me.  Give them a clickety-click!

Surrender Dorothy

Prairie Mama

Giving Up On Perfect

February 10, 2011

Google gift

This is what I'm enjoying seeing today when I go to use my fave search engine! Only Google could do something this cool! (Click the image for larger view).....

Okay, I am off to enjoy my birthday now!

 

 

September 07, 2010

Ta-dah!

Hope you're liking the new eye candy here on my blog.  Yes, I've been working in Photoshop and Typepad like a little Christmas elf here for the past few weeks!  I wanted a new look but didn't know where to start! 

Thankfully, I was able to come up with something so that I can finally get back to blogging and the bazillion other projects I've got going on with fall upon us.

See all the white space? Love it!  Hoping you'll find it a little easier on the eyes too.  I am quite liking the whole notion of fashion for your blog.  How 'bout you?

August 29, 2010

New look.

Pardon my dust. And absence. I am in the midst of doing a total blog redesign. It's been something I've had in the works for some time now but with my job of being a mom, my website to run, my social media clients to service, and my ongoing stint with Parents.com, I've been a little distracted.  Not to mention that back-to-school season has taken its toll on me! So I am hoping to unveil my new blog --and get back to posting more regularly-- very soon.  Maybe this week.  Maybe not.  We'll see.

I have so many product reviews and other great stuff to share with you so I hope that I can do this sooner rather than later! Thanks for hanging in here!

 

August 19, 2010

why i might slightly be digging the iphone 4

Jacobsketch

Hubs just emailed me this pic from his new iPhone 4.  Now, I'm NOT an Apple girl.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Sony products and think I would by Sony flavored gum if they actually made it!  But, I AM loving all the different things about my husband's iPhone.  I guess I am flirting with the idea of having one, while still remaining true to my Droid roots. 

Happy Friday!

 


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