Category: Learning new things

Brave new world … a new theme … a new layout

Carol Dois WoodwardLeave a comment

Libre is the new WordPress Theme I am adopting for my Xena blog, jettisoning Chateau.

The change is the result of one of my assignments as a participant in WordPress’ Blogging 101 program. Each day during the week participants receive a daily assignment to guide them through the various content and programmatic options available as wordpressers.

I ‘dropped out’ of Blogging 101 once before and I think it was a result of this very assignment. I had stumbled through setting up my blog a few years before and was fearful of making any changes to the look and feel of the page.  So this time, upon the advice of our blog tutors, I set up a dummy blog and used it to try on various Themes.  They suggested trying on no more than 10 (there are probably hundreds available) so that I wouldn’t get lost.  I made it to 6 and fritzed out.

I did learn a few things about myself and my interests … I am partial to a more text oriented display with only occasional images … I am also partial to a serif type face, but not too much serif … and I like simplicity in the layout without too many independent places for the eye to drop.

What am I not sure about … everything.

Notice this entire blog is not about content, but about style?

Any comments?

Why am I blogging?

Carol Dois Woodward1 Comment

The ‘who am I?’

If one can believe it, I am an outgoing introvert.  Much of my life I have been a lawyer, so my role has been as a somewhat public figure,  experience successes, as well as make my mistakes in public, and be an advocate for my clients.  The public role has always been counterbalanced by the need for reflection, quiet, and mindful purposelessness.

A few years ago I stumbled into blogging because I wanted to know more about it and I wanted to see if I could demystify the technology surrounding it.

Initially, I used my primitive blogging mostly to learn more about the process of writing (blogging).  I learned how poor a writer I am, but I am working on that.

Later, blogging became more of a communication tool for me.  I am an active Rotarian and a very active Democrat so I used special purpose blogs to communicate with my respective organizations about issues and events.  Wordpress became an almost daily platform for me to meet those goals.  I still blog at princegeorgevadems.com  and at 7600advocates.wordpress.com.

My ‘personal’ blog is princegeorge.wordpress.com which I have titled as ‘Xena of Prince George — a laconic rural warrior princess writes’.  Clumsy, isn’t it?  There, I write on a variety of topics on an irregular basis, but without any real focus.  It is really aimless at this point.

Now, my professional life is almost at an end … taking down the shingle this month.  I will still be engaged publicly, but I want to write for the pleasure of writing.  I want to kick it up a notch so that I elevate the reward of a ‘well written sentence’ and an idea communicated.  Did I mention I want to have fun learning and doing it?

Public rather than Private?

Feedback is a great motivator for me and will help me continue on the learning journey. Sounds like fluffy nonsense, but I prefer a walk with a friend than a solitary stroll.  Each has its place, but human connection matters to me.

I am hoping that feedback will help me both technically and substantively.  I noticed that I use Chateau for all three of my blogs.  I do like how it is organized, but really, couldn’t I show a bit of adventure?  I am afraid of trying any markup language for embedding purposes?  Commas scare me.  Are sentence fragments ever OK? Is it OK to make up words?

So, public is the venue for me.

AOL … not so fuddy-duddy afterall

Carol Dois Woodward2 Comments

The news is abuzz with the probable purchase of AOL by Verizon.

Dear Reader:

The news of the pending purchase of AOL by Verizon for $4.something billion has amused me this last day or so.

A few years ago a headhunter told my husband to not use an AOL email address in his resume or business cards because it would make him appear technologically stodgy. Hubby is a technologist in the computer services industry and didn’t quite buy into that opinion, but he did create a gmail address.

He told me about the advice and I snorted.  I jumped from CompuServe in 1994 to AOL when it became an ISP and, also, I may have had a crush on Steve Case.  Initially, a person’s screen name was limited to 7 characters. When it was possible I changed to a longer screen name  so that I could be more easily identifiable.  Yes, I have had an email address on my business cards since 1994 and before that I had my CompuServe ID number on my cards.  Do you remember those long stringy number IDs?

I needed to maintain a certain continuity in my email address for professional reasons, thus I stuck with my AOL address as my primary address through all these years.  I have two email address pet peeves.  People who change email address often and then use complain that they are not being included on communications.  The other pet peeve has to do with those cutsy (or so they think), inane, email addresses that give no clue as to the identity of the owner …  “squawwoman” and “mustangannie” come to mind. Maybe as I wind up my practice, I may become”xenachick”.

So I stayed with AOL as it morphed from ISP to content provider, to publisher, to entertainment portal, to news portal and now as internet video innovator.

AOL and I  may not be so stodgy, after all.

Sincerely,

woodwardcd@aol.com

Blogging 101–Changing Tag Line

Carol Dois WoodwardLeave a comment

Having already confessed that I am behind on my #blogging101 assignments, I am proud to announce that I have just changed the tag line on my main blog …last Monday’s assignment.

Working on the WordPress platform for the last couple of years has been a learn as I go process. The options available have been intimidating so I have made few changes in the look and feel of my blog until today.  I know one of the upcoming lessons encourages bloggers to try new things, try new themes.

Changing my tag line today impressed on me that I have committed to a reason for blogging other than to have a voice (can writing be a voice?) or an outlet about life.

Maybe through this process I will discover my purpose.