Knowing when to give in


Bloglines, I’m not going to mince my words here, or break it to you gently: it’s all over between us. I don’t know if you noticed, but I actually dumped you about a month ago.

I’d got fed up with your lack of attention, your seeming lack of knowledge that I existed…but the final straw was when you went away. For a day. Without telling me about it.
Eventually, you got your idiot friend the plumber (or whatever he claims to be) to make an excuse on your behalf, but it was too late. I didn’t trust you any more. How could I, when you left me in the lurch like that?
At least Google was there for me in my time of need. I’d given it a backup version of my feeds long ago…I never thought I’d have to turn to it in desperation.
Look what you drove me to, Bloglines.
Goodbye.

I got there in the end

Yes, today, I was a good girl, and joined my local library. I’ve not been a public library member since my university days, and I’m still unlikely to actually use it (and I’ve explained why before), but having options is always a good thing.

And the thing that finally made me join? Well, they made it so damn easy to do! I didn’t even have to go in to the library to do it (too busy on week nights, and likely to be the last thing that occurs to me at a weekend, if I’m not running around then too). I just had to go to their website, fill in this form (either do it online or print it out), and save it and email it (or post it) to them. Simples! Yay for Edinburgh City Libraries!
The card should be posted to me when it’s processed, I also signed up to get email alerts about library events, and overdue notices (although as a good librarian I would never get any of those. Honest. Though I would be in good company if I did), so maybe that’ll prompt me to actually go visit.
Someday.

Council blogging

So, The Improvement Service (which sounds faintly menacing, and makes me imagine the staff all walk around the office with straight backs, books balanced on their heads and have perfect pronunciation) have issued a guide for Scottish Councillors about blogging and tweeting.

Now, is it just me, or is this a bit silly? If you’re tweeting or blogging, then you’re at least mildly tech savvy. And if you’re a Councillor, then you’re probably pretty smart, and also reasonably aware about confidentiality, public image etc. You know what people will be interested in hearing about from you, what your constituents concerns are.
So, does it really need an 11 page guide to tell you how to do that?
I think that 3 sentences on page 7 about what not to do should perhaps be given a bit more prominence, else Councillors are going to blunder into trouble….
So, some top tips for Councillors on blogging and tweeting, from moi:
  • Don’t talk about confidential stuff.
  • Don’t be abusive or racist.
  • Don’t say anything about someone you wouldn’t say to them in person.
  • Don’t forget that, once something’s on the internet, it’s there for good, even if you delete it.
In other words: Don’t be dumb.