Thing 28

I set up a page using iGoogle during the 23 things. I tend to look for what I'm interested in at the time I want it, rather than using a collection of things in one place, so I don't use it daily. I so use it occasionally, mainly to read comics. It's convenient to be able to read them backwards, instead of being limited to just one day. I enjoy looking through the various widgets/gadgets, and I had fun (earlier) choosing different skins for the various pages I set up. I like using igoogle for google reader - I can just go ahead and click what I want to see. I did like the layout better when they had the tabs along the top rather than just the tabs on the side.
I looked briefly at the others - I also have a page in yahoo but don't really use it. I didn't see any compelling reason to sign up for any of them. Some of the widgets I added include Pet of the day, various comics strips via Custom Comics, Daily Puppy, Hangman, Bonehead of the day...Obviously I seem to have chosen more recreational things than "useful"...I think I'll still fool around with widgets, just because they're kind of fun.

More Twitter

I forgot to add my twitter name - Jeannebr.
I finally got the phone updates to work, but made sure to turn off the auto messages, since I only get 300 messages a month. :-) The fb2twitter works really well - you add them as a friend on Facebook, and when you update your Facebook status it updates Twitter as well.
I added a feed to my blog, too- I ended up copying the code and adding it that way; the auto option put it in a weird spot. The template I'm using has room for widgets all over, and put it on top.
I've read some more of the various articles, and find some of the apps/writings to be quite silly. A Tweet plan? So not happening here. I'm not going to use Twitterific since I don't have an iphone. Instead of Tweetscan I'll just use search.twitter.com and search there. Twitterholic could be fun - seeing who uses twitter the most. Barack Obama came up as number one today, but I haven't gotten one yet. Should I be insulted?!? This could also be a way to find more tweets to follow.
There are some apps that could be useful were I inclined to use them. Twizon bills itself as Twitter meets Amazon, and seems to tweet about things found on Amazon. Buy Later lets you know when something comes back into stock at Amazon. Remember the Milk is a twitter app now - wasn't something like that on the earlier 23 things? I tend to use my phone calendar for that, but it could be handy if I had updated enabled. Twittercal meshes your google calendar with Twitter.
It seems to me that many of them are for hard-core users, which I probably won't be. I do enjoy reading tweets, for the most part, so I may keep it up. Plus it will be another background design thing that I can tweak and play around with.

Thing 27 Twitter

I've signed up for Twitter, read some of the info, and send a few tweets. I found a background that I liked and changed the standard background. (I have as much fun figuring out or designing backgrounds as I do posting on the various social networks.) I'm still fooling around with the apps, and was trying to sych my phone sms so that I can send updates via text messages. So far that doesn't seem to be working too well. I do updates that way for Facebook a lot. For some reason, I've been synced but my messages don't show up. So I added fb2twitter, and that's working really well so far.
I'm following 39 so far, and have 10 myself. I'm thinking both numbers will increase as more people get to this thing. Except for Jim the curmudgeon, that is..:-)
I like going into the twitter search (www.search.twitter.com) and popping in a term and reading the tweets on them - for example library. People going to the library, working in the library, eating in the library... The live stream is fun to read too. I like the short blurbs - I still read reddit and mixx just for the heck of it, too.

Thing 26 Ning

I joined the 23 Things Ning in the first round, but didn't use it too much. I tended to comment via blog comments if I had a question or comment. I did upload a few pictures and joined an Irish ancestry group for the heck of it. Maybe I'll join a few for crafts or genealogy or something, too.
I think a Ning could be useful in a classroom setting - set up a ning for the class and people can participate in activities that way. Teachers could post discussion questions, students could ask questions, etc. and it would be a convenient way for everyone to be involved.
While a Ning could have use for a far-flung family, I'm finding that Facebook works better for that. It's much easier to keep track of what everyone's doing that way, plus I can see when they're on and have a chat.

Thing 25

I've already done a few of these, and tried and deleted others, but I'm spending some more time looking at them. I've been using statcounter for awhile, and wanted to add the map function, but wasn't sure how to do that. I added clustrmaps instead, although at present it doesn't show anything nearly as interesting as the statcounter map does. (Beijing, anyone?)
I was surprised at how accurate the Typealyzer was yesterday - it showed me as ESFP/Performer. I've done a few of the Meyers-Briggs and I come out as a cross between ENFP/Champion and ESFP. Jim thought his was pretty accurate yesterday, too. But I did it this morning, and it came up as ESTP. Verrrry interesting. I'm guessing it must change depending on what you post at various times.

I'm not interested at all in having my blog talk... but I did go ahead and re-add the Meebo widget. I'm using Meebo a little more now since they added the Myspace chat. Myspace always wanted me to download which I can't do at work. :-)

I still have the links for the slideshow I did for the first 23 things. Maybe I'll do another one of the trip to Scotland and Ireland. I could just do a flickrshow, but there are four albums with 50 pics each...

I may just keep coming back to and playing around with these things throughout these things.

More Things 24

Looking at the "Do" list, I've already completed quite a bit. I have been blogging off and on, (sometimes more off than on, but...) and have changed my blog around for the third time. I used one of the standard templates first, then switched to one from http://candytemplates.blogspot.com/. I liked that one (called Icy Blue) but got antsy to find one that I could make fit the whole "diva thing."
I've looked around at a lot of sites for blog templates, but didn't find just the right one. The one I'm using now is from http://www.ourblogtemplates.com/ and I just made up my own header, and deleted a widget or two, (or maybe three...) One thing I like about this site is it tells you how large the blog header needs to be if you want to make your own. I just used Paint to do the one I made up - it was pretty easy.

I didn't feel like redoing an avatar - but put a small pic up instead. Maybe I'll change it out every so often - it's kind of fun looking around at and fooling around with icons and avatars.