Thing 4.

I have had a Twitter account for some while now but am ashamed to admit that I had never sent a tweet before CPD23. I think the main reason for my reluctance to be more active was that I always felt Twitter was more of a social calendar-type thing and also that I  wasn't getting the full picture when trying to follow a conversation. (A bit like when you arrive late at a party where everyone is already mid-conversation). 

Still having worked through this part of Thing 4 I now know better and having signed up to follow several of the people recommended in the post for thing 4. In this way I am hopeful that I will be able to decipher the mystery of hashtags!

I have been into RSS feeds for some while mainly through Google Reader. I use them to check up on things both in a professional and personal sense and find them easier to read as well as more informative as there is no character limit (perhaps that’s why I failed with Twitter in the past).  

My particular favourites at the moment are Phil Bradley's Weblog and The Wikiman which I discovered  while working through Thing 2.

Regarding Storify I really struggled with it and couldn’t create a story as my browser wasn’t supported although I did take the guided tour and looked at several of the recommended stories. I also looked at several stories relating to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012 which were really good with lots of video clips.

But to be honest I am not sure how (or even if) I will ever find a reason to use it again. Though to be fair I can see that it has its uses and I might suggest to some of the tutors that they try using it with their students when evidencing their research for assignments.

By the way I also really like the current awareness tool Pulse News and find it really simple to use. I would recommend it to anyone using a tablet.