Monday 25 February 2013

17

Technological Advancement

Thanks for all the love for the blog redesign and The Joker Dress. I've spoken to a jury of my peers and a consensus was reached: The Joker Dress is going to get the pattern treatment!  Any ideas what to call it?  I could continue to call it The Joker Dress but those (surely very few) people who are unaware of the dress's origin might be flummoxed.  And then it'd be the In-Joker Dress, between all of you and me. Which would be fun, as in jokes normally are, but then there will be those who aren't in on the joke and don't want to buy a pattern that makes their kid look like a joker.

Technical Blogging Nous

Just in the off chance that anyone is interested in the resources I used to redesign the blog, I've created a board on Pinterest with all of the tutorials I used.  Some are for quite small things (like my super cute new comment bubbles) but some I used all over the place.  Specifically, the tutorial about creating image maps is the most helpful thing ever written and I used it to make my header and all the sidebar rainbows. I want to Image Map all the things.

Just when I thought I couldn't get any more computer-savvy, Susan from Crafterhours tells me that you can add an aptly named 'goodie' to your Reader so you can read blogs in a more timely and mindful way.  By adding the Next button to your dashboard, you can click through all your subscriptions at the actual source. Each time you click Next the same tab stays open (no new tabs open up), but Google moves you on to the next blog on your list. Handy!  This is good news for various reasons:
  • You get to see all those snazzy things we're all doing with our headings and sidebars
  • You get to see comments, and make them! No seriously, I know you all think I have a no commenting rule or something, but I don't.  Comment with abandon! No? Still not? 
  • You give the blogger more accurate page views which is important to those who have advertising
  • You get to actually see the post when bloggers truncate their feed.  That's the best, I was missing stuff and would often forget to click through.

Reader

It get's better: you can then sort your blogs into folders! By theme or, as I have, with tiers of how much time I have for blog-reading.  Top reads are in the Very Important Posts folder, various blogs that are possibly-spammy and may-or-may-not-include-torrid-vampires are in Shenanigan Time, and a surprising amount of the 250+ I've subscribed to are in the Silent Folk folder because they appear to have stopped blogging.  Am I talking about you? You should probably go post something.

EDITED TO ADD: Lorchick rightfully pointed out that the link for folders is no longer working, which is weird as I used it not more than five minutes before.  So I will show you myself.

How to make folders 1

In your Reader, find the Cog at the far right of the screen, click (nope, not right click like I annotated, just click!) and then choose 'Reader Settings'.

How to make folders 2

Then click on the Subscriptions Tab. On the right hand side, there's a drop-down for folders.  In the first instance you'll need to choose New Folder and then name it.  After that, you can just assign it to each blog that fits the bill. You can put blogs into multiple folders.

How to make folders 3

After you're done making and assigning your folders, click on the Goodies Tab.  Select the tag (folder) from the drop down and that drag it up to your bookmarks bar. Repeat for each folder and you're done.

17 comments:

  1. While the idea of calling your pattern the In-Joker Dress is the most brilliant thing I've heard all day (and I'm *totally* calling it that in my head for ever) perhaps you have a point.

    Maybe let Maia name it? Or is that going to get something REALLY out there?

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    1. That's a good idea! I will ask her but retain veto powers if it's too weird :)

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  2. I have the next button too which is great because I'm LAZY and rarely click through and would only read the first sentence before it was truncated. If I want to comment it's easier too because it's there. Simple things eh :)

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  3. The Joke's-On-Me Dress? I see no problem with calling it the Joker Dress, but I have a four-year-old boy who loves superheroes, so The Joker is a regular presence in our house.

    I'm excited about it as a new pattern. But I have two questions:

    Skater Dress soon? Real soon? Pretty please?

    Okay, that was all one question. The second is this -- I'm not sure how old your daughter is, but my six-year-old is quite large for her age and has outgrown many patterns. Any chance you might go beyond size 7/8 in pattern sizing as your daughter grows?

    Love the blog redesign. I'm totally intimidated by everything on that Pinterest board, but I love what you've done with it.

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    1. It's being digitsed this week! And yes, as my kids get bigger sizes should follow. Maia is also very big for her age (joint tallest girl in her class) and the 5/6 still fits fine. There is also a lengthen line in the skirt piece if you just need extra length.

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  4. I didn't understand most of that post past 'Just in the off chance that anyone is interested...', but I fully approve of the In-Joker dress pattern. I am a bit bamboozled by your new blog, it is very buttony, but why does it not fit into my screen any more? I need to do sideways scrolling to look at the buttons :(

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    1. Huh, what are you viewing it on? Is your monitor very slim? Anyone else having this problem?

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    2. I have a diddy netbook with a 10" screen. Is that too small?

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    3. It *might* be! I haven't checked on our netbook to see if I have the same problem. Think my blog width is 1100 wide.

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  5. Great post.

    I meant to say that I'm happy to email over the fabrics I'm ordering so we don't overlap. No point in competing when there's so much fabric love out there :-)

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  6. Oh geez. My involvement in the goodies is minimal, but I'm happy you're happy. And the more people share that inside info, the better. 'Cause it's so cool.

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  7. Oh geez. My involvement in the goodies is minimal, but I'm happy you're happy. And the more people share that inside info, the better. 'Cause it's so cool.

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  8. I'm just commenting because I can.
    >_>
    And I didn't know you could make folders with the next button. What is this magic? This needs to happen in my internets.

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  9. The internet hates me. When I click the link about making folders with the next button I get this Hacked By Badi nonsense. I'll IG it just because I care/like to complain/mostlythatone.

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    1. That is most strange! I've added a mini tute of my own to the post so you too can make silly folders.

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  10. I can't wait to check out your pinterest board! My blog needs help too and I am at a technical loss...

    I vote a different name than the Joker dress. Your story is super cute but when I only saw your title I thought it might have something to do with the Joker on Batman, not something I would want to make for kids.

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  11. Thanks for sharing all the techie links you used.;) I'm using the "next" button thing now...makes it much easier to comment!

    I know you're super busy but any chance you'll get the long sleeve Dolman pattern piece up soon?

    Cindy

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