interacting and linking, come follow

the web is best when the links are working. hey, and what better way to build a community than have us all "following each other" via links!! it's the latest laff / carry on i've seen in blog world for ages.

it all started with Odi's Ramblings (http://tcologne.blogspot.com). new to blogging but not Plurk, he decided to "have a go" and then told all and sundry about it ie come follow... and follow they did (who could resist - everyone loves him anyway). he got more hook ups and links to his blog in 24 hours than i'd been able to generate in six months (grrr girls)!! although the proof will be in the analytic s cause i know i get more clicks (nah nah tehe) :)

off course being the traditional information manager from way back, my heads sits firmly in the belief that linking to sources rather than repeating and duplicating is always the best method. its what the web is best for. why quote when you can link to the source? why repeat words, why repeat anything - pay respect and just link!!

so, i asked everyone (on Plurk) again to follow (as you do for a laff).... i can now boast a healthy number (still not matching the stats but it will get there).

Interestingly, with Odi showing this community that blogging isn't so hard - all of a sudden we have some new players, such as:

http://devoted-angel.blogspot.com/

So life will continue to intertwine, and link. Hmmmm, and there's the basis of discussion in another blog!

xc

PS why not try:

http://deadreds.blogspot.com/

http://boblovestosing.blogspot.com/

interacting via photoshop.com

IMG_0034
Originally uploaded by charlierobinson1966

went down the road of giving photoshop.com a try tonight. i've used it briefly before but as i have the full version, never seemed worth it. decided to have a bit more of a play and LOVE the results. quick simple fun results.

give it a whirl... xc

interacting with a robot... what an experience

i've previously blogged that i was less than impressed with the service provided by the massive telecommunications company, telstra. have a read...

http://charlierobinson.blogspot.com/2008/08/interaction-with-bigpond.html

however something happened this week that i would like to compliment them for. one particular service. it seems that where telstra HUMANS can not provide a service, a telstra ROBOT can.

and provide it did. i made a routine call to the telstra technicians line (my internet connection wasn't working via the router). call made. all good. within five minutes i was back up and running. but not once did i speak with a human.

i spoke with and was lead through a series of checks, switches and refreshes by a robot. the problem was solved quickly and simply.

i was impressed.

so, telstra it seems robots can do for you what no human seems capable of - quick, fast efficient, polite service.

i feel sorry (afraid) for the future workforce of telstra.

xc

interacting the old fashioned way

things happen in threes. it's an old wise tale. a very old fashioned idea. and yet would you believe i've had interactions about/via three letters this past week. now that's also very old fashioned way indeed!!

but i got a real kick out of them all. here's why:

you've gotta love a wedding. i laughed out loud when i got a message (via facebook) asking for my home addy as my new to be niece in law didn't know where i lived! it caused a family fuss. we should be helping her so she didnt have to resort to such antics... but i just loved it as it showed an honesty and resourcefulness. she was so used to communicating with us all via email and facebook, she's never needed the addy. i confessed to understanding 100% where she was coming from.

now birthdays are just something i struggle with constantly. the online medium has just not been able to replace the traditional birthday card. however im useless at remembering dates. useless at keeping calendars up to date. even online ones.

so when my niece sends paper invitations to her one year olds birthday lunch and then follows up with paper thankyou cards after the event. each note with individual messages. urgh. it makes me cringe. i absolutely adore it.

but finally to top it off. the ultimate happened.

a letter. as in one that had a "Dear Helen", paragraphs and a proper sign off.

i don't think i have received a letter from anyone other than my aunty who lives interstate in years. years and years. and there it was. in my letter box. a letter.

it was an invite to attend christmas lunch. it was such a lovely letter i could frame it.

and of course i have to respond in the way it was delivered. via letter. but i must just finish my blog first :)
xc

interaction with federal agencies in beauracratic times of terrorists

what do you do? so many people have asked me this week, why do i have to renew a passport that hasn't expired. and won't expire whilst i'm away. it's a really good question. apparently it's the rules and they must be obeyed.

so then, why do we have expiry dates?

no one has been able to answer.

on top of this, although i have 100% custody of my eldest child (teenager) as her dad lives in england, apparently the passport office doesn't accept or acknowledge this because it isn't in an agreement that is set out with a family court order.

may i point out here that the family court encourage you to make parental agreements WITHOUT their involvement... so we didn't.

i do however have child support agreements and it states i have 100% custody. the passport office didn't acknowledge this. even though i flashed it under their nose "it's here in black and white".

so, we have several government agencies we need to deal with to get a new passport finalised. none of them obviously talk to each other. and none support what the other requires.

interesting.

they all did agree though that i couldn't take eldest daughter out of australia on her current passport. so, i have discussed, processed, chatted, met, signed, phoned, and interacted my arse off.

we might get our holiday in the end, but it will be delayed and it's cost me a heap of money.

so much for encouraging tourism is all i can say. boo hoo. xc