5 amazing things I have gained from Flood-Proof Mum

Over the past couple of months I have thought a lot about blogging and what it means to me. I had to give it a break for fear of writing too much negativity (and who wants to be known for that?) due to the process I was going through with my marriage breakup. But lately, through contact with the amazing people of the 'blogiverse' I have decided to embrace Flood-Proof Mum and today I am reflecting on the top 5 things that have happened as a result of my blog.

1. Inspiration

I started Flood-Proof Mum in the hope of connecting and sharing stories with other victims of flood. In twelve months I have achieved that and so much more. As well as gaining inspiration from others journeys I have also been overwhelmed by the number of times people have told me that I am an inspiration to them. It is something I never considered and an attribute that I humbly and gratefully acknowledge. It is an amazing thing to think that you inspire others by telling your story but it is a two-way street and that is the beauty of blogging - you can be inspired and inspiring at the same time.

2. Friendship

http://opinionsandexpressions.wordpress.com/2009/12/06/online-friendship/

I never really knew what it was like to have online friends. I have had Facebook for many years but only connected regularly with those I already knew. Blogging is far superior to any form of social media. Through reading others blogs you get to know them (or the self they choose to share with you) and I have met many people whom I consider as kindred spirits with lives parallel to mine. Meeting some of these people in person is an experience I immensely look forward to. But it's not just the bloggers, many of my readers don't blog but share similar interests and I am honoured that we have connected. Thank you all especially for your beautiful and kind words during my sabbatical.

3. Reconnecting

A few months ago I received a text from a very dear friend with whom I had lost touch. Her name is Amanda and she was there with me when Lauren was born 20 years ago, and a beautiful bridesmaid at my first wedding. She found me through Flood-Proof Mum and recognised my photograph. It means the world to me that we will be able to catch up in person after so many years and share stories. I also think it is fate that she has come into my life now. I had to shut down the past couple of months and become a mushroom, it's my way of dealing with things...but I know that she understands, and I cannot wait to share Amanda with my family.

4. Recognition

I never set out to do anything major with Flood-Proof Mum. It is not a blog designed to make money or attract sponsors. It is my personal journey and a source of information on simple living in a flood prone property. It is also a great opportunity for me to hone my writing skills and share stories, so I was absolutely overwhelmed and honoured to have my blog archived on the National Libraries Database. It is now preserved and generations to come will be able to read my flood stories long after I am gone...hence why I did not want to be a misery-guts-woe-is-me blogger over the past month :)

5. Education

When I read my early posts I am always amazed at the array of skills and knowledge I have gained and shared. I have experimented with many simple living and gardening concepts and I so appreciate the fact that I recorded this information to look back on. My personal posts also reflect what I was going through at the time and I have designs to record more memories or memoirs, perhaps in another blog. There is also the wealth of knowledge I have gained from other bloggers, readers comments, and simple living forums. The sharing of information with friends is an experience I treasure.

So, there you have it. My top 5 amazing benefits gained from blogging. I would love to hear about yours if you blog, and if you don't I would love to know what you gain from reading others blogs.

Have an awesome day!

Get a Free Five-Minute Blog Feedback Video

A few days ago I followed a link on my Facebook page by Techie Mum. As the name suggests, her site deals with anything techie and she has some amazing tips and app reviews if you have not visited her blog before. Anyway, the link I followed via Facebook was to Peek User Testing, a site that promises you a review of your website via a free five minute video.

I typed in my blog url, supplied my email address, and about half an hour later received an email link to my video...and it is so enlightening. Take a look:

I love how the person reviewing my blog followed a process, and I could physically see where they were clicking to, and the thought process involved in each decision of where to click to next. I also like the feedback regarding what I can do better and what I am already doing well...from a totally non-biased viewpoint.

If you have a blog or website, give it a go!! I'd love to hear what you thought of your video. Now I am off to fix those typos he mentioned :) Have fun!

The Best Free Online Learning Sites

Late last year I made a decision not to continue with my university studies this year. I have been studying towards a degree in Creative Writing and whilst I absolutely love the writing, the number of analytical essays I had to produce was not much fun. So, I decided this year to focus my writing energies into my blog and my novel...but I still like to do other more fun courses such as One Little Word.

When I was in my local library the other day, I picked up a brochure called Looking at 2.0. I was not sure what it was about, but thought I would have a look at it when I got the chance...plus it mentioned free learning which is always a good thing.

I followed the link via the State Library of Queensland and was surprised to find that Looking at 2.0 is actually a free online course about all aspects of the internet...including online learning funnily enough. The course is made up of beginners, intermediate and advanced modules and I would encourage starting with the beginners section, especially in the social media tab. This section provides an overview of all the major social media outlets with some interesting video links and practical exercises to complete.

I am a beginner when it comes to Pinterest and even Twitter so I will be going back to review those sections when I am ready to delve properly into these social media areas. I was also interested to learn about Linkedin and Stumble Upon which I had heard of but did not know much about them.

Now, the section where I spent most of my time and the one which I think everyone would find interesting is:

This section outlines some of the more popular sites where you can access online courses/ videos etc for free. Some of these I had never heard of and are really great sources for short courses or online tutorials. Just click on the site names below to investigate what you can learn for free.

1. The Khan Academy 

The Khan Academy boasts a library of over 4000 videos to “help you learn what you want, when you want, at your own pace.” It is a not-for-profit company supported by donors including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Google.

You can use the videos for your own learning or you can coach others. Originally focused on science and maths, the academy is now branching into other areas. To sign up to the Khan Academy, you'll need your Open ID from Facebook or Google+. You can also download an app for use on your smart phone.

2.Ted Ed

TED is a not-for-profit company devoted to “ideas worth spreading” and stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design.  TED includes talks, TED Fellows, TEDx and the annual TED Prize. There are more than 1400 TED talks currently online.  Watch them in your own time and join the TED community using your Facebook Open ID.

TED Ed offers tutorials and talks as well as information on how to create your own. the thing  like about it is you can access it on your smart phone. Just download the app.

3. Udemy

Udemy helps you learn from the world’s top experts like best-selling authors, CEOs, celebrities and professors. It stands for ‘Your Academy’. Learn everything from photography to design and yoga, as well as how to plan, create, publish and promote your own courses. To sign up to Udemy, use your Facebook Open Id or email address. These are courses rather than videos or tutorials and some professionals do charge for them but there are heaps and heaps of free ones.

4. Coursera

Coursera is a social enterprise company partnering with more than 60 universities around the world to deliver free online courses. You can learn at your own pace and test your knowledge through interactive exercises. Subject areas offered include Humanities, Medicine, Biology, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Business, Computer Science and many more. Courses run for a designated period, during which you can complete the materials at your own pace.

5. Open 2 Study

This site is my personal favourite. I have just enrolled in a one month Climate Change course with Macquarie University...for free!

Open2Study is a free online education site by Open Universities Australia. It offers high quality  four-week courses. Watch videos, take quizzes and join online discussions with classmates.

There are a range of courses in Marketing and Advertising, Business, Management, Health, Finance and Arts and Humanities. At the end of your course you gain a certificate of achievement to add to your portfolio. 

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So, when you want to expand your horizons, you now know where to go...without leaving home. I can see I will never get all of the housework done now :)

Have you done any courses from the above sources? Who would you recommend?

Keyboard Warrior and a Clueless Mum

The other night I was sharing a bottle of champagne with my 19 year old daughter, Lauren. Towards the end of the bottle, the conversation turned as serious as a champagne-induced conversation can, and we were discussing a few problems she was having with her boyfriend. He lives down the coast and last weekend he blew it - he was supposed to turn up to a party but said he fell asleep and did not make it.

Lauren had given him the cold shoulder all week (not replying to his text messages), and had finally agreed to meet with him on Sunday to talk about it, which she was anxious about. 'Why', I asked? 'You need to clear the air, sort it out, work out if you want to keep it going?' She said, 'Mum you don't understand. Generation Y are keyboard warriors. We do conflict by text and in-boxing, not in person.' (I could hear the implied duh!)

Image Source

Now, being the super-cool new age mum that I am, I did not fess up (see, super cool) to never having heard the expression 'keyboard warrior' - is it just me? - but I did write it down so I would remember to google it later. I was curious whether it was a term she had just made up or whether it was common language in her circles. I found an awesome online dictionary that all parents of generation Y and Z's should bookmark - The Urban Dictionary. I SO could have been using this for years! (For a long time I thought lol meant lots of love and added it to some rather inappropriate texts and posts.)

A keyboard warrior is basically a person who expresses their anger via aggressive writing in the form of texts, emails, tweets etc. OMG, I too have been possessed by Keyboard Warrior syndrome! The picture above epitomises the written attacks by my ex-husband. I was on the receiving end, and threw the grenades back of course, of some very abusive keyboard warrior attacks. In Lauren's case, it was not abuse but rather conflict that she was describing. Conflict that 'in the good old days' we used to stand in front of each other and yell or get upset about, not just pass hurtful written words back and forth...although I do remember a nasty handwritten letter or two at high school.

It's not the first time that I have noticed the change in how generation Y and Z communicate. Lauren's first boyfriend she never met in person. They met online via My-Space (now defunct I believe) and broke up before they ever went on a date. Her long-term boyfriend she met via school friends on Facebook, and he broke up with her by text. Is it wrong to communicate in such a fashion? I guess it is rather economical in terms of time. I remember walking twenty minutes to the phone box to spend my pocket money just so I could have a conversation with my boyfriend in private. I have diaries and hand-written letters from teenage boyfriends...are these any different to a romantic email or text? Probably not. At least an email does not get flooded, and if saved correctly can be kept forever.

So, if a keyboard warrior is an angry message-sender then I figure there are heaps of other 'keyboard' stereotypes (my mind always jumps ahead to random thoughts). The keyboard cold-shoulder-er (yep, I have ignored a text or two when pissed off), the keyboard lover (god, I miss him), the keyboard comic (always posting funny jokes), and the keyboard pessimist - I can think of many Facebook status-posters that would fit this one. Maybe I should make up my own urban dictionary...Me, I would describe as a keyboard fence-sitter (not taking sides) or keyboard diplomat (dispute resolution)...most of the time anyway, with perhaps a little keyboard warrior there just in case.

What type of keyboard-er are you? Have you heard of keyboard warriors before?

Is Your Home Cybersafe?

I saw an advertisement tonight for a program televising a Facebook campaign launched by a young girl in memory of her sister who committed suicide as a result of cyber bullying. It reminded me of some information I came across the other day, and that I now want to share with you and your families.

Firstly, I thought I should explain that my family has been unpleasantly touched by cyber bullying, so this is a topic very close to my heart and something that all parents of teens or tweens need to be aware of. Thankfully, for my boys social media is usually more of a platform for chatting, arguing and gossiping amongst their friends. There was however an incident where Lachlan made an inadvertent comment which led to a group of kids from another school waiting to bash him the next day. The incident was eventually diffused but not before causing a lot of angst and loss of sleep for my son. For my niece, being the target of cyber-bullies had far worse consequences. She attempted to take her own life. Thankfully she wasn't successful but she still struggles with it, and uses social media as a means to vent her anger and frustration.

So, how can we, as parents, know what to do about social media in this age of technology and increasing use of smart phones? It is not only cyber-bullying that I am concerned about for my children. It is the cyber-predators as well, masquerading as children. Before allowing our children to have access to the internet we need to understand it ourselves, so that we can educate them and make them aware of what to look out for. We also need to educate ourselves on the signs to look for in our kids...before it's too late.

I am certainly no expert on cybersafety but the Australian Government have already done the ground work for us, and there is a trove of information on this Easy Guide to Socialising Online.It was created in response to advice from the Australia Government Youth Advisory Group on Cybersafety - a group of young Australians providing advice on cybersafety issues.

The guide provides information about the cybersafety features of different sites including social networking sites, search engines and online games. By clicking on the logos for each site, you can learn how to adjust your privacy settings, report inappropriate content and find out more about other safety features. I urge you to click on the link above and save this guide if you have children old enough to use the internet.

The other amazing thing that I never knew about is the Cybersafety Help Button. I wonder how many other parents are like me? This is an excellent idea! You download the 'button' onto your smartphone, ipad, laptop or desktop.

It provides instant online access to cybersafety information and assistance. Your child (or yourself) can click on the button and it directs you to select either TALK (Phone numbers provided for counselling ie Kids Helpline), REPORT (abuse, scams or offensive behaviour direct to the appropriate department or social media site), OR LEARN (provides further information on cybersafety). I urge all parents to fully investigate the LEARN tab. There are links to a ton of information on predators and current scams, government departments and social media sites.

I have learnt so many things that I should have known when the boys first started using social media. The major rule we have here is that they have to keep me as a 'friend' so that I can police them, and they are not allowed to block me from any content. Occasionally I will ask them to remove an inappropriate comment or a page they have liked but usually they are pretty good about it, and I learn so much about what they are up to through their comments or those of their friends.

Do you have social media in your house? If so, I am really curious to know what cybersafe measures you have adopted for yourself and/or your kids. Were you like me and unaware of all this information available to us? I would like to think I am not the only one who lives under a rock sometimes :)

Needless to say, I spent the rest of my morning installing cybersafe buttons on all our phones and computers.