Already Week Two and I am still trying to catch up. Things were just not ‘clicking’ for me during Week One. I enrolled late for this course, so I was thrust into an immediate uphill climb during the first few days which propelled me into a steep learning curve.
Although I initially got set up on WorldPress blog site and IFTTT, my main problem has been that the ’embed code’ for the IFTTT recipe was not properly configured. As a result, my Tweets were not transferring the Lifestream blog. My problem seemed to have something to do with the fact that the “embed code is not available.” I’ve Googled the problem, re-activated my IFTTT recipes, but he more I tried to troubleshoot these problem areas, it seemed the worse trouble I got into. By mid-week, I succumbed to what Amber Case calls the “panic architecture” of feeling left behind. As I mention below, I also fully understand Case’s observations of feeling like an ‘adolescent,’ coming to grips with my own awkwardness in this course.
It has been helpful to review the blogs and tweets of peers to understand ‘what right looks like.’ But I am still fumbling to get the mechanics properly place so that I can engage more actively and coherently. I’m still in ‘myth of Sisyphus’ mode here at the beginning of Week Two, but earnestly trying to pull it together.
Hi PJ, as far as IFTTT goes and making it look right on WordPress, I will admit that I have ‘cheated’. I couldn’t get a recipe that looked nice to me, so I go into each post and tidy them up afterwards.
Last week I felt overwhelmed because I hadn’t fully realised that the readings were for a ‘block’ and not just the week, so I tried to read everything at once, and lifestream and the film festival. This week, I think I will take it a bit easier and concentrate on reading / contributing to other lifestreams. It’s going to take me a while to get used to the ‘pace’ of this course, and what is required. It really is early days and there is plenty of time to settle in yet, for all of us.
Jin, thanks, really appreciate your comments. I’m also trying to settle in, but still not comfortable with WorldPress or IFTTT, but maybe that is part of the learning process of this course. Cheers, PJ
PJ – it looks like it’s coming together now? If you’re not happy with IFTTT please drop Jeremy a line so he can help. Jin is right too – still plenty of time to get in the swing of it and it seems to me things are shaping up!