by Mr. Fisher
January 31, 2012 in Uncategorized
I had to post this simply because I thought it was incredibly cool.
Watch this 3 minute video to see scientists fill an ant colony with concrete and then dig it out to see how huge it is. Amazing…
by Mr. Fisher
January 22, 2012 in Uncategorized
The things that we are able to do in the Idea Hive are sometimes pretty cool – they’re also using real skills that businesses and jobs might require you to have one day.
Here’s a link to an article that was in the Globe and Mail this weekend talking about the challenges one business was facing trying to work with employees scattered in multiple time zones, the software they were using, and a few options to improve working with people in other places.
by Mrs. Durnin
January 7, 2012 in Uncategorized
As Idea Hive bloggers, you understand the importance of using only images in your blogs with a CC license. You’ve learned how to hyperlink that image to the owner’s url by moving through a series of steps. If one step is missed, the link doesn’t work. Frustrating. Alan Levine has shared a much easier way to do this.
Open this page and click on the green install button (top right corner). This works in Firefox with Greasemonkey and can be installed directly as extensions in Chrome and Safari.
When you find an image in flickr that you want to use with a CC license, you’ll see two boxes with text. As Alan explains…
This script makes giving attribution to flickr creative commons such a simple thing you cannot believe you had done it any other way earlier.
Any flickr photo page you visit that has Creative Commons License applied will display two text fields below the CC license listing (right side of photo). Clicking either field will select it, so you can do a quick command-c to copy.
The first box displays attribution in HTML, including the IMG tag to embed the 500px wide version, useful for pasting into a blog post. The second box has an attribution in plain text, so you can use in presentations, emails, etc.
cc licensed ( BY NC SD ) flickr photo shared by hdurnin
Just copy and paste the first the text in the top box which says Attribution (HTML) and then paste the text into your post. The image will appear along with the owner’s name. Easy!
Make sure however, you’ve switched from Visual to HTML when writing your post, otherwise you’ll only the coding text will appear in your post (I learned from my mistake!).
cc licensed ( BY NC SD ) flickr photo shared by hdurnin
by Mr. Fisher
January 1, 2012 in Uncategorized
Matt Mullenweg is the person who invented WordPress software. WordPress is the free open source software that runs this site (and several million others as well – including many of the world’s top sites).
He was interviewed here as part of an end to 2011, beginning 2012 series. One thing he said really struck me. He said:
“One of the beautiful things about the WordPress community is that it’s a lot of original content creation rather than just a few things being regurgitated over and over again, which is a fair criticism of what happens on social networks. I think of blogging as a craft. It’s something that you think about, that you try to do your best at. It’s part of your identity.”
What do you think about this? Do you think a lot of the stuff on social networks (facebook, etc) is just regurgitated over and over again? Do you think bogging is a “craft,” an art form that needs to be worked at and practiced?
by Mr. Fisher
December 16, 2011 in Uncategorized
Have you seen this video yet?
If not, take a few minutes and watch this. Its OK, go do it. I’ll wait for you.
Not only a great version of a classic Christmas song, but an interesting story as well. Sean Quigley is a 16 year old from Winnipeg who sang, recorded and edited this video.
It’s got almost a million views. He’s now got an agent from Los Angeles. You can buy the song.
You can be a creative person from anywhere these days and post your stuff online. Whether your talent is singing, or editing videos, or taking photos or writing or something else, there are places online where you can share your stuff.
Its amazing what happens when you share your passions with others.
by Mr. Fisher
December 14, 2011 in Uncategorized
As you log in to your dashboard for the first time in the days to come, you will notice that things are a little bit different.
WordPress has been updated.
WordPress is the free, open source (did I say free!?) software that is used to run this site, all the message boards and forums that are on it. Occasionally, the community of people who work on wordpress update the software, bringing in new things to improve it and make it better. This time those changes included a new colour scheme for the menus and dashboard, a few different menus and a better uploader for all types of media.
Take a look at the short video below for all of the information and, as always, send me an email if you find something that isn’t working.
by Mr. Fisher
December 13, 2011 in Uncategorized
We’ve been very pleased to see the amount of activity here on the Idea Hive. In December so far we’ve had an average of 580 visits each day to the site! The great thing is, the numbers are this high even on the weekends! Last weekend, we had just over 1000 visits between Saturday and Sunday.
Looking at the activity on here, I’ve decided to add some new achievements to the site. These ones are not unlockables, but are awards that people can recommend you for. I’ve added four new ones:
- Good Communicator
- Problem Solver / Innovator
- Community Builder
- Peer Mentor
You can go to the achievements tab to see the descriptions for each of these. If you know someone who you think is deserving of one (or more) of these achievements, email Mr. Fisher and Mrs. Durnin with your reasons why this person is deserving of this award.
by Mr. Fisher
November 29, 2011 in Uncategorized
I am really happy to see people in the forums and making groups. It is great to have a space to connect in, get to know other people in, and maybe even bug somebody about their favourite hockey team!
But don’t make a bunch of groups and then abandon them! This just fills up the site and makes things confusing for people who are trying to find something. I’ve added a few main groups like one for sports and another for music and the arts. If you want to talk about something to do with those topics start a forum under one of these groups.
Think about a few things before you make a group:
- Does one already exist that I could use? (for example, I notice there are already two paintball groups…)
- If I do make one, should I make a group or a forum (there is a difference..)
- Am I ready to look after it?
If you do decide to make a forum or group, you need to be responsible for it. As the creator of the space you are considered to be a Lead User. As a lead user you need to look after the space. You need to try to make it interesting and make sure there is new content that is posted on a regular basis. You need to make sure you encourage people to join your space and post new stuff.
If you find that your space isn’t getting new content posted in it or that it’s time has passed, you may want to think about deleting it – and that’s OK. Don’t feel bad. This happens in online spaces all of the time. After a few days of us using this site this way, we’re going to have to take a look at the groups and see which ones will survive and which ones need to be deleted.
So post away! (but think first….)
by Mr. Fisher
November 22, 2011 in Uncategorized
Well… I guess not just yet….. But you do have to take the time to get ready for Christmas. Your tree needs setting up and your house needs decorating.
And don’t forget your blog…. Your blog? You bet.
If you are feeling in the holiday spirit, there are three new themes that I’ve uploaded to the themes page that are in the Christmas spirit.
So go on and decorate your blog… It might even make December 25th come just a little bit faster. 
"
by Mr. Fisher
5 Tips to Getting More Comments
September 29, 2011 in Uncategorized
Everyone loves getting comments on their blog. It feels good to know that people are reading what you have written and appreciate what you write.
But comments don’t fall from the sky. Your writing needs to be interesting enough to attract readers and attract comments. Here are a few tips about getting comments:
1.) Make sure that each post you publish allows comments – this may sound silly, but it isn’t. Every time you write, you have the option of closing the comments on that post and not allowing people to reach you. Sometimes this happens by accident when we don’t mean it to. Make sure that your post is allowing comments to be posted.
2.) Ask readers for comments – Just like we love comments, your readers like to know that their opinions are being listened to and read. You won’t always get comments by asking for them, but it is a step in the right direction.
3.) Reply to comments – People who comment want to be part of a conversation. Writing back shows the people who leave you comments that you are reading and thinking about what they have told you.
4.) Moderate wisely – Your blog is your space. But in order to get more comments and more readers, you need to make sure that you are talking to all sorts of people and that you are willing to respect all sorts of opinions. Sometimes people come around your blog and leave you a comment to tell you that they don’t agree with what you have written. This doesn’t mean that they have the right to be mean or nasty and you need to publish what they write. But you also need to be willing to talk to people who have a different opinion from your own.
5.) Leave Comments for other people – When you drop around on someone else’s blog and leave your thoughts for them, they are much more likely to leave their thoughts for you. Don’t expect to get a bunch of attention when you are not willing to spend your time writing for others. The hive is a place for conversation and for connecting. People will give you what you are willing to give them.
The most important thing you can do to attract more comments on your site?
Publish good stuff often.
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