Social Media Monday : Tumblr.

by Lara

We've talked quite extensively about starting a blog on Kids in the Capital, but for some, a blog is just not the right fit for them.

If you are looking for a way to share small snippets of your life with people - maybe a photo, a quote, or a funny video, tumblr. may be a better fit.

I see tumblr. as sort of a cross between a blog and Twitter.  You can post really small amounts of information in a blog-like format. Because it's not actually a blog, the expectations for content aren't as high.

You can even integrate it with other tools you use making it even easier.  I can automatically get an instagram photo to appear on my tumblr. page from my phone without ever having to go to tumblr. for example.

You can also have tumblr. post to Facebook and Twitter by toggling those options on or off on a post by post basis. You can also download apps for your smartphones to manage your site right from there (something that is definitely harder to do with a regular blog).

Here's my Tumblr site - I'm only just starting to really use it (since I DO have four blogs my need for tumblr is probably slightly lower than for some others ;)) but I'm finding it to be a good spot to stick the things that aren't worth a whole blog post but that are more than just a tweet.

I've seen quite a few people use it as a place to document their 365 photo projects which I think is a great idea. I can also see it as a perfect place for sharing photos and videos with friends and family when you have a baby.

Check it out and try it out, and if you do, leave us the link - we'd love to go and check it out!

Lara is mom to 4 year old Kiernan and two year old twins Quinn and Juliette. You can read her blog at Gliding Through Motherhood.

Social Media Monday : Instagram

by Lara I have a big digital camera but it's not convenient to bring with me everywhere I go. For a while I considered carrying around a small point and shoot for the unexpected fun moments but having an iPhone in my pocket meant I essentially did have that. Sweet!

In the world of social media, the fun comes from sharing. I have hundreds of photos on my phone. Sometimes I chose to email them to services that could automatically put them on twitter for me, but most of the time I didn't.

Enter Instagram.

It is a fun and easy to use iPhone app (unfortunately only iPhone at the moment with no plans to launch android or blackberry options any time soon) that:

- takes photos - allows you to apply fun filters to them - with a simple click share to twitter, facebook or flickr - have a friends feed right within the application

Instagram Filters

What instagram has done is offer 16 filters you can apply to your photos. They can take a photo that might not have been that interesting and make it a lot more fun.

You can also zoom in and crop your photo.

Then play with the filters!

Share

You can hook your account up to your Facebook, Twitter and and Flickr and have them automatically update to those sites (you select where each individual photo is sent, it isn't automatic). You can also choose to make your photos private and just keep them for yourself - they don't have to have a social media component.

You can also follow friends right on Instagram and like and comment on friend's photos right there.

You can also see generally popular photos on the whole of Instagram.

And there's a news feed

It's a really fun app and I now take all of my photos with my phone using it. If you use it too - look for me and add me, I'm glidinglara.

Happy snapping!

Lara Wellman is mom to 4 year old Kiernan and 2 year old twins Quinn and Juliette. You can read her personal blog at Gliding Through Motherhood, about her weight loss journey at Losing it in Ottawa, and her social media blog at Larawellman.com

Time to party!

Tomorrow is the Kids in the Capital anniversary party! We are getting excited about celebrating and seeing all of you there. When: May 1st from 10-12pm Where: St.Luke’s Parkat Elgin and Frank Who: All of our readers and contributors are invited! That means you!

Drop by anytime from 10am to 12pm. If you can, try to make it for 11am when Amanda from Little Lotus Yoga is going to be leading a 15 minute kids’ yoga session.

We also have some great prizes to giveaway from Shop Haven, Eko Bear, Jen and Jodi’s Friendly Kitchen , Sara McConnell Photography and Spoiled Sugar!

If the weather is rainy tomorrow we'll postpone the party until Sunday, May 8th. Follow us on Twitter to find out if there are any last minute weather changes!

See you tomorrow!

February: What you might have missed

We know it can be hard to check Kids in the Capital everyday. That’s why we put together these monthly recaps to give you an ideas of what you might have missed.  And you don’t want to miss a thing.  Activities for Kids

There are a million great places to take your kids in Ottawa. This month we visited an Early Years Centre and the Museum of Science and Technology. We also talked about supporting sports for kids, taking in Monkey Rock at Tuscon's restaurant, eating out at the Elgin Street Diner, hosting a birthday party at the Putting Edge and the Great Backyard Bird Hunt.

Cooking

We made some delicious blueberry crumb muffins and had fun making pancakes with toddlers.

Crafting

We decorated on a budget with felt garland and made and played with parachutes.

Parenting Tips

This month we talked about Kindness week and the National Gallery for Moms.

Social Media

We talked about some great Ottawa folks to follow on Twitter and about an upcoming Twitter workshop you can take!

Sponsors

As always we have great sponsors to thank and welcome.  This month we had a great review and giveaway from Starr Gymnastics and welcomed a new sponsor - the Soloway Jewish Community Centre.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's is a time to make loved ones feel extra special.  This month we talked about the little things you can do to make Valentine's Day special for your kids, we made valentine's cards and also sweets. We talked about love books and we talked about a valentine's meal with no babysitter required. Oh, and have we told you lately we love you? :)

Winterlude

Ottawa in February is all about Winterlude.  This month we talked about family fun at Winterlude and of course, about beavertails,.

Winter Fun

There are so many fun things to do in the winter in Ottawa. This month we had fun with a toboggan, we went on a winter wandering adventures and we embraced winter memories.

It was a busy month! Do you have any fun activities planned for you and your family in March? If you’d like to share great things to do in Ottawa with other interested parents, email us at kidsinthecapital(AT)gmail(DOT)com to blog for Kids in the Capital! 

Social Media Monday : A Twitter Workshop

by Lara Brie and I REALLY believe in Social Media (hence the Social Media Monday posts :))  We really believe that it can make a difference in the parenting experience; that finding support in our online community can make things better when they are really hard.

We've outlined the whys, hows and whos of Twitter in a series of Social Media posts but sometimes what really makes a difference is some hands on help.  So we developed a workshop!

What: Intro to Twitter

I will explain the whys and hows of Twitter and walk you through getting you started!  If you don't have an account yet, we will sign you up together.

Before the evening is done you will:

- be following interesting people - have interesting people following you - have interacted with people on Twitter - have deciphered the foreign language that is "Twitter speak" -  know how to say something of value in under 140 characters - have learnt how to build relationships and have meaningful conversations with like-minded people

You must bring a laptop or tablet with wireless capability.  The library has free wifi for anyone with an Ottawa Public Library card.  If you do not have a library card, let me know and we will make sure we can get you access.  If you do not have a laptop but would like to attend, please contact me at lara.wellman@gmail.com and we can make arrangements to get you one for the evening. If you would rather not pay by paypal, email me and we can make alternate arrangements.

When: March 22 at 7pm Where: Ottawa Public Library - Gloucester North branch Cost: $25

Here is the link to the Eventbrite listing to sign up.  I hope to see some of you there!

Soon you'll be tweeting like a pro and it'll make perfect sense. I promise.