Cyber-ically Challenged

When you enter the world of digi scrapping, you realise pretty quickly that you have to master a new language and learn to communicate online in ways that are far more advanced than, oh, say - email (which is the level of my comfort zone).

I have found myself registering for "forums". (You can read through topics of hot discussion to find out if anyone else has had your computer glitch before).

You can "Upload" to "Galleries". (Placing your low-resolution images of your layouts onto the web in special scrapbooking galleries for other people to admire/revolt from and comment on).

You can "Post" "new Threads" to ask someone a question - about scrapbooking, digital genius, or just plain old general around-the-water-cooler discussion.

You can create an "Avatar" (A low-resolution mugshot of yourself, or any image you identify with, which is attached to your comments/threads/posts so that others can put a face to a name).

You can squiz at other scrappers' galleries and "scraplift" their designs (so long as you credit them by using a "hyperlink" back to their original image post). Coming from a journalist's background, it's odd to learn that this is actually an accepted practice - share the love, no commercial royalties involved!

You can create a "hyperlink" to direct viewers back to your own blog/website - and you can set it up so it opens on a separate page instead of them navigating away from their original page of interest. This is always good for people like me, who feel a resolute need to FINISH whatever page I started, which equates to having 50 computer pages open at once. No wonder my high-powered computer runs so terrifically slow.

You can create a "signature" which includes flashing signs identifying the sites you consider favourites or where you've done your last cyber-class etc. It's great "word-of-mouth" advertising which users are usually happy to promote because of their online loyalties.

You can participate in online "challenges" - basically to keep your scrapping mojo happening. New ideas, new thoughts, scrapping outside your comfort zone - and with any luck, you'll win something!

You can buy must-have products immediately - I'm talking at 2am in the morning when you need something to finish your MASTERPIECE page. Well, at least YOU think it's a masterpiece. Time will tell .... Just go online, search for that charm/paper/whatssit, add it to your cart and hey presto! You can download it immediately! (Well, as long as your credit card isn't already maxxed out ...)

You can chat with the product designers. I mean seriously, it's a bit special they are talking to little ol' me, isn't it! (gush gush gush!)

You can do all this while rocking your baby to sleep. Enough said. One hangded.

You can make new firends who share your interests. Noice.


Pretty soon I'm going to undergo my first cyber scrap. And cyber chat. I've never chatted online before - it first came about when I was at university and was basically a porn fetish thing. So, (sarcastically) WILD as I am, I haven't yet tried it out.

Will keep you posted as I learn more about this whole new world. It's such a learning curve, but one which is so totally exciting to a stay-at-home mum who's been out of the office environment for SIX YEARS!