It's the little things

I love the way that online communication gives rise to very exciting international events like the project I am currently involved with - collecting stories of inspiring midwives to celebrate International Day of the Midwife. But it is also the brief one-on-one conversations that can prove to be of equal value in providing opportunities for learning .

A couple of 'little things' have happened in the last few days that have made a big difference to my experience of the Internet.

Managing my Gmail
I have had a Gmail account for a little while but I have never got around to finding out how to save my emails in a logical filing system. I made a throw away comment about this frustration in my latest Internet column in the New Zealand College of Midwives Journal in April. I received a comment from Amie who responded to my article. She pointed out that I can label and then archive my emails. So now I can organise my emails into a logical system which saves me considerable time when I am hunting for information.

Firefox
The other thing that has been driving me mad is my use of Firefox. Firefox is my chosen Internet browser - my door to the Internet. I use Firefox as opposed to other browsers like Explorer because it is fast and easy to navigate. But every time I click on links in Twitter and other applications, I get sent to pages that are opened up in Explorer. So then I have to cut and paste the link back into Firefox. This is time consuming and very annoying.

Luckily for me, Sue Waters responded to a request for help on Twitter and sorted me out. I was soon able to make Firefox my default browser through the 'Internet options' facility in the tool bar. I cannot believe how much easier it is to surf web sites.

Good things come in little packages
For me, these events are powerful illustrations of the value of online communication. Whilst they may not be as spectacular as say...the web conference I participated in with Pakistani midwives last week, they have had a significant impact on the way I use the Internet and have made my every day online life a lot easier. Thanks to both Amie and Sue.

What 'little' thing has happened to you lately that has been significant?

Image: 'small boy big trees' bies
www.flickr.com/photos/60012221@N00/55539544