Lately, I have been wishing that I had a dynamic blog roll to keep up with the news from other blogs. You know, a tool that lets me know that my favorite bloggers have posted. So, the amazing David Silver has been encouraging me to try out Feevy. I've read a lot of interesting blogs by looking at David's feevy (it sounds so voyeuristic or something). So why not get one going for myself, right? How hard can it be?
Well, it's harder than I thought. Feevy's website seems pretty easy to understand: "display content from other blogs at your website with just one simple html tag." Hey, if I've got this blogging thing down, and have even started people on my campus setting up blogs, I can do this, right?
Wrong.
But let's break it down.
First, I set up an account. No problem.
Second, I listed a blog I wanted to keep track of using Feevy. I entered the blog's URL and then it asks me to select an "avatar." I would like to side track here to say that the word "avatar" freaks me out. I think Sci-fi, basement, video games...it's just not my kind of thing. I am a sunshine, read a book, no tv kind of girl. Little did I know from looking it up in Wikipedia that the origin of the word is hindu, referring to the incarnations of the divine, such as Vishnu. Wow...that's a lesson in not judging a word by the sound of it.
But I digress.
So, I am trying to create an avatar for the blog I am trying to follow. Problem 1: I can only use images downloaded to my computer, not from the web. So I have to find an image, download it to my computer, and then upload it. Problem 2: once I download an image from the blog, I “encounter a problem” uploading the avatar. No further suggestions for how to solve the problem. Just the statement that there is a problem. That is a problem.
I appreciate their FAQ section, even though it doesn't address problems uploading avatars. I did especially like the part that explains how to add feevy to my blog. Except that it didn't work.
The verdict: While I like how Feevy looks on other people's blogs and I want to get it going, I think I need some help.
There doesn't seem to be a "contact us for help" section on the Feevy page to address some of these problems. So I turn to you in the blogosphere. Is there anybody out there to feevy me through?
6 comments:
hey sarah, maybe i can help.
first, let me say that the instructions for feevy are still rough. second, english is not the first language of feevy's developers (they speak spanish and french). third, one thing i plan to work on this summer is to help las indias with some of feevy's wording. so going through this with you is helpful to me, too.
AVATAR:
you are right about the connections to vishnu. i also think timothy leary used the word avatar in similar ways. but the main connection is the cyberpunk writers like neal stephenson who uses avatars in snow crash in a way that we today say "profile." except the avatars in snow crash are way, way cooler than us on facebook. anyways, avatar is a word that suggests: picture.
you have two options:
1. instead of uploading a photograph, you can select one of the multi-colored images. select one by clicking on it and then hit save.
2. or, upload a picture. not all pics work - i'm not sure if it can handle .gif for example. download a small image to your computer and then upload it to feevy. make sure the image is a .jpg and that it is small (think a small image you use for a flickr or facebook profile pic).
try it! see if it works. =)
ADDING YOUR FEEVY TO YOUR BLOG:
hey, can you give any more details about what happened?
ooh, btw, i think feevy is down at this moment. it should be back up soon.
David, I was hoping to get some help from you. Thanks in advance.
As for loading Feevy onto my blog, I copied and pasted the HTML link provided by Feevy into a 3rd party Page Element but nothing happened. No Feevy. Should I be pasting the link elsewhere?
Thanks for the help!
S
you are 1/2 correct.
select "Add a Page Element"
then a new window should pop up. left column, fourth selection down: HTML/JavaScript
that's what you want. select that option, cut and paste, save, and see what happens! =)
you figured out how to add images! excellent!
Hello everyone, sorry to trouble you, I am desperate to find a place where you can get help with Feevy, mine does not update the RSS feeds. Would you know an address? (the email on Feevy does not work). Thank very much in advance and again, sincerely sorry. best Regards
Christine
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