Save my Life

"Every single day of our lives is a moment we will never have again. Stop these memories from being forgotten... Save your life through photos, one day at a time."

The Blipfoto slogan back in 2014 still applies today.

I was Bliping last night as we went through the 100K barrier - here it was just after 01:00 and the UK caught up later at midnight. So a milestone reached but still a way to go. I am just hoping all UK Blipers are filling in their Lottery tickets. For the rest of us paupers, we can at least also become shareholders for a paltry 10 GBP. Just visit the crowd funding site to shape the future of Blip.

I have a very special vested interest in saving Blip. It's the only social network where I feel I can put up my feet sitting if front of the blazing wooden fire, a cat on my lap, a dog under my knees, a gin and tonic in the hand and casually browse around, see some stunning photos, re-live some memories of places I know, catch up on what my adopted families are up to and leave a few comments - all without the slightest fear of being bombarded with suspicious, anonymous, aggressive replies and comments. A cosy world, too cosy probably for the modern world.

While my Blip entries could improve in all aspects (I hope the new Blip brings back a "review" button or better still a spelling cheqer checker) I have taken the plunge and enrolled on an online photography course one of our members had flagged up. The course uses a combination of media for communication, the two main ones being Facebook and Instagram. Not sure how many years I have been on FB but I don't like it, and don't understand it but it serves a purpose, so I persevere. I had heard of Instagram but thought it was a pensioners dating service. Today I learnt otherwise.

I fought hard, did my best but gave up and probably upset some people in the process. I thought Twitter was a horror, this was worse. I did manage to register using my FB log in and suddenly all these people I knew appeared. Top of the list, with a whole array of close ups of Vegan dishes, was a no doubt very nice lady called Steffi from Munich. I do happen to have a FB friend called Steffi in Munich but as I couldn't see a picture of her, just loads of peppers and beans and so I quickly deleted her. Sorry Steffi but at least you will be spared being associated with me who plans to be posting animal photos (my chosen course theme) -  many of my subjects don't fit a Vegan lifestyle - chickens/eggs, bees/honey, geese/Sunday roast ..... I did spot Nogbad, the Bliper who recruited me to Blip, Twitter, Blog, probably Facebook and possibly many more.

However I am shelving Instagram - I can't get my head around it , moving photos from SD card to mobile and typing horribly long things called hashtags on my small mobile. I have interacted with the group on Facebook but made a fool of myself so will now go in to the shadows and simply try to learn a bit about how my camera works.

I misread this mornings kick off email for the course. I thought I had to do something with the Shutter speed. So after a good spray of WD40 penetrating oil, I managed to turn the dial from the green "Auto" symbol to the one marked "S" and set out in to the garden. Today's Blip is the result, straight out of the camera ´& un-cropped. For some reason the background is all blurred and at that time it wasn't even trying to snow. If I can't solve the problem quickly, will have to leave the course before I get booted out.

Has anyone checked their statistics page on Blip? I guess only available if one is a paying/life member. I was horrified to see the settings I use most (the ones the "Auto" button chooses itself) are only used by around 1% of all Blipers. Really did make me feel an incompetent outsider but at least I now know it has been the Auto button that has been holding me back all these years in publishing a photo of half way acceptable standards.

PS - Saving Blips Life won't save Mr Gander - I am just as determined to get him in the oven as I am to be on Page 1 of the "Most Viewed" Blips.

PPS David & Horst became Face to Face Friends last nightn in Bavaria. Contrary to  Sky News' reporting, David wasn't invited by Angela - he was invited by the Bavarian president to "Horsts Nest" (Horst is the German word for a bird of preys nest e.g. Adlerhorst is Eagles Nest!) Angela had also been ordered to attend. Angela and her party have never received a single vote from Bavaria, they don't even trying putting up a candidate in any of the national or local elections

 Reports suggest David & Horst really hit it off and couldn't give each other enough "Likes" . Expect the white/blue Bavarian flag to be hanging outside No10 and every Conservative party local office soon. If you are thinking of hanging  one outside your own property, the Bavarians aren't particular how you hang it up but please always refer to the colours as being white/blue and never blue/white which the Greeks use (their flag was influenced by the first King of Greece, Otto I, a Bavarian prince, and that's not a joke!