Publish Your Photos: Flickr

If you take photographs and you haven't yet discovered Flickr, you're missing out on something good. I really feel enthusiastic about this site. Having got to know it on a daily basis over the three months or so, I feel it is one of those services that is genuinely adding something good to my life.

I think that taking photographs and writing have at least two things in common. First, they can both be functional, mundane, and occasionally creative. Secondly, it helps both the photographer and writer to have an audience to display their creations to. An audience can provide appreciation and 'constructive' feedback.

Although there are many photoblog sites about, Flickr seemed to have so many facilities and was so easy to use. You can upload your photos, determine the level of secrecy you want (for public display, for friends and family only, or for your eyes only) and then organise them into groups. Flickr will also let you decide on the right level of copyright protection for your work. However, there is MUCH more.



In addition to the above you can tag and describe your photos with key words so that anyone searching the Flickr database for photos on, say Brides, for example, can more easily find and view your work. It becomes really interesting if you post your photos to specialist groups on Flickr. People interested in the group topic are likely to see your work and leave you feedback. You can also keep track of how many times your photos have been viewed and get a sense of what others think of your work.

For me, it has added a whole new dimension to my photography. I no longer have to beg family and friends to look at them. I can post them on Flickr and get feedback from other interested indivividuals. Of course, I could join a camera club, but getting a free Flcikr account suits my needs better and gets a wider exposure (Flickr is a worldwide community of photographers) for my amateur work.

Cheque/Check Printing

Ok. I suppose some people would regard it as a bit quirky, but there are certain things that really bring a smile to my face - and nice stationery is one of them. Odd, I know, but when I was younger I used to fantasize about running an Stationery store. Sometimes, I just like things to be right.

When running my own small business I noticed that the 'Big Boys' - you know, the large nationals and multinationals with zillions of pounds to spend on software and printed products - would invariably send their cheques / checks with all the details printed in from a database. My own handwritten ones looked rather sad in comparison. I envied the professional image that the printed cheques / checks produced.

If you are still reading, you will be as relieved as I was to discover CheckPrinter, which now allows me to do just what I have been yearning to for weeks, and the software is not expensive either. Now I can insert the blank bank issue cheques / checks into my printer and configure them onscreen, and then print. There's also support for scanning your signature into the program, and for a range of cheque / check sizes (with the business version).



It is a brilliant, inexpensive little program that does exactly what it says.