"watch IT and C"

Blog archive pages

Friday, 20 February 2015
News about the website! A message from the Webmaster (Mel Smith)

As part of the move to the website, the details of the next meetings and 
assignments are going to be displayed on the website rather than on the 
blog. There will be a link to the correct website page on the Facebook 
events page, but we hope that as you use the website more you will get 
used to where to find it.

The intention is that, whenever possible, the information will be 
available on the 19th of the month. Occasionally, when there is a special 
event, such as the North Wales Tour, this will appear early to allow for 
booking time.

Consequently, the 19th of each month will be the date on which to expect 
updates to the website. There will be other updates of course, including 
those which happen automatically. At the moment these include the blog 
page (which is updated from Cliff’s Google + linked Blogger account) and 
the Twitter/Facebook feed (which is an automatic feed from the group's 
Twitter and fb accounts).

We are looking into the use of a group Flickr account to update the 
gallery, provide the members' photos for the slideshow and a source for 
the Independent newspaper to view and select photos for publication. 
The logistics of this is being considered by Brian and me at the moment. 
If you want to share any information can you please message me direct 
then I don’t risk missing the information on on the fb feed. This will 
all be officially proposed and discussed once we know it is a viable 
option. 

This is important, as we need to establish procedures for any members who 
can’t (or don’t want to) take up this option.  It is an important move 
for the group as it will reduce the amount of effort for both the 
organisers of the group and all of the members (No more re-sizing! 
Hooray!!)

So that all of the members are aware, there are two other major changes 
about to be dealt with on the website:

1)      The blog

At the moment comments are difficult to post because of the way the blog 
is distributed. I have started research into this and believe I have a 
solution. When this is in place (soon) I will inform you all. All members 
are welcome to submit a blog on a topic which they feel will benefit the 
group. Please contact Cliff to do this. It will involve you sending a 
Word (or compatible word processing) document containing the blog to him 
via email. Only expected submissions from known sources will be opened to 
avoid viruses etc.

2)      The forum

The forum has had two issues which we want to ensure are solved before we 
continue to use this particular application. Firstly, not all of the 
member sign in information was provided to us so we couldn't identify who 
was joining the forum. This was an error in the application and we have 
recently been informed that they have solved the problem but I have not 
tested it to my satisfaction yet.

The second, and the more serious issue, was that it linked to member's fb 
information automatically which potentially displayed far too much 
information to the wide world of the Internet. As the group does not want 
to be responsible for this we need to find a solution. Again, as soon as 
I have then we will let you know. We would like to use the forum as a 
means to provide Mal's  photography Q&A (and more).

Mel Smith (Webmaster)


21st GROUP-Focuses on Supporting the Community with Technology & Digital 
Camera Help.


Article in the INDEPENDENT Local Newspaper-FEB 2015

Hopefully, first of many press items featuring the 21st Century Technology 
& Camera Group.

Not 100% correct (would love to have 100 members at the group meetings :),
but close enough.

This will give the group it's FIRST of many I am told!!

Our member photos will be featured each month with another write up of 
what we have done, and are doing for the local community with photos 
taken by our many members. Photos need to be sent to myself at first 
(requested on the previous BLOG), and then later if members continue to 
help the paper with more photos of  MID-Cheshire, they will continue to 
help the group with marketing of what we are doing, each month.

We will be changing the way we help the INDEPENDENT with photos, when 
Melody has completed her evaluation of software packages, in the near 
future. But, what we are dong now is AOK until, Mel's evaluation has 
been concluded.

Member Photos for the MARCH Group Meeting Presentation-Updated.


Cheshire Sunrise over the River Dane Valley.
Photo by Cliff Astles


Cheshire Sunset-Warmingham Lane-Middlewich 
Photo by Cliff Astles


Close-Up of  Flower-Crete-Greece
Photo by Cliff Astles


MARCH Group Photo Topic is SUNRISE / SUNSET (Anywhere)

plus CLOSE-UP shots of -SPRING FLOWERS

Have added SPRING FLOWERS in CLOSE-UP to this months group topic as to 
get good early and late shots of the Sun is not easy, in the month of  
FEBRUARY. 

However, for the shots you do manage, please let me have your photos 
early, so I can prepare the photo presentation in good time,using the 
new Group Laptop for the first time.

The above will be added to later with member photos from our planned 
group photo outing, which is yet to be decided, when Brian Roberts 
provides information to me of his local searches for suitable spots to 
visit.

Additionally, to help to make the INDEPENDENT local free-sheet paper group 
photo feature GREAT!! make sure you get out and about in Mid - Cheshire 
and send your photos in to myself, so we may have your own photos 
published.

Cliff


Thursday, 19 February 2015
Group Photos used in the INDEPENDENT Local Mid Cheshire Newspaper.


Photo by Ken Rane-River Dane in November-Croxton Lane Bridge, 
Middlewich-Cheshire.

Wonderful opportunity for members of the 21st Century Technology & Camera 
Group.

The Independent News Editor is planning to have a feature article on 
Mid-Cheshire each month. The article will contain photos taken by group 
members of beauty spots, interesting buildings and other features that 
have been taken in and around Mid-Cheshire.

The first pictures for this have already been sent to myself, and I have 
sent these on-wards for publication in the next issue of the 
Independent.

This new idea for the paper will publish photos by members, provided each 
photo is:-

A JPEG file type, of ideally between 4 or 5 megabyte in size

Has a photo identifier, ie where taken of what, by whom, with a suitable 
photo CAPTION.

Photos should, until we have this fully operational in the Group Web Page, 
be sent to myself, via the group  e-mail at the21stctncg@gmail.com. 

I will then do a compilation set of these photos and get these to the 
Editor of the Independent paper, in time for each months article and 
photographs, with the details as above for photos selected for use that 
month.

This is a GREAT opportunity for all the group's members to start to look 
around for good photo spots and buildings and hopefully your photos will 
feature in the papers feature articles on Mid-Cheshire.

The article will mention that photos have been provided by the 21st 
Century Technology & Camera Group, which as you all know is quite 
invaluable when it comes to group marketing, in order to get more 
members interested in being part of what we do together in the group.

DON'T miss this opportunity, they do NOT come along too often :)

Cliff


Member-Mid-Cheshire photos for the INDEPENDENT Free Sheet


Photo by Cliff Astles-Middlewich 
St Michaels & All Angles Church window.


YOUR Quality photos of Mid Cheshire
Further to last nights Group Meeting comments at the Willowmere-Middlewich, 
I have again been requested by the INDEPENDENT local Free Sheet, to provide 
for them some recent, quality member photos of Mid-Cheshire. 

Would you please get any you would wish to be used to me ASAP, FULL SIZE 
JPEGS, so I can get them over to my contact to try and get some published 
in support of the groups activities in the next issue of the paper.

Cliff

Wednesday, 18 February 2015
How to transfer large files.
We are currently considering using Flickr for our website gallery and to 
share the monthly photos with the group at meetings. This should simplify 
things for everyone, more of this to be discussed soon. However, as 
mentioned in his latest post, Cliff requires the full resolution versions 
of some of your photos. I suggest you use WeTransfer 
(https://www.wetransfer.com/ ).

This website allows you to transfer large (upto 2 Gb) files from one 
email to another. You fill in the details on the page and then upload the 
files. Cliff will get an email and he will be able to download the files.
You do not need to sign up for the paid service 'WeTransfer plus' if you 
have more than 2 Gb to send in multiple files, just send them in 2 batches.

You may get asked about cookies. I can reassure you that I have been 
using this site for years and have had no issues with spam etc. (It does 
use Google analytics I believe, but then so does almost every site these 
days and no data provided through that is personally connected to you.)

Hope this makes things easier,
Mel

Member Update-WANTED-Group member photos of Mid-Cheshire / Cheshire.


Photo by Cliff Astles.

Original photo from Holly Holy Day-Nantwich-2015. 
Post processed using LR4/PICASA3. SEPIA Finish.

Local FREE paper the INDEPENDENT covering Mid-Cheshire, has expressed 
interest in being provided with Group Member photos from our FREE 
"Instructional Photo Outings" and any of  YOUR OWN Colour or Black & 
White shots taken whilst you are out and about in Mid-Cheshire, or even 
further afield, but ONLY Cheshire please.

They are planning on doing a new feature article about the our Group, 
what the aims of the group are, and our recent success in gaining so 
many new members etc.

They also wish to have a follow-up each month on the group progress/outings
etc,  and have requested that photos taken by the group, would help them 
(and us :) ) to gain an excellent marketing opportunity for the group.

Therefore, to get this moving we need to help ourselves, and the 
INDEPENDENT, by providing them with photos of Mid Cheshire, and Cheshire 
which would be used to promote the groups activities to a far bigger 
audience in Cheshire, and for the paper a continuing updated set of 
quality photos of our Cheshire, towns and villages.

This request for your best shots from our outings and when roaming free 
yourself, are initially required to be sent via the Group e-mail 
(the21stctncg@gmail.com ) to myself. I will then select 10 to 20 to be 
sent to the INDEPENDENT free paper each month, leaving the final selection 
down to the paper, to compliment the monthly group feature article.

When we have finalised how we plan to have photos presented and displayed 
in the Group Web Page, we will then change this method of getting photos 
to myself, and then onward to the INDEPENDENT paper.

However, until that time please let me have your own "better shots" in 
FULL RESOLUTION, with who took the photo, where the photos was taken, 
when, and a two or three word CAPTION.

I will then hold all photos on my own Home PC in a specific Member 
Gallery for the INDEPENDENT.

This to me looks to be a fantastic opportunity for group members to show 
off your own newly found photography skills and creativity, and to show 
others great photos of our beautiful County of Cheshire.

Therefore, please get your cameras clicking away, and your shots to 
myself, so we can not only show our Cheshire community just what we have 
shown of Cheshire, but will also act as a magnet for the group, to 
stimulate other residents to join our exciting, enthusiastic, and quickly 
growing group.

ONWARD and UPWARD

Cliff