Are You a Digital Hoarder?
I have a 1 Terabyte hard drive on my Mac and it’s almost full! I only have 20gb’s of free space left which means that my Mac is not happy and has been a bit cranky lately. Does this mean that I’m a digital hoarder? I have images dating back from 2008 on my computer. Is that really necessary? Not really, but it makes me happy to be able to browse through them when I feel like it! Fortunately they are all organized and they are all backed up. So, I really just need to spend some time removing them from my Mac, {sigh}.
Apparently, I am not the only digital hoarder! According to David D. Nowell, a neuropsychologist specializing in attention issues in Worcester, Mass, “Digital hoarding is a huge problem. There is so much available storage, we don’t have to make decisions anymore. The problem isn’t that it slows down your computer—it slows down your brain, since each of those photos, links and folders demands some mental energy.”
Katherine Trezise, current president of the Institute for Challenging Disorganization claims that “some digital hoarders are driven perfectionists who don’t know when to stop researching or collecting”. {Jackie would claim this to be true of me!}
Here’s an interesting article on Digital Hoarding from the Wall Street Journal.
As far as digital photo’s go, there are a host of software solutions which include tools for archiving, tagging, filing and finding things on even the messiest of computers. My go to programs for digital photo organization are Adobe Bridge and Lightroom 4. Using these two programs has transformed my digital photo organization!
Backup services like Backblaze (which is who I use) can continuously back up everything on your computer alleviating the fear of losing content.
Even though I have a LOT on my computer, I know where everything is, how to access and feel at ease because it’s ALL backed up.
Are you a digital hoarder?
~Mary
Personalized iPhone Cases
I finally have an iPhone and realized immediately, even before I walked out of the store, that I would need a case to protect it (only because I dropped it right there on the floor!). I was sorely disappointed with the offerings at the shop but settled for a plain, black case. Imagine my great surprise when I found out that The Memory Boutique is now carrying new iPhone cases that can be personalized with your own pictures! Yea!
You have the option to choose one image, two images or even a whole bunch of little squares or circles you can fill in with your own pictures either covering the entire case or in a checkerboard pattern. All this on either a black or white plastic or silicon case. I’m lovin’ it!
Check out the case I made using my silly kitty boy, Hurley (I obviously just used the one image option). He’s such a funny goof!
The possibilities are endless…I think I’ll have to make one of all my kitties together, one of my kiddos and one of my puppy. Hmmmm, that’s a LOT of iPhone cases but I can’t wait to switch them out every week. I’m going to have too much fun with this!
Maybe I can convince my husband that I need all four for Mother’s Day gifts. You think? ;)
~ Jackie
MyMemories V3 Grouping Tool
Here’s another new tool in MMS V3 – the Grouping Tool! If you don’t understand how to use it or don’t think you’re ever going to use it, please take some time to watch this video by Lisa J. of MyMemories and you’ll see how versatile and convenient it is to use the Grouping Tool. The GT may end up being one of your favorite tools that you’ll realize you’ve been missing all your scrapping days!
The video will take approximately 15 minutes to watch and Lisa will walk you through the steps to use the tool plus give you some great tips and ideas to use while you’re scrapping.
Don’t have MyMemories software yet? Click here and be sure to use the code STMMMS35304 to receive a $10 discount for the software and $10 discount for the MMS Design Shoppe!
Happy “grouping”! ~ Jackie
The Art of Observation with Heidi Swapp
If you haven’t heard about Heidi Swapp’s new class, The Art of Observation, over at Big Picture Classes you are missing out!
I recently heard Heidi talk about this class on The Paperclipping Roundtable podcast. In the podcast, Heidi says that throughout this 12 week online course she gives observation techniques or “behavior techniques that are different from your normal behavior which will help you view things from a different perspective. As you change your perspective you see things in a different way and thus your observations become a little more poignant.”
Profound!
The Art of Observation focuses on using Heidi’s new Memory File system which I think is a brilliant concept. The Memory File System is a whole new way to think about capturing, documenting, storing and sharing your memories. You can check Memory File out on Amazon or learn more about it in Heidi’s latest blog post.
Be sure to check it out. We’d love to know if you are taking The Art of Observation or using The Memory File system and what you are doing with it. I just ordered mine from Amazon today and I can’t wait to make something fun with it.
Be sure to sign up for the class quickly because registration closes on Wednesday, April 18th.
We think Heidi is amazing!
Photo Organization on Your iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad
As much as I teach and talk about photo organization I hadn’t given much thought to organizing images on my iPhone or iPad. I usually just transfer my pictures via iCloud to my Mac. However, over Spring Break I did snap quite a few pictures on my phone, didn’t bring my Mac (gasp, I know!) and quickly found myself frustrated because I wasn’t able to organize the pictures in any way. Then it dawned on me – I bet there’s an app for that!
Sure enough, there are several photo organization apps. After doing a little research, I narrowed my choices down to the 3 apps below. Each one can help you organize the photos in your camera roll by album, categories and tags. Genius!
Pics $1.99
“If you are looking to sort photos with all the bells and whistles, then just get this app.” —-appadvice.com
This app can organize photos by album, protect them with a passcode as well as sync them to your other iOS devices, Mac or PC with a WIFI connection. Pics has a nice interface and is compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
Download or read more about Pics in the App Store
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Photo Manager Pro $2.99
by Linkus
This is a feature-rich app for organizing your photos and videos. Password-protect your photos/videos, organize them, display them slide-show style, transfer to and from your computer and other devices, and share via email, twitpic, or Facebook or other apps on your iDevice.
Download or read more about Photo Manager Pro in the App Store
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Photo Sort $1.99
by Romain HENRY
Photo-Sort allows you to put the pictures from your camera roll into folders that can later be exported in the exact same organized form. You can even upload your photos to Facebook using just the app. If you are looking for a simple photo organizer, then definitely look at this app.
Download or read more about Photo Sort in the App Store
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If you are using one of these apps or another photo organization app, please share your thoughts and let us know what works for you and what you like/don’t like about what you are using. We’d love to hear your feedback!
Did you know that we now carry customizable iPhone cases and iPad and Kindle Fire sleeves? They are super cool and have quickly become our top seller. Check them out here. The iPad and Kindle Fire sleeves will be on sale from April 17th – 23rd. Prices will start at $10!
Have a great weekend!
~Mary
