Having a blog is a simple, efficient way to let family and friends know what's been happening in your life. Very easy to set up and once you have done so it's even easier to put your posts on.
In a way it's an alternative to creating a 'round robin' email which, although more private, some people find a little impersonal. Obviously the same can be done on, say, Facebook but that type of social media works best with a smallish group of friends who are willing to bat their thoughts too and fro amongst themselves at any time of the day or night. With a blog you are not constantly bombarded with requests from complete strangers to become your 'friend'! It's a case of 'horses for courses' I guess.
The frequency of updating is your choice....be it daily, weekly, monthly or just when the mood takes you. From your reader's point of view it's probably best to settle on a regular pattern so they know when it's worth checking your blog for the latest offering. The one thing to bear in mind is that whatever you post on your blog, the entire world has access to, so be careful not to give out too many important personal details. Other than that you can be as creative as you like....be it with writing, photographs, videos, music and so on. Let your imagination go and you may be surprised at the number of people, in addition to your friends and family, who are entertained enough to visit your blog regularly. With a blog comes the ability to check how many people visit the blog, and from which part of the world they come.
All you have to do is to sign up for a Google account (free) and start blogging.
Check out these three local Lefkas blogs
'From Yorkshire to Greece' 'Tortusvill' 'Babkalindas Day'
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Boon 2. SKYPE.
Probably the biggest and best known internet telephony company. What a tremendous innovation it is; allowing you, not only to make telephone calls across the world at no charge but also to see live video of each other.
When you're settled in a land far from close family the ability to talk to and see your loved ones, with no time limit, is an absolute joy.... especially, for example, when you don't want to miss seeing your grandchildren growing up.
Now that 3g mobile networks are pretty much Lefkas-wide, data transmission speeds are (for the most part) up to the task of using Skype. If you're lucky enough to have broadband in your home, even better. WiFi is also great. In order to avail yourself of this 'wonder' the person you are calling also has to have a skype account....which is free. However, you can add some paid credit to your account which enables you to make calls to landlines and mobile phones extremely cheaply. I put on a credit of £10 twice a year which is more than enough to call those who can't or won't put Skype on their computer. An added bonus is that if you have to conduct telephone business with a bank or some such and you use Skype, it really doesn't matter if they play endless music or send you round the system several times as the cost to you is minimal.
