View Full Version : Twitter and trail journals
takethisbread
02-01-2011, 17:51
Any thru hikers using Twitter this year?
It's an easy way to track a few of y'all.
I started journals last year, but after a few weeks it got to be a drag and a bit repetitive (we hiked 15 miles today, I'm cold, I didn't sleep just laid in my bag listening to the mice..,.it rained all day...ect)
I found getting into places like Hiawasee, Noc, Erwin, Hampton, Damascus, was a lot better if I didn't have to spend an hour updating my trail journal.
Twitter is much easier. Anyway, if there are any this year, I'd like to follow somebof y'all
DrRichardCranium
02-01-2011, 18:06
I used postholer.com. You can update with just an email. You can use a smartphone. No need to get to a real computer. I had a blog entry for nearly every day.
http://postholer.com/tbrann
I'm using blogspot.
You can text message your blog or send e-mails to post.
If you look at wordpress it has facebook integration to notify your facebook friends when you post.
I prefer blogspot (run by google) 'cuase it integrates beautifully with gmail and picasa.
Also if you're not aware, you can update your facebook status by sending a text to "fbook". You must first register your phone number with facebook so they can tie your number to your profile. This is a good thing to have in case you barely get any signal and want to send a short text. Text is easier to send than an e-mail in low coverage areas.
I don't use facebook or twitter because I'm old fashioned so I have my own personal Drupal website and am going to setup a module that will allow me to send text messages from the trail (with or without photos attached) and have them post automatically to my website.
If you want a cheap lightweight phone and cheap good service try "straight talk" ... http://www.straighttalk.com/ Their service runs off the Verizon backbone but its only $30 per month. You can buy an older style non-smart phone from them and the batteries will last 7-10 days if you turn the phone off when not using it. Smartphones are heavier, batteries don't last, and you'll have to pay more for service each month while you are hiking. I used my straight talk account on a 100 mile section hike near Delaware Water Gap last summer and coverage was excellent. I took a few photos and sent a few texts each day, otherwise it was usually powered down, and the battery charge lasted the entire trip!
JaxHiker
02-01-2011, 20:02
I don't use facebook or twitter because I'm old fashioned so I have my own personal Drupal website and am going to setup a module that will allow me to send text messages from the trail (with or without photos attached) and have them post automatically to my website.
If you run WordPress under Drupal you should be able to use the WP app if you've also got a smartphone.
Delta-Dawn
02-01-2011, 21:34
I'm a Tweeter, Facebooker and blogger. @DeltaDawn_ on Twitter. :)
While I am on Facebook, I don't want to put a lot of trail stuff on there, I'd rather sort of "package" my trail experience on a journal site --- for one thing, with Postholer I can download my entire journal text into a single file afterwards. And I can write up daily entries of decent length, tie photos directly to those, and include location information --- I think it just boils down to a better way of doing it, for me at least.
I wasn't on FB when I did my other long hikes, but my thinking for the next one is to put in occasional FB entries that reference larger chunks of time and point to the relevant journal entry to start that chunk in more detail for those who are inclined.
Twitter: no experience, not super interested in such a limited text format in a journalling context. It really boils down to what sort of communication you want; if it's mostly "I'm at this location now and things are fine", then Twitter is great. For a journal, I'm looking at another sort of communication.
BigHodag
02-01-2011, 23:24
Just bought an LG Incite smartphone (http://news.cnet.com/lg-incite-is-lgs-first-us-smartphone/) to take on the trail this year. Incite has wifi and standalone GPS. Hope to tweet a few times along the trail in NJ & NY. Haven't found much info on hotspots along the trail in NJ & NY.
I've loaded @CNYhiking section topos for those few times I may need to consult a map. They pop up fast in the web browser and I can easily move them around with a flick.
As the Incite has been unlocked, I put a T-Mobile pre-paid sim in it. From their coverage map I should be able to update TrailPhone at least daily. Haven't activated the phone service yet, but have been using the wifi a great deal. Trying to get a feel for battery life and how much I can use the features each day between charges. One of my rookie mistakes was not charging at MD parks the first few days. (I don't use cell phones except for trips every 2-3 years.)
I used TraILphone.net last year in MD & PA (http://trailphone.net/hiker/24446324/). Several thru's were listening to and using my updates as I was hiking several day ahead of them. Highly recommend TrailPhone for others.
postholer.com
02-02-2011, 12:56
Any thru hikers using Twitter this year?
Postholer journals (http://postholer.com/journal) will append your last 20 tweets (http://postholer.com/journal/help.php?#twitter) to every journal entry if you specify your twitter name on the 'journal setup' page. You can also tweet your latitude/longitude onto your journal google AT trail map, a poor man's SPOT if you will. :)
As mentioned, you can email journal entry's/photo's (http://postholer.com/journal/help.php?#JournalUpdatesByEmail) right into your journal or use the mobile friendly version (http://postholer.com/mobi/index.php) of the site to create entry's.
You can also embed your journal (http://postholer.com/journal/help.php?#embed) into your own personal website.
...and alot of other stuff. Check out the postholer journal home page (http://postholer.com/journal).
-postholer
Postholer looks like a great way to go! Whether people use that or blogspot or wordpress or drupal etc, I second the notion that you should then link to your journal entries within twitter or facebook, but keep the journals themselves outside of those social network systems because IMO they are not really meant for nor good at archiving and navigation.
I am tempted to bring my Android EVO smartphone but its heavy and the battery life sucks! And I also I don't want to be tempted with such a powerful computer toy on the trail, I am going on the trail partly to get a break from technology so the cheaper "dumb" phones keep me honest. But I want to txt photos and thoughts to keep a record and share with friends. But to each his own - I'm sure many out here just roll their eyes at any mention of bringing a phone at all.
Snoring Sarge
02-04-2011, 01:16
I am thinking hard about getting a Driod X with a stand alone folding key pad to use as mini notebook. A separate digital and the good old black moleskin notebook will be used for daily trail pics and notes. Once every two or three days do a blog update.
When I leave for the trail my internet service will end and this laptop will get donated. So am thinking that Driod packed full of memory and couple extra batteries would cover 95% of what I need a computer for until well after the AT.
The laptop I am typing on tonight is an old Inspiron 1150 model Dell, it slow but gets the job done. Well sort of....
Anybody doing anything similar with their Smart Phone?
Turtle Feet
02-04-2011, 09:32
Postholer journals (http://postholer.com/journal) will append your last 20 tweets (http://postholer.com/journal/help.php?#twitter) to every journal entry if you specify your twitter name on the 'journal setup' page. You can also tweet your latitude/longitude onto your journal google AT trail map, a poor man's SPOT if you will. :)
As mentioned, you can email journal entry's/photo's (http://postholer.com/journal/help.php?#JournalUpdatesByEmail) right into your journal or use the mobile friendly version (http://postholer.com/mobi/index.php) of the site to create entry's.
You can also embed your journal (http://postholer.com/journal/help.php?#embed) into your own personal website.
...and alot of other stuff. Check out the postholer journal home page (http://postholer.com/journal).
-postholer
Question Postholer - why is it that if somone links to my journal page ie; postholer.com/TurtleFeet the page says the the journal cannot be viewed?
I realize that they can click on the 'view journal' tab at the top, but they don't. Why not just verbally direct the person to that tab, or have a link to it? If it says the journal they're looking for cannot be found they go away and then tell me that they can't get to my journal ('bad link').
That's my one annoyance with Postholer, otherwise it's been great, and I'd send a recommendation if someone's looking for a site for their journaling.
tf
postholer.com
02-04-2011, 13:12
Question Postholer - why is it that if somone links to my journal page ie; postholer.com/TurtleFeet the page says the the journal cannot be viewed?
Because the journal postholer.com/turtlefeet doesn't exist.
However, postholer.com/turtle feet (http://postholer.com/Turtle%20Feet) does exist. Note the space between turtle and feet.
The link you want to be handing out is:
http://postholer.com/Turtle%20Feet
Your login name is your journal 'quick link' and you've been logging in successfully.
The postholer journal support forum exists for just such questions. Don't wait months and months to ask! :)
-postholer
"I am thinking hard about getting a Driod X with a stand alone folding key pad to use as mini notebook. A separate digital and the good old black moleskin notebook will be used for daily trail pics and notes. Once every two or three days do a blog update.
...
...
Anybody doing anything similar with their Smart Phone?"
RampRat, I'm bringing a Droid X on my trip this year, along with a Freedom Pro folding keyboard. There are definitely some learning curves, so if you do this, don't wait until the last minute.
The camera works great, and I particularly like the panoramic photo software built in. You'll want to spend some time poking around the app market and get a few things perhaps. Things I added include "DroidLight" (flashlight app I hope to never have to use), Aldiko (book reader), VirtualRecorder (voice recording app that I occasionally use on trail), Advanced Settings (so I can turn off the cell phone radio without having to be in "airplane mode"), Google Sky Map (just for fun), maybe a GPS app or two depending on which trail you're walking (GPS Essentials, whatever, poke around). Consider Skype Mobile --- not the one via Verizon --- to make calls when you have wi-fi but no cell service. Oh, and something to write up your blog on; I think I'll be using Open Office. Maybe a different browser; I'm using Opera Mini.
Play around a lot to figure out how to keep the battery from draining too fast (and do buy a spare battery).
FWIW, I don't bring a separate camera; the Droid X camera is quite good, albeit with no zoom. And this way the photos I take are already on my internet capable device, ready for uploading directly. I don't use a mini-notebook either. The voice recorder infrequently, but with the keyboard I just blog literally every evening from inside my sleeping bag. This has worked for me fine on two other long trips (albeit with a different phone).
Do check with Verizon (this phone works on no other networks --- I've checked) ahead of time to at least try to ascertain what your total monthly bill will be. They don't allow pre-paid daily with this phone (for no customer-friendly reason that I can understand), you have to use either pre-paid monthly or a contract, both of which are spendy as they *require* a data plan on this phone. If I had understood this before buying the phone I would have stayed with AT&T (despite Verizon's better on-trail coverage).
Best of luck, and please do share any lessons learned, tips etc with the rest of us.
roy_hiking
02-12-2011, 13:25
I am setting up a twitter this site for AT hikers:
A thru hiker wants to know two things the most. Next water source and info on "trail magic". We may keep them "off" (Please Do), but most hikers carry a cell phone. Join this web site http://twitter.com/ATUPDATETWEET (http://twitter.com/ATUPDATETWEETand) and Tweet info on water sources and on "trail magic". All "following" will get a re-tweet. Check you phone, away from other hikers, then share "Your Magic". "Trail Angels" can also post your "Magic" (no more the a week before).
This would also be a great idea for a group of hikers trying to keep in touch.
Sign up before you start your hike!
takethisbread
02-12-2011, 14:59
Link no good
I am setting up a twitter this site for AT hikers:
A thru hiker wants to know two things the most. Next water source and info on "trail magic". We may keep them "off" (Please Do), but most hikers carry a cell phone. Join this web site http://twitter.com/ATUPDATETWEET (http://twitter.com/ATUPDATETWEETand) and Tweet info on water sources and on "trail magic". All "following" will get a re-tweet. Check you phone, away from other hikers, then share "Your Magic". "Trail Angels" can also post your "Magic" (no more the a week before).
This would also be a great idea for a group of hikers trying to keep in touch.
Sign up before you start your hike!
roy_hiking
02-12-2011, 17:00
Try this link for AT Update Tweet:
http://twitter.com/ATUPDATETWEET