Computer and Web Support for Quilters

Computers and the internet play a role in both the creation and the marketing of quilting, not to mention our lives in general. Here are some great sources for quilters trying to increase their basic understanding and skill levels.

• All the World's A Classroom is a blog by Lisa Chipetine, the president of SAQA. In her 'non-quilt artist' life, Lisa is technology strategist. I am not sure exactly what that is but it means that she has a great understanding of many things technology oriented and she is sharing that info in All The World's A Classroom. Recent posts have included info on topics like Wikis, meta tags, and text messaging. I am finding it a great resource and I hope you do too.
  
• Lynda.com – This site offers a wealth of online videos on hundreds of applications that quilters find themselves using in their art and life. These include Adobe products such as Photoshop, Google apps, and even Apple apps like iphoto and iphone. The videos are clear and are great as you can replay them if you don't quite get a point the first time.
  There is a cost to view the videos but you can subscribe on a monthly basis and discontinue the service in months when you aren't using it. My computer consultant suggested it to me when I mentioned that I was stockpiling boxes of software upgrades on my desk because I didn't want to deal with learning the new versions. Now I am excited at the prospect of understanding what is already on my computer even better so I can take more advantage of it.

Hope these sources help you. If you have more suggestions, please let me know!