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Blogging

M

moriahsdavis

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Fall 2024
Hello!
My mom and I will be walking the Norte in September/October. I'd like to start a small blog to catalog our journey, and for our family back home to keep up with where we are/what we're doing, etc. This won't be anything big, or a money-making venture... Just a small way for a few people to stay connected with us and see pictures regularly.
Does anyone have a suggestion for a particular blog site I should use? Something easily managed on a smartphone and fairly user friendly for someone (me!) without blogging experience?
Thanks!
 
Train on the 7-day Catalina Camino
One spot left (female, shared room) on the Catalina Island hike. Sign up by Sept 17
moriahsdavis said:
Does anyone have a suggestion for a particular blog site I should use?
Click to expand...
Hi, @moriahsdavis,

I know there are several options, with slightly different features. But the one I like is Find Penguins. You first set up a trip. Then you enter individual “footprints.” You can post up to 10 pictures per footprint (or more if you buy the premium version, but I just use the free version). No limit on number of footprints per trip (at least I haven’t reached it). You can check out what I did this year for the Via Serrana and Invierno. It is very user friendly.
 
I didn't have a blog when I walked, but I wrote a little update every day on Facebook for my friends and family. Now when I look back at those posts, it almost seems like a little blog. The posts also come up as memories sometimes, which is nice.
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Thanks! I like what you did on yours. I'll look into Find Penguins more. It looks like my "cup of tea." I assume you did it all on your phone?
 
moriahsdavis said:
Thanks! I like what you did on yours. I'll look into Find Penguins more. It looks like my "cup of tea." I assume you did it all on your phone?
Click to expand...
Yes, all on my phone. I use the microphone to dictate and then go back and clean up errors. Much easier than trying to type on the little keypad. I’ve found that the more I use the microphone, the better it gets. I can do it either in Spanish or English and the results are really very good.
 
More 2024 Camino Guides available
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
GPeachy said:
I didn't have a blog when I walked, but I wrote a little update every day on Facebook for my friends and family. Now when I look back at those posts, it almost seems like a little blog. The posts also come up as memories sometimes, which is nice.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the suggestion. I hadn't considered Facebook because my kids are younger and don't have accounts, but they do have tablets, so I'd like them to be able to personally access whatever I write. However, I think I will post on Facebook here and there! I like the idea of the memories coming up. That's always nice.
 
Another good thing about Find Penguins is that your friends and family don't have to have an account to view it. You can also add your Find Penguins posts to Facebook if you want.
 
So since we are talking about some of the app’s advantages, here’s another one — you can use the app as a GPS and it will track your steps as you walk.

If you are interested in this, here’s how it works. Compare my Via Serrana trip with my Find Penguins from last year, the Ruta de la Lana. Go to the top of the trip page where the total trip is recorded on a map. The footprints are connected with lines to show the total journey.

On the Ruta de la Lana, I had the tracker on, so the lines that connect my footprints are the actual paths I walked. They are squiggly and give a GPS record. On the Via Serrana/Invierno, I turned off that tracking feature because my phone was getting older and the drain on the battery from that tracking feature made a small difference in battery consumption.

It’s not a huge deal, but just another little perk of the app.
 
Best lightweight pocket guides
Ideal pocket guides for during and after your Camino. Each weighs just 40g (1.4 oz).
I used Polar Steps om my last year's Camino Francés. After editing your journey on completion, Polar Steps will turn it into a book.
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
I am currently using Find Penguins for a trip through Canada to Alaska, but on the Camino I just use a "Live from the Camino" thread on the forum. Frankly, my family just glazes over when I go on about our Camino experiences and mostly only here on the forum does anyone seem to care about the pilgrimage or our volunteer experiences on the Camino. Family love our photos of bears, moose, elk, etc. that we've seen so far in Alberta and BC though. Find Peguins was easy to learn to use for both myself and family
 
I loved Find Penguins too. So user friendly. I used it for walking Hadrian’s Wall last year. I did the tracking feature. I did order the photo book at the end and I liked the map it provided of the trail. However, remember to turn off tracking when the walk is completed. I forgot until we got home to the U.S. So my book says my journey was 7,936 kilometers
 
I, too, used Find Penguins on my Camino two years ago. It was simple (I had never blogged before), and my followers thoroughly enjoyed it. I also created a souvenir book from the app when I got home. It was put together beautifully, and it was the best thing I did to remember my Camino adventure. I also bought the premium version, which was a very reasonable $5 US per month, which allowed me to send up to 20 photos each day, another bonus. But, be sure to cancel your account when you're home - and after you've received your book - because that monthly charge is recurring if you don't cancel. The only other caveat I would add is, you can't post a "footprint" on Find Penguins if you don't have a wi-fi connection on your phone. That limited me to posting while I was in albergues, cafes, etc. Generally speaking, that wasn't a problem. Overall, I found the app to work very well, and I was very happy with it.
 
Best lightweight pocket guides
Ideal pocket guides for during and after your Camino. Each weighs just 40g (1.4 oz).
jbreuner said:
I also bought the premium version, which was a very reasonable $5 US per month, which allowed me to send up to 20 photos each day, another bonus.
Click to expand...
You can actually post as many photos a day as you want with the free version because there is no limit to how many "footprints" you post each day. I usually just do one daily footprint, but if I have a lot of photos that I want to share I'll add another one.
jbreuner said:
The only other caveat I would add is, you can't post a "footprint" on Find Penguins if you don't have a wi-fi connection on your phone
Click to expand...
You can create the posts as drafts and upload when you have an internet connection.
 
I’m not very tech savvy and don’t use Facebook and the like. I used Polar Steps, as shown to me by another Pilgrim when we were in Pamplona. I wish I’d known about it earlier, to document the portion from SJPdP to Pamplona, but I loved having it the rest of the way. And loved it more when family members commented on my Camino adventure. It was super-easy to use and kept a great record of my journey that I can still look back on 2 years later.
 
Facebook is easy. Instagram should also be a good option. I'm planning to use both of them on my walk in September - October to raise money for the World's Children (Världens Barn) campaign in Sweden.
Good luck and Buen Camino
 
Promote your Camino Project on the forum
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Another vote for Find Penguins. I’m using it now to document my trip to Donegal. When I get home, I’ll order the book. Given that I have yet to complete my son’s baby book (he’s 42) Find Penguins is a miracle!
 
MethaV said:
Facebook is easy. Instagram should also be a good option. I'm planning to use both of them on my walk in September - October to raise money for the World's Children (Världens Barn) campaign in Sweden.
Good luck and Buen Camino
Click to expand...
hi do you know how best to capture the walk and post on fb and instagram. i have a charity but think a link to an external platform like find penguins maybe is a good idea rather than posting directly on fb. i also want to raise funds for my charity in australia
 
I use Facebook to raise funds for breast cancer and for Leitrim Ireland’s GAA because it reaches more people and that’s important for fund raising.
Find Penguins is likely to have a smaller audience since only people you invite to read your posts/footprints and who choose to accept your invitation will see it.
 
Train on the 7-day Catalina Camino
One spot left (female, shared room) on the Catalina Island hike. Sign up by Sept 17
I raised money for a stray dog charity on my walk, but I used Justgiving - Facebook is very clunky I find.

I hadn't really intended to write much whilst away, but I started daily blogs on FB which I ended up doing the whole way in the end and became quite popular. It evolved from me trying to remember everything each day, to taking some notes, to eventually realising that the voice typing into a notes app on my phone was the way forward, but it was mostly just prompts that I could then expand on later in the day over a beer!

I made the album public so they were viewable by anyone as my local press was running updates and linking to it, so that helped then get people to the Justgiving page to donate.

I must say having everything in my Camino album on FB is something I now treasure, and of course something that will always be there along with all of my other life memories and photos in one place.
 
Journo is the app you want!
 
I used Journo very successfully for my 6 week sojourn in Iceland and Northern Shetland.
 
Camino wristwatch
Perfect memento/gift in a presentation box. Engraving available, 25 character max.
Thank you
 
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