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Whether you're making new acquaintances or keeping in touch with friends, sharing music helps you connect in a way that goes beyond words. On Facebook, you can add that connection to your social networking experience by sharing popular tunes you love, listening to your music using Facebook apps and uploading your own creations. The fastest way to add music in Facebook is by posting links on your wall that feature content from another Web site. This applies whether it's your personal wall or the wall for some additional page you create. If you copy and paste the Web address for another page into the "share" text box, Facebook automatically creates a title and summary based on what it finds at that address, and it lets you select from any of the images it finds there. For direct posts, a site can use Facebook's application programming interface (API) to post content, provided you have a cookie in your browser indicating you're actively logged in to your Facebook account. YouTube has become a popular option for sharing music on Facebook. This is probably because when you can share a link to a YouTube video, Facebook automatically embeds a video player in your post. Thus, you and your friends can watch the video without leaving your Facebook wall. Music producers have provided video content through industry-sanctioned YouTube channels so you can take advantage of sharing music videos without violating intellectual property laws. The video sharing platform VEVO, a leading brand in content sharing for social networking sites, has a major presence on YouTube. Before we look at how to upload your own creations, let's check out some of the music apps available for Facebook. As you'll discover on the next page, these apps offer a lot more options for playing and sharing your favorite tracks in Facebook.
It can be hard to knock the amenities -- movies on demand, music on the go, air conditioning in August. It's all good stuff. What else could a modern human need? Nature. Good, old-fashioned, ear-budless, non-digital, fresh-aired nature. Dirt, bugs and photosynthesis. Every option is wonderful -- but every option costs money and, typically, travel time. The idea of piling the kids into the car with all their gear can deter even the most outdoorsy of parents. But what if experiencing the great outdoors were as easy as stepping outside? Fun with nature doesn't have to charge an entry fee. It's right there for the taking, just outside your door. All that's required is a little ingenuity and some sort of outdoor space. A backyard is perfect, although you can take a nature walk on a well-decorated patio or even the city street outside your apartment. It's as easy as planning ahead with a quick Internet search, for a start. When you head into a National Park or a zoo for some nature time, it's easy to know what to look for: Just take a peek at one of the information brochures at the entrance.
Few of us have info packets in a pocket next to the back door, so it can be a bit harder to see what there is to see. So you might want to do some research. It's not that hard to find out what your backyard might have to offer. There are handy Web sites that will tell you what's in your area. Some may have a zip code search that lets you know which plant and animal species you could see around your home. Some city-government Web sites will often have similar information, as will local information kiosks. It can be helpful to give your yard a hand and hang a hummingbird feeder if you find out there are lots of them in your area, or install a birdbath or toss out some wildflower seeds in advance, just to make it extra interesting. Another crucial preparation, especially when kids are involved, is to know what interesting stuff not to touch, lest a perfectly lovely nature walk end in tears.
The only thing worse than a dull nature walk is a red, itchy one. Knowing what to avoid is at least as important as knowing what to seek out, especially if there are little ones getting up close and personal with nature. Any great nature walk, backyard or otherwise, is preceded by a brief lesson on how to recognize poison ivy and poison oak. Google "identify poison ivy poison oak" to see countless options, or check out the library's supply of plant reference books. Just look at pictures of the itchy stuff and perhaps do a little flashcard-style quiz before heading into the yard. If you're sure your yard has neither of the lamentable growths, meaning you've done a close and recent examination of the entire space, corners and all, you could probably skip this step -- although really, what harm can it do to learn to identify some plants?
Especially ones that could ruin another, future hike? And speaking of avoiding trouble… If you were heading into the woods, or into the mountains for a hike or to the beach to collect shells, you'd make sure you were wearing the right clothing: long pants and comfortable shoes for the woods, hiking boots and a just-in-case sweater for a hike at altitude, and a bathing suit or shorts and a healthy supply of sunscreen for the beach. Your backyard has a dress code, too. It starts with sunscreen. Check out your yard and identify any dangers or possibilities. Xeriscaping with lots of rocky areas? Long pants to avoid skinned knees. Tall grass that houses mosquitoes? Long pants and a healthy coat of bug repellant. A hot, sunny day calls for short sleeves to avoid overheating and maybe a hat or visor. A cool day calls for short sleeves and long sleeves, so as activity warms everyone up there's no need to head back inside for a shirt change.
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