2011 was a great year for me, really. It was the year that my body caught up with my mind in terms of happiness. Here are some sites, tools, and statistics from my 2011 – think of it as my personal report card but also my personal recommendation list of tools/software/stuff I’m using all in one in the areas of Social Networking & websites, Photography & tech gadgets, Ebooks & reading, Healthy living, Travel and Charitable giving! Add your own recommendations in the comments.

Social Networking, Feeds & My Sites

• Daily sites I visit: Twitter and Facebook, though I only post on Twitter daily. I joined Google+ but don’t do much there, and I still use Flickr though not much socially. LinkedIn is still my choice for professional networking.
• New & interesting: I joined Pintrest which I think is a really interesting visual bookmarking & curation platform. I also love seeing how people pin photos from Ms. Adventures in Italy and the comments they leave to themselves – a little peek into their own lives. Path is getting a lot of attention post re-design but I haven’t joined as of now.
• Done with: I joined Diaspora (the open-source social network platform) in 2010, and I deleted my profile in 2011. I removed myself from a lot of other sites and newsletters I wasn’t using.
• Domains I have active websites on: 9 – all using WordPress - I moved my tech blog When I Have Time to WordPress.com from self-hosted, launched my healthy living site, Food Blogger on a Diet, on WordPress.com, and started using a simple mobile blog on WordPress.com for photos that I Tweet on Twitter. World Nutella Day continues to blow up bigger every year (it’s one month from today!)
• RSS Feeds – Still more than 400 feeds, and I continue using Google Reader to manage them (I can’t quit you!) I delved heavily into the Healthy Living blog scene (it’s really busy and rocking!) and continued to add sites of strong women in business/tech/other areas.
• My Popular posts on Ms. Adventures in Italy: The 5 most popular posts published in 2011 on this site were: Flourless Nutella Chocolate Cake Recipe for World Nutella Day 2011, Gluten-free Food and Restaurants in Italy, No oil, sugar, or butter Microwave Chocolate Happy Birthday Cake, How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy: the ebook on Amazon Kindle!, and Maritozzo – Sweet Bread Rolls filled with Whipped Cream.

Photography, Video & other Tech stuff:

• Tech Blog: My tech alter-ego, When I Have Time, had a good year – 6 popular posts published in 2011:  Productivity on your Android Mobile – 10 Tips & 40+ Apps, No offense, I don’t want to be friends on Facebook, Baker Ebook Framework: Publish for the iPad using HTML5, How to Use WordPress as a Website (not Blog), My Ignite at LeWeb 2011 – The Future Way of Working: The Distributed Company and Tools for Entrepreneurs: Create. Collaborate. Communicate.
• Camera: Still using my Canon 7D - I feel more comfortable with it and as part of using it more often, I just ordered a Banana Hammock from Crumpler.eu so I can stick it in my purse/backpack with a single lens and be ready!
• Lens: No new lens purchases in 2011, but I think 2012 is when I will get a better zoom or a wide angle. I still use my 50mm 1.4 all the time as well as my zoom 28-135mm travel lens and the 85mm lens. For a wide angle, I’m eyeing the 10-22mm, the 17-40mm, or my dream lens 16-35mm.
• Quick shots & video: I don’t really use the Canon PowerShot SD750 7.1MP much – I use my Android Nexus S phone (whose camera is not great but works) for quick shots and I’m using Kodak PlaySport for video (especially underwater! Kauai was fun with it)
• Other toys: Finally joined the smartphone crowd with a used Nexus S. I almost bought the iPad 2 the day after it came out while in Austin but decided not to and still use my iPad 1 every day (but I’ll be paying attention to the iPad 3 prob coming out in a few months). I bought an iPod Nano in late 2010 and I’ve used it almost every day in 2011 – love the ability to clip it on.
• Backing up Data & External drives: This continues to be the most important part of my regime – backup! I am still employing the 3,2,1 method – 3 copies of everything, 2 onsite, 1 offsite. For the onsite, I have a new Western Digital MyBook 3TB (that’s 3 Terabytes! woo), and for offsite/cloud backup I switched to Carbonite from Mozy. (Read more about How to Backup Files using Online and Offline Software on my tech blog.)
• Lists/organization: I switched my To-Do list-mania to Wunderlist from Remember the Milk. Totally recommend checking them out. (Read about my holy trinity of productivity: How I Organize my Email, Lists and Brainstorming: My Holy Trinity of Productivity)
• More photography & tech gadgets!

Reading and Ebooks

I’ve always been a voracious reader. Now I read more books than ever – though I stopped keeping track of them in my little spreadsheet.

• Books (new) read in 2011: Um, yeah. I bought 155 ebooks in 2011. I have a good record at finishing books I buy, so let’s call it 130 new books read (and I re-read older books, too). My favorite time to read is before bed – the iPad’s backlighting is great for this (iPad wins over Kindle here)
• Ebook reading devices & Apps: I use the iPad as my main reading device, and sometimes switch to my Nexus S Android phone, and my page position on a particular book is synced across them via the Amazon Kindle app. I also use the Stanza app for my reading, but since Amazon bought it and subsequently stopped development, I’m looking for something new.
• Me, Ebook Publisher: I also published another ebook, this time available through Amazon! How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy is doing well – pick up your own copy! My other ebook, 101 American Foods to Try in the USA is still available and free.
• Book tracking: I signed up for Good Reads but really appreciate the recommendations and lists the most rather than for my own tracking.
• Ebook Advocate: I have been digital for 6 years now and have never regretted it – I wrote a Guide to Ebooks on my tech blog, When I Have Time, for those that are new to ebooks or are interested in getting started!

Travel and Moving Around

I was super lucky to have traveled so much in 2011, a lot of it for work, and I honestly hope it continues…indefinitely.

• Tracking travel with online sites: Still using TripIt with its great forward&track it capability, but I’m missing Dopplr’s statistics.
• Flights taken in 2011: 35. Most flights in a short period – 3: MXP – JFK – DTW – AUS. And 6 hours later, two more flights AUS – DFW – ELP.
• Cities lived in: 1 – Milan, Italy.
• Countries visited: 6 – US (2x), France, Spain, Hungary, London/GB (2x), Kenya.
• U.S. states visited: 5 – California, New Mexico, Texas, Hawaii, New York.
• Longest trip: coming back from Kenya to Italy on New Year’s Eve – the result was tragic, went almost 48 hours without sleeping and was really destroyed when ushering out 2011. Method: Bus + Airplane + Train.
• Train rides: Several crazy day trips, including one to Venice and one to Rome. The Frecciarossa trains in Italy are getting faster and better (and more expensive) – I can get to Milan from Rome in less than 3 hours (compared to 4.5 when I first moved here).
• Years with a car: 2 (previously was 6 years without a car). I still need to get my Italian license, that’s going to happen in 2012!
• Other travel gadgets I recommend!

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Related Articles at Ms. Adventures in Italy:

• 2011 Year in Review in Pictures
• 2010 Year in Review: Sites, Tools & Statistics
• 2010 Year Review in Pictures

I published a post on how to order an Italian coffee in Italy years ago on this site – the definitive guide to Italian coffee for coffee lovers! Since then, it’s been one of my most popular posts, and I’ve had requests to make it into an ebook and expand it ever since.

I’m happy to say it’s now available for Amazon Kindle! This concise ebook is great for anyone who loves coffee, anyone who is traveling to or loves Italy, and makes a great gift!

If you have a mobile device or even just a computer, you can read this ebook – the Amazon Kindle App is available for just about every device aside from Kindles (read below for links & info!)

Here’s more information about How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy – I’d love it if you bought a copy!

How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy is a comprehensive and concise guide to all of the major variations of coffee, or caffè espresso in Italian, as they can be found in Italy.

A descriptive look at the most common coffee options for travelers to Italy, with close-up photos of each variety and the proper names in Italian with pronunciation guides so you’ll be ready to order your favorite variety in any bar in Italy.

Also included are descriptions of special coffee drinks, non-coffee drinks you can find in a bar, and all about sweeteners for your coffee.

Bonus chapters include: Italian breakfast – what to expect and order to eat with your coffee; Understanding the bar culture in Italy; and How to make coffee at home like an Italian.

Buy How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy in your Amazon store!! (note: the content is in English regardless of the Amazon store you buy it from):

• How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy on Amazon.com
• How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy on Amazon.co.uk
  
• How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy on Amazon.de
  
• How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy on Amazon.fr
• How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy on Amazon.it
• How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy on Amazon.es

Loved the original post? Here’s why you should buy the ebook:

• you’ll always access to the content wherever you are, no internet connection necessary
• more than twice the content than in the original post
• new chapters on Italian breakfast and bar culture
• dozens of full-color photos (black & white photos only on Kindle devices, full-color on mobile devices/computers & Kindle Fire) including new and updated photos
• new pronunciation guides to help you order in Italian
• you can gift the book to any of your coffee-loving friends with a single click!

Frequently Asked Questions:

I don’t have a Kindle – can I read this ebook?
Yes! Here are links to the (free) Amazon Kindle App software for Android phone, Blackberry, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Windows phone, Web OS or Mac or a PC. After you download and install the Kindle App software, you can buy the book and read it on your device!

I don’t have a mobile device or Kindle - can I read this ebook?
Yes! If you don’t have a mobile device or Kindle, you can still read this ebook. Here are links to the (free) Amazon Kindle App software for Mac and PC. After you download and install the Kindle App software, you can buy the book and read it on your desktop/laptop!

You can now also read Kindle books in your browser! To start reading, go to http://read.amazon.com using Chrome, Safari on iPad, Safari on desktop and now Mozilla Firefox.

Is the ebook available in X format?
I’m working on making the ebook available in other formats, but for now it’s available on the Amazon Kindle platform and can be read on all the above devices.

Can I give this book as a gift to someone?
Yes! Gifting ebooks is becoming one of my favorite things! All you need is that person’s email address, and on the Amazon page near the buying options, click on “Give as Gift” and insert their email address. Boom! Instant gift!

Why are you charging for this content when it’s free on your site?
The ebook is not just a copy of the original post – it’s actually twice the content, including expanded existing content and new chapters on Italian breakfast and bar culture in Italy which aren’t in the original post. I added pronunciation guides so you can order that much easier, and I also added several new photos and updated some of the existing photos, too.

Can I lend your book with the Kindle Lending program?
Yes, I enabled lending for this book. Hopefully your friend will love it and buy their own copy after, too.

Why isn’t X included in this version of the ebook?
I had to stop expanding at some point and publish it, but if you have a suggestion for what should be in a future edition, let me know! I’m open to suggestions.

You misspelled X or forgot X in the book.
If you find an error in the text, I appreciate you letting me know so it can be fixed for future purchasers. Contact me with specifics.

Have a friend or family member who’s a coffee lover who might like this book? Tell them about it, or gift it!

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Related Articles at Ms. Adventures in Italy:

• Books
• 10 Tourist Mistakes when Visiting Italy: Tipping, Tickets, and More
• 2011 Year in Review: Sites, Tools & Statistics

If you’re at SXSW I’d definitely like to meet you for a coffee, or better yet, we can meet up for a Pocket Coffee. As you can see from the picture below, I’ll have a few with me. It’s one of the few things my friends request I bring over, and luckily they are still in-season so I was able to pick up a few boxes before this trip. I like to bring them on trips for a quick pick-me-up in lands of dubious coffee. Some are already earmarked for friends, but the rest, I’ll share with you, so we can all stayed energized during what many call “Spring Break for Geeks.”

I for one will be enjoying the tech gluttony and the culinary gluttony, too, as I come back to a state I spent 4.5 years in for undergrad, and get my fix of Tex-Mex and BBQ!

Hope to meet up!

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Related Articles at Ms. Adventures in Italy:

• Pocket Coffee: Real Italian Espresso covered in Chocolate (Giveaway!)
• Introducing Ferrero Pocket Espresso to Go: the summer Pocket Coffee
• 2011 Year in Review in Pictures

2010 was a difficult and great year for me – I did a lot of freelance projects in addition to my fulltime job, which meant I blogged less frequently but one of those opportunities turned into my current job at Automattic.

Here are some sites, tools, and statistics from my 2010. Feel free to add your recommendations and own tips in the comments!

Social Networking

• Daily sites I visit: Twitter and Facebook are still my favorite networks though I use Flickr and LinkedIn. I like having dedicated Site pages on Facebook for each site I run – it gives me a different way to interact with readers for those specific topcis.
• I joined Diaspora (the open-source social network platform) but it’s too early to tell if/when it will be useful – I don’t think Diaspora will be a threat to Facebook.
• Quora is gaining some buzz as a Q&A platform.
• Epic virtual relationship made physical: Finally met the lovely Michelle from Bleeding Espresso after exchanging emails and Skype calls for 4 years. When you know someone this long, it’s almost anti-climatic, but we still stayed up until 2am talking every night like it was a slumber party.
• Domains I have active websites on: 8 – all using WordPress :) Several more domains sitting and waiting to be born into awesome ideas. Launched the Eye on Italy podcast as well as a few other sites.
• RSS Feeds – I crested 400 feeds, and I continue using Google Reader to manage all my feeds. A noted increase this year in personal travel bloggers (like the very interesting Legal Nomads blog) and women who provide some inspiration (Gwen Bell, Mighty Girl)
• Popular posts: The most popular posts in 2010 on this site were: Top Mistakes Tourists make in Italy: Tipping, Tickets & more, my Nutella & Mascarpone chocolate tarts for World Nutella Day, and Broccolo Romanesco – Roman cabbage with Pasta.

Camera, Videocamera & other Gadgets:

• Camera: This year I did a pretty decent upgrade – taking my Canon XTi (entry-level DSLR) to a Canon 7D. It’s a learning curve even though things are familiar at the same time.
• Lens: In addition to the 50mm 1.4 I use often & my zoom 28-135mm travel lens, I also got the 85mm lens which I experimented with in Thailand but I think my next lens will be a wide angle lens, like the 10-22mm, the 17-40mm, or my dream lens 16-35mm.
• Quick shots & video: I still use the Canon PowerShot SD750 7.1MP for quick shots and the Kodak Zi8 for video – it was a huge help for the whales I saw in Alaska.
• Other toys: It was the year of the iPad for me – a purchase I don’t regret at all, but I am definitely looking forward to the next version to see what other features will be added.
• Digital frame: A bit of a late entry is the Kodak Pulse 10″ digital frame I got thanks to Kodak Italy in December – I love using it to display my pictures as I rarely print anything anymore, and the Moo cards I constantly carry can only give me so much satisfaction. I see it also being great for people who want to keep up with family & loved ones far away – you can send the frame pictures via email and it will download them automatically via wi-fi! The 7″ Pulse is nice, too.
• Backing up Data & External drives: This continues to be the most important part of my regime – backup! I am still employing the 3,2,1 method – 3 copies of everything, 2 onsite, 1 offsite. For the onsite, my Western Digital MyBook 750GB, and for offsite I’m also still using Mozy online backup (a Pro account) to do a further backup online of my photos and other critical files, now from my Mac. I’m interested also in testing Carbonite but haven’t had a chance yet. Read more about How to Backup Files using Online and Offline Software on my tech blog.

Fundraising, Donations, and Supporting Causes

• Working with causes, powered by Social Networks and Bloggers: this year I had my hands full and we didn’t do a dedicated effort for Ovarian Cancer, and Menu for Hope was unfortunately not held this year, but luckily I participated in the travel blogger-run Passports with Purpose which raised more than $50,000.
• Offline, the Girl Geek Dinners in Milan events I organize did a used clothing donation drive at our December dinner and filled 2 cars of clothing for Sicomoro organization destined for Tanzania.
• Supporting other entrepreneurs via Kiva.org – I am still re-investing my initial investment with Kiva – I’ve now made 12 $25 loans to different entrepreneurs, all female.
• New to me: I’ll be checking out DonorsChoose.org this year and adding them to my list. (Updated to add: I got a Donors Choose gift certificate from my awesome company, Automattic, for the holidays so I’ll be trying it sooner than I thought!)

If you have another charity/fundraiser site to recommend, let me know in the comments!

Reading and eBooks

I read more books than ever – though I stopped keeping track of them in my little spreadsheet part-way through. I started using the iPad as my main reading device, and I’ve started using the Amazon Kindle app as well as the Stanza app for my reading.

• Books (new) read in 2010: 83 newly purchased books and dozens of re-reads. My reading increased quite a bit as the 1-click buying experience on the iPad means I’m never without a book, and usually have a few in my TBR (to be read) pile.
• Book tracking: Recently I signed up for Good Reads as an experiment to see if I find it useful. I’ll let you know – so far I like their lists.
• Ebook Advocate: I have been digital for 5 years now and have never regretted it – I wrote a Guide to Ebooks on my tech blog, When I Have Time, for those that are new to ebooks or are interested in getting started!

Travel and Moving Around

• Tracking with online sites: I stopped using Dopplr‘s travel site and started using TripIt which I love mainly because I can forward them my flight reservations and they will import them automatically. They have an iPhone app, too.
• Cities lived in: 1 – Milan, Italy. Our apartment is starting to feel too small…who knows what will happen in 2011, though we really love our neighborhood.
• Countries visited: 5 – U.S. several times, England, France, Thailand, Scotland
• Trains taken: Dozens – I spent a lot of time running around the Lake region for Fodor‘s guide books, and several trips down south.
• Longest trip: coming back from Thailand and going to Puglia in the same day: 20 hours to get back to our house in Italy, 3 hours at home, and then another 9 hours to Puglia via train. It was a long day.
• Years with a car: 1 (previously was years without a car). I still need to get my Italian license – I don’t drive the car and we take it out occasionally for a weekend jaunt.
• Commute: My daily commute hit its peak in 2005/2006 when I was commuting 3-3.5 hours a day, and then reached a lower average of 1.5-2 hours a day until recently. Now that I work from my home office I put those hours to better use. I still take public transportation first and foremost, though working from my home office means I don’t commute every day.

Random

• Number of trips to the emergency room: One, just hours before departing to the US, for a dangerous skin infection. My fear I wouldn’t be able to depart was almost as strong as the pain I was in.
• I completed 442 items with To-do list manager I love Remember the Milk! Their iPhone / iPad app is free, too.

Note: I have an Amazon affiliate store – many of the links in this post have an affiliate link to the Amazon site in case you are interested in buying that product. I will get a small percentage of the purchase price if you do (4-6%) and I thank you for helping support this site and my writing. Otherwise, plug the name of the product into Google and buy it somewhere else!

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Related Articles at Ms. Adventures in Italy:

• 2011 Year in Review: Sites, Tools & Statistics
• 2010 Year Review in Pictures
• 2011 Year in Review in Pictures