8 days from start to finish - I don't think that's a 23 Things record, but considering that I squeezed it into a fairly busy week, I'm proud of myself for getting it done so quickly, and still managing to not just skim the surface - I actually did try most of the tech out - I had to skip on creating a podcast (I don't have a convenient microphone) - but I think I set up accounts and played with everything else!
I'm actually surprised with how much fun I had doing this program/project - I thought it would be more of a slog, but it ended up being alot of fun - another factor in my ability to get through in such a short time frame.
I am glad that I've finished it up, though - mostly because now I KNOW what my co-workers are getting themselves into, and I'll be much better equipped to help them out if they need some help - and I can reassure them that it can't possibly be that hard, if I could get it done in a week (give or take).
The "at your own pace" style of this was great - as I've pretty well demonstrated, I think. I would probably give another program like this a try - but it had better have as much potential for fun as this one ended up having!
As usual, I'm surprised with the Things that I ended up enjoying the most - of course, I love LibraryThing (what's not to love about it!), but I knew how much I liked it before - what I'm very surprised by is how I'm actually enjoying having a Bloglines account. If you were to check back to my comments for Thing 8, I said that I didn't know how much I'd be using that Bloglines account - (that was less than a week ago) - I've actually checked it several times this week, and really liked that I could do a quick scan of the headlines on the updated feeds. That may well be one of most valuable Things that I'm going to take away from this experience (well, that and the My Little Pony Generator)...
Signing out (for now...)
Jo
Friday, October 19, 2007
Thing 22 - Down with the downloadables...
Took advantage of the fact that we don't currently have a downloadable product (we're currently in the quiet zone between the end of our NetLibrary contract and the beginning of a new OverDrive one) to try out Project Gutenberg's archive of downloadable audio.
I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with it! I have some experience with NetLibrary, and I'll soon know more than I ever wanted to know about OverDrive, I'm sure) but I found Project Gutenberg to be much easier (and quicker) to download and play than NetLibrary ever was. I might have a different opinion if I needed to transfer a file to an mp3 player, but for a quick and dirty "download and listen" here on the PC, Project Gutenberg (which I'm going to refer to as PG from here on out) was a breeze! It was so easy that I actually downloaded 2 titles - one read by a human (Call of the Wild by Jack London) and one read by a computer (Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe) - just to hear the difference! (Computer-read is a bit odd, but I imagine that I could get used to it, if that was my only option - the title I listened to sounded like Stephen Hawking's "voice".)
The only trouble I had with PG's downloadable audio was that there were multiple formats of The Call of the Wild - Ogg Vorbis Audio, Apple iTunes, mp3 and Speex - You do have to know which format you can use (for me it was mp3).
I was also pretty impressed by the PG's huge catalog - and you can limit search results (or your browse list) to computer-read audio or human-read audio. This is a fabulous resource for older material.
And the best part of all? It's free - how great is that?
I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with it! I have some experience with NetLibrary, and I'll soon know more than I ever wanted to know about OverDrive, I'm sure) but I found Project Gutenberg to be much easier (and quicker) to download and play than NetLibrary ever was. I might have a different opinion if I needed to transfer a file to an mp3 player, but for a quick and dirty "download and listen" here on the PC, Project Gutenberg (which I'm going to refer to as PG from here on out) was a breeze! It was so easy that I actually downloaded 2 titles - one read by a human (Call of the Wild by Jack London) and one read by a computer (Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe) - just to hear the difference! (Computer-read is a bit odd, but I imagine that I could get used to it, if that was my only option - the title I listened to sounded like Stephen Hawking's "voice".)
The only trouble I had with PG's downloadable audio was that there were multiple formats of The Call of the Wild - Ogg Vorbis Audio, Apple iTunes, mp3 and Speex - You do have to know which format you can use (for me it was mp3).
I was also pretty impressed by the PG's huge catalog - and you can limit search results (or your browse list) to computer-read audio or human-read audio. This is a fabulous resource for older material.
And the best part of all? It's free - how great is that?
Thing 21 - Aghast at all the Podcasts...
Quick note to those who follow me on the Journey of 23 Steps (and them as what laid the trail for us) - The Yahoo Podcast site will be taken down as of 31 October 2007. This is a major bummer, because after searching podcast.net, podcastalley.com and YahooPodcasts, the Yahoo site was by far the best. It was the easiest to search and actually gave useful information on each podcast on the initial list of search results.
Podcastalley only gives you a list of results - for any sort of information about the podcast, you have to click on the podcast title - it takes 2 clicks(!) to find out when the latest episode posted - YahooPodcasts offers that information on the results screen, along with a quick summary, lists of tags AND an "explicit" label (not a necessity if you're listening for your own interests, but a nice feature if you're talking to a library patron about a particular podcast). Podcast.net gives a very brief summary of the podcast on the main search page, but saves the date of the latest update for the next screen.
I went ahead and added two of the podcasts that I found to my Bloglines account. Once again, this was really easy to do, but I think that's more a function of the Bloglines' really easy-to-deal-with interface than that of the podcast search tools...
One thing that I did notice about a fair number of the podcasts that I found were that they were not updated very frequently. One had apparently shut down entirely - and that was pretty disappointing. That's a big factor in my desire to see the publish date of the latest podcast.
On this one exercise, I'm not going to try to do the extra challenge - I'm sure that creating a podcast is very easy, but it requires a little more equipment (and probably a slightly quieter space) than I have easy access to.
Podcastalley only gives you a list of results - for any sort of information about the podcast, you have to click on the podcast title - it takes 2 clicks(!) to find out when the latest episode posted - YahooPodcasts offers that information on the results screen, along with a quick summary, lists of tags AND an "explicit" label (not a necessity if you're listening for your own interests, but a nice feature if you're talking to a library patron about a particular podcast). Podcast.net gives a very brief summary of the podcast on the main search page, but saves the date of the latest update for the next screen.
I went ahead and added two of the podcasts that I found to my Bloglines account. Once again, this was really easy to do, but I think that's more a function of the Bloglines' really easy-to-deal-with interface than that of the podcast search tools...
One thing that I did notice about a fair number of the podcasts that I found were that they were not updated very frequently. One had apparently shut down entirely - and that was pretty disappointing. That's a big factor in my desire to see the publish date of the latest podcast.
On this one exercise, I'm not going to try to do the extra challenge - I'm sure that creating a podcast is very easy, but it requires a little more equipment (and probably a slightly quieter space) than I have easy access to.
Thing 20 - YouTube, ITube, TheyTube, we all Tube
How much fun is YouTube? Way more fun than I can describe.
How much of a timesink is YouTube? About the biggest one out there - seriously.
Are there any potential library applications for YouTube? Absolutely - we could do 'commercials' for upcoming programs and services, library tours, "Storytime on YourTime" programming (wherein our children's librarian could read a story that parents could download for their kids to watch at home (or where-ever), how-to vids on accessing your library account or databases from home, ... Heck, if we wanted to, we could upload whole programs onto YouTube for on-demand versions... where does it end? I don't know, but it looks like it'll be an interesting trip.
Want to see my favorite (at the moment) library-related YouTube videos?
"Librarian" - it's a music video and well... you just need to watch it.
Here's another one that I found today (I'd seen "Librarian" before, but this is a new discovery) - this was created for the St. Joseph County Library system's Staff Day - even if you haven't seen the Madonna video this is based on, I think you'll still enjoy it - and make sure you watch the credits roll - there are some very funny outtakes...
How much of a timesink is YouTube? About the biggest one out there - seriously.
Are there any potential library applications for YouTube? Absolutely - we could do 'commercials' for upcoming programs and services, library tours, "Storytime on YourTime" programming (wherein our children's librarian could read a story that parents could download for their kids to watch at home (or where-ever), how-to vids on accessing your library account or databases from home, ... Heck, if we wanted to, we could upload whole programs onto YouTube for on-demand versions... where does it end? I don't know, but it looks like it'll be an interesting trip.
Want to see my favorite (at the moment) library-related YouTube videos?
"Librarian" - it's a music video and well... you just need to watch it.
Here's another one that I found today (I'd seen "Librarian" before, but this is a new discovery) - this was created for the St. Joseph County Library system's Staff Day - even if you haven't seen the Madonna video this is based on, I think you'll still enjoy it - and make sure you watch the credits roll - there are some very funny outtakes...
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Thing 19 - And the winner is......
Had an interesting time exploring the Web 2.0 award winners. I wasn't able to really check out a few I was interested in because I don't have the newest, latest and greatest version of Flash installed on this particular terminal. I wanted to try out Frappr and Guess the Google, but without Flash 9, I seem to be out of luck. These are the problems one encounters when using random terminals for 23 Things.
I did manage to check out the Cocktail Builder - and wasn't terribly impressed with it - it's a nifty concept, but doesn't work as well as I had hoped a Web 2.0 Award Winner would.
Disappointed with the Cocktail Builder, I ventured over to Yahoo Answers - wow. That's a site that lets everyone feel like an expert. Users can ask questions - about nearly anything, and other users can answer, based on whatever knowledge they have. One question can have many answers - and visitors to the site can give a "thumbs up/thumbs down" review to any answer they wish to. It's an interesting concept, and in terms of 'raw functionality', yes, it does work. The biggest question here is: are these respondents any good? I think the term "hit or miss" accurately describes the responses that one might recieve on Yahoo Answers. Nevertheless, it is certainly interesting to read the responses (and questions).
Is there any use for YahooAnswers in the library? I don't really think so. In fact, it kind of goes against all my instincts as a reference librarian, since very few of the respondents can offer any sort of citation, and most seem to be answering out of personal experience (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but as we all know YMMV (your mileage may vary). But there is a certain rubbernecking kind of entertainment factor...
I did manage to check out the Cocktail Builder - and wasn't terribly impressed with it - it's a nifty concept, but doesn't work as well as I had hoped a Web 2.0 Award Winner would.
Disappointed with the Cocktail Builder, I ventured over to Yahoo Answers - wow. That's a site that lets everyone feel like an expert. Users can ask questions - about nearly anything, and other users can answer, based on whatever knowledge they have. One question can have many answers - and visitors to the site can give a "thumbs up/thumbs down" review to any answer they wish to. It's an interesting concept, and in terms of 'raw functionality', yes, it does work. The biggest question here is: are these respondents any good? I think the term "hit or miss" accurately describes the responses that one might recieve on Yahoo Answers. Nevertheless, it is certainly interesting to read the responses (and questions).
Is there any use for YahooAnswers in the library? I don't really think so. In fact, it kind of goes against all my instincts as a reference librarian, since very few of the respondents can offer any sort of citation, and most seem to be answering out of personal experience (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but as we all know YMMV (your mileage may vary). But there is a certain rubbernecking kind of entertainment factor...
Thing 18 (What's up, Docs?)
Thing 18 already, and we're only now finding out about web-based document storage?! This is seriously useful to me! While I do have "my" PC here at work, I do spend a pretty significant amount of time at another desk, so the ability to access my documents via the web is great! One major disappointment is that GoogleDocs/Writely doesn't support Publisher files, so I'll have to keep carrying that thumbdrive or CD around with me if I want to work on my database flyer... Even with that, this particular tool could have alot of utility around here. I'm most interested in being able to access my documents from other terminals, as I don't do alot of collaborative work, but I could see how people who do that kind of work could find this especially useful.
As you can see below, I did experiment with publishing a document to my blog, and it worked (and was very easy to do). The GoogleDocs interface was really pretty simple to use (though I didn't do much with it) - and looks like a cross between my usual Word toolbar and the Blogger Post Create/Edit screen. Definitely non-threatening and pretty user friendly. I don't do alot with Excel, so I can't give a good review of that kind of work, but the basic "word processing" functions are good.
I don't know that it's going to complete usurp the use of these kind of applications on one's desktop - if you rely on web-based apps, you'd better have a darn reliable internet connection - but these applications can clearly enhance your ability to access your files and work with others on shared documents.
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As you can see below, I did experiment with publishing a document to my blog, and it worked (and was very easy to do). The GoogleDocs interface was really pretty simple to use (though I didn't do much with it) - and looks like a cross between my usual Word toolbar and the Blogger Post Create/Edit screen. Definitely non-threatening and pretty user friendly. I don't do alot with Excel, so I can't give a good review of that kind of work, but the basic "word processing" functions are good.
I don't know that it's going to complete usurp the use of these kind of applications on one's desktop - if you rely on web-based apps, you'd better have a darn reliable internet connection - but these applications can clearly enhance your ability to access your files and work with others on shared documents.
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MILEAGE LOG
Talbot County Free Library
Employee Name:__________________________________
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Miles: ____________ X .485 = $______________
______________________________ ______________________________
Employee Signature Approval Signature
______________________________
Approval Date
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Thing 17 - Still stuck in that sticky wiki... but it's gotten sandy in here...
What can I say about the MD Libraries sandbox?
Eh.
Really, that's how I feel about it - it's not particularly well organized, and everybody seems to have taken that "Blogs Here" link a little too literally - aren't you supposed to follow the link and add your blog to that page? Not the home page, right? Maybe I'm being too formal about it - but come on, folks, this isn't supposed to be rocket science!
And don't even get me started on trying to find a page to "edit" - that was a massive pain in the behind - here I was thinking that other folks might have added their own insight/opinions to some pages, but no, it looks like everyone and their cousin just created their own new page.
I think this particular wiki needs a little more of a guiding hand...
Eh.
Really, that's how I feel about it - it's not particularly well organized, and everybody seems to have taken that "Blogs Here" link a little too literally - aren't you supposed to follow the link and add your blog to that page? Not the home page, right? Maybe I'm being too formal about it - but come on, folks, this isn't supposed to be rocket science!
And don't even get me started on trying to find a page to "edit" - that was a massive pain in the behind - here I was thinking that other folks might have added their own insight/opinions to some pages, but no, it looks like everyone and their cousin just created their own new page.
I think this particular wiki needs a little more of a guiding hand...
Thing 16 (or, Librarians in a sticky wiki...)
Welcome to the latest installment of 23 Things, in which our heroine finds herself awash in wikis...
Just to put it out there, I actually like Wikipedia! And horror of horrors, I've actually even recommended that patrons use it! (Gasps and much shaking of fingers from the audience ensue)
It's a good source, really - maybe not 100% trustworthy, but come on, what source really is? EVERYthing has a bias - some of them are just more obvious than others. And really, I think there are more controls behind the scenes in Wikipedia than that "you know it, you edit it" reputation that's developed. Don't believe me? Then visit this page for what Wikipedia is NOT, and you'll see just how much "law and order" is in the background there.
Now, I do warn people (when I suggest that they might want to check Wikipedia out) just what Wikipedia is - and I always tell them that it isn't generally acceptable as a citable source. What is it good for? Getting a quick handle on a topic you don't know much about and a few (usually) good links to help you get started on a research project.
I think the most interesting (from my desk here at the library) potential application of wikis is the possibility of reader generated book reviews - I think it would be really cool if we could add those user generated reviews (or at least access to them) into our catalogs. Princeton PL's site is a great example of how good those reviews can be.
One thing I did notice about the wikis is the very 'consistent' look that a number of them have - it's like everyone saw Wikipedia and said, "Yep, I like it!" Is that a good thing? Well, it does create an atmosphere of familiarity, but some of them don't feel very well branded... I want my wiki to look like my wiki, not everybody elses'. Maybe that consistent look is important, though - but I doubt it.
I think that the Bull Run Library wiki is a little deceptive - OK, technically, I guess it is a wiki, but if only one person is allowed to edit it, is it really what we think of as a wiki? If there's no collaboration and it's just set up that way because it's an easy way to web-author, I'm not sure I'm willing to call it a wiki. Sure, wiki is supposed to be "fast-fast", but I think that that definition has really evolved to imply some sort of collaboration, even if it's limited to a specific (or small) group (and one person does not a group make). I'm also a bit concerned with this line: "This wiki is not sponsored by nor associated with the library system, it is maintained by one library patron." -- Hmmm... just how comfortable with that statement are you? I can tell you that it makes me a little nervous.
Just to put it out there, I actually like Wikipedia! And horror of horrors, I've actually even recommended that patrons use it! (Gasps and much shaking of fingers from the audience ensue)
It's a good source, really - maybe not 100% trustworthy, but come on, what source really is? EVERYthing has a bias - some of them are just more obvious than others. And really, I think there are more controls behind the scenes in Wikipedia than that "you know it, you edit it" reputation that's developed. Don't believe me? Then visit this page for what Wikipedia is NOT, and you'll see just how much "law and order" is in the background there.
Now, I do warn people (when I suggest that they might want to check Wikipedia out) just what Wikipedia is - and I always tell them that it isn't generally acceptable as a citable source. What is it good for? Getting a quick handle on a topic you don't know much about and a few (usually) good links to help you get started on a research project.
I think the most interesting (from my desk here at the library) potential application of wikis is the possibility of reader generated book reviews - I think it would be really cool if we could add those user generated reviews (or at least access to them) into our catalogs. Princeton PL's site is a great example of how good those reviews can be.
One thing I did notice about the wikis is the very 'consistent' look that a number of them have - it's like everyone saw Wikipedia and said, "Yep, I like it!" Is that a good thing? Well, it does create an atmosphere of familiarity, but some of them don't feel very well branded... I want my wiki to look like my wiki, not everybody elses'. Maybe that consistent look is important, though - but I doubt it.
I think that the Bull Run Library wiki is a little deceptive - OK, technically, I guess it is a wiki, but if only one person is allowed to edit it, is it really what we think of as a wiki? If there's no collaboration and it's just set up that way because it's an easy way to web-author, I'm not sure I'm willing to call it a wiki. Sure, wiki is supposed to be "fast-fast", but I think that that definition has really evolved to imply some sort of collaboration, even if it's limited to a specific (or small) group (and one person does not a group make). I'm also a bit concerned with this line: "This wiki is not sponsored by nor associated with the library system, it is maintained by one library patron." -- Hmmm... just how comfortable with that statement are you? I can tell you that it makes me a little nervous.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Thing 15 (or, 2.0 or 2.No?)
From the frivolous to the frightening in only 5 Things!
We're talkin' Library 2.0, y'all - and if you believe these folks, the times, they are a changin'.
But are they changing for the better? I don't know - there are pieces of the Library 2.0 puzzle that really appeal to me - the idea that patrons could interact with our catalogs and offer their own tags and comments (think Library Thing, but in our OPAC)? I love it! But the idea that the library as a place is outmoded or less important than our web presence?
I don't think so.
Sure, we need to offer information to our patrons where they want to find it, but guess what? Some of them actually WANT to find it here in the library! Lots of them come in (and no, they're not all just schoolkids with assignments) who ask us for "a book on ___" - did they ask for "information on _____"? Sure, some do, but you know what?
There's safety in them there books, y'all.
Why? I know, I know, just because it's printed and bound doesn't make it true, but once it's made it into print and paper, it's pretty well locked in - take it or leave it, doubt it or believe it, do what you want with it. Is there that finality with anything on the Web? I don't know - call me a dinosaur, but if government websites can get hacked, who's doing the security on my blog or any other "informational" website? And when everybody can 'publish' anything they want to on the Web, who's fact checking? Sure, we know that editors and publishers don't fact check EVERYthing (think about that James Frey mess a couple of years ago), but at least you know that it had to get through at least a couple of other sets of eyes before it got to yours and proclaimed itself to be true.
And don't even get me started on the folks who don't have internet access at home (yours truly included) - what about us? I'm lucky, I have a PC sitting right here on my desk at work, but when I go home - no internet for me... we can't get hi-speed at my house yet, and dial-up just isn't worth the trouble. What about all those folks who don't even have the luxury of a work computer? And all of those who tell me "I can't do those computer-things like you do" - hey, if they don't want to learn, that's their perogative, right? We can't force them along, but it doesn't seem fair to just leave them on the side of the road, with no assistance either, because we've all gone speeding down the information superhighway with nary a glance in the rearview mirror, either.
That's it for now - I'm tired of all this deep thought. Where's my Pony Generator?!
We're talkin' Library 2.0, y'all - and if you believe these folks, the times, they are a changin'.
But are they changing for the better? I don't know - there are pieces of the Library 2.0 puzzle that really appeal to me - the idea that patrons could interact with our catalogs and offer their own tags and comments (think Library Thing, but in our OPAC)? I love it! But the idea that the library as a place is outmoded or less important than our web presence?
I don't think so.
Sure, we need to offer information to our patrons where they want to find it, but guess what? Some of them actually WANT to find it here in the library! Lots of them come in (and no, they're not all just schoolkids with assignments) who ask us for "a book on ___" - did they ask for "information on _____"? Sure, some do, but you know what?
There's safety in them there books, y'all.
Why? I know, I know, just because it's printed and bound doesn't make it true, but once it's made it into print and paper, it's pretty well locked in - take it or leave it, doubt it or believe it, do what you want with it. Is there that finality with anything on the Web? I don't know - call me a dinosaur, but if government websites can get hacked, who's doing the security on my blog or any other "informational" website? And when everybody can 'publish' anything they want to on the Web, who's fact checking? Sure, we know that editors and publishers don't fact check EVERYthing (think about that James Frey mess a couple of years ago), but at least you know that it had to get through at least a couple of other sets of eyes before it got to yours and proclaimed itself to be true.
And don't even get me started on the folks who don't have internet access at home (yours truly included) - what about us? I'm lucky, I have a PC sitting right here on my desk at work, but when I go home - no internet for me... we can't get hi-speed at my house yet, and dial-up just isn't worth the trouble. What about all those folks who don't even have the luxury of a work computer? And all of those who tell me "I can't do those computer-things like you do" - hey, if they don't want to learn, that's their perogative, right? We can't force them along, but it doesn't seem fair to just leave them on the side of the road, with no assistance either, because we've all gone speeding down the information superhighway with nary a glance in the rearview mirror, either.
That's it for now - I'm tired of all this deep thought. Where's my Pony Generator?!
Thing 14 - Technorati glitterati...
Checking out Technorati today -
Yep, I did get different results when I searched for "Learning 2.0" in blog posts - lots of hits there (basically anytime anybody used that term in a post), and in tags (also found 176 tagged as "learning2.0", which is the way del.icio.us would suggest you tag it) and 300-odd blogs about "Learning 2.0" - many of which were libraries.
I also investigated the "popular" bits of Technorati - and hey look! "Learning 2.0" is now one of the top searches now! It wasn't that way when I first visited the site (before I started searching), so I have to believe that it's got something to do with me... as of right now, "learning 2.0" is above iphone, youtube, facebook and ron paul! Ummm - what's that mean about how many people are searching Technorati... (assuming of course, that this "learning 2.0" bump is a direct result of my searches, and not a sudden worldwide interest in learning 2.0...)
I'm not surprised that a large percentage of the most favorited blogs and top blogs are tech/gadget-centered - I think that if you're really interested in what's new and gadget-y, then Technorati is probably right up your alley. For me - eh, not so much. I feel like I'm seeing a lot of flash, but not alot of cash, so to speak - sure, it updates every couple of seconds with somebody's latest new blog post, but do I really care about everything that ANYbody wants to post - no. For the time being, I think I'll stick to some of the search tools we explored back in Thing 9.
**** WARNING ****
A brief rant follows, so unless you want to know what really torques me off about Technorati, don't bother reading any further...
**** End WARNING ****
A huge pet peeve of mine is that header they use - "Everything in the known universe about..." Seriously? You're kidding, right? 'Cause "everything in the known universe" covers an awful lot, and I'm having a tough time believing that a bunch of folks' self-reporting = "everything in the known universe". Suffice it to say, I suspect that there's a good deal of information still locked away in peoples' brains and bookshelves that can't be found by way of Technorati...
Yep, I did get different results when I searched for "Learning 2.0" in blog posts - lots of hits there (basically anytime anybody used that term in a post), and in tags (also found 176 tagged as "learning2.0", which is the way del.icio.us would suggest you tag it) and 300-odd blogs about "Learning 2.0" - many of which were libraries.
I also investigated the "popular" bits of Technorati - and hey look! "Learning 2.0" is now one of the top searches now! It wasn't that way when I first visited the site (before I started searching), so I have to believe that it's got something to do with me... as of right now, "learning 2.0" is above iphone, youtube, facebook and ron paul! Ummm - what's that mean about how many people are searching Technorati... (assuming of course, that this "learning 2.0" bump is a direct result of my searches, and not a sudden worldwide interest in learning 2.0...)
I'm not surprised that a large percentage of the most favorited blogs and top blogs are tech/gadget-centered - I think that if you're really interested in what's new and gadget-y, then Technorati is probably right up your alley. For me - eh, not so much. I feel like I'm seeing a lot of flash, but not alot of cash, so to speak - sure, it updates every couple of seconds with somebody's latest new blog post, but do I really care about everything that ANYbody wants to post - no. For the time being, I think I'll stick to some of the search tools we explored back in Thing 9.
**** WARNING ****
A brief rant follows, so unless you want to know what really torques me off about Technorati, don't bother reading any further...
**** End WARNING ****
A huge pet peeve of mine is that header they use - "Everything in the known universe about..." Seriously? You're kidding, right? 'Cause "everything in the known universe" covers an awful lot, and I'm having a tough time believing that a bunch of folks' self-reporting = "everything in the known universe". Suffice it to say, I suspect that there's a good deal of information still locked away in peoples' brains and bookshelves that can't be found by way of Technorati...
Monday, October 15, 2007
Thing 13 - Mmmm mmm good
Last one for the night - and a pretty entertaining one at that - del.icio.us - and yep, it is pretty tasty!
I went ahead and set up my very own del.icio.us account - I'm digging it - and just like rollyo, it IS that easy, children. I don't actually use many bookmarks on my work PC, but there are often sites that I want to remember, so I scrawl little notes to myself and find them scattered, in no particular order all around my desk, and in my pockets. This should help solve that "problem". Of course, it's going to create a whole new one - because I can see myself ending up with one of those giant scary bookmark lists that some people I know have...(don't y'all know about folders, at least!) but hopefully the tagging feature will help me keep this a little better organized than that. And hey, once I've experimented with it for a while, I can tell them to get organized and clean up those horrifying lists!
Library functionality for del.icio.us? Heck yeah - we could use it on the reference desk to help the staffer who can't remember that the website to look up phone numbers is www.switchboard.com. Are we going to use it that way anytime soon? Don't know, but I do know that I'll be playing with it myself for the next few weeks!
I went ahead and set up my very own del.icio.us account - I'm digging it - and just like rollyo, it IS that easy, children. I don't actually use many bookmarks on my work PC, but there are often sites that I want to remember, so I scrawl little notes to myself and find them scattered, in no particular order all around my desk, and in my pockets. This should help solve that "problem". Of course, it's going to create a whole new one - because I can see myself ending up with one of those giant scary bookmark lists that some people I know have...(don't y'all know about folders, at least!) but hopefully the tagging feature will help me keep this a little better organized than that. And hey, once I've experimented with it for a while, I can tell them to get organized and clean up those horrifying lists!
Library functionality for del.icio.us? Heck yeah - we could use it on the reference desk to help the staffer who can't remember that the website to look up phone numbers is www.switchboard.com. Are we going to use it that way anytime soon? Don't know, but I do know that I'll be playing with it myself for the next few weeks!
Thing 12 - Keep rollin' rollin' rollin' rollin'....
Bonus points if you recognize the song that I've snagged the lyrics to in the title...
Today was Rollyo day - my big question here is how exactly does one pronounce "Rollyo" - Helene Blowers says it as "roly-o", but when I see it, in my head it sounds like "Roll, yo"...
Yet again, using this tool was pretty darn simple - mostly just a bit of cutting and pasting. I think I had more trouble deciding on a topic and finding the sites I wanted to put into my searchroll than in actually building the beast. I can definitely see some uses for this tool around the library - we could create searchrolls on a variety of topics - so that patrons would get information from websites that we've vetted. Tax forms and info, genealogy, local info... too bad we can't use it on our databases...
Here's my very own searchroll: Cthulhu ftagn!
Today was Rollyo day - my big question here is how exactly does one pronounce "Rollyo" - Helene Blowers says it as "roly-o", but when I see it, in my head it sounds like "Roll, yo"...
Yet again, using this tool was pretty darn simple - mostly just a bit of cutting and pasting. I think I had more trouble deciding on a topic and finding the sites I wanted to put into my searchroll than in actually building the beast. I can definitely see some uses for this tool around the library - we could create searchrolls on a variety of topics - so that patrons would get information from websites that we've vetted. Tax forms and info, genealogy, local info... too bad we can't use it on our databases...
Here's my very own searchroll: Cthulhu ftagn!
Thing 11 (or, how do I love thee, LibraryThing)
(With apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning)
I love thee for the depth and breadth and height
Of thine catalog, (or at least Amazon's site)
For it makes finding my titles a breeze.
I love thee for the level of cataloging expertise
You require of me - which is none.
I love thee freely, as you charge me the same.
I love thee purely, as you don't ask me for my name,
Nor credit card, nor personal information I don't wish to give.
Seriously, I freaking LOVE LibraryThing - I've actually been using it for most of a year now - just to keep track of books that I've read so far. I set up a new account today (just for this exercise) to keep track of books that I'm planning on reading. You should get to see that little catalog on this post.
I have to admit that I haven't been using LT to the "depth and breadth and height" of its potential, though - I haven't been tagging or reviewing any of my titles, and I've only checked the LT blog when the site has gone down (which happened for a week or so earlier this year). I did get one comment about a book I'd posted from another LTer - and I'm not actually sure if I was successful in replying to her.
All that said, I still love the concept and the ease of use of LibraryThing - I tell everybody about it and how wonderful it is - so today's task was a breeze!
Here's my "to be read" catalog at the moment:
I love thee for the depth and breadth and height
Of thine catalog, (or at least Amazon's site)
For it makes finding my titles a breeze.
I love thee for the level of cataloging expertise
You require of me - which is none.
I love thee freely, as you charge me the same.
I love thee purely, as you don't ask me for my name,
Nor credit card, nor personal information I don't wish to give.
Seriously, I freaking LOVE LibraryThing - I've actually been using it for most of a year now - just to keep track of books that I've read so far. I set up a new account today (just for this exercise) to keep track of books that I'm planning on reading. You should get to see that little catalog on this post.
I have to admit that I haven't been using LT to the "depth and breadth and height" of its potential, though - I haven't been tagging or reviewing any of my titles, and I've only checked the LT blog when the site has gone down (which happened for a week or so earlier this year). I did get one comment about a book I'd posted from another LTer - and I'm not actually sure if I was successful in replying to her.
All that said, I still love the concept and the ease of use of LibraryThing - I tell everybody about it and how wonderful it is - so today's task was a breeze!
Here's my "to be read" catalog at the moment:
Thing 10 - Talkin' bout my g-g-Generator!
Second go at this posting -
Yahoo Avatars are super-easy to create - I had some trouble posting mine here - don't know exactly why that was... maybe I'll try again on a different terminal, as from this one, I can't even get into the generator.
I did try out Meez - the way that the 'demo' avatar kept rocking/shifting on the screen was nauseating and I just don't have the patience to wade through all those options, with the avatar gyrating on my screen.
Letter James looks very cool and the little "try it" feature is nifty - but I'm not sure that I want to create yet another online account. This one could be pretty neat for library stuff, though, so it's one I'll probably revisit later.
Major thumbs up on the Generator Blog - so many cool things to play with, so little time (not to mention that I'm working on a terminal that needs a Flash update, so I'm a little frustrated by not being able to play with the Simpsons Avatar generator!) - found my favorite generator so far on it -the My Little Pony Generator! Those are my ponies up there (as if you hadn't guessed that already...)
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Thing 9
Thing 9 went by in a hurry - it wasn't really that hard to subscribe to the Merlin RSS feed... I did play around with the feed search tools listed, and well.... I can't say that I was tremendously impressed. Maybe I'm just looking for things that are too obscure, or not newsworthy enough.
I liked the Technorati result lists much more than those from Syndic8 - it's nice to get a quick scan of what the blog contains without having to actually visit it, which you kind of have to do with Syndic8. Feedster seemed to be very slow to load pages - and that's just annoying. It does give you that tiny snapshot of content, though, and (better than Technorati) it searches newsfeeds as well as blogs. Topix? Well, once again, it's nice to see the preview of content, but for some reason, their homepage bugs me - alot. I think it's because the first time I visited it, it had autofilled the search box with "Windsor Mill, MD" and so the box itself wasn't readily apparent. But maybe that's just me... maybe everybody else LIKES seeing some random town name appear in the search box, so they can find out what's getting posted about that random town...
Still need to check out the google blogsearch feature - but I'll save that for another day, I think. Just found a nifty blog via Technorati...
***FYI/hint/PSA to those who may follow me - don't forget to use "" to hold your search phrases together - reader's advisory is a non-useful search term, but "reader's advisory" works much better.***
I liked the Technorati result lists much more than those from Syndic8 - it's nice to get a quick scan of what the blog contains without having to actually visit it, which you kind of have to do with Syndic8. Feedster seemed to be very slow to load pages - and that's just annoying. It does give you that tiny snapshot of content, though, and (better than Technorati) it searches newsfeeds as well as blogs. Topix? Well, once again, it's nice to see the preview of content, but for some reason, their homepage bugs me - alot. I think it's because the first time I visited it, it had autofilled the search box with "Windsor Mill, MD" and so the box itself wasn't readily apparent. But maybe that's just me... maybe everybody else LIKES seeing some random town name appear in the search box, so they can find out what's getting posted about that random town...
Still need to check out the google blogsearch feature - but I'll save that for another day, I think. Just found a nifty blog via Technorati...
***FYI/hint/PSA to those who may follow me - don't forget to use "" to hold your search phrases together - reader's advisory is a non-useful search term, but "reader's advisory" works much better.***
Thing 8 (or, Feed me, baby!)
Today in 23 Things, I tackled RSS feeds.
This wasn't that tough - I think that it took me longer to listen to and watch the podcasts and videos about RSS than it took me to set up and subscribe to 11 feeds. I'm tickled about the Charlotte/Meck Co. reader's advisory feeds - they've got a GREAT variety there. Also picked up on Unshelved - I'm familiar with it, but haven't actually followed it, so I'll get on board with that. We don't have our current participants list up yet, so I only subscribed to Jen Ranck's blog, but I'm hoping that once we get a current list up to add a few more folks' blogs then.
I only added one "purely for fun" feed - that's horseracing news from ESPN. Gotta have a little "speed" to go with my "read" stuff, right? Wait a sec, I just thought of another 'fun' one - I'll add that directly. Done - because, yes, it really is that easy.
Wanna see my blogroll? (Yow, that just sounds a little wrong, doesn't it?)
http://www.bloglines.com/public/JPlibrarian
I have to admit, at this point in time, I haven't used RSS feeds at all - I haven't been keeping up with many blogs or newsites on a daily basis, either - I KNOW that its' the "slow, old" way to head directly to a website, scan it and go, but I don't really mind doing that. But I'll give the feeds a try - who knows, maybe I'll feel the need, the need for feed!
This wasn't that tough - I think that it took me longer to listen to and watch the podcasts and videos about RSS than it took me to set up and subscribe to 11 feeds. I'm tickled about the Charlotte/Meck Co. reader's advisory feeds - they've got a GREAT variety there. Also picked up on Unshelved - I'm familiar with it, but haven't actually followed it, so I'll get on board with that. We don't have our current participants list up yet, so I only subscribed to Jen Ranck's blog, but I'm hoping that once we get a current list up to add a few more folks' blogs then.
I only added one "purely for fun" feed - that's horseracing news from ESPN. Gotta have a little "speed" to go with my "read" stuff, right? Wait a sec, I just thought of another 'fun' one - I'll add that directly. Done - because, yes, it really is that easy.
Wanna see my blogroll? (Yow, that just sounds a little wrong, doesn't it?)
http://www.bloglines.com/public/JPlibrarian
I have to admit, at this point in time, I haven't used RSS feeds at all - I haven't been keeping up with many blogs or newsites on a daily basis, either - I KNOW that its' the "slow, old" way to head directly to a website, scan it and go, but I don't really mind doing that. But I'll give the feeds a try - who knows, maybe I'll feel the need, the need for feed!
Friday, October 12, 2007
Thing 7 - ANYthing tech-related?
Wow - free topic (more or less) -
Random thoughts percolating in my brain (about tech):
I'm still frustrated by the fact that we can't get decent internet service at my house. I think the internet/web/whathaveyou has evolved to a point where dial-up access is more of a hindrance than a help - I can't imagine how annoying attempting to play with mashups would be over a dial-up connection.
I'm glad my cell phone has a camera, but I need to find a way to get the photos off of the phone (without emailing them to myself and paying by the byte charges to my cell phone provider!) - Maybe it's time to start thinking about getting a new laptop...
I'm pretty OK with this blogging stuff - I've been using it to keep up with my best friend for a while now - great when I lived in NC and she was up here, and still useful now that I'm back home.
I've got some concerns about privacy issues with blogs and photosharing sites and stuff. I'm not totally relaxed about the idea of putting my "stuff" out there for the world to see - so I'll probably keep these posts pretty light... but that's just me - it seems like lots of other folks are happy to share it all!
Random thoughts percolating in my brain (about tech):
I'm still frustrated by the fact that we can't get decent internet service at my house. I think the internet/web/whathaveyou has evolved to a point where dial-up access is more of a hindrance than a help - I can't imagine how annoying attempting to play with mashups would be over a dial-up connection.
I'm glad my cell phone has a camera, but I need to find a way to get the photos off of the phone (without emailing them to myself and paying by the byte charges to my cell phone provider!) - Maybe it's time to start thinking about getting a new laptop...
I'm pretty OK with this blogging stuff - I've been using it to keep up with my best friend for a while now - great when I lived in NC and she was up here, and still useful now that I'm back home.
I've got some concerns about privacy issues with blogs and photosharing sites and stuff. I'm not totally relaxed about the idea of putting my "stuff" out there for the world to see - so I'll probably keep these posts pretty light... but that's just me - it seems like lots of other folks are happy to share it all!
Thing 6 - or I hope that the original photographer doesn't mind my
Just messing around with mash-ups - this is the Warholizer applied to a photo that I've been using as wallpaper for several years (thanks to Canter-PA - I promise I'm not making any money from this!)
If I actually had some of my own photos uploaded onto flickr, this would be easier, I think.
Guess I need to visit the friends who have bluetooth on their laptop and get some of the photos on my phone into my flickr account...
I played with a few of the mash-up toys on Big Huge Toys and this was the one that made the coolest pictures - they've also got a neat one that takes 6 images and makes them into a cube (that you assemble) - I'd like to do that on some good heavy paper with some of my own photos. It looks like most of the things on BigHuge are pretty simple to use - you just need some pictures to play with.
I also checked out the flickr color pickr, which was really interesting to look at, and I tried to use the Montager - but I'm not patient enough or I'm doing something wrong, because I'm not seeing any montages, just single images. Oh well.
If I actually had some of my own photos uploaded onto flickr, this would be easier, I think.
Guess I need to visit the friends who have bluetooth on their laptop and get some of the photos on my phone into my flickr account...
I played with a few of the mash-up toys on Big Huge Toys and this was the one that made the coolest pictures - they've also got a neat one that takes 6 images and makes them into a cube (that you assemble) - I'd like to do that on some good heavy paper with some of my own photos. It looks like most of the things on BigHuge are pretty simple to use - you just need some pictures to play with.
I also checked out the flickr color pickr, which was really interesting to look at, and I tried to use the Montager - but I'm not patient enough or I'm doing something wrong, because I'm not seeing any montages, just single images. Oh well.
Thing 5 (or Heeeere's Cthulhu!)
For Thing 5, we were asked to play around with flickr, and post about it.
This took a while, because nifty stuff abounds in flickr, and it's incredibly easy to get distracted and end up in totally random places.
Fortunately, my wanderings took me to this sweet picture of a plush Cthulhu - I have one just like it! (I also have one just like it, but in blue - couldn't find any blue Cthulhu on flickr, though... maybe one day I'll get around to posting a pic of my own blue guy on flickr.)
This took a while, because nifty stuff abounds in flickr, and it's incredibly easy to get distracted and end up in totally random places.
Fortunately, my wanderings took me to this sweet picture of a plush Cthulhu - I have one just like it! (I also have one just like it, but in blue - couldn't find any blue Cthulhu on flickr, though... maybe one day I'll get around to posting a pic of my own blue guy on flickr.)
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Welcome to LibraryLand!
Soooo - Here we go...
Assignment number 1 (well, actually it's Thing 3): Set up your own blog and add your first post.
CHECK!
OK, I'm supposed to "talk" about which of the 7 1/2 habits I find easiest, and which is hardest for me... And for today, I'll behave myself and stay on topic.
Easiest: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner.
I KNOW I can learn new stuff - heck, as a general rule, I like learning new things (just ask anybody who works with me about the chickens!).
Hardest: Begin with the end in mind.
That's a challenge for me sometimes - I don't always have a distinct goal in mind when I start one of my little "research projects"... (re: the chickens, yes, I do have a plan, I just haven't been able to implement it (yet), but with other stuff... sometimes I get started just to have a new project to play with, but I don't always follow through or plan things out).
Hopefully this is enough for my first posting - we're getting perilously close to the point in the day where I have to wind things down...
Assignment number 1 (well, actually it's Thing 3): Set up your own blog and add your first post.
CHECK!
OK, I'm supposed to "talk" about which of the 7 1/2 habits I find easiest, and which is hardest for me... And for today, I'll behave myself and stay on topic.
Easiest: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner.
I KNOW I can learn new stuff - heck, as a general rule, I like learning new things (just ask anybody who works with me about the chickens!).
Hardest: Begin with the end in mind.
That's a challenge for me sometimes - I don't always have a distinct goal in mind when I start one of my little "research projects"... (re: the chickens, yes, I do have a plan, I just haven't been able to implement it (yet), but with other stuff... sometimes I get started just to have a new project to play with, but I don't always follow through or plan things out).
Hopefully this is enough for my first posting - we're getting perilously close to the point in the day where I have to wind things down...
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