Reflecting Pool

I have to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed the Web 2.0 experience, and I will definitely use some of the tools again -- both professionally and privately. I think my favorite learning experience was blogging -- I enjoyed both creating a blog (and customizing it from time to time) and posting to it, and can definitely see myself blogging in the future. I also found Flickr to be an excellent site and think that the concept of saving (and sharing) photos online is one whose time has definitely come.


It amazed me to see all the ways that people are using the internet to express and entertain themselves, communicate with each other, and put what they've learned to work. I appreciated the opportunity to explore at work, even though many weeks it was a struggle to carve out time to complete my "lessons." I do feel that this experience will benefit me and benefit our library's customers over time -- anything that gives me a broader knowledge-base is bound to come in handy working at the library!


I would definitely like to participate in this type of activity again -- something I would really like to see is a similar opportunity for us to explore all the databases and tools available on Sno-Isle's own website. We do receive updates on additions to the website, but often don't have the time to learn enough about them to provide maximum benefit to customers. It would be wonderful to have a structured program in place that would give us the time to explore all the tools available, particularly for those of us in smaller branches that do not have reference desks.

Gamegirl

I'm back from vacation and ready to pick up where I left off with Web 2.0, and this was the perfect exercise to ease me back in! I was surprised to see how many games were available that did not require a download -- as I've stated many times on my blog, that can be a problem for me with satellite internet at home. I spent a few minutes on Yahoo Games playing Wordsense, and I plan to explore the site further from home. It was also fun to check out the children's games -- many of our younger patrons spend time on the Webkinz site, and I'm sure they would enjoy some of these as well. I was especially excited to see the first journal entry from Diary of a Wimpy Kid online at Funbrain under the "Web Books & Comics" heading. The variety of games available online was a real eye-opener -- definitely something for everyone!

Me & My First Life

I admit that I did have a bit of fun creating my avatar, and I've added it to my "About Me" (right)...however, I find that I don't have enough time for my first life, let alone spending much time in a second one!

I can see the allure of this alternate universe -- I see it as an extension of the world my daughter has created for herself in "The Sims." It is fun to explore another life, especially one where you have much more control than you might in your "real" life. While I think it would be fun, I have so many things I want to do in this life that it just isn't something I see myself exploring further.

Flying to France

I had been on Google Earth awhile back, but hadn't loaded it on my new computer (another long, boring story involving my satellite high speed limitations), so this was great. I went to my house first, then flew from my house to my sister's house in France. Wow -- it really got me pumped up for next week, when I will be flying there for real!

Of course, there are endless possibilities for this type of tool, and some were mentioned in this week's lesson (travel planning, researching locations before a move, etc.). As a teacher, I can think of dozens of ways this could be used in the classroom. Having access to this type of technology could really bring social studies and history alive for students, and I'm sure it is doing the same for many library customers. Just another way for the library to bring the world to our patrons.

P.S. My postings are out of order because when I went to create my avatar for last week's lesson, Meez.com was down for an upgrade. You will meet my virtual self next time!

Handy Dandy Web Apps

I really like having the option to use these web applications. Having your documents available from any computer is such a practical idea -- I can see many uses for this type of tool. Think of all the time saved when working collaboratively on a document! This would have been a real time-saver when I was getting my teaching certificate -- every course required group projects and these web applications would have made that whole process so much easier. I will definitely keep them in mind for future group projects.

(This post was created and published using ZohoWriter.)

Gentlemen, Search Your Engines!

Yes, I always use Google. It was good for me to break out of my box and try these different search engines. The first search I did was for an item I want to purchase for a program craft project. Each search engine gave me the same sites. More importantly, they each also gave me the article whose link I have provided below:

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/pipe_cleaners_googly_eyes_cut_from

As much as I would love a search engine that only gave me exactly what I thought I wanted, I'm kind of glad that they still lead me to things I wasn't looking for, but nontheless enjoy immensely (see article above).

I tried another search for a different type of site -- I am looking for sites that have good databases of genre fiction. For this search, Rollyo gave me the best results, although I must confess that I was rooting for Mamma simply because of its complete name, Mamma: The Mother of All Search Engines. You've gotta love it. :)

Attack of the Killer Podcasts

The only podcasts I had listened to before this lesson were our own Sno-Isle online story podcasts performed by my fellow children's services staffers. (If you haven't heard any of these, be sure to check them out on our website -- they are wonderful!) I quite enjoyed them, so I was looking forward to exploring the whole wide world of podcasts. I subscribed to the Pierce County Library's book review podcast and Nancy Keene's Booktalks Quick & Simple podcast, as well as a movie review podcast called Filmspotting that I found through Podcast Alley.

I was very impressed with the number and breadth of the podcast selections -- you could subscribe to podcasts for every possible interest, if you had the time and the inclination to listen to all of them! I like that the Pierce County Library's book review podcast was mostly nonfiction -- I will have to look for a children's book review podcast. The booktalks podcast was very helpful (I had actually visited this site before, but hadn't listened to the podcasts). All in all, there are many opportunities out there for libraries and booklovers alike to take advantage of podcasting.

"Get Out of Work Free" Card

These online image generators are quite fun, and I truly felt like I was slacking as I explored them. I did have a little trouble when I tried to do a magazine cover, but the Monopoly Card Generator worked fine, as did the License Plate Generator (see at right). I can envision many ways I could use this in the library -- particularly for displays and children's programs.

OverDrive Overload

BACKSTORY: I looked to OverDrive from home several months ago for an audiobook title that Sno-Isle owns only on cassette (Going Solo by Roald Dahl). Even though I wasn’t really looking forward to copying an audiobook to CD to listen to in my car, I was happy to find the title available through OverDrive. My happiness was short-lived, however, as I found this particular title was not available for copying to CD -- I would have to listen to the download on my computer. I don’t know about anyone else, but the thought of listening to an entire audiobook on my computer does not appeal to me. I listen to audiobooks while I am driving. If I am able to sit at my computer, then I am also able to sit in a chair and pick up a book. (Turns out the Dahl title is not available on CD to purchase, either – so much for putting in a staff request...)

TODAY: Despite my misgivings, I tried to approach today's assignment without my baggage (see previous paragraph). I downloaded the OverDrive console, updated Windows Media Player, and then attempted to do the security upgrade. Unfortunately, I got an error message stating that a problem had occurred in retrieving the digital rights management machine identification and I was directed to contact Microsoft support. I went to Microsoft's help and support site for Windows Media Player. While I learned a little bit more about digital rights management, I was not able to find a solution to my particular problem. It looks like I will have to look for help elsewhere, so I will talk to my one of my coworkers about the issue when the opportunity presents itself.

In the meantime, I did explore the digital collection and went so far as to put one audio title on hold and checked out another "always available" title (which I was unable to download due to the issues described above -- got a very similar DRM message since I hadn't done the security upgrade). Question: If there are no holds on a title, why didn't I get an immediate e-mail stating that I could check out the title I put on hold? I found this frustrating. On the other hand, I did like that I could preview the audio before putting titles in my cart, because as anyone who has listed to audiobooks knows, the reader makes all the difference. You can have a great book, but if the reader's voice grates on your nerves, there is no way you are going to listen to 10+ hours of it!

Overall, I think that I might use OverDrive more if I owned a MP3 player. I was pleased to see a lot of classic titles (Austen, Dickens, etc.) in the "Always Available" section -- this could be very useful for those teens who wait until the last minute to find a book on their reading list!

Del.icio.us? Molto Delizioso!

Another valuable tool for my organizational toolbox. Just the other day I had a patron who wanted to know how to clear out his browser "favorites" because they had become so numerous that they were virtually useless to him. We bookmark so many things that we need bookmarks for our bookmarks (!), and that is exactly what del.icio.us and the other social bookmarking sites seem to be. I particularly like the idea of seeing how popular a site is with like-minded individuals -- in this way I can narrow down my selections, much the way I would choose amongst similar YouTube videos (the one with the most viewings is usually the best version).

This is a great alternative to Google, because the tags can really narrow your search and you can take advantage of other people's research without getting so many irrelevant hits. Why reinvent the wheel? As one of the tutorial videos stated, there is so much information out there on the web that tools like this allow you to make much more efficient use of your time. For example, the Sno-Isle 20 for 2.0 del.icio.us page is great -- all of the links in one easily accessible place. Bravissimo!

Here is a link to my del.icio.us account: http://del.icio.us/lbakker

Wikimania

I had no idea of all the uses for wikis! (To be honest, I wasn't even sure what a wiki was, although I have used Wikipedia many times.) I knew how Wikipedia worked, but haven't ever edited a page -- or even been tempted to -- so I really appreciated the Common Craft video explanation. Taking a look at different library wikis enlightened me to the possibilities -- I especially liked the "booklovers" and "best practices" wikis. I found some very useful guidelines for weeding, something that has been on my mind with the WIF data collection phase recently completed.

As for library use, my thoughts immediately went to several ways I could use wikis in my own job. They would a wonderful way to plan/coordinate a meeting or a series of circuit programs. Everything from selecting a viable date to setting an agenda could be accomplished, much the way the camping trip was planned in the video. Having gone the e-mail route, I can see where this would be much more efficient -- no more "searching" my e-mail to find that crucial bit of info!

A final note: I was fascinated by the transcript of the "Where do they find the time?" speech and forwarded the link to friends and family. I'll never watch another Law & Order rerun with a clear conscience again!

YouTube Nation

I have used YouTube before (in fact, I embedded a video in my blog a couple of weeks ago), so I was familiar with the site. I looked up library related videos and found a video of Tim Noah performing at the Lynnwood Library (!), as well as some comedy videos (a library workout video circa 1987, "The Adventures of Super Librarian," "Ninja Librarian," etc.).

On Hulu and Fancast, I found many videos that I would watch, both clips and full episodes. It would be nice to watch something I missed (e.g. a clip from the Saturday Night Live episode Christopher Walken hosted a few weeks ago -- love him but fell asleep halfway through the show) or an older show that I loved and haven't seen available on DVD (Remington Steele, St. Elsewhere). My problem is that while I do have high speed at home, it is satellite high speed. My satellite high speed puts a limit on how much you can download and upload every month. If you reach the limit (which we often do, with two teens in the house!), your connection is slowed WAAAYY down until you are back to 70% of your limit. Extremely annoying, especially since it isn't a cheap service to begin with, but since it is the only high speed available where I live, I have to deal with it. So I wouldn't be watching entire episodes or movies online.

Libraries could use these sites to help patrons find video content they can't find anywhere else. In addition to popular shows, it would be a good place to find videos of news events you may have missed. For example, you could watch a political speech or debate that you missed, or some news coverage of a topic that interests you. They could also be used to advertise library services or programs, if you sent a YouTube link to a mailing list of interested patrons.

(I am not going to embed a video in this post, since I already embedded one as a feature on my blog. I called it "Art Class.")

A Scanner Not-So-Darkly

I decided to visit LibraryThing before logging off tonight. This is the site I have been dreaming of! The most exciting thing (to me, anyway) is that I can create a home library catalog. I looked into buying some home software to do this a few years ago, but the time involved was so daunting (I have thousands of books) that it became a "someday" project. Well, LibraryThing not only catalogs your books, it offers a cheap ($15) bar code scanner to make it faster. It plugs into a USB port and scans the universal bar code on the book jacket/cover. For $10 you can enter as many books as you want in a year; for $25 you're a lifetime member. Sign me up!

Antisocial Networks

Since I am very familiar with MySpace and its features from spending time visiting the pages of my kids and their friends (I don't have my own page), I decided to create a Facebook account instead. I can see how its streamlined content and features would appeal to an older crowd than MySpace, but I have to say that I didn't think it was as much fun to view. I don't see myself using a social networking site at this point in my life (I can't keep up with the relationships I already have!), but I think is a wonderful resource for people who are. Just call me antisocial...

I also checked out GoodReads, the electronic version of my trusty old reading journal. I like how you can organize the books you've read, those you'd like to read, and even add your own reviews. I can also see its possibilities for sharing books you like with friends (library patrons?) through its social networking element. It would be fun to enter the contents of my journal, but even more fun to spend the time reading another book or two!

Mariner Family

MarinerFamily
Originally uploaded by bookgirl84

Okay -- here is a photo from my Flickr account. I had to create a Yahoo account to create a Flickr account. Then I uploaded the photo and added tags. So far, so good. Then it got tricky. While trying to allow Flickr access to my Blogger blog, I had to sign into Google. I signed into the wrong Gmail account (somehow I have 2!), so at first it said I didn't have a blog. I started to panic, then realized my blog is associated with my OTHER account. Everything went smoothly from that point on.

(BTW -- This is me and my family at a Mariners/Angels game at SAFECO last Saturday night.)

A whole new (musical) world...

Wow! I visited Pandora and Finetune and played around for awhile before deciding that Finetune was for me. I liked the layout and wanted to embed my playlist on my blog. I created a playlist (using the "I'm Lazy" button for part of it to save time -- I can "finetune" later), then followed the directions to embed the playlist in my blog. It was very easy and fun. Now I understand why my kids always have music playing while they are online -- it adds a whole new dimension that is tailored specifically for you. I will definitely be exploring these sites more on my own time.

RSS - I like the "real simple" part...

My guess before this lesson had at least one "S" Standing for "streaming," but now I know better. In my opinion, one of the benefits of RSS feeds is that instead of signing up for e-mail alerts from websites I visit (and cluttering up my inbox) I can just sign up for the feeds and have all updates in one place (my feed reader) -- one stop shopping, so to speak.

Libraries could use this feature in the same way individuals do -- to keep up with the latest news on topics of interest. They could also produce their own feeds to let patrons know the latest news (programs, new services) available at their branches.

Instant Messenger Maven

Just finished my first IM session. I did have an IM conversation with a friend MANY years ago on AOL, and I have responded (MSN) to several of my kids' friends over the years when I was on the computer and the friends thought I was one of my kids. (I did identify myself and didn't try to pass myself off as someone else!) This experience was fine and nothing really surprised me about it, but I think at this point I still prefer e-mail for work related communication. E-mail lets you communicate on your own timetable, which I find helpful, as my schedule is very fluid. But I think IMing would be fun for casual conversation with friends and relatives as an alternative to a phone call.

Customizing...

Okay, I did not get to IM today, because no one was available to chat with me (I will take care of this later in the week). But after visiting some other blogs, I realized that I desperately needed to improve the look of mine in case I EVER have a visitor. I figured out how to add pictures and text, and my daughter helped me with HTML code to arrange my content. So I'm learning -- and having fun in the process!

Mystery solved!

I found that the reason my blog was not listed was because I hadn't sent the link to the Web 2.0 team (duh)! That done, now I can move on to my next assignment: instant messaging. I have done this before, but it has been awhile, so I am looking forward to an IM refresher. My next posting will be my thoughts on that process -- I'm sure you just can't wait...

Checking in...

Having a little trouble this AM...I'm supposed to read some other employee's blogs (and I have), but I noticed that MY blog is not listed as a selection. Not sure what that means, but I may need to take some time to find out. No one is missing anything by NOT reading my blog -- at this point it is more a tool for learning than it is a legitimate blog. I can see myself creating a blog in the true sense of the word at some point, but this is not it! I am especially enjoying blogs with book and movie recommendations, and would like to do something along those lines...eventually...

Ready to blog!

Well, I have created my blog -- the problem now is deciding what I want to say! My first thought is that my daughter (15) and I can have a new bonding experience -- she is is very into web design and I am sure she will be happy to help me customize my blog. I must say that this first step was easier than I thought it would be, and I am looking forward to my next assignment.