Thing 23 YouTube

YouTube ...a lot of fun. The site was easy to navigate. The features such as relevance, date added, number of times viewed were all very helpful. A good way to preview music and new artists.I can see using YouTube for instructional purposes on library websites.

Thing 22 Flickr fun....Flickr mashups

The mashup which I found interesting was Mappr. Mappr allows you to take Flickr images and paste them on a map. The Stamen Design Group,in 2004, started to collect images from Flickr and compare them to a U.S. Postal Service database of place names. Their collaborative ingenuity was centered around the idea of having a mapping of photos without having to depend on cameras which had GPS locators installed in them. This mashup has potential applications for tourism, and promotion of regional events etc.

Thing 21-Tags, tagging ..photosharing web sites.

Flickr and tags go together. Tags are important facet of this photo sharing web site. Flickr has features similar to online social networking sites.Tags have been a successful means by which groups have created galleries of images. Tags merge images and words. Sharing your digital photos online is a way to create collaborative communites in which numerous people can participate. Common interests bring people together online. In Flickr you can search through groups to meet people who have similar interests.

Thing 20 -Flickr

Flickr is an interesting photo sharing managment tool. I learned about tags,sets, and collections. The pictures I viewed were the tourist destination of Niagra Falls. The keyword Niagra Falls came up with 31,214 hits/results. The Flickr experience was enjoyable and I can see how it would come in handy when sharing photos with family and friends. The photo attached to this blog will orginate from the Blogger Photo Upload Tool. The "Snow Pup" picture to the right was taken by Jessica Burns.

Thing 19 - Web 2.0 Awards list findings

I viewed Farecast.com. I frequently book airline tickets online and I was interested in what this site has to offer the consumer. I liked the fact you could price compare from multiple airline sites. It was easy to navigate Farecast.com. The useful features on this site included (1)Know When To Buy:Airfare Predictions, (2) Top Airline Ticket Deals and, (3) Know When To Fly Travel Tools. The consumer could search flights for accurate airfare predictions. The predictions were indicated with arrows pointing up or down. An arrow pointing up means to buy the ticket now. An arrow pointing down indicated that you should wait to purchase your ticket. The Top Airline Ticket Deals gave the consumer the option to check various cities for the latest deals. And finally, Know When To Fly: Travel Tools displayed graphs which tracked departure dates and lowest fares. Many people use the public library Internet terminals to book their airline flights. Farecast.com is another tool the public could take advantage of when they are considering purchasing an airline ticket online.

Thing 18 -Thoughts on Technorati

I was blown away by all the features displayed on the Technorati homepage. I viewed a YouTube on Technorati. There were two versions of the the homepage a signed in version and a signed out version. I particularly liked the Discover Section which broke down the blogs into topic sections similar to what you would find in a newspaper.The topics included: news, enetertainment, life sports, business, tech, and most popular. It sort of reminded me of what USA Today did with the layout of their newspaper. I explored TechCrunch on Technorati.Next to the blog entry was an authority icon, favorite it icon and rank icon. the authority feature allows you to view blog reactions and the favorite it (heart icon) allows you to add it to your favorites. The related tags feature offered me another way to search. It is good to have a tool to track blogs and tags.

Thing 17 Tagging,Folksonomy,Del.icio.us

I can see the direct benefit of using Del.icio.us as a way to manage and categorize my bookmarks. I have seen tags on different blogs and started to follow the links. I like to see what descriptive words different users have come up with to tag various websites. Since I do use different computers for my job I appreciate the fact that I can access Del.icio.us on any terminal. I think for research assistance Del.icio.us would be valuable tool for gathering content information.

Thoughts on MySpace Thing 16

Wow....MySpace... Generally I see the reasoning behind having a MySpace account especially for teens and college students. I was surprised to read the adults are catching on to the whole social networking phenomena. Although after I thought about it this type of site would work well with different clubs etc., keeping in touch with people who have common interests or hobbies. The registration form for MySpace looked fairly straight forward. I tried to absorb all the technical points which the Discovery Exercises offered. There was information overload on all the different editing options you have at your fingertips to customize your page. I think the popularity of this page will grow and blend into different areas such as your school activities, work activites etc. I don't see a need to create a MySpace page at this time for myself.

411 on Social Networking (Thing 15)

Lets face it teens are on the web alot. Blogging, im, email, MySpace, Facebook, are just a few of the digital activities which teens are involved with on a daily basis. Teens enjoy connecting with their friends in a digital format. I think VBPL should use a social networking site to connect with teens. It is crucial to have a presence in this digital arena. The important thing is to make sure our information and input are relevant and that we are using the technology for the purpose in which it is designed. Our effectiveness in connecting with teens on the social networking sites is what really matters in the grand scheme of things. I think the Hennepin County Library MySpace profile is a good example of what VBPL should be striving to attain.

Thing 14 -VBPL Reader's Advisory Wiki

I found it very easy to add my comments to the VBPL Reader's Advisory wiki. It really helped that I had viewed the CommonCraft You Tube video on wikis. It was interesting to see what other staff members had listed as their favorite book. Other library groups can use wikis to collaborate on group projects. I can see wikis being utilized by book clubs, Friends of the Library, and the various library committees all of who seek collaborative input on their specific projects.

Wikis and Libraries

I enjoyed looking at all the various wikis. The ALA conference wiki was informative and easy to navigate. The wiki format works well with a conference as there are always last minute changes to a daily schedule of events. I think the pathfinder wiki would be an excellent tool to introduce new college freshman to their academic and specialized libraries on campus. In the public library setting the wiki could be utlized in the marketing of community programs and workshops. I can see the possibility of using a wiki for summer reading or teen gaming nights.The branch at which I work uses a wiki to keep track of display books which go out and which books don't circulate.

Instant Messaging and Reference @VBPL

Good news I was able to IM today as part of my discovery exercise. I had to wait a few minutes but the whole experience went rather well. I had done IM at home so I new what to expect. I like the features that Meebo offers especially the privacy protection. I asked a staff member from PA what her experiences were so far and she said that at this point she has not worked on a IM question. She is part time so the opportunity to do IM Reference comes up every few weeks. I think instant messaging and reference can be a good mix. People need to have patience while we work out the details of this new service.

Library related blogs and or news feeds

I found using keyword the easiest way of finding feeds. Technorati was the easiest search tool for finding RSS Feeds/Blogs. The most confusing search tool was Topix.net as I feel that the page was too cluttered and hard to navigate. In my RSS feeds seaching I discoverd feeds for consumer news from Pueblo,Colorado and the Mayo Clinic. The New York Public Library site has RSS feeds for classes,events, exhibitions, databases and indexes and best of the web.

IM and Libraries

Libraries should use IM because it is the the preferred method of communication for the populations libraries are striving to serve. The Pew report states "4 in ten online American IM."Also for the teens IMing has almost totally displaced email. Virtual reference services are a way to reach library users .Using IM can save the consumer precious time.
IM is different then traditional communication in number of ways such as: (1) IM is not limited to computers you can IM on a PDA or cell phone,(2) you have real time conversations with multiple friends,(3) you can add a webcam/live video to your IM converstion. According to a September 2004 study "How American Use Instant Messaging" by the Pew Internet and American Life Project 53 million adults send instant messages on a daily basis. The millennial generation has grown up using IM. Libraries need to embrace this technology keeping in mind the fact that a large portion of the popualtion choose to get their news, health information, banking, and shopping in this digital format.

RSS Feeds and Newsreaders

I really like the fast and timesaving options which the RSS feeds provide. I can go to Google Reader and read the new posts of the sites I have subscribed to. The whole experience keeps me more up to date. I have subscribed to Sara's Hold Shelf and I honestly learn quite a bit from that site alone. I will be able to use the RSS feeds for Reader's Advisory purposes as they expand my knowledge base in different genres. I can see a real advantage to using RSS feeds in keeping current with new material which is constantly being delivered on the web.Libraries can use RSS feeds to be continually updated from the vendors they use who provide books and electronic resources to the individual library sytems.

Thoughts on Library 2.0 ......

What does Library 2.0 mean to me....
The first thought which comes to mind is that I can use the new technology at my convenience.The advent of the Virtual Library gave the library users more options, flexibility in monitoring their account and a large selection of databases at their fingertips. I like the creativity and collaboration offered by the library. I talked to another staff member about how factual content in wikis can evaluated. The end result of that discussion was compare and contrast the information posted on the wiki with other electronic sites and print material. I cross check the information to see that the material presented is relevant.It is great to have choices in library services .

7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learning

7 1/2 habits lifelong learning habits

The habit I found the easiest was to accept responsibility for my own learning. I seek out various types of learning environments to keep it challenging. The hardest habit for me is to use technology to my advantage. I am constantly trying to use different types of technology. I find that I use some form of new technology every day either at home or at work.