I explored WebJunction in more detail today than I have before, and I am very impressed by all that there is to learn and do on this site. I see WJMN as a good place to share ideas with other MN library staffers and a GREAT place for those interested to get Certification - I really liked all the course work that was available for MN's Voluntary Certification.
I also found a lot of value in the calendar feature. It is really nice to have one place to look for many of the regional activities and programs happening around the state. It is very easy to see what's coming up, which is very helpful.
19 May 2009
Thing 45: Cloud Computing
My head is in the Clouds! OK, maybe just my computing is, but I do enjoy a variety of cloud computing options. I love my Google Docs, since I don't have to remember anything except my password when traveling without my laptop. I can access the same files at home and work as I can at my parent's home in Madison, WI, or in CA when visiting a friend. It also makes it very easy to get projects done since I don't have to make sure the computer I'm working on has Word.
I also use PayPal somewhat frequently - especially when paying for an online purchase from a vendor I'm not very familar with. I don't have to trust them with my credit card or bank information, but instead they only get a direct deposit from my PayPal account. This makes me feel more secure with my financial information.
I also use PayPal somewhat frequently - especially when paying for an online purchase from a vendor I'm not very familar with. I don't have to trust them with my credit card or bank information, but instead they only get a direct deposit from my PayPal account. This makes me feel more secure with my financial information.
Thing 44: The Economy
I have used/seen many of the websites in this "thing" already when I was looking for information on investing & saving for the Smart Investing @ Your Library grant I've been working on for the last year. Feed the Pig is one of my favorites since it is fun and has great interactivity. I particulary like the immediate feedback given by its different activities.
I have also used Gas Buddy in the past, and enjoyed it so much, I contributed to it for a while as well. I kept my eye out for gas prices & posted them to the site when they changed. Since moving to Rochester, I have fallen out of this habit since gas prices in this town are much more stable than in the Cities for some reason.
Craigslist is another popular site in my family. I have both sold and purchased things on the site, only not as much as my older sister. She is a Craigslist champion, and has saved tons of money by buying directly from other list users instead of visiting antique stores & paying their markups.
I have decided that anything worth buying is worth buying second hand. This is my frugal tip! Especially for "disposable" items like baby/children's clothing, toys & accessories that are only used for a brief period before they're outgrown. I have given many almost-new gifts I found at Savers and garage sales for friends & family, and also many items in my own home.
I have also used Gas Buddy in the past, and enjoyed it so much, I contributed to it for a while as well. I kept my eye out for gas prices & posted them to the site when they changed. Since moving to Rochester, I have fallen out of this habit since gas prices in this town are much more stable than in the Cities for some reason.
Craigslist is another popular site in my family. I have both sold and purchased things on the site, only not as much as my older sister. She is a Craigslist champion, and has saved tons of money by buying directly from other list users instead of visiting antique stores & paying their markups.
I have decided that anything worth buying is worth buying second hand. This is my frugal tip! Especially for "disposable" items like baby/children's clothing, toys & accessories that are only used for a brief period before they're outgrown. I have given many almost-new gifts I found at Savers and garage sales for friends & family, and also many items in my own home.
Thing 43: Online TV and Video
My husband & I finally learned about the power of Hulu this week from IMDB.com. We were looking at information on Michael York, and we noticed there was a film clip in his biography. Upon following this clip, we realized it was a full-length movie - The Last Remake of Beau Geste, a Marty Feldman film that we never would have discovered otherwise. The hubby hooked the laptop to the TV, and we watched it last night. It wasn't earth-shattering, but it was fun, and it opened the door for us to explore more online TV & video.
I am not sure that the ability to watch on-demand shows & movies will change my daily television viewing since the shows I like to watch are not available online yet, but it will add a bit of fun when nothing is on and we don't feel like going out and renting a movie. I don't see this kind of service replace broadcast or cable television, but I do see the possibility of Hulu & Joost to allow my family to lower our service package and watch more of these free shows. And I have the feeling with the ecomony as it is, we're not the only household that will do so. So this could have a big impact on the higher end cable & satellite packages.
I am not sure that the ability to watch on-demand shows & movies will change my daily television viewing since the shows I like to watch are not available online yet, but it will add a bit of fun when nothing is on and we don't feel like going out and renting a movie. I don't see this kind of service replace broadcast or cable television, but I do see the possibility of Hulu & Joost to allow my family to lower our service package and watch more of these free shows. And I have the feeling with the ecomony as it is, we're not the only household that will do so. So this could have a big impact on the higher end cable & satellite packages.
18 May 2009
Thing 42: Music 2.0
I’ve used Pandora quite a bit – it’s a wonderful service to add a bit of music to what can be a very quiet office. I really like the fact that I can select a band and a station will be created for me that allows me to listen to music like that artist plays. I have run into a slight glitch in the site for novelty music – like the stylings of Weird Al and other Dr. Demento stars - Pandora matches music only takes into consideration the overlying feel & theory behind their music, and doesn’t include the content/comedic aspects. Besides this completely understandable drawback, I really enjoy Pandora.
Another Internet radio site I’ve used quite a bit is 1.fm. You can listen to a wide variety of music with more traditional radio programming as its format. I particularly like the Flashback Alternatives station on 1.fm.
I do not believe that broadcast radio will be replaced by Internet radio – at least not for quiet a few years yet. There are too many places that do not offer wi-fi and not enough car stereos that allow you to tune in to Internet sites for radio.
Another Internet radio site I’ve used quite a bit is 1.fm. You can listen to a wide variety of music with more traditional radio programming as its format. I particularly like the Flashback Alternatives station on 1.fm.
I do not believe that broadcast radio will be replaced by Internet radio – at least not for quiet a few years yet. There are too many places that do not offer wi-fi and not enough car stereos that allow you to tune in to Internet sites for radio.
15 May 2009
Thing 41: Mashup Your Life
I took a look at both FriendFeed & LifeStream’s overviews, FAQs and other help files, but decided not to join either of them, nor any of the other aggregators listing in this thing. I have other aggregators, including an iGoogle account that I don’t check on a regular basis, so I do not want to set myself up for failure in keeping up with another one. My main problem with these kinds of websites is that I do not check them daily since I don’t have time…and my backlog builds daily until I find myself not reading any of them anyways, but just delete them instead.
13 May 2009
Thing 40: Mashup the Web
I took a look at Time Tube, Wheel of Lunch, & CrimeReports for this Thing, and really enjoyed exploring the first 2. They were fun and a very interesting and new way to look at videos of a given topic and area restaturants, respectively. I have the feeling I'll be going back to those 2 mashups over and over again. On the other hand, CrimeReports did not pull up ANY crimes for the last month in Rochester, MN, nor in Minneapolis - not even for moving violations. And for some reason, I don't quite believe that! I have the feeling that the database they pull from for the crimes is not longer available or changed in a way that the information isn't available. Which is a shame.
I was very hopeful for CrimeReporter to work, since I can see this being the most useful for use in the library of the mashups listed. The main purpose I'd see is for real estate research or similar studies. Helpful to househunters and the like.
I had fun playing with some of the mashup tools that were provided as well. I particularly liked the Phreetings, and can see library staff using it to send thank you emails to volunteers, program presenters, etc.
One of my favorite mashups that isn't listed it LOLWRUS. It allows you to search for friends Twitter feeds and once you pick 1 of their Tweets, it pulls up 6 random images from Flickr (usually with a cat in it!) that you can pair with the Tweet. Oh, and of course, it automatically "translates" their post into LOL-speak. Here's one I created this morning:
I was very hopeful for CrimeReporter to work, since I can see this being the most useful for use in the library of the mashups listed. The main purpose I'd see is for real estate research or similar studies. Helpful to househunters and the like.
I had fun playing with some of the mashup tools that were provided as well. I particularly liked the Phreetings, and can see library staff using it to send thank you emails to volunteers, program presenters, etc.
One of my favorite mashups that isn't listed it LOLWRUS. It allows you to search for friends Twitter feeds and once you pick 1 of their Tweets, it pulls up 6 random images from Flickr (usually with a cat in it!) that you can pair with the Tweet. Oh, and of course, it automatically "translates" their post into LOL-speak. Here's one I created this morning:
11 May 2009
Thing 39: Digital Storytelling
I am not a scrapbooker, but I can see the value in creating virtual scrapbook pages for a variety of library events & programs. This seems like a great way to share photos and informtion about goings on in your library. I used Smilebox to create my own mini scrapbook for Smart Investing @ Your Library library programs that I coordinated earlier this year. It worked well enough, but I'm not too fond of the ads and the need to download software onto my computer. You can see my results below!
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| Make a Smilebox scrapbook |
Thing 38: Screencasting
I have been creating screencasting video podcasts all this year as a part of SELCOtv using Adobe Captivate for the software. It is effective, but just like any other software, there are wrinkles and things that could be improved upon. The videos I've created are for librarian training purposes, and they are quite effective. The main issue I've encountered with them is needing an additional piece of software to convert the Captivate created file to a flash format that is uploadable to our hosting site: blip.tv. You can see all the episodes we've created for SELCOtv here.
Thing 37: Photo Tales
Animoto video featuring pictures from Christmas 2008.
This service was really easy to use to create this short video. I can see using this in a library setting - especially to highlight special programs or services. I can imagine a wonderful slide show using pics from a summer reading program or something similar. I am definately going to be sharing this video with my family, and can see doing more in the future.
08 May 2009
Thing 36: Comic Relief-Generate Some Fun
A Wordle for this blog: Click on it to see a larger version.
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On a bit more sinister note...I took a tweet from Ann Hutton and gave it a slightly creepy image at http://lolwr.us. You can see it at http://lolwr.us/view/759.
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Much more silly - from The Excuse-O-Mat - "I am consumed with guilt. You've reminded me-- oh, it gnaws at me in every waking moment-- that I have treated you as no decent human being would. It would be a mercy for you to never speak to me again. Say the word, and I will lick your boots in apology."
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I'm not sure that these fun generators have much use in the library. I can see a storytime talking about apologizing or making excuses giggling over the Excuse-O-Mat. It is clean, but quite nonsensical.
A generator I love is http://lolwr.us/. It takes your twitter posts (or your friends!) and give you 6 random Flickr images to pair the tweet with.
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On a bit more sinister note...I took a tweet from Ann Hutton and gave it a slightly creepy image at http://lolwr.us. You can see it at http://lolwr.us/view/759.
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Much more silly - from The Excuse-O-Mat - "I am consumed with guilt. You've reminded me-- oh, it gnaws at me in every waking moment-- that I have treated you as no decent human being would. It would be a mercy for you to never speak to me again. Say the word, and I will lick your boots in apology."
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I'm not sure that these fun generators have much use in the library. I can see a storytime talking about apologizing or making excuses giggling over the Excuse-O-Mat. It is clean, but quite nonsensical.
A generator I love is http://lolwr.us/. It takes your twitter posts (or your friends!) and give you 6 random Flickr images to pair the tweet with.
Thing 35: Books 2.0
We've come to an interesting crossroads for books and the internet. There are so many websites out there that help guide readers to books in a variety of ways.
I investigated BookCrossing and lib.rario.us for this "thing" and I think I'll be exploring lib.rario.us a lot more in the near future. I like the idea that I can catalog movies & music...along with books - and the website will sort them out so they're not all in one big list. The biggest downfall of lib.rario.us that I see right away is its small user base. There can't be a lot of networking if there aren't a lot of folks to network with.
I don't see myself using BookCrossing at all since it is so unlikely that people will take the time to input that they found my book if they do. It's a fun idea, but not very practical.
Websites for books like the ones discussed in this thing are just like any other kind of resource for literature...it will help readers if they're interested in pursuing and researching books that interest them, but only if they take the initiative to do so. The sites themselves do not have the ability to hamper or not the experience of reading. If nothing else, the enhance reading since they give many options for sharing a special book with others. I can see the value especially for those living in remote areas.
I investigated BookCrossing and lib.rario.us for this "thing" and I think I'll be exploring lib.rario.us a lot more in the near future. I like the idea that I can catalog movies & music...along with books - and the website will sort them out so they're not all in one big list. The biggest downfall of lib.rario.us that I see right away is its small user base. There can't be a lot of networking if there aren't a lot of folks to network with.
I don't see myself using BookCrossing at all since it is so unlikely that people will take the time to input that they found my book if they do. It's a fun idea, but not very practical.
Websites for books like the ones discussed in this thing are just like any other kind of resource for literature...it will help readers if they're interested in pursuing and researching books that interest them, but only if they take the initiative to do so. The sites themselves do not have the ability to hamper or not the experience of reading. If nothing else, the enhance reading since they give many options for sharing a special book with others. I can see the value especially for those living in remote areas.
27 April 2009
Thing 34 Is This Our Competition--Online Answer Sites
I just visited Snappyfingers, a site that puts FAQ questions & answers together & makes them available using a keyword search. This can be a very helpful place to go to get information on a variey of program/hardware specific questions - both by librarians and their patrons.
I've also visited Yahoo!'s answer site in the past, and found the ability for me to rate the answers given a nice feature.
I read the article on "lauren's library blog" on the future of the reference desk, and I must admit, I agree with most of the information she has mined from the articles she's read on the topic. There are many ways to provide reference services without a desk in the middle of the reference books. I have heard many good things that are happening in the "libraries" of SecondLife for reference. Web2.0 has many things that can be, and have been, adapted for librarians to use, so why not make use of them??
I really like the idea of Slam the Boards! I'll have to make a real effort to particpate in this effort. It is very important for reference librarians to be more vocal in their knowledge, & to promote their resources & services - I see this as a great way to do so!
I've also visited Yahoo!'s answer site in the past, and found the ability for me to rate the answers given a nice feature.
I read the article on "lauren's library blog" on the future of the reference desk, and I must admit, I agree with most of the information she has mined from the articles she's read on the topic. There are many ways to provide reference services without a desk in the middle of the reference books. I have heard many good things that are happening in the "libraries" of SecondLife for reference. Web2.0 has many things that can be, and have been, adapted for librarians to use, so why not make use of them??
I really like the idea of Slam the Boards! I'll have to make a real effort to particpate in this effort. It is very important for reference librarians to be more vocal in their knowledge, & to promote their resources & services - I see this as a great way to do so!
20 April 2009
Thing 33 - Travel 2.0
I took a look at a few of the "Travel 2.0" sites on this thing's article (TravelAdvisor, Wines & Times, Boo), and I didn't really learn/see anything I hadn't known before. I really do not see many applications for library use, except perhaps if patrons come in and need help planning a trip and they wish to use the internet to do so. But even this use is not a major one, since so many people already know about the many travel sites like Travelocity and Yahoo travel that also have reviews and other features these Travel 2.0 sites offer. So I really don't see the need for library staff to have a lot of knowledge and experience with them.
I can see the usefulness of some of these travel sites for people planning a trip, but the ones I looked at all had quirks. They quirkiness mostly comes from not being well known, and the reviews and ratings of hotels or attractions are very low. I looked up Washington D.C. on Boo.com and The White House as an attraction only had 3 people review their visit there. It is really hard to see the value of a place with only 3 ratings!
I can see the usefulness of some of these travel sites for people planning a trip, but the ones I looked at all had quirks. They quirkiness mostly comes from not being well known, and the reviews and ratings of hotels or attractions are very low. I looked up Washington D.C. on Boo.com and The White House as an attraction only had 3 people review their visit there. It is really hard to see the value of a place with only 3 ratings!
12 March 2009
10 March 2009
Thing 32: Google Maps & Mashups
View Larger Map
This is a Google Map of all the public libraries in the SELCO region. Interesting excercise, and I can see myself using these customized maps for road trips/vacations.
Thing 31: Twitter
Twitter is my friend. :) I really enjoy coming up with short little blurbs about what I'm doing, and seeing what my friends and co-workers come up with as well. All my twitter posts (from @rlgray) are automatically posted to my Facebook status, which shares my Twitterings with many more people than would otherwise see it.
I have added a Twitter Badge to the side of this blog to help anyone reading this to follow me. So please add me! :)
With working on this Thing, I have added a couple interesting people to follow including Darth Vader and the blue whale that is suspended from the ceiling at the Museum of Natural History in NYC. While neither of these 2 have anything to do with libraries, the whale is a great example of a way to use Twitter to promote your organization. The whale's "voice" is quite irreverent and fun. It's been discussing the band Phish the last couple of days in avery fun mnaner. I can see a library doing this with a mascot, special collection or art installation.
I see Twitter as a way to let people know what you (personally or organizationally) are doing in a fun and quick manner. It is a snapshot as opposed to a full blog post which could be considered a full slideshow or video.
I have added a Twitter Badge to the side of this blog to help anyone reading this to follow me. So please add me! :)
With working on this Thing, I have added a couple interesting people to follow including Darth Vader and the blue whale that is suspended from the ceiling at the Museum of Natural History in NYC. While neither of these 2 have anything to do with libraries, the whale is a great example of a way to use Twitter to promote your organization. The whale's "voice" is quite irreverent and fun. It's been discussing the band Phish the last couple of days in avery fun mnaner. I can see a library doing this with a mascot, special collection or art installation.
I see Twitter as a way to let people know what you (personally or organizationally) are doing in a fun and quick manner. It is a snapshot as opposed to a full blog post which could be considered a full slideshow or video.
04 March 2009
Thing #30 - More Uses of RSS and Delicious
I almost didn't do this thing since I have quite a bit of experience already in using RSS & Delicious. I created a video podcst that highlights additional uses of RSS feeds for a project at SELCO, and in it I included weather alerts, FeedReminders and the like (it hasn't been released yet). So much of this Thing was repeated inforamation for me.
That said, I had no idea about the Delicious badge I could add to my blog. So I added this to this blog's sidebar. I also tried adding this to my personal LiveJournal blog, but they do not offer HTML/Script sidebar widgets. :(
I have been pretty lax in keeping up with my RSS feeds since installing the web browser Flock, since I am able to go directly into my gmail emial account with a single click in Flock itself. I keep most of my RSS feeds in my Google Reader, so I have to make more of an effort in the future to go to Google's homepage more often to get my feeds.
That said, I had no idea about the Delicious badge I could add to my blog. So I added this to this blog's sidebar. I also tried adding this to my personal LiveJournal blog, but they do not offer HTML/Script sidebar widgets. :(
I have been pretty lax in keeping up with my RSS feeds since installing the web browser Flock, since I am able to go directly into my gmail emial account with a single click in Flock itself. I keep most of my RSS feeds in my Google Reader, so I have to make more of an effort in the future to go to Google's homepage more often to get my feeds.
27 February 2009
Thing 29 - Google tools
I love Google & the variety of applications they have developed over the years. They have taken the concept of a search engine to a whole new level with all the extras they've added.
I attended the Google tools session at MLA last year, so I had heard about a couple new products and add-ons they offer (like Google Notebook), and this Thing reminds me to check out all the new "toys" Google has been producing for us to use and to help people collaborate with friends, family & coworkers. I have already used the Google Docs for this purpose, and am also a Gmail user. (I love the layout and the combining of all the emails with the same Subject line - much easier to read and organize. Although this did take me a while to get used to it.)
I just downloaded the Google toolbar. Not sure how enamored I'll be of it, but I like the moon phase, "Today in History", National weather radars and cat clock widgets I've downloaded for so far. I'll post more on how this works with my work flow in the future...if I remember! :)
I glanced at the Google Sites application, but am unsure if I will ever use this kind of service. Then again, I can see this being really helpful for groups collaborating across distances, so I'll never say never on this one.
I can't wait to try out GOOG-411. The one question I have on it right now tho, is how do they pay for this service? A friend of mine mentioned that they might charge companies to be the top result like they do for their web search engine. I can see this being the case, so it will be something I'll take into consideration when using it.
I attended the Google tools session at MLA last year, so I had heard about a couple new products and add-ons they offer (like Google Notebook), and this Thing reminds me to check out all the new "toys" Google has been producing for us to use and to help people collaborate with friends, family & coworkers. I have already used the Google Docs for this purpose, and am also a Gmail user. (I love the layout and the combining of all the emails with the same Subject line - much easier to read and organize. Although this did take me a while to get used to it.)
I just downloaded the Google toolbar. Not sure how enamored I'll be of it, but I like the moon phase, "Today in History", National weather radars and cat clock widgets I've downloaded for so far. I'll post more on how this works with my work flow in the future...if I remember! :)
I glanced at the Google Sites application, but am unsure if I will ever use this kind of service. Then again, I can see this being really helpful for groups collaborating across distances, so I'll never say never on this one.
I can't wait to try out GOOG-411. The one question I have on it right now tho, is how do they pay for this service? A friend of mine mentioned that they might charge companies to be the top result like they do for their web search engine. I can see this being the case, so it will be something I'll take into consideration when using it.
20 February 2009
Thing 28 - Customized Web Pages
I have been using iGoogle for a couple years already, and really like its flexibility and usability. I have a variety of widgets I use - including a birthday reminder, CNN news feed, local weather and my Google Reader feed. While I have been getting out of the habit of viewing this personalized page every day (since I use the web browser Flock and can easily get into my Gmail account with 1 click), I do enjoy taking a gander at it every couple of days. I still add and subtract things from my iGoogle page, and have even used the tab feature they offer (I currently have 3 tabs), which makes it very easy to keep my widgets organized.
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