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.
27 February 2009
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.
19 February 2009
Thing 27 - Twitter
I'm a very regular twitter-er already, so for this Thing I simply added a twitter widget to this blog so all my visitors can see my last 5 tweets. I usually use twhirl so I can upload what I'm up to straight from my desktop instead of having to login to a website.
One of my favorite tweets that I follow is the NatHistoryWhale. The "author" of this feed is the blue whale that hangs from the ceiling at the Natural History Museum in New York City. He has just started posting again after being silent for a while, and he posts quirky things like this one from yesterday: "Everyone's talking about how it's snowing outside. Hello? Why isn't anyone talking about the 21,000-pound whale in the room?" If you reply to his comments, you are almost guarenteed to get a reply, which is fun too.
I actaully have 2 twitter accounts, my personal one, and one for my work at SELCO. SELCOtv is a podcast project we are working on, and to help promote it, we have SELCOtv on twitter. Please follow it and find out our latest video podcast episodes! I think this is a great use of this kind of Web 2.0 tool, and a quick and easy way for libraries to share with their patrons what is happening in the library.
One of my favorite tweets that I follow is the NatHistoryWhale. The "author" of this feed is the blue whale that hangs from the ceiling at the Natural History Museum in New York City. He has just started posting again after being silent for a while, and he posts quirky things like this one from yesterday: "Everyone's talking about how it's snowing outside. Hello? Why isn't anyone talking about the 21,000-pound whale in the room?" If you reply to his comments, you are almost guarenteed to get a reply, which is fun too.
I actaully have 2 twitter accounts, my personal one, and one for my work at SELCO. SELCOtv is a podcast project we are working on, and to help promote it, we have SELCOtv on twitter. Please follow it and find out our latest video podcast episodes! I think this is a great use of this kind of Web 2.0 tool, and a quick and easy way for libraries to share with their patrons what is happening in the library.
05 February 2009
Thing 26 - Ning
I just joined Ning today during round 2 of 23 things. I think I have used it before when this site was first launched, since it looks familiar, but I stopped since I was able to get a very similar feeling of community with mySpace & facebook. I do not plan to join any more communities on Ning, because I already use a lot of other social networking sites & barely have time for them as it is.
I think Ning could be a great networking tool, especially for newcomers to library work (or in other fields as well for that matter!). I do not see myself using it now for the same reason I didn't really key into it earlier. I just have too many other websites I connect to librarians, friends and family that I do not see a personal need for Ning.
I think Ning could be a great networking tool, especially for newcomers to library work (or in other fields as well for that matter!). I do not see myself using it now for the same reason I didn't really key into it earlier. I just have too many other websites I connect to librarians, friends and family that I do not see a personal need for Ning.
28 January 2009
Baby born in the library
The Denver Library has a newborn patron. An baby girl was born there on January 27. Read the news article here. Good thing a library was right there for her! I just hope the baby girl doesn't get stuck with a name like 'Dewey'.
Thing 25: Bloggers' Toolkit
I had a lot of fun in poking around the various tool and toys in this thing this afternoon. I added two widgets to this blog; one looks at where visitors to the blog are from, and the other lets visitors see places around the world in real time. I figure they go well together! I would have liked it better for the Clustrmap to have the option of showing a more compressed area (like the Midwest, or even just MN), since I don't expect anyone from outside the region to come a visiting.
I looked at a couple other options like games and countdowns, but I didn't see them as being good choices for a mostly professional blog. That said, I may go back and add a couple of them to a personal blog sometime in the future. Other gadgets, like the frog that climbs the area given to the widget, are just plain silly. I would have liked to add a widget that featured leadership quotes since I'm active in MILE, but it had a script error and is not functional.
I poked around quite a bit when looking at these different tools. I'd say all told I spent about an 75 minutes on this thing. And I don't see it as a waste of time at all. Very good things to learn more about!
I looked at a couple other options like games and countdowns, but I didn't see them as being good choices for a mostly professional blog. That said, I may go back and add a couple of them to a personal blog sometime in the future. Other gadgets, like the frog that climbs the area given to the widget, are just plain silly. I would have liked to add a widget that featured leadership quotes since I'm active in MILE, but it had a script error and is not functional.
I poked around quite a bit when looking at these different tools. I'd say all told I spent about an 75 minutes on this thing. And I don't see it as a waste of time at all. Very good things to learn more about!
22 January 2009
Thing 24: Refresh Your Blog
I am starting the newest 23 things on a stick with this post. I really enjoyed playing with all the Web 2.0 tools last spring, & expect the same enjoyment with this round.
I was going to go crazy and give this blog a more custom look, but I could not get the third-party template I was interested in to work. There were tags that were not closed in its coding. Bummer! So I chose this lovely lighthouse template from the Blogger options. It's not quite as jazzy as the bright pink flower I chose, but it is pretty all the same.
I also uploaded a new avatar. She is fun & spunky, which is pretty much how I feel about myself most of the time. :)
I have not done much professional blogging here since completing the last 23 things, and for that I am sorry. I had such high expectations of having a high-quality, relavant library blog... I hope this time I'll do better! Maybe I should put it on my calendar each week to post something...not a bad idea actually. (Note to self: do this!) I also have a personal blog that I have been a bit better in keeping up-to-date. But lately even this has suffered. I'll work on doing more blogging period this year! Talk about a New Year's Resolution!
I do read a fair number of library blogs including:
I was going to go crazy and give this blog a more custom look, but I could not get the third-party template I was interested in to work. There were tags that were not closed in its coding. Bummer! So I chose this lovely lighthouse template from the Blogger options. It's not quite as jazzy as the bright pink flower I chose, but it is pretty all the same.
I also uploaded a new avatar. She is fun & spunky, which is pretty much how I feel about myself most of the time. :)
I have not done much professional blogging here since completing the last 23 things, and for that I am sorry. I had such high expectations of having a high-quality, relavant library blog... I hope this time I'll do better! Maybe I should put it on my calendar each week to post something...not a bad idea actually. (Note to self: do this!) I also have a personal blog that I have been a bit better in keeping up-to-date. But lately even this has suffered. I'll work on doing more blogging period this year! Talk about a New Year's Resolution!
I do read a fair number of library blogs including:
I don't normally leave comments, but I do enjoy keeping up with what is happening in the library world.
10 October 2008
Leave it to Colbert!
I never knew public libraries were communistic. It's a good thing to be so educated about my own profession!
05 June 2008
Lists
I have never been a big fan of making lists of things that need doing and checking things off when they are completed...until recently. I have created a to-do list for the Smart Investing project I'm working on to help keep track of all the little details that need to be looked at and/or completed. It is really helping me get things done and remember what still needs to be done.
The main reason I'm finding it to be so helpful, is that there are 8-9 different parts of my job that I'm working on at once. And each part (webpage development, promotions, library programs, etc.) has many tasks associated with it. I was going to learn how to use some project management software to help track all these subtasks, but didn't want to spend the time to do so. This list is much easier to use, & I'm able to update it at will.
One thing I have learned to do since creating it initially - do not delete things when they're done. Instead I'm striking them out to show completion. This way, I will still have a record of everything I've done for this grant to make the final report easier to write. Thank you Amy for this idea!!
The main reason I'm finding it to be so helpful, is that there are 8-9 different parts of my job that I'm working on at once. And each part (webpage development, promotions, library programs, etc.) has many tasks associated with it. I was going to learn how to use some project management software to help track all these subtasks, but didn't want to spend the time to do so. This list is much easier to use, & I'm able to update it at will.
One thing I have learned to do since creating it initially - do not delete things when they're done. Instead I'm striking them out to show completion. This way, I will still have a record of everything I've done for this grant to make the final report easier to write. Thank you Amy for this idea!!
21 May 2008
Less & less privacy
I just read a very interesting article from Top Tech News - "New Web Sites Make It Easier to Spy on Friends" by Vauhini Vara. I recommend it to everyone who spends time on the internet (that means everyone reading this post!), since it really opened my eyes to how much people can find out about you for free online. It definitely proves that you are not anonymous online like many thought in the late 90s when I worked at an ISP.
The article goes into detail about some websites that allow people to search the dark recesses of the internet - the areas that don't necessarily come up in a simple Google or Yahoo search. Of course, the information this article talks about people being able to search is all in the public domain, but it still raises warning flags to me about my own personal privacy. I have come to the conclusion that there really is no such thing as privacy in the 21st Century - especially when it comes to your interactions on the internet.
One specific search engine is mentioned in the article that allows you to enter anyone's street address and find out if that person has donated to any political campaigns. While this may be information in the public domain, it makes me a bit mroe leery of donating to any campaigns. Can you imagine a possible employer looking at this search engine (that allows you to look at contributions from 2004 & 2008 presidential campaigns) and deciding they don't like my political views so they pass over me for the position? Ack! No good in my book.
There is such a thing as too much transparency. And I've now found it.
The article goes into detail about some websites that allow people to search the dark recesses of the internet - the areas that don't necessarily come up in a simple Google or Yahoo search. Of course, the information this article talks about people being able to search is all in the public domain, but it still raises warning flags to me about my own personal privacy. I have come to the conclusion that there really is no such thing as privacy in the 21st Century - especially when it comes to your interactions on the internet.
One specific search engine is mentioned in the article that allows you to enter anyone's street address and find out if that person has donated to any political campaigns. While this may be information in the public domain, it makes me a bit mroe leery of donating to any campaigns. Can you imagine a possible employer looking at this search engine (that allows you to look at contributions from 2004 & 2008 presidential campaigns) and deciding they don't like my political views so they pass over me for the position? Ack! No good in my book.
There is such a thing as too much transparency. And I've now found it.
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