Well, here I am at the end of 23 Things.
It's been fun, and I definitely learned more than I expected to at the start. I really liked Flickr, and will definitely explore it for pictures in the future. Library Thing is fun and addictive. I also love the idea of doing more with wikis in the workplace--the library could really benefit from these, I think. And Digg.com, the site I explored for Web 2.0, is one I will definitely revisit.
While doing my 23 Things, I also learned how to create hyperlinks and embed video into my blog, two things I've always been curious about. While 23 Things didn't teach me these "things" directly, the program gave me the motivation to set up a blog and begin my own learning process, which is perhaps most valuable of all. Thanks to 23 Things, I'm seriously considering setting up a blog or livejournal account in the future--something I'd never thought I'd say (err, type.)
Thanks 23 Things! It's been fun!
Monday, November 26, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Week Nine, Thing 22: Audiobooks
I have used NetLibrary before to help customers, so I'm already a little familiar with it. I think it's easy to search for titles; however, I've found most audiobook downloading sites have extremely complicated instructions for downloading the software--and this is all before you can even get the book. I know this is for copyright protection, but it does make the process off-putting to many users. I think Project Gutenberg is less intimidating to new users, even though it has less material.
Downloading books is certainly a neat idea though, especially in this new ipod generation. I've never been a big fan of listening to books in general, but these days it's easier than ever thanks to equipment that can travel with you anywhere.
I am a big fan of ebooks, and that's one thing I did look at on the Project Gutenberg site. I've already read a few books this way (as an English major in college I often had to read books with expired copyright) and I've found it very useful. I also like the ad-free format of Project Gutenberg; it's very refreshing.
Downloading books is certainly a neat idea though, especially in this new ipod generation. I've never been a big fan of listening to books in general, but these days it's easier than ever thanks to equipment that can travel with you anywhere.
I am a big fan of ebooks, and that's one thing I did look at on the Project Gutenberg site. I've already read a few books this way (as an English major in college I often had to read books with expired copyright) and I've found it very useful. I also like the ad-free format of Project Gutenberg; it's very refreshing.
Week Nine, Thing 21: Podcasts
I can't believe the creators of 23 Things were cool enough to have Ask A Ninja explain podcasts. They win like, a billion awesome points for that.
So of course my first thought was to find Ask A Ninja podcasts to add to my RSS feeds, but alas, he is only available via itunes. Oh well.
I found another podcast, Film Talk, where a couple of movie reviewers argue about different titles. It's fairly interesting, but like RSS feeds in general, isn't really what I'm looking for. I can definitely see the appeal of podcasts, but again, I'd rather go to the source myself than have it thrust upon me via a subscription.
So of course my first thought was to find Ask A Ninja podcasts to add to my RSS feeds, but alas, he is only available via itunes. Oh well.
I found another podcast, Film Talk, where a couple of movie reviewers argue about different titles. It's fairly interesting, but like RSS feeds in general, isn't really what I'm looking for. I can definitely see the appeal of podcasts, but again, I'd rather go to the source myself than have it thrust upon me via a subscription.
Week Nine, Thing 20: YouTube
Yay! Finally something on the list that I'm already more than familiar with. I've already gushed about youtube in many of my other posts, so I probably don't need to say much here. But really, where else can you go to see crazy, foreign language versions of your favorite children's tv shows? Or an old music video you once loved but nearly forgot about? Or what about that funny, viral video everyone has been talking about? Don't get left out--get YouTube!
All that's left is my video, so here's my current obsession:
Everyone who's ever owned a cat NEEDS to watch this.
All that's left is my video, so here's my current obsession:
Everyone who's ever owned a cat NEEDS to watch this.
Week Eight, Thing 19: Web 2.0
For my Web 2.0 exploration, I decided to look at Digg.com. It's a site I've known about for a while, mostly because people mentioned "digging" articles I'd found and liked. When I saw it listed on the Web 2.0 awards, I decided it was time to have a look.
I can honestly say that Digg.com is the first new site I've found so far that I might incorporate into my daily reading. It's a collection of articles and videos submitted by users. These items go into the "upcoming" category where people can look at them and choose to "digg" them. If they get enough digs, they become "popular" and go to the main page. The site even has the items broken up into categories like "news," "entertainment," and my personal favorite "comedy videos."
This site is great. It's almost like youtube, only it's guaranteed to be only videos that people have liked, bypassing all the junk you often have to sift through on that site. Searching by category also guarantees that you only find what's relevant to you.
I also like the idea that I could have the chance to "vote" for articles I enjoy from my favorite websites. This aspect of sharing and promoting what I enjoy is, to me, the best part of Web 2.0.
I can honestly say that Digg.com is the first new site I've found so far that I might incorporate into my daily reading. It's a collection of articles and videos submitted by users. These items go into the "upcoming" category where people can look at them and choose to "digg" them. If they get enough digs, they become "popular" and go to the main page. The site even has the items broken up into categories like "news," "entertainment," and my personal favorite "comedy videos."
This site is great. It's almost like youtube, only it's guaranteed to be only videos that people have liked, bypassing all the junk you often have to sift through on that site. Searching by category also guarantees that you only find what's relevant to you.
I also like the idea that I could have the chance to "vote" for articles I enjoy from my favorite websites. This aspect of sharing and promoting what I enjoy is, to me, the best part of Web 2.0.
Week Eight, Thing 18: Google Docs
Since I already have a google account, it made sense to take a look at Google Docs. This is something we're already using at work, so I was interested to learn more about it.
I think it's a great idea, and it seems so obvious it's hard to believe it hasn't already been done. My normal method for transferring documents between computers is to send them to myself as an email attachment. Google dos just cuts a step out of this process and makes everything more convenient. I love it!
The only potential downside I see is the loss of an internet connection destroying your work when you try to save. However, the fact that Google will autosave it every few minutes helps with that as well.
I think it's a great idea, and it seems so obvious it's hard to believe it hasn't already been done. My normal method for transferring documents between computers is to send them to myself as an email attachment. Google dos just cuts a step out of this process and makes everything more convenient. I love it!
The only potential downside I see is the loss of an internet connection destroying your work when you try to save. However, the fact that Google will autosave it every few minutes helps with that as well.
Week Seven, Thing 17: Sandbox Wiki
The Sandbox wiki seems like a great idea as a wiki training ground. It's a nice, informal environment where people can learn to post without worrying about too many people seeing it. That being said, I wish it were formatted so that people could group their posts by topic instead of in a big list. I guess that's stuff for the advanced course, though.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Week Seven, Thing 16: Wikis
Let me go ahead and say it: I LOVE WIKIPEDIA!!
I know, I know--Wikipedia should never be a cited source in an academic paper, nor should it be the first place you turn if you are looking for authoritative information on a given subject.
However, the wonderful thing about Wikipedia (and wikis in general) is that the information is written by people who are passionate about their subject. Everything on Wikipedia is researched, written, and organized by people who simply want to share what they know with others. I find that amazing. Taken with the requisite grain of salt, Wikipedia can be a goldmine of information on every subject you can think of (and tons you can't.) Anything you want to know is a click away--history, pop culture, science, literature. Even better, many keywords are hyperlinked, so you can literally follow those threads along the site for hours.
Done gushing about Wikipedia now, I promise.
I found all the wikis listed under the discovery exercise to be wonderful as well. I'd love it if our library could have something like SJCPL's subject guides, which is almost like a FAQ in the amount of ground it covers. It strikes me as a wonderful way for customers to get their questions answered, with helpful links for them to follow as well. I also liked the booklover's wiki. Having something like this would be a great way for customers to interact with us and each other, as well as create browsing lists of titles for them to look through--after all, how many customers wish we had something like that for DVDs? This would be a great start.
I know, I know--Wikipedia should never be a cited source in an academic paper, nor should it be the first place you turn if you are looking for authoritative information on a given subject.
However, the wonderful thing about Wikipedia (and wikis in general) is that the information is written by people who are passionate about their subject. Everything on Wikipedia is researched, written, and organized by people who simply want to share what they know with others. I find that amazing. Taken with the requisite grain of salt, Wikipedia can be a goldmine of information on every subject you can think of (and tons you can't.) Anything you want to know is a click away--history, pop culture, science, literature. Even better, many keywords are hyperlinked, so you can literally follow those threads along the site for hours.
Done gushing about Wikipedia now, I promise.
I found all the wikis listed under the discovery exercise to be wonderful as well. I'd love it if our library could have something like SJCPL's subject guides, which is almost like a FAQ in the amount of ground it covers. It strikes me as a wonderful way for customers to get their questions answered, with helpful links for them to follow as well. I also liked the booklover's wiki. Having something like this would be a great way for customers to interact with us and each other, as well as create browsing lists of titles for them to look through--after all, how many customers wish we had something like that for DVDs? This would be a great start.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Week Six, Thing 15: Library 2.0
It was interesting to read about the way Web 2.0 is changing the nature of library service. It's something I've been hearing about for years, so many of the ideas weren't new to me.
One interesting new idea I came across was an interactive library catalogue. I think it's a great idea to let customers "tag" our books or maybe write their own reviews. We could also have something like amazon's "list" feature so customers could share their favorite books with each other. Librarians could also have their own lists, and maybe we could have blogs on our website so customers could see what we're currently reading. It'd be a new way to bring people together and connect them to the library at the same time.
Overall, I think the library has done amazing things with new technologies to expand and improve our services to the community. Still, it's an uphill battle to get the word out to people about all we can do for them. So many people are surprised (and pleased) to discover all the new things the library has to offer--they still see us as just a place to come get books (and maybe movies). We have to work on raising awareness about the changing nature of the library and its place in the community. I agree with the end of the Web 2.0 article--the library of the future must encompass everything people already know and love about libraries, combined with the technologies that make us relevant to an increasingly tech-savvy population.
One interesting new idea I came across was an interactive library catalogue. I think it's a great idea to let customers "tag" our books or maybe write their own reviews. We could also have something like amazon's "list" feature so customers could share their favorite books with each other. Librarians could also have their own lists, and maybe we could have blogs on our website so customers could see what we're currently reading. It'd be a new way to bring people together and connect them to the library at the same time.
Overall, I think the library has done amazing things with new technologies to expand and improve our services to the community. Still, it's an uphill battle to get the word out to people about all we can do for them. So many people are surprised (and pleased) to discover all the new things the library has to offer--they still see us as just a place to come get books (and maybe movies). We have to work on raising awareness about the changing nature of the library and its place in the community. I agree with the end of the Web 2.0 article--the library of the future must encompass everything people already know and love about libraries, combined with the technologies that make us relevant to an increasingly tech-savvy population.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Week Six, Thing 14: Technorati
Here's the thing: technorati and I, much like RSS feeds and I, just don't mix, personality-wise.
Both of them begin with the premise that you are actively looking for more information, and I, for one, am not actively looking for more websites or blogs to add to my daily reading. For me, the process of collecting bookmarks is organic--it grows out of a network of sites or other sources I already trust. I guess the difference is like hearing about a great movie via word of mouth vs. finding it on a "if you liked this, you might like..." list on imdb.
Further, I'm definitely not the type to want to add my blog to technorati, even if I did understand the html to do it. I'm just now getting courageous enough to have a blog in the first place, let alone know that millions of people might see it!
It was interesting to look at the blogs that came up under their "humor" tags, though. I'm so predictable.
Both of them begin with the premise that you are actively looking for more information, and I, for one, am not actively looking for more websites or blogs to add to my daily reading. For me, the process of collecting bookmarks is organic--it grows out of a network of sites or other sources I already trust. I guess the difference is like hearing about a great movie via word of mouth vs. finding it on a "if you liked this, you might like..." list on imdb.
Further, I'm definitely not the type to want to add my blog to technorati, even if I did understand the html to do it. I'm just now getting courageous enough to have a blog in the first place, let alone know that millions of people might see it!
It was interesting to look at the blogs that came up under their "humor" tags, though. I'm so predictable.
Week Six, Thing 13: Del.icio.us
Heheheh. Geek humor.
I found this picture on lolcats, a website listed under del.icio.us's "humor" tag. I was pleased to find a lot of sites I already knew about under the tag, and a few I didn't.
I'd known what tagging was before exploring del.icio.us. I'd seen it mainly used on Youtube and Livejournal, as a way to find related posts or videos. Tagging is very useful on Youtube, because if you can't remember the exact title of the video you're trying to find, odds are good that your search will fit one or more of the tags someone created for it instead.
I'd never thought of tags as a useful research tool before, but now I see how they can be like a folder of shared information about a topic. Interesting!
In the spirit of things, I've even tagged this post. Yay!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Week Five, Thing 12: Rollyo
I must confess my experiences with Rollyo have left a bad taste in my mouth.
I tried to make a searchroll for "movies," including some big-name sites like imdb and rottentomatoes, but also featuring some smaller-profile review sites that I like. When I try to search, however, all I got were results from the big two--even when I deliberately searched for things I knew I could find on the other sites. (Not to mention the results page was crawling with "sponsor's links" and other ads.) If the purpose of the site is to create a way to narrow down information so you only see what's relevant to you, they do a pretty poor job of it, in my opinion.
Either that, or my search choices just don't fit with what your average Rollyo user would like to see.
I tried to make a searchroll for "movies," including some big-name sites like imdb and rottentomatoes, but also featuring some smaller-profile review sites that I like. When I try to search, however, all I got were results from the big two--even when I deliberately searched for things I knew I could find on the other sites. (Not to mention the results page was crawling with "sponsor's links" and other ads.) If the purpose of the site is to create a way to narrow down information so you only see what's relevant to you, they do a pretty poor job of it, in my opinion.
Either that, or my search choices just don't fit with what your average Rollyo user would like to see.
Week Five, Thing 11: Library Thing
Oh dear, I think I could get addicted to this.
At first, I wasn't sure what the point of Library Thing was, except as a way to compile all my favorite books into a list. For me, it was going under my profile and seeing all the users who had similar books on their lists that really changed the way I saw the site. I started with about 13 books, and then looked at my profile links and kept seeing stuff I wanted to add. Now I am at 48 books!
And I haven't even started rating them yet...
Honestly, the only thing that would keep me from being involved in this site more is time, specifically, lack of it. Otherwise, it seems really fun.
Here's a link to my library:
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/sophiasaklas
At first, I wasn't sure what the point of Library Thing was, except as a way to compile all my favorite books into a list. For me, it was going under my profile and seeing all the users who had similar books on their lists that really changed the way I saw the site. I started with about 13 books, and then looked at my profile links and kept seeing stuff I wanted to add. Now I am at 48 books!
And I haven't even started rating them yet...
Honestly, the only thing that would keep me from being involved in this site more is time, specifically, lack of it. Otherwise, it seems really fun.
Here's a link to my library:
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/sophiasaklas
Monday, November 12, 2007
Week Five, Thing 10: Image Generator
My favorite image generator was the ID badge maker. Similar to the trading card maker, it lets you add an image with accompanying text. Of course, I had to do a kitty.
Here's the link:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)