RSS Delivers!

I have always liked deliveries--I feel pampered, I feel as if I am getting back to my royal roots that I had become accustomed to in a previous life. The notion that information could be delivered directly to my attention (now I am not talking about SPAM e-mails)--information that I used to have to consciously seek out (if I remembered to do so), well, that appeals to me. I have set up an account on Bloglines and have added several feeds that will help keep me informed. I like that they are all in one place, and I can see at a glance how many new items are waiting for me to look at. The only part of the learning curve that will take some getting used to is checking in on a regular basis--so as to not be overwhelmed by the sheer number of feeds accumulating on each site. From a library prospective, I think staff members could use Bloglines to keep abreast on the changing nature of all kinds of information, not just library related. I have added several library-related feeds, but also those items that I am personally interested in following. I enjoy Nancy Pearl, she is included. The Shifted Librarian looks to be interesting. As does LibraryStuff. I like food, and I have added some recipe feeds that will take care of my tummy. Keep the Faith to help with my spiritual side. The list is growing, and at some point I will no doubt reach the point of having to delete some of the feeds due to lack of time. But for now, this is a time-saver, a convenience, and lots of fun.

In Tune with Tweeting?

Since hearing about twitter a while ago, I always assumed it would be a passing fad--more so than some of the other Web 2.0 applications. Personally, I would not choose to twitter because I feel time-deprived keeping up with the connections I already have through more conventional means. BUT we live increasingly in a sound bite world--twits and tweeters fit perfectly, and I expect this to grow and become even more popular in the future. How can the library world use this? I suppose engaging a (usually) younger public interested in this sort of communication will be one use--and I saw some young adult librarians doing just that on the site. I think tweets about what we are all reading would be useful in helping people decide "what's next" on their reading lists. In our local paper, we have a "tweet" section called bits, and these short announcements could be digitalized in a tweet. What I suppose will happen is a certain segment of the population will support twitter, another blogspot, etc. so that libraries and other institutions will simply have to support and utilize all of them to (try) to keep everyone happy and up-to-date on what is going in the library world. I don't know if this just ended on an upper or a downer!

End of the Road a New 2.0 Beginning?

The tools are truly amazing, but to be useful in the workplace, they must be used and used fairly regularly. If I don't use something regularly technologically speaking, I forget it even exists, and if I happen to remember it exists, I forget the hows and whys of using it in the first place. That is why I hope I can use some of what I have learned on an ongoing, regular basis. If I build a wiki space, I think that I would keep up with that 2.0 tool. Blogging, I suppose, could be part of that. Youtube is available when needed, and not at all difficult to use. That should stick with me. I am not sure flickr will be something I keep up with, nor delicious. But I will not say never, and if I give myself 15 min. a day, I may be able to re-visit and keep on top of things. The other thing that keeps happening is the speed with which these tools evolve. I find that both discouraging and encouraging at the same time--discouraged that what I just learned may be obsolete by the next time I use it, and encouraged that the ease and usefulness of these services will just keep improving.

Delicious Bookmarks

I think this will take me more time to get the hang of using this tool. I can see the use of the service for my own bookmarking, but the social aspect has me wondering if I would have time or take the time to fully utilize the potential for sharing and viewing other people's tags, etc. I tend to use what I need on the Internet, and do not find myself looking for new things or browsing as much as I should. I do plan to get a delicious account and try it out, however. Even if it just keeps my favorites more organized, I guess it would be worth a try!

Wikis vs Website

I was interested in seeing the different uses for wikis, and how useful they can be for a variety of uses. For me, I am especially interested in setting one up for a public viewing in place of a website. Our library uses our county website which is not convenient to update since it is managed elsewhere. I like the idea of being able to control, along with the staff, the content in a very user friendly, non-technical manner. I think our school is also planning to utilize wikis for parents/students to have an up-to-date place to view school happenings. Our website is not able to keep up with the changing events, but I think with the ability for all to edit within the school, we could keep things very current.

Google Docs Rocks!

Google has done it again--produced something that is simple to use but a powerful, useful tool for so many applications. I can see how this would help tremendously with committee work, because of the editing capabilities. Much easier than e-mailing information, waiting for responses, and then doing the editing myself! I liked the sharing link that allows people to edit without signing in. Many of the people that I would be working with probably would not have accounts, so this way they could still be in the loop.

Youtube Treasures

I was surprised to see how many library/libraries/librarian videos have been posted on YouTube! I had never looked specifically for this topic, and I was not surprised to see some informative, serious clips, others not so. I was also surprised to see so much resistance by members on Flickr to the addition of video--some resistance was down right nasty! I suppose those who prefer still photography feel overwhelmed by those who would rather work with video--the latter would win most popularity constests, I would presume. I know YouTube as excellent educational possibilities, and library applications would be no exception. Assigning the students to produce a short video clip on some library aspect, post it to Youtube, and then watch each other's work would, I think, be fun for the students as well as educational. A bit like sugar-coated cereal--at least they will eat it and derive some nutritional benefit.

Podcast Pleasure!

Hey, I could get excited about this application--the topics seemed just about endless, and the possibilities without limits! I didn't realize podcasts were 1. so easy to find and 2. diverse and interesting. I am wondering if I need a portable device now to take advantage--I have always preferred radio to TV, and this reminds me of being able to have a personal radio station, playing only those things I decide I want to listen to. I did an RSS feed on Nancy Pearl's book reviews (she is so hot, professionally speaking). I look forward to this and other gems I will no doubt find along the way. I wonder where I have been, why I didn't look into this sooner. Better late than never, I guess! Wouldn't it be fun to make podcast book reviews at school--the kids might enjoy doing this, and actually want to do a book review instead of resisting with every ounce of their being.

Jigsaw Magic

Wow, what fun--making custom jigsaw puzzles seems like a way cool app that I might use just for. I am having difficulty exploring some of these mashups--I think Web 2.0 must work best with the newest computers, as I am being shut out at random moments, which I attribute to my ME Windows and a slow machine! Probably time for me to update.

Flickr In My Future?

The link for an interesting and appropriate (for this time of year) photo is as follows: http://www.flickr.com/photos/unicoletti/3753874957/ I like this photo because it reminds me of my youth and the harvest time. I think this tool would not be particularly useful in my personal life--I abhor the camera lens, both in front of and behind. But I can see my wife and kids using it to share photos with each other. Professionally, I looked over some of the library groups, and didn't see too much that would be useful to me. I didn't see much activity in the form of posted comments, which makes me wonder how many views these groups actually have. I did not get an account with Flickr, probably because I would not be inclined to use it at this point.

Blogging Basics: Can It Be This Easy?

Setting up this blog was one of the easiest things I have ever done online! The registration was a breeze, and the professional look of the blog is a snap with the canned templates. I suppose one can customize and add bells and whistles, but for a beginner, this was so easy to get started! I can see applications in the library and in my personal life. For the library, I could add book reviews and have students/patrons add comments about the book if they read it. New book lists could be discussed, or ideas for bibliographies could be shared. It is an easy way for anyone with a computer to add to a discussion of interest, in a timely format.

Life-long learning habits

I think the most difficult habit for me is number 3: View problems as challenges. I tend to view most problems that roll my way as unwelcomed disasters that appear more like a doomsday threat than a challenge to undertake and learn from. This panic attitude does not help with solving problems or learning from them, so I need to work on attitude adjustment in this area.

My strongest habit is probably number 7: Teach and mentor others. I truly enjoy helping others with questions they might have about how to accomplish a task or how to find information that will enable a task to be completed. And it is true: we can learn a great deal from helping others.