23rd Thing

iHCPL has help broaden my perspective of the internet to beyond Google searches and email. I hadn’t realized just how many blogs, websites, and internet services are out there and how much people are using them. iHCPL has made it obvious to me that to stay informed and connected in the “post-print” world, I need to spend a lot more time devoted to the exploration and use of the internet. It seems like everyone that I know under age 30 has a Facebook or other social netwoking site. As with the concept of the "free" public library, I like the concept of the “free” public internet, although how the internet actually works is still a mystery to me. I am still concerned about privacy and paranoid about “big brother” every time I log in.

#22 Downloadable Media

After looking at the Librivox and Wowio sites, I can appreciate the different types of media available through HCPL and the cross referencing tools we have (as opposed to Librivox). As further service to the public we do provide links to free sites to enable patrons to find those titles we may not have or have in limited quantities. I do like Wowio's site maybe it's just the contrast between the book icons and black background. The flashing book titles on that site are also a plus. RSS feeds about new materials as in Librivox may be something we may want to consider.

# 21 Podcasts

Used Yahoo podcasts directory to find LibVibe a bi-weekly library newscast and Just One More Book a site that provides podcasts about children's books. Added the LibVibe feed to my bloglines account. Although less colorful than the Yahoo podcast directory, I'd prefer the Podcast.net for my research over the Yahoo directory because of it's organization and structure.

#20 YouTube

While I was thinking about a topic I could research on YouTube, I remembered that my mother's 80th birthday was near. There are so many videos on YouTube, so I thought that maybe there'd a video out there describing the "good old days" in her home town and that I could show it at her party. Sure enough there was. Although some of the other searches I've had on YouTube didn't quite get to what I was after (the tags didn't quite fit), that particular search zeroed right in to what I was after. Attached is one of the videos.

#19 Zoho

Zoho Writer seems to have the MS Word features I normally use. I was able to import a picture, perform a spellcheck, print a test document to a local printer and even select an "emotion" icon from the software toolbar. I like the idea of open source software with applications I typically use which are accessable from anywhere 24/7. As with most internet operations, I am concerned about security/privacy issues when using this tool

#18 Social Networking

As for structure and looks, of three popular general sites listed in the discovery exercise, I prefer Facebook over Ning over Myspace. Facebook's look and content appears more targeted and serious. Same with Ning. Some of the specific sites like threadless and ratemyspace don't have that slick look, but I guess that's the point. Wouldn't rate some of the spaces in ratemyspace very high but there are some good ideas and some of those spaces certainly rate higher than my own. Once again, didn't realize the volume of users and the breadth of topics in these types of sites. Definitely an area that I want to explore further.

#17 Technology

Our dependence upon technology was reinforced today when the power went out at the ADM building. Other than being limited by lighting conditions, all work ground to a halt because we couldn't use our PCs. Despite all the great technology, our dependence upon it leaves us vulnerable. We'll still need our manual backup systems like having actual books in a library in the "post print" world or going outside to play real tennis when the Wii breaks down.

#16 Wikis

I like the ease of use and ability for multiple input into a given topic. Much better than broadcasting an email and repeatedly replying and forwarding messages. All comments, observations, etc. are grouped together and easily found. As with most things on the internet, there’s multiple sites on many topics.

Internally, the wiki could be very useful in soliciting input for the development or modification of library processes and procedures. Given the distances we have to travel for relatively short meetings, this could be an excellent communications tool to save time and stay focused on the issues at hand. Externally it may be useful for patron comments or “suggestion box” items that more people would be able to share and comment upon.

Library 2.0 - Iceberg #15

To me, Library 2.0 is a high tech adjunct to or perhaps a replacement for the use of focus groups, surveys, conferences, personal experience and politics to help identify and develop solutions to library services needs. I think it helps to reaffirm why library professionals got into the business to begin with and provides them with a means to respond to a rapidly changing environment. The “iceberg” article offers a perspective on three problem areas in current library services models that the author feels need to be addressed if libraries are to thrive in the “post print” world. Library 2.0 is a reaction to the “post print” environment and will help libraries change with changing times.

Technorati #14

Depending upon the type of information you are seeking, keyword searching Technorati through the advanced search feature coupled with some level of "authority" might be the best way to target your information. The number of blogs identified when doing a "tag" search coupled with "a lot of authority" produced almost identical results to the direct "blog directory search". I like the authority ranking as means of reducing the amount of information that is found, but question whether I'll miss out on newer or more relevant infomation by including that additional filter. This is another internet tool I'll be using in the future.


When searching through the "popular" blogs I came across Blog Tips at ProBlogger - Make Money Online Blogging. Never thought it could be a profitable enterprise. Always thought it was for people with a lot of time on their hands.

Del.icio.us #13

It's an easy way to bookmark sites that are of interest to me, but the participant population is select. Since that's the case, it's a good way to pass info between a group of people working on a specific project, have a common interest, or just letting your friends know about sites that interest you. I do like the toolbar and tagging buttons that make saving or retrieving stuff easy.

Library Elf

Still having trouble setting up an account. Although it appears to be a valuable notification system, I think ours works adequately for my purposes. Will continue to keep trying to set up account.

LibraryThing

I'm still not sure about the logic or usefulness of the "Book Unsuggester" except for amusement. The "Book Suggester" could be very useful in finding my next book to read.

Image Generator

So much stuff out there, so little time.

RSS Feeds

Now that I am actually looking for it, I see the "RSS" symbol everywhere. I used a combination of the Bloglines search tool and a google search of a topic with "RSS" added to the search term to locate RSS feeds. I am always amazed at how much information is available on the internet. What did we do before its invention?

Groucho Marx

A famous librarian once said: "Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it is too dark to read."

PIXER Photo

Attached is a color photo of my dog with special effects "1850" and "clouds"

Clarification

To those who found the last picture post confusing, a clarification. The picture to the right was manipulated to create the kaleidiscopic image of 'Good Old Bailey'.

Flickr Post

A kaleidoscopic image of my loyal but long since departed dog.

Good old Bailey
Originally uploaded by rdog2007

First Post

Great training opportunity for me. I need the structure to take time out to learn about the 23 things and more. Then there's the bling. Here's a picture of my dog.