Am I done yet?

OK - I've finally reached thing #23!! I'm not sure I can remember everything without help but this has been a great learning experience. The RSS feeds were really the hardest - that and remembering all the logins and pwds!!! It made me feel vindicated when a World Herald columnist said the same thing. I find it humorous that all of these programs and ipods and blackberry's really just keep the "grapevine" going -that and the most popular question seems to be "Whatcha doin'?" Are the Gen Xers that interested?! Technology seems overwhelming at times but it comes down to choice. Will you participate or be left behind? I think I'm trying to swim upstream but at least I'm trying. I'm really comfortable about blogging!

Watching TV at the Library

I chose to look at MyLibraryTV and really enjoyed it. Initially it kept asking me to install updated software. I said "No" and then it opened! I watched Michael Chiarello's episode on making risotto. The picture was sharp. It was almost as good as watching the Create channel on 26.2. It has a lot of these "foodie, travel, do-it yourselfer" shows too. Most of the programs run about 1/2 an hour. Not too time consuming - although I'm not sure I know how to make risotto! It's amazing how technology is replacing grandma's cooking lessons!

Casting with a pod not a rod

I thought this was a new version of fly fishing? Podcasting is an audio format that can be downloaded onto an ipod or MP3 player. Just think - you can download a lecture and listen to it while jogging or doing dishes. Something productive! Check yahoo podcasts or podcasts.net or itunes store to download. You have to set up the proverbial account but what did you expect? Think of a podcast as an extension of your own personal radio station. I think I would really like this. It's like being read to - something comforting in that!

RU a Tube?

I finally logged in to YouTube to see what all the fuss was about! YouTube is a user generated video sharing site using adobe flash video. Apparently any geek with a camera phone can post to YouTube after registering. That has caused some problems with inappropriate content and copyright violations. Wikipedia has a great list of other video sharing sites like Facebook, Flickr, Photobucket etc. I tried one called Dailymotion.com/us. The clip "Great Start to my Day" was pleasant. Most of the entries are pretty boring but we all have that "voyeuristic" gene. Hence the eternal question of "Whatcha doin'?"

Annette had a little Lamb

And a number of sheep following her! I checked out AL's 2008 NLA presentation.I connected to her educscapes.edu site. It sounds like she and her husband are online library science/educator gurus. I found the educscapes site too busy and cluttered however. I connected to the Lamb's travel log site and lo and behold encountered a cattle drive! It looks like they've uploaded photos to Flickr and added captions. I think I did this once! It's like making your own comic book. It amazes me how electronics have expanded creativity!

Are you productive online?

I took a look at Google Docs. It's an online document sharing feature. Documents can be shared in real time with those individuals on your list. You can access or edit them from anywhere! This one still gives me pause. Do I really want colleagues to see how much whiteout I use?

All of my documents are Kitty Litter

Apparently the Wikipedians have gotten smart! Wikipedia has created a "sandbox" otherwise known as an area where untested computer programs or edits can run without harming the website. There are 2 types of Sandbox pages. First is the encyclopedia type section. I edited an entry about the NE Capitol Bldg - added architect info. The other is community info type pages. It was kind of fun! Does this mean I'm a published author?!

Wiki in the Library

I always thought wikis were collections of web pages edited by clueless contributors. Let me tell you - get something wrong and 50 million people will tell you! Anyone can modify the content of a webpage or collection of webpages. Web users tend to dismiss them as "inaccurate" but I beg to differ. Information is constantly updated and critiqued for accuracy & content. Libraries are now using them to create community pages. Garden clubs that meet in your city, stamp collecting -whatever! Grand Rapids PL is using wikis to illustrate what they have in their history collection. GRPL's wiki lists the scope of the history clipping file, not the entire content. OPL tried something like this with the Community Resources File. Maybe this could be adapted? Nice to know that the 650 articles I indexed on Boys Town won't go to waste!!!

2.0 Forever!

I finally realized what it means! Web 2.0 is not really a "new" version of the world wide web - just a new way of using it. 2.0 promotes creativity, social networking and video sharing - human interaction people! No more two tin cans and a string.. Library 2.0 is kind of a take off on the same principle. It is a fundamental shift in the way services are delivered to customers. It's more of a two-way street with immediate feedback. Remember a couple of years ago when we asked customers for their input on OPL's homepage? That's Library 2.0 - we're already doing it!! It seems ironic that in a world where technology tends to let us create our own little universe we are desperately trying to reconnect with one another.

Technorati

Not real thrilled with this one. I think it's more for hard-core bloggers who like to see the latest blog on a particular subject. It seems to be really heavy on the video portion of a blog. I guess my blogsphere is pretty small so I don't need a bigger one! It seems everyone wants me to sign up for their delicious, technorati or some new web feature and I need another password!!!

Delicious

Today I'm learning about a "Delicious". It is a website that essentially allows you to bookmark sites without being on a particular computer. Remember the days when you had to be on your favorite computer because it had all your bookmarks? This eliminates that! You can bookmark any site you want. Watch out that you don't get more bookmarks than you can handle! It is really easy to save everything that looks good and then end up with a Delcious the size of Google. I am disappointed that Delicious doesn't refer to jam!!

Library Things, Rollyos & Web life

Today I'm trying to learn about Library Things and Rollyos. LT is really like an electronic booklist that everyone can see what you're reading. Tags are descriptive words so others can quickly see what type of books you like. Rollyos are customized search engines. I think it might be really cool if you could combine your favorite search engines. I went with the prefab "Reference" search engine. Still way behind but learning!
I found a really neat article in the OWH on 12-24-08, evening ed. p. 3D. It was about all the different pwds you have on the Web if you use Twitter, Flickr, Google Chat and the like. Apparently, I am not the only one who has a mental meltdown trying to remember them all! Windows Live is trying to create an interface with all of these sites. The gist of the article was that while it was good it was still in testing mode. At least it's comforting to know that technology is expanding as my mental capacity is shrinking!