The End is Here!

It has been a long journey, but I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! I would describe 23 Things as a roller coaster; definite highs with some activities that I loved, as well as some lows where I felt like I was wasting my time. But isn't that the way learning happens? Anyway, my favs were LibraryThing, YouTube, audiobooks and online productivity tools. I felt like the program was useful both on a personal level and professional. A suggestion for the next discovery program is to hold it over the winter; summertime has been difficult due to the Summer Reading Program and vacations.

Overall, 23 Things dragged me kicking and screaming into Library 2.0, yet I find myself embracing the technology that I've learned on this adventure. I hope the library continues to do programs like this.

Downloadable Audiobooks

For this exercise, I focused on Overdrive. I started with the link from the "23 Things" site, but changed to HCPL website because I thought it was more user friendly. Not to kiss up to anyone, but I think the information on our website is very clear and direct for our users. Anyway, several books caught my eye and I was amazed at how many were already checked out. Lets just say I'm a little impatient and kept looking until I found one available. It was easy to checkout and I'm anxious to go home to download the book. I'm not a huge fan of audiobooks, but my neighor swears her house is never cleaner than when she's listening to a good book. Let's see if it works magic at my house ;-)

Podcast

After exploring both podcast.net and yahoo podcasts, I decided I liked yahoo better. It was user friendly and I had better luck searching for things. Overall, I don't see myself using this much, but at least I can say I've tried it.

YouTube

I don't think I can say it enough.....I LOVE YouTube!! I've mention in a previous post how I love to go on the site whenever I need a good laugh. There's always the Blockbuster commercial about How to Use a Mouse. But I've noticed lately that I've been using YouTube more to see items that I've missed or that I actually saw on TV and want to show my hubby. Like the Tour de France Dog clip, when the dog walked in front of a rider (they both walked away unharmed, but I can't say the same for the bike). Long live YouTube!

Farecast

I chose to explore Farecast for #19 Exploring Web 2.0. Farecast is an online prediction site that lets you compare flights offered by some of the major online travel site like Expedia. I tried a few comparison flights to dream locations. Not only did I find some great flights, but Farecast recommended waiting because they predicted fares would decrease. A cool site that I'll bookmark for future use!

Online Productivity Tools

Now this is something that I can see a value to in both work, school, etc. The fact that you don't have to worry about different versions and that multiple people can have access to the document is wonderful. I tried Google Docs and found it very easy to use. Even my mother could figure it out, and that's saying something!

Sandbox Wiki

OK, I have to say the experience was a bit confusing. I know it was suppose to be a "fun" wiki, but it wasn't :-(

Wikis

When I think if wikis, I think if wikipedia. But there is so much more! Today was the first time I was on the HCPL wiki and I learned lots of little details about some library programs that I thought I was up on. For me, it would be easier to check the HCPL wiki then to try and go through my overflowing e-mail account to find a specific e-mail that I may not remember who sent it or what it was called. It would be great for groups/committees and a general resource.

The Future of Libraries

I ended up reading all 5 perspectives on Library 2.0, but have comments on only 2 of them.

Away From Icebergs by Rick Anderson. I kept wondering where Anderson lives and who his patrons are. As he listed the three things threatening our future success, he made it seem like the only thing patrons are interested in is tech items. Maybe his library is showing a decrease in circulation, but the numbers at our branch are only going up.

Intro A New World of Librarianship by Michael Stephens. It seems as if Stephens was the only one who acknowledged the social aspect of libraries and the needs of ALL patrons. When I think of the patrons of our small branch, few are technologically advanced; I spent the evening assisting a woman on the computer trying to type a letter and I showed a co-worker how to copy and paste in a word document. A far cry from Mr. Anderson's world.

If anything, the 5 perspectives gave a glimpse into the future of libraries and encouraged me to think about the direction we're going in. But we're not there yet.....

Technorati

OK, Thing #14. I have to say, I don't see the value in it. I've explored it, checked it out, spent the weekend reviewing and all I can think of is someone had a LOT of time on their hands to create Technorati. And I certainly would have to be utterly, completely board out of my mind to spend anymore time on Technorati. End of subject.

Del.icio.us

I must be a food centered person, because Del.icio.us makes me think of a cooking website with lots of great recipes. Yet it was not to be. Social bookmarking was interesting, especially seeing how other people tag sites. But I think the most useful aspect of Del.icio.us is the user comments for each bookmark. It would be very useful if you had a number of websites with similar names, similar purposes, and had to differentiate between them. Is Del.icio.us for me? Probably not, but it was interesting to explore.

Rollyo

I played around with Rollyo today. Just for the fun of it, I created an Entertainment News search roll. People Magazine, Entertainment Tonight, TV Guide, etc. Gossip that makes the mind go numb, but entertaining non-the-less. While I don't think I would use this particular search roll in the future, I can see using rolls for research projects, hobbies, work, etc. It would make some searches a lot easier.

LibraryThing

I LOVE LibraryThing! Up until now, I've been using Novelist. Although I like Novelist and the ability to create reading lists, it limits you to novels (maybe the name gives it away??), and I read as much non-fiction as fiction. LibraryThing is definitely something I will continue to use.

#10

I'm ahead of my time! When I set-up my blog, I added a Meez instead of using an actual photo of myself. But that still didn't stop me from having fun with the other programs suggested under #10. I also had great fun on the M&M site, creating an Inner M&M Character. She was looking pretty sassy and I tried to copy her onto my blog, but M&M would let me. Oh well, if anything, I'm now in the mood for some peanut M&Ms :-)

Feeds

Feeds: No, I'm not talking about food ;-)

Although I have heard of Merlin, I had not taken the time to explore the site before today. There was a lot of really neat things and I especially liked to opportunity to consult with people from other library systems.

I also explored some of the search tools and was amazed at all the various blogs and news feeds that came up. While some of results were interesting, I didn't subscribe to any of these on my Blogline. The news feeds that I subscribed to were sites that I already checked on a regular basis.

Keeping Current with Bloglines

With Bloglines, I've realized there's no excuse not to know what's going on in the world. When this was first introduced at the Tech Fair, I thought it was pretty cool, but didn't see myself using it because I don't enjoy reading blogs. Let's face it, if it wasn't for "23 Things" I wouldn't even have a blog. But I've realized the name "Bloglines" is misleading and there are so many other things you can track. With my Bloglines account, I subscribed to all the major news outlets, along with some of the smaller ones I like to check. I think this is one tech item that I'll take with me upon completing "23 Things."

The Latest and Greatest .....

I'm a couple of weeks behind due to health reasons. There's no better time to play catch-up then when the doctor orders you home from work and off your feet.

I explored Flickr. Its an interesting site with cool photos, along with some that reminded me of watching the neighbor's vacation slides as a kid. I don't think I would use it in the future. If I had the interest or the need, I would take my own photographs and, being a private person, would not post them on the Internet for the world to see.

The tech item of the week is actually old: YouTube. My Mom came to help after the surgery and I wanted to show her a clip of John Pinette, one of my favorite comedians. Having dial-up at home and limited computer skills, she had never heard of YouTube. I found myself searching for all my favorite clips, like the Panda Sneeze, as we sat like two teenagers in front of the computer. My Mom's excitement was contagious and pure entertainment.

On that note, I'm off to tackle Thing #8.......

In the beginning.....

So this is the start of my tech journey. Can you hear my husband laughing?? He's usually the one I holler for when I have computer problems. What till he hears I have a blog ;-)

I had a chance to view the 7-1/2 Habits of Life Long Learners. I'd like to say I practice them all, but we would all know I'm lying. In the case of technology, my weakness is confidence and mentoring/teaching. Until I have more experience -- hello Learning 2.0! -- I don't feel very comfortable instructing others on how to set-up and manage a blog.

On the plus side, I created my own Meez to post on my blog. Funny how it just sucked me right in and, almost an hour later, I finally had to call it quits.