I created an account in Zoho writer and I like what I see. All of the typical Windows/MS Word commands/icons are present in a cleanly presented toolbar of options. Sorry, I couldn't resist playing around here a little bit. I suspect most people could manage this software quite well after a bit of exploring.
I did post the above directly from Zoho--it is so easy that in my case I will call it idiotproof!
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Thing: 16: Wikis
Wikis:
Collaborative, Communitarian, Distributed, Informative, Easy!
At the beginning of 2007, I talked with some of my staff about ideas for the new year. One proposal I offered was the creation of a community wiki focusing on the history of our immediate service area, which is unincorporated but has defined geographical boundaries. We thought we could begin posting titles of books and pamphlets in the library collection that are used when answering local history questions. FAQs and pointers to websites would be added along with some non-copyrighted text passages from other online sources. Questions we could never completely answer, such as "Was there a golf course at XYZ intersection?" would be added, along with replies from community people who can add their knowledge. The wiki content would still be under staff editing control but it would provide information with the solicitation for everyone to "help grow it" collaboratively. And of course we reserve the right to change the process depending on the successes and failures experienced along the way. Ultimately it would be nice envisioning a transformation into a community wiki as described by Meredith Farkas.
In fact this project didn't make it beyond our discussions, but now that more of us have exploredwWikis, I'll revive the idea. Staff who were not involved in the initial conversations BUT who have completed the "23 Things" can participate and support the project now too! And the more help we have, the better we can support updates and maintenance. There is something really gratifying about seeing work product out there on the Internet where others can add, suggest, criticize, discuss--whatever. The project will succeed and I feel energized!
After looking at the wiki products of other public libraries, I am more inspired to do this. The potential to publicize information and help our knowledge base grow is there but as so often happens, other work-related tasks with higher priorities alter plans and expectations.
I have used other St. Joseph's Co PL resources before and they consistently set a high standard in their products. I explored the section on Business,as in the 1980s our Central library had a reputation for being an excellent business information resource and I worked in that area. Their wiki is like a combination of service desk FAQs, recommended reading and pathfinders, only with the advantages of being available 24/7 in or out of the building. That some links lead to live forms or other online tools is efficient! It's the paper based approach converted to live Internet format.
I was already familiar with Chad Boeninger's Biz Wiki at Ohio University from his presentations at "Computers in Libraries" over the past two years. I only wish that I had more occasion to use it OTJ as it's a polished comprehensive and very informative resource.
One basic question still--how do you actually start a wiki--who hosts it and is it free??? Is it as easy as starting a blog.........Apparently so unless I missed some small type at pbwiki.com.....
Collaborative, Communitarian, Distributed, Informative, Easy!
At the beginning of 2007, I talked with some of my staff about ideas for the new year. One proposal I offered was the creation of a community wiki focusing on the history of our immediate service area, which is unincorporated but has defined geographical boundaries. We thought we could begin posting titles of books and pamphlets in the library collection that are used when answering local history questions. FAQs and pointers to websites would be added along with some non-copyrighted text passages from other online sources. Questions we could never completely answer, such as "Was there a golf course at XYZ intersection?" would be added, along with replies from community people who can add their knowledge. The wiki content would still be under staff editing control but it would provide information with the solicitation for everyone to "help grow it" collaboratively. And of course we reserve the right to change the process depending on the successes and failures experienced along the way. Ultimately it would be nice envisioning a transformation into a community wiki as described by Meredith Farkas.
In fact this project didn't make it beyond our discussions, but now that more of us have exploredwWikis, I'll revive the idea. Staff who were not involved in the initial conversations BUT who have completed the "23 Things" can participate and support the project now too! And the more help we have, the better we can support updates and maintenance. There is something really gratifying about seeing work product out there on the Internet where others can add, suggest, criticize, discuss--whatever. The project will succeed and I feel energized!
After looking at the wiki products of other public libraries, I am more inspired to do this. The potential to publicize information and help our knowledge base grow is there but as so often happens, other work-related tasks with higher priorities alter plans and expectations.
I have used other St. Joseph's Co PL resources before and they consistently set a high standard in their products. I explored the section on Business,as in the 1980s our Central library had a reputation for being an excellent business information resource and I worked in that area. Their wiki is like a combination of service desk FAQs, recommended reading and pathfinders, only with the advantages of being available 24/7 in or out of the building. That some links lead to live forms or other online tools is efficient! It's the paper based approach converted to live Internet format.
I was already familiar with Chad Boeninger's Biz Wiki at Ohio University from his presentations at "Computers in Libraries" over the past two years. I only wish that I had more occasion to use it OTJ as it's a polished comprehensive and very informative resource.
One basic question still--how do you actually start a wiki--who hosts it and is it free??? Is it as easy as starting a blog.........Apparently so unless I missed some small type at pbwiki.com.....
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Thing #15: Web 2.0 and the Future
Thing #15: Libraries 2.0.
Exciting, collaborative, variety, free, challenging in a FUN way.
It's here and now and it ain't going away. And that's good. My wish is that we--the public funded library as an apparatus of county government--could be more instantly responsive in utilizing 2.0 tools, allowing us to capitalize on the opportunities offered by a Libraries 2.0 approach. And I prefer the plural because we are in a sense--all in this one together.
Michael Stephens wrote: "Does it create a useful service for putting users together with the information and experience they seek?" And he goes on to state that libraries need to be quickly responsive and move at the time an opportunity arises, rather than take a traditionalist approach with lengthy project time lines. I could not agree more.
I've accumulated 20 years of experience in libraries, which qualifies me for nothing more than keeping an open mind, learning to adapt, and trying to inspire staff. Technology will change us but it will not push a savvy person out of the picture. At times, I could feel like the blacksmith who watches a new Model T pass his shop, but really libraries are not that one-dimensional. I think we have already let go of notion that all meaningful library-related activity only takes place in the building. Having customers in the building today is icing on a cake and an opportunity, not an end product. Information services takes place very efficiently via e-mail and chat sessions,and that doesn't factor in 2.0 tools. Having the opportunity to work one on one with customers in the building is a time to forputting the best face on having a conversation about what they needed, what they found, and adding a "Did you know about this service?" That last step empowers them to accomplish something library related without having to travel to the building. Talk about encouraging people to "Go green," as in saving fuel! Working in and supporting a Libraries 2.0 framework does not automatically imply creating an impersonal environment.
It is encouraging to read things such as this in the Library 2.0 essays:
Quality customer service is another key to success for our library. Our goal is to make the total customer experience satisfying, pleasurable and resulting in an end-product that meets or exceeds their expectations. Students should always feel welcome.
As a manager, I need not pretend to have all the technological answers--I couldn't do that anyway and besides there is no need. I have the collective knowledge of my staff, who are never short of ideas, and who have in some cases already been using 2.o tools to enhance library experiences for targeted customers. Now I want to turn them loose...
Exciting, collaborative, variety, free, challenging in a FUN way.
It's here and now and it ain't going away. And that's good. My wish is that we--the public funded library as an apparatus of county government--could be more instantly responsive in utilizing 2.0 tools, allowing us to capitalize on the opportunities offered by a Libraries 2.0 approach. And I prefer the plural because we are in a sense--all in this one together.
Michael Stephens wrote: "Does it create a useful service for putting users together with the information and experience they seek?" And he goes on to state that libraries need to be quickly responsive and move at the time an opportunity arises, rather than take a traditionalist approach with lengthy project time lines. I could not agree more.
I've accumulated 20 years of experience in libraries, which qualifies me for nothing more than keeping an open mind, learning to adapt, and trying to inspire staff. Technology will change us but it will not push a savvy person out of the picture. At times, I could feel like the blacksmith who watches a new Model T pass his shop, but really libraries are not that one-dimensional. I think we have already let go of notion that all meaningful library-related activity only takes place in the building. Having customers in the building today is icing on a cake and an opportunity, not an end product. Information services takes place very efficiently via e-mail and chat sessions,and that doesn't factor in 2.0 tools. Having the opportunity to work one on one with customers in the building is a time to forputting the best face on having a conversation about what they needed, what they found, and adding a "Did you know about this service?" That last step empowers them to accomplish something library related without having to travel to the building. Talk about encouraging people to "Go green," as in saving fuel! Working in and supporting a Libraries 2.0 framework does not automatically imply creating an impersonal environment.
It is encouraging to read things such as this in the Library 2.0 essays:
Quality customer service is another key to success for our library. Our goal is to make the total customer experience satisfying, pleasurable and resulting in an end-product that meets or exceeds their expectations. Students should always feel welcome.
As a manager, I need not pretend to have all the technological answers--I couldn't do that anyway and besides there is no need. I have the collective knowledge of my staff, who are never short of ideas, and who have in some cases already been using 2.o tools to enhance library experiences for targeted customers. Now I want to turn them loose...
Thing #17: Learning 2.0 SandBox wiki.
This exercise was really fun and I enjoyed all of it, from reading other participant's comments, to creating links after adding my own material. I added a link to my Phil's 2.0 "23 Things" blog at "Favorite Blogs" right underneath one of my staff's links. Nice going Ashley B.! You finished before the manager and your blog looks much more interesting than mine!
I next created a favorite, which you will find under "American Football." It is my testimony to the positive aspects of high school football and why I would rather attend a game on Friday night than watch a pro game in a huge impersonal stadium where everything COST$ big bucks! Here is the link.
Finally, I added a comment to "The War" so I could make a shameless plug for another older but first rate World War II documentary. Which one? Go to Amazon.com where you can still buy it!
I am really hooked on the text based communication and the ease of adding link thanks to the creative code-writers. What I want now is to learn more about adding other cool features to a site.
I next created a favorite, which you will find under "American Football." It is my testimony to the positive aspects of high school football and why I would rather attend a game on Friday night than watch a pro game in a huge impersonal stadium where everything COST$ big bucks! Here is the link.
Finally, I added a comment to "The War" so I could make a shameless plug for another older but first rate World War II documentary. Which one? Go to Amazon.com where you can still buy it!
I am really hooked on the text based communication and the ease of adding link thanks to the creative code-writers. What I want now is to learn more about adding other cool features to a site.
Thing #21: Podcasts
Podcasts:
Useful, lots of training potential, entertaining, express yourself!
I started at Podcast.net, did a search on "public library" and then "public libraries" and found a podcast for teen librarians about use of graphic novels and anime resources. And that is as far as I got. Even after tweaking my firewall, I could not get further than the opening music and 1-2 sentences before everything stopped. I'm working at home so there is a glitch somewhere.
Because we have two PCs, I used the second machine which has an iTunes account installed.
I looked at the iTunes podcast directory and got a good sense of what is available in the many categories.
This is the first techno-challenge, outside of the Meez catastrophe, that has plagued my efforts. However, I can still use a library PC to explore podcasts further
Useful, lots of training potential, entertaining, express yourself!
I started at Podcast.net, did a search on "public library" and then "public libraries" and found a podcast for teen librarians about use of graphic novels and anime resources. And that is as far as I got. Even after tweaking my firewall, I could not get further than the opening music and 1-2 sentences before everything stopped. I'm working at home so there is a glitch somewhere.
Because we have two PCs, I used the second machine which has an iTunes account installed.
I looked at the iTunes podcast directory and got a good sense of what is available in the many categories.
This is the first techno-challenge, outside of the Meez catastrophe, that has plagued my efforts. However, I can still use a library PC to explore podcasts further
Thing #18: Online Applications & Tools
Our library system uses an open source clone of Microsoft Office called Open Office. While I fully respect the cost savings and distributed nature of that product (it is available on every public PC in our system!), I think it is overly complicated for what most users need to accomplish. Based on my own daily observations, the usual task customers need word processing for is creating a one to three page document or resume that they may or may not save permanently after printing it.
I think linking to an online productivity site that affords saving of documents and is accessible from any Internet linked PC is a better idea. The interface is simpler, but hardly incomplete,and it is less software to maintain on our machines. There are no incompatibility issues, and a student with Internet access can go to school and recover their documents online. That is efficiency.
I won't dwell on the obvious benefits of sharing documents across a group and communal editing. We have tried that over the past year and it works. Ya gotta love this stuff!
See the post for "Thing 18.5" that concludes my first Zoho experience after I created my account.
I think linking to an online productivity site that affords saving of documents and is accessible from any Internet linked PC is a better idea. The interface is simpler, but hardly incomplete,and it is less software to maintain on our machines. There are no incompatibility issues, and a student with Internet access can go to school and recover their documents online. That is efficiency.
I won't dwell on the obvious benefits of sharing documents across a group and communal editing. We have tried that over the past year and it works. Ya gotta love this stuff!
See the post for "Thing 18.5" that concludes my first Zoho experience after I created my account.
Thing #19: Web 2.0 Awards
Web 2.0 Awards:
Eye-opening, Smorgasboard, Potential, Useful.
Looking at the variety in the nominees list was in some ways more helpful than reading the list of award winners, some of which were tools used in "23 Things" exercises. Just as interesting was clicking on a link and finding text such as this example:
Sadly, all good things must come to an end. As of November 22, 2007, Findory has shut down. It was a wonderful experiment building Findory. Information personalization is in our future.
Life on the Internet is not permanent and if there is a fear, it is that I might invest beaucoup time and work to create something personalized, only to return one day and find the above text. That's a legitimate concern, yes?
My Favorite: YELP
Have something positive or negative to say about an experience with alocal business or service? Yelp is where you can go to either praise or bury the restaurant that provided superlative service or cold coffee served by uncaring staff. It is a grassroots review site that affords an opportunity to rave or condemn. Creating an account only requires name, e-mail address, password and zip code. Gender and birthdate are optional. Once you arein, you can be the food critic and more.
I'm a believer in reading posts from other consumers for items I'm considering purchasing. For example comments on the MSN car pages helped me determine that the car I wanted to buy was well constructed, reliable, and powerful enough to keep up on the highway, despite having one of the smallest engines (1.5L). And for over a year, we have been delighted with our Scion xB!
Well, as you can tell, not everyone is 100% sold on the design........
You use Yelp by finding your geographical location by place name, (the default is to the largest nearby city) and then choosing a category from a list ranging from food to financial services to public services and government. Yep--the library could be in there--Howard County locations are listed but as of yet, there are no postings. Yelp has the potential for making every customer a secret shopper.
Once you rule out the whiners or petty complainers, there is useful information that typically will not be available to consumers elsewhere. Of course, you have to build a knowledge base of more than one or two opinions/reviews to make any category useful and from what I found, the Howard County community needs to sign up and contribute.
Yelp was selected as #1 in the "City Guides and Reviews" class and while I'd heard of it and used it previously, this exercise helped me analyze its benefits and shortcomings more closely.
Other sites of note:
Clipmarks: My knowledgable and curious Assistant manager saw this and installed it on selected service desk PCs at work--months ago. A lot of the examples in the left margin ogf their homepage are a bit frivolous but it is a powerful too.
Furl: Find out what others are looking at and utilizing. "Share and save your online discoveries"
Looks like a good way of recording serendipitous "ah ha moments" as you surf.
Omnidrive: I love the idea of online storage sites and this one offers a free gig along with collaborative document editing via Zoho. Other storage options range from $40 to $199.My only concern? See the two italicized lines in the second paragraph.
Guess the Google: Finally for fun, this one was in the games category. You have a few seconds to guess the search term used to retrieve a montage of images relating to a common theme. I got a 264 on my try, flubbing the last two questions. It's a nice brain tease and I didn't end up feeling too stupid!
Eye-opening, Smorgasboard, Potential, Useful.
Looking at the variety in the nominees list was in some ways more helpful than reading the list of award winners, some of which were tools used in "23 Things" exercises. Just as interesting was clicking on a link and finding text such as this example:
Sadly, all good things must come to an end. As of November 22, 2007, Findory has shut down. It was a wonderful experiment building Findory. Information personalization is in our future.
Life on the Internet is not permanent and if there is a fear, it is that I might invest beaucoup time and work to create something personalized, only to return one day and find the above text. That's a legitimate concern, yes?
My Favorite: YELP
Have something positive or negative to say about an experience with alocal business or service? Yelp is where you can go to either praise or bury the restaurant that provided superlative service or cold coffee served by uncaring staff. It is a grassroots review site that affords an opportunity to rave or condemn. Creating an account only requires name, e-mail address, password and zip code. Gender and birthdate are optional. Once you arein, you can be the food critic and more.
I'm a believer in reading posts from other consumers for items I'm considering purchasing. For example comments on the MSN car pages helped me determine that the car I wanted to buy was well constructed, reliable, and powerful enough to keep up on the highway, despite having one of the smallest engines (1.5L). And for over a year, we have been delighted with our Scion xB!
Well, as you can tell, not everyone is 100% sold on the design........You use Yelp by finding your geographical location by place name, (the default is to the largest nearby city) and then choosing a category from a list ranging from food to financial services to public services and government. Yep--the library could be in there--Howard County locations are listed but as of yet, there are no postings. Yelp has the potential for making every customer a secret shopper.
Once you rule out the whiners or petty complainers, there is useful information that typically will not be available to consumers elsewhere. Of course, you have to build a knowledge base of more than one or two opinions/reviews to make any category useful and from what I found, the Howard County community needs to sign up and contribute.
Yelp was selected as #1 in the "City Guides and Reviews" class and while I'd heard of it and used it previously, this exercise helped me analyze its benefits and shortcomings more closely.
Other sites of note:
Clipmarks: My knowledgable and curious Assistant manager saw this and installed it on selected service desk PCs at work--months ago. A lot of the examples in the left margin ogf their homepage are a bit frivolous but it is a powerful too.
Furl: Find out what others are looking at and utilizing. "Share and save your online discoveries"
Looks like a good way of recording serendipitous "ah ha moments" as you surf.
Omnidrive: I love the idea of online storage sites and this one offers a free gig along with collaborative document editing via Zoho. Other storage options range from $40 to $199.My only concern? See the two italicized lines in the second paragraph.
Guess the Google: Finally for fun, this one was in the games category. You have a few seconds to guess the search term used to retrieve a montage of images relating to a common theme. I got a 264 on my try, flubbing the last two questions. It's a nice brain tease and I didn't end up feeling too stupid!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Thing #14 : Technorati
Technorati:
Comprehensive, easy to use, and useful for work tasks if you sift out the chaff.
I searched Learning 2.0 and was not initially impressed by the results, but that changed... Some background about my personal feeling on blogs is necessary, and please withhold judgment.
I'm not 100% sold on the concept of "everyone a blogger" -- but I tend to be overly skeptical and cynical. At times, blogging seems purely faddish. To "blog" may be good ( or more appropriately "useful") but why do I want to read a lot of stranger's journals? Is it not sometimes the equivalent of listening to radio talk shows? Yes there are many opinions but I don't need to hear them all expressed umpteen different ways. The very fact that anyone can create a blog means there is just that much more stuff floating out in the ether. But how much is meaningful and how much is really dross? Not that there is anything inherently wrong with dross--I've created/penned/typed a lot of it myself. I just didn't put it out for public consumption or think it significant because it could available online....Gosh I'm a curmudgeon......But I've reformed. Perhaps the information on blogs is best valued for its currency and immediacy. So...
On the other hand, blogging is a terrific venue for sharing information around common themes, and in searching "libraries" I found a number of quality library created blogs that I would visit again for facts, informed opinion and analysis of issues, about library 2.0 applications . Hmm, that sounds almost like an online community, and isn't that a significant part of what 2.0 is really all about?
I did find it interesting how some merchants have set up blogs as storefronts through which they are selling merchandise. Their sites are mini Amazon.coms complete with "add to cart" icons and so forth.
Comprehensive, easy to use, and useful for work tasks if you sift out the chaff.
I searched Learning 2.0 and was not initially impressed by the results, but that changed... Some background about my personal feeling on blogs is necessary, and please withhold judgment.
I'm not 100% sold on the concept of "everyone a blogger" -- but I tend to be overly skeptical and cynical. At times, blogging seems purely faddish. To "blog" may be good ( or more appropriately "useful") but why do I want to read a lot of stranger's journals? Is it not sometimes the equivalent of listening to radio talk shows? Yes there are many opinions but I don't need to hear them all expressed umpteen different ways. The very fact that anyone can create a blog means there is just that much more stuff floating out in the ether. But how much is meaningful and how much is really dross? Not that there is anything inherently wrong with dross--I've created/penned/typed a lot of it myself. I just didn't put it out for public consumption or think it significant because it could available online....Gosh I'm a curmudgeon......But I've reformed. Perhaps the information on blogs is best valued for its currency and immediacy. So...
On the other hand, blogging is a terrific venue for sharing information around common themes, and in searching "libraries" I found a number of quality library created blogs that I would visit again for facts, informed opinion and analysis of issues, about library 2.0 applications . Hmm, that sounds almost like an online community, and isn't that a significant part of what 2.0 is really all about?
I did find it interesting how some merchants have set up blogs as storefronts through which they are selling merchandise. Their sites are mini Amazon.coms complete with "add to cart" icons and so forth.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Thing #20: YouTube and video posting
YouTube:
Most cool, lots of "stuff" from cartoons to military machine guns to movie scenes. What is not to love about it??
As a parent of two great kids, how could I not already know about YouTube. I have watched movie clips (the trailer for the Nick Nolte/Eddie Murphy film "48 Hours" most recently), endless Joe Pesci scenes and "edited" creations of people with lots of talent or sophisticated video equipment. I can explore for hours as I've always been a "visual" consumer. But beyond the pop culture and Gen X stunt clips, there are some jewels. I found one...
Below is some footage of the Royal Navy's World War II carrier borne torpedo bomber, the Fairey Swordfish. It doesn't look especially impressive I suppose. But consider these were the aircraft that attacked the powerful German battleship Bismarck in 1941, hitting its single rudder, jamming it so that she could only steam in circles. That hit allowed HMS King George V and HMS Rodney to catch and sank Bismarck. Hitler lost confidence in the German surface fleet and used it conservatively. So in a sense, this was an aircraft that had a direct and indirect influence on history....And I think that is cool. And without YouTube, I'd have never seen this footage. I "marked" my territory at YouTube by posting a favorable comment on a longer Swordfish clip too.
YouTube is easy to search by keyword. I also searched at Google video but interestingly, most of my results were from YT. I already had an account before "23 Things" so I added a couple videos to my "Favorites" and wrote descriptive information.
Now, I will shortly add the books about the Fairey Swordfish (Ha--you are laughing but yes, there are a number of books!!) to my Library Thing account. Now if there were only some way to link the video to them....
Enough already--
Here's the best opening song, or is it a commercial... from any TV show...hit the gas...!
Most cool, lots of "stuff" from cartoons to military machine guns to movie scenes. What is not to love about it??
As a parent of two great kids, how could I not already know about YouTube. I have watched movie clips (the trailer for the Nick Nolte/Eddie Murphy film "48 Hours" most recently), endless Joe Pesci scenes and "edited" creations of people with lots of talent or sophisticated video equipment. I can explore for hours as I've always been a "visual" consumer. But beyond the pop culture and Gen X stunt clips, there are some jewels. I found one...
Below is some footage of the Royal Navy's World War II carrier borne torpedo bomber, the Fairey Swordfish. It doesn't look especially impressive I suppose. But consider these were the aircraft that attacked the powerful German battleship Bismarck in 1941, hitting its single rudder, jamming it so that she could only steam in circles. That hit allowed HMS King George V and HMS Rodney to catch and sank Bismarck. Hitler lost confidence in the German surface fleet and used it conservatively. So in a sense, this was an aircraft that had a direct and indirect influence on history....And I think that is cool. And without YouTube, I'd have never seen this footage. I "marked" my territory at YouTube by posting a favorable comment on a longer Swordfish clip too.
YouTube is easy to search by keyword. I also searched at Google video but interestingly, most of my results were from YT. I already had an account before "23 Things" so I added a couple videos to my "Favorites" and wrote descriptive information.
Now, I will shortly add the books about the Fairey Swordfish (Ha--you are laughing but yes, there are a number of books!!) to my Library Thing account. Now if there were only some way to link the video to them....
Enough already--
Here's the best opening song, or is it a commercial... from any TV show...hit the gas...!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Thing #13: Tagging and del.icio.us
I did create and account and I will add the del-icio.us search tool to my home PC--it is already on my work PC. I like the power of finding sites others have found useful and I appreciate the ease of accessing my bookmarks from any PC. However, I was disappointed with the results of my first few searches in del.icio.us. I got few hits and those that did pop up had been saved by less than five people. I was looking for high school football, restaurant china and ship modeling sites--OK, maybe that stuff is a little odd but it's useful to me.
Searching for "public library" produced much more and I found, amongst the libraries, sites for public domain photos, public domain fonts and public domain clipart. There are also the free texts and audio texts sites too.
From a work perspective, there is value in aggregating similar and often used web sites.
Off topic a bit--One link I followed was to the City of San Mateo Public Library. Wow! Talk about doing it right! I liked the integration of their site with other online municipal services and the overall design and ease of use of the library page in particular. They are even soliciting citizen input for the re-design of their website. How democratic is that? However, I could not locate their del.icio.us page???
I was more successful looking at Lansing PL del.icio.us pages which are quite useful. The long list of subject tags at the right is graphic illustration of the power of tagged recall and the ease of finding information. It's also a good indicator of the amount of time one must put into constructing a useful set of bookmarks.
Searching for "public library" produced much more and I found, amongst the libraries, sites for public domain photos, public domain fonts and public domain clipart. There are also the free texts and audio texts sites too.
From a work perspective, there is value in aggregating similar and often used web sites.
Off topic a bit--One link I followed was to the City of San Mateo Public Library. Wow! Talk about doing it right! I liked the integration of their site with other online municipal services and the overall design and ease of use of the library page in particular. They are even soliciting citizen input for the re-design of their website. How democratic is that? However, I could not locate their del.icio.us page???
I was more successful looking at Lansing PL del.icio.us pages which are quite useful. The long list of subject tags at the right is graphic illustration of the power of tagged recall and the ease of finding information. It's also a good indicator of the amount of time one must put into constructing a useful set of bookmarks.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Thing #22: Downloading audio content
Downloadable Audio Books and Content:
Convenient, Growth potential, Either a very easy process or fraught with technological pitfalls that will put off the less experienced user.
Some weeks back, I established an Overdrive account for myself (I thought) and downloaded the Overdrive console on my PC in the process of assisting a longtime branch customer who was having "bad luck" on her home PC. I was successful in loading an audio title on my home PC, and transferring that content to her MP3 player. Because she had purchased a player with some sort of proprietary software associated with the vendor (bad move) I did not get it to play, but I could listen to it on my own machine. It was a good exercise as I have been assisting other branch customers with troubleshooting.
I went ahead and explored Overdrive again and what I have experienced in the past still holds true--it's a library without enough copies. Most current nonfiction titles of interest required placing a hold...that is frustrating. But it gets worse. Despite having accessed Overdrive from home before...using the above customer's barcode I could NOT login myself. The "help" was not especially helpful and the problem is not solved....so
I next went to Gutenberg. I located the audio books, selected the texts read by humans, found Ambrose Bierce's "Devil's Dictionary," went to a download site, and started the process...only to have an error message pop up and crash all Firefox sessions. Yippeee. So I tried again. And again...and again. No luck, not even an error message. I tried using both Firefox and Explorer but had no success. It is ironic--it's so easy and fast and obvious downloading a text copy of a book. I am defeated by the audio format however, for now.
I do not think Gutenberg's Help is particularly self evident or complete. I looked for steps on downloading the audio format and found a lot of distracting techno-talk instead of a set of clearly defined steps that anticipated any difficulties. I did not find what I was looking for, so either I am missing something obvious or a minor tech problem at my end is creating a bigger mess. What a way to end, with a whimper instead of a triumph.
Convenient, Growth potential, Either a very easy process or fraught with technological pitfalls that will put off the less experienced user.
Some weeks back, I established an Overdrive account for myself (I thought) and downloaded the Overdrive console on my PC in the process of assisting a longtime branch customer who was having "bad luck" on her home PC. I was successful in loading an audio title on my home PC, and transferring that content to her MP3 player. Because she had purchased a player with some sort of proprietary software associated with the vendor (bad move) I did not get it to play, but I could listen to it on my own machine. It was a good exercise as I have been assisting other branch customers with troubleshooting.
I went ahead and explored Overdrive again and what I have experienced in the past still holds true--it's a library without enough copies. Most current nonfiction titles of interest required placing a hold...that is frustrating. But it gets worse. Despite having accessed Overdrive from home before...using the above customer's barcode I could NOT login myself. The "help" was not especially helpful and the problem is not solved....so
I next went to Gutenberg. I located the audio books, selected the texts read by humans, found Ambrose Bierce's "Devil's Dictionary," went to a download site, and started the process...only to have an error message pop up and crash all Firefox sessions. Yippeee. So I tried again. And again...and again. No luck, not even an error message. I tried using both Firefox and Explorer but had no success. It is ironic--it's so easy and fast and obvious downloading a text copy of a book. I am defeated by the audio format however, for now.
I do not think Gutenberg's Help is particularly self evident or complete. I looked for steps on downloading the audio format and found a lot of distracting techno-talk instead of a set of clearly defined steps that anticipated any difficulties. I did not find what I was looking for, so either I am missing something obvious or a minor tech problem at my end is creating a bigger mess. What a way to end, with a whimper instead of a triumph.
Thing #23: Completion!
Completion:
Relief, Feeling of accomplishment, New Knowledge, Keep Learning, Try It and Use it, Solicit Staff Suggestions, Lots of New Possibilities.
I am finished but I have really only started. I cannot think of another method, short of academic class work, that would have introduced me to so many useful tools.There are some that I will incorporate into everyday work, namely Library Thing, Rollyo, and RSS feeds. And I will use Library Thing at home to catalog my own books
Other tools I will play with for the fun of it, as in the avatar generators and trading card makers
My first experience in blogging was successful and reinforced how much I actually enjoy writing...and editing. Writing is never an easy task but it is full of reward.
I am delighted with my staff who were fortunate enough to sign up and complete this program. Many of them have already used the tools and their knowledge and confidence are reflected in the add-ons and visual personality of their public blog faces. I'd be a liar if I said I were not a bit envious of their abilities but I do intend to keep on practicing until I can load the front end of my page with "goodies." I'm a "Victorian" rather than a minimalist in decoration and I like organized clutter--No apologies.
Here are some other realizations from this program.
Stay informed
Read the tech columns more regularly. I realize the Web 2.0 software highlighted and discussed at Computers in Libraries this year was only the tip of a huge iceberg, addressing some of the more useful applications for this"library business". You don't have to master each new item add-on or feature but it is wise to stay informed because Web 2.5 or 3.0 is coming. One thing I am still puzzled by though is how companies make money by giving away so much free access and online storage.
Work to use online productivity tools at work
Try it in a simple project first with staff and build from there. I'm speaking of word processed documents. Doing so should save paper/e-mail drafts, reinforce use of the technology for those who are reluctant to apply what they have learned, and provide opportunities for hard working staff who were not able to do the "23 Things."
Keep Having Fun!
How can you NOT like playing with avatars or doing the YouTube thing. One person wrote that they could not find anything but junk there--? Not. Any time I want I can listen to clips of Joe Pesci in Goodfellas or Casino --voila. So I'm not a Bambi and flowers kind of guy but that's what I get a kick from.
As predicted, I did a good bit of this project at home on weekends and a few evenings. That gave me uninterrupted time and peace and that stimulated creativity and more thorough exploration than if I had done this all in my office. I do wish I had actually started a couple weeks earlier but that is the nature of being busy at work and being a parent who has committed himself to numerous volunteer hours at his son's high school. No regrets. I like the online learning environment and would welcome more intensive or lengthy training delivered in this manner. It would have been fun to work side by side on one or two units with a co-worker so we could share strengths.
Relief, Feeling of accomplishment, New Knowledge, Keep Learning, Try It and Use it, Solicit Staff Suggestions, Lots of New Possibilities.
I am finished but I have really only started. I cannot think of another method, short of academic class work, that would have introduced me to so many useful tools.There are some that I will incorporate into everyday work, namely Library Thing, Rollyo, and RSS feeds. And I will use Library Thing at home to catalog my own books
Other tools I will play with for the fun of it, as in the avatar generators and trading card makers
My first experience in blogging was successful and reinforced how much I actually enjoy writing...and editing. Writing is never an easy task but it is full of reward.
I am delighted with my staff who were fortunate enough to sign up and complete this program. Many of them have already used the tools and their knowledge and confidence are reflected in the add-ons and visual personality of their public blog faces. I'd be a liar if I said I were not a bit envious of their abilities but I do intend to keep on practicing until I can load the front end of my page with "goodies." I'm a "Victorian" rather than a minimalist in decoration and I like organized clutter--No apologies.
Here are some other realizations from this program.
Stay informed
Read the tech columns more regularly. I realize the Web 2.0 software highlighted and discussed at Computers in Libraries this year was only the tip of a huge iceberg, addressing some of the more useful applications for this"library business". You don't have to master each new item add-on or feature but it is wise to stay informed because Web 2.5 or 3.0 is coming. One thing I am still puzzled by though is how companies make money by giving away so much free access and online storage.
Work to use online productivity tools at work
Try it in a simple project first with staff and build from there. I'm speaking of word processed documents. Doing so should save paper/e-mail drafts, reinforce use of the technology for those who are reluctant to apply what they have learned, and provide opportunities for hard working staff who were not able to do the "23 Things."
Keep Having Fun!
How can you NOT like playing with avatars or doing the YouTube thing. One person wrote that they could not find anything but junk there--? Not. Any time I want I can listen to clips of Joe Pesci in Goodfellas or Casino --voila. So I'm not a Bambi and flowers kind of guy but that's what I get a kick from.
As predicted, I did a good bit of this project at home on weekends and a few evenings. That gave me uninterrupted time and peace and that stimulated creativity and more thorough exploration than if I had done this all in my office. I do wish I had actually started a couple weeks earlier but that is the nature of being busy at work and being a parent who has committed himself to numerous volunteer hours at his son's high school. No regrets. I like the online learning environment and would welcome more intensive or lengthy training delivered in this manner. It would have been fun to work side by side on one or two units with a co-worker so we could share strengths.
Thing #12: Rollyo
Rollyo: Easy to use, Possibly Encyclopedic, Straightforward, Time Saver, Efficient... when it loads.
OK-- this is cool! I created a simple account in about 10 seconds--this site is a keeper!!!
Once again, I am using my own hobbyist and personal interests to drive the assignment and Rollyo is tailor made to help in my particular instance. Here's why.
Model building sites typically include product and kit reviews, photos of real prototypes and the associated models, commentary/threads about anything related to model building, and links to cottage manufacturers of kits and after-market parts. Hey, it's a whole little world out there, and incidentally, I am not including scale model railroads which is another mini-galaxy. Typically content at model building web sites is added in reverse chronological order and it simply keeps accumulating. From my experience over the past eight years, the built in search functions of these sites are not especially helpful because they lack precision or simply do not work efficiently. When you want a review of a particular ship kit for example, you have to separately search reviews and photos of built kits in two different areas and it boils down to simply scrolling, scrolling, until the eyes and determination wear down....always with a feeling that something was left undiscovered.
I did a Rollyo search for an author/expert and was delighted with the results yielded, though I want to eliminate the open web results if possible.
Of course Rollyo has OTJ applications, given enough to time to prepare. Imagine this scenario for a Civil War assignment. A student approaches you and says "I need information on the battle of XYZ, and the teacher said the sources cannot be books, they have to be from the Internet and we cannot use the Wikipedia." Yes, that would be nice wouldn't it :-)
Try a search here. Select Model Building Fun and search USS Ward or Titanic or Me-109. You should get articles about building a model of that particular prototype!
Search "USS Ward" and see what happens!
OK-- this is cool! I created a simple account in about 10 seconds--this site is a keeper!!!
Once again, I am using my own hobbyist and personal interests to drive the assignment and Rollyo is tailor made to help in my particular instance. Here's why.
Model building sites typically include product and kit reviews, photos of real prototypes and the associated models, commentary/threads about anything related to model building, and links to cottage manufacturers of kits and after-market parts. Hey, it's a whole little world out there, and incidentally, I am not including scale model railroads which is another mini-galaxy. Typically content at model building web sites is added in reverse chronological order and it simply keeps accumulating. From my experience over the past eight years, the built in search functions of these sites are not especially helpful because they lack precision or simply do not work efficiently. When you want a review of a particular ship kit for example, you have to separately search reviews and photos of built kits in two different areas and it boils down to simply scrolling, scrolling, until the eyes and determination wear down....always with a feeling that something was left undiscovered.
I did a Rollyo search for an author/expert and was delighted with the results yielded, though I want to eliminate the open web results if possible.
Of course Rollyo has OTJ applications, given enough to time to prepare. Imagine this scenario for a Civil War assignment. A student approaches you and says "I need information on the battle of XYZ, and the teacher said the sources cannot be books, they have to be from the Internet and we cannot use the Wikipedia." Yes, that would be nice wouldn't it :-)
Try a search here. Select Model Building Fun and search USS Ward or Titanic or Me-109. You should get articles about building a model of that particular prototype!
Search "USS Ward" and see what happens!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Thing #11: Library Thing
Library Thing: Easy to use, Helpful, Expansive,
My ex-wife, (ah see what you'll learn from reading a blog) a retired public librarian, told me about Library Thing over a year ago so I was familiar with its power. I did not create an account then and I should have. However, I knew that once you start, it is ADDICTING. I should add, I probably have well over 1500 books in my house ranging in subjects from military and naval history, restaurant china, American architecture, and old catalogs, to name a few. I'm a bookaholic. Before the Internet, a good weekend always included spending some time in a used bookstore...then came amazon.com and Bookfinder.com.
I suspect that much of what people add to Library Thing is fiction. I'm doing the opposite and dumping in my nonfiction. I have added the small collection of books on American china I own as well as a few books on restaurant history and one on menu design. It was incredibly easy so I will continue adding. What a great tool to show library customers who want to create a list of what they have read too since LT links to so much and has the capability of fostering an online community with shared interests.
Here's the link to my catalog www.librarything.com/catalog/Philsbks
My one potential frustration is with the consistency of tagging and the entering of the same book with one record having an incomplete title (no subtitle) or a publication year that is one year off from the date on my own copy but obviously the same book. I have not tagged anything yet but will do so later. For something as basic as books on china or restaurants , it should be straightforward. However, once you get to World War II, and want to be precise in differentiating books on the Battle of the Atlantic versus say say the Mediterranean naval battles, you need to have a common language to cull everything from searching tags. Simply slapping a World War II tag is virtually useless isn't it? Perhaps exploring LT further will yield some useful hints--I'm still a novice but an enthusiastic one.
I really like the option for adding book covers--here is a natural practice task for using a digital camera and uploading images--not a hard thing to do but a great way for someone to practice their skills. A lot of my books are older so this will be a fun project to hone skills.
Addendum: I'm up to 30 items in my library so that finishes the restaurant china titles. My name is Phil...and I am a Library Thing addict.....
My ex-wife, (ah see what you'll learn from reading a blog) a retired public librarian, told me about Library Thing over a year ago so I was familiar with its power. I did not create an account then and I should have. However, I knew that once you start, it is ADDICTING. I should add, I probably have well over 1500 books in my house ranging in subjects from military and naval history, restaurant china, American architecture, and old catalogs, to name a few. I'm a bookaholic. Before the Internet, a good weekend always included spending some time in a used bookstore...then came amazon.com and Bookfinder.com.
I suspect that much of what people add to Library Thing is fiction. I'm doing the opposite and dumping in my nonfiction. I have added the small collection of books on American china I own as well as a few books on restaurant history and one on menu design. It was incredibly easy so I will continue adding. What a great tool to show library customers who want to create a list of what they have read too since LT links to so much and has the capability of fostering an online community with shared interests.
Here's the link to my catalog www.librarything.com/catalog/Philsbks
My one potential frustration is with the consistency of tagging and the entering of the same book with one record having an incomplete title (no subtitle) or a publication year that is one year off from the date on my own copy but obviously the same book. I have not tagged anything yet but will do so later. For something as basic as books on china or restaurants , it should be straightforward. However, once you get to World War II, and want to be precise in differentiating books on the Battle of the Atlantic versus say say the Mediterranean naval battles, you need to have a common language to cull everything from searching tags. Simply slapping a World War II tag is virtually useless isn't it? Perhaps exploring LT further will yield some useful hints--I'm still a novice but an enthusiastic one.
I really like the option for adding book covers--here is a natural practice task for using a digital camera and uploading images--not a hard thing to do but a great way for someone to practice their skills. A lot of my books are older so this will be a fun project to hone skills.
Addendum: I'm up to 30 items in my library so that finishes the restaurant china titles. My name is Phil...and I am a Library Thing addict.....
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Thing #10: Image Generators
Earlier this year I created an avatar for my Yahoo account--I don't know why I went through the process--curious mostly. After selecting from the available options, I came up with something that looked like a teenager would have made it. I kept it but....something was not quite right looking.
Meez was cool. I created a semi-nerdy looking guy with a bright red shirt who was getting wild at the indoor techno club. The animation was fun.......although I could not get it to post in my profile and after 20 minutes of looking at help screens at Meez and Blogger, I gave up. It may have been excessively large but at least my Meez avatar lives.....You might be able to see it by clicking here: http://www.meez.com/phil_52
http://www.meez.com/profile.dm?uid=4314216
but it did not seem to work. One thing I am really taking from all of the Web 2.0 exposure is I WANT TO LEARN HTML!!
I did go back and customize my Yahoo avatar--he looks better now but I cannot import him into Blogger, and that's a Yahoo thing, not a techno-issue as with Meez. I'll survive.
Now as to why I would do this otherwise or on a repeated basis is a good question....but you are never too old to have fun. Actually I see the use for teen librarians to incorporate some of this movement and customization into programs or other sites (if we had individual web pages in our system...we do not).
Update: I had two more experienced co-workers try and rescue my Meez from oblivion --they saw him, but they could no get him live on the blog either. I'm not finished with this struggle just yet....
Meez was cool. I created a semi-nerdy looking guy with a bright red shirt who was getting wild at the indoor techno club. The animation was fun.......although I could not get it to post in my profile and after 20 minutes of looking at help screens at Meez and Blogger, I gave up. It may have been excessively large but at least my Meez avatar lives.....You might be able to see it by clicking here: http://www.meez.com/phil_52
http://www.meez.com/profile.dm?uid=4314216
but it did not seem to work. One thing I am really taking from all of the Web 2.0 exposure is I WANT TO LEARN HTML!!
I did go back and customize my Yahoo avatar--he looks better now but I cannot import him into Blogger, and that's a Yahoo thing, not a techno-issue as with Meez. I'll survive.
Now as to why I would do this otherwise or on a repeated basis is a good question....but you are never too old to have fun. Actually I see the use for teen librarians to incorporate some of this movement and customization into programs or other sites (if we had individual web pages in our system...we do not).
Update: I had two more experienced co-workers try and rescue my Meez from oblivion --they saw him, but they could no get him live on the blog either. I'm not finished with this struggle just yet....
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Thing #9: Useful library related-bloggging and feed tools
First, I was not familiar with Merlin until this exercise. Interesting...as it is administered by the good folks at Enoch Pratt PL and is a wonderful resource for those of us who want to be in touch and learn. I have subscribed and will check back with this frequently. I
One useful tool I found in exploring is Page2RSS that enables creating RSS feeds from web pages that do not have them already set up. Iset one up for a ship modeling site I like to follow, although I am not sure because of the multiple pages there that I will capture everything.
The amount of potential "data" available via the Technorati, Topix, andSyndic8 is potentially overwhelming (Feedster is in a morphing phase so I could not see its functionality).
I do not like feeling overwhelmed and that is what a proliferation of feeds and RSS will do to me--I prefer precision. However, with the better understanding I have, it will be much easier to model one on one training with staff and educate customers. This isn't the future --it's yesterday and now...!
One useful tool I found in exploring is Page2RSS that enables creating RSS feeds from web pages that do not have them already set up. Iset one up for a ship modeling site I like to follow, although I am not sure because of the multiple pages there that I will capture everything.
The amount of potential "data" available via the Technorati, Topix, andSyndic8 is potentially overwhelming (Feedster is in a morphing phase so I could not see its functionality).
I do not like feeling overwhelmed and that is what a proliferation of feeds and RSS will do to me--I prefer precision. However, with the better understanding I have, it will be much easier to model one on one training with staff and educate customers. This isn't the future --it's yesterday and now...!
Thing #8: RSS feeds and Blogline--Most cool!
First, the brief video, RSS in Plain English was the best brief explanation I've seen to date about setting up a feed. It's not really that complicated after all but somehow the pasting of the URL always seemed arcane to me, so I played ostrich as the world moved on. No longer!
OK, OK, so I was troglodyte but after dabbling with RSS feeds, I am now a convert. In just a few minutes, I signed up for 20 feeds, and the beauty is, I can delete what I do not fund useful. I had the experience of having to update the feed from Rottentomatoes.com which I suspect is a common challenge--no big deal.
I already see the utility in getting feeds from my staff blogs--I can track their progress in this same project. Look out, Big Brother is feeding upon you! I also set up feeds for three book reviews (I wonder why) and my old hometown newspaper, The Albany Times-Union.
OK, OK, so I was troglodyte but after dabbling with RSS feeds, I am now a convert. In just a few minutes, I signed up for 20 feeds, and the beauty is, I can delete what I do not fund useful. I had the experience of having to update the feed from Rottentomatoes.com which I suspect is a common challenge--no big deal.
I already see the utility in getting feeds from my staff blogs--I can track their progress in this same project. Look out, Big Brother is feeding upon you! I also set up feeds for three book reviews (I wonder why) and my old hometown newspaper, The Albany Times-Union.
Thing #7 Technology Related Interests: TRANCE!
I love the instant "here and now" aspects of online technology. Others may deride e-mail as "so yesterday" but it is an incredible tool for linking people at work and outside. There's more of course, but the tools and workplace apps are not what I want to cover here....let's talk about listening pleasures.
One of the things I have come to love about the Internet is the variety of music available in streaming format. My 16 year old son got an iTunes account over a year and I would supply an iTunes card with the proviso that I download 2-3 moldy oldies. He pretty much rejected my tastes but turned me on to some of his contemporary music (Rammstein, Cradle of Filth). I did get my younger daughter hooked on Arthur Lee and "Love" the Da Capo album--go figure...One day I explored the iTunes console and the "Radio" function and found the link to over 90 streaming Electronic music sites--and that's it. I found TRANCE! For me, it's a sound alive with a very deep bass drive reaching inside of you (almost like the REAL low notes on a pipe organ more felt than heard), repetition, and even snippets of melody. I always preferred instrumental composition over voice and now I am hooked.
I usually hit Party107.com party107.com, ABF, or Eternal Trance (DJ Hercio) and listen for hours. There are some really creative DJs out there mixing originals and creating remixes incorporating parts of tunes we all recognize. " SOS" by the Police has that great line that can be...morphed (and it sounds better!). I was addicted to Karen Overton's "Put Your Loving Arms Around Me" for two months with four or five remixes I found. I also enjoy the sounds of Kaenow, DJ Macarius, John Avenida (RIP August 2007 ), and Dave Akermanis. And it's out there for free, just like the old AM radio that I grew up with in the 1960s, only there ain't NO commercials!! Ya got to love it. I'd like to attend a live event in the area, despite the fact that I could probably double the age of everyone else there and still have a few years on them. This is apparently not a hot spot for live trance performances though, from what little I can determine.
You either get it or you don't or as my T-shirt proclaims, "It's a trance thing, you wouldn't understand." I like the variety of sounds, love the drive and activity of the music--it's stimulating and it goes right to my core. Only an ignoramus would call it disco because of the beat--it's not even close. My son hates it, my daughter hears it with a more open mind, my assistant manager listened and described it as "annoying." What do I care--it's my thing. I would love to know different brains interact with this sound--I've always suspected I am ADD--is there a connection?
So pardon his digression from the analysis of what I can best use at work to help staff and customers. THIS technology is what helps keep me sane, and without at least a little sanity, nothing works !
One of the things I have come to love about the Internet is the variety of music available in streaming format. My 16 year old son got an iTunes account over a year and I would supply an iTunes card with the proviso that I download 2-3 moldy oldies. He pretty much rejected my tastes but turned me on to some of his contemporary music (Rammstein, Cradle of Filth). I did get my younger daughter hooked on Arthur Lee and "Love" the Da Capo album--go figure...One day I explored the iTunes console and the "Radio" function and found the link to over 90 streaming Electronic music sites--and that's it. I found TRANCE! For me, it's a sound alive with a very deep bass drive reaching inside of you (almost like the REAL low notes on a pipe organ more felt than heard), repetition, and even snippets of melody. I always preferred instrumental composition over voice and now I am hooked.
I usually hit Party107.com party107.com, ABF, or Eternal Trance (DJ Hercio) and listen for hours. There are some really creative DJs out there mixing originals and creating remixes incorporating parts of tunes we all recognize. " SOS" by the Police has that great line that can be...morphed (and it sounds better!). I was addicted to Karen Overton's "Put Your Loving Arms Around Me" for two months with four or five remixes I found. I also enjoy the sounds of Kaenow, DJ Macarius, John Avenida (RIP August 2007 ), and Dave Akermanis. And it's out there for free, just like the old AM radio that I grew up with in the 1960s, only there ain't NO commercials!! Ya got to love it. I'd like to attend a live event in the area, despite the fact that I could probably double the age of everyone else there and still have a few years on them. This is apparently not a hot spot for live trance performances though, from what little I can determine.
You either get it or you don't or as my T-shirt proclaims, "It's a trance thing, you wouldn't understand." I like the variety of sounds, love the drive and activity of the music--it's stimulating and it goes right to my core. Only an ignoramus would call it disco because of the beat--it's not even close. My son hates it, my daughter hears it with a more open mind, my assistant manager listened and described it as "annoying." What do I care--it's my thing. I would love to know different brains interact with this sound--I've always suspected I am ADD--is there a connection?
So pardon his digression from the analysis of what I can best use at work to help staff and customers. THIS technology is what helps keep me sane, and without at least a little sanity, nothing works !
Thing #6: Images II Flickr and Third Party Sites
After two attempts, I synch'd Flickr and Trading Card Maker and created a card. I love this front end approach to technology-- I shovel the URLS and links into a third party and out comes the product. I didn't have time to get extremely creative (wishful thinking) but I may go back and put myself on the cover of a magazine. Initially this all seems like fun, but in fact these tools provide a great way to add interest to a PowerPoint presentation, for example (that is if PowerPoint is not supplanted by Google Docs...).
This little activity was fun, and reinforces the notion that electronic technology can help an inept artist/designer such as I am, create some nifty eye catching personalized "things."
This little activity was fun, and reinforces the notion that electronic technology can help an inept artist/designer such as I am, create some nifty eye catching personalized "things."
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Thing # 5: Playing with Images
I used Flickr and other Web based photo services purely as a consumer but never uploaded content prior to today. It is remarkably simple, given the template/drop down environment provided for the user. I can see the ease and obvious advantages of sharing special interest group or family images this way, or using a photo service as a forum to display collections (which is my own personal interest!) Likewise, it would make a wonderful forum for showcasing library space, displays and collections.
Being a visual learner, it's also fun to explore the Flickr site using a few search terms or tags to discover images posted by others. For example, Origins of Business has posted "Business History Photographs" with images of many buildings associated with historic American enterprises (White Castle for one) Then there is a traveler who recorded the locations of the strip style US restaurants where she ate as she journeyed. However, it's not as precise a searching tool (yet) for me so I cannot retrieve the photos again--it's too tag cateories I tried are too broad.
Looking at the other albums is very cool and reminds me of the thematic 35 mm slide collections I once created in the 70s and 80s....Now I can do it again in a more contemporary format!
Today Howard County debuted it's new mobile Emergency Command Center in this area, parked outside on the branch parking lot. I took a number of shots and am including two, one of which is a closeup of thecounty seal. That's some nice (imitation?) gold leaf work in the border.
Being a visual learner, it's also fun to explore the Flickr site using a few search terms or tags to discover images posted by others. For example, Origins of Business has posted "Business History Photographs" with images of many buildings associated with historic American enterprises (White Castle for one) Then there is a traveler who recorded the locations of the strip style US restaurants where she ate as she journeyed. However, it's not as precise a searching tool (yet) for me so I cannot retrieve the photos again--it's too tag cateories I tried are too broad.
Looking at the other albums is very cool and reminds me of the thematic 35 mm slide collections I once created in the 70s and 80s....Now I can do it again in a more contemporary format!
Today Howard County debuted it's new mobile Emergency Command Center in this area, parked outside on the branch parking lot. I took a number of shots and am including two, one of which is a closeup of thecounty seal. That's some nice (imitation?) gold leaf work in the border.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Thing #4: Lifelong Learning and Blogging
Which habit(s) is easiest for me right now? For me, having fun at learning is a given because it involves the sense of (childlike?) wonderment I refuse to abandon. So two habits stand out:
Habit One: Beginning With the End in Mind ,and;
Habit Two Accepting Responsibility for my own Learning.
Why those two? Well, this is an opportunity to develop expertise with tools that enable me, both at work and home, to create and share all sorts of digital content, and that in itself is pretty exciting. I envision being a more savvy consumer and practiced user at the ending point, and knowing that I have not kept up with the technology, I am glad for the chance to have some "fun" at work as I learn. But in fact, I plan to do much of the practice/construction, etc at home during my later evening creative period from about 9 -11 PM. You may gasp and say, "What... on your own time?" Ah because when I consider that learning about the software has broader applications than work, why sweat it? I'm a frustrated creator--I want to post content! Also, with the routine interruptions at work, to be expected in a managerial spot, it's simply easier to do things at home. And while toiling at home, I don't have to feel "caught" if someone intrudes while I'm listening to party107.com when it's cranked up a bit.....
And what is going to be hardest?
Habit Four: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner.
Why? I do not often "get it" on the first or second go around and can get discouraged, especially if I know my peers have been there and gone already. Remember high school tests, and as you worked at answering the third of five difficult essay questions, you would see other students get up, turn in their exam, and leave the room. You assumed they got it and you were behind. Well it's not that bad but I do worry sometimes! However, I have never been afraid to ask for assistance and with the very talented staff here, that I will ask them to clarify or demonstrate if necessary before I move along.
And here is a confession. While I still understand the purpose and method of subscribing to an RSS feed, I think the mechanics are extremely arcane, and right now, please do not ask me to assist...Get the picture? "I'll be back..."
Habit One: Beginning With the End in Mind ,and;
Habit Two Accepting Responsibility for my own Learning.
Why those two? Well, this is an opportunity to develop expertise with tools that enable me, both at work and home, to create and share all sorts of digital content, and that in itself is pretty exciting. I envision being a more savvy consumer and practiced user at the ending point, and knowing that I have not kept up with the technology, I am glad for the chance to have some "fun" at work as I learn. But in fact, I plan to do much of the practice/construction, etc at home during my later evening creative period from about 9 -11 PM. You may gasp and say, "What... on your own time?" Ah because when I consider that learning about the software has broader applications than work, why sweat it? I'm a frustrated creator--I want to post content! Also, with the routine interruptions at work, to be expected in a managerial spot, it's simply easier to do things at home. And while toiling at home, I don't have to feel "caught" if someone intrudes while I'm listening to party107.com when it's cranked up a bit.....
And what is going to be hardest?
Habit Four: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner.
Why? I do not often "get it" on the first or second go around and can get discouraged, especially if I know my peers have been there and gone already. Remember high school tests, and as you worked at answering the third of five difficult essay questions, you would see other students get up, turn in their exam, and leave the room. You assumed they got it and you were behind. Well it's not that bad but I do worry sometimes! However, I have never been afraid to ask for assistance and with the very talented staff here, that I will ask them to clarify or demonstrate if necessary before I move along.
And here is a confession. While I still understand the purpose and method of subscribing to an RSS feed, I think the mechanics are extremely arcane, and right now, please do not ask me to assist...Get the picture? "I'll be back..."
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Things 1-3: Creating the First Post
Somewhere out in the electronic ether is the remains of a blog I created and then abandoned some time ago....Back then, the more I pondered the time and effort required of me to sustain that creation, the easier it was to accept its ultimate demise. You could say I lacked real purpose and the necessary commitment... Hmm, that almost reminds me of a long ago conversation with a guidance counselor (or maybe it was a career counselor??) but no matter--This time the blog will endure. As of today, it is REAL!
Which leads me to my greatest fear...that Web 2.0 will become all consuming because I already have enough basic knowledge to know this stuff IS FUN....like the night my son and I played around in YouTube and I discovered "Apocalypse Pony" and we watched clips of Soviet military helicopters flying backwards (very cool!). All right...I'm in print on the Web...let the learning begin....
Update: With the perspective gained from an intervening month, all I can say is We 2.0 stuff is both useful and cool, and easy to apply. Keep your mind open and don't be afraid to explore or ask questions of your co-workers. Your only limits to accomplishment are the unalterable facts that humans require sleep and that there are only 24 hours in a day!
Which leads me to my greatest fear...that Web 2.0 will become all consuming because I already have enough basic knowledge to know this stuff IS FUN....like the night my son and I played around in YouTube and I discovered "Apocalypse Pony" and we watched clips of Soviet military helicopters flying backwards (very cool!). All right...I'm in print on the Web...let the learning begin....
Update: With the perspective gained from an intervening month, all I can say is We 2.0 stuff is both useful and cool, and easy to apply. Keep your mind open and don't be afraid to explore or ask questions of your co-workers. Your only limits to accomplishment are the unalterable facts that humans require sleep and that there are only 24 hours in a day!
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