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.
Friday, November 16, 2007
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.....
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