The end!

Wow the 23rd thing! I learned quite a bit about this Web 2.0 deal. And I must admit I enjoyed more of it than I thought I would. From a professional stand point, what I have learned during this exercise is most useful. We are in the business of information, and technology is how we find and receive much of said information. Hence the concept of Library 2.0. I think it behooves all staff members to stay up to date on any new technologies that will improve the quality of service we provide to our patrons. This applies to those who work face to face with the public, as well as those of us who work behind the scenes.

I know I will use what I learned on a personal level. I am not sure if I will continue my blog but I will definitely look at others when I need a good craft project or knitting help. I can't say I will ever create my own podcast but I subscribe to a number of ones that I regularly enjoy. I love live-brary! YouTube can be useful and funny. I currently use and will continue to use Google Docs and any number of wikis both personally and professionally. Del.icio.us and LibraryThing will come in handy. I may set up some RSS feeds that I might actually look at but I can't promise. Flickr is something I always heard mentioned but didn't quite understand. Now I can log on to WFL account and see pictures from programs I conducted. that's cool.

Would I want to do something like this again? Maybe. I was fortunate enough to have time to complete the exercises at work. I know many others did not have the luxury of "off desk time" which made 23 Things a challenge.

#22 Audiobooks (or “The end is in sight”)

I just recently began to explore Live-brary and have downloaded both ebooks and eAudiobooks. In fact when I leave work tonight I am going to knit little Roo a sweater while listening to Orson Scott Card's Invasive Procedures on my I Pad.

I am very excited about Live-brary eAudiobooks. Now when it is the middle of the night and I am knitting away when suddenly my audiobook ends, I don't have to pay for a new one. Yes, unfortunately this has happened to me. Several times.

My only complaint is that the science fiction/fantasy section is a bit over run with vampire and witches. I prefer aliens myself. Oh and the teen section needs more selection.

#21 Podcasts, Smodcasts!

I have been listening to podcasts for sometime now. Of course most of them are about knitting. Knitpicks is my favorite. It has great interviews, book reviews and even yarn reviews.

Typically I use my i tunes to find new podcast that I may enjoy, but I browsed around Podcastalley for awhile. I discovered that there is pretty much a podcast for anything you are into. One podcast that I found to be interesting was AudioBook reviews. I added it to my RSS feed and will take a look at it from time to time to see what other people like to listen to.

#20 You too can YouTube

I am a fan of YouTube- to a point. I will be the first to admit that a lot of the videos are stupid and/or self indulgent. Having said that, there are also quite a few helpful ones. I know when I am having trouble with a particular knitting stitch, I can usually find a good how-to video. I also enjoy watching clips from SNL or comedians (Mike Birbiglia is hysterical and not too dirty).

Hmm. An application for the library website. We could have a video of the day/week. Maybe something techie or how-to.


Hope you enjoy this video. I met these ladies and they are great and so are there knitting books.

#19 Discovering Web 2.0 tools

I enjoyed looking through the list of the Web 2.0 Awards. While scanning the list I realized that I already use a number of the sites frequently. I listen to Pandora in my cubicle all the time. I found my sweet little puppy Roo through the Oodle classifieds. I search Kayac quite a bit for vacation deals. I have plans to look into Mango for some spanish lessons. It comes highly recommended from a friend. But my all time favorite is Etsy. I have lusted after many a handcrafted item (see photo). I am not sure this site has any applications for use in a library setting as some others might but I love it.

#18 Web-based Apps: They’re not just for desktops

I have been using Google Docs for awhile now. My first experience was when Dave Jones created a Battle of the Books document that we could all add to. What a great way for a number of people to work on a project and have all the info in one place. I also find it handy when receiving documents from someone who is not using the same software. I will definitely continue to use Google Docs both personally and professionally.

#17 Playing around with PBWiki

Like most of the "things" thus far, playing around with PBWiki was interesting but I am not sure how much I would use it. For the most part If I want to what anyone's favorite blog or movie is, I will ask. But I could see a use for it if the library wanted to have somewhere where patrons could see what the staff was into.

#16 So what’s in a wiki?

Well, I can now say I understand what a wiki is. I definitely see how they can be of use. People always want the latest news, information, gossip, etc. and wiki sites seem to be somewhere one can get it fast. My only concern is that the information found may not be completely correct. So I would adviseusing discretion, always taking into account where said information is coming from.

I looked into a couple of the sites listed. I really enjoyed browsing around the Book Lovers wiki. I like the idea of reviews written by a number of different people. I will continue to check out this site when I need a book to read or listen to. I already found some great titles to add to my "to read" list on LibraryThing.

I have used the Pals wiki for sometime now. I use it to keep up with the goings on of Millennium Cataloging. I check to see when cataloging meetings are scheduled, print out any of the meeting handouts I may have missed, sign up for any cataloging programs I want to attend and so much more. It is a valuable tool for library employees.

I also looked around Library Success: A best practices wiki. I can definitely see how librarians would want to check out this site to either get or give information.

#15 On Library 2.0 & Web 2.0 …

Well I set out to try and understand Library 2.0. I read the Wikipedia article and some of the perspectives. I feel like I got the gist of it. I am all for libraries updating their services to meet the needs of the patrons and enlisting the help of these patrons in the development and maintenance of said services.

I really enjoyed Michael Stephens' perspective. In his article entitled, Into a New World Of Librarianship, Stephens said that libraries are "a social and emotionally engaging center for learning and experience". As both a library employee and a library patron, I couldn't agree more. I felt his article took a positive approach to how technology could be used to provide a better experiece for the patron. I think any library and /or librarian that implements the stratergies he sets out in his article would be better for it.

I also read Rick Anderson's perspective, Away from Icebergs. While I found the article informative, to me it seemed more negative than Michael Stevens. Just look at the first word in each title, Away verses Into.

All in all, the five perspectives provided food for thought.

#14 Getting not-so-technical with Technorati

I played around with Technorati for awhile. The upside to this experiment is that I found an awesome blog... http://blog.craftzine.com/. And If anyone is thinking of giving me a gift, here is a great idea (see photo). The downside is that I could spend hours and hours looking at blogs.

I didn't sign up for an account because I have already signed up for a number of accounts for this 23 Things project. I will definately keep Technorati in mind when I need a project or want to catch up on what is Currently Hot.

#13 Tagging, folksonomies & social bookmarking in Del.icio.us

I just watched the del.icio.us tutorial. I could see where this site may be useful. The ability to keep track and access your bookmarks from any computer is handy. I would also like to find other people who are interested in knitting and check out the sites they have bookmarked. You would be suprised how many technologically savvy knitters are out there.

Laptop Compubody Sock....

comments about creating my own search engine...

Like most of the "things" we have had to learn about thus far, creating my own search engine was interesting. I just am not sure I would ever take it any futher. I am content with Google or yahoo. Typically I find the information I need with a basic search.

#12 Roll your own search engine

Select Search Engine...qtswfl.blogspot.comKniitingSearch The Web

Powered by Rollyo

Newest Raffel

This post doesn't have anything to do with the 23 things but I thought my fellow WFL employees would like to meet "Roo", the newest addition to our family. She is an adorable eight week old two pound Chihuahua. She will be visiting the Library soon, where I hope to set up a play date with George and Lola (even though they might teach her how to perform random acts of graffiti).

#11 A thing about LibraryThing

I could see how LibraryThing could be very helpful. How many times have you picked up a book and wondered if you have read it or not. I like the idea of keeping a list of books you want to read. This might work better than all the scraps of paper I have in my cubicle. And just think of how much less shelf space you will need.

just one more image...

more images

What do you think, should we add this title to the collection?

#10 Play around with Image Generators

OK these image generators are addicting. I think I tried all of them. Here are a few of my favorites...

#9 Finding Feeds

I must admit I was completely overwhelmed by syndic8 and technorati. Topix with Westhampton info was a bit more interesting.

#8 Make life “really simple” with RSS & a newsreader

I have to admit I am not a fan of this RSS feed. I am already bombarded by way too much information as it is. Yet I can see how this may be useful to others.

On a side note, Bloglines had way too many porn widgets!

More more Flickr fun...

This is cool!

#7 My blog about technology

At times I find technolgy useful, fun, exciting and even relaxing. On the other hand, it can be stressful, costly, time sucking, and mind-numbing. I guess my point is ... moderation!

The internet can be a valuable resource for free knitting patterns, how-to videos, and so so many place to buy yarn. I also enjoy listening to podcast about, you guessed it, knitting.

# 6 more Flickr fun..;

I enjoyed play around with Flckr more than I thought I would. I spent some time checking out the Librarian Trading Cards. As you can see, I decided to make my own. I also thought Flickr Color Pickr was pretty cool. I liked a lot of the nature images and would like to use some in a collage.

#5 discovering Flickr

Hello All!

Here is a photo I found on Flickr that intrigued me. No not because I am a prude and feel all women should cover their breasts (which I am and I do) but because it is an example of yarn bombing, covering random pieces of public property in knitted "apparel". Who knows, I may knit her some undies.

71/2 habits response

I will start with what I feel to be my strength... Teaching others. Granted it is usually not the latest technology I am teaching. But as Moonpie would say, knitting needles are one of the world's original hardware and yarn the software (pardon the pun). Also I have quite an impressive toolbox for my craft.

I do use and enjoy technology for both work and play. My current addiction is Bakery Story on my I pad. I would say my greatest weakness is viewing problems as challenges. I see problems as well PROBLEMS. I am aware that there will always be challenges when trying to learn new things and I must face them head on. Wish me luck!

In addition...

I also wanted to let everyone know that I am commited to being a lifelong learner.

Welcome!

Hi there,

Welcome to my blog. If you have any questions and/or concerns about how we operate here in T.S. Feel free to ask.