I have decided to continue my blog even after 23things to write about library-related stuff. Though I have no definite plans for what will go here, I'll include fun stories, book reviews, pictures and if I have any super awesome storytime or programming ideas.
One of the biggest things that has touched my heart since I started as the Children's LA was when I went to JoyLou daycare two weeks ago. I have only read to these little ones twice before and we sing the same goodbye song every time that has sign language. When we got ready to sing two weeks ago, almost all of them remembered what every sign in our song meant. That really warmed my heart and made me realize that I'm making an impact on these little ones. :) I think outreaches to the daycares and schools are definitely my favorite aspect of the job thus far.
That's all for now...hopefully I'll be able to continue maintaining this.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Last Thing!
- What were your favorite discoveries or activities over the past ten weeks?
- Do you feel more confidence with these resources now? Was it time well-spent?
- If a similar learning program is offered in the future, are there other resources and technologies you would like to see covered? Any suggestions for how we might run the program differently?
- Do you think our patrons would benefit from a similar program?
Monday, March 28, 2011
Louisville Free Public Library - Book Sizzle
Louisville Free Public Library - Book Sizzle This is one of the book letters that I subscribed to. I like to know what books have been talked about, that way when people come in asking for it but don't remember the name or author, then I will have som idea what they're talking about and can help them find it. I also subscribed to Books on the Air, Children's Chapter Books, Children's Picture Books, and Teen Scene. :)
Online Reader Tools
I've been sort of familiar with Online Reader Tools, especially Novelist (it's the best!). I had never been on GoodReads before and really enjoyed exploring the site. The book that I recommended to Joe Patron was The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan. I don't really know what prompted me to recommend that particular one, but it is my favorite of the books that he's written so far. BookLetters is a handy tool that I would have known nothing about before 23things. I subscribed to Book Sizzle and Books on the Air (see previous post) because it's nice to know what books have been talked about in order to help patrons when they can't remember the name or author. It used to happen to me at Border's all the time, so I know it will be helpful here too. I also subscribed to Children's Chapter Books, Children's Picture Books, and Teen Scene in order to stay up-to-date on the books for the patrons I serve the most...the kids! As I've said before, I love Novelist. I did a search for Twilight to see what would be recommended for the TwiHards. The results weren't surprising, as they were all romancy, vampirey, werewolvey type books. I decided to do something a bit less "cliche" and searched for a book called Wish that I've read and enjoyed recently. and it brought up some interesting recommendations. Some I've heard of, while others I hadn't. I think all three of the online Reader Tools will come in very handy, both for myself personally, but also for helping patrons. I don't have any other Reader Tools that I would recommend, but will definitely keep my eye out for some!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Wiki, wiki, what?
I'd had experience working on a wiki before with one of my previous jobs and it was great for everyone being able to share ideas and collaborate. It was a one-stop-shop for various resources and to run ideas by each other.
I didn't realize how many wikis are out there. I went to a few of the Library Wikis along with some of the "fun" ones. My favorite was the Muppet Wiki because I love the muppets! There was so much information on there and I loved the "Random Muppet" page that you could click on. I definitely know where to go if there's anything I need to look up that's muppet related!
The LFPL Wiki was also fun to be able to get on and edit the various places. I contributed to the Favorite Restaurant and Favorite Vacation Spot sections. It's fun to log on and see what people throughout the system have put down!
Using a wiki could help the library carry out its mission because it would be a means for all people in all branches and offices to express their ideas (anonymously if they wanted) and for all ideas to be considered. I definitely see the personal benefits of using a wiki, especially to work on a project or collaborate on a trip. I don't necessarily foresee patrons asking a lot of questions about it, but it will be great to have the knowledge to inform them about Wikis, should the question ever come up!
I didn't realize how many wikis are out there. I went to a few of the Library Wikis along with some of the "fun" ones. My favorite was the Muppet Wiki because I love the muppets! There was so much information on there and I loved the "Random Muppet" page that you could click on. I definitely know where to go if there's anything I need to look up that's muppet related!
The LFPL Wiki was also fun to be able to get on and edit the various places. I contributed to the Favorite Restaurant and Favorite Vacation Spot sections. It's fun to log on and see what people throughout the system have put down!
Using a wiki could help the library carry out its mission because it would be a means for all people in all branches and offices to express their ideas (anonymously if they wanted) and for all ideas to be considered. I definitely see the personal benefits of using a wiki, especially to work on a project or collaborate on a trip. I don't necessarily foresee patrons asking a lot of questions about it, but it will be great to have the knowledge to inform them about Wikis, should the question ever come up!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Videos, Podcasts, and NetLibrary, Oh My!
I've had experience with YouTube, both watching videos (usually ones recommended by my husband) and uploading them. This video is by far my favorite on YouTube, as it is my wedding video. :) (We eloped and knew our families would kill us if we didn't video it. His family is spread out all over the US and many of them couldn't come to the reception we threw a few months after we got married, so we figured YouTube was the best way for them to see it).
This is another of my absolute favorites. I'll be sitting there and the song randomly pops into my head.
Here's another favorite...it just makes me laugh, as do many cat/dog/cute fluffy animal videos. :)
I could share numerous videos from YouTube, but I'll keep it to these three. :)
I was surprised at how many podcasts are out there. I ultimately settled for subscribing to 5, I figure that's a reasonable number. I subscribed to Car Talk and Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR (both are weekend shows that I love, but don't always get a chance to listen to). I also subscribed to Radio Lab and BBC News Hour, other NPR shows that I don't get a chance to always listen to because they're on at odd times. The last podcast I subscribed to is WFPL's Homegrown for the same reason...I like it, but hardly get a chance to listen to it. They are all added to my RSS feed so I'll be able to know when new episodes are out. :)
I didn't find NetLibrary to be insanely useful. It was nice to know where to find the public domain ebooks for people to download...I like that most of the "classics" are now public domain and can be downloaded for free. I found a book that sounded interesting called Curing the Blues with a New Pair of Shoes, that was 7 hours and 20 minutes long.
I hopped on the podiobooks website and browsed it a bit. I sampled a few of the interesting-sounding titles, but didn't like how they were read. I finally found a series called Heaven that is pretty good and I can stand the sound of the reader's voice, so I'll probably listen to all those books, or maybe try to find them in the library to read them. I've never really listened to audiobooks, but from the experience I've had with them, I'm not a huge fan. I'd rather read the book myself and have my own voice in my head than someone elses.
This week's 23things was fun and it will definitely come in handy for helping patrons as well! I really look forward to seeing what videos others have posted. :)
This is another of my absolute favorites. I'll be sitting there and the song randomly pops into my head.
Here's another favorite...it just makes me laugh, as do many cat/dog/cute fluffy animal videos. :)
I could share numerous videos from YouTube, but I'll keep it to these three. :)
I was surprised at how many podcasts are out there. I ultimately settled for subscribing to 5, I figure that's a reasonable number. I subscribed to Car Talk and Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR (both are weekend shows that I love, but don't always get a chance to listen to). I also subscribed to Radio Lab and BBC News Hour, other NPR shows that I don't get a chance to always listen to because they're on at odd times. The last podcast I subscribed to is WFPL's Homegrown for the same reason...I like it, but hardly get a chance to listen to it. They are all added to my RSS feed so I'll be able to know when new episodes are out. :)
I didn't find NetLibrary to be insanely useful. It was nice to know where to find the public domain ebooks for people to download...I like that most of the "classics" are now public domain and can be downloaded for free. I found a book that sounded interesting called Curing the Blues with a New Pair of Shoes, that was 7 hours and 20 minutes long.
I hopped on the podiobooks website and browsed it a bit. I sampled a few of the interesting-sounding titles, but didn't like how they were read. I finally found a series called Heaven that is pretty good and I can stand the sound of the reader's voice, so I'll probably listen to all those books, or maybe try to find them in the library to read them. I've never really listened to audiobooks, but from the experience I've had with them, I'm not a huge fan. I'd rather read the book myself and have my own voice in my head than someone elses.
This week's 23things was fun and it will definitely come in handy for helping patrons as well! I really look forward to seeing what videos others have posted. :)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
New Addiction
RSS Feeds were one of the 23things that I was most excited to learn about. I had heard of them (mainly from the LFPL Library Catalog) but I honestly had no idea what they were or how to use them.
I subscribed to the LFPL New Audio and New Books feeds first and I really like it. I was checking out what new things we had about once or twice a week, but always forgot where I'd left off on my browsing. Now with the RSS Feed I can immediately see what's new without having to worry about where I left off, which is very exciting. I mean, I have to know when we get the new JB cd so I can reserve it! :)
From there I subscribed to Digg (it's a site I visit frequently) and People.com for my celebrity gossip and random news. ESPN was also a must for sports news.
I was surprised that the main sites that I subscribed to were local. I can now get news on Cardinal Sports, UofL Alumni News, WFPK and WFPL, and a few other Louisville sites like Louisville Groupon, Consuming Louisville, Louisville CSA, and Actors' Theater. I also have some Kentucky Outdoors feeds. I really like getting my local news and knowing what's going on around town from just going to one site.
I subscribed to NPR because, though that's the only thing I listen to on the radio, I'm only in my car for less than an hour a day. Now I can read the top stories at my leisure without having to listen to them.
I have a few fun things that I've subscribed to including Vintage Photographs, Apple Trailers (again, another one I would browse frequently), and Frommer's Travel.
When I first started exploring the RSS feeds, I subscribed to the Google Staff Picks because I figured they'd know about some neat feeds that I was unaware of. I'm considering dropping that bundle, or at least drop some of the feeds that I'm not interested in (for example Rock, Paper, Shotgun...a video game feed). I really love that I can see the posts of blogs that I follow as they're posted instead of feeling like a stalker checking the blog every now and then.
I now am quite addicted to checking Google Reader, especially with the app on my phone. I love that I can just skim the headlines and put a star next to the posts that I want to fully read when I have the time (though finding time to read my starred posts is another issue!). I also like that I can share things with my husband, especially if it's an event around town, or something that he'd definitely be interested in. This way, I don't have to make a mental note to tell him about it and risk forgetting about it. Now I can just share it with him.
After subscribing to some of the feeds, I have been able to purge some of who/what I follow on Twitter because some of them are overlapping. I think that following the NPR or YALSA RSS feeds are better than following them on Twitter because I can read the full article without having to click additional things or wait for it to load on my phone.
To conclude, I definitely will continue using Google Reader and RSS Feeds, mainly to get my news, local happenings, and celebrity gossip. It has become one of my favorite tools. I just have to watch the number of feeds that I subscribe to because it's easy to subscribe to a huge number of feeds and get overwhelmed with the number of posts to read or catch up on!
I subscribed to the LFPL New Audio and New Books feeds first and I really like it. I was checking out what new things we had about once or twice a week, but always forgot where I'd left off on my browsing. Now with the RSS Feed I can immediately see what's new without having to worry about where I left off, which is very exciting. I mean, I have to know when we get the new JB cd so I can reserve it! :)
From there I subscribed to Digg (it's a site I visit frequently) and People.com for my celebrity gossip and random news. ESPN was also a must for sports news.
I was surprised that the main sites that I subscribed to were local. I can now get news on Cardinal Sports, UofL Alumni News, WFPK and WFPL, and a few other Louisville sites like Louisville Groupon, Consuming Louisville, Louisville CSA, and Actors' Theater. I also have some Kentucky Outdoors feeds. I really like getting my local news and knowing what's going on around town from just going to one site.
I subscribed to NPR because, though that's the only thing I listen to on the radio, I'm only in my car for less than an hour a day. Now I can read the top stories at my leisure without having to listen to them.
I have a few fun things that I've subscribed to including Vintage Photographs, Apple Trailers (again, another one I would browse frequently), and Frommer's Travel.
When I first started exploring the RSS feeds, I subscribed to the Google Staff Picks because I figured they'd know about some neat feeds that I was unaware of. I'm considering dropping that bundle, or at least drop some of the feeds that I'm not interested in (for example Rock, Paper, Shotgun...a video game feed). I really love that I can see the posts of blogs that I follow as they're posted instead of feeling like a stalker checking the blog every now and then.
I now am quite addicted to checking Google Reader, especially with the app on my phone. I love that I can just skim the headlines and put a star next to the posts that I want to fully read when I have the time (though finding time to read my starred posts is another issue!). I also like that I can share things with my husband, especially if it's an event around town, or something that he'd definitely be interested in. This way, I don't have to make a mental note to tell him about it and risk forgetting about it. Now I can just share it with him.
After subscribing to some of the feeds, I have been able to purge some of who/what I follow on Twitter because some of them are overlapping. I think that following the NPR or YALSA RSS feeds are better than following them on Twitter because I can read the full article without having to click additional things or wait for it to load on my phone.
To conclude, I definitely will continue using Google Reader and RSS Feeds, mainly to get my news, local happenings, and celebrity gossip. It has become one of my favorite tools. I just have to watch the number of feeds that I subscribe to because it's easy to subscribe to a huge number of feeds and get overwhelmed with the number of posts to read or catch up on!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Databases
First off the answers to the questions...
11c) I was surprised that we have 30 Starbucks in Louisville. It seems like in larger cities, there's one on every corner, but I guess Louisville has reached "big city" status with that many. But, once you think about the locations of every Starbucks you know, it does add up quickly. I also didn't realize there are 9 Heine Brothers in town (mmm...Heine Bros!).
For the 40202 zip code, Starbucks is definitely the biggest competitor, having 3 in the zip code. There are also 2 Dunkin' Donuts. If you were looking to open a chain they might offer up hefty competition, however if you were looking to open a local establishment, you might do well as there are 5 local coffee shops in the area (my personal favorite being Mrs. Potters!)
Also, if you wanted to open a local coffee shop, the Highlands (40204) would be a good area because there's only ONE Starbucks there (huzzah!) and the rest are local places. The Highlands Hippies/Hipsters like to support local and they like their coffee so it would probably be good business.
Moving on...I took the opportunity to explore almost all of the databases. Though I've used it before, I still love Novelist. I frequent the site often personally and I recommend it to patrons all the time. I also like the PVA website. It's fun to be nosey and see what your neighbors' or relatives' houses are worth. :) I definitely think we should be telling people about CQ Researcher more, especially students having to write a persuasive paper. Ohh, and the Learning Express Library! Who knew you could practice for the cosmetology exam online?!
This is a total cop-out, but I really don't know what database I would choose if we could only keep one. There are so many out there that offer such a variety of information from fixing your car to business statistics. I guess I would say that one of the encyclopedias would be the best to keep since it's got a little bit of information on most everything.
Getting to explore the databases was definitely a fun experience and I learned more about the vast number that we have. Talking about them even got my husband excited about logging on from home to look into some of them. Hopefully when patrons ask questions, I will remember what database to suggest, but if not I'll definitely be able to help them find the best source to use!
10a) e-mailed ...I used Academic Search Premier and just searched "constitution"
10b) March 18, 2008; 4 sons...I used the Courier Journal database and searched for her name.
10c) For this I used the Journals/Magazines/Newspapers search. For the titles, there was a column to the right that told if they were full text or not.
Telos: no
British journal of history and philosophy: yes
Clinical medicine and research: yes
11a) Stewardship rating: B, manager: Duane Kelly; Morningstar rating: four stars...I used the Morningstar database and searched for it.
11b) see previous post...I used the Consumer Search database to find the article.11c) I was surprised that we have 30 Starbucks in Louisville. It seems like in larger cities, there's one on every corner, but I guess Louisville has reached "big city" status with that many. But, once you think about the locations of every Starbucks you know, it does add up quickly. I also didn't realize there are 9 Heine Brothers in town (mmm...Heine Bros!).
For the 40202 zip code, Starbucks is definitely the biggest competitor, having 3 in the zip code. There are also 2 Dunkin' Donuts. If you were looking to open a chain they might offer up hefty competition, however if you were looking to open a local establishment, you might do well as there are 5 local coffee shops in the area (my personal favorite being Mrs. Potters!)
Also, if you wanted to open a local coffee shop, the Highlands (40204) would be a good area because there's only ONE Starbucks there (huzzah!) and the rest are local places. The Highlands Hippies/Hipsters like to support local and they like their coffee so it would probably be good business.
Moving on...I took the opportunity to explore almost all of the databases. Though I've used it before, I still love Novelist. I frequent the site often personally and I recommend it to patrons all the time. I also like the PVA website. It's fun to be nosey and see what your neighbors' or relatives' houses are worth. :) I definitely think we should be telling people about CQ Researcher more, especially students having to write a persuasive paper. Ohh, and the Learning Express Library! Who knew you could practice for the cosmetology exam online?!
This is a total cop-out, but I really don't know what database I would choose if we could only keep one. There are so many out there that offer such a variety of information from fixing your car to business statistics. I guess I would say that one of the encyclopedias would be the best to keep since it's got a little bit of information on most everything.
Getting to explore the databases was definitely a fun experience and I learned more about the vast number that we have. Talking about them even got my husband excited about logging on from home to look into some of them. Hopefully when patrons ask questions, I will remember what database to suggest, but if not I'll definitely be able to help them find the best source to use!
Friday, February 25, 2011
23things number 11b
Could have saved it, copied and pasted it, or even tweeted it, but since I had to blog about the article anyway, I took the easy way out and went ahead and used the "more" tools to blog the article I found. :)
Consumer Reports Electronics Blog: CES 2009 preview: Better LCD sets
Consumer Reports Electronics Blog: CES 2009 preview: Better LCD sets
Monday, February 21, 2011
Still Playing...Still Learning...Still Flickring
This is one of the pictures I uploaded to Flickr. (I stole it from my other blog since I deleted my facebook account and didn't have any of my own pictures to access). It's in front of the Lowenbrau Keller in Munich Germany. If you want to see exactly where it was, check out my map!
Yes, we are wearing pants and long sleves at the end of July! They had mild temperatures and absolutely no humidity, one of the many reasons I wouldn't mind moving there, or anywhere in Europe really.
That's my hubby Andrew. He's a goofball, which is why I love him.
I'm still trying to figure out how to share multiple pictures in a set at once on the blog. I'll figure it out eventually. :)
Yes, we are wearing pants and long sleves at the end of July! They had mild temperatures and absolutely no humidity, one of the many reasons I wouldn't mind moving there, or anywhere in Europe really.
That's my hubby Andrew. He's a goofball, which is why I love him.
I'm still trying to figure out how to share multiple pictures in a set at once on the blog. I'll figure it out eventually. :)
Flickr fun
I had created a Flickr account a few years ago after going to Europe. I'd planned to utilize the service by uploading my 4000 + photos that I took, but ended up uploading a good portion of them to Facebook instead. It's a lot of work to upload 4000+ photos and the task of having to do it again seemed daunting, so I never really looked at the site again until this week.
As a search tool, Flickr is really cool. I searched for my favorite spots in Louisville (Cherokee Park, Cumberland Brew Co, the various libraries ;), UofL, etc). I also searched for things that I reminisce about when it comes to my travels (my favorite results being Pizza Pot Pie in Chicago, Harry Potter in London [a popular location for that search was the Ledenhall Market, which was used in the films as Diagon Alley...I MUST go back to see this!], the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and tacos in San Diego...yes, I may have been hungry when I did my searching!). The photos that are geotagged on the site are really neat and lead to other things to search for. I am an addict when it comes to taking pictures, especially when I travel, so I could spend days just looking at pictures that others have taken.
The only photo sharing questions that I have gotten have been about uploading pictures to facebook, but Flickr could be a good reference tool if someone needs a photo of, say, a park in Louisville. For more localized photos Flickr would be great instead of searching for images on google or on one of our databases.
I uploaded a few pictures to Flickr and, though it tries to be, I don't find it very user-friendly. For example, I added my blog to it so I could just write this entry from the site and share my photos. I went to a few other places on the site and then I couldn't find my blog. I also made a map and geotagged some photos, but my photos did not show up on the world map, even when I adjusted my security settings and whatnot.
It's not very exciting, I have two pictures from Fairdale and one in Germany, but if you want to check it out, here is my map that I made.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29342321@N02/map?&fLat=43.1267&fLon=-37.1017&zl=16&order_by=recent
Mobile uploading was kind of a pain...I guess since Flickr is owned by Yahoo! it doesn't offer an app for Android phones. If I wanted to share a picture from my phone, I would probably just upload it to Twitter, Picasa, or my blog because I already have apps that are much easier to use for that purpose. I've also had a photobucket account for years along with winkflash and snapfish. I don't actually order many prints, but I usually use these sites or even Walgreens.com because you can have them printed at your local Walgreens, pick them up within an hour, and not pay shipping. I use this service all the time for my mom because she always complains that I take so many pictures, but she doesn't ever see any. I just have them printed at the Walgreens in Etown and tell her to go pick them up.
I played with some of the sites built around Flickr. The spelling site was kind of neat, though I'd rather take my own photos for such projects. A photo project that I am working on right now is doing just that. I am meandering around Louisville taking photos of objects that make the letters in my last name. Big Huge Labs was fun to play on and had a lot of cool photo mashing tools that I'll definitely keep in mind for Teen Tech Week.
I enjoyed learning about Flickr, but I will definitely stay with Picasa because it is a program that I am used to and more familiar with. Plus, I use Google for just about everything else so it is already linked with my phone, e-mail, etc. I also feel that Picasa offers better photo-editing tools than Flickr did.
As a search tool, Flickr is really cool. I searched for my favorite spots in Louisville (Cherokee Park, Cumberland Brew Co, the various libraries ;), UofL, etc). I also searched for things that I reminisce about when it comes to my travels (my favorite results being Pizza Pot Pie in Chicago, Harry Potter in London [a popular location for that search was the Ledenhall Market, which was used in the films as Diagon Alley...I MUST go back to see this!], the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and tacos in San Diego...yes, I may have been hungry when I did my searching!). The photos that are geotagged on the site are really neat and lead to other things to search for. I am an addict when it comes to taking pictures, especially when I travel, so I could spend days just looking at pictures that others have taken.
The only photo sharing questions that I have gotten have been about uploading pictures to facebook, but Flickr could be a good reference tool if someone needs a photo of, say, a park in Louisville. For more localized photos Flickr would be great instead of searching for images on google or on one of our databases.
I uploaded a few pictures to Flickr and, though it tries to be, I don't find it very user-friendly. For example, I added my blog to it so I could just write this entry from the site and share my photos. I went to a few other places on the site and then I couldn't find my blog. I also made a map and geotagged some photos, but my photos did not show up on the world map, even when I adjusted my security settings and whatnot.
It's not very exciting, I have two pictures from Fairdale and one in Germany, but if you want to check it out, here is my map that I made.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29342321@N02/map?&fLat=43.1267&fLon=-37.1017&zl=16&order_by=recent
Mobile uploading was kind of a pain...I guess since Flickr is owned by Yahoo! it doesn't offer an app for Android phones. If I wanted to share a picture from my phone, I would probably just upload it to Twitter, Picasa, or my blog because I already have apps that are much easier to use for that purpose. I've also had a photobucket account for years along with winkflash and snapfish. I don't actually order many prints, but I usually use these sites or even Walgreens.com because you can have them printed at your local Walgreens, pick them up within an hour, and not pay shipping. I use this service all the time for my mom because she always complains that I take so many pictures, but she doesn't ever see any. I just have them printed at the Walgreens in Etown and tell her to go pick them up.
I played with some of the sites built around Flickr. The spelling site was kind of neat, though I'd rather take my own photos for such projects. A photo project that I am working on right now is doing just that. I am meandering around Louisville taking photos of objects that make the letters in my last name. Big Huge Labs was fun to play on and had a lot of cool photo mashing tools that I'll definitely keep in mind for Teen Tech Week.
I enjoyed learning about Flickr, but I will definitely stay with Picasa because it is a program that I am used to and more familiar with. Plus, I use Google for just about everything else so it is already linked with my phone, e-mail, etc. I also feel that Picasa offers better photo-editing tools than Flickr did.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Social Networking
Has anyone been on Facebook long enough to remember when it was called The College Facebook? My husband and I have debated whether or not the Social Networking site ever had this title and I distinctly remember when I signed up for it in 2005 or 2006 that was what it was called. If anyone can back me up on this I'd appreciate it! :)
When I first got on Facebook, I loved it. It was a way to reconnect with my friends that I shared a dorm with my freshman year or to find out if the cute guy who sat next to me in my history class was seeing anyone. You could enter what classes you were taking prior to the new semester and see who else you would have that class with. I loved finding friends from high school to see what they were majoring in, who they were dating, whether they're married or have any kids. You could see what your ex was up to and who he was dating. Then you were able to add pictures and update your status and have had graffiti walls and flair (both of which I enjoyed having for a while). But then it snowballed to Mafia Wars, Farmville, Yo Ville, Fishville, Astrology, etc. That's when Facebook became more like myspace. I blocked all of these applications and even weeded through my friends list, but the novelty of it has definitely worn off. I have planned to delete my account for a few months now. Once I found out about the 23 things, I figured there would be some Facebook aspect, therefore I kept it for this purpose. Now that the Facebook task has been completed, my account will be gone within a week.
I become more and more Anti-Facebook by the day. It kills me that so much time is wasted on the library's computers on Facebook when there are people out there who genuinely need to access the Internet to file for unemployment, pay bills, or look for jobs. I even had a 9 year old's mom tell me that her child didn't get on the children's computer because she couldn't access her Facebook. Hmm...don't you have to be 14 to sign up?! I'm probably about to sound stuck up and I sincerely don't mean it that way, but I really wish that Facebook hadn't opened up to everyone. One of the key things that made Facebook different from myspace was because it was for college students. I think they even say that in the movie The Social Network. It was some kind of club you had to have an invite (or a college e-mail address) for. I feel that if you still had to have a college e-mail address to sign up that it would not have been overwhelmed by the "crap" that had overtaken myspace that has turned me off to it.
I heard on the radio recently about colleges setting up Social Networking sites for their students in order to make students feel more comfortable in their college atmosphere and to enhance student life on campus. They can form groups and clubs and let incoming freshmen "meet" their roommates and others in their dorms and classes prior to starting at the school. This is what Facebook was initially set up to do, but it has just become too big, so I think that these colleges and universities are on the right track for creating their own.
Enough of my "anti facebook" rant. The task was to play around with security settings, which I have done quite frequently. I used to be in "Super Ninja Mode" where NO ONE could find me. I would have to seek them out if I wanted to be their friend. I then loosened my settings by letting people at least see my high school, college, and my picture in case there was anyone out there that was like "Oh...I wonder if Stevie is on Facebook." When I was teaching, many of my students would try to friend me and then be sad that I denied their request. I finally set up a myspace specifically for them to add me, but eventually gave in and let them add me on Facebook. They have their own special group (as do my coworkers and some members of my family), where they can't see some of my pictures or my phone number and address, etc.
I think that being able to adjust your security settings for pretty much every friend you have is a nice aspect of most Social Networking sites. In theory it also cuts down on stalkers and Internet predators, however if you were savvy enough you could find loopholes in what people think are security settings. For example, my 15 year old nephew has a facebook and "friends" write on his wall "I think I know you...". He says his basis for adding friends he doesn't know is how many he has in common with someone. So...a person could set up a fake high school account and start friending people. Even if they don't know you for sure they might accept, then others will see that you're friends with people they know and add you and so on. Unless your account is Super Ninja Mode or you are selective about who you allow to be your friend, there is still a way for people who you don't want to see your information to find out about you.
Moving on to Twitter...once I started cutting down on my Facebook use, I became more interested in Twitter (I have to have some mindless entertainment in my life, right?!). I don't follow people I know, but I follow celebrities. And yes, I am one of 7 million to follow Justin Bieber. I also follow authors, School Library Journal, YALSA, Conan OBrien, Anthony Bourdain, etc. I find it interesting to see what celebrities have to say about various things and following SLJ and YALSA are nice to have quick access to their new blogs or book reviews. I set up my account to get a text message from the Harry Potter Films' twitter in order to find out right at that moment when tickets for the new movie will be on sale...true story!
I think I've only tweeted once or twice, but I enjoy the observer aspect more than my own pointless tweets. I found it interesting that on Grey's Anatomy they were tweeting what was going on in the OR and had doctors around the world following them, asking questions, or even giving advice. It made me wonder if hospitals (especially research hospitals, hint hint UofL!) would really be doing that. I haven't gotten a chance to look into that but I think it would be neat, especially since in a past life I wanted to be a surgeon!
Using Twitter as a search engine is also nice. Friday afternoon I searched for Mubarak and got new posts on my phone constantly. As it said on the 23 things website, this would be very handy for patrons when it came to things that haven't made it to mainstream news yet.
I created a LinkedIn account for the "extra credit". I'd heard about it a few years ago when my husband signed up, but I never created an account. I can definitely see how it would be useful for business networking and even seeing what long lost classmates are doing when it comes to their career. (That is, if you maintain your profile...my husband's profile says he still works at a place he worked 2 years ago). I'm not sure if I'll maintain my profile, but it would definitely be a good source if I ever wanted to move to a new city to make business connections prior to moving.
To conclude, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are all definitely great tools for social networking, but, as with anything, you're only going to get out of these websites what you put in. And in the case of Facebook, you'll likely get way more than what you want.
When I first got on Facebook, I loved it. It was a way to reconnect with my friends that I shared a dorm with my freshman year or to find out if the cute guy who sat next to me in my history class was seeing anyone. You could enter what classes you were taking prior to the new semester and see who else you would have that class with. I loved finding friends from high school to see what they were majoring in, who they were dating, whether they're married or have any kids. You could see what your ex was up to and who he was dating. Then you were able to add pictures and update your status and have had graffiti walls and flair (both of which I enjoyed having for a while). But then it snowballed to Mafia Wars, Farmville, Yo Ville, Fishville, Astrology, etc. That's when Facebook became more like myspace. I blocked all of these applications and even weeded through my friends list, but the novelty of it has definitely worn off. I have planned to delete my account for a few months now. Once I found out about the 23 things, I figured there would be some Facebook aspect, therefore I kept it for this purpose. Now that the Facebook task has been completed, my account will be gone within a week.
I become more and more Anti-Facebook by the day. It kills me that so much time is wasted on the library's computers on Facebook when there are people out there who genuinely need to access the Internet to file for unemployment, pay bills, or look for jobs. I even had a 9 year old's mom tell me that her child didn't get on the children's computer because she couldn't access her Facebook. Hmm...don't you have to be 14 to sign up?! I'm probably about to sound stuck up and I sincerely don't mean it that way, but I really wish that Facebook hadn't opened up to everyone. One of the key things that made Facebook different from myspace was because it was for college students. I think they even say that in the movie The Social Network. It was some kind of club you had to have an invite (or a college e-mail address) for. I feel that if you still had to have a college e-mail address to sign up that it would not have been overwhelmed by the "crap" that had overtaken myspace that has turned me off to it.
I heard on the radio recently about colleges setting up Social Networking sites for their students in order to make students feel more comfortable in their college atmosphere and to enhance student life on campus. They can form groups and clubs and let incoming freshmen "meet" their roommates and others in their dorms and classes prior to starting at the school. This is what Facebook was initially set up to do, but it has just become too big, so I think that these colleges and universities are on the right track for creating their own.
Enough of my "anti facebook" rant. The task was to play around with security settings, which I have done quite frequently. I used to be in "Super Ninja Mode" where NO ONE could find me. I would have to seek them out if I wanted to be their friend. I then loosened my settings by letting people at least see my high school, college, and my picture in case there was anyone out there that was like "Oh...I wonder if Stevie is on Facebook." When I was teaching, many of my students would try to friend me and then be sad that I denied their request. I finally set up a myspace specifically for them to add me, but eventually gave in and let them add me on Facebook. They have their own special group (as do my coworkers and some members of my family), where they can't see some of my pictures or my phone number and address, etc.
I think that being able to adjust your security settings for pretty much every friend you have is a nice aspect of most Social Networking sites. In theory it also cuts down on stalkers and Internet predators, however if you were savvy enough you could find loopholes in what people think are security settings. For example, my 15 year old nephew has a facebook and "friends" write on his wall "I think I know you...". He says his basis for adding friends he doesn't know is how many he has in common with someone. So...a person could set up a fake high school account and start friending people. Even if they don't know you for sure they might accept, then others will see that you're friends with people they know and add you and so on. Unless your account is Super Ninja Mode or you are selective about who you allow to be your friend, there is still a way for people who you don't want to see your information to find out about you.
Moving on to Twitter...once I started cutting down on my Facebook use, I became more interested in Twitter (I have to have some mindless entertainment in my life, right?!). I don't follow people I know, but I follow celebrities. And yes, I am one of 7 million to follow Justin Bieber. I also follow authors, School Library Journal, YALSA, Conan OBrien, Anthony Bourdain, etc. I find it interesting to see what celebrities have to say about various things and following SLJ and YALSA are nice to have quick access to their new blogs or book reviews. I set up my account to get a text message from the Harry Potter Films' twitter in order to find out right at that moment when tickets for the new movie will be on sale...true story!
I think I've only tweeted once or twice, but I enjoy the observer aspect more than my own pointless tweets. I found it interesting that on Grey's Anatomy they were tweeting what was going on in the OR and had doctors around the world following them, asking questions, or even giving advice. It made me wonder if hospitals (especially research hospitals, hint hint UofL!) would really be doing that. I haven't gotten a chance to look into that but I think it would be neat, especially since in a past life I wanted to be a surgeon!
Using Twitter as a search engine is also nice. Friday afternoon I searched for Mubarak and got new posts on my phone constantly. As it said on the 23 things website, this would be very handy for patrons when it came to things that haven't made it to mainstream news yet.
I created a LinkedIn account for the "extra credit". I'd heard about it a few years ago when my husband signed up, but I never created an account. I can definitely see how it would be useful for business networking and even seeing what long lost classmates are doing when it comes to their career. (That is, if you maintain your profile...my husband's profile says he still works at a place he worked 2 years ago). I'm not sure if I'll maintain my profile, but it would definitely be a good source if I ever wanted to move to a new city to make business connections prior to moving.
To conclude, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are all definitely great tools for social networking, but, as with anything, you're only going to get out of these websites what you put in. And in the case of Facebook, you'll likely get way more than what you want.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Playing
Playing around with the Blogger app on my phone. Andrew was the closest (and most handsome) test subject :)
Saturday, February 5, 2011
I created this blog for work, but plan to utilize it more significantly, not just for the tasks for LFPLs 23things, but for other work-related things such as ideas for storytimes and programs and book reviews.
Google is one of the world's most popular search engines and its logo is becoming nearly as recognizable as McDonald's golden arches. (More specifically I speak of their "normal" logo, when they haven't redesigned it for specific holidays. I had a friend who collected "Googles" and printed them to make a collage. I found this hobby to be quite interesting!) Within the past 5 years or so, it has blossomed into much more than a search engine with free online "services", the most recognizable being Google Docs, Google Maps, Google Earth, and Google Books. There are also Google programs that very few people have likely heard of including Google Wave (a file/presentation/game sharing and collaboration program that I think they don't even know what EXACTLY it can be used for) and Google Voice, a program that allows two separate telephones to be reached by dialing only one number. [This has proven to be beneficial to my husband and myself because we don't have a land line. We use it as our "home" number so either one of us may be contacted on our cell phones by giving the one number.] iGoogle is also a very fun and interesting aspect of Google that I enjoy because it's my one-stop-shop for email, stocks, calendar, to do list, news, weather, and tetris. :)
Google has even broken into the mobile phone world with their Android operating system, which is the biggest rival to Apple's iPhone. As an Android owner, I feel that the Android is a smoother operating system, but I could be bias. There are even rumors that they are making their own operating system for computers that will give Microsoft Windows, Mac, and Linux a true run for their money.
Personally, I find Google Docs to be extremely helpful because my computer did not come with Microsoft Office and I am frankly too cheap to purchase it when there are excellent free programs out there. The documents that I create with Google Docs are generally compatible with Office, with only slight formatting issues that can be corrected in minimal time. I feel that this would also be beneficial to patrons for the same reason...the high price of Microsoft Office.
I also love Goggles Picasa photo storage/editor. It has some amazing editing features that are beyond the default Microsoft Photo Editor. The editing features are not as advanced as PhotoShop or something of the like, but for people just wanting to do basic editing such as cropping, color changing, etc., Picasa is perfect. I only wish that they would add a print ordering service to their editor, which would be perfect. This program could be helpful to some patrons for basic photo editing and storage.
Google Maps and Google Earth are also programs that I use very frequently. I love that Maps allows you to see the street view, pick the best walking route, or even the best public transportation route. Earth is an excellent "time-waster" to just get lost looking at various places, or maybe even try to build buildings or add your own pictures. Google Earth also let's you build your own customized maps where you can add pictures from travels or just map out routes that you have taken before and save them. My husband and I have an ever changing map of where we travel to, complete with pictures from the exact locations where we were standing or having dinner. I think that patrons could use Maps for it's basic directions feature in addition to some of the more advanced features.
One Google program that I feel could be beneficial to patrons that I don't personally use on a regular basis is Google Books. One of the best things I like about Google Books is being able to browse free eBooks to download. Since eReaders are becoming much more prevalent in today's society, this is an excellent feature of Google Books.
After perusing Google Patents, Google Scholar, and Google Uncle Sam (Google programs which I didn't know existed), I also feel that these programs would be very beneficial to patrons as well. Especially the patrons who aren't as "search savvy" as others. These programs would give more narrowed search results than just searching through Google.
Google is definitely a household name and has even become a generic word for searching. (People say "Let me Google that" even if they're not using Google, similarly to how people say they drank a Coke even if it was a Pepsi). Googling yourself, a prospective boyfriend or girlfriend, or even a prospective employee has become prevalent in today's society. As far as Goggles reach extends over the Internet and mobile phone world, I estimate that it will only continue to grow in the coming years!
Google is one of the world's most popular search engines and its logo is becoming nearly as recognizable as McDonald's golden arches. (More specifically I speak of their "normal" logo, when they haven't redesigned it for specific holidays. I had a friend who collected "Googles" and printed them to make a collage. I found this hobby to be quite interesting!) Within the past 5 years or so, it has blossomed into much more than a search engine with free online "services", the most recognizable being Google Docs, Google Maps, Google Earth, and Google Books. There are also Google programs that very few people have likely heard of including Google Wave (a file/presentation/game sharing and collaboration program that I think they don't even know what EXACTLY it can be used for) and Google Voice, a program that allows two separate telephones to be reached by dialing only one number. [This has proven to be beneficial to my husband and myself because we don't have a land line. We use it as our "home" number so either one of us may be contacted on our cell phones by giving the one number.] iGoogle is also a very fun and interesting aspect of Google that I enjoy because it's my one-stop-shop for email, stocks, calendar, to do list, news, weather, and tetris. :)
Google has even broken into the mobile phone world with their Android operating system, which is the biggest rival to Apple's iPhone. As an Android owner, I feel that the Android is a smoother operating system, but I could be bias. There are even rumors that they are making their own operating system for computers that will give Microsoft Windows, Mac, and Linux a true run for their money.
Personally, I find Google Docs to be extremely helpful because my computer did not come with Microsoft Office and I am frankly too cheap to purchase it when there are excellent free programs out there. The documents that I create with Google Docs are generally compatible with Office, with only slight formatting issues that can be corrected in minimal time. I feel that this would also be beneficial to patrons for the same reason...the high price of Microsoft Office.
I also love Goggles Picasa photo storage/editor. It has some amazing editing features that are beyond the default Microsoft Photo Editor. The editing features are not as advanced as PhotoShop or something of the like, but for people just wanting to do basic editing such as cropping, color changing, etc., Picasa is perfect. I only wish that they would add a print ordering service to their editor, which would be perfect. This program could be helpful to some patrons for basic photo editing and storage.
Google Maps and Google Earth are also programs that I use very frequently. I love that Maps allows you to see the street view, pick the best walking route, or even the best public transportation route. Earth is an excellent "time-waster" to just get lost looking at various places, or maybe even try to build buildings or add your own pictures. Google Earth also let's you build your own customized maps where you can add pictures from travels or just map out routes that you have taken before and save them. My husband and I have an ever changing map of where we travel to, complete with pictures from the exact locations where we were standing or having dinner. I think that patrons could use Maps for it's basic directions feature in addition to some of the more advanced features.
One Google program that I feel could be beneficial to patrons that I don't personally use on a regular basis is Google Books. One of the best things I like about Google Books is being able to browse free eBooks to download. Since eReaders are becoming much more prevalent in today's society, this is an excellent feature of Google Books.
After perusing Google Patents, Google Scholar, and Google Uncle Sam (Google programs which I didn't know existed), I also feel that these programs would be very beneficial to patrons as well. Especially the patrons who aren't as "search savvy" as others. These programs would give more narrowed search results than just searching through Google.
Google is definitely a household name and has even become a generic word for searching. (People say "Let me Google that" even if they're not using Google, similarly to how people say they drank a Coke even if it was a Pepsi). Googling yourself, a prospective boyfriend or girlfriend, or even a prospective employee has become prevalent in today's society. As far as Goggles reach extends over the Internet and mobile phone world, I estimate that it will only continue to grow in the coming years!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)