Eleri

2009-06-05T18:59:00.000-07:00

Thing 47 Evaluation

I'm glad I finished again, but I wouldn't have made it without the extension.
I learned a lot and feel like I have more "tools" at my disposal - this has opened up a lot more possibilities. The trick will be finding time to use the new knowledge. I was enthusiastic about the Things I was sure I'd be using; it was harder to make myself complete the Things that didn't interest me. It feels good to know a little about all these Things.

2009-05-23T10:58:00.001-07:00

2009-05-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

Thing 46 WebJunction Minnesota

I am already registered, so I checked out the calendar and the courses.
What interested me most was an article on marketing the small library.
I plan to read it at a time when I can absorb the information (it's 2:10 a.m. now - not a good time).

2009-05-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

Thing 45 Cloud Computing

The only cloud computing I do that I'm aware of is the occasional checking of my credit card statement. I plan to use Flickr as an easier way than email to share family photos.
Is there really a need for a personalized desktop when we already have things like LifeStream and similar tools ?

2009-05-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

Thing 44 The Economy

One of the useful tips I found was in Wisebread. Putting witch hazel on bug bites is supposed to help with itching and inflammation - good to know right now when the gnats are biting.
My favorite site is University of Minnesota Extension Gardening Information. I've used it for years because the information is local and very reliable.
My money-saving tip is "Don't go to garage sales; instead, have one of your own."

2009-05-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

Thing 43 Online TV and Video

I enjoy watching British comedy and Hulu just has American tv so far, so this won't change my viewing behavior. I just have dialup service at home, so watching would be impossible. I don't think free internet video entertainment will have much effect on broadcast or cable tv. Part of viewing is relaxing and sharing with family or friends, and unless the computer is hooked up to the tv, it's hard for everyone to see well and be comfortable in front of a computer.

2009-05-20T20:33:00.002-07:00

Thing 42 Music 2.0

I hadn't used anything like this before. It's nice to have a customized station, but traditional radio exposes us to more possibilities, even though the Internet Radio stations offer "similar" music, which is a really great feature. I don't think it will replace broadcast stations because of the other things they offer alongside the music - news, weather, etc.

2009-05-20T20:33:00.001-07:00

Thing 41 Mashup Your Life

I set up a Lifestream account and added Flickr and Last.fm.

I don't know how this would make my life easier or boost my productivity.

2009-05-20T20:32:00.001-07:00

Thing 40 Mashup the Web

I looked at Lunchbox hoping to find something in the area I live, but there weren't any listings nearby. Visual Headlines was not what I expected at all. Actually, it was quite strange today. There would be lots of uses for mashups if there was time to work with them. Maybe we just need a major blizzard ! Walkable is one mashup I think would be very handy for someone who is thinking about moving to a new area or visiting someplace unfamiliar. I also viewed DealCloud, a mashup of FatWallet and SlickDeals. It was O.K. HousingMaps is a combination of Craigslist and GoogleMaps. Every listing I clicked on, including ones from today's date, came up as "expired". The bead art is from BigHugeLabs. It was easy to use after I chose a jpg photo.

2009-05-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

Thing 39 Digital Storytelling

We could use this at the library to show how much fun StoryTime is. I am not likely to use it at home because we prefer physical photo albums.
I used ScrapBlog which worked O.K. It is posted after Thing 46.

2009-05-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

Thing 38 Screencasting

I looked at ScreenToaster and chose it because it doesn't need a download. I think it would have been easier on a faster computer. Please be patient with my long blank spots and delays; the computer was struggling to keep up.
I probably wouldn't use this at home, but there could be uses for screencasting in our library.

2009-05-20T20:26:00.000-07:00

Thing 37 Photo Tales

I used the Flickr Slideshow with some pictures of a trip to the Palm Springs, CA area. It took a couple tries to get the photos in order, but when I saw where to do this, it was no problem.
Our library could do a slide show of the covers of our newest books each month or show what the children did at StoryTime.
At home I will create slide shows as a way to share some of our experiences with distant family.

2009-05-19T16:31:00.000-07:00

Thing 36 Comic Relief - Generate Some Fun

We have not used generators at our library yet. ToonDoo is easy to use. It takes a long time to choose the graphics, but it is fun. We could use a different library comic on our computers each week as amusement for our patrons, but not what I've created here - these people might recognize themselves !

2009-05-19T16:28:00.001-07:00

Thing 35 Books 2.0

Generally, at our library, patrons fit into a few categories; those who read romance novels, those who voraciously read almost every new book that comes in, the non-fiction bunch, and those who loyally follow a select group of authors. Many of these patrons are retirement-age women who are "afraid of being caught without something to read", and that's a direct quote from one of them I helped today. They really love books and reading.
I think most of these Book 2.0 tools enhance one's reading experience. Isn't that what they're for ?
I looked at What Should I Read Next ? It was pretty much what I had expected. I will probably be using it. In Reading Group Choices it was hard to find anything I'd read or am planning to read. The International Children's Library is a neat site. I've found that children's books with their simpler language are good for practicing foreign-language reading. Too bad there was nothing available in Welsh here.

2009-05-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

Thing 34 Web 2.0 & The Library

For me the main appeal of an online answer site would be the convenience of being able to ask a question from home, and whenever I need to. There is no fear of asking a dumb question because no one knows exactly who the questioner is. However, the reliability of the answers is something to consider. On Allexperts some of the answer-givers seemed like "self-professed" experts with no formal credentials, and some of the "experts" had very impressive credentials, but who verifies any of this ? Even highly-trained persons can be "whackos". In reading some of the articles, some words that seemed very relevant were service, interactivity, and personalization.

2009-05-19T16:09:00.000-07:00

Thing 33 Travel 2.0

Notes From the Road was disappointing.
My Kugelhopf was interesting, but is limited to a few locations.
The Trip Advisor is something I might use. I spent the most time with it.
Virtual Tourist is pretty good.
Vcarious doesn't have very much content yet.
Mapness - yuk
My Life of Travel - much better
Trip Touch has good basic information.
Green Routes will be fun to use when it is more developed.

I suppose we could recommend some of these to our library patrons, but usually they want one of the travel guide books like the DK series or Fodor's.
I don't really have a favorite yet. I will keep my eye on Green Routes though.

2009-05-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

Thing 32 Google Maps and Mashups

I chose a map of a small area of Wales and added some of our favorite places with photos and brief descriptions.

View Llyn Peninsula in a larger map

2009-05-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

Thing 31 More Twitter

I will not be using Twitter often and have very little interest in it beyond doing the 23 More Things. There are millions of things for me to do beside sitting at my computer all day reading about what others are doing. Maybe if I was confined to a wheelchair or was in some circumstance that limited my interaction with people I would be more interested.

2009-05-19T14:16:00.000-07:00

Thing 30 More Ways to Use RSS and Delicious

I haven't been using my RSS reader very often because I don't have time. There are things I want to keep up with though, and for me Google Alerts is a good substitute. I would like to use Delicious, but there are only 24 hours in a day.

2009-05-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

Thing 29 Google Tools

I set up Google Alerts requesting comprehensive alerts on some places I plan to visit on vacation this summer. It was very easy to do. I will be adding and deleting alerts as my interests change. I've learned a lot that I wouldn't have by just reading travel guides, etc. The local newspaper stories have given me an idea of what to expect from the towns and villages. It's been fun to read about local school and community events as well as the surprise of a mugging in one of the small towns. There have been write-ups about local restaurants and pubs, gardens, charity events and local craftspeople - all very interesting and valuable information. I like this.
I looked at Yahoo!Alerts and Alerts.com and liked that they list so many categories for alerts. Windows looked pretty standard.
I gave my Gmail account expanded emoji choices, changed the colors, created a calendar and added some events. The one inconvenience was having to sign out of Blogger to work with the Gmail.

2009-05-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

Thing 28 Customized Home Pages

I chose (Frontier) My Yahoo because my existing email account is there.
It was easy to change things around and choose colors, etc. I added local news and weather along with Fodor's Travel Wire and About Low Fat Cooking.

2009-05-19T13:10:00.000-07:00

Thing 27 Twitter

I customized my Twitter page and tweeted.
The Hibbing Library's Twitter has good library information, but when I looked at it there was only one following. I don't think the library where I work would have much of an audience on Twitter. Took a look at mnmorethings and also searched for some topics that interest me, but didn't find anything good enough to follow. A lot of the Twitters seemed like a way for people to blow off steam.
The way I think this would be fun is if it was used among a group of friends or family.

2009-05-19T07:18:00.000-07:00

Thing 26 Join the 23 Things Ning

I joined the Ning and tried to add Google's Daily Jokes. I will try again later.
I don't think we'd use this at work.

Visit 23 Things on a Stick

2009-05-18T16:30:00.000-07:00

Thing 25 20 Usability Tips

I found this photo of Llyn Ogwen in Wales using Yahoo Image Search in Apture.
It was very easy to add the picture.

The clock is from ClockLink. Sometimes it's on Daylight Savings time and sometimes it isn't. Odd...

The Live U.K Radio and TV came from Google Gadgets and was also simple to add.

Cadwyn Y Canolbarthgreat free widgetsWidgetbox

Cadwyn y Canolbarth is the blog of cooperating libraries
in Mid Wales. See cadwynycanolbarth.blogspot.com.

There were several other gadgets I tried but either didn't like or they were taking too long to add. I spent about four and a half hours on this - way too much time.

2009-03-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

Thing 24 Refresh Your Blog

I like my original avatar, so I just changed my shirt- even though I've only been wearing it for a year. I changed the background of the blog, and added some information to my profile. I haven't blogged since finishing Round 1 - mainly because I haven't had time.

2008-06-24T18:59:00.001-07:00

Thing 23 One Last Thing

As a fairly new library employee I found Library 2.0 to be extremely interesting because in the past I had thought of libraries mainly as a place to get something to read.
Finishing 23 Things gave me a real sense of accomplishment. I didn't know very much about the Things before taking part in this. Now when a Thing is used at my library I will have an idea of what it is and what I could possibly do with it.
My favorite Things were 16, 17 and 19.
For me this learning experience was profound.

2008-06-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

Thing 22 What Did I Learn Today ?

I will read through my blog periodically, and if I'm asking myself, "Exactly what was that Thing again ?", I will review it and add comments and insights. When the library I work at uses tools and ideas from this project, I will post a blog about it.

2008-06-24T18:53:00.000-07:00

Things 20 & 21 Libraries & Social Networks & Beyond MySpace:Other Social Networks

I am not a member of any online communities. The social networks are not appealing to me. When I have free time I would rather be gardening or working on my very long "to do" list at home. I can see how this would appeal to others, but it just isn't my thing.
People like to share their opinions and ideas, and are interested in others' thoughts. The social networks offer a huge audience for both.
The article "Building a Social Networking Environment at the Library" was excellent, mentioning the possibilities for library use of social networks. I don't know if the patrons of our small rural library would participate in anything like this. Many of our "serious readers" are senior citizens and it's my guess that most do not own a computer. I have seen very few of them use the computers at the library. All the kids in town know each other.
Denver Public Library's MySpace, directed toward teens, looks both fun and helpful. Hennepin County's is more general. Both these libraries have large metropolitan areas to draw from, which makes for more variety and so, more interest.

2008-06-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

Thing 19 Podcasts

I listened to Episodes 9 (interview with media specialists at MEMO Conference) and 10 (interview with Wanda Erickson) from Memoirs for School Library Media.
The Yahoo podcasts directory was easiest for me to use. In some of the others I couldn't find what I wanted.
I won't be podcasting, but I would listen to MPR's Grammar Grater on a regular basis.

2008-06-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

Thing 18 YouTube & Other Online Video

I chose Amanda Bynes reading "The Night I Followed a Dog" because of the library theme of this project. A library could have several videos similar to this (Mercer Mayer is great !) for patrons' viewing and make sure the book was out on display. I found a video from the Benllech Library (Wales) in which the librarian is talking to a man who speaks German. She is answering in a mixture of German and Welsh - it's hilarious.
I enjoyed most of the videos I watched, but some were very poorly done (like why bother?).

2008-06-24T18:43:00.000-07:00

Thing 17 ELM Productivity Tools

Many, many sources of information at our fingertips, whether at a library or at home. This is an excellent thing for the smaller town resident who may not have easy access to the more extensive resources of a large library. Having levels of information geared to various ages really makes this a good tool.

2008-06-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

Thing 16 Student 2.0 Tools

What a neat idea ! This would be very beneficial to the student who requires prompting to get things done on time. It could be adapted for day-to-day and also longer-range task organizing.
I like the Assignment Calculator better - not sure why.

2008-06-24T18:37:00.000-07:00

Thing 15 Online Games in Libraries

I enjoyed Puzzle Pirates and would like to play this more. Bilging was fun and I also tried Carpentry, which went OK. As far as interaction with other pirates, I felt like I was bumping into them on deck a lot, but there was no real reaction to this that I could see.
Second Life... well, I'll stay in the real world, thank you.

2008-06-24T17:06:00.000-07:00

Thing 14 Library Thing

I set up an account and added seven books.
At our library we could have a "Canby Public Library" account with Library Thing for our patrons to post blogs about books they've read and to read blogs about books they might want to check out. We do have "Book Opinion" slips in the fronts of some of our newer books, but I have only seen a few comments so far. Most of the reviews that participants in the Adult Winter Reading Program have written are very good however, but when the program ends those are put away. Perhaps we could post them on Library Thing.

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/elerijones3

2008-06-24T17:02:00.000-07:00

Thing 13 Online Productivity Tools

I chose PageFlake as my start page because it contains local news and because the universal video looks neat.
I like the calendar in Backpack for its group-use features (wiki-like), but I wouldn't use an online calendar because I don't want to take time to start the computer every time I need to review my lists and schedules.

2008-06-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

Thing 12 Do you Digg ?

Of the four sites mentioned in Thing 12 I thought Mixx was the best-organized. Newsvine would likely be the one I'd use most often because of the content. StumbleUpon would be a fun treat for when there is time to sit in front of the computer and just play !

2008-06-24T16:49:00.000-07:00

Thing 11 Tagging and del.icio.us

I added the Minn23 account to my RSS account.
This would be an excellent tool for research assistance. For everyday use at home I would probably use it for recipes because there are so many cooking websites I visit often and I don't like to print every recipe that looks good.

2008-06-24T16:19:00.000-07:00

Thing 10 Wikis

I am not in favor of limiting information by format. One just has to be aware that wikis may not be perfectly accurate and might contain opinion or unintentional misinformation. Other sources of information can also be faulty, such as older scientific publications.
I edited the 23 Things wiki.

2008-06-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

Thing 9 Online Collaboration Tools

GoogleDocs is a good collaboration tool for a group of people who cannot physically meet together. There are a lot of options and formats available which makes it versatile and useful.
I think the Founding Fathers would be astounded at nearly everything they'd see in our world today. Probably sad and angry too.

2008-06-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

Thing 8 Communication

PictureTrail Photo Book was as easy to use as any new-to-me tool. I'd recommend it to others. I did enjoy thinking of a photo book theme and searching the web for appropriate photos (I don't have a digital camera yet). It would be nice to have a slide show in continuous action on the library's computer screens showing new books.

2008-06-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

Thing 7 WEB 2.0 Communication Tools

I use e-mail every day at home and it is used in the library where I work for communication with patrons and within our library system. Being able to leave a written message saves the time of repeated telephone calls to a patron who is not home during library open hours and to other library personnel who are unavailable when telephoned. (Yes, I do know about voice mail.)
I think working at an IM desk would be a fun challenge because of the variety of patrons' questions.
I do not have any experience with text messages. It would certainly be a convenience for the library patron.
In OPAL I would like to listen to Discover Your Library Thing, Sustaining the Rural Library, Library Services For Older Adults and Virtual Worlds For Kids, Tweens and Teens when I have access to faster internet service.

2008-06-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

Thing 6 Online Image Generator

In our library we could make trading cards of whatever's popular for children (Harry Potter awhile ago). We could use this to make a note for patrons to take home showing library hours, etc. The possibilities are endless.

2008-06-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

Things 4 & 5 Flickr

It was really fascinating looking through others' photos - there are so many. A lot of time could be spent just browsing this collection. Some photos I would have used for this Thing were copyrighted, which was a disappointment because they were exceptional. There is a lot of non-professional talent out there.
Flickr could be used in our library to draw attention to new materials, upcoming programs and events and just for fun...patron thinks, "I wonder what they've got on there this week ?".
I would only post scenic photos, whether public or not.

2008-06-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

Thing 3 RSS

I subscribed to
ABC News - Travel
BBC News - Front Page/World Edition
San Jose Mercury News - Local & Santa Cruz
two 23 Things participants
Minn23

The news sources require some weeding out, but they have been helpful and interesting already. I also added two fellow participants' blogs as well. I chose the Travel because it's something I do, and BBC because I have been traveling to Britain. I picked the San Jose Mercury News because I am from San Jose, and Santa Cruz because I have spent so much time there and also have family connections there.
I like being able to choose categories of interest rather than searching through whole online newspapers or slogging through a Google search.

2008-06-20T13:04:00.000-07:00

Thing 2 Web 2.0

In Stephen Abram's presentation he mentioned that you can only understand the 23 Things when you've done them yourself. This is certainly true.
My main problem will be finding uninterrupted time in which to work on this project. My very slow dial-up service will be a hindrance in some cases. Mr. Abrams also said 15 minutes a day ?! I think it will require much more time than that to complete this on time and to review in the future. 23 Things covers a HUGE amount of information to absorb.

2008-03-02T14:05:00.000-08:00

First Things First

I can be up and out the door in 30 minutes in the morning - so why did it take an hour and a half to dress an avatar ? This was fun.