Thing 30, and I'm done!

I have had a really good time with this. I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed most of it, especially since I'm normally not much of a "computer" person. It was really fun going to other people's blogs, too, and seeing how my thoughts and feelings compared with theirs.

I thought the format of the program was good. Maybe a little less reading at the beginning would be nice (or at least shorter articles!). And I think maybe a little more time could be allotted for the completion of each of the thirty things. Many of the public service staff have very little time to sit in the back and concentrate on something like this, and I don't think you get the full benefit if you're trying to rush through it. I also wish there were a better way to keep track of this than through that spreadsheet!! Ugh. Oddly, figuring that thing out was the biggest challenge for lots of us, I think!

Having said that, I learned so much from the Web 2.0 program! I would definitely participate in another program if it were offered. It's a great way to keep up to date! Thank you, Cindy, for all your hard work.

Thing 29

I have really enjoyed this learning experience! I especially liked learning about Flickr and YouTube. I also liked the image generators. And I LOVE LibraryThing! I may not be able to use any of these tools a few weeks from now, since I have to use something regularly in order for it to sink in, but just knowing that these things exist will help me tremendously in my work. And at least I will know what people are talking about when they mention Web 2.0!

Good job, Cindy! Thank you for leading us through this!

Thing 28

I decided to do option number 2 on this one, and just explore Rollyo. I can't say that I'm really impressed with it. I guess it could be useful for someone who searches the same topic or a lot or often looks for information in one field, but for me using google, yahoo, or another general search engine is just easier. My information needs are so varied that I don't think it would be worth setting up a Rollyo account. I'll be interested in hearing whether or not anyone is able to think of a good use for this tool.

Thing 27 continued

Aha! The LibraryThing widget moves with my posts! Very handy.

Thing 27

I really love LibraryThing! I can see how this could become addictive. And it could be very useful as a way to retrieve titles and/or authors of books I've read in the past. It happens so often that I've read a book that I want to suggest to a customer, but I can't remember the author or the title. Here is my library:

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

Matthew showed me how to show my library books on my blog (I think it's on Thing 26).

Thing 26

I had a REALLY good time with this one!! I made a neon sign, found new names for my cat, and wrote something in zombie letters! For those of us over 50 (most younger people won't get it, although Dee Dee did), one of my favorite generators was this one:

http://www.dylanmessaging.com/create

Fun, fun, fun! I'm not too sure what library applications there might be in these, but I'm sure we could come up with something!

Thing 25

I explored Denver's podcasts, as well as a few others. I think, in some ways, podcasts are better than vodcasts, especially for reading aloud. I didn't seem to encounter the annoyances that seem to be so prevalent in the videos (jumpiness, freezing up). Plus, you don't have to deal with the poor images that so many of the videos have. But the videos are definitely fun! I see that both could be useful in a library setting.

Thing 24

Well, this was by far the most difficult excercise for me. Websense would not let me onto two of the Podcast directories. I was able to access Yahoo, and finally figured out how to search for podcasts that weren't just music that you had to pay for. I still didn't have much luck finding anything library-related that seemed useful to me. I finally took Matthew's advice and went to WHRO and subscribed to one of their podcasts - "Halloween Haunts" for my google reader.

I'm not sure I get the full concept of this. I guess podcasts could be somewhat useful in the library world. It's all a little over my head at this point...

Thing 23

I like YouTube! It's fun! I searched QVC bloopers, and found one of a man falling off a ladder that he was trying to sell on the air. I watch QVC all the time, and can't believe I missed this one:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=LRvEsonVXWA

One thing I do find frustrating is that the videos tend to be grainy and jumpy, and they often seem to freeze up. Plus the sound quality isn't the greatest. It could be handy to use YouTube to post storytimes and things of that nature, but I think the technology would have to improve somewhat to make it worth the effort.

Thing 22

I like retreivr and Flickr Color Pickr. Both are really fun to play with, and I can see how they would be amazingly useful in the creation of images. I especially like the color pickr. It was interesting to see the different images that came up for each color that I chose. And the retrievr is wild! It's not that easy (I didn't think) to draw with the mouse, and I often didn't get the results that I expected, but it was always interesting!

Thing 21

I think tagging is very important with photo-sharing sites because it allows people to find photos that interest them. This is one way that communities build on Flickr. People with similar photographic interests can communicate and share with each other. It's very interesting to search by keyword on Flickr and see what's out there. Could be handy as a source for photographs to use for library purposes, with permission, of course. And I love the way members friends and families can communicate with each other on the site. Very innovative!

Thing 20 continued

This is a picture of me (with braids) and my sisters and cousins. We look like we're having a good time, don't we? Although my sister Becka (far right - littlest one) doesn't look too thrilled. We used to call her Princess Storm Cloud, because she would cry at the drop of a hat.

Thing 20

Flickr is neat! I had a good time playing with it and searching for all kinds of photos. Here is a picture of some factory ruins on Belle Island in Richmond:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34902269@N00/522439676/

Belle Island is in the middle of the James River in downtown Richmond. When I was a teenager my friends and I would cross over to the island on rocks when the river was low. It was eerie - like a deserted city all overgrown by vegetation. We would hang out there all day, swimming in the river, sunbathing, and exploring the old deserted buildings. Now they've made the island into a park with footbridges from the banks of the James. The city holds concerts, festivals, etc. there. It's very cool and much safer, but doesn't hold the "charm of the forbidden"that it had 40 years ago. (Jeez...has it been that long??)