finale

Well, I certainly discovered some new toys (L-O-V-E Pandora), and stretched my brain coming up with library connections and uses for them (I can see the Internet Archive being something I return to again and again). I liked keeping up with the Jones' in the 2.0 world, especially the teenaged Jones'. I don't know if I'll have any more luck continuing to use all these tools or blogging, but that's okay.
What I've gained from the process is understanding that the internet is a swiftly changing place, and knowing what's going on and what it looks like is good. However, it's okay if I'd rather spend my free time on other, more real world activities. Maybe the day will come when I'll be grateful for this specific training. I can foresee being asked for more information in audio and visual formats, for example. Maybe it will just have been an exercise in flexibility, which I can appreciate as well.
In terms of changes or unexpected outcomes, I'd like to see some of these tools crop up in innovative programs or patron services. I've outlined some ideas and I know other people have blogged about some of their own. I like learning for its own sake, but wouldn't it be cool to put all these ideas to use? Have a workshop or brainstorming session about using some of the ideas that are being tossed around? Just a thought...

Happy Hooker

I chose this video not only because it's got a cheeky title and is about a book, but because of the awesome knitters vs. crocheters fight at the beginning.
I got it from Revver. I liked the category breakdown, and the suggestions made once I'd selected a video to watch were relevant. I suppose YouTube has more cool features, but Revver looks cleaner. Plus I got a lot more inappropriate results in YouTube. Maybe because they have more content?

tumblr v twitter

Well, after reading some of the suggested articles I took a pass on twitter. Just another 2.0 tool that no one else I know uses, so why create yet another account? The few library uses I read about are only useful for fellow twitter account holders, and although it seems to be taking the tech world by storm, I don't get the impression there are a ton of twitter-ers in the 'Couve and surrounding areas. We could do just as well with more frequent emails (and MySpace bulletins) about events, new books, etc. Or even text message reminders and updates! Now there's something even my father uses.
I did sign up for a tumblr account and added a couple bits of non-sense. I can see keeping up with it as a more visual, entertaining del.icio.us. In terms of library uses I can envision several tumblr-style blogs available for patrons providing reliable links on varying topics, much as our website already does but in a cooler format, and updated more often. Maybe patrons interested in certain topics, like local business people, would even subscribe to the feed. Or is that too 'recreating the wheel'?

i m (not)

I've put off writing about instant messaging in hopes that I might have a meebo interaction beforehand, but the time I have to complete this program is dwindling and I've received no IMs. What can you do? It's a lonely internet existence...
In terms of library service, I'm interested in what might happen if we offered IM Reference in our district. Working in Telephone Information I'm a likely candidate to staff such a service, and if nothing else, I think it might be fun. I've had a fair number of email interactions where responses come very quickly, and many of our emails pertain to easy to answer circulation questions. Whether the questions coming in on an IM service would be in the same vain or not, I don't know. But we do provide service for a large area, so anything we can do to make ourselves available to patrons is a good thing.
The obvious problem would be staff time. Calling the library with questions is often pretty instant, and has been our priority (over answering emails). If we had to contend with incoming IMs, emails, and phone calls, I can see getting overwhelmed. Perhaps if we were available for IM a couple hours an afternoon, targeting a homework help audience. But then again, offering services via phone and email may be enough. It may be that an IM service would have been more cutting edge a few years ago. And what ever happened to staff IM'ing? Seriously, are we doing that anymore?

On second thought, maybe sound is not the future.

Playing around with podcasts has been hard to do without annoying my audio-sensitive co-workers, but I've managed. However, I find I have a larger obstacle. For the same reasons I can't listen to talk radio, podcasting doesn't suit me. I can't stay focused on what's being said but I can't focus on anything else, either. Arg!
To prove I tried I'll present some remarks. I found PodcastAlley the most user friendly, although I wish it offered a location search. I did make use of Podcast.net's location search and discovered that Vancouver produces a lot of religious podcasts. Hmm...
I also wish the search engines gave the option of sorting results by date (as in the most recently updated feed). It only seems worthwhile to subscribe to feeds that are alive and productive, but most of my search results were long dead ones.
In terms of library related podcasting, SirsiDynix had many interesting topics, but they tended to be lengthy. LibVibe presents weekly, concise, worldwide library news (they made the bloglines cut). Being in the know about worldwide library news makes me feel like I'm part of an elite community. Because really, who else cares?

Google Doc

[Most of these were taken from my bloglines clippings fold. How's that for 2.0?]

quotations i like

• Reality is all-encompassing: the absolute nature is one. Although we may feel separate from the original uncreated reality - whether we call it 'God,' 'peak experience,' or 'enlightened mind' - through awareness we can contact this essential part of ourselves. - Tarthang Tulku

• A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions. - Oliver Wendell Holmes

• No matter what one does, whether one's deeds serve virtue or vice, nothing lacks importance. All actions bear a kind of fruit. - Buddha

• But if you do not find an intelligent companion, a wise and well-behaved person going the same way as yourself, then go on your way alone, like a king abandoning a conquered kingdom, or like a great elephant in the deep forest. - Buddha

• A myriad bubbles were floating on the surface of a stream. 'What are you?' I cried to them as they drifted by. 'I am a bubble, of course' nearly a myriad bubbles answered, and there was surprise and indignation in their voices as they passed. But, here and there, a lonely bubble answered, 'We are this stream', and there was neither surprise nor indignation in their voices, but just a quiet certitude. - Ask the Awakened by Wei Wu Wei

• You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. - Buddha

• Renunciation is not getting rid of the things of this world, but accepting that they pass away. -Aitken Roshi

• When asked the question, what is consciousness? we become conscious of consciousness. And most of us take this consciousness of consciousness to be what consciousness is. This is not true. - Julian Jaynes

• There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth -- not going all the way, and not starting. - Buddha

• Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts. Develop the mind of equilibrium. You will always be getting praise and blame, but do not let either affect the poise of the mind: follow the calmness, the absence of pride. - Sutta Nipata

• Who forces time is pushed back by time; who yields to time finds time on his side. -The Talmud

• Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit. -Peter Ustinov

• We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. -Joseph Campbell

• Your love is a strong force. It lightens that which presumes to weigh you down. -unknown
  

Sound is the Future

There were enough cool links in this assignment to keep me busy for hours. I'll just dive in! I like the control last.fm gives me to browse and discover new artists (like the long list of bands I have to check out courtesy of the Icelandic Music Scene group), but I enjoy the surprise of Pandora. I didn't get too far into imeem because it relies more heavily on user-loaded content than I'm interested in.
I don't know that I understand the informational or library-related implications of sites like these, sites that combine music and social networking. I get that familiarity with them is useful, that they're 2.0, and fun! But I don't know how they might be used in a library setting or if their access should be a priority. At least not without a good set of headphones. But maybe access to sites like these will make up for our lack of a music collection? "No, we don't have the latest Yanni, but you might be able to download it from last.fm, or Amazon for that matter." As an aside, I really hope the CD isn't dead because I am a respecter of cool packaging. The art, the band photo, the hidden content: it's all part of my image of the musician.
I can see how useful a site like the sound effects archive is, even in a library setting though. We do occasionally get asked if we carry CDs in this vein, and a website might appeal more to some than placing a hold on our meager offerings. The same goes for the Internet Archive's radio plays, poetry read by the poet, and Presidential speeches, just to name a few.
It seems like a no-brainer that libraries should have auditory offerings beyond books on tape, but traditionally libraries have been quiet places. Maybe that tradition has stymied growth in the area of aural information.

My Blog is for Smarties

So, apparently my blog is only barely coherent to the non-college educated. That, or the folks behind the blog readability test are actually psychologists trying to raise the self esteem of bloggers, who clearly need help if they're posting their banter on the internet. Just sayin'.
In other news, Wordshoot is far cooler than Typer Shark. There's blood and everything. At the medium level, I cleared 95% of the words that rolled out and tried to annihilate me.
And, finally, Yahoo! Answers: something I can compulsively waste my time on that means something! I've only answered 5 questions, but it's addicting. I haven't received any Best Answer points yet but I see them on my horizon like the shiny, useless things that they are. But seriously, it's good practice and it makes me appreciative of the reference interview. I read more than a few questions I couldn't fully answer without knowing more. Maybe I am cut out for this gig.

Some Notes on Wiki

• I've never contributed to a wiki before, although I have accessed them. Of course, I used Wikipedia and the Young Adult Wiki. I do have my misgivings about the authority of Wikipedia, which makes me excited for Google's knols, but that's off topic.
  
• Wikimedia Commons is quite cool, more user friendly than the Creative Commons site for browsing.
  
• As I head back to school I can foresee using wikis for group projects (Man, would they have been useful for the first two years!).
  
• I was intrigued by the idea of a wiki as intranet. I don't know how practical it would really be but at the very least it could more intuitively organized and searchable.
  
• I also like the idea of a community information wiki, maintained by citizens as well as librarians. Again, I don't know how practical it'd be for a community our size, but I'd be interested in seeing which areas were most developed.

It's a Good LibraryThing

Since I already keep a running list of things I've read, it's nice to have an online version like the one at Goodreads. It helps me remember not only what I thought of something (If not for ratings, most things pass into the 'it was alright but not great' category.), but what that something actually is. I also have quite the extensive 'to read' list that I might start transferring over from a Yahoo! Notepad. That should minimize the time I spend looking up titles when I want to read something new, but can't recall what something on my 'to read' list is.
I used LibraryThing to catalog my home library last year, but have since gotten rid of a ton. Now I intend to use it for its recommendations feature. In fact, I'm putting it to the test. Based on something I really enjoyed ("Sharp Objects"), Library Thing recommended "What the Dead Know". So far, so good. I may even try it out on patrons since my reader's advisory skills stink. Groups and talk might be another valuable tool in that area, but I'll need more time to play with them. Now, if only I didn't have to log into Facebook to access my Goodreads...

i'm ill so this will not be good

Ah, yes. There's the tool I was looking for. Being able to search blog descriptions rather than blog entries (see previous post RSS part bee). The Popular feature is interesting, and I can see how tags come in handy for searchability. Overall the site feels like the Amazon of blogging, with it's user profiles, favorites, authority, tags, and so on. The site is cluttered making is hard to navigate though. But as I play with it more I suppose it'll get easier. I especially like the Authority feature because I can see that nothing I publish online is interesting enough to warrant any, which I already suspected. At least somebody's honest with me.

del.icio.us (see also yummy)

I've had a del.icio.us account for some time now (this will sound familiar), but I don't use it that much. Or rather, I use it in fits and starts. Not having a laptop and relying on the internet so much at work, I fully comprehend and appreciate the beauty though. I actually had all these little scraps of paper with sites I wanted to remember or check out that accumulated, and then I heard about del.icio.us. Most of my personal account is dedicated to home furnishings and accessories. [After I did all that entering of web addresses kaboodle showed up on the scene. Figures.] I wasn't as aware of the social networking aspect of the site and I'm excited to do some networking to see what I can see, especially as it relates to teen programming and readers advisory. If Google weren't so dang good at their job I might rely on it more for remembering frequently used websites, too. Oh, Google. You make us all so lazy. :sigh:

VINTAGE SAVIOURS and other time wasters

According to this Band Name Generator, I'm gonna make it big with the Vintage Saviours. So, that's pretty sweet. And I also added a countdown clock (see the bottom of this page) to tell me how long I have to finish the Discover 2.0 program. That's a handy reminder, and also adorable.
I fleshed out my Facebook profile with information about myself, and joined the Portland, OR network. I added a few library folks from other branches as friends [Why don't we have an FVRL network?]. I also added the FriendWheel application, so I can visually see how my peeps are connected. Ooh, I also put this blog address on my Facebook. I feel so...2.0

Social Networking and Libraries

In general I support having a library presence on MySpace and Facebook, although I don't know how much we're really drawing folks in. I haven't seen more kids come to programs because we posted a bulletin about it. Most of the comments we get on our YAAB MySpace are from authors. The polls we place online are often only answered by the kids who actively participate in our YAAB anyway. In short, I'm not convinced that we're staying hip with the kids.
I think we may need to mix things up. The idea of a catalog search function on our MySpace might get kids more interested in and comfortable with our webpage. Maybe try having staff available for MySpace IM'ing a couple hours a day for homework help. Maybe getting kids who participate in book groups to write reviews to post in a blog. A poll asking what kids have been reading, or the worst book they ever read? Actively 'friending' teens in our area? I don't know.
I agree with the Other Librarian that there may need to be a shift in thinking to make these sites really useful and engaging for library purposes. And I'm not even sure any of my ideas are quite outside the box enough. It just doesn't feel like we're using this technology to the fullest. Yet.

RSS part Bee - finding stuff that's worth your time

Well, Feedster isn't loading just now, and Topix confused me. [I eventually figured out that it is not a list of blogs, but news items.]
Syndic8, although kinda ugly, returned the most interesting results. However, there was a fair amount of sifting through junk since folks can load whatever.
Google's blog search wasn't as all-encompassing as I might have expected from them, but I suppose blogs are newer than the internet and it is in beta. They still have time to dominate. Specifically, I was disappointed that the search terms were found primarily in blog entries rather than in blog titles or descriptions. I understand how that might be difficult to accomodate.
So, I still don't love blogs and RSS, and therefor ignored Technorati until I have to check it out. So, there. Can I go now?

Ridiculous amounts of Simply too much Stuff

I've had a bloglines account for awhile now, maybe over a year. And like many new internet technologies, mine fell into disuse. Even though RSS readers save time, there is still too dang much to keep up with. For example, there are 174 new posts on the BBC World News site since I last logged in. Like I need my computer to tell me I'm not keeping up with the news. I guess I feel obligated to at least read all 174 headlines, and when I realize that's a waste of time, I avoid my bloglines like someone I drunkenly confessed my Buffy obsession to. Hmm, forget I said that...

flicking toys

Well, I didn't find any mashups I could live without, but I imagine if I did more digging I would. Or if I was less focused on neats things and more focused on useful things. Neat things such as tag-related montages, photo grouping by color, spelling words with pictures, and photos labeled interesting on a given date.
In the end I uploaded another application that works with interestingness. As I understand it, Flickriver uses a tag I select (birds in this case) to create a constantly changing set of thumbnails for my blog, website, etc. Each time my blog is loaded, a new set of interesting bird photos from flickr appear in the location of my choice (between my Blog Archive and About Me). Neat.

Soup so cute you could eat it!

One of my favorite flickr activities is browsing for ridiculous photos, of which there are many. It makes me wish I had a spy camera so when I see awesome things around town(like spectacular mullets or old ladies in leather pants) I could take stealthy photographs and share them with the world. I guess the world will have to settle for pictures of me and Grandma. I also enjoy looking through vacation shots of places I hope to live or visit. It's loads more fun than a slideshow on a Chamber of Commerce or tourist board website.