learning

Week 12

2009-03-02T11:38:00.005+11:00

It has been very good experience doing Web 2.0 because in my case I doubt I would have used any of these tools and I have done the course at home. Working limited hours means I am not involved in much of the day-to-day work behind the scenes at the library, but as I have said earlier it is good to know about these tools when and if asked about them at the reference desk.
Having all these web based applications is very handy and as we are about to change our ISP all local email will come to an abrupt end on the 6th March so something to be said for web based. I do however have concerns about the speed and download available in many work situations. I did try to add to work on this course while on a night shift one evening but it became all too complicated with some computers accessing somethings and others not. Plus the speed was snails pace and I couldn't really afford the time.
These tools certainly are a way of promoting libraries with more and more people using the internet for information. Promotion is probably the main advantage of these services. Not sure where facebook comes into libraries as it seems to be used for such personal information, perhaps HR departments will be checking facebook!

Week 11 Google Docs

2009-03-02T11:14:00.002+11:00

Hello to any one out there still blogging, I am just trying to finish this Web 2.0 course. I found the Google Docs feature relatively easy to use compared with some of the social networking tools we have looked at. There would be a use for it with libraries that have multiple branches, and I guess even the same doc within one library if it needed input from several people. I do wonder though if there is an automatic way of differentiating between the alterations that people are making so that the main author knows who has added what to the doc. It would be good if each email addressee that was invited to share actually appeared in a different colour/type of font.

Week 10 Mashups

2008-12-10T23:41:00.005+11:00

This tool was great,it was easy to use. I made a basic Mashup of photos from my own computer. There are a lot more sophisticated ways to use it and some far more creative things to do. Apart from making publicity material for a library not sure about further uses but I think there would be many and only limited by imagination.
Since working with some of these tools I have been forced into actually looking at "code" that is used web for making pages. For this particular exercise the way I added my mashup included a direct link back to my flickr site as well as a link back to my photos. As I didn't want links that could identify me I was forced to go in and edit html script. This probably doesn't sound like a big deal but in my time in libraries I have stayed away from writing/publishing on the web. It is great that so many of these new communication tools are, compared to past years, based on my two favourite principles of WYSIWYG and KISS.

My creation

2008-12-10T23:32:00.006+11:00

,
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Colourful photos taken by a friend on his travels in Africa.

Week 9 Podding

2008-12-10T22:20:00.003+11:00

Well, I really enjoyed this one. Searching through Australian content because of the link given in Learning 2.0 and found very funny pod of Wendy Harmer and Angela Catterns. The previous exercises have involved searching through mainly American content which I did not find relevant. As has already been stated on Learning 2.0 blog this tool would be marvelous for local history departments of libraries.
Adding a link to the material I found was easy enough. I think I am starting to get the hang of this a little and find it is becoming more intuitive (although mashups still ahead).

Week 8 Answer Boards

2008-12-10T21:55:00.005+11:00

At the risk of being a bit of a bah humbug sort, I consider the “slamming the boards” service open to abuse and frivolous use thereby making it rather useless for any serious purpose. A service relying on volunteers would be hard pressed to function I think given the burden of most librarian's work loads. However answer board sites could be ideal if they were kept free of frivolous questions and the questions could be answered within a given time frame.

Week 7 cont:-

2008-12-10T21:41:00.004+11:00

LibraryThing is a very handy tool but could not spend long enough to find out functionality because it took me so long to add my library to my blog and even then I had to change the template because all my added gadgets were ending up at the bottom of my blog. Searching seemed to be extremely easy although no alternative spelling suggestions for incorrect search entries. It is really good experience to just persevere with these things as I am being forced out of my comfort zone on computers.

Week 7

2008-12-10T16:01:00.005+11:00

"Delicious" inappropriately named should be more like "frustrating". Spent many frustrating hours trying to drop delicious code into the html page of my blog before a colleague told me to "add an element".
It is a great idea though being able to access your bookmarks from anywhere. Although I find personally that I have book marks I need at work and bookmarks I need at home and there is no overlap. Once again a communal blog site could make use of this feature to keep staff up-to-date.
Technorati searching ok thanks to help provided from previous bloggers. The nswpln2008 search found about half a dozen blogs and some were very sophisticated blogs from Learning 2.0. This exercise highlighted the need for proper tagging and I guess that is what makes some of these tools easy too use in that they allow a large number of tags as opposed to limited subject headings from library catalogues. One blog was picked in Technorati possibly because it had "nswpln2008" in the tags.
It is always handy to know about these services if needed by a client.

Re week 6

2008-12-03T22:05:00.002+11:00

Although it is still taking quite a long time I think it is a definite advantage performing these tasks after all other bloggers have attempted it and posted helpful comments on the Learning 2.0 site. There are several ways to do most things and I seem to stumble upon one and after a bit of trying it usually works. If anyone is still reading out there thank you to those who published helpful tips and advise.
The quality of many clips on youtube was poor, and I did not want to make my own, so stuck with this one. I cannot spend any more time watching and once again not sure of use in libraries but perhaps a SHORT clip on library home page introducing the library would be attractive especially to all visual learners.

Week 6

2008-12-03T21:43:00.002+11:00

Week 5

2008-12-03T15:40:00.002+11:00

Just realised this blog won't make much sense to anyone outside the learning 2.0 circle. As I am following a set course of learning about 2.0 with a new topic each week. Week 5 is learning about Wiki's. Here is my rant about the usefulness of said tool.
At this point cannot see that wiki's would replace email as the ubiquitous email has such a grip on our work/life. The functionality of email's out of office auto replies, calendars, delivery receipt confirmation, contacting multiple recipients etc still make it a very useful method of communication.
However wikis as information sites seem to be ideal as it is very powerful to be able to publish on the web so easily rather than being reliant on the "webmaster". As someone mentioned on the NSW Public Libraries Learning 2.0 site wiki's would be ideal for things like local history information.

week 4

2008-12-03T10:28:00.000+11:00

Week 4 done. I now have gmail, yahoo, bloglines, blogger accounts with nothing really connected, although have added feed to my blog.
I subscribed to a few library suggested feeds from bloglines site but too american for me. Haven't the time at the moment to search for more local content but have added BBC News.
I have read that the links for feeds are far more stable than just linking to a web page for updates. I think that a communal blog in a library with feeds of professional interest would benefit any work place.
As I am doing this at home I was wondering about the download usage in the work place and does it lead to slower networks? Roll out the cable!
All in all it is good to know about these tools if only to be able to discuss them with library users.

Cheetah

2008-11-27T22:40:00.001+11:00

Cheetah,
originally uploaded by Durotriges.

Wow after much tooing and froing I think I may have added a flickr image to my blog. Cannot believe how long it took. Reason for Cheetah is that my 3.5 year old has requested a toy one for Christmas. And to be truthful I wasn't exactly sure what they look like. Don't want to buy the wrong one as she does know the difference.
I don't find the instructions very clear on some of these websites, must be a nak to reading online.

Thank goodness

2008-02-28T20:50:00.000+11:00

Hello Other Bloggers, thank goodness for step-by-step instructions. Even people who have never looked at a blog would be able to do this (I'm living proof). Anyway when I have worked out what part of cyber space I am in I will post more than these perfunctory remarks. Terrified of giving away true identity. What does the box "labels for this blog do?" Here I go, "publish and be damned."

For now
Golb