Well I have to say that this webthings challenge did teach me alot. Some of the things I knew about already, but some were completely new to me. Some I probably will never use again and some I will probably never go another day without using.
With that said, my favorite thing was probably Thing #8 Make Life "Really Simple" with RSS & a Newsreader. I use bloglines all the time now and have even changed my homepage to bloglines on my home computer. It has made my web surfing 100x more efficient and has cut down the time i need to spend on the internet in half. On the other hand, Conversely I least liked the ListenNJ.
I feel the library should get much more involved in YouTube. It is one of the most popular things to do on the internet today and has spread like wildfire since it's inception. The library would have much to gain by tapping into this resource on a regular basis.
I have shared RSS feeds with many of my friends and most of them are already hooked on it. It is one thing that I can say will probably become commonplace fairly quickly because of the fact that it cuts down the amount of time you need in order to individually look through each website. That fact alone will catapult it to the top spot because as we all know anything that can give us more time for anything else in our lives becomes an instant hit.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
ListenNJ
ListenNJ is a pretty good site for digital audio books. Their database of books is fairly extensive and the fact that you can essentially put it on your mp3 players makes it great for people who travel alot. The thing I don't like about ListenNJ is the fact that you need to download their specific software in order to even listen to the audio book. Also, Ipods and Zunes are not even supported yet. Ipods and Zunes are two of the most popular mp3 players out there at this time and the fact that they do not currently support BOTH of them means they are missing out a huge share of people with mp3 players.
The fact that the whole setup process in order to get to the goal of listening to my book was complicated and confusing makes me dissapointed. After merely downloading their special software I was ready to X out the page and move on to another site.
The final thing I have to say about ListenNJ is that in the end it is easier to just get the book you want from a library than for me to download a special program which takes up room on my harddisk just to listen to a book.
Anyway, I've so far never had negative thoughts on any of these particular webthings, but I cannot advocate this digital audio book solution. It just seems like too much work for me to just listen to a book.
The fact that the whole setup process in order to get to the goal of listening to my book was complicated and confusing makes me dissapointed. After merely downloading their special software I was ready to X out the page and move on to another site.
The final thing I have to say about ListenNJ is that in the end it is easier to just get the book you want from a library than for me to download a special program which takes up room on my harddisk just to listen to a book.
Anyway, I've so far never had negative thoughts on any of these particular webthings, but I cannot advocate this digital audio book solution. It just seems like too much work for me to just listen to a book.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
PODcasting...what more is there to say???
I searched through podcast.com for drifting and the number 1 podcast in the list was The DriftZone. The podcast follows all of the drifting events for Formula D, a professional competition for drifting, and conducts interviews with drivers. The podcast was very informative with what happened at the particular event, driver tips to getting into drifting, and upcoming projects that are being worked on. PODcasts are very fun.
The link to The DriftZone podcast is http://www.thedriftzone.com/index2.php?id=87
The link to The DriftZone podcast is http://www.thedriftzone.com/index2.php?id=87
Monday, May 5, 2008
The YouTube Paradise...
This is the YouTube video that I found. My favorite sport is drifting and I have been actively following the drifting scene since 2004. This is a little compilation video with some awesome background music to really show you what drifting is.
At the Virtual Red Carpet of the Web 2.0 Awards
After much searching through the winners of the web 2.0 Awards I have found that Pandora was my favorite Web 2.0 app. It's search features are incredible and the ability to customize your own stations to play only the music you like is amazing. I merely entered the name of one favorite artist and within 30 seconds I had songs by more than 20 different artists, all of which, were part of the same genre of the artist I had first entered. It seemed as if in 30 seconds Pandora had read my brain and knew exactly what kind of songs I listened to. I was amazed that within 5 minutes of being on the site I had gone from not even having an account to listening and adding artists to my radio station. I'll definitely recommend this site to all of my friends because of the fact that within 5 minutes they will be listening to their favorite music. Best of all is it's commercial free!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Web Apps...Email attachments are a thing of the past!
Google Docs is one awesome document editing tool. Coordinating projects within the library can be a snap using this tool because of the fact that it can be accessed from any computer which makes working at home a breeze. Instead of having inefficient meetings where you must spend countless hours trying to pick a time that is good for every one's schedule you can easily coordinate on each persons own free time.
I am currently coordinating my own gaming program for the first time within my own branch and this tool could help me if I was working with someone else for planning what snacks to bring as well as having a tournament bracket system that is viewable and editable by staff or program leaders.
I am currently coordinating my own gaming program for the first time within my own branch and this tool could help me if I was working with someone else for planning what snacks to bring as well as having a tournament bracket system that is viewable and editable by staff or program leaders.
Making some Wiki Sandcastles...(^_^)
So today I decided to play on the OCLWebThings Wiki page and did a little editing in the Sandbox page. It was fun and I didn't know there were so many versatile editing features available. I played around with links by adding my blog to the list of blogs and adding a couple comments to the Sandbox page.
A PBWiki could be useful within the workplace for when working on a collaborative team project or even planning a program. Even for simply having a company newsletter where employees can add in new programs that they have founded and perhaps whether they were successful or not. Other employees can then leave comments either congratulating or offering tips to make a program better in the future. PBWiki is a multi-functional tool that has, in my opinion, a lot of potential.
A PBWiki could be useful within the workplace for when working on a collaborative team project or even planning a program. Even for simply having a company newsletter where employees can add in new programs that they have founded and perhaps whether they were successful or not. Other employees can then leave comments either congratulating or offering tips to make a program better in the future. PBWiki is a multi-functional tool that has, in my opinion, a lot of potential.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Wonderous World of Wiki's
I loved the Library Success wiki because of all the wonderful information that is housed within one place. I was able to find information on other libraries gaming programs and how successful they were. There were a lot of tips available that helped me to improve the planning and preparation of my own gaming program that is upcoming within my own branch. Just about the only thing that I can say is not very favorable about the website is the fact that there is so much information on the main page t seems to hinder the process of finding the info in the first place.
Wiki's seem to be a great way for information to be dispersed and the feature of being editable makes updating a breeze. It almost always guarantees that you have the most up to date information available, but there is one problem. Anyone can edit a wiki which makes the information contained therein unreliable at best. However, since so many people are constantly editing wikis, most of the time a correction is made to wrong information fairly quickly. Wikis are a great source for information if you are not stringent upon the validaty.
Wiki's seem to be a great way for information to be dispersed and the feature of being editable makes updating a breeze. It almost always guarantees that you have the most up to date information available, but there is one problem. Anyone can edit a wiki which makes the information contained therein unreliable at best. However, since so many people are constantly editing wikis, most of the time a correction is made to wrong information fairly quickly. Wikis are a great source for information if you are not stringent upon the validaty.
Friday, April 25, 2008
A Look Back on Library 2.0 and Web 2.0
It is no myth that Web 2.0 will and already has begun to redefine the way libraries function and work. The technology is here, but the problem is whether or not the library is ready to dive off the traditional "diving board" and into the "pool" of technology and Web 2.0.
I have read the five perspectives and the one that hit me the most was the one titled, "Away from Icebergs". The perspective states that there are potentially 3 "icebergs" that libraries as a whole may encounter. These "icebergs" present a significant threat to the progress of the library as a focal point to connecting the community. Reliance on user education, the "come to us" model of library service, and the "just in case" collection are the three main icebergs in the way of our main goal of bringing the library to the center of any community.
Reliance on user education merely speaks of making it easier for patrons to find exactly what they are looking for without the help of library staff because of the fact that the number of patrons dwarfs the number of staff. On a busy day at the library it is not uncommon that a patron may have to wait before being helped with the information they are trying to find. We live in a world where waiting is considered frustrating, therefore, the more our patrons are left to wait, the more frustrated they become reducing the chance that he/she will return. Making the process of finding information easier on the patron will in turn put the power of the library in his/her hands.
The "come to us" model of library service is an obsolete way of thinking. Many patrons wish to view what a library has to offer from there own home, which has been implemented for a long time, but it is now time to take things a step further. With the Internet becoming faster and faster patrons will begin to expect all the information to be at their fingertips and as a focal point of the community we are obligated to serve our patrons as best we can. With that said, we must also be willing to change and adapt to the advent of new technology, but also to the change that a patrons way of thinking will undergo as that new technology becomes commonplace to him/her.
The final iceberg is the "just in case" collection. This may very well be one of the hardest icebergs to overcome seeing as a change in this would mean a change in the very backbone of how the library has been run in the past. Whether we like it or not the change is coming and if we wish to survive we need to start thinking about what we are going to do about it or the library will undoubtedly become obsolete. So, this "just in case" collection is an archaic method of trying to provide for every need of every person. I emphasize the word "trying" because there is no possible way of providing for every need of every person. Perhaps in the future things may change, but for now it is too expensive and time consuming for both library staff and patrons alike. One solution to this problem is the acquiring of a "digital" collection. A digital collection makes it much simpler and cost-effective to even attempt to provide for every need of every person. There is no longer the issue of shelf space for holding an extensive amount of books. Also, the thought of spending the time and money mending books is eliminated because of the fact that with digital copies there is no more wear and tear on a book from a large amount of usage. New copies of a book will no longer need to be purchased to replace old ones.
These 3 "icebergs" as they are dubbed by Rick Anderson are problems that face all libraries as a whole, but the OCL system is on the right track to counteract and overcome these problems. Some things may take longer than others to be implemented, but the most positive change is a slow and steady one. I have no doubt that the library is exactly what web 2.0 needs in order to really shine and it works both ways because libraries will gain alot from using web 2.0.
I have read the five perspectives and the one that hit me the most was the one titled, "Away from Icebergs". The perspective states that there are potentially 3 "icebergs" that libraries as a whole may encounter. These "icebergs" present a significant threat to the progress of the library as a focal point to connecting the community. Reliance on user education, the "come to us" model of library service, and the "just in case" collection are the three main icebergs in the way of our main goal of bringing the library to the center of any community.
Reliance on user education merely speaks of making it easier for patrons to find exactly what they are looking for without the help of library staff because of the fact that the number of patrons dwarfs the number of staff. On a busy day at the library it is not uncommon that a patron may have to wait before being helped with the information they are trying to find. We live in a world where waiting is considered frustrating, therefore, the more our patrons are left to wait, the more frustrated they become reducing the chance that he/she will return. Making the process of finding information easier on the patron will in turn put the power of the library in his/her hands.
The "come to us" model of library service is an obsolete way of thinking. Many patrons wish to view what a library has to offer from there own home, which has been implemented for a long time, but it is now time to take things a step further. With the Internet becoming faster and faster patrons will begin to expect all the information to be at their fingertips and as a focal point of the community we are obligated to serve our patrons as best we can. With that said, we must also be willing to change and adapt to the advent of new technology, but also to the change that a patrons way of thinking will undergo as that new technology becomes commonplace to him/her.
The final iceberg is the "just in case" collection. This may very well be one of the hardest icebergs to overcome seeing as a change in this would mean a change in the very backbone of how the library has been run in the past. Whether we like it or not the change is coming and if we wish to survive we need to start thinking about what we are going to do about it or the library will undoubtedly become obsolete. So, this "just in case" collection is an archaic method of trying to provide for every need of every person. I emphasize the word "trying" because there is no possible way of providing for every need of every person. Perhaps in the future things may change, but for now it is too expensive and time consuming for both library staff and patrons alike. One solution to this problem is the acquiring of a "digital" collection. A digital collection makes it much simpler and cost-effective to even attempt to provide for every need of every person. There is no longer the issue of shelf space for holding an extensive amount of books. Also, the thought of spending the time and money mending books is eliminated because of the fact that with digital copies there is no more wear and tear on a book from a large amount of usage. New copies of a book will no longer need to be purchased to replace old ones.
These 3 "icebergs" as they are dubbed by Rick Anderson are problems that face all libraries as a whole, but the OCL system is on the right track to counteract and overcome these problems. Some things may take longer than others to be implemented, but the most positive change is a slow and steady one. I have no doubt that the library is exactly what web 2.0 needs in order to really shine and it works both ways because libraries will gain alot from using web 2.0.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Technorati...nothing technical about it
Technorati is a great search engine, for lack of a better word, for blogs. Its easy search capabilities are on par with that of google. That coupled with that fact that Technorati has such a large database of blogs makes it quite possibly the best way to search through blogs for exactly what you want.
While searching through the popular blogs and posts I found a blog devoted to pocket pc phones and technology that is centered around them. I feel that I will going back to this blog alot due to the fact that I do own a pocket pc phone and love it. I plan on having a pocket pc phone for my next phone in the near future.
While searching through the popular blogs and posts I found a blog devoted to pocket pc phones and technology that is centered around them. I feel that I will going back to this blog alot due to the fact that I do own a pocket pc phone and love it. I plan on having a pocket pc phone for my next phone in the near future.
Del.icio.us bookmarks that are so tasty you can eat...or...just tag them
Well, del.icio.us is one powerful website with a great idea as it's backbone. Who wouldn't want to be able to get to their favorites list on any computer they may come in contact with?
At the same time you get to see what other users think about your favorites by the comments and posts they leave. You can also see what tags other people have put on the same favorite you have. All this help to build a more tight-knit and social community.
I can see this tool as being a way for people to start sharing cool links easily with each other, as well as, an easy way for epopel to access their own favorites from foriegn computers.
At the same time you get to see what other users think about your favorites by the comments and posts they leave. You can also see what tags other people have put on the same favorite you have. All this help to build a more tight-knit and social community.
I can see this tool as being a way for people to start sharing cool links easily with each other, as well as, an easy way for epopel to access their own favorites from foriegn computers.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
WorldCat...the catalog for the entire WORLD!! (O_o)
WorldCat is a fairly comprehensive catalog of library collections around the world. I began by searching for a book called, "Calvin Wan's drifting performance handbook". The results were pretty astonishing to me because I have never used WorldCat before and when I put in my zipcode, almost instantly, the closest libraries that carried that title were displayed from closest for farthest. In the Details tab are the specifics about the book such as size, number of pages, and summary of the contents.
WorldCat can help with filling out the ILL form to an extent but I believe amazon.com is perfect for that and gives the maximum information you would need to completely fill out that form.
WorldCat can help with filling out the ILL form to an extent but I believe amazon.com is perfect for that and gives the maximum information you would need to completely fill out that form.
NetLibrary...the future of the library???
NetLibrary was extremely easy to use and account setup was one of the easiest out of all of the other accounts that needed to be set up for this OCLWebThings Challenge. The fact that you can instantly start reading any book that is within their database is really cool. The only real drawback I can see is that there are some books that cannot be found. I tried to search for a book called "How To Drift: The Art of Oversteer" and it recommended two other books that had nothing to do with what I was trying to find.
I then ended up searching for computer books and found a book called "How To Do Everything With Your Ipod". The navigation setup for actually reading the books is a solid 8 out of 10. You have a frame on the left side of the page that allows you to switch between chapters very quickly and easily. There are also links in the table of contents to quickly jump to any pages you wish to view. The "Next" and "Previous" buttons are very useful but being able to click on the pages themselves in order to go to the next page would be a desirable feature.
This resource is very easy to use and would be quite simple to teach a customer to use proficiently. NetLibrary may very well be the future of all libraries as we move into this technology-driven world. There may come a time when all books are released as ebooks and no longer in paper format. Then again, that is an extreme view that is definitely not going to come into fruition for many many years.
I then ended up searching for computer books and found a book called "How To Do Everything With Your Ipod". The navigation setup for actually reading the books is a solid 8 out of 10. You have a frame on the left side of the page that allows you to switch between chapters very quickly and easily. There are also links in the table of contents to quickly jump to any pages you wish to view. The "Next" and "Previous" buttons are very useful but being able to click on the pages themselves in order to go to the next page would be a desirable feature.
This resource is very easy to use and would be quite simple to teach a customer to use proficiently. NetLibrary may very well be the future of all libraries as we move into this technology-driven world. There may come a time when all books are released as ebooks and no longer in paper format. Then again, that is an extreme view that is definitely not going to come into fruition for many many years.
Friday, April 11, 2008
My LibraryThing Library...(say that 5 times fast)
LibraryThing is a great site for finding books. The design of the site is simple and actually reminds me of a Wiki-type site. The group Talk section is amazing and I actually found that alot of posts have been made so there is alot of communication between the community on this website. Reviews on books as well as comments and even discussions about the books ideas and the ideas a certain book inspires within a person are able to be freely talked about because of this website. This is great site for people to really share their knoledge with each other in a new and innovative way.
Here is my library with the 5 books that I have searched and added.
Here is my library with the 5 books that I have searched and added.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Some Technology Talk...
There are new technologies being developed all the time. Some are bigger than others, but I must say that there is one technology category that really catches my eye and it is the Mobile Phone category.
Mobile Phones are getting faster and more innovative almost every 2 or 3 months. The iPhone was a huge leap in technological advancement for the Mobile Phone community, but already other companies are following and even expanding on what the iPhone started.
With the release of the LG Voyager, Apple iPhone, and now the news of the Samsung Instinct, phones that contain touchscreens are now becoming a commonplace. Touch screens have been around for many years but were reserved mostly for the most expensive of PDA type smartphones.
Now that touchscreens are becoming common the screen size is also increasing exponentially and with bigger screens comes more graphically enhanced UIs(User Interfaces).
With more PDA smartphones available at cheaper prices the thought of every person having a personal computer on them at all times is not so much science fiction as it is reality.
More and more phones now are able to connect to WiFi hotspots and are increasingly more internet capable which means people are becoming more and more connected than ever before.
Mobile Phones are getting faster and more innovative almost every 2 or 3 months. The iPhone was a huge leap in technological advancement for the Mobile Phone community, but already other companies are following and even expanding on what the iPhone started.
With the release of the LG Voyager, Apple iPhone, and now the news of the Samsung Instinct, phones that contain touchscreens are now becoming a commonplace. Touch screens have been around for many years but were reserved mostly for the most expensive of PDA type smartphones.
Now that touchscreens are becoming common the screen size is also increasing exponentially and with bigger screens comes more graphically enhanced UIs(User Interfaces).
With more PDA smartphones available at cheaper prices the thought of every person having a personal computer on them at all times is not so much science fiction as it is reality.
More and more phones now are able to connect to WiFi hotspots and are increasingly more internet capable which means people are becoming more and more connected than ever before.
Monday, March 31, 2008
The Scanner and I
Well folks, this is a scan of a DVD cover from our movie collection within the Plumsted branch. This is one of my favorite movies because of the fact that it's soooo funny and also because it does have a meaningful story in the background of one young man's journey through the interim period of young adult to full blown adulthood.
This completes Thing #7 of the OCL WebThings challenge and now I am all caught up... :)
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Finding an RSS to feed on...
For Thing #9 we simply needed to find and explore the different ways to add RSS feeds. I found that the easiest for me was to compy the RSS feed URL and click add in the bloglines website. I would then paste the URL and click add.
Also, merely searching in google is another way to find some pretty useful and informational RSS feeds.
Also, merely searching in google is another way to find some pretty useful and informational RSS feeds.
Feeding upon the Great "RSS"
For Thing #8 I was served with the task of exploring and devouring the great buffet called "RSS Feeds". I was able to sign up for a bloglines account fairly easily and within a couple of minutes I was grabbing RSS feeds from all of my favorite websites.
I love RSS feeds for the fact that it simplifies the way you surf the internet. I was used to going to Gizmodo.com to check any new tech news and then from there moving on to Engadget.com and so on and so forth. This way of surfing the web was very tedious and time consuming, but now with RSS feeds I only need to go to one website. All of the information from all the websites I view is all neatly placed in folders and I can peruse them at my own leisure.
I gathered RSS feeds from:
-Engadget.com
-Gizmodo.com
-Asbury Park Press
-OCL WebThings
-EntertainmentWeekly.com
-Upcoming Events at Plumsted
-Techdirt.com
-ExtremeTech.com
-PC Magazine.com
-Wired.com
This technology is very helpful in saving time and libraries benefit highly from this because of the fact that now patrons can receive the information about what is going on in their local library without having to interrupt their normal web surfing routine.
I love RSS feeds for the fact that it simplifies the way you surf the internet. I was used to going to Gizmodo.com to check any new tech news and then from there moving on to Engadget.com and so on and so forth. This way of surfing the web was very tedious and time consuming, but now with RSS feeds I only need to go to one website. All of the information from all the websites I view is all neatly placed in folders and I can peruse them at my own leisure.
I gathered RSS feeds from:
-Engadget.com
-Gizmodo.com
-Asbury Park Press
-OCL WebThings
-EntertainmentWeekly.com
-Upcoming Events at Plumsted
-Techdirt.com
-ExtremeTech.com
-PC Magazine.com
-Wired.com
This technology is very helpful in saving time and libraries benefit highly from this because of the fact that now patrons can receive the information about what is going on in their local library without having to interrupt their normal web surfing routine.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Teen Zone Surfing
Teen Surfing
Originally uploaded by rukushin
Sr. Library Assistant Brian and I like to keep the teen area alive and kicking. Sometimes we don't have enough tables for all the patrons to surf on so it gets tough, but we seem to manage.
On a serious note, I wanted something outlandish and original for my picture so it was a spur of the moment thing.
Brian and Andrew....who knows what we will do next :)
Thing #6 complete! (^_^) Woohoo!
X-treme Drift Challenge- Kouvola 2007
X-treme Drift Challenge- Kouvola 2007
Originally uploaded by Siippou
This is for Thing #5 of the OCL Web Things challenge.
I chose this photo because of the fact that I absolutely LOVE drifting. It is a very popular sport that came to the USA in 2003 from Japan. To explain it simply, it is merely powersliding the tail end of your car through corners and using the gas pedal and steering input to control just how sideways through a corner your car will go without spinning out.
This car from what I can see seems to be a Silvia S14(Nissan 240SX) with an S15 front end conversion.
I love looking at these types of pictures of cars when they are in mid-drift because they look so graceful yet you see the tires smoking as well which just goes to show you how much power these cars need to put down in order to really get the wheels spinning.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
A New Start
Well, I'm at it again. I know I have not posted anything in awhile, but new things will be coming soon. I have signed up for the OCL Web Things Challenge and have already completed the Week 1 tasks.
Thing #1 was a great introduction complete with video and an audio clip containing a great explanation of what Web 2.0 consists of and what this Web Challenge was going to entail.
Thing #2 called "Learning vs. Training" was an interesting tutorial explaining what a Lifelong Learner is. I never considered myself to be a Lifelong Learner, but according to this tutorial I am indeed one. As for what habits are, in my opinion, easiest and hardest out of the 7 and a 1/2 Habits for me is:
Easiest - #6) Use technology to your advantage.
I consider myself to be a very tech saavy person and I'm always keeping an eye out for the newest technology.
Hardest - #2) Accept responsibility for your own learning.
This is one of the hardest habits for me and I cannot say why except for the fact that I'm still a fairly young college student. I strongly believe that as time passes this habit will become more and more engrained into me in which, without me knowing, will become an easier and easier habit.
I look foward to the next few weeks of challenges and hope to expand my knowledge in the process.
Thing #1 was a great introduction complete with video and an audio clip containing a great explanation of what Web 2.0 consists of and what this Web Challenge was going to entail.
Thing #2 called "Learning vs. Training" was an interesting tutorial explaining what a Lifelong Learner is. I never considered myself to be a Lifelong Learner, but according to this tutorial I am indeed one. As for what habits are, in my opinion, easiest and hardest out of the 7 and a 1/2 Habits for me is:
Easiest - #6) Use technology to your advantage.
I consider myself to be a very tech saavy person and I'm always keeping an eye out for the newest technology.
Hardest - #2) Accept responsibility for your own learning.
This is one of the hardest habits for me and I cannot say why except for the fact that I'm still a fairly young college student. I strongly believe that as time passes this habit will become more and more engrained into me in which, without me knowing, will become an easier and easier habit.
I look foward to the next few weeks of challenges and hope to expand my knowledge in the process.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)