Thing 5: Oh, FLICKR!

It's all fun and games until you start seeing double!

First of all, I am delighted to be using a tool that I am somewhat familiar with. NO, I have NOT used Flickr before. However, I'm savvy with some of these other programs that allow you to upload, title, tag, and describe your photos, and this tool actually lets you expand out into other programs like your blog! I am SO excited about this!

As far as using it in the library, I can really see using this for one of my teen programs, and I am SO excited about that! It may not happen this year, pending funds, but I would like to borrow an idea used at SJCPLS's Hastings branch in which teens took disposable cameras out, took pictures of their community, and the photos were then selected and uploaded to a Flickr account.

I intend on using Flickr for my own personal reasons as well. I like the idea of having a "safe" place to store photos that easily accesible to you so long as you have Internet access. I don't think that the internet is disaster-proof; however, it's great to know that you can leave your hometown and show your pictures to anyone anywhere in the world. I have logged in as a guest to Photobucket, and I really haven't explored all of these options. I DO appreciate how Flickr alllows its user to connect their accounts to their blogs and other such features; I can't do that via social networking sites.

Ah, the concern about going public. How can bad can it be? I went public (after studying to be a MEDIA SPECIALIST, that is...hardy-har-har-har). In all honesty, with social networking on the rise, it is and it isn't really all that scary. On one hand, sure people can see me, people can find me. We're losing our sense of privacy. OK, got it. BUT, if you choose not to associate your name with your account...ta-daaaa...your trip down Anon. Avenue has begun. On the flip side, it's really cool to see pictures of your friends that you otherwise might not get to see. I ran in to my best friend from when I was in Kindergarten, and it is amazing to see how we have both changed over the years. Thanks to this brave new world, I have the opportunity to share what's going in my life with her through programs like Flickr. It's an excellent tool.

Add my feed to your RSS! http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladylyss/

New Blogger!

Hi all! Don't forget to follow "I'd Rather Be Kayaking"s blog! I know I need to explore some more and follow and be followed some more. Ifigured that this was agood starting point!

Thing 4: RSS and Newsreaders

Technology. Hmmmm. Wouldn't you know that I typed up a whole response and lost it sue to my Internet Service's speed. Progress in motion, what can I say!

So, I've made progress! I love RSS. And yes...it is REALLY simple. I like the fact that users have the option of subscribing right there on that page, or pasting the link to the appropriate box in the feeder. I selected Google Reader. Google. Again. I choose it because it was something I was familiar with, and sometimes the learning process calls for familiarity when an abundance of information is so new. I figure that I can always create a new account elsewhere if it supports a format better, but this will allow me to improve my skills as I continue to learn the skills thus far.

So far, I have been searching for RSS feeds based on my interests. Check out my World (as if you couldn't guess!):

1. Disney World Fans
(A Variety of DIS discussion boards)
2. UF Departments
a. Children's Literature
b. Arts
c. In the News
d. Inside
3. Stephenie Meyer
4. CNN (newsworthy)
5. SJCPLS, of course!

Our system has already incorporated a feed on the website. It's very beneficial. I think that it will assist in getting information out about programs, materials, and everything else we have to offer. I am curious as to how I can use it to communicate with the families that utilize my branch, but I'm a little overwhelmed, so I am continuing to explore and practice and learn before I can fully realize how this will benefit my contribution to the team.

HE SAID "LIBRARIES"!!!

OK, so I'm not trying to hit up the political parties. I am a librarian. And the President of the United States said it. He used the "L" word. That's right! That son-of-a-gun said LIBRARIES!!! WOOHOO! FREE PUBLICITY, folks. I am including the statement and the links to the ALA blog here, and I will apply my new RSS skills to include a feed as well. So here it is!:

You probably heard it for yourself, but last night President Barack Obama did it again. He said “libraries.” At his first prime-time press conference since taking office, he addressed a nervous nation about unemployment, emphasizing that “the single most important part of this Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Plan is the fact that it will save or create up to 4 million jobs, because that’s what America needs most right now.”

More than 90% of the jobs created in the plan will be in the private sector, he said, and “they’re not going to be make-work jobs but jobs doing the work that America desperately needs done, jobs rebuilding our crumbling bridges, repairing our dangerously deficient dams and levees, so that we don’t face another Katrina.” And then he added, “They’ll be jobs creating the 21st-century classrooms, libraries, and labs for millions of children across America.”

Read more about it at the today's American Libraries blog!

Don't forget to check out the first time (12.03.2008) he used that "nasty" word! =-)

Thing 4: RSS and Newsreaders

What do I like about RSS and newsreaders? WOW! What do I NOT like about them? This is really neat! I have always seen the little orange box with the little sound waves coming out of the lower left corner, but to FINALLY be able to particiapte is something else. In addition to adding my library's feed, I was able to include one of my faorite things in the world...MY world...Disney world! OK, so it's fan based, but it's actually really interesting to follow other people''s vacations and plan for my own based on what these folks suggest. I also like following professional sites that allow me to pick up on ideas.

As far as the easiest tool is concerned, I'd have to say that it was my very own interest. Can I say that? I read some of my coworkers, and sother coworkers made suggestions, knowing ull well r f

What do you like about RSS and newsreaders?
How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your library or personal life?
How can librarian staff or media specialists use RSS or take advantage of this technology?
Which tool for finding feeds was easiest to use?
What other tools or ways did you find to locate newsfeeds?
Find any great sources we should all add to our feed reader?

Thing 3

This is an excellent exercise in which I look forward to discussing with those of you who are already accomplished in this skill set. I think I'll need to spend some more time using this feature to get more comfortable with it. This said, the first thing I noticed about Technorati is that you could register your blog with the company, and it could be PINGed, thus making it moreaccessible on the web. Important seeing as the numbers of blogs we are seeing on a daily basis are so large.

For the exercise, I started with Sphere and found that the format was not compatible with my learning style. Its design was not aesthetically pleasing for me to conduct the required searches. Shamefully, I moved on to the Google Websearch. In my experience, it seem as though Google, yet again, has the upperhand here. The relevance of the results were more precise with regards to what I wanted, and there were more with regards to the quantity. Google provides an Advanced Search option (including word phrasing and limitations, searching for words within a blog title, the author of a blog, dates, languages, and even "safe searching.") Users can also set their own personal preferences. Technorati offers an advanced search that includes the word phrasing options, but the results were not as pertinient as those yielded in my Google searching.

So, Google has the upperhand. This said, I think that Technorati is an extremely advanced tool that is quickly coming up to Google standards.

Thing 2

I find it strangely ironic that the issue of finding the time is addressed in the first prompt, and here I am, FINALLY completing the second task! The neat thing is that my answer ties right in to the 2.0 factor. As a Library student, many of the classes were facilitated online using a tool called "BlackBoard." This tool enabled a thread of discussion following the professor's prompts, and students could even reply to observations and learnings that other students had posted. The professor set deadlines, and we have our deadlines here for 23 Things. In both scenarios, we have to pace ourselves and set our own personal time goals so as to complete the assignments on time. I know everyone is busy at work, but this will have to be a homework assignment for me, much like my schoolwork was. I feel like I can give it my full attention this way. I attend to do a little catch up over the next couple of days, and then I intend on doing one assignment every night until this is complete. Of course, practicing what I have learned will continue throughout the lesson as well as my career.

In Stephen Abram's "Kick Off", he mentions platforms such as Facebook, Myspace, and Meebo. At the beginning, he also compares IM and e-mails. I have gained a certain amount of experience using these, and the various tools that they offer have piqued my interest. 23 Things will be a guide in continuing to expand my knowledge and learn about this. I think I can also benefit from learning from my co-workers, and I am glad that they are there so that I can discuss my progress and ask for help if necessary.

The Internet has been an integral part of my life since I began BA work at the University of Florida. Communication via e-mail and instant messenger is (and was vital). Class registration took place online. As I entered my graduate program, classes could take palce online. And now, I rely on the Internet to find answers for patrons, to communicate with co-works and other associates, and to participate in leisure activities.

With my strong foundation and experience with Web 2.0, I look forward to learning and utlizing new toold such as rss feeds and other emerging tools that I have not yet used. As I continue to acquire new skills, I think it will benefit my career in that I can incoporate the tools to keep my patrons interested and informed about our services.