Week 8: #19 Web-based Apps: They're not just for desktops

WOW, I love Zoho! I can see that software will eventually disappear and everything will become web based. And what a great collaborative environment that will enable us to be.

I created a powerpoint slide show with Zoho Show, called "Simple Document" about Green Building, such as the photo at left. I didn't have any luck exporting the html, but I will keep trying.

Here's the url for Shade House Development, green builders in Houston: http://www.shadehousedev.com/photo_gallery.html.


Zoho Show:

Week 8: #18 Social Networking: Making friends in the comfort of your own home

Of course I loved Rate My Space - http://ratemyspace.hgtv.com/, as I am a fanatic of the TV version, HGTV. As one commentor wrote: If I could afford it, I'd build your house. Yes, I see lots of gorgeous places I'd like to live in.

Having just taken care of 2 different neighbors' cats for 5 days, I'm a little sick of pets, so I briefly glanced at the dogster/catster sites. I'm afraid pets are not for me. I did see a tennis blogger site: http://www.tennis-x.com/tennisblogs.php - now that's a great site for me.

Week 7: #17 Blog About Technology

I am having so much fun with iHCPL! This is an excellent learning tool. The best training ever. I have been looking around for different ways to survey my teens for ideas for next summer and have just created a survey and it's now live:

SUMMER PLANNING NEEDS YOUR INPUT! SHORT ONLINE SURVEY
We want your great ideas to help plan the 2008 Teen Summer Reading Program! All you have to do is take this short online survey! Thanks for your input. Survey: http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB22779ARM3WE.

I think the teens will have fun filling out this online survey, rather than me having them fill out itsy bitsy pieces of paper and putting them into a survey box in the Teen Room.

After looking at all those wonderful wikis, I'm hoping we/me can use a wiki for the 2008 YA SRP - online registration, create and add to the wiki, etc.

Week 7: #16 So what's in a wiki?

I created a login account on the iHCPL wiki. Then I added my iTeens blog to the "favorites". I enjoyed looking through the Discovery wikis and was so impressed by all the usages for wikis. I got some great ideas from the "Library Success: a best practices wiki", and would love to turn the YA SRP into a wiki experience for the teens and I.

Week 6: #15 On Library 2.0 & Web 2.0

Away from the "icebergs", by Rick Anderson: I couldn't agree with Anderson more! Look how far we've already come! All I have to do is to think back upon the time when I got my library degree in 1977 when there was no such thing as "technology", and compare it to today when you can't function in this world (at least the USA) without it. What is our professional future? I think it will be nearly 100% in cyber-space. Or, maybe we won't be needed anymore when we reach that point.

Into a new world of librarianship, by Michael Stephens. I had a hard time reading this blog, maybe it was the style. I think what the author stated is obvious - I think I'm getting sick of hearing the same rant - how librarianship needs to keep up technologically. OK. Then let's do it!

To more powerful ways to cooperate, by Chip Nilges. Forward thinking guy with some great ideas. I really liked the ideas of resource sharing network and virtual reference cooperative. His idea of having users contribute their expertise to the cooperative. Like wikis and blogs. I think that's where we're headed. Great idea about open WorldCat.

To a temporary place in time..., by Dr. Wendy Schultz. I'm not sure I agree with the author's placing such high importance, invinceability, on librarians. I don't think the patrons view us as any more important than sales people and travel agents, and look what happened to them! They are being replaced by the users ability to help themselves on the www. Will we librarians suffer the same fate?

Week 6: #14 Getting not-so-technical with Technorati

1. Advanced search:
a. Blog posts: 1,137 results
b. Tag search: 1,059 results
c. Blog directory: 824 results
2. I'm not quite sure what it is that I'm supposed to be looking for, but it sure seems that Technorati is the info source for anything and everything you ever wanted to know about. It's like a constant minute by minute influx of everything new - a self-refreshing all inclusive world info site.
3. I love all the tools and widgets and put a news widget on this site. What doesn't this site have?! I tried installing a tag cloud, but realized that I needed to install a Wordpress to do so.

Week 6: #13 Tagging makes the web 2.0 world go round

I looked at 3 bookmarks that were used frequently by others and found some interesting sites:

http://vi.sualize.us/: your bookmarks gone visual - bookmarking favorite pictures

http://www.ideashower.com/ideas/active/read-it-later/ This Firefox extension allows you to save pages of interest to read later. It eliminates cluttering of bookmarks with sites that are merely of a one-time interest.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/:Channel surf the internet with the StumbleUpon toolbar to find great sites, videos, photos and more based on your interests. StumbleUpon learns what you like and makes better recommendations.

When I looked at the sites and read many of the blogs a whole new world opened up to me! I am amazed at how many people add their 2 cents - what a great way to get feedback. I am very interested in green building and also found lots of useful info and blogs on that topic. I like the way you can add your own tags - whatever makes sense to you. I can see using this as a collaborative work environment.

Week 5: #12 The "Library" Elf will remind you!

I think the Library Elf is a great reminder, but since I already receive library reminders via email without ever having signed up till now, I'm wondering if it's redundant and I will receive 2 emails? I see that both the HCPL and NHMCCD library systems are already using Library Elf. So, I'm wondering if it's necessary for individual patrons to sign up as well? Seems like we wouldn't have to.

Week 5: #11 A Thing about Library Thing

I really enjoyed reading the Zeitgeist and seeing which authors were read. I can't believe that some people have 9,000+ titles in the library! They must spend all day on this blog adding titles. I'm too busy reading the books themselves.

Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present by Michael B. Oren

Week 5: #10 Play around with Image Generators

I created an RSS feed blog button maker, however the site I created a feed button for does not yet have the capacility. I emailed them and it will happen later this fall.