Thing 23

Wow. I finally finished! I must say, although it took me a lot longer than I thought it would (probably cause I was having such fun playing with some of the new tools I discovered), I loved every minute of this program.

Much of what I am supposed to blog about in this final Thing, I covered in Thing 22. If it wasn't for 23 Things on a Stick, I would not have the knowledge relating to some of these web 2.0 tools. I thought I knew and understood Web 2.0 and Library 2.0. In reality... I had no idea what was out there! Yeah sure, I had already been blogging, I used Google Docs and shared documents with friends online, had a You Tube account, and played a few online games. But I now have a better understanding of the whole web 2.0 concept and the idea of having the ability to communicate, respond, manipulate and provide content all in regards to sharing information. The web is now a two-way street instead of a one way.

I now have a better understanding of RSS Feeds and Feed readers. I would have never opened a Facebook account and I now have found (or was found) and communicated with old friends and colleagues. I didn't know it was so easy to create my own podcasts and have people actually subscribe to them via their feed readers! I was introduced to cool social networks like Library Thing and Ning. These tools I will no doubt use in my personal life, and I hope to use them in my professional life as well.

I am really looking forward to the next 23 Things. I am anxious to see what else is out there. I am learning so much. I am sure this new knowledge will make me a better Librarian. Thanks.

Oh, and 23 Things provided an opportunity for Library Guy and his cat Grace to bond...

Thing 22

Keeping current with Web 2.0 is gonna be tough, but after working on the Things, I have been given hope. I currently author and keep current four different blogs, connect and communicate with past and current school friends and co-workers using my Facebook account, and subscribe to several feeds and podcasts using my Bloglines aggregator. Using these tools daily will help me keep up as I see and hear about new communication and information gadgets available. As instructed in this Thing, I chose to subscribe to the Feed from the 'Tame the Web' blog. I always learn something new and interesting relating to Web 2.0 sites and applications from this blog. I also am a Google nut, as I am constantly exploring their Google Labs section to see what their latest 'invention' is.

Checking my new tools (blogs, RSS aggregator, social network accounts) is a daily routine for me now - just like checking my email. I am so looking forward to the next 23 Things next year. Programs like these are instrumental in learning these new applications. Sure, one can read about these tools, but to really learn them, you must have hands-on experience.

Grace enjoys when I experiment with web 2.0 sites as well and hopes I keep up with them. It provides her with an opportunity to attempt to lay on the warm keyboard.

Thing 21

I really enjoyed this Thing. I think this social networking business is starting to click with me. It really isn't just for teens and their friends. What a great tool for connecting people who have a shared interest and also providing an avenue for information sharing.

Before working on this Thing, I had heard of Web Junction but never really took the time to explore its contents. This is the first I had heard of Gather and Ning. I really enjoy Ning and like the available customization that can be done. I not only joined the '23 Things on a Stick' group on Ning, but the Ramsey County Librarians working on 23 Things' as well.

I embedded the 23 Things Ning Badge on my blog, but it seems to be 'cut-off' for some reason. I guess I will have to work on fixing that.

I can't wait to create a Ning group for my dart team. They are gonna love it!

Grace would love to create a social network group using Ning relating to Sylvester the cat, but she can't read or type. But if she did create one, I bet John B. would join.

Thing 20

Well, I did it. I can hardly believe I now have a Facebook profile. I was super creeped out when I initially registered as I saw profiles of people I graduated with. I was also kinda worried that I would have no friends..... But thanks to Runner Girl (who put the word out), I now have like 16. It is growing on me a little and I can see how people can get addicted to it. I just think it will be a passing phase for me. I added a few applications (my family and pandora - super cool), and joined the Chuck Norris Jokes group for fun. Didn't he campaign for Mike Huckabee? Was that a joke????

I don't think I'm going to allow Grace to have a profile on facebook. I don't think I could trust the alley cats she might acquire as friends.

Thing 19

I really had not listened to many podcasts in the past, but I certainly can see the appeal. As I compose this Thing, I am still upset about the disappointing Vikings loss to the Packers last night on Monday Night Football. So, I am linking to a podcast I found of a radio interview with Vikings Corner Back Antoine Winfield discussing the heartbreaking loss on KFAN radio. I also subscribed to this feed from The Power Trip morning show so I will now get all the future podcasts of heartbreaking Vikings losses in my Bloglines account. Cool.

Not only did I search for podcasts using a variety of directories, link to a specific podcast, and subscribe to a regular Feed, I created my very first podcast using Gcast as well:

Subscribe Free
Add to my Page

Thing 18

I am quite familiar with Youtube and have a couple of accounts. Not only do I frequently search Youtube for videos, I have posted videos as well (Good luck finding the one of me playing my guitar and singing...).

I often use videos from You Tube to help teach my Internet classes. I really enjoy the video series 'In Plain English" produced by Commoncraft. They have many videos relating to web 2.0 and they are easy to understand. I show their video 'Blogs in Plain English' in my Blogging workshop. I think libraries could use online video in a variety of ways (promoting programs, online library tours, poetry reading, and bibliographic instruction).

The following video is quite nostalgic for me. I used to get so excited as a tot watching Saturday morning cartoons (in my pajamas eating my Honeycombs) when this one would come on sometime between Super Friends and Spiderman and his Amazing Friends...


Grace does not care much for online video or You Tube. I have tried recording her doing cute things so that I can post them, but she never seems to want to perform when the camera is on. Kinda like that singing frog from the Bugs Bunny cartoons...

Thing 17

Well, I registered for an account in EBSCO and created a web page using Page Composer. It is kinda cool, but not quite sure what the point is. I was able to email my page to myself and then view it, but after I saved it to my computer, all I got was a blank white page when trying to view it. I can, however, view the page after I go back into My EBSCO page. Hmmmm. I will keep experimenting. Some of the features that you can add to your site are cool, though. I uploaded a photo and added a search box to the page that will search articles in the MasterFILE Premier database. I am going to try the RSS Feeds next....

I must say, I am having a bit of trouble. I tried subscribing with an RSS Feed from MasterFILE so articles containing my keywords would appear in my Bloglines aggregator, but it does not seem to be working. I notice that others have been reporting problems as well. Perhaps I will try again later. The News Alert function is excellent for anyone researching a topic using the EBSCO databases.

Grace could care less about Thing 17.

Thing 16

...is finally done. These two 2.0 tools are pretty cool for students. I love the idea of an online step by step guide for research projects. I am a very structured person and often set goals (in outline form) for work projects. This is really right up my alley. I also like the email reminders for the different steps. Cool idea! I will certainly show these resources to students who might be struggling with research papers or who are having trouble organizing their projects. I also think we should link to them from the library's website.

Grace is sleeping in a sun beam. I am sure she is tuckered after throwing up on the white rug.

Thing 15

Well, I am still kinda working on this one. I think I am gonna move on to the next Thing and come back to the online gaming stuff when I have more time. It really does not interest me, but it is something I deal with every day as we have patrons of all ages busy playing online games on our public computers. I often think librarians are a little tough on gamers as they think they are wasting our resources. I am coming around as these games are just as important to them as somebody shopping on eBay, checking their email, or reading the latest political blog. Playing online games is a way for some of our user's to socialize. Personally, I don't get it, but why should I judge what is important to someone and how a patron uses our public resources?

As far as Grace is concerned, she does not play online games as she does not have thumbs. She does, however, like to lay on the laptop while I play Donkey Kong.

While you wait for my latest entry, please enjoy looking at a scanned image from my closet...

Or, play one of my favorite video games from back in the day (hint: click mario to start, then use arrow keys to move and spacebar to jump). Now this is an online game....

****Actually, I had to take the widget down as the game would be constantly playing. (Sorry, Jeff, I know you enjoyed playing). But please enjoy a screen shot of the best games ever!****

Thing 14

Well, this is pretty cool! Super cool! A social networking site for bookworms! I went ahead and registered (for yet another online account) and quickly added 5 titles to my library (see LibraryThing under links). I don't see myself using this source much personally (who has the time?). But it is a resource and fun site I will recommend to book lovers. I also plan to showcase it in a future Internet class. Stay tuned for that!

Grace does not know how to read as far as I know and she would have no reason to visit LibraryThing.

Thing 13

Well, I spent quite a lot of time exploring online productivity tools. I created a couple of summer to-do lists using Ta-da. The links are as follows:

My Ta-da List

Grace's Ta-da List

I also personalized my Google Homepage on my laptop at home to display a variety of personal stuff like the weather. I seem to be obsessed with the weather as of late. I guess I really am not gonna spend much time blogging about this Thing cause I am anxious to move on to Thing 14 (I have been stuck on Thing 13 for over 2 months!).

Thing 12

I found these social media sites very interesting as I consider myself a news junkie. I check many different news sites several times a day (usually Google News). I guess I had never noticed the 'share' or 'article tools' on news sites before. I just read a story online form the Star Tribune and noticed tool buttons for Digg, Reddit, and Del.icio.us.

I love the idea of readers deciding what is important instead of the editors. I spent some time messing with both Reddit and Digg. I kinda like my news a little more organized (like the way a newspaper is layed out - why I like Google News). I do like the way Digg organizes by categories using tabs at the top of their homepage. I also read some stories from the New York Times site and recommended a couple to Mixx and Digg. Cool stuff!

Thing 11

Well, I have explored del.icio.us and think it is kind of a neat resource. I am not sure if I will use it to organize my websites as I am so used to using my bookmarks on my browser. Perhaps, I will change as I become more familiar with it. I registered for an account but had trouble downloading the buttons to my toolbar. I am quite sure it is related to our staff computers being so locked down. If that is the case, I don't really see having an opportunity to use it at my library. I will try adding the buttons on my home computer. Whether or not I will use it (as I am a such a creature of habit), time will tell. I do like the idea of being able to see other sites using the same tags. I think it could be very beneficial when researching using websites. I enjoyed the podcast on del.icio.us. It was very informative and easy to understand. I also used tags in my previous post.

Grace really does not care about tagging and bookmarking websites. But she does enjoy playing tag with her brother Andy.

Thing 10

This is my first real experience using wikis. I am quite comfortable using blogs but wikis are a little different as I like the idea of multiple users being able to edit content. I really enjoyed the Common Craft video on wikis. Their You Tube presentations are always clear, concise, and very easy to understand. I plan on showing their presentation on blogs in a blogging workshop I am offering this summer.

We started a reference wiki at the library where I work and I think it is a wonderful way of sharing information and providing a forum to contribute content. However, it is not really being used much yet as many of the staff are not aware that it even exists (I suppose it is also still in Beta). Perhaps the staff will have a better understanding of how wikis work after learning about them from 23 Things.

I edited the 23 Things on a Stick wiki. Or should I say Grace made an appearance... I accidentally deleted the entire wiki after posting a picture of the princess. At first I panicked, but then realized I was able to go back and delete previous changes in the wiki. Cool. Then I properly edited the page.

I decided to create my own wiki using pbwiki (see Library Guy's Wiki). I must say that it isn't quite as intuitive as Blogger, but I am still learning and experimenting. It was easy to register and create a wiki (as easy as making a peanut butter sandwich), but I am struggling with formatting the wiki. I know you can upload photos and files (as I did it on the 23 Things wiki) but I am having a little trouble doing that. Give me some time...

As far as Wikipedia is concerned, I love the idea of it and use it all the time. I am sure to double check my sources but the idea of radical trust, I embrace. Remember that everything you read in a book may not be accurate either. Anyone can write a book too.

Thing 9

I must admit that I am partial to Google Docs as I use it all of the time. Members of my dart team (you heard me) often use it when we collaborate and create and update our team schedule. It is easily accessed from our private blog (yeah, that's right...our private dart blog). It is quite intuitive and was easily learned by my teammates. I played around with Zoho Writes a bit and it seemed fine too. However, I was so irritated with how clunky Zoho Show was, I think I would recommend Google Docs.

Thing 8

I understand many of our staff computers are unable to display my photo cube that I created from Picture Trail. Such a shame as so many may not get to see a photo presentation of perhaps the greatest drama ever on television (or at least that is the opinion of a certain male librarian and his pal, Grace).

I whipped up a quick slide presentation in Zoho Show, but I had trouble embedding it into my blog. It embedded fine, but after it was posted I got error messages whenever I clicked on any links on my blog. Weird. So, I am just providing you all a link to Library Guy and his cat Grace's favorite snack (I borrowed the idea of presenting a recipe from my pal Runner girl). I think Zoho Show was a little clunky but offered more tools than Thumbstacks.

I think these photo sharing tools like Photo Trail provide a neat way to spruce up photo presentations. I can see a real value to the Slide presentation tools (Zoho Show) as a way of allowing multiple people view your presentation on the Web. Not only can you allow anyone with access to the Web view your presentation, but you can allow them to edit your presentation as well. This would save time if multiple people were working on the same presentation.

Thing 7

Communication Tools

• Email - At my library, we currently communicate using Email among staff and we also have an "Ask a Librarian" Email feature on our public website. I would say staff Email is our system's primary way of communicating. It can, however, be very frustrating as our filtering system is turned off and staff get lots of spam. Our "Ask a Librarian" feature on our website keeps us busy as we get several reference questions during the day via Email. Our library system also offers "Intro to Email" and "Managing Your Yahoo! Email" classes for the public that are extremely popular. I am the coordinator and instructor of these classes and I am continually amazed at how many people don't have an email account. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a student come into the library to check their mail after they have attended one of these classes.

• Instant Messaging - We have had IM for staff about a year now. I must admit that when we first activated it, I thought we would never use it (only perhaps abuse it). Boy was I wrong. It is so slick IMing colleagues at other branches to ask quick questions or to have them pull materials for patrons. No longer do we need to physically call another branch (and stumble through the phone menu) to track down a fellow staffer. We really use it all the time. Even if a staff person gets a call, we can quickly IM them to tell them they have a call on a certain line, no longer needing to announce it over the loud speaker for the world to hear. Don't get me wrong, a quick personal IM to a friend and colleague to brighten their day is always nice too. We have yet to roll out IM reference for the public, but it is on the horizon. I must admit, I am not a fast typer and prefer face-to-face reference interactions, but I think it is a necessity as it is a way so many of our younger users communicate. For this Thing activity, I have activated Google Chat and often IM with fellow 23 thingers Half-stepper and Runner Girl.


• Text Messaging - When I first signed my cell phone contract with Verizon, I was offered unlimited text messaging for $5 a month. I remember laughing and quickly declining thinking I would never use my phone to text message. Surely I would never text more than the free plan allowed (5 free per month - 5 cents each additional). I think I may have to re-think my plan... Talk about addicting! I never thought in a million years I would text message with friends and family with my phone. I was wrong again. I frequently have to pay extra on my Verizon bill for my text messages. It can get expensive, particularly when you incorporate photos with your text.

• Web Conferencing - I have participated in a couple Minitex Webinars and they were pretty slick. I remember I had an issue with sound on my desktop but I was able to hook up a pair of speakers. I really think that our profession will use webinars and web conferencing more and more for educational purposes. Now, if we can just get all our equipment to cooperate to allow for this new technology...

Grace prefers to communicate by meowing and wagging and thumping her tail.

Thing 6

I can see why the online image generators might be addicting. As you can see, I created a playing card using Big Huge Labs and a license plate and button using Image Chef. Grace and I are huge Battlestar Galactica fans and we just couldn't resist...
I think libraries could use online image generators in a variety of creative ways. Buttons and bookmarks are the obvious to promote programs and favorite reads. I love the trading card idea for staff. Who wouldn't want a Bill Michel trading card? Kudos to Carleton college. I love the idea of librarian trading cards and would be the first to put them in card protector sleeves. You have to remember, I do like Battlestar Galactica...

Thing 5

Well, this thing was kinda fun. I tried a couple of mash-ups using photos from my Flickr account. I can see how these tools could be fun while designing webpages and displaying your photos online. I think sharing photos online is a great way for family and friends to keep in touch. I could also see libraries using these tools to share photos of library events and programs.

Grace likes to bat and play with puzzle pieces. She also likes to chew on them. Grace is not much help when putting together a puzzle.

Thing 4

I set up a Flickr account and I must say that I am not too impressed. Perhaps it is because I am used to Google's Picasa. I find it easier to organize photos into web albums using Picasa . I kept getting errors uploading to Flickr. Also, I discovered that free account holders are limited to only three sets (or albums). I think there is no limit in Picasa (although I may be wrong). I really don't share many photos online but I can see how useful these resources could be. I usually just attach photos to emails if i want to share them with anyone. Perhaps in the future If i want to share many photos, i could just send them all a link to my Flickr page!

My library photo for Thing 4 is a shot of me helping a student in one of my Internet classes. If anyone is interested in the classes, I have a link to the class schedule (I made the page using Google's Page Creator) under 'Special Links' on my blog.

Grace prefers to sleep in her basket by the vent instead of teaching Internet classes or creating web pages.

Thing 3

I had heard so much about RSS feeds and had a pretty good understanding as to what they were, but never took the time to create an account with either Bloglines or Google Reader. Well, this afternoon I created an account with both. At first I naturally was going to register for a Google Reader (as I am a Google nut), but I thought I would give Bloglines a try too. I'm glad I did. It seems much cleaner to me and easier to use. Jury is still out though, as I have only had them both for a day. Perhaps my opinion will change. Speaking of my new readers, I think I will pay them a visit and enjoy my word of the day and check CNN's latest feeds.

Grace doesn't seem to really have an opinion on RSS feeds. She pretty much only cares about the feed I put in her dish.

Thing 2

Well, I just finished watching the video by Stephen Abram and I can't help but get excited for this program. He has a way of firing me up for some reason ( guess it really doesn't take much). I had the opportunity to see him speak on Web 2.0 at the University of Minnesota a year or so ago. After hearing him, I decided to try some of these new web 2.0 technologies. I created my first blog, set up a MySpace Account, and eventually purchased a webcam and posted on YouTube.

I totally agree with him when he talks about us being experienced based learners. Cause that is the only way (in my opinion) to learn this stuff. And Understand this stuff. He talks about time constraints... Well, like he said... a few minutes is all it would take to learn some of these concepts. This is part of our profession. We Promote lifelong learning! It is our duty as librarians and professionals to find the time to learn new technologies. Haven't librarians always done this? In my opinion, this program should have been mandatory for all librarians in the system I work for. Period. What a great opportunity... Sorry. I don't mean to be harsh. I guess I feel strongly about our profession continuing education and have little sympathy for those who say they have no time to learn.

Oh by the way, my cat Grace agrees with everything I just blogged.

Thing 1

Hello fellow librarians! Well, my Blog is up - complete with an avatar of myself and my cat Grace. Grace and I are anxious to get started learning about various Web 2.0 tools and how we can incorporate them into our libraries. Best of luck everyone and Godspeed...