Flickr Mash-ups & Gravy

So, I explored some of these mash-up and 3rd party sites. They have a lot fun things! I like the Mappr - but I couldn't figure out how to use it personally. I especially liked the Retievr. I love how you can do a quick doodle and find a picture that has those similar colors.

Too bad I couldn't get my own images on the search - but I guess that is yet to come. These features are interesting because anyone can make a cool calendar or map of their pictures. With digital cameras in every home - it's easy and fun to do these features. Also, this can come in handy with library-related activities. Marketing made easy!

Here is a dandy trading card:

The Pioneers

The pioneers, originally uploaded by ejhopester.

Our fun visit to the Ogden Children's Museum for our staff meeting. Talk about fun! We got a free tour - but played like we were kids. I recommend it!

Check out my other pictures! (Click on the picture for the link)

Geisha - the taste of traditional Japan on Flickr

IMG_3942, originally uploaded by perkunas.

This image just caught my eye. I think this Geisha is so beautiful. I love the lighting and the bright colors and especially the movement. Amazing.

Hopefully I'll get to travel to Japan someday!

No Cookies in the Library - Classic Sesame Street

"me get feeling you only have books "

Thingamabrarian

I already have been a happy patron of Library Thing, since last month, and have uploaded 200 books into my "bookshelf". I'm still debating whether or not to pay for a membership so I can upload the rest of my collection. Anyway - I think this is a great resource. I like how it shows the Library of Congress call number. I like how you can change the book covers. I like how you can tag the books, and I need to start doing it.

I like what Cade Metz said in his review about Libary Thing, "Yes, LibraryThing has much the same appeal as Gen Y sites like MySpace and FaceBook. In letting you post your book collection for all the world to see, it's a means of connecting with other people—and a way of feeding your vanity. If you're not into books, you may not see it that way, but trust me, book lovers are very vain when it comes to their books." Here here!

I'm anxious to utilize the neat features of this website - thanks for giving me an excuse!

Claiming blogs with Technorati

I was excited about Technorati, and instantly went to claim my blogs. My other blog (newlibrarycard.blogspot.com) was already listed with an authority of 5 - whatever that means! I claimed this blog as well - hopefully it will get noticed and get some authority!

So, I finally got back to the task at hand and did some searching on Technorati. I did an exact phrase search for "Learning 2.0" and it came up with almost 4,000 blog posts. I did find an interesting blog (The Travelin' Librarian) that had a post about a similar Technology incentive program. I did a tag search and it only brought up about 1200 blogs. None of the blog postings looked intriguing. Lastly, I did the blog directory search and it only brought up a little more than 1,000 blogs. I saw an interesting blog post (Remote Access) from a teacher who noticed that his students are using Google docs to complete their assignments, and their sharing their work and getting ideas, etc. Social networking in the classroom - cool.

The most popular blogs, by authority, was the the blogs about electronic gadgets. The most popular, by fans, was the Boing Boing blog- and it looks intriguing. I'll have to spend some time later looking through it. The top searches were political: arab and obama. It looks like the top tags are also political, but after is "music". This is what we are talking about right now - politics, gadgets and music.

Library 2.0

Delicious Tagging

I haven't really had much experience with tagging, but I have seen tags on blogs or whatnot. So, I was eager to learn more about it. I again loved the "Plain English" explanation about social bookmarking. (http://www.commoncraft.com/bookmarking-plain-english) I love how you can collect your favorite sites and "tag" them with your own personal tags. and it keeps them organized. THEN you can access your bookmarks on any computer. AND, you can share your favorite bookmarks with others. That is really useful, innovative and just darn cool. I'm anxious to start one of these Del.icio.us accounts for myself.

I observed the library's Del.icio.us bookmarks, and looked up those who also bookmarks those sites. It was interesting what comments or notes they made about the sites - some elaborate describing sentences and some just had a few words to detail the site. Some were even in another language!

This tool would be really useful in the library setting, whether you were using one library account or sharing bookmarks through a social network. With the Internet being so extensive and varied, it's easier to have some valued sites at your fingertips to quickly access - and they are organized with those nifty tags to speed up the search. I bet it's important to keep consistent with the tag names. I'm anxious to start using this tagging feature!

The Mildly Attractive Guybrarian

Beautiful full color wall calendar of male graduate students in the Library and Information Science program at the University of South Carolina!

(http://www.heidihoerman.com/lissacalendar.html)

A different guybrarian each month! One for every taste!

My Spacing

So, I used to have a Myspace account - but was introduced to Facebook and liked it much better. Consequently, I discontinued my Myspace account...But, for this assignment I'll re-register.

(http://www.myspace.com/elizabeththebibliophile)

Unfortunately, Myspace isn't allowed in the Children's department. So, I had to do this assignment in the back - didn't want to be a hypocrite!

Anyway, I think this social networking is really fun and a fantastic idea for Library's to tap into that. We all know that is the site for all young adults and adults to visit. It's a creative resource to outreach to the young adults (not to children, as I just learned that Myspace doesn't allow users under the age of 14 - see Internet Safety - Internet 101).

I liked what David Lee King said in his article, "More Myspace Thinking":
But wait! Can’t a library be slightly devious, and register as a band? Heck - right now we’re registering as a teenager (ex - Denver Public Library is described as an 18 year old female). So why not register as a band? That way, you can download an audio file (I think up to 4 of them, actually). And what could those files be? How about:
*A compilation of 30-second samples of new music at the library?
*Your hip library podcast on upcoming teen books
*A regular what’s hot at the library podcast
*original music from local bands
*etc

What a great idea! Another cool thing I noticed was that on some of the actual Library Myspace accounts they had real authors as "Friends" - like Meg Cabot and Stephenie Meyer, etc. Good publicity for the authors! Pretty cool - as long as you stay safe!

Bio-Optic Organized Knowledge

Beyond Playaways!
Introducing the new Bio-Optic Organized Knowledge device, trade-named -- BOOK. BOOK is a revolutionary breakthrough in technology: no wires, no electric circuits, no batteries, nothing to be connected or switched on. It's so easy to use, even a child can operate it. Compact and portable, it can be used anywhere -- even sitting in an armchair by the fire -- yet it is powerful enough to hold as much information as a CD-ROM disc.

Here's how it works:

BOOK is constructed of sequentially numbered sheets of paper (recyclable), each capable of holding thousands of bits of information. The pages are locked together with a custom-fit device called a binder which keeps the sheets in their correct sequence. Opaque Paper Technology (OPT) allows manufacturers to use both sides of the sheet, doubling the information density and cutting costs. Experts are divided on the prospects for further increases in information density; for now, BOOKS with more information simply use more pages. Each sheet is scanned optically, registering information directly into your brain. A flick of the finger takes you to the next sheet. BOOK may be taken up at any time and used merely by opening it. BOOK never crashes or requires rebooting, though, like other devices, it can become damaged if coffee is spilled on it and it becomes unusable if dropped too many times on a hard surface.

The "browse" feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet, and move forward or backward as you wish. Many come with an "index" feature, which pin- points the exact location of any selected information for instant retrieval. An optional "BOOKmark" accessory allows you to open BOOK to the exact place you left it in a previous session -- even if the BOOK has been closed. BOOKmarks fit universal design standards; thus, a single BOOKmark can be used in BOOKs by various manufacturers. Conversely, numerous BOOK markers can be used in a single BOOK if the user wants to store numerous views at once. The number is limited only by the number of pages in the BOOK.

You can also make personal notes next to BOOK text entries with optional programming tools, Portable Erasable Nib Cryptic Intercommunication Language Styli (PENCILS). Portable, durable, and affordable, BOOK is being hailed as a precursor of a new entertainment wave.

BOOK's appeal seems so certain that thousands of content creators have committed to the platform and investors are reportedly flocking to invest. Look for a flood of new titles soon.

Wiki mania

I watched the little video called "Wiki's in Plain English" and it was really helpful. I never really understood what an actual "wiki" was - only that it was part of Wikipedia. I love the idea of a team contributing to a working document and helping it keep up to date. I guess you do have to control who has access to the wiki, so no just anyone can add stuff. Is that how Wikipedia is? Can anyone
add to the encyclopedia?

So, I also went to see a few library wiki and I really liked the Iowa Reader's Advisory IRead Wiki. Booklists get outdated so fast and it's great to keep those lists active. This tool is going to be a great advance in our services!

Three cheers for wiki's!