A person could waste a lot of time messing around with this stuff!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Week Five
Okay, I think I have once again missed the point. Flickr obviously has huge potential for family and friends to share photos and depending on your willingness to share your personal photos with the world, Flickr also has networking potential. But I do not see a direct connection to improving library service. I agree that photos and video of library programs posted to the library websites would enhance our connection to community and serve to promote programming. With that said, if Flickr can help to format photos used on public websites, blogs, myspace etc. than I suppose it could be useful for libraries.
Photos I found on Flickr *... http://www.flickr.com/photos/tropicaliving/2282891165 (there is an image in Precious Bane by Mary Webb of dragonflies emerging from the water, "most wonderful")
http://www.flickr.com/photos/atomicbartbeans/2282372369/ (too bad the weather did not cooperate on February 20th; no total lunar ecplise again until 2010)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pancier/2186928379/ ("there are more things in heaven and earth...than are dreamt of in your philosophy")
*note: In order to sign up for Flickr you have to have a Yahoo ID. Yet another account, no thank you!
Photos I found on Flickr *... http://www.flickr.com/photos/tropicaliving/2282891165 (there is an image in Precious Bane by Mary Webb of dragonflies emerging from the water, "most wonderful")
http://www.flickr.com/photos/atomicbartbeans/2282372369/ (too bad the weather did not cooperate on February 20th; no total lunar ecplise again until 2010)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pancier/2186928379/ ("there are more things in heaven and earth...than are dreamt of in your philosophy")
*note: In order to sign up for Flickr you have to have a Yahoo ID. Yet another account, no thank you!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Week Four
I like the idea of tags. It seems (to me) an extension of what libraries are all ready doing. But instead of using subject headings only familiar to other librarians (maybe), we could incorporate common language tags to categorize resources. What a novel idea. Instead of using services like del.icio.us, could creative library technology gurus incorporate the concept into our catalogs? Maybe this has all ready been done, and I am once again in la la land (a place I highly recommend...). Anyway, this could revolutionize library catalogs making information searching less mysterious and more user friendly.
As for Technorati and blog tagging - I have no idea. I admit I see no direct relevance to libraries. What am I missing?
As for Technorati and blog tagging - I have no idea. I admit I see no direct relevance to libraries. What am I missing?
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Week Three
Beware – random synapse firings with no [obvious] direction…
On Frontline the other night there was an article called “Growing up Online”. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/ People spend so much time online, in this alternate universe that their reality is distorted. I think an interesting phenomenon is that we are loosing the ability to communicate face-to-face. The article did not believe that although prevalent, predators are the only issue when confronted with the amount of time youth spend on the Internet. It indicated that for the most part, teens are savvy to predators. Youth not only have to worry about school yard bullies but cyber bullies. I think an interesting point is that the internet has become the place to explore identity. Parents should possibly be more concerned with the freedom the Internet has given youth and adults to express themselves in anyway imaginable.
I am going to deviate from my normal banter for a moment and admit that I was intrigued by what David Lee King had to say last November and after reading his blog about MySpace, I think there is great untapped potential here. I especially liked how some libraries were “friends” with teen authors. What a great way to not only introduce teens to the myriad of current authors, but to involve them in discussion. And I am sure authors would jump at the chance for free advertisement and exposure! With that said I move into more familiar ground and confess it is not for me. I am extremely hesitant to join this world. I value my privacy. I am a comfortable introvert with no desire to publicly express myself (at least in this format). Nor am I interested in acquiring new “friends” (in cyberspace that is…). As for libraries and Myspace – why not... Perhaps we can help youth channel their exploration of self or at least aid the process. I only wonder if teens want this “adult” presence in their space.
Has the City Library considered the virtual world? Perhaps this will be discussed later in the tutorial, but exploring Myspace made me think of an article I read last year on super librarians in a parallel universe, the realm of second life. Check out this article:
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6403251.html
On Frontline the other night there was an article called “Growing up Online”. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/ People spend so much time online, in this alternate universe that their reality is distorted. I think an interesting phenomenon is that we are loosing the ability to communicate face-to-face. The article did not believe that although prevalent, predators are the only issue when confronted with the amount of time youth spend on the Internet. It indicated that for the most part, teens are savvy to predators. Youth not only have to worry about school yard bullies but cyber bullies. I think an interesting point is that the internet has become the place to explore identity. Parents should possibly be more concerned with the freedom the Internet has given youth and adults to express themselves in anyway imaginable.
I am going to deviate from my normal banter for a moment and admit that I was intrigued by what David Lee King had to say last November and after reading his blog about MySpace, I think there is great untapped potential here. I especially liked how some libraries were “friends” with teen authors. What a great way to not only introduce teens to the myriad of current authors, but to involve them in discussion. And I am sure authors would jump at the chance for free advertisement and exposure! With that said I move into more familiar ground and confess it is not for me. I am extremely hesitant to join this world. I value my privacy. I am a comfortable introvert with no desire to publicly express myself (at least in this format). Nor am I interested in acquiring new “friends” (in cyberspace that is…). As for libraries and Myspace – why not... Perhaps we can help youth channel their exploration of self or at least aid the process. I only wonder if teens want this “adult” presence in their space.
Has the City Library considered the virtual world? Perhaps this will be discussed later in the tutorial, but exploring Myspace made me think of an article I read last year on super librarians in a parallel universe, the realm of second life. Check out this article:
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6403251.html
Monday, February 11, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
Week Two
Week Two: Okay, so I have browsed through the suggested wikis this past week and I have to admit I am a fence sitter. There are technology demons sitting on both my shoulders, whispering in my ears. What fun. This is what my demons are whispering. Of course, they often speak at once, which makes it hard to hear… Pathfinders can be useful, especially if they are constantly updated, but I am a visual person and find pathfinders lackluster at best. It would be interesting to log how heavily pathfinders are used. What methods do Internet users take to find the information they are seeking? Do they make the effort to find a pathfinder or do they just get on Google and go?
Like many before me, the Book Lovers wiki intrigued me. I know I have come across children’s book wikis, but I could not find them again as I browsed this past week. So, although I think in theory the idea of consolidating communication and information through a wiki makes sense, in practice there are so many wikis, blogs etc. out there, how is this consolidating information? On the other shoulder, what is one more? I will use/contribute to the ones I know and ignore the rest.
I do like the idea of a collaborative website, however with any collaborative endeavor you run the risk of questionable credibility and authority. I like Wikipedia, I am familiar with it. And I have not yet found information I questioned on the site, but I know that in the past even Wikipedia has struggled with this issue. A “book lovers” format would probably not require the same level of credibility as a medical site so our risk may be low. For know the demons are quiet (thank goodness), but as I continue to process this information, I remain undecided.
Disclaimer: I do not usually hear voices, only when technology is involved. I do however believe in faeries, gobleygooks, goblins, purple dinosaurs, and tomtens.
Like many before me, the Book Lovers wiki intrigued me. I know I have come across children’s book wikis, but I could not find them again as I browsed this past week. So, although I think in theory the idea of consolidating communication and information through a wiki makes sense, in practice there are so many wikis, blogs etc. out there, how is this consolidating information? On the other shoulder, what is one more? I will use/contribute to the ones I know and ignore the rest.
I do like the idea of a collaborative website, however with any collaborative endeavor you run the risk of questionable credibility and authority. I like Wikipedia, I am familiar with it. And I have not yet found information I questioned on the site, but I know that in the past even Wikipedia has struggled with this issue. A “book lovers” format would probably not require the same level of credibility as a medical site so our risk may be low. For know the demons are quiet (thank goodness), but as I continue to process this information, I remain undecided.
Disclaimer: I do not usually hear voices, only when technology is involved. I do however believe in faeries, gobleygooks, goblins, purple dinosaurs, and tomtens.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Week One
Setting up a free email account and blog was a relatively pain-free experience (at least physically). However, why do I feel like I have signed my soul to some technology demon? I have to admit, I am a backward thinker. I am fine using the Internet to find information, however I am still very anxious about posting my personal information out there for anyone and everyone to see. I have not yet fully embraced technology. I agree that some technology enhances our lives, but I am not convinced all technology is good. For example, 80% of the world’s supply of coltan, a mineral used in cell phones and computer chips, comes from the Congo where some 5.4 million people have died from war-related causes and 45,000 continue to die every month from conflict. (http://www.democracynow.org/2008/1/23/corporations_reaping_millions_as_congo_suffers ) Obviously, technology has not enhanced everyone’s life, only those affluent enough to keep up with the newest, latest technology. I am not going to change the world, but I am not going to be buying a cell phone anytime soon either…
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