Summary

Hi

I enjoyed the 23 things experience but I also felt there was too much new information to digest in too short a period of time. There also wasn't a lot of technical support available, even though this was made clear from the get-go.

I especially liked the wikis I saw, particularly for ALA conference newbies, as well as Library Thing which I now use as a Readers Advisory tool.

I was surprised by how much there is out there going on which I was unaware of, and pleased to now have been made aware of them!

Cheers,
Dina

Downloadable Books

Hi,

This post is about downloadable books. I went to Project Gutenberg and downloaded a book by Sara Teasdale, if memory serves me correctly. She was a poet and I especially liked the lines as follows:

"What do I care, in the dreams and the languor of spring,
That my songs do not show me at all?
For they are a fragrance, and I am a flint and a fire,
I am an answer, they are only a call."

Anyway, it took me a little while to figure out how to access the book, but once I did I was okay.

Podcasting

Hi.

Well, I followed the instructions but encountered a few glitches. To begin with, the first two podcasting directories were not available without downloading some software. I called upon the expertise of our IT department but alas there were still problems accessing it. SO the 3rd link worked - yahoo podcasts, but I was unable to create an RSS feed for it.

The podcast I found relating to libraries was a recording of a business program at a library. The program was on Entrepreneurship and was being given by the owner of Geek Squads. What I thought was great about it was that it offered library patrons who were interested in the topic but unable to attend the session, an opportunity to listen to it. This is an awesome benefit for the library to offer.

Thanks,
Dina

Utube

Hi,

I chose the video entitled

John Pinette "camping".

It's a cute video by a comedian on his experiences with camping. Having just done some camping while on vacation, I could appreciate it all the more.

I liked UTube in that it creates some diversion, but I can't see myself spending a lot of time there.

One could apply some of the components to a library web site. For example, after a fun library event, one could put up a video of it on the library's web site.

Cheers,
Dina

Web 2.0 Awards List

Hi.

For this exercise, I chose the "winners" site and went to events and city guides. "Yelp" was the site for city guides. I typed in our zip code and found out what people think about some of our local restaurants. There was a fair bit of information in there for our locale. For events, I went to both "Upcoming" and "Eventful". Even though "Upcoming" was first and "Eventful" second, I preferred "Eventful" for its look, options, and greater number of events listed for our area.

All in all, I was glad to have this new information.

Online word processing

Hi.

I created a document on Zoho Writer. It was neat - a great concept. I tried to save it to my blog right in Zoho but I'm not sure if it worked. The speed at which the internet is changing the way we do things is amazing.

Have a nice day.

Maryland Libraries Wiki

Hi,

This was a nice way to bring things full circle; all that blogging made its way to the Maryland Libraries site list alongside my FCPL co-workers' blog sites. The wiki for favorites was fun, too. I'm unaccustomed to writing about things - my likes, dislikes, etc. , but it seems as if it's the way of the present. So here I am.

Cheers.

Wikis

Hi,

I was glad to get a more in-depth exposure to wikis - what they are and what they do. I really like them. I was especially impressed by the wiki of the ALA New Orleans conference; what I liked best about it was that it wasn't just a list, for example of restaurants, but the real "down and dirty" of what's good and not good about the places. I liked the FAQ for conference newbies - again people really had their specific questions answered. Great idea - it even inspired me to look up when some of the next ALA conferences are going to be... :-).

-Dina

Libraries 2.0

All I can say is, wow! When you stop to think about Web 2.0 and how it will impact libraries and their services, it's incredible. Libraries have a lot of thinking and rethinking to do based upon cultural shifts in the web environment. And it's changing pretty quickly. I think that 23 things couldn't have come sooner to help us catch up and catch on.

technorati

Well, it certainly is interesting to see what and who people are plugged into! In only 3 short years Technorati has grown considerably. It is clear that being on the cutting technological edge, even in an experimental way, can be very lucrative. I liked reading about how bloggers can earn money and looking at job postings for bloggers. I myself have never really enjoyed writing all that much.

Del-icio-us

Okay, I don't like to be negative, but out of everything so far on 23 things, this is the thing I found the least easy to navigate and the least helpful. I don't need to have the same bookmarks at work as at home 'cuz I'm going to be looking at different things at each place. Sorry.

Rollyo

So, I rolled my own (why does this statement make me feel like I'm doing something illegal?), and it's on Lyme Disease. You can access it at: http://rollyo.com/dinafr/my_lyme_disease/
have fun and please don't get ticked off if you don't like it. Ha,ha.

LibraryThing

I like this. I added 5 books, one of which I am the first person in LibraryThing to add! So I'm curious if anyone else will come along and add it. But what I thought was really really cool was how you can see who else shares your tastes. For me this is really helpful because i've always struggled to find books that I enjoy. I see this as sort of an instantaneous "reader's advisory". As soon as I'm finished reading my current book, I'm going to check out some of the titles posted by those whose book gallery looks closest to mine. Thanks to 23 things for getting me to go to LibraryThing!! :-)
http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?view=dinafr&shelf=list

Generator

Hi,

Well, I went to the "name a band" generator at The Generator Blog. I have always been fascinated by band names and how they come up with them. This generator allows you to type in a key word, and band names will pop up. I typed in "goose", and the following band names appeared:

• Greasy Goose
• Goose Fart
• Goose Granola
• Goose Of The Rabid Kiwi
• Shady Goose
• Goose Peach
• Battery-powered Insecure
• Goose Of The Teeth
• Goose Weed
• Goose Crowd

I think if I had a band with the word goose in it, I'd choose "Shady Goose". Hmm, good thing I'm not a musician. :-)

RSS's

Hi,

I think I did it. But I'm not sure if I cheated or not, since I took some of the pre-offered ones. :-) I do like the idea of RSS as I only have to go to one place for updated information. However, I could see myself spending loads of time browsing through wonderful information as I neglect my husband, son, myself, and our house. ;-)

Bye for now.

My Mashup Pick

Okay. This is totally cool. Have you ever wanted to meet with a friend for a meal but you live an hour away from each other? So then you have to figure out what's in the middle? Well, this mashup lets you type in both cities and what you're looking for, say Italian Food, and it'll tell you places in between where you can meet.

They say: "Mezzoman, calculates the exact midpoint between two addresses and dishes out cool places to meet."

The only drawback is that I think the site is still being constructed, so the full names and addresses of the restaurants are partially hidden. But I like it!


http://www.mezzoman.com

Buggers

Okay, round two of trying to post my photo did it. Thank you James for the alternate suggestion. Anyway, one of these little buggers seen in this picture got me. But I will prevail yet. :-)

Ticked off!

Photo borrowed from Flickr's "scragz", uploaded $/23/2006.

This is a cousin of the tick that got me in 2001 and has wreaked (sp?) havoc in my life ever since. One of the (many) things I have learned on this journey is that size does indeed matter. The only unsolicited advice on Lyme Disease I would like to impart right now, is NOT to trust the LabCorps or Quest Western blot tests for LD (Lyme Disease).

Bye for now folks,
Dina

P.S. I am told that the image I chose and attached should appear in this post after I publish it. So, if there's no picture, bear with me and I'll try again. :-)

7 1/2 Habits

Okay, I admit it, I tried to get away with not thinking about this part! But, alas, I got caught by those awesome 23 things coordinators. :-)

So here we go:

The habit which I am the best at, IMHO, is "View problems as challenges." The habit I could use the most help with would probably be "Begin with the end in mind" as I think I tend to lose focus on a goal 'cuz I get distracted easily by everything along the way...

Cheers,
Dina

First post

Hi Guys, (and gals)

Are we having fun yet? :-)

I think I'm a week behind on this but as the saying goes, "better late than never", huh? Or eh? as the Canucks would say.

Cheers.