Exercise # 23 Thoughts about my wanderings

At the start of this journey I really didn't expect to get to the destination. It all seemed too confusing for my simple brain! Favourite exercises? Well, postcard browser, image generators, library thing and even Zoho writer although I didn't get my article into my blog and sent it separately. Yes, if I get around to starting a book, Zoho will be very handy to use wherever I set up camp! A chapter here, a chapter there. Feeling enthusiastic about this one!
I have always known that I am not too old to learn new technology and just need a little more time than young folk! I didn't think there would be enough time for me to do all these exercises.
Also, a helping hand in places has been much appreciated.
I now know so much more about things on the web, even if I am not expert about it all.
I am glad I have stuck with the experience and finished the journey. It was a big challenge!

Exercise # 22 social networking and libraries

I was very surprised to learn that libraries use myspace. It would never have crossed my mind!
I looked into several libraries to see what their sites were like. Some seemed very busy with lots to choose from. Others just didn't appear at all - maybe I am on at a busy time.
I am aware that young people are into all this social networking, particularly from the comfort of their home, where they have privacy. There is good and bad about the issue - parents cannot always be aware of the sites their children are going into, and there are risks with some sites.
However, getting back to libraries - if they were to publicise themselves on this site, more children and teenagers may discover everything that is happening at their local library and also all the information that is available online. The homework centre would no doubt be well used.
Maybe there would be good attendances for teenage book launching too.
Sitting inside chatting on a computer seems to be a popular thing nowadays, but I prefer real books and real people in the fresh air when possible.

Get Social - My Space and Facebook

As I had never been into these sites, I watched the video 'How Stuff Works - Facebook'.
These seem to be very popular sites with young people. They enjoy communicating online whereas I would rather talk to people in the flesh. All this communication through computers, although very clever, means that people are not socializing as we are meant to.
Bebo is a very busy site and I got the impression that it is great for younger people. I brought up a video of Dolly Parton in concert. The Auckland City Libraries have a good site, particularly for children. The Rotorua Public Library has a very colourful site and I enjoyed looking around that more. It is better laid out. Information included the Dewey Decimal Classification, which is good for the public to see. My Space was an interesting site - I looked up John Rowles and got lots of info plus saw a video from Opera in the Park back in 1997. Also looked up Coast radio and there was a lot to look at. I had a quick look at Facebook. Found some names of people I know, but I didn't sign in, as I don't agree with putting private info on the web for all to see.

Exercise # 20 EBOOKS

First I went into the Amazon site and looked for 'Swiss Family Robinson'. I was amazed to find that copies could not only be had of the book, but also on dvd, video and on record. Yes, copies of new and used LP records are available! This site is very easy to use. I also watched the video on Kindle, their wireless reading device. It was explained very clearly. For just $US9.99 you can buy a book and it will be delivered in minutes. The device is only 10.3 ounces in weight, so lighter than a lot of books and easy to keep in your bag. If you come across a word you don't know, there is an inbuilt dictionary. If you need larger print, it is there at a touch of a button. There are many other features to this excellent piece of equipment. I was very impressed.
Librivox was also very user friendly. I listened to a chapter from 'Northanger Abbey' and if I had had time would have listened to more.
This has been an interesting exercise, but in conclusion, I will have to say that I prefer to curl up with my ordinary book. After all, will the person next to me want to listen to my choice?
http://www.amazon.com/
http://librivox.org/

Exercise # 19 Podcasts

This has been a confusing time. I watched the tutorial about podcasts which took a while to sink in. I then went into Podcastlpickle.com and tried to access information on books. It shows that there are several pages to look at, but after trying every page, they were all the same! So, clicked on a book and hoped to hear some of it read, but nothing happened.
There are lots of drop down boxes to go into, if you have time.
Not really a user friendly site.
http://www.podcastpickle.com/genre/?type=genre&id=83&p=15&format=all

Exercise #18 Discover You Tube

This is a fun site, and if I had time I would look at a lot more here.
I looked at several videos including Pussy versus Printers and Interactive Fortune
Teller. Also looked at music videos. Plenty in there for us oldies and our memories.
There is so much to choose from!
I saw the Chelsea District Library get the award for Best Small Library in America 2008.
North Shore Libraries could include tours of the libraries on the web site. The tour of the Seneca Library was excellent, showing all around the library, and how to behave in the library.
http://www.youtube.com/

Exercise # 17 Web 2.0 awards list

http://www.seomoz.org/web2.0#top
I found this site easy to navigate, and there seems to be something there for everyone.
I had a look at the genealogy awards winners, but it would appear that they are American based and would not be useful for other nationalities.
Then I went into the travel awards and looked at the 3rd place getter, Boo. It is a great site and would be useful for anyone planning a trip.Everything needed is there to browse through as there are links to websites of hotels etc. You can see where the hotels are situated on a clear map, and also find out what attractions are there.
I don't think it is a useful site for a library but would be excellent for a travel centre.
This has been a fun site to discover.

Exercise #16 Online tools:eg Zoho Writer

Exercise # 16 Online Tools:eg Zoho Writer This was another very long wait for the site to load. Also problems finding out how to use the site. Not the easiest to get around.Zoho would be very handy if I was writing a book as I could do a chapter at home, and add another wherever I was when the next brainstorm happened! Lots on the site for some folk, but I won't have the need for it again.http://writer.zoho.com/index.do#

Exercise #16 Online tools:eg Zoho Writer

One of the top 10 experiences in life must be to go on a cruise. To cast off from land and immediately be in a different environment is wonderful for the soul. It is not all blue skies and calm seas, as the travel posters would have us believe, but each day is different. Some days are spent completely at sea, and others in a foreign port. At sea, one can be as active or inactive as one wants. There are so many activities on board ship and some are bound to be new to you. Docking in different ports around the world is always fascinating. To sail in at sunrise is breathtaking and then to go ashore and experience a different culture is absolutely super. Always take lots of photos and you will have memories forever!

Rollyo

This has been a very frustrating time with several efforts to get the site to my blog. Hopefully this time something will appear.
http://rollyo.com/lizzie_albert/digital_camera_search/

Library Thing

This has been an interesting and fun exercise. Could spend a lot of pleasant time on this site looking up different authors. It is great to be able to see the book covers as this can help if you are wondering if you have read a book before or not!I have spent time clicking on lots on this site and really like it. If I had time I would be completing a catalogue of all my books. For libraries this site would be excellent for patrons to use - to add books they have read and look up different authors for something new.
I have added 6 books today.
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/lizziealbert

Image Generators

I did have fun with this exercise, but also frustration as it took soooooo long! I was trying to do this for nearly 2 hours yesterday but the internet was so slow and I didn't get finished. Today, hopefully, success! Somehow I got my design from being in Glowtext yesterday, onto a flag today! Do I feel better - will I sleep tonight? It has tried my patience!

http://makesweet.com/mixer/wdeJDSxMAL

Sandbox wiki

Someone told me that this would be easy. Well, once again the demo videos didn't work for me.
It is a website that lets people share ideas and views on whatever they are interested in. I searched for cruises and got lots of results. Would love to take up the option on one! Tried to see the wetpaint video 'New In Town', but it didn't work properly. Heard about 6 words and then it stopped - then another 6 words and stop. Gave up on that.
With more time to spare I would probably get around this site okay. It does seem relatively easy to navigate.

Wikis

So, firstly, Wiki is a Hawaiian word and means quickly. Oh to be in Hawaii and not here trying to fathom out these exercises!
Wikis are good in that all info can be edited, changed or rewritten by users or members of the site. When new information is found on a subject, it can be added straight away.( Unlike a book which has several processes to go through before being republished.) If a person has knowledge on a subject they can add an entry about it. If there is already an entry but more information is known, it can be edited in. A big disadvantage is that someone can edit out things they don't agree with. Nothing is checked on, so really, this site is not a good one for students who need accurate and up to date information. There are so many other, reliable websites to look at.
I went into book lovers wiki and thought it good. Being able to see a certain genre straight away was a handy thing. However, information about a book to be read for relaxation, is not as important as being able to get true information for assignments.
So, in summing up - Wikis are interesting for pooling information, but not to be taken too seriously.

Web 2.0 and Library 2.0

I watched the video, which showed how much and how fast things are changing in the world of technology. Also read 'away from the Icebergs' and the 'OCLS newsletter'. What does it mean to me? Well, it is all quite mind boggling. I am aware that libraries are run so differently from 10 years ago, when life was so simple and one just borrowed one book at a time! Technology is a major part of libraries now and this fact is something that will grow as years go past.Patrons are already using access to collections and databases on line as they can do this without leaving home. However, libraries are and will remain very important to the community. Books are here to stay. Having access to up to date information via websites will be an important part of life but certainly not as cosy as curling up in a favourite chair with a great book.Some of you will no doubt be in the digital age with your new toys, but I don't possess one digital item and they are just not on my list of must haves in life. I prefer contact with real people and real books, not machines. The rest of my life will not be wasted in front of a computer screen, in isolation!
Last words on this - well, I agree that libraries will be able to serve many patrons with all the info they have now and everything that they will be able to access as it comes on line.

Technorati

This has been quite a frustrating experience. The help video wouldn't play, so not a good start!
So many times trying to do a keyword search for 'learning 2.0' and getting "error when running your search". Finally got 9.864 results, which reduced to 900.
I explored popular blog. There were too many results to wade through. 627.847 for Environment!
In Blog Directory I came across the TMZ.com - official site for the latest entertainment news etc. Clicked into celebrity tag and there were 2411 blogs about celebrity gossip. Learnt that Brad Pitt had a day out with his Mum and Zahara. Also that Catherine Zeta Jones was is South Wales for her Grandmother's funeral.
Choosing the tv programme 'CSI Miami', I got 5573 results in directory which reduced to 499 in posts and then 34 in blogs.
This is a very busy site and I would have liked a pilot with me the whole time I was in it! Not a site I will use. Too time-consuming.

Del.icio.us

After spending some time looking at this site, I can see that some people will like it.
For library use, tags would be good for patrons to quickly find books of whichever genre they like to read. Sometimes patrons prefer books with a certain type of character or set in a particular country. Perhaps these would be easy to find if they were tagged.
The social bookmarking idea will no doubt go down well with some people, like teachers or members of certain clubs.
Being able to access the bookmarks from anywhere will no doubt be appreciated by some individuals.
However, I still think this sort of thing is for someone who has all day to sit at a computer. Very time consuming. Me - I have other things to do in my day. I have my few trusted sites which I use on the computer for research, and won't be using this at all.

RSS Feeds

This took a little while to understand, but hopefully I now have a handle on it!
I don't think I will ever use this but I will know what it is all about should someone start talking about it to me! Library patrons could find it good as they could get lists of new books available and find out what events are to be held in the libraries.

Technology

When we got our first computer I thought that I would be using it for typing ordinary letters, as corrections are easier to do than on a typewriter! However, after a very short time I was able to send emails, and then attach photos. I still find it amazing, that what I write is almost immediately on the other side of the world! Some people do their shopping and banking on the internet, but I'm not into that just yet. The online information available is second to none and I find Google Earth absolutely amazing.
http://earth.google.com/

Postcard Browser

Searching through Flicker applications I came across the Postcard Browser. By putting the word cat in the search box, lots of photos came up. I loved looking at all the different characters. There are some really cool cats in there.
http://www.airtightinteractive.com/projects/flickr_postcard_browser/

Flowers from Flickr

I chose this lovely photo because sunflowers give off happy, sunny feelings. It would be super to have this many of them in my own garden! Click on the site to see for yourself.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/claudio_ar/2077867996/

First Thoughts

The day has come to experience a blog site. I started out very puzzled and wondered how long it would take for my brain to get on track! However, with some patient tutoring I now feel that I will be able to cope with the exercises ahead. This is one journey that will start at a slow speed and hopefully, eventually, move a little faster!