Flickring around

Flickr is a fun tool to share photos. I uploaded pictures from this years African-American History month exhibit here in the library. Here is the link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/afamh07/

Rollyo

Many of these tools make you feel as if you're a web designer. Rollyo is an example of that. You can actually create your own personal search engine of all your favorite web sites then share it with others. I was able to create my search engine which I will share once I've palyed around with it a little more.

Podcasts

Podcasts are great way to keep up with your favorite new channel or radio station while on the go. It keeps you from being tied to your tv, radio or pc while staying abreast of information of interest to you. Downloading your favorite tunes, movies, news stories is really easy. While many podcasts are free there a some that you must pay to access. If I complete all my assignments and get my free mp3 player I will certainly learn more on how to use podcasts.

Library 2.0--The Finale!

I must say that prior to this activity, I had very little interest in knowing about the various web tools people use. But now, I can say that I enjoyed learning how to use them. I think my favorites are LibraryThing, and GoogleDocs. I would definitely be interested in participated in another series of activities like this. This was some thing refreshing for library staff to engage in outside the day to day work duties. This is an example of the good in technology. Thanks to the committee who worked on this.

Facebook, MySpace UGH!

I've looked at face book and MySpace and they aren't tools that I will ever use. Although I'm sure that they were intended to be used in a positive manner, some have chosen to display inappropriate images and messages personal and other wise on those sites. IMO, this is another example of the ugly side of technology.

YouTubing

I think You Tube can be a very useful tool to showcase home videos. I chose to look at Library related videos because this a library activity. I looked at PSA by comedian George Lopez promoting public libraries for PLA. You Tube can be helpful in teaching people about library services. There were quite a few interesting videos created by librarians. This is another tool that libraries can use to promote themselves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhrcCWjtNQw

Interesting sites on Web 2.0

I checked out Upcoming, Arcaplay, Googlemaps, Peertrainer. These were both fun and useful sites to get into. I especially liked the Upcoming site because you can find out what events are happening in a community near you. Or, if you are planning to travel to city for business or fun, you can find out what events are taking place while you're there. On my next trips I will see what on Upcoming then plan my activities.

Googling

I see why Google is so popular! The inventors of the search engine have created something that covers nearly need a one has in working on the internet. This Google Docs is extremely useful if you're close to a PC with the Office suite on it. Now this is a tool I can really see my self using. I created my calendar and uploaded 2 documents from word. Wherever I am, as long as I can log into the internet, I can compose a document.

Playing in the sandbox!

I finally know what a sandbox is! While looking at the floor plans, I'm sure I wasn't the only one who thought we were putting a real sandbox in the new Faculty Commons. Now that I've had my crash course on wikis Ifeel a little more educated on the sandbox issue. As a kid I enjoyed playing in the sandboxes and as an adult walking along sandy beaches. I can now bring my joy of paying in the sand to my desktop. Technology never ceases to amaze me!!

The World of Wiki

Wikis are great for condensing information and sharing the knowledge. I like how anyone with expertise in a particular discipline can add new knowledge immediately instead of waiting for information to be distributed the traditional way. This faster format of receiving information can also be a place to go to help knowledge seekers looking for quick facts. I also like the fact that information can be deleted when it is inaccurate or no longer current. This is probably the biggest advantage for creating wikis.

Technorati

Technorati has helpful information about the world of blogging. I think it will help one stay informed on all things blog. Using the search techniques in Technorati can bring up different results list. I enjoyed looking at a couple of the blogs. I think I'm up for the challenge of creating tags. Now if I can just find the time to work on it.

Del.icio.us

Del.icio.us seems to be a great way to tag your favorite web sites to share with students and friends. It could be used as an alternative to the Infotree. This could eliminate the waitng period of having to get approval of links in Infotree. I especially like the tag on the PLMC's site explaining how to look out for fake web sites. I am going to work on creating some tags for my bibliographic areas.

The LibraryThing

The LibraryThing is a great little tool to share books you've read with others. I can see myself using this frequently. I look forward to seeing what others are reading.

Thoughts on Technology

I look at technology as the good, the bad, and the ugly. There's a lot of good that technology has given society, conveniences that help modern man to be more productive at work and at home. There's the bad technology which should have been left in the minds of their creators. And the ugly which in my opinion had great potential to be a positive impact on society, but, some how ended up in the hands of a person or persons who made the choice to make it negatively affect our lives. An example of good technology would be some household appliances. Refrigerators, diswashers, self-cleaning ovens and in some respects the microwave oven all have made ours lives easier as compared to previous generations. These tools have lessen the drudgery of cooking and cleaning in our kitchens. Imagine today if these tools of convenience no longer existed and we have to go back to gather wood to build a fire to prepare meals, many people would go hungry! Bad technology would be bombs, nuclear bombs and in particular, dirty bombs, and tools needed for biochemical warfare. Anything that is meant to destroy mankind is never a good thing to create. What I would consider as ugly technology would definitely include the internet, specifically, the world wide web. I believe when the web was created it was anticipated that it would be a positive impact on society. However, as we are aware, there is an ugly side that has reared it head. It seems that when some thing good on the web is presented, someone equally creates a negative side. An example, all things consider in society as immoral has found a home on the world wide web. Online gambling, adult sites, etc., have given people more access to these vices than ever before. I suspect that the creators never expected that this marvelous advance of technology would include such things. Overall, technology has provided society with many good resources and purposes. And I believe as long as there are inventors who will use technology for the good of man we will have a world that is positively being affected to have have better lives.

image generators

I looked at some cool image generators. This exercise was a little more challenging so I only have one generator. I downloaded some ribbons for breast cancer awareness month to Del.icio.us. I hope it works!

Venturing into the world of blogging & rss feeds

I've read the reports, seen the examples and subcribed to a few. I must say that blogging is pretty cool! Being both the news junkie and information professional that I am, blogging can be a time saver. I don't have to take the time to read the full text of all the topics I'm interested in everyday. Getting the RSS feeds gives you time to focus on other things.

This technology can benefit libraries by serving as a communication tool for staff and patrons. Alden has already jumped on board by using this tool for updating patrons with goings on here in the library. Even some bibliographers are blogging information to their department to update them about library resources. May be we should expand on this use to do a better job in communicating with staff. This may help staff feel more connected to the organization. Something to think about!