At last, the 23rd thing

This has been a sometimes frustrating journey to move through all these exercises. I will say it has been enjoyable to work through the problems with my co-workers. Most of the sites were fun to at least try. Flickr, Del.icio.us, You-tube were probably my favorites. I didn't feel I could take the time to become very proficient on any of the sites. But that aside, I do feel I'm am much more comfortable using my computer and going on the internet to try new things. Not all the exercises were things I would be likely to use on my job. My work group will be utilizing a wiki to keep us up to date on shared information, so I know I will not be clueless. I would be interested to do this kind of discovery exercise again.

Overdrive Books

Downloading an Overdrive book went a little more smoothly than some of my past efforts at navigating a new site. I don't know if I would use this feature often but its good to know how to do it.

Podcasts

The sites that I went to about podcasts were somewhat confusing. I did choose a couple of podcasts and added them to my bloglines. I was not really interested in the ones that I came across. I chose "Library Geeks" and "On the Wing"(about Birding)and the content was kind of dry. Guess I like video better.

Lighthouses

YouTube - Lighthouses

YouTube - Lighthouses: "From: BlackbirdSpecOps
Subscribe Unsubscribe Joined: 1 year ago
Videos: 4

About This Video Different lighthouses from all over. (more)
Added: December 09, 2007
Different lighthouses from all over. (less)
Added: December 09, 2007
Category: Entertainment
Tags: lighthouses

URL"

YouTube

After looking at the selection of videos, I was of course drawn to the many that feature lighthouses. There are some really good ones. I think the person who created the one I watched must be as avid a lighthouse fan as me. Patrons of the library might get inspiration from these amateur videos. Some look quite professional. I am going to try and embed a video on my blog.

Top Picks on Web 2.0

I selected Pandora on the awards short list from Web 2.0. Pandora allows you to register for free and set up your own radio station. You choose the artist (or artists similar to your selection are played if they don't have your artist) or songs and these selections play like any radio station but without interruption. The only thing I didn't like about the site was they didn't have my first choice of artist. Library patrons could possibly use this to preview selections that the library might later purchase. Many branches now have quite a collection of music cds.

Online Productivity (Google Docs)

Some of my co-workers and I created the previous document in Google Docs. This could be a very useful tool for communicating from a distance with more than one person in real time. I'd like to try this again when I have the opportunity.

Google Docs Can Be Fun

This is a sample document. We are trying to figure out how to use this application but so far its still not clear.

I think we will get this one day before we retire!
I'm not sure if this is where I should be, but here goes!

Playing in the Sandbox

It was a little bit of a challenge posting to the Wiki page but I was able to create a page. It was of course about lighthouses with pictures.

Wikis

After exploring some of the suggested wikis, I didn't find them to be much different from some of the other websites. There is a great variety of information on all the sites but attempts to edit meant logging in. The definition of the wiki suggested anyone could add or edit information whether they were registered or not. So guess I need to explore some more. The wiki with book reviews, is the one I liked best and might interest library patrons.

Library 2.0

Library 2.0 is the library of the future. Libraries that want to stay current with new technology trends will have to constantly update and keep in touch with their users. Valuing input from patrons will help libraries to fulfill the patron's needs as they arise. Libraries that succeed are going to be on the"cutting edge" as much as possible.

Technorati

I successfully claimed by blog on Technorati but got a little confused about the tags. Maybe in the future I can create a watchlist that will make better use of this website.