Any Lostaholics Out There?

Now that I have acquired a new skill, (embedding vids in my blog), *go me!* I thought I would share this one for those of you who are Lost fans.

We all know that Sawyer rarely calls anyone by their name. Instead, he tosses out pop culture nicknames like they were confetti. I often wonder what Josh Holloway's reaction upon seeing a new script might be ("I've got to say what??")

I would be totally surprised if this videographer had missed any nickname in the first three seasons of Lost. It's fluff, there's no redeeming social value, but it's just freakin' funny!

Week 9 - YouTube and Podcasts

I have to tell y'all that I am completely addicted to YouTube. I have had an account for over a year, and I have 18 playlists and over 175 videos favorited. Yeah, addicted, totally.

For the purposes of the challenge, I visited the other video hosting sites listed in the task as well as checked out the MySpace vids (since I was stuck there) and I have to say that none of them is on the same planet as YouTube. For one thing, their vids are miniscule in number, and none of them have all of the features that YouTube does. Only Google was slightly different in that Google is really a search engine and lists vids from other hosting services including YouTube, although you can restrict the search to Google vids only.

Since the other video hosting services are really not worth the bother, I decided to try some additional stuff with my YouTube account. I made comments on several favorite videos and even exchanged a few messages with someone who had served as a sound engineer on a movie I liked and had posted some behind-the-scenes footage. I also contacted a videographer about a favorited video that wasn't working and she reloaded it. Go me!

Post your YouTube username on your blog.
My YouTube user name is ladygarnett

What did you like or dislike about the site?
Likes: I love the fan vids. These are videos created from clips of movies or TV shows and set to various pieces of music and are often very, very creative. I also enjoy seeing clips from actual movies, TV shows, DVDs, etc. One feature I really appreciate is that you can search on a tag and then sort the results by date, which makes it easier to find new vids. I like the display lists of similar vids, because you can often find something you like that you might not otherwise have seen, and I like the subscription feature, though I have yet to take advantage of it. You can also share videos with your friends. A co-worker and I enjoy some of the same types of vids, but we usually search on different tags. We are always finding something we think the other will like and sharing it via email. I also share vids with other friends who share similiar interests.
Dislikes: Well, not to put too fine a point on it, there is just lots and lots of crap on YouTube. And I really hate the adverts. They clutter the screen and are just bloody annoying. I also lament the fact that I have saved vids that are later taken down for a variety of reasons. Then, just as with many other social networking sites, my usual problem with the lack of uniformity in tags is also a nuisance. Occasionally, I find vids just by lucky accident rather than by searching because the tags have been mispelled or poorly chosen. *sigh*

Why do you think YouTube is so popular?
YouTube offers opportunities to be creative, be entertained, be the star of your own film. It enables people to see moments they might have missed, participate in social and political processes and be a part of pop culture. You can post and share with family, friends, the world your creative efforts or your vacation videos. You can interact with others who share your interests. In today's world of constant contact and technological sharing of everything with everyone, what's not to like?

Post the URL of the video you chose. Why did you select that video?
The Librarian Song I chose it because it was both library-related, and just silly fun.

Here is my attempt to embed a video. I chose just one of my personal faves:


If you explored any other video hosting sites, how did they compare to YouTube? What was your favorite and why?
See my intro above. And I really did not like any of them at all. YouTube is definitely "king of the world" in terms of video hosting sites.

What was the most interesting thing you learned?
The most interesting thing about YouTube is the sheer volume and variety of the videos. You can be entertained by something freaking hysterical one minute and be caught up by something of social or political importance the next.

Can you see any features or components of YouTube that might be interesting if they were applied to Arcadia Public Library’s website? Are there any other ways our library might use YouTube?
I was surprised to see that there is already a video of kids reading to Bernie of the Barks and Books program. However, I think the best use of YouTube would be as a means to post the vids and then embed them in the Library's website, blog, etc. We could have vids of concerts, Friends' programs, events, storytimes, etc. Perhaps even a video tour of the Library. Concerns would include copyright, permissions, and staff time.

Describe some of the podcasts you found that interested you. Provide links so that others may also listen if they choose.
Podcasts aren't my favorite tool, but I really do like the Lost podcasts and vidcasts. They are generally available the day after the episode is shown. Go here to see and listen: Lost Podcasts

What kinds of podcasts were being used by other libraries? Did you find anything useful here?
Searching through the podcast directories wasn't all that easy. I did find a podcast from the Denver Public Library: Stories for Kids and another from KCET and the Los Angeles Central Library: Explore CA that were interesting.

Can you see any uses for podcasts in our library?
Some possibilities for podcasts include: Book Discussion groups for anyone who was unable to attend, staff and teen book reviews, Friends' programs.

Here is my attempt to publish a Google Docs document to my blog. I must say, that isn't exactly what I had in mind. I wanted to just post it as a link. *sigh* Obviously, I have much to learn. :-)

One additional note that makes Google Docs a web app to consider using is that it is available on the web and at any time. You don't have to have Word, Excel, or any other program installed on your computer, and you can access documents when you are away from your own computer. Shiny!

Having said that, I still don't plan on using Google Docs regularly. However, one probably shouldn't say never, eh?

IDEAS FOR USING GOOGLE DOCS IN THE LIBRARY

Internal Uses

• Monthly Statistical Report
• Volunteer Database
• Incident Report
• Section Documents (i.e. SRP, etc.)

The first possible internal use for Google Docs that occurs to me is the Monthly Statistical Report that all Supervisors must file. Our separate reports are emailed to the Library Services Manager, and then forwarded to Shelly to compile into a single report. Perhaps the template could be set up by Shelly and then each supervisor would contribute their portion. Shelly could then compile the copies for the Board wihtout a lot of further input. Just a thought, anyway.

We currently have the Volunteer Database set up on the network. It might also be possible to use Google Docs for this document.

The Incident Report is another document which is added to and edited by a number of people. This might be another possible use of Google Docs.

Also, perhaps some sections would find it useful for other documents which are used or edited by several people. I can see possibilities for Children's SRP documents.

Week 8 - Social Networking

The Library 2.0 Challenge is all about exploration, discovery, even play, as we visit some of the wonderful, fascinating, and also truly terrible sites out on the web. When we began, I knew that we would one day arrive at Social Networking Sites. The dreaded Social Networking Sites.

Before I go any further, I really need to be upfront about this section of the Challenge. I hate Social Networking Sites. For me, they are among the truly appalling aspects of the web. OK, I know I am being Pauline Pessimist here and not entering into the whole spirit of the Challenge, but I cannot help it. I am sorry to be so negative (what a surprise), but I am not interested in showing my face to the world, being connected to everybody, or looking for scads of new "friends." I have a very active life on the web, but I choose to live it quietly. I am quite happy with Live Journal (yes, I know, it is one of the original social networking sites, but the feeling is totally different)

However the Challenge says we must be social, so social for the moment I shall be. But the minute the Challenge is over, my MySpace account is history.

I set up a very, very minimal MySpace page, since I don't plan on keeping it: Darien's MySpace
I found MySpace (this may not be true for other sites) to be very difficult to use. It was not intuitive or user-friendly at all. I was able to add the Challenge MySpace as a friend (but needed help). I sent off a couple of friends requests, but received no reply. *so sad*
EDIT: I was able to get a friend - a co-worker and I friended each other! :-) However, my gmail account was spammed by two friend requests that turned out to be from a singles site. So not likin' the MySpace!
EDIT THE SEQUEL: Hey, I have 2 more friends! Your co-workers can be your friends in more ways than one. :-) However, I was also friend-requested by two ladies looking for relationships. Denied. *sigh*


What are some of the pros and cons of using a social networking sites?
I suppose the pros would be to meet new people, make new friends, share your life with family and this every widening circle of acquaintances. *sigh* The cons include being inundated with contacts and messages from people who you know little or not at all and being in too much contact with everyone. People really do give away much too much personal information to the world. In the case of MySpace, the plethora of intrusive, animated ads just makes me want to run screaming from the place.

Why do you think social networking sites are so popular?
Today it is all about staying in constant contact with everyone (and his twin brother everybody). Email, mobile phones, IM, texting, twittering (dear Lord!), it's relentless and unending. People walk, drive, and even talk to each other while simultaneously talking to someone else on their cell phones. Texting has spawned a new language and new medical conditions. Kids today are conditioned almost from birth to stay in constant touch. Social networking sites allow you to share every tiny tidbit of your life with everyone else and everyone else shares their tidbits with you. They help fulfill this rampaging need to know everything about everybody.

How can the library make use of social networking sites?

I suppose the only reason is to be where the patrons are. They are, especially teens, on social networking sites. Therefore, we should be there as well. I know other libraries are using MySpace, Facebook (I tried to take look at Facebook, but you had to sign up just to view it and Lord knows, I didn't want another account!) and other sites. Perhaps the best thing to do is to visit lots of other library examples and see what might work for us. I know that our experiment with a Teen MySpace has already been abandoned. Frankly, I am just not sold on the concept.

Week 7 - Online Productivity Tools

This task was to explore Google Docs, one of the many new web apps that can replace traditional software. In this case, Google Docs can be used instead of Word, WordPerfect, or other word processing software.

The advantages are that Google Docs can be shared so that they can be used and edited by several people at the same time. Revisions can be tracked, but there is really only a single copy of the document rather than many copies or versions emailed back and forth.

For this Challenge, I have been using the Challenge Tracking Sheet along with the other Challenge organizers. Also, just for this task, I created a simple spreadsheet, which I am really using as a database, and a very simple document outlining some possible uses for the Library of this tool.

Was it easy to set up?
Yes, both documents were ridiculously easy to set up. However, I kept them very simple, so perhaps it wasn't a true test.

Was it easy to use?
Very easy. Google Docs is far simpler than Word (though I still prefer WordPerfect) or Excel. The tool bar is very clear, and as I have used Gmail for a couple of years, very familiar.

Would you use it on a regular basis?
At the moment, no. I don't see any need for it myself. I really prefer WordPerfect for all of my word processing uses, and I have no need at the moment to share any documents. However, who knows what may come up in the future.

What was your favorite feature?
That documents could be shared, used, and edited among several people at the same time. Such a time and effort saver over emailing copies back and forth a dozen times.

What was your least favorite feature?
Didn't have one, actually. Sorry.

How could the library make use of Google Docs, either internally or for the public?
I really cannot see any possible uses for the public. However, there are several internal uses that might be worth considering: GoogleDocs

Week 6 - Images

I love searching the web for images and would like to develop some skills in creating wallpapers, montages, and icons. I have had a Photobucket account for several years, but I usually only use it to post photos to my LJ. I seem to have found other ways to share my photos with family and friends. However, this was an opportunity to explore something new, so in the spirit of the challenge, I decided to just jump in *aaaaiaiiiiii*

Hmmmmm. Well....... So this is Flickr. Obviously, I just don't have the right mindset. I searched through the popular tags. Uh-huh. Part of the problem for me is that tagging is great if I am doing it. I can create tags that are meaningful to me. However the lack of standards just drives me nuts. Trying to search tags is just an exercise in sadomasichism. Everyone tags things differently. Finally, I just gave up in frustration.

I found no groups of interest. Geez! Obviously, I am not in sync with the rest of the world. I think I will stick to LJ. And sadly, I am not that interested in someone else's vacation or birthday party photos. *sigh*

But, on to the Challenge.....

What was your favorite feature on Flickr?
Aaaaaah. Didn't have one? Just not feeling the Flickr love.

You have uploaded a photo from Flickr to your blog. Why did you choose that photo?
I confess I was unable to upload a photo from Flickr to my blog. *sad, so sad* So, I used an end-around. I saved several photos to my computer and uploaded them from there. Not sure if that's OK, but hey, it worked!

I chose photos from New Zealand, which is one of the places in the world that I hold in my heart. My adventures there have changed my life beyond all imagining. And if you didn't know the identity of this blogger by now, this will certainly give it away! :-)

And here they are: This photo was taken from inside Bag End at Matamata, New Zealand. This was the filming location for the Hobbiton scenes in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings. All of the Flickr photos were taken by Diane Rooney (Ironically, a lady I have met at a couple of LOTR cons. Small world, no?)

This is my photo, taken by our tour guide on my February 2005 trip to New Zealand with Red Carpet Tours. The view in both photos is from inside the Bag End hobbit hole looking toward the Party Tree in the background on the right.

This photo is of one of several rivers in New Zealand to portray the River Anduin, down which the Fellowship traveled.

This particular river is spectacular not only for it's sheer beauty, but because located here in Gravity Canyon is one of the most fabulous thrill rides on earth - The Flying Fox.

After hiking up a "wee hill," as our guide called it (translation: "wee hill" means something akin to Mt. Everest and you better have oxygen waiting at the top, 'cause you'll need it!), you are strapped face down in a harness and shot down a slip line for nearly a mile at almost 100 mph!

Certainly not for the faint-hearted. I almost didn't go, but I thought I would never have the chance to do something so daring ever again. Little did I know that this was just the beginning. Between the inspiration of my tour fellowship (some of whom have become the very best of friends) and the daring spirit of New Zealand itself, I would wind up doing things I never, ever even dreamt I could do.

My photos show "the deep breath before the plunge" and the supersonic flight without a plane.

We survived! And I would go again in a heartbeat!

This photograph is of Mount Sunday, which became for the film the Rohan city of Edoras, a hilltop fortress and settlement. It was exactly as Tolkien had described, a mount surrounded by a flat valley encircled by snow-capped mountains. Looking huge in the film, it seems tiny when viewed from a distance.

However, that view is deceptive. It's another "wee hill" to climb, and we had to cross three "streams" (translation: raging rivers that you have to cross together, holding each other up to avoid being swept away)

For sheer grandeur, beauty, and magnificence this was my favorite film location.

My photos show a far view of Edoras and a crossing of one of the "streams."

Well, I have indulged myself for far too long. Back to the Challenge!

Why is tagging so important?

Tagging allows you to both categorize your images and to search out photos posted by others. See my comments about tagging at the beginning of this post.

Did you explore any Flickr mashups? If so, which, and how did it work?

I looked at several, Motivator, DVD Cover (oh, I have plans for this one), and, of course, lolcat. I did make a motivational poster (at least it motivates me!) :-)

What was the most interesting thing you learned?

I loved the mash-ups most of all. Although I am not that interested in using Flickr to share my photos with the world, I am fascinated by all the things one can do with images.

What are some of the ways in which the Arcadia Public Library might use Flickr?

Since the Library already has a Flickr account, we are currently sharing our photos. It may be possible to "advertise" more that we have the account. Perhaps there is a way to get our teens involved in posting photos to a Teen Flicker account. Maybe we could organize a photo project in which patrons could post photos of the library, their favorite books (including the photos taken at the upcoming Library Week photo shoot), favorite places to read, etc.

More LOLCats

Check out the latest additions to my sidebar lolcats - too funny!!

Week 5 - Wikis

Off into the world of wikis.....

Had you ever used a wiki before completing this exercise? If yes, which?
I had used PB Wiki to create a wiki for a workshop. Once again, I never went back to it after the workshop was over. *my bad* I have also used Wikipedia, IMDB, and a couple of specialized wikis for informational purposes.

Do you think wikis can be a reliable and valuable source of information?
Yes, of course they can, especially if they are internal wikis created and used by a particular group or insitution or are created and maintained by knowledgeable experts in a field. General wikis that allow for public imput without any sort of oversight, however, can be very uneven in terms of their accuracy. An example might be IMDB. The information on the site is only as good as the contributors' knowledge or expertise. Mistakes or incomplete data can happen, sometimes often. Part of our job as information specialists is to evaluate the source of information for accuracy, bias, or other factors that can help determine reliability. It is the same whether the resource in question is in print or on the web.


What favorite did you add to the Library 2.0 Challenge Wiki? Did you find the process difficult?
I added my favorites in books, movies, TV shows, and travel destinations. The process of editing the page and adding information was very simple. However, when I tried to broaden my skills by adding a page, that proved to be an exercise in sadomasichsim. I created a new page, but was unable to add a link to it. I had watched the tutorial video twice, but obviously I hadn't "gotten it." *old age is a curse* I also tried the Help screens. I don't really know why, since they are usually little or no help at all, and these were no exception. Even worse, if you were given several alternatives that might be what you are looking for, you choose one and it doesn't help, when you try to go back to the list of suggestions, you can't. You have to start your query all over again. *a pox on them* So, I tried watching the tutorial video again and this time, the light bulb went off over my head. *headdesk* Success. So, if you are trying to add a page, and you are as dimwitted as I seemed to be, watch that video.

How might the library make use of a wiki, either for internal processes or as an outreach/information tool for the public?
The first uses that come to my mind are internal. Out library policy manual could be converted to a wiki. Updates could then be done once and the process of photocopying pages and changing them out of several notebooks would be eliminated. All without abridging access, as the wiki would be available for the entire staff to view. Also, each section could use a wiki to create a procedural manual. All staff in the section could edit the wiki, with the supervisor providing editorial oversight as needed.

Some of the libraries included in the support material for this task are using wikis for the public in a number of exciting ways - subject guides, book lovers' wiki, etc. Subject guides would be particularly useful. However, once again, staff time to create and maintain wikis would be an issue.

Can't Resist Customizing My Blog

This blog customizing is a lot of fun; so much easier than in Live Journal. I have changed my header, my user pic, and added a few computer and book related lolcats. I am just addicted to I Can Has Cheezburger, so you can expect to see more of these.

And, this is a short post, rarity for me it seems. :-)

Week 4 - Tagging

This task was to explore del.icio.us, a social bookmarking site. I have had an account for nearly a year, which was created for a workshop. I thought it would be great to access my bokmarks from anywhere. I moved some of my personal bookmarks over, tagged them, and just never went back. It seemed like too much work, the tagging didn't really fit my needs, and I was very used to my folder arrangement in my Favorites.

So, I wasn't really looking forward to this task. However, I created a second account, intending, as with my RSS feeds (BTW, I have changed my mind and am planning on keeping my Google Reader account for professional feeds and also my Bloglines account for personal feeds, go me!) to use this second account for professional bookmarks. I have started moving my favorites over, as well as some pages from starred blogs in Google Reader.

The first thing I noticed, was that I have literally hundreds of bookmarks! It was a good excuse to clear out sites I had never returned to and to re-acquaint myself with sites I had forgotten. The only problem is that this takes time! A lot of time! I am going to be doing this for weeks! Literally! *sigh*

However, I am determined to keep this up and to even go through my sites regularly to keep them up-to-date and really useful. And, another side benefit is getting my Favorites down to those I use regularly. I just find folders quicker and easier.


What are the potentials for using Del.icio.us as a research assistance tool?
The potentials are many, but one first has to get used to utilizing tags and not get hung up on the vast and seemingly unorganized list of sites. At least that's what I needed to do - get myself out of the old folder mindset and into the tag mindset. Once you have a number of sites listed and tags assigned, you can see that other people have tagged the same site. By following the links to those users, you can see what other sites they have bookmarked. Looking through those sites, you may find ones that fits your research needs that you didn't know about. Unfortunately, this can be addictive and you could find yourself immersed in new sites for big chunks of time. :-)

Is Del.icio.us just an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere?
No, although that is certainly one of its main uses. You might find a site at home that would be useful at work and vice versa. You might locate a source while traveling, at a friend's home, in an internet cafe, in an email that you would love to revist or checkout, but you are not at your computer or you don't have the time. Saving a site to del.icio.us lets it be accessible anywhere at any time. However, it is the social interaction, the potentials for discovery that make del.icio.us so valuable.

Can you see how public tags allow information discovery?
As I described above, by following tags to users to other sites, you can locate sources you previously did not know existed. In essence, we, the public, all of us, are helping each other discover new sources of information and entertainment.

Does this seem useful to you?
Sure, why not? It's perhaps not as focused as direct research, but discovery allows for a personal level of exploration and serendipity that focused research does not.

What was the most interesting thing you learned?
Hmmmm, well, the most interesting things I learned were that del.icio.us is not the most intuitive of sites and that tags are both a blessing and a curse. First, adding the del.icio.us buttons to your tool bar is absolutely the best move you can make. It is sooo easy to tag a site as you visit it. However, when looking at my favorites, I can see that sometimes, what appears instead of the site's title is it's URL, a confusing string of letters and numbers. So, be careful when you tag a site to make sure that the DESCRIPTION is the site's title. Believe me, you'll be much happier (Luckily, you can go back and edit it later, but getting into the habit of doing it as you tag the site just makes it easier.) Also, it is a shame that favorites cannot be sorted alphabetically; they can only be displayed chronologically, with the most recently added on top (don't site designers learn anything from libraries?)

Then there are the tags. Allowing multiple tags means that you can access a site from several different subjects, instead of the single one allowed in a folder arrangement (unless you put the same site in several folders.) And, you can choose tags that are meaningful to you. After all, not everyone thinks in LC subject headings. Now here comes the curse - with everyone using the keywords that they choose, you can have a site tagged with: blog, blogs, blogging, blogger, bloggers, Blog......you get the idea. It means that when you use a tag to search, you may have to search all variants of the tag to get a full range of sites. *can you say information overload?* Maybe there is a reason for those LC headings.

What are some of the ways in which the Arcadia Public Library can take advantage of social bookmarking sites?
1. Staff members can create their own lists of sites useful in their own work tasks. These can be assessible whether at their own work stations or at the public desks; in effect, all staff working at the Children's Desk, for example, can have access to their own favorites.
2. Staff can combine their favorites into a section del.icio.us list. Using tags, staff members can assign meaningful and individual keywords to each site.
3. Links on the Library's site can point to these section pages for the public to take advantage of the research expertise of informaiton professionals.

I didn't have time to check out any additional bookmarking sites - something for a future challenge? However, I have started to tag my messages in my gmail accounts. I can then archive those I really want to keep and delete those I really don't need; maybe I can get my inbox down to a manageable level (do you think 400+ messages is too much? for one account?) *sigh*

And finally (are you still with me?) the issue of tags is an important one. Many sites are already heavily into tags - LJ, Amazon, YouTube, Flickr, this blog are just some I use regularly. Some libraries are even starting to allow tagging in their catalogs. You know, the web and the way we use it is going to change with or without us, so perhaps we had better just go ahead and take that leap of faith. :-)