Tall, Dark and Awesome

As this blog moves from the professional arena to the personal, it is only fitting that I begin posting about my favorite actor, who is the inspiration for my nom de plume - the one and only Dale Midkiff.

As you can see, Dale is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. He is tall (6'3") and lanky with legs that just go on forever. His eyes are dark blue and his voice, which ranges from a rich baritone to a caressing near-whisper, is like fine whiskey covered in dark chocolate. He has a sweet half-smile that delights my heart and a full-on grin that lights up the world.

His early career roles included Elvis in the mini series "Elvis and Me" and the big screen adaptation of a Steven King novel, "Pet Semetary."

Since then, he has appeared in thrillers, action-adventures, romantic comedies, and "chick flicks," as well as guest starring in a number of television series.

My first glimpse of him was in the TV series "The Magnificent Seven," adapted from the big screen movie, about seven complex, hard men who band together to defend first an Indian village and then a Western town and in the process become companions in arms, friends, brothers.

This is Buck Wilmington, Ladies Man, scoundrel, rogue, tough gunhand.

He has a heart of gold as big as the West and a love of all things life brings his way. He adores women, all women, and flirts shamelessly. He is handsome and charming and easily secures a parade of lovelies into his bed. But there is more to Buck than wine, women and song. He is a good man to have at your side when danger threatens, he is fiercely loyal, and he is the best friend a man could wish for.

Buck is both tough and tender, a strong man who is not afraid to show his emotions, to be vulnerable.

When I first saw the series, this was the look that captured my heart. Yes, Tall, Dark and Awesome had me at the opening credits.

My other favorite roles Dale has played are:

Darien Lambert in "Time Trax." Darien is a dedicated cop from 2193, who returns to our time to locate criminals, fugitives from justice who have escaped to the past, and return them to face their fate. He travels only with a computer nicknamed Selma, who is disguised as a credit card and who is both helper and friend. Darien is a full-out, straight-laced hero and at the same time a man who has left all he knows behind to seek justice. He displays both humor and naivite along with strength, judgement, heart, and determination.

Clark Davis in "Love Comes Softly" and its sequels.

Marty Claridge is a young woman reluctantly headed west with her husband, Aaron to start a new life. A runaway horse kills Aaron suddenly, leaving Marty far from home and in a sea of strangers. Adrift in her tragedy, Marty has no means of caring for herself until Clark offers to marry her and care for her until she can return to the East. Clark needs a mother for his ten-year-old daughter, who is determined to foil all of Marty’s attempts at kindness. In a place where all hope seems lost, Marty discovers love is found in the most unlikely of places. Love doesn't always come with fireworks. Sometimes, love just comes softly.

Clark is a man of quiet, unshakeable faith, whose gentleness, sincerity, and strength lead Marty to a new life, a new love, a new family.

Gus Martin in "Back to You and Me." Successful doctor Syd Ludwig receives an invitation to her twentieth high school reunion. But that means returning to the petty squabbles of her rural hometown roots, reacquainting herself with Gus Martin, the fondly remembered childhood sweetheart she left behind, and reuniting with her estranged mother Helen. When the prodigal success arrives in Bloomfield, she’s surprised to find her family home turned into a B&B run by her mother. Syd’s also taken aback by her still deep feelings for Gus, now a widower with a six-year-old son. As a weekend of personal and professional revelations unfold, and as unexpected romance blossoms, Syd discovers more about herself, her past, and the possibilities of the heart than she ever imagined.

Gus is handsome and sensitive and is raising his son alone. Despite often being ill with a condition doctors are unable to diagnose, Jake is sweet, smart, and his father's delight. Having given up on love, Gus is amazed at the good fortune that has brought Syd back into his life.

Robert Lee in "Debating Robert Lee." Robert Lee is a tough, no nonsense debate teacher, schooled at the Georgia Military Academy, who comes into a classroom of high school misfits and proceeds to challenge and inspire them.

But though Robert long ago steered through and past the dangerous straits of adolescence, he harbors a secret pain he's never fully come to terms with - but he must, finally, now.

The outcome challenges the public lives of both students and teacher, and draw forth their private selves. Each finds in himself, herself, a new voice, one that compels us to listen.

Robert is at once both strong individual and conflicted son. He has never been able to confront is father with the fact that he is gay. This gulf between father and son is made more poignant by the fact that the elder Lee is ill with cancer. Dale's bringing to life this unique, damaged, hopeful, complex man is perhaps his finest acting performance, though I admittedly find it almost impossible to choose among such rich portrayals.

Well, there he is. Dale. Tall, Dark, and Awesome indeed.

What's in a Name?

When I first started the Challenge, like many of you, I thought to remain anonymous. So, what would be my new identity? While pondering this question, I thought about my favorite actor (hard not to do that since there are photos of him all over my office!). I didn't want to use his name, so I thought about my two favorites of the characters he has played - Buck (Magnificent Seven) and Darien (Time Trax.) I love alliteration, so I first came up with BucksBabes. Ah, perhaps not terribly appropriate and also there is a Yahoo Group that I belong to with that name. Sooo, I tried several alliterative Darien combinations and suddenly, I thought of DariensDarlin (Darlin' being one of Buck's favorite words) Hey, I got both of the characters in there! :-) Thus my email account was created, and my nom-de-plume, Darien.

Now came the problem of a blog name. Still lovin' the alliteration, I tried all sorts of Buck and Darien combos, all to no avail. Basically, they all stunk.

Suddenly, the word scoundrel popped into my head. Buck is often described as a scoundrel in fanfiction, which I read lots of. He's not a scoundrel, of course, but I thought that perhaps I could be considered so. Once I had scoundrel, scribblings just seemed a perfect fit.

Voila! A Scoundrel's Scribblings was born and I was now a blogger!

My story is not terribly philosophical or literate (except for the alliteration bit), it has no redeeming social value, and is of interest probably only to me. However, it is very personal.

So, I have bared all (so to speak) and given the reasoning behind my blog name. Who's next?

Week 12 - Final Reflections

It is hard to believe that the 2.0 Challenge is over. It has been so much a part of my life for the last 5 months that it will be hard to let it go. And yet, all things must come to an end, so I also find that I am ready to move on.

What was the most important thing that you learned? Why?
Do I have to limit myself to one thing? First, I learned that this staff is an incredibly creative and insightful group (see my previous post) Professionally, I learned that there is an unbelievably rich and varied number of 2.0 tools out in there in cyberspace and that we have barely scratched the surface. I need to be much more involved on a daily basis, because it is easy to fall very far behind very quickly. Personally, I found out that I could be less resistant to change (at least some change) and more willing to just throw myself into a tool or site and play. Play is a great way to learn.

What was the most challenging exercise? Why?
None of the exercises was particularly difficult, though many were time consuming (and a few outright addictive.) Multimedia was challenging because there was so much to do, so I am glad we decided to extend the time frame by an extra week. MySpace was probably the worst. I just hated the site, found it annoying and confusing to use, and needed a bit of help to get through it.

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises?
RSS was a revelation to me. Now I cannot live without my Bloglines account. I am also using Google Reader as well for professional feeds. I was already addicted to YouTube, so I enjoyed that exploration tremendously. After at first dismissing GoogleDocs, I just may have found a personal use for it. Now I just have to find the time. And actually, I enjoyed and/or learned something from almost everything we did.

How can the Arcadia Public Library use these technologies to deliver or improve library services?
I feel strongly that there are many web 2.0 tools we could use for both public and staff benefit. Our catalog and website can both be improved by adding a variety of content. Some apps are easily implemented, however others require monetary outlay and staff time. In some cases a lot of staff time. With both money and staff already tightly stretched, priorities need to be determined and some current projects, services, etc. let go in favor of new and potentially better ones. And, we need to recognize that just because we can do something, it doesn't mean we should.

Here are some of my previous suggestions:

Blogging: We could have a Director's blog that would give the public the big picture viewpoint. Adult and Children's Services could blog about new acquisitions, databases, websites, story time themes, authors, National Whatever Week, etc. YA services could be another blog. We could have blogs on technology, ESL, gov docs (hey, David's already done this!), local history, the Museum, etc. We could have a volunteer blog highlighting accomplishments of current volunteers, projects, volunteer opportunities. We could have book reviews or a "what the staff is reading" blog. We could have a Friends blog which could include projects, fund-raising opportunities, programs, newsletter. How about a Book Discussion blog to take the experience online and open it up to more people?

Most importantly, we need to open our blogs to comments. The community would feel much more invested in the library if they could participate. In fact, user driven content is the entire basis for web 2.0.

RSS Feeds: Adding RSS feeds is, to my mind, one of the most valuable web 2.0 tools of all. Currently, we cannot achieve this due to problems with our content manager. I'm still not sure if this is money or technology driven, but it should be a #1 priority to solve. It would be invaluable to patrons who would not have to check back again and again to see if there was something new. If our blog (or blogs :-) ) were set up as RSS feeds, patrons could subscribe to those they found most interesting or helpful - new books, what the staff is reading, etc. Perhaps the most valuable might be program/event feeds. Patrons could then subscribe to Kids and Tweens, Teen, or Adult Programming feeds. Or, perhaps Friends or Museum events. The possibilities are almost endless. Staff can also utilize RSS feeds to keep in touch with professional journals, blogs, news, technology information. Again limitless possibilities.

Tagging/Deli.cio.us: Staff members can create their own lists of sites useful in their own work tasks. These can be accessible 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. Public services staff can put their favorite sites on del.icio.us and make them available for the public to take advantage of the research expertise of information professionals.

Wikis: The Library policy manual and section procedure manuals could be utilized as wikis.

Images: Jackie is already doing a fabulous job creating and maintaining the Library's Flickr 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.

Online Productivity Tools: Internal uses - Monthly Statistical Report, Volunteer Database, Incident Report, Section Documents (i.e. SRP documents) For the public, recommending GoogleDocs as an alternative to Word.

YouTube: We could have vids of concerts, Friends' programs, events, story times, etc. Perhaps even a video tour of the Library. Using YouTube, they could be embedded on our website, in blogs, etc.

Podcasts: Some possibilities for podcasts include: Book Discussion groups for anyone who was unable to attend, staff and teen book reviews, Friends' programs.

LibraryThing: LibraryThing (or other third party products such as Aquabrowser) would offer added dimension, information, and functionality to our catalog and provide an experience similar to many websites with which patrons are very familiar, including IMDB, Amazon, etc. It might be fun to have a staff LibraryThing group. Just like the favorites wiki, it is another way to learn a bit more about your fellow staff members and might be a bit of a morale booster to share interests with each other.

Social Networking Sites: Remember what I said about just because we could do something, it doesn't mean that we should?

How successful was the “self-directed” learning model? Is this a useful way of encouraging staff development?

From my perspective it was hugely successful. Setting aside time for meetings and workshops is very difficult considering our schedules. A "self-directed" learning program allows staff to work at their own pace and at the times that fir their schedules. This is definitely something we should continue.

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

I think this program was the very best we could make it. However, if we decide to do something similar in the future, I would like to try a 4-week program and explore just two types of tools, using 2 weeks for each. Then, I would take 2 months off and do another 4-week program. I think everyone was tired by the end of 12 weeks. Although it may be possible to streamline the support materials or exercises, I strongly believe it is important to really get a feel for the tool, not just stop in, look around quickly, and move on. I also think it is important to reflect on what you discovered and experienced. Although I sometimes wanted to never write another reflection again, the process helps to reinforce what you learned and gives the opportunity for suggestions for use (or not) of the tool in a library setting.

If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again choose to participate?

Are you kidding? Shiny! Sign me up.

There. That's it. Done. Last post.

Well, maybe not.........

Airport Security

I had to share this as I have just been through airport security. *snerfle*

Reflections from "The Vision Place of Souls"

I arrived last night in Gettysburg, and as I do every evening I am not involved in an event or the weather is inclement, I visited a few favorite places on "this deathless field" to "ponder and to dream" in the words of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. I usually end by visiting Little Round Top to watch the sun hit South Mountain in the distance and then the Angle, near where my General Garnett was killed, to watch the sunset. No sunset tonight as the sky was overcast, but it is a place ripe for reflection, so I find it particularly appropriate to begin this post here.

When I was approached about the Library 2.0 Challenge, my first thought was: How exciting! I had been using several web 2.0 tools for months for personal use - YouTube, Photobucket. I had even attended a workshop, though I hadn't gone back to any of the sites I had joined *my bad*, but I had not explored many of the new tools popping up almost daily and had little understanding how they might be used in a library setting. My second thought was: This is going to be a lot of work!

And so it was. Both exciting and a lot of work. :-)

Just prior to the launch of the Challenge, I spoke with another organizer and we speculated on whether or not staff would be willing to engage in this challenge to discover, explore, reflect, even play. We hoped for maybe 10-15 participants. I was so amazed and delighted that we had over 30 staff members create blogs. We have lost a few along the way for a variety of reasons, but many of you have struggled and carried on. I can unequivocally state that I am so very, very proud of everyone. I have marveled at your creativity, your humor, your forthrightness, and your hard work. I have been tickled, excited, frustrated, tired, enthusiastic, thoughtful, miffed, determined. I have learned a bit more about my co-workers from the favorites wiki, your personal photos, and your insights. I learned a lot about myself *go me!* I learned about many web 2.0 tools I had little or no experience with and also about how much there still is to learn. I learned there are some I loved and now can't do without. I learned that some I had initially dismissed I now think I may wind up using after all. I also learned there were some I hated and want to have nothing more to do with. :-) And I am more willing to jump in and explore something new. I have learned to be less confrontational about change *who knew?* And I played - a lot!

I truly believe in the quote I shared from the introduction to the Challenge blog: "Nothing is a waste of time if it adds to the person you are." I hope this experience added to the people you all are.

I hope that from this shared journey, we don't lose what we have begun. I hope some of you keep your blogs (I would hate for all that creativity, wit, and insight to disappear) and continue to share your thoughts and experiences with each other. I hope that perhaps, whatever 2.0 tools we use in the professional sense (and boy, did you all have some great suggestions - and cautions!), that we use some tools just for us. That we perhaps create a staff blog to discuss real life work experiences. That we maybe create a staff LibraryThing group to share our own reading suggestions, etc. That we perhaps create a group to encourage each other in getting and/or keeping fit (I loved that suggestion. I'm in. I need all the encouragement and pushing I can get. I need to get back to my gym 'cause I have let my fitness lapse completely. Boy, you know you are in trouble when your former PT actually calls you and asks where the heck you have been!)

This isn't truly a Final Reflections post. I will actually answer the questions in Part 2. But I wanted to thank you all for going on this journey. It has been amazing.

Week Eleven - Explore and Play

Since this is the week to really just have fun, I thought I would play with a couple of image generators, as I am fascinated what can be done with images.

I started off with Easystreet, which allows you to create your own street signs. There are three sizes, five languages, and even MySpace and Live Journal codes so that you can insert your signs into those sites. Or, you can do as I did - simply create your sign, save it to your computer, and then upload it to your blog.

Not earth shattering, perhaps, but I found it fun. After all, who wouldn't want their very own street?

I then moved on to Trading Card Maker, one of Big Huge Labs large stable of image generators. On this site, you can create trading cards of your favorite TV casts, motion pictures, pets, friends, even library staff! What fun.

So, I made one for me:

And one for a friend:

After playing with images for a while, I decided perhaps I had better look at something library-related. So, naturally, being a reader and a cataloger, I headed straight for LibraryThing.

LibraryThing is a website where you can "catalog" the books in your own library and connect with others who share the same interests. Here is my LibraryThing Bookshelf

What are some of the features you particularly liked?
I liked being able to "see" my books as a "catalog"; as a cataloguer, this is not surprising, eh? I can now search and inventory what I have. However, there is a limit of 200 books on a free account. I have way more than 200 books, and I am not going to pay for an account, so already I see little use in continuing with LibraryThing.

The other main component of LibraryThing is to connect with others sharing your interests via tags (you have already read enough of my feelings on tagging) and groups. I did join Librarians Who LibraryThing, checked out some messages, and really didn't see anything I felt like discussing or contributing to. I looked at several other groups on SF, Fantasy, Tolkien, Harry Potter, and history. Once again, nothing I particularly cared about joining. I have other ways to connect with like-minded folks, so this just seems superfluous. I notice that this post is turning into another negative one, rather than describing features I liked. Sorry. Part of the problem is that I already have an active life on the web and all these social networks are fine for those who don't or who are looking for ways to connect with others. I am already connected, so many of these sites are just time-wasters for me. Obviously, I don't have the right mind-set for the social side of Web 2.0. :-(

Did you find it difficult to use?
Not at all. LibraryThing was very easy to use. I catalogued 23 books for my library, added a user pic, and joined a group all without any problem at all.

What LibraryThing features would work well in the library's catalog?
I am not certain that any particular features would work with our catalog. However, there is a version called LibraryThing for Libraries that might be useful. After checking out several libraries who use this third party product, LibraryThing for Libraries would utilize the database created by "LibraryThingers" to provide a tag cloud (enough with the tags!) and suggestions for similar book titles a patron might like. There are other third party products, such as Aquabrowser that would do something similar. These products would offer added dimension, information, and functionality to our catalog and provide an experience similar to many websites with which patrons are very familiar, including IMDB, Amazon, etc.

Are there other ways the library could use LibraryThing?

It might be fun to have a staff LibraryThing account, with staff able to add their favorites from their own libraries. Just like the favorites wiki, it is another way to learn a bit more about your fellow staff members and might be a bit of a morale booster to share interests with each other, though the 200 book limit would be a bit of a problem.

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.