30- and proud of it!!!

Web 2.0 did offer me up some wonderful suprises!
I was very leary at first to try a new program and at the same time have to commit- it felt kind of felt like a blind date....... a little scary, and I didn't know what to expect. At first I couldn't wait to reach the finishing line. However, now with web 2.0 coming to an end I feel like there will be something missing- a little empty space in my heart : (
Web 2.0 took me to whole new virtual world that exists right beneath my very own nose. Through the exercises, I learned about plenty of educational and fun tools that are floating about on the net. I was able to grasp new ideas that will be beneficial to me when using the internet in today's world. Web 2.0 taught me to be confident in the unknown. I think Edison said it best "If we all did the things we were capable of doing we would literally astound ourselves." Astounded I am!
The only improvement I can think of is in regardance to the pace. It seemed the pace was set at fast. Maybe if an exercise was given every two weeks (vs. every week) less people would have felt flustered. But the exercises in general were very informative.

If there so happened to be another program like web 2.0 offered I would definately jump on it!

My Favs.........

My Favorite Exercises by far were 24,26 and 27.

Exercise 26 was great because I got to sit back and explore all the crazy, interesting and fun image generators out there. There were so many clever ones that made me think "wow, who would have thought." I've always ran by one while on the web, but I just didn't know the extent to how creative they could become. Nor did I know they actually had a term coined to them: Image Generators.

Exercise 27 allowed me to create my own on-line library using LibraryThing. It was great to be able to add books on my current shelf to my virtual shelf. It was also very handy to read the reviews of books in other peoples catalogs. LibraryThing is the "THING!!!"

Exercise 24 made me aware that Podcasting has become a world of it's own. Podcasts are a learning tool that communicate information to the listener solely by hearing. It's a whole new avenue that is rising in popularity, and glad I was able to participate in!


My Lifelong learning goals have forever changed thanks to web 2.0. 2.0 taught me to never be afraid of the unknown. The majority of these exercises were very new to me, and yes I was hestitate at first to explore all the exercises. I was not familar with many of the terms nor the on-line tools.......... the web can be a scary place you know!!!! But after jumping in head first I learned: if you set your mind on a goal........ if you can put your fears aside......... then you CAN and WILL achive it!

OOOhh Roolllllyooo...........

After exploring Rollyo I made up my mind that it is one of the best available time-saving tools out on the web.
When I need to do a random search, even if its an advanced search, I still find it to become a nuisance. Right when I click 'Search' numerous websites are pulled up. I suddenly find myself having to search again through all the websites looking for just that little piece of information.
Using Rollyo helps narrow down those websites to just few, a few that YOU pick. Plus, with all the websites out there you can sometimes run into trouble regarding accurate information. Rollyo helps solve that by letting you choose which websites YOU find to be be reliable. Like they say- sometimes too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.............but Rollyo makes it all good.

The 'THING' from the LIBRARY

I should have known a LibraryThing existed. It was fun to search for the books that I currently have on my book shelf and add them to an on-line catalog. I instantly was connected to other people that are interested and reading the same book I am. I was able to read what they thought of the same book and how they rated it. Also, I noticed the same people who shared my books had added books to their catalog that I too found interesting. I will eventually add some of their picks to join mine at my online Library http://www.librarything.com/catalog/tomnat

Mmmmmm Generators.......

This was a an exercise that made me crave more! The reason- I found a generator that let me create my own donut!!!!!!!!!! : (http://www.honeydewdonuts.com/bakery/bakery.html

Here I was able to create a Donut I call Nat's Specialty. I devised a donut base that consisted of sweet coconut all throughout. It was lightly sprinkled with powered sugar, and had banana icing and strawberry sprinkles for the top. Yes, of course, my donut was filled..... with a rich smooth Strawberry cream that is!

I couldn't pass up this generator because yes, I admit, I am a sweet tooth junkie. So how could I turn down the chance to create the ultimate of sweets- the glorius donut. I had such fun creating such a delicous donut...... just wish I could taste my efforts ; )

Podcast Away

After visiting the Library Channel I noticed that they arranged all their podcasts into an uniform order. They had plenty of podcasts pertaining to events, exhibits, news etc. It made it very easy to locate a podcast about a particular subject. When I visited Denvers Library podcasts I noticed they had songs and storytimes among other podcasts. I think podcasts are just another creative and useful tool to help interact our patrons with the Library. The storytime podcasts are extremely helpful to kids. Podcasts utilize one of our most important senses- Listening!!!! Through podcasts storytimes can teach children how valuable listening really is........ not to mention how fun!!!!!

Tuberific!!!!

You tube is great because you, me, anyone can have their 10 seconds of fame. It's great that anyone no matter who you are can create a video and share it with the world. No previous acting skills or producing skills are necessary to submit a video. You don't have to be a Tom Cruise or a Reese Witherspoon to become famous these days.
When I went to You tube I found a video that demonstrated how to prepare and properly cook asparagus. I have never cooked asparagus before and was a little hesitate to try it. It was great to be able to actually WATCH someone on how to prepare it rather than hunt through a cooking book. After watching the video I felt more self-assured I could do it afterwards. I found it easier and more enjoyable to sit back and actually SEE how to cook up some mean asparagus!
YouTube would be great in the library because Librarians can actually demonstrate useful and informative knowledge to our patrons. For example........ showing how to sign up for a Library card, how to use the on-line catalog, or even how to locate a book through the dewy decimal system and much, much more!!!!!

Podcast

I went to Podcastalley.com and found all sorts of podcasts on various subjects at my fingertips. I found a podcast that talked about the top five tips on how women can lose weight fast, without starving.
What I liked about the tips via podcast vs. reading them in a book is that I felt like I took part of the conversation. The host asked all the questions that a typical viewer like me would question. Without hesitation the guest expert was able to immediately explain his reasoning. Sometimes the downside with reading a book is that you just get that authors point of view with no ifs, ands or buts. I can see where podcasting can be a useful to to Libraries. Podcasting (a.k.a. live conversation) is a fresh new way to spread and acquire knowledge.

Map this!

I really liked the idea of Mappr, one of Flickr's mashups. It makes you feel like your on a mini-vacation all while in the comfort of your own home. I really did feel like I was on a cross country trip while looking at Mappr's Route 66 pictures. Mappr is now my go to place when I need a getaway and want to do a little sightseeing. Bonus: I save on gas!

tagging...tagging...tagging.....

Tagging is very important in Flickr. Tagging allows people to easily categorize their photos hassle free. By simply assigning a generic word to a photo you can find and retrieve it with much ease later on. Tagging is like a big filing cabinet. Flickr-Tagging= Chaos.
Flickr creates a community by photosharing. What is so unique about Flickr is it groups your photos with other photos characteristic with same similarities. When I searched for dachshunds on Flickr, like I said down under, I found numerous dachshund pictures all tagged under Dachshund. So I was able to see plenty of dachshunds sporting their usual attire all while enjoying a laugh at the same time.

FANTASTIC FLICKR

After exploring Flickr, I found a pic that comes close to heart. I have a double dapple dachshund( that's a tongue twister!) named Dixie (a.k.a. wiener dog) So it was a given I was going to search for Dachshunds in Flickr. I found a very interesting photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/xeni/517216882/ . It was a picture of a sign prohibiting animals taken at a Guatemalan restaurant. Monkeys, parrots, and of course rats were pictured. However, I was not prepared for a silhouette of a dachshund. Apparently in Guatemala there are wild jungle dachshunds- who would have thought!?
That's the beauty of Flickr- if I had not come across that particular picture I would have never even thought that dachshunds were so common in central America.
I think Flickr is fantastic!!!! You can see cities, states, countries, just about anything that you might not ever have the opportunity of seeingor visiting. You get to see various places, people, or things up close and personal that an encyclopedia or a t.v show could never achieve. You could even plan a vacation around Flickr. For instance, you might be planning to go to England but are not quite sure what places to see. You have travel books and all, but still want a closer look. While viewing other people's pictures of England, particular pictures taken by them might pop out at you and make you say "hmmmm, that looks like a great spot to sight see at, that food at that restaurant looks amazing, that museum looks very interesting." You take your vacation, snap numerous shots and now you too can post them on flickr for all friends and family to enjoy. You can even get crafty by making stamps, moo cards, calendars, and books out of your pics. You can have all sorts of fun with flickr- like they say a picture provides a thousand words : )

Perfect PEERtrainer

PEERtrainer was a perfect pick for the web 2.0 Awards. You can go to PEERtrainer and instantly connect with other people who are looking to lose weight, stay fit, and concentrate on leading a healthy lifestyle. Since this is the beginning of the new year, I can only imagine how many members there are. So now would be the perfect time to put some action behind that New Years talk of finally losing those extra pounds and just DO IT!!!!!
You can go to PEERtrainer and either start your own group consisting of friends you already know or join an already existing team of people. Everyone there all has the same goal: to lose weight and get into shape. You can go there for support, nutrition tips, or simply to share your stories. Everyone stays connected to eachother through their own individual log. You can write about what you ate, what you did for exercise, obstacles you ran into that day and any food hurdles you had to overcome. Your personal log is accessible to everyone in your group. Therefore they can read and stay updated to how your coming alone and offer support when needed. Plus it's all FREE!!!!! Sign me up!

Technorati the Fisherman

When searching popular blogs I found it to be very interesting on what people are currently searching for. It took me off guard when I found that people are interested in new age technologies and pharmacy. I just didn't think that people would be sooo interested in curved TVs or electronic zit zappers. Though, it was great to know that people do still want to educate themselves about health. On the other hand, one very popular blog post I was not surprised by was that of money- cause who doesn't want to learn how to make an extra dime every now and then.
When I plugged in web 2.0 in the three search engines each one linked me to different blogs. When typing web 2.0 in the tag search engine I pulled up blogs that vaguely talked about 2.0 vs. the blog search engine where I pulled up blogs that more directly referred to Web 2.0. I think Technorati is great!!!!! With all those blogs floating around out there you need someone to go fish for similar ones. That's where Technorati comes in....... once caught they can be organized and more easily accessible to the many bloggers in the sea.

bookmark away...........

With Del.icio.us bookmarking becomes a breeze. I think it's a wonderful tool because it can help organize your favorite websites, which allows you to find and access them with ease. By tagging your websites, it can simply narrow down your sites to a simple keyword. I could personally benefit from this because I know when I click my favorites button a whole list comes up. I then have to weed through them all to find what I'm looking for. I have allot of favorites so it becomes a huge hassle to hunt for a particular site, not to mention valuable time I waste.
I also love the fact that Del.icio.us is social. Social bookmarking can really benefit allot of people. You can become aware of valuable information you might not have been aware of thanks to another person who bookmarked that site. So, it can assist you in research you might be doing. The social aspect is great too. It's kind of like leaving breadcrumbs for others to follow and in turn picking up the crumbs they left behind for you. The end result is you being led straight to a valubale website.

Myspace Welcome Mats

I have a myspace account and I do enjoy it. It can be intimidating because myspace is such a large community now. Once you start making friends though it becomes a much more smaller virtual world. A big plus is the fact that it's very user friendly- they have a large help section that addresses all possible questions you might have. It's a nice way to publicly express yourself creatively- the possibilities become endless!!!!
It's an easy way to stay in touch with friends and get updated on what's going on in their neck of the world without much effort at all. If you want to check in with someone but just don't have the time to call all's you have to do is drop them a quick one liner like "how u doooing?" You'll get an answer when they find it convenient. It saves time for both people. In such a fast paced world it can become a life saver by helping you stay connected with your friends.
It's fun to go on and look at your friends profiles to see what they have been up to and vice a versa. The only thing I find negative about it is that your friends do expect an answer back a.s.a.p. if they drop you a line- so you do have to constantly check in. I also feel I have to constantly renovate my space to keep it interesting, which can be time consuming. All in all it's fun because you feel that there are welcome mats at everyones my space door. It can become your virtual home!!!

Go Right Ahead VBPL

I feel VBPL should use social networking to connect with teens. There is no harm in marketing the library on myspace for example. Many bands and businesses do so why shouldn't the Public Library jump into that circle too. There no harm in opening our doors to the patrons on-line. We our a public Library so we should be publicly open to all people including those in the virtual world.
I think by taking that step were showing the younger generation that we can still talk the talk and walk the walk even though were a library. We would be putting ourselves in their shoes and seeing things through their perspective. Relating to others always makes friends and creates a bond of trust. The Library is built on trust and we can use this trust to help educate patrons.
There is so much negativity surrounding social networking due to cyber-bulling and predators. We could transform this bad and turn it into good by be being a moral pillar. VBPL using a social network, in short, will reach a whole new group of people that already have access to social networking. This will allow us to make more friends........ and isn't that what social networking is all about : )

14,14,14!!!

It's great there's a place like staff Picks where you can go and get ideas for a possible next read and share your thoughts about your currant read. I found it was very easy to post about my book. Alls I had to click was the edit button and off I went on posting about my book. I just had to click save and then I was all set and done. Very simple! When all was done, it was nice to sit back and read all the great book reviews that others have posted.
Wikis are very useful and can be used for numerous topics. Libraries can use them to start book clubs, get opinions from patrons for up-coming events and share info on up-coming events. Wikis can join people together to socialize that would otherwise never have.

Wonderful World of Wiki

Wiki??? what's a Wiki?......... was the first thing that came to thought before exploring this weeks exercise. I had no clue what a wiki was. Fortunately, after learning what one is I found them to be extremely useful. I always believed two heads worked better than one. So when I learned a Wiki generates numerous people to work together and share knowledge amongst each other I said to myself....... right on!!! Information is always changing and knowledge is always increasing so it's hard to stay on top of it- especially if only a few individuals are responsible. When you have a large quantity of people that are willing to up-date and edit in new information on a web page it helps keep everything as currant as possible. This sharing of ones '2 sense' can benefit all the users and members, like it does in Wikipedia.
Libraries too can gain from a Wiki. For example the Book Lovers Wiki is a great idea. It encourages people to share their opinion about a certain book. It creates a sense of community amongst people who share common interests. When I think of a Wiki, I now get the picture that it's a place to go to and share your knowledge knowing that other people got your back.

A Good Mix Indeed

IM and Library Reference makes a good combination from what I witnessed. My experience with Ask the Library was a pleasant one. I asked a question and within seconds I got a friendly response. A librarian introduced herself which made it personal right off the bat. I quickly received an answer to my "where might I find books regarding quotes by famous people?" I was given some call numbers and was even asked if I was looking for any in particular quotes. I was impressed how smoothly reference IM went!
Later I talked to a librarian in IM reference about their experience. I learned that it was a whole new avenue for them but they generally enjoy it. I was told they sometimes get impatient people that ask a question and within minutes of hearing no response log off. On a more positive note, they will get patrons who need in depth help. For instance, I was told of a girl who was doing homework and had numerous questions. She said that she might have a few more and might still need their help. Instead of just answering the few she already had asked and move on, they stood on stand by until she gave the O.K that she no longer needed assistance. If that's not quality customer service than I don't know what is!!!!

Library + IM = Good

Libraries that are currently using IM messaging are on the right track!!! I think it's a great idea incorporating IM messaging with our patrons. It's a whole new ball game, but an exciting one at that! SO MANY people IM today, therefore we should attract SO Many of those patrons that do use IM on an everyday basis. Libraries that don't use IM communication should. IM allows for close interaction between the librarian and the patron but it never gets too personal as a phone conversation would. This allows the patron to feel more comfortable and at ease to freely ask questions. On the other end it is an advantage to the Librarian because they do not have to give a long drawn out explanation that a phone conversation or e-mail would require. IM messaging is precise and gets to the point. Another great factor about IM messaging is you immediately know if that recipient is available- you don't have those 'but's' or 'what if's' to worry about. 2 BIG thumbs up for IM Messaging!!