#18 Zoho

i did a post. i attempted to publish through the blog, but it was having technical difficulties (three attempts but no success) but was able to get html code (i hope!?)

http://export.writer.zoho.com/ZExport.do (a link)

#16 and #17 Wikki wikki woo

The concept of a wiki is quite cool. I've always thought it an interesting practice to edit content, etc and that's why i was mesmerized by Wikipedia when it first started growing in reputation. I had a go with adding my blog to the list of wiki'ed blogs and also put in a couple of vegetarian/vegan restaurants on the PLCMC wiki which lets you talk about your favorite restaurant, etc. A great little tool when used in ways which don't undermine the truth, threaten cultural identities and histories, or offer false information in general.

#15 Web2.0 (Library(ian) 2.0 reflections)

Rick Anderson says: "No profession can survive if it throws its core principles and values overboard in response to every shift in the zeitgeist. However, it can be equally disastrous when a profession fails to acknowledge and adapt to radical, fundamental change in the marketplace it serves. At this point in time, our profession is far closer to the latter type of disaster than it is to the former. We need to shift direction, and we can’t wait for the big ship of our profession to change course first. It’s going to have to happen one library—one little boat—at a time."

I think this is a brilliant commentary on the importance of Web2.0 and the need to make intelligent, user-centric decisions which will help the library services grow in such a way which will allow users to have personally defined appropriate access to the services on offer. Taking this a step further, Michael Stephens states "“the Library is human” because it makes the library a social and emotionally engaging center for learning and experience. Librarian 2.0, then, is the “strategy guide” for helping users find information, gather knowledge and create content." What a great commentary on the flexibility and malleability of library services through time. As long as the library continues to listen to and keep in touch with the 'patron environment' and the living breathing organism which it is (its wants, desires and needs) then maintaining a legitimate service as technologies advance and demographics fluctuate can be first nature. It takes a whole team together to create such a service environment to fulfill the general needs (not every one, unfortunately, can have everything they want all of the time) of the public. Matching appropriate technology with services (such as paying for overdue fines, lost fees, etc online with a credit card instead of having to front up to the counter and admit to the $189 or so fines that have accrued because of an insolent teenager or rogue partner). we can never know why a patron gets all feisty on us, but making their lives easier, so in turn our work lives are less stressful and smoother (even happier!) because we are easing their minds. Sometimes, and it can be hard to admit, it is better for us to work a bit harder initially to have an outcome that will benefit every one and make life easier... a conundrum for some, even paradoxical, for those who cannot understand putting in a lot of work dealing with bureaucracy and time (which we never seem to have enough of) when we want to do something contrary because it seems more logical or easier on us, but playing 'their' game in the end will benefit every one.. or at least this outcome is the hope... ahh hopes and dreams. what else is there to hold onto when one's work environment is all in... what? disorder? chaos? these aren't such bad things really.. Tom Barrett (which one, I'm not sure- the politician, the doctor?) said “Chaos in the world brings uneasiness, but it also allows the opportunity for creativity and growth" which I do wholeheartedly believe.. and maybe this is because I'm a 7-- an eternal optimist... only good can come out of what goes on in the world-- eventually..

I'm probably off topic a wee bit (digressions are lovely, aren't they?) so I'll end this post here.

gracias!

#14 Technorati and blogging management

so i did the assignment.. or discovery tool... to search Learning 2.0 through tags, blog directory and blog posts. the tags and blog directory were v. different. formatting alone (page layout & whatnot) were different and the wee blurbs on the blog directory weren't as helpful as the tag search option which gave a decent synopsis. then doing the keyword search after brought up varied results as well... it just shows that tagging requires an organized way of labelling something.. (also known as folksonomies) to tag an object with the exact phrase which we're searching helps us when the bot web crawls searching for appropriate hits, but if the tagging isn't consistent or up to date, then results can vary... or if the crawler works differently for different search types.. don't know the logistics of it, however.

when i did the second part of the discovery exercise (explore popular searches, etc) it isn't much of a surprise that people are searching popular persons, sport, intrigue, current events *the fires in Cali*, and facebook... ah facebook.. the 'new' uber cool thing to do when social networking on the web.. not surprising at all...

el fin.
adios.
buenas noches.

#13 de.li.cious (or something :) )

I read through the informal, yet entertaining, narrative from the "us.ef.ul" link about how to sign up and use de.licio.us. it is fairly straight forward and i was able to create an account, but will have to wait until i can get back to my work desk computer to download the bookmark tabs for saving those webpages found (i hope it won't prevent me from downloading, which is quite possible).

i, as with rollyo, am not a huge fan of the whole creating an organized system for my bookmarks. i keep very few bookmarks, and even when doing research for an assignment at uni, i tend to make a folder with an appropriate title and just whack all those need-to-remember pdf file pages, etc into that folder, then delete the lot when finished with it. I spend most my time on the computer organizing digital photos, using photoshop, going into email accounts to keep in touch with my family and friends in the states and abroad and to access Facebook for that same social reason. i'm a reader, and sometimes get caught up in a page i've stumbled upon, but mostly i like to spend my time reading books...the turning of each page in anticipation for what's to come, the excitement of picking up the book when you've had a break.... and besides: i get a headache eventually from looking at the computer screen too long.

i like the concept of tagging for when a search needs to be made metadata does make life easier (hence the whole LC index which organizes everything for us)... metadata is a great concept, but i'll leave that to the database creaters and taggers who like to do the tagging.

i am more than aware of how this tool can help people, especially those in the information management fields or any other extensive researcher (just thought of Caroline Wilkinson when she spoke of 10 years of research about dragons; imagine her file system!!) who may enjoy using the internet. but as the guy on us.ef.ul said, he hadn't heard of many historians taking advantage of this tool... wonder if that has changed over time?

it's amazing how wise children are!

I received my first email notification of a blog update from Library Bytes (aka Helen Blowers from the PLCMC in the US). It has a link to a new video put out by Aarhus Public Libraries in Denmark (some of you may have come across this library for it's innovative and interactive vision for a contemporary library experience). This new video is called Xperimentarium: Workshop of children's ideas *which you can watch by clicking there*. As quoted from the Library Bytes text in the email sent to me "the takeaways from all these ideas are the themes of " active spaces", "engaging activities", "fun" and "play" - which when you come to think about it, are really the most important esential [sic] elements for creating meaningful learning."

Have a look at the video and be inspired! It is truly wonderful to see children being allowed a voice within their community, given a forum that isn't a round-table-adult-like set-up but one which is entirely hands-on, integrative and interactive. I am more than inspired--- makes me wish I could speak Danish, move to Europe and be a part of the new space they are building for 2014!

#11 and #12 -- build your own library

I've completed this task, but have not gone all the way into it as i am already a member of "iread" on Facebook which documents books read, favorites, books reading, ranking systems, reviews, etc. Obviously this application is available only to those on Facebook, but rather than start another list and having to remember the books i've read in my life time all over again, i thought i'd do that task and then move on.

Neat concept though.

rollyo could be a good idea for some people-- list makers, organized folk and the like.. however, not for me.. i know what i like and i go to it quickly and effortlessly just like i mentioned below about blogline. i don't do a lot of searching on the net. mostly it's a recipe or a conversion from farenheit to celsius so i can bake something. i created a rollyo with only three links-- the post punk kitchen website, the author's blog for the post punk kitchen and your restaurant.com .

not really interested in this tool. but have done the task.

whew! that brings me up to the October tasks finally!

task #10 --now this is fun!

Immediate responses with visible outcomes-- am I impatient, not in all circumstances, but when it comes to the web i definitely can be... here are some things i played around with:


Blues Name Generator:




'Washboard' Agnes Beech



Street Sign Generator:
and last but not least... the Pocket Emo! Feed him, name him and overall be emotive with him!

his name is Kurtis.


and then there is the Bob Dylan poster generator. I like this one. I remember watching this music video on the SBS channel when they showed a doco on Dylan. Good stuff.

then there is the M&M character generator

or the south park generator!

there are of course SOOOO many more generators. GO HERE: http://generatorblog.blogspot.com/

that's it for now!!!

My tasks are all over the place... #8

I am not so sure about RSS feeds-- and this reasoning is mostly because I'm not one to spend heaps of time online reading something (maybe this is the GenY in me popping through). The only time I go through the news is the quick pull down tab that SBS and BBC news provides in Firefox or when I google something I need for say a recipe or a quick check on something (like dictionary.com). I don't spend heaps of time online 'informating' myself. It's more about the social aspect of things unless I absolutely MUST look up something. I like using Facebook and Myspace (if I ever use that b/c it's not as cool as Facebook anymore! oh how quickly things change.. how fickle even.) and checking my email accounts, skyping with friends and family and just keeping tabs. However, if I did this correctly, here is a way to subscribe to my Blogline and see what I might, maybe won't?, keep tabs on:



or you can go here: http://www.bloglines.com/public/Leonee


I'm not a huge fan. I think it's because it takes too much reading (again GenY of me?) to figure it out... not straightforward. Example, I can't share my blogline (there isn't a 'share' tab like the Learning2.0 blog shows their should be, and when I attempt to make public my info, save and then exit, the info isn't saved and I go back into the account and change it again... and again.. and again... it doesn't save. glitch? who knows, but i've wasted 5 minutes trying to figure it out, when it's something I'm not entirely interested. Ah well, I gave it a go, right? :)

Task #6 (i think?)

So there are some pretty groovy things you can do through the Flickr website to transform photos all thanks to some techno-heads who have taken the time to develop programs which will allow you to have some fun with your photos like this Warholizer found at "fd's Flickr Toys"

I tried out a couple other ones which weren't so bad, but this was one I was able to upload the photo for blogging. There was another from the actual Flickr Website which allowed you to draw a picture, swirl some color, or what not and it would bring forward a selection of actual photos which have similar aspects (be it color or shape). That was pretty cool and the photos shown were beautiful, but un-blog-able, so not worth posting much about.

Well. That's it for today. Not much time to do more than this entry I must say.

Adios por ahora, me.