Oooo, this was fun! I made a motivational poster. And this has possibilities for locating visual synonyms - great use of tags! I also enjoyed the Color Pickr, but never got the Montagr to come up or the Mappr to do anything. But I did get Karen Schneider's trading card on the first click. The trading cards could be a fun activity for Harry Potter fans. And Spell with Flickr has possibilities.
Good timing to have this fun stuff for the holidays. Speaking of which, today is Umoja (unity), which is complemented nicely by web 2.0's community-building.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Flickring illumination
The 10 ways to use Flickr in a library seems to me to be only 3. There's Flickr presence, marketing (collection, events, services), and preservation (the dreaded off-site storage).
Conversely, "how Flickr is different from traditional photosharing web sites" would seem to invite very different library uses. For example, we might share images from the library's collection to encourage tagging by outsiders so as to create better access to the images. We might create an image library of the community to ensure that there were no gaps in coverage. We might add cataloging terms as tags to Flickr images to improve access for everyone and influence tagging trends. Essentially, we need to look at collaborating with the public, not just marketing to the public, which is all I hear Stephens saying. Otherwise, I fear that we will miss the more profound aspects of Web 2.0. It's as thought a librarian looked at the Model T Ford and saw the potential for a bookmobile, but not parking lots and drive up windows and Chiltons manuals.
Conversely, "how Flickr is different from traditional photosharing web sites" would seem to invite very different library uses. For example, we might share images from the library's collection to encourage tagging by outsiders so as to create better access to the images. We might create an image library of the community to ensure that there were no gaps in coverage. We might add cataloging terms as tags to Flickr images to improve access for everyone and influence tagging trends. Essentially, we need to look at collaborating with the public, not just marketing to the public, which is all I hear Stephens saying. Otherwise, I fear that we will miss the more profound aspects of Web 2.0. It's as thought a librarian looked at the Model T Ford and saw the potential for a bookmobile, but not parking lots and drive up windows and Chiltons manuals.
Friday, December 21, 2007
not another account?
I was all ready to set up a Flickr account because I need to share some photos of the backyard with a person whose advice I'm seeking. But, having to create a Yahoo email account really put me off. I agree with the comment on the Learning 2.0 blog that there are just too many sign ups to keep track of on Web 2.0.
Hey - killer app! A Web login manager. Maybe I'll get rich in the next internet bubble?
Anyway, after I gave up on making my own Flickr account, I decided to see what images of Virginia Beach are there. 27,345 pictures! Lots of nice sunsets and waves and bathing suits, but if City government was smart, they'd add a bunch of promotional images. IMHO. So the exercise to add library images was smart. If only it didn't mean another @/#!! email account.
Hey - killer app! A Web login manager. Maybe I'll get rich in the next internet bubble?
Anyway, after I gave up on making my own Flickr account, I decided to see what images of Virginia Beach are there. 27,345 pictures! Lots of nice sunsets and waves and bathing suits, but if City government was smart, they'd add a bunch of promotional images. IMHO. So the exercise to add library images was smart. If only it didn't mean another @/#!! email account.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
socially networked reader advice
LibraryThings http://www.librarything.com/ book seems to be quite good - the recommendations matched my perception of the titles I tested. The 2 honorable mention book resources were also interesting. For very amateur video book reviews, try http://bluerectangle.com/book_reviews/view_one_category/today Admittedly, I read the transcripts instead of listening to the video. But, amateur or not, the reviews were on target for what the site is trying to achieve.
On the other hand, http://reader2.com/has potential but there's not much there yet. And what there is, isn't interesting to American leaisure readers. The structure looks good, but the contributions so far aren't going to encourage more people to get involved. Lots of biz n-f and a recent bunch of Indian titles.
How does a site attract a critical mass of well intentioned contributors? Some of it is scope and structure - easy to contribute but not easy to hijack. I suppose some is marketing. But, it seems to me that this non-tech question is at the heart of 2.0.
On the other hand, http://reader2.com/has potential but there's not much there yet. And what there is, isn't interesting to American leaisure readers. The structure looks good, but the contributions so far aren't going to encourage more people to get involved. Lots of biz n-f and a recent bunch of Indian titles.
How does a site attract a critical mass of well intentioned contributors? Some of it is scope and structure - easy to contribute but not easy to hijack. I suppose some is marketing. But, it seems to me that this non-tech question is at the heart of 2.0.
tickling Technorati
Maybe I'm missing something, but Technorati simply doesn't thrill me. I really don't care about the newest news, the latest fad, what everybody talking about. (I don't even read best sellers.)
However, for the sake of learning, I shall try to provide a Technorati tag here. Technorati help says, "To associate a post with a Technorati Tag all you have to do is tag your post by including a special link in the body of your post.
VBPLL2 " and I have substituted VBPLL2 for [tagname]. If I am reading this right, it does not need to be in Blogger's tag window but can be in the body of the post. We'll see if this works OK. Uh oh! Error message: Your HTML cannot be accepted: Tags cannot enclose tags. Hmmm, extra stuff seems to have crept in when I pasted.
However, for the sake of learning, I shall try to provide a Technorati tag here. Technorati help says, "To associate a post with a Technorati Tag all you have to do is tag your post by including a special link in the body of your post.
VBPLL2 " and I have substituted VBPLL2 for [tagname]. If I am reading this right, it does not need to be in Blogger's tag window but can be in the body of the post. We'll see if this works OK. Uh oh! Error message: Your HTML cannot be accepted: Tags cannot enclose tags. Hmmm, extra stuff seems to have crept in when I pasted.
Yummy tags
This one's easy - I've been using Del.icio.us for months. I started because I have massive quantities of bookmarks and different ones at home than work. I'm not finished copying them to Del.icio.us yet, but already, it helps with portability.
And, I appreciate other folks' tags. I use them when I can, but I'm trying to control the proliferation of synonyms on my Del.icio.us pages. I also deliberately label a few personal links with tags that should be meaningless to others, e.g. my Bloglines account.
What I want now is the software to make clouds. I want to be able to create visual relationships between terms, not just size differences. For example, http://www.literature-map.com/ lets you see how similar two authors are. That would be brilliant in the catalog! But, simple tagging would be a start. I think the combination of cataloging and tagging would build on the strengths and compensate for the deficiencies of both. Cataloging resolves ambiguity. Tagging adds paths of access and enriches the meaningfullness of official subjects.
And, I appreciate other folks' tags. I use them when I can, but I'm trying to control the proliferation of synonyms on my Del.icio.us pages. I also deliberately label a few personal links with tags that should be meaningless to others, e.g. my Bloglines account.
What I want now is the software to make clouds. I want to be able to create visual relationships between terms, not just size differences. For example, http://www.literature-map.com/ lets you see how similar two authors are. That would be brilliant in the catalog! But, simple tagging would be a start. I think the combination of cataloging and tagging would build on the strengths and compensate for the deficiencies of both. Cataloging resolves ambiguity. Tagging adds paths of access and enriches the meaningfullness of official subjects.
Monday, December 17, 2007
creepy space
Well I created a MySpace thing. I did not enjoy it. Far too much of me seems to show. I think I've set it so no one can see, I hope! And then this "friend" showed up out of nowhere. CREEPY. Got rid of him, I think. Stupid MySpace decided I'm single, but I don't remember being asked. OK, I found where that is and fixed it. Sigh. Gimme a wiki anytime.
NO, I do not find this easy! Back when I had a website, that was easy. HTML is easy. Finding the right page to edit this stuff is not easy. OK, I really, really do not like this!
NO, I do not find this easy! Back when I had a website, that was easy. HTML is easy. Finding the right page to edit this stuff is not easy. OK, I really, really do not like this!
Whose Space?
There was an interesting editorial today on the teen who committed suicide after her MySpace friendship blew up. It suggested the real problem was adults who immersed themselves too far into the teen milieu. A remark attributed to Yogi Berra, "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded," may soon apply to adult (including librarian) exploitation of MySpace. There is a subtle difference between being available where your clientele hangs out and being intrusive.
I see value in having our teen groups on MySpace - that makes sense in the context. And I support a VBPL MySpace account that focuses tightly on services of interest like IM, rather than replicating the whole range of our Virtual Library. However, I think we need to be prepared to follow the teen demographic when they leave MySpace which I'm guessing they will have done by 2010 if not earlier. If we take another three years to prepare to have a presence on the latest Internet fad, we might as well not bother. OK?
I see value in having our teen groups on MySpace - that makes sense in the context. And I support a VBPL MySpace account that focuses tightly on services of interest like IM, rather than replicating the whole range of our Virtual Library. However, I think we need to be prepared to follow the teen demographic when they leave MySpace which I'm guessing they will have done by 2010 if not earlier. If we take another three years to prepare to have a presence on the latest Internet fad, we might as well not bother. OK?
Wiki etiquette
OK, I confess. I altered someone else's book review. Well, added to it, anyway. I saw some other improvements that I wanted to make but I refrained. What is the expectation of authorship? Should we go ahead and ignore the review that does not have last name first? Or fix it? Italicize titles? Add suitable tags? Also, what about the other headings besides staff picks - is anyone going to populate them?
I found the edit function very easy, but this is not the first wiki I've worked with. It was harder to pick just one book to add. I may go back and add more! however, if I had not known to expect font options at the top, I might have missed them since my author was late in the alphabet. Do wikis have a"freeze frame" option like Excell so the instructions can follow you down the page?
How else can libraries use wikis? Well, internally we could have a patron wall of shame wiki to alert other staff. Just kidding, I think. OK?
I found the edit function very easy, but this is not the first wiki I've worked with. It was harder to pick just one book to add. I may go back and add more! however, if I had not known to expect font options at the top, I might have missed them since my author was late in the alphabet. Do wikis have a"freeze frame" option like Excell so the instructions can follow you down the page?
How else can libraries use wikis? Well, internally we could have a patron wall of shame wiki to alert other staff. Just kidding, I think. OK?
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Wikis are the real Internet
The first thing I encountered on the Internet back in 1992 was Usenet newsgroups. People in newsgroups like alt.folklore.urban were creating wonderful resources together, out of pride in their knowledge or the satisfaction of creation. When I raved about these resources, I heard the sneers that ordinary people couldn't author real information. Well, just what species do you think authors and editors belong to?
I love Wikipedia. If someone puts up lies, someone else can catch it. Try doing that with Britannica! And if you think Britannica isn't full of WASP bias, you probably are a WASP. The truth is that all books are full of biases and anyone who doesn't read critically is a fool. At least with Wikipedia, you know you have to read critically. At the risk of sounding sentimental, Wikis embody what I first loved about the Internet back when I though it was going to change the world, before spam and dot.com.
Specifically, VB could create a Wiki of reference and reader advisory information to support IM reference. I can testify that Wikis are wonderful for working teams, especially when they are geographically distant. The possible uses are much broader than blogging because a wiki is multidimensional, not chronologically linear. I think Wikis are the best of 2.0. ok
I love Wikipedia. If someone puts up lies, someone else can catch it. Try doing that with Britannica! And if you think Britannica isn't full of WASP bias, you probably are a WASP. The truth is that all books are full of biases and anyone who doesn't read critically is a fool. At least with Wikipedia, you know you have to read critically. At the risk of sounding sentimental, Wikis embody what I first loved about the Internet back when I though it was going to change the world, before spam and dot.com.
Specifically, VB could create a Wiki of reference and reader advisory information to support IM reference. I can testify that Wikis are wonderful for working teams, especially when they are geographically distant. The possible uses are much broader than blogging because a wiki is multidimensional, not chronologically linear. I think Wikis are the best of 2.0. ok
a not-so-instant message
Well, it is too late tonight to reach anyone in IM. So I left a message. If I get a reply, I'll put it on the blog. One of the readings, Instant Messaging Tools and Technology: A Mini-Guide, said that as IM got more familiar it would get more asynchronous. I am willing to be convinced!
I got a hoot watching Sarah Long doing the interview on YouTube. It proves the old fogeys are still at it, working away on 2.0.
As for VBPL IM, the person who was on the last shift tonight got a Reader Advisory question. I'm thinking we need to populat the "rooms" on the Virtual Library with reading lists to which the staff taking IM shifts could refer. We also need to build an electronic ready reference database for them to check. It's all very well to have an IM widget, but we need to put resources at the staff's fingertips to make it a success.
So, will I get an email from the next IM shift? Come back and see. OK?
I got a hoot watching Sarah Long doing the interview on YouTube. It proves the old fogeys are still at it, working away on 2.0.
As for VBPL IM, the person who was on the last shift tonight got a Reader Advisory question. I'm thinking we need to populat the "rooms" on the Virtual Library with reading lists to which the staff taking IM shifts could refer. We also need to build an electronic ready reference database for them to check. It's all very well to have an IM widget, but we need to put resources at the staff's fingertips to make it a success.
So, will I get an email from the next IM shift? Come back and see. OK?
IM at the command line
I'm delighted that Wikipedia remembers "talk" from back in the days before the WWW. I remember getting a "talk" request once from a 14 year old who noticed my email address was a girl's name. I was sorry to disillusion him that I was well past my teens. (He's probably pushing 30 and raising kids himself now.)
This is an example of where Web 2.0 came from. It irritates me a little when the "born digital" generation assumes that us old fogeys don't get it and never did it. Of course, it wasn't quite the same at 1200 baud. A more significant point is that these IM services are not seamlessly compatible the way the old Unix protocol was. That's sad.
Nevertheless, I don't expect to use IM much for myself. What I love about the Internet is that it is asynchronous. I hate phone-tag and voice mail and to me IM is another opportunity to miss connecting and get frustrated. ON the other hand, I think IM may be better than phone in some respects. And I do support providing library IM for those who do like it. Not everyone has to share my tastes. OK?
This is an example of where Web 2.0 came from. It irritates me a little when the "born digital" generation assumes that us old fogeys don't get it and never did it. Of course, it wasn't quite the same at 1200 baud. A more significant point is that these IM services are not seamlessly compatible the way the old Unix protocol was. That's sad.
Nevertheless, I don't expect to use IM much for myself. What I love about the Internet is that it is asynchronous. I hate phone-tag and voice mail and to me IM is another opportunity to miss connecting and get frustrated. ON the other hand, I think IM may be better than phone in some respects. And I do support providing library IM for those who do like it. Not everyone has to share my tastes. OK?
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