It occurs to me that I spent a week working with a technology, then tend to discard it as I move into the next week's lesson. So that I won't completely forget where I've been, I've decided to do a weekly ranking of all of the tools that I'm experimenting with during this course, based on how likely I am to keep using them.
Here is my initial ranking.
1. Facebook
2.Blogger
3.Delicious
4.FLickr
5.Wimba
6.Opal
7.Tumblr
8.LinkedIn
9.Twitter
10. Infopeople
11. Google Reader
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Week 7: Microblogging
OK. I admit it. I've never been interested in microblogging. Maybe it is my "I" preference on my Myers Briggs typology. I don't feel inclined to share my every thought with the rest of the world. Frankly, I'm not always interested in knowing that much about others either. So, creating a Twitter account and using it took me out of my comfort zone. Finding people to follow was both easy and difficult. To start, I took advantage of some of the suggestions provided by Twitter. I started with a sampling of different kinds of accounts: news feeds from CNN and Library Journal; organizational accounts from the Wichita Police Department and the Kansas City Kansas Public Library; personal accounts from a literary agent friend of mine and Wichita's mayor; and 23 Things Kansas. Since it is Olympic week, I also opted to follow Apolo Anton Ohno but unfollowed within a day: surely someone was handling this account on his behalf because I can't imagine that he would have had enough time to create all of those tweets! During the week, I tried to test looking for others to follow but the Twitter site was having problems and that option was not available.
Because I choose not to use by phone for posting and reading, I have to say that Twitter's value has been minimal to me in this limited test. I suspect I'd feel differently if I were using a more portable posting and reading method. What I appreciated most was how KCPL used their account to promote library programs much like the way we post to our Library's Facebook account. It seems to me that the challenge is to get users to start following the library. Once done, however, this does seem like a simple way to get reminders out about special news and events.
Because I choose not to use by phone for posting and reading, I have to say that Twitter's value has been minimal to me in this limited test. I suspect I'd feel differently if I were using a more portable posting and reading method. What I appreciated most was how KCPL used their account to promote library programs much like the way we post to our Library's Facebook account. It seems to me that the challenge is to get users to start following the library. Once done, however, this does seem like a simple way to get reminders out about special news and events.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Week 6: Tagging and Social Bookmarking
Oops. I made a note and worked on my tags and bookmarks early last week. Then I forgot to blog about them. Oh well, it was just that kind of week. I am proud to report that I exported bookmarks not just once, but twice: from my home files as well as the ones at work. I can't think of too many times when I've had problems needing a site that I did not have bookmarked or at the top of my memory. Perhaps that is because I am lucky enough to have remote access into our City systems from home so that my work files are never more than a login away. If I spend a little more time with delicious I think that I'll enjoy using it. I did not find that time this week, but I did remember to add a new bookmark there instead of just at my office desktop. (Thanks, Ken, for the pointer to Faxzero!) For an individual user, the benefit of delicious is definitely the portability of the bookmarks. For our library, there could be great benefits for our public service staff where they are always running across new sites that would be helpful to co-workers.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Week 5: RSS and Feed Readers
I've experimented with RSS readers in the past as ways to help me more easily keep up with information. I've done it a couple of ways in the past: as part of an e-mail account and through a My Yahoo! page. The e-mail account method was convenient in letting me know at a glance when something was new, but I was not good about taking time to go the folder to seek the information. As a result, news collected and remained unread.
I'm very happy with the My Yahoo! method. I keep a Yahoo mail account exclusively for discussion lists to which I subscribe. By adding feeds to My Yahoo! site, I can see at a glance what articles have been added to the sites I monitor -- primarily those of the Wichita Eagle, Library Journal and our own library. I've also subscribed to this blog just to see how that looks. What I like about this method is that I can see the headlines at a glance. If I'm interested in them, I'm a quick link from details. If I'm not intrigued, they simply disappear as new content is added. If I think I've missed something or I want to go back to refer to it, a quick click on the feed title puts my right to the page for more information.
For the purpose of this week's exercise, I selected Google Reader. I watched the Bloglines videos but decided that I liked the simplicity of Google Reader better. I'm particularly interested in being able to watch the trend information about messages sent, read, etc. In honesty, though, I'll probably use this account only for the duration of this training program and then let it go. I'm sorry that My Yahoo! wasn't included in this week's lesson. I think many people would find its functionality preferable to these other options. I'm glad our library offers that option for our feeds, as well as the xml, Google and Blogline options.
I'm very happy with the My Yahoo! method. I keep a Yahoo mail account exclusively for discussion lists to which I subscribe. By adding feeds to My Yahoo! site, I can see at a glance what articles have been added to the sites I monitor -- primarily those of the Wichita Eagle, Library Journal and our own library. I've also subscribed to this blog just to see how that looks. What I like about this method is that I can see the headlines at a glance. If I'm interested in them, I'm a quick link from details. If I'm not intrigued, they simply disappear as new content is added. If I think I've missed something or I want to go back to refer to it, a quick click on the feed title puts my right to the page for more information.
For the purpose of this week's exercise, I selected Google Reader. I watched the Bloglines videos but decided that I liked the simplicity of Google Reader better. I'm particularly interested in being able to watch the trend information about messages sent, read, etc. In honesty, though, I'll probably use this account only for the duration of this training program and then let it go. I'm sorry that My Yahoo! wasn't included in this week's lesson. I think many people would find its functionality preferable to these other options. I'm glad our library offers that option for our feeds, as well as the xml, Google and Blogline options.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Week 4: Photo Sharing
Flickr seems to be an easy way to organize photos that I would like to make available to other people. Instead of picking images that are just spaces of our libraries, I chose photos from our image file that reflect people using our libraries. During the past decade, we've placed an emphasis on expanding our programming and outreach. I think you'll see that through the set of photos that I created in Flickr.
The picture that I have selected to add to this blog is one that I took a couple of years ago during a visit by children's author and illustrator Mo Willems. During his program, he taught attendees how to draw Pigeon, a popular figure in many of his books. I chose the photo because interactive programs of this type have been a recipe for success at our library. I also chose it because our programming and outreach relies on our ability to create and maintain successful partnerships. In this case, the program would not have been possible without our friends at Watermark Books.
The picture that I have selected to add to this blog is one that I took a couple of years ago during a visit by children's author and illustrator Mo Willems. During his program, he taught attendees how to draw Pigeon, a popular figure in many of his books. I chose the photo because interactive programs of this type have been a recipe for success at our library. I also chose it because our programming and outreach relies on our ability to create and maintain successful partnerships. In this case, the program would not have been possible without our friends at Watermark Books.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Week 3: Online Meetings
Online meetings are something familiar to me. Within the state, I'm pleased at how we bring people together for meetings in ways that save the time and expense of travel. Our library makes a lot of use of webinars for training purposes. The ability to make use of archived sessions is particularly helpful because it gives us greater flexibility in when and how we make use of this information.
I am also a fan of George Needham sessions so I selected an archived webinar that he and Joan Frye Williams conducted in November 2009 entitled "George and Joan on Revitalizing the Library Experience." The session offered useful information about reframing how we think about customer service in libraries. It is well timed for us in Wichita because of the work we are doing on a building program for a new Central Library.
As a Library that operates as a department within a larger City organization, I often find that the Library sees the potential and embraces new technologies faster than most other departments. We're still ahead of the curve with online meetings. Our biggest challenge in making full use of these sessions is convincing our IT department to adjust our network configurations so that we can make use of some of the products. Maintaining network security must remain a priority, but we need to find ways to balance that with access requirements of products for online meetings and collaboration.
I am also a fan of George Needham sessions so I selected an archived webinar that he and Joan Frye Williams conducted in November 2009 entitled "George and Joan on Revitalizing the Library Experience." The session offered useful information about reframing how we think about customer service in libraries. It is well timed for us in Wichita because of the work we are doing on a building program for a new Central Library.
As a Library that operates as a department within a larger City organization, I often find that the Library sees the potential and embraces new technologies faster than most other departments. We're still ahead of the curve with online meetings. Our biggest challenge in making full use of these sessions is convincing our IT department to adjust our network configurations so that we can make use of some of the products. Maintaining network security must remain a priority, but we need to find ways to balance that with access requirements of products for online meetings and collaboration.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
