Here's my Wordle. I don't like the colours 100%, but it's the best I could find.
I hope you like it.
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Thing 23
Okay, so I think that I have blogged about the Things enough (?). I have ploughed through them and definitely found some more interesting than others. I am starting to dislike the amount of Google I'm logging into. It's making me see them as more like Microsoft - cornering the market and feeling obliged to use their services. But, then again, I was complaining the other day about having too many usernames and passwords. Can't have it both ways.
I do think that there are too many things to log into. Surely the problem for libraries will be targeting the sites that their readers and potential readers might use. Potential readers could come from anywhere though, but spraying the internet with content on the off chance of attracting new readers seems a little extreme. So, to help others who might like some free market research, here are the things that I liked from 23 Things and an idea about whether or not I might actually use them again:
iGoogle is good. I tend to forget to log into it. It kind of makes me think of work and so I avoid it sometimes. I haven't added any RSS feeds since the beginning of the Things. I have deleted the calendar as it just isn't something I'd use. I am deleting gadgets and streamlining my main page, hopefully there will still be something on it when I'm done.
I find Twitter to be a bit tedious. Some of it's funny, some of it's informative, but I find that I can live without most of it. I prefer Facebook and status updates to Tweets. I like Facebook for the fact that you can get information from other sources too (by liking something or becoming a fan).
Blogging is alright. I can't say if I will carry on though. I like my blog name, but I don't know if I want so many people I work with having easy access to it and making comments on it. I'll carry on if you all promise to be nice.
I enjoy looking at Flickr and now that I've registered my blog I might try and upload photos that way. They will be correctly cited, but I'll have to learn how to design my blog around them in the little box they provide (I guess I can edit it through Blogger as normal but haven't tried yet).
LibraryThing might stay with me. I kind of enjoyed putting details of my book collection on it and adding my reviews to the others. I can see that it would be useful in libraries to point people in the direction of other volumes that they might enjoy/find useful.
YouTube and podcasting are things that I already use and will continue using (as a viewer/listener).
Zotero is good. It's kind of a shame that it isn't as flexible as Delicious, but I guess I could download it to every computer I use. Would that then mean my details could be accessed by other people who use the computer? Maybe it's just a case of not adding my details to the Preferences. Might have to look into that one.
I didn't enjoy the Thing about tagging. It was too wordy and kind of put me off as I couldn't get to grips with it. Having carried on through the Things I have been using the label cloud on the 23 Things blog to get to where I need to go and have added a cloud to my blog. I have learnt about tagging more by doing than from reading. I'll continue to tag wherever I can.
As a lower level member of staff I find it difficult to see how it would affect the library I work in. I then try to imagine how these applications might be useful to any library and get a bit confused as academic and public libraries would probably find different Things useful.
As I've said in several blogs, I think that the main use for these Things at the UL would be for induction and training. I've heard people say that they don't like the building and that they don't go into the UL. The urban legend is that people try to go through their entire course without having to step over the threshold. What a waste of a resource.
Let's create a friendly character who can outlive all of us and be the persona we use to attract people through the door. I'd like to see a YouTube video showing people that it's alright to come into the library, hear a podcast that explains how the classmark system works and where I have to go to find a book, and to join a group on Facebook that doesn't find it funny to say that the members hate the UL.
Does that cover it?
I do think that there are too many things to log into. Surely the problem for libraries will be targeting the sites that their readers and potential readers might use. Potential readers could come from anywhere though, but spraying the internet with content on the off chance of attracting new readers seems a little extreme. So, to help others who might like some free market research, here are the things that I liked from 23 Things and an idea about whether or not I might actually use them again:
iGoogle is good. I tend to forget to log into it. It kind of makes me think of work and so I avoid it sometimes. I haven't added any RSS feeds since the beginning of the Things. I have deleted the calendar as it just isn't something I'd use. I am deleting gadgets and streamlining my main page, hopefully there will still be something on it when I'm done.
I find Twitter to be a bit tedious. Some of it's funny, some of it's informative, but I find that I can live without most of it. I prefer Facebook and status updates to Tweets. I like Facebook for the fact that you can get information from other sources too (by liking something or becoming a fan).
Blogging is alright. I can't say if I will carry on though. I like my blog name, but I don't know if I want so many people I work with having easy access to it and making comments on it. I'll carry on if you all promise to be nice.
I enjoy looking at Flickr and now that I've registered my blog I might try and upload photos that way. They will be correctly cited, but I'll have to learn how to design my blog around them in the little box they provide (I guess I can edit it through Blogger as normal but haven't tried yet).
LibraryThing might stay with me. I kind of enjoyed putting details of my book collection on it and adding my reviews to the others. I can see that it would be useful in libraries to point people in the direction of other volumes that they might enjoy/find useful.
YouTube and podcasting are things that I already use and will continue using (as a viewer/listener).
Zotero is good. It's kind of a shame that it isn't as flexible as Delicious, but I guess I could download it to every computer I use. Would that then mean my details could be accessed by other people who use the computer? Maybe it's just a case of not adding my details to the Preferences. Might have to look into that one.
I didn't enjoy the Thing about tagging. It was too wordy and kind of put me off as I couldn't get to grips with it. Having carried on through the Things I have been using the label cloud on the 23 Things blog to get to where I need to go and have added a cloud to my blog. I have learnt about tagging more by doing than from reading. I'll continue to tag wherever I can.
As a lower level member of staff I find it difficult to see how it would affect the library I work in. I then try to imagine how these applications might be useful to any library and get a bit confused as academic and public libraries would probably find different Things useful.
As I've said in several blogs, I think that the main use for these Things at the UL would be for induction and training. I've heard people say that they don't like the building and that they don't go into the UL. The urban legend is that people try to go through their entire course without having to step over the threshold. What a waste of a resource.
Let's create a friendly character who can outlive all of us and be the persona we use to attract people through the door. I'd like to see a YouTube video showing people that it's alright to come into the library, hear a podcast that explains how the classmark system works and where I have to go to find a book, and to join a group on Facebook that doesn't find it funny to say that the members hate the UL.
Does that cover it?
Monday, 30 August 2010
Thing 22
The Library Success Wiki just seems to be a list of links, which isn't very reader friendly. I don't want to keep jumping from place to place. It ends up being confusing and makes me lose interest.
I once signed up to PBWiki's as I thought it might be useful for my course and keeping in touch with the other people in Cambridge who are on the same course. I didn't really get it off the ground. At the time I read about how teachers can use Wiki's to list information for students and give access to areas where students can contribute to the information on the Wiki. That seems like a good idea to me. Living documents are more important to people if they can contribute to them rather than read something someone else has written.
One of the problems with setting up the Wiki was that each person was going to have to sign in. It made it a little pointless as we could communicate on Facebook or via Moodle without having to signup for another thing.
My role in a library does not include teaching. I can't really get to grips with this Thing as I can't imagine how I might use it if I were in a different job.
My other half contributes to Wikipedia. He has told me about the discussion pages and how people are quite serious about getting the right information that can be cited correctly. It's probably a better source than some people give it credit for.
There are no photo's on my blog at the moment as Blogger won't upload them.
I once signed up to PBWiki's as I thought it might be useful for my course and keeping in touch with the other people in Cambridge who are on the same course. I didn't really get it off the ground. At the time I read about how teachers can use Wiki's to list information for students and give access to areas where students can contribute to the information on the Wiki. That seems like a good idea to me. Living documents are more important to people if they can contribute to them rather than read something someone else has written.
One of the problems with setting up the Wiki was that each person was going to have to sign in. It made it a little pointless as we could communicate on Facebook or via Moodle without having to signup for another thing.
My role in a library does not include teaching. I can't really get to grips with this Thing as I can't imagine how I might use it if I were in a different job.
My other half contributes to Wikipedia. He has told me about the discussion pages and how people are quite serious about getting the right information that can be cited correctly. It's probably a better source than some people give it credit for.
There are no photo's on my blog at the moment as Blogger won't upload them.
Thing 21
The video about podcasts was alright, but I've used the podcast facility on iTune before for BBC shows, Stephen Fry and comedy shows (among other things) so it wasn't as infomrative as I would have liked.
The links were a mixed bag. .The British Library link took me to the University of Aberdeen. The Skills@University of Leeds podcasts link tried to make me e-mail them. I like the idea of the Goldsmiths library tour podcast. To have a podcast and map makes it into more of a tourist/familiar experience and might help visitors get to grips with a new library. It seems like a great idea for people who can't make it to scheduled library tours.
I don't think I'd like to podcast. I'm not knowledgeable enough about anything and it'd probably just be one more thing to stress about. I'll probably just carry on listening to the odd podcast on the radio.
I'd like to know what kind of audience from Cambridge University actually watches YouTube library videos and listens to podcasts. Surely it would be useful to find out if they are resources that the students/staff/researchers who use the libraries actually use themselves.
The links were a mixed bag. .The British Library link took me to the University of Aberdeen. The Skills@University of Leeds podcasts link tried to make me e-mail them. I like the idea of the Goldsmiths library tour podcast. To have a podcast and map makes it into more of a tourist/familiar experience and might help visitors get to grips with a new library. It seems like a great idea for people who can't make it to scheduled library tours.
I don't think I'd like to podcast. I'm not knowledgeable enough about anything and it'd probably just be one more thing to stress about. I'll probably just carry on listening to the odd podcast on the radio.
I'd like to know what kind of audience from Cambridge University actually watches YouTube library videos and listens to podcasts. Surely it would be useful to find out if they are resources that the students/staff/researchers who use the libraries actually use themselves.
Thing 20
How many people have Google accounts? According to these Things we all need to have accounts. Google Wave disappeared. How can we be sure that all of the other Google ideas are going to stick around? The only people I know with Google accounts are doing 23Things, and not all of them are keeping up to date with it.
Anyway, Google Docs. It's a good idea.
The draw option wouldn't allow me to upload a photo. It might be that they were too big, but no reason was given.
How would this be useful for libraries? well, the same as before really. Induction and course material could be uploaded for new students. As long as they have a Google log in it would be fine. Also, the same induction material could surely be put on multiple sources.
Not sure what else to say about it.
Anyway, Google Docs. It's a good idea.
The draw option wouldn't allow me to upload a photo. It might be that they were too big, but no reason was given.
How would this be useful for libraries? well, the same as before really. Induction and course material could be uploaded for new students. As long as they have a Google log in it would be fine. Also, the same induction material could surely be put on multiple sources.
Not sure what else to say about it.
Experimental Flickr Post
Just found out that you can link Flickr images to blogs directly. Here's my test shot.
Thing 19
Marketing and the UL. Hmm, I'm not sure that I'd get to decide how this will happen. Just for now though I'm going to pretend that I can make the difference.
I like the idea of having a YouTube presence. A channel set up to show induction courses for the library and trying to make it more friendly and welcoming to all those students who don't seem to get into the building. If the students have seen where the lockers are, what they can and can't take in, where they go once they have got through the turnstile and how to locate a book it would make their first visit a lot easier.
I've tried following the UL and Library of Congress on Twitter. The UL didn't really have much output and the LofC just wasn't relevant to me. I think I just don't like Twitter that much though.
A library persona that could join new students as a friend and update them on library times and events on Facebook might be good. By creating a character more than one person could update it and answer any questions from friends.
Flickr is kind of covered by SirCam and the secret photographers with their stolen photographs (can you steal an image by taking a photo of it?).
Right, so I'm not very adventurous. That might explain why I'm not in charge of promoting the Library.
I like the idea of having a YouTube presence. A channel set up to show induction courses for the library and trying to make it more friendly and welcoming to all those students who don't seem to get into the building. If the students have seen where the lockers are, what they can and can't take in, where they go once they have got through the turnstile and how to locate a book it would make their first visit a lot easier.
I've tried following the UL and Library of Congress on Twitter. The UL didn't really have much output and the LofC just wasn't relevant to me. I think I just don't like Twitter that much though.
A library persona that could join new students as a friend and update them on library times and events on Facebook might be good. By creating a character more than one person could update it and answer any questions from friends.
Flickr is kind of covered by SirCam and the secret photographers with their stolen photographs (can you steal an image by taking a photo of it?).
Right, so I'm not very adventurous. That might explain why I'm not in charge of promoting the Library.
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