Thursday, September 11, 2008
Urbanspoon is my hero
Then I found Urbanfood. I've only lived here for a little over a year, and it embarrasses me to no end that I just don't know of many places t eat. We have several places we like, and occasionally we try somewhere new, but the breakdown by neighborhood or type of food is really nice on this site. I think I'll be referring to it frequently.
I doubt it has much use in the library, unless we get a question about a good place to eat, but for personal use, I'm on board.
Google Vs Zoho
I've used Google Docs & Spreadsheets for about 2 years now, since I was always back and forth between work and home computers, taking my work with me. I really like the convenience of it, and I found it very easy to use. My gmail even gives the option on all attachments to open using Google docs so I could have a copy of whatever I needed instead of having to dig through my email to find it later.
I'd never used Zoho write before. It has a lot more features than Google, like the invoices and the notebook. However, I just went back to review Google for an accurate comparison, and it has a form creator, which I think is a nice feature. However, I do love the tabs at the top of Zoho here, allowing me to quickly navigate through multiple documents!
I'll probably continue to use Google for my online doc needs, but I'll keep Zoho in mind in case I hit a project that Google can't seem to handle to my satisfaction. It's always nice to have a backup plan!
I'm a sandbox fan from way back
I found it easy to use. The tool bar makes editing no more difficult than it is in Word or Outlook, so I can't complain about it. I didn't choose to alter my fonts or colors, but I think that would definitely add spice and excitement to the otherwise bland wiki-style that is rather common. Of course, I like that it looks like a wiki and not a crazy web page, but there's nothing wrong with a little pizazz!
Wikis
Of the wikis I viewed for this exercise, I liked the Subject Index by St. Joseph County. It seemed like an excellent pool of knowledge to draw from. I love, love, loved the reader's advisory. I really like having a multitude of reader's advisory resources on my hand, since I seem to suffer from "it's on the tip of my tongue" disease when I'm put on the spot to name a book that _________. I thought the Bull Run Library's use of a wiki as what seemed to be a homepage was an interesting idea.
I think really one of the best uses of wikis in a public library setting is a programming wiki. It would be something that any of the staff members hosting a program could add information to, and it would simply be that same staff member's responsibility to take care of that information. I've also seen ideas about using them at the departmental level for announcements and meeting agendas to keep track of the latest developments, changes, and other valuable information the staff needs to know. It might be easier for some people than having to refer to JPL Neighborhood for all questions, but the neighborhood is nice and thorough...and official. Dratted Web 2.0 and it's reliability weakness! In a smaller library system, I think the wiki would be a place to get organzied.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Library 2.0
I consider myself fairly savvy when it comes to most computer issues. I know how to write basic code, and I can back-track my way out of most problems, but Web 2.0 is still overwhelming. I really felt the Librarian 2.0 Skills article was helpful and realistic. It offered good advice for keeping on top of things without getting overwhelmed by the glitter of new technology for technology's sake. It's one that I'll save for future reference.
Technorati
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Del.icio.us
My personal experience this time with delicious led me to a site called The 43 Things, which is a nice social site that allows people to list their goals (large and small) and work in teams with other users for encouragement and inspiration. I set up an account already and it's interesting to see who shares my goals--and a little frustrating when I find that the way I've worded my goal makes me the lone achiever! Tags to the rescue, in that case. :) Now that I've written this, I see that the 43 things is also linked to our 2.0 blog, as a footnote. Hmmm. Maybe someday I'll learn to read ahead a little sooner!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
LibraryThing
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/Jodiebug1
if only I was more creative...
Made with free image tools @ TXT2PIC.com
Feed Search
Thursday, August 7, 2008
RSS
I also know quite a few people who don't take advantage of this and should, so I'll be recommending it around my circle.
Tech Advances
One of my classmates predicted that in the not-so-distant future college would primarily exist as a collection of online classes. I found this a very depressing thought. Granted, I am working through a fully online program for Library Science, but that is only because it allows me to work full time and live here in Jacksonville. I prefer classroom interaction. I like the dynamic of a teacher in front of me and the other students taking notes and participating live in class. I think I'm becoming part of the minority. I love technology and all the options it affords, but I also like people. I think one of the most important things we need to learn is how to interact with people in all different settings. That can't be taught solely online, and I learned as much about human interaction in college as I did K-12.
I'm not scared of technology because it's confusing or difficult, but I'm a little scared of the amount of personal interaction it removes from life in general. And I think it makes people forget how to treat each other face to face, especially children.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Flickr apps
I created a montage of beagle pictures, and it's hard to tell in the tiny frames, but I think my own beagle pictures may have made the cut! I didn't include the link b/c it took an enternity to load and never fully finished. It's pretty cute, though. Previously, I have only used Flickr for the traditional picture posting site and shared photos with my friends and family that way. Lately, I've linked it to my Facebook account and it displays as a random sample of 30 pictures from my account. The thing I find most frustrating is that my mother-& sister-in-law both signed up for completely different photo sharing accounts! Makes it much more inconvenient to keep up on photos... :)
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The St. Louis Muny
The Muny is very "St. Louis," and when you go, you see everyone you could possibly imagine. There are free bleachers up in the nose-bleed section, and then the tickets range from cheap (performers the size of ants) to expensive (actually being able to see the performers' facial features). Going there is as much for the atmosphere as it is for the show. It's a great way to spend a sumer night, even when suffering from the unbearable heat and humidity of outdoor theater.