Urbanspoon is my hero

It took me awhile to find something I wanted to explore. All the practical, work-related categories contained a tool I already knew or used as a top 3, so I didn't think it was necessary to explore an alternative for something I'm currently happy with (and that obviously makes the grade).
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 love the sandbox feature. I think it's a great way to allow people to get used to manipulating wikis before they have to worry about "hurting" anything. Plus, it's just fun to play around, and it's a good way to learn about the others involved in the wiki. For example, I'm apparently one of many House, MD fans in JPL. :)

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

I don't think I really understood that wikis existed outside of Wikipedia prior to about 2 weeks ago. People used the term, but I just assumed it all went back to that same source. How wrong I was!
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.

Library 2.0

I've recently been inundated with Web 2.0 and Library 2.0. My grad classes are all fascinated with the topic (naturally, being a Library Science program), and one of my current class textbooks is called Library 2.0. I really don't see the point in arguing about whether it's a new idea or just the continuation of what librarians and libraries do. Either way, it's a fact of life and is the future of technology. It seems to me, we all need to be as aware of it as possible and use it to our advantage as well as for the benefit of the patrons. ALL. That's where it's going to be difficult. This is the kind of change that everyone has to get on board with and use, or at the very least, understand, in order to really make it successful. I think that might be the source of the "it's what we already do" vs. "it's a whole new library" argument comes in. The old way wasn't wrong, but it also isn't one hundred percent effective anymore. In a few years, it won't matter how we used to do it, because so many of the patrons won't remember or care.
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

Technorati was an interesting site, but it also just provides way too much information for me. I saw the usefulness of tags through the search tool (searching by tags resulted in more accurate results than searching only by a keyword within posts). No real surprise there. I suppose if I were to use it, it would be helpful in finding blogs to follow on my topics on interest. I whole-heartedly approve the use of tagging blog posts, but I tend to refrain from doing so, as I generally feel that the information I'm proving doesn't need to come up in a tag search. I consider myself "low authority," to use Technorati's lingo. If I ever post something that I think worthy of tagging the content for ease of search, I certainly will.

Del.icio.us

This is another site I've heard about and looked at, but never really interacted with before. Both the videos were very helpful in describing it and its usefulness. I can see it's use both in research and for personal/social use. For example, I work with teens, and it's really rather difficult to keep up with all the things they're interested in. I find myself stretched in several directions to try to accommodate. However, with this kind of tool, I can track useful websites for readers advisory and jsut for my own information (especially in areas like Manga, where I am dreadfully behind the times). In reference activities, especially if you have a special interest or a specific clientele, this is clearly a good way of organizing ideas so you can quickly pull whatever your patrons need.

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!

LibraryThing

I like the idea of LibraryThing. I've heard of it before, even gone to the site before, but I just never set up an account. Hopefully, I'll get into the practice of using it as a record and a resource. At the moment, I've listed 5 of my favorite books. Watership Down has been my reigning favorite for at least 10 years, and I don't think that will change anytime soon, but I've got a lot of space available for all those books that come in second. I'm a little overwhelmed by all the accounts I've got going at the moment. Starting to feel like I need an RSS feed just to keep track of my own business, let alone the rest of the world.

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/Jodiebug1

if only I was more creative...

This was inspired by my own spoiled kitty who got to share a bit of my lunch today. Also, I ADORE lolcats. I've found they are a prime way to lift me out of a cranky mood.


Made with free image tools @ TXT2PIC.com

Feed Search

Of the four sites, I think I preferred Topix.net. Feedster's site didn't come up, so I guess I can't officially count that in the comparison. Syndic8 was too basic, and technorati was not too bad. I was indifferent to the search result layouts (they didn't sway me one way of the other). What I really liked was the layout of the Topix homepage as opposed to Technorati. I found myself clicking around at the different links before I even started using the search tool.

RSS

I think RSS is a great way to stay on top of things. I don't have a large number of sites that I check daily (that makes me sound lazy and uninformed, I know), but for the few that I do deal with, it's nice to have them centralized. Previously, I have been the queen of multi-tabbed browsing and had my homepage set to all the sites I needed daily. Using RSS feeds is probably a much simpler method for keeping in touch.
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

I'm in several online classes this summer, and last night in our closing session for Information Needs of Children, we discussed the media available to children aside from books. We covered DVDs and their tendency toward more interactive options, smart boards in the classroom, and computers and the Internet in general.
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.

Flickr apps

I really like all the things Flickr allows. My brother in law actually works for one of the companies that Flickr uses for comercial products, and he used their tool to create a montage of his wedding, his own wedding album, and a few other neat tricks (they didn't hire a professional photographer). I think my favorite of the tools listed is the speller, because I figured oot quickly how to have a good deal of control over what displayed. In the others, I think it will take awhile before I'm proficient at getting images just the way I want them.
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... :)

The St. Louis Muny

Muny
Originally uploaded by pitchyourbiz

Since I've chosen to dedicate my blog to musicals, I felt this was an appropriate choice of image to include. For those of you not from the St. Louis area, this is The Muny amphitheater in Forest Park. It's huge and old and every summer it shows one musical each week. When I was in high school, class officers were given season passes to the Muny, and I managed to get my class officer friends to take me there a few times. I've also been with my family and several times when I've travelled back to the area. My parents even went to the Muny on one of their first dates, and saw Finian's Rainbow. So, you see it is unavoidable for me to like this place--it runs in my family.

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.

Recent discovery about a favorite musical

I learned from TCM on July 4th that the musical 1776 as I always knew and loved it was missing 35 minutes that had been cut at the request of President Nixon before its release in theaters! One of the cuts was a song about how the congressmen against declaring the revolution were conservative men, moving "always to right, never to the left." In addition, there was some dialogue and an intro to another song cut. Mostly, he requested some scenes that made the founding fathers look excessively foolish be removed. I loved 1776 before and I love it now. It has incredible dialogue, and there is not a single number that I would fast-forward through (which I cannot say about all musicals)!