Tagging

Tagging can be helpful on sites. I thought it was a little confusing at first, but I think I'm getting the hang of it now. I would definitely use them for pictures or even books I was reading. I'm definitely going to have to play around with tagging more, but I can see a use for it with libraries and the catalogue.

IMS

I've used communicator to im other staff members. I also like to put my schedule on the communicator, since it varies frequently. I don't use the service a lot since most people still use email more or even the phone. I do like it, because I can see it pop up without it stopping what I was working on at that moment. I can either join in the conversation or I can see that it might not apply to me and ignore the message. I can definitely see using the service for staff or even customers in the future. IMs might be a great tool when we have branches and as more people become comfortable in using them.

Digg

Digg and Public libraries are similar in the way they are customer driven. Customers are going to request what they like and not what we think should be in the library. I thought Digg was very similar in that regard. We are just as driven by our demographics as Digg is. I'm not sure if people think of public libraries any differently then they did before. On what qualifies as news has always, in my opinion, been generated by what public opinion has wanted to know about. I might think something is not news worthy, but if a large mass of people feels it is, that's what people are going to want to know about. I find it all kind of in a grey area. Things like digg and diggita can be useful that you can weed out what you want to know about it, but I'm not sure I want to get my information that way.

photo sharing

I can see how photo sharing websites could be interesting to libraries. I did like how one of the libraries that used Flicker had photo contests for patrons. I thought that would be nice to have on our website maybe. We could also do some photo contests ex. would be maybe voting on your favorite photo. We could even do themes maybe to get people interested in sharing their favorite things that tied in with the library. I signed up with snapfish and thought it was pretty easy to use.

Twitter

I have to admit, I do kinda of like twitter. I like how I can stay in touch with people a lot faster using twitter. I haven't checked out any library twitter accounts yet, but I could see using the site. We could send tweets to patrons about storytime tickets or even in the future I could see staff using that social network site as a way to contact each other. Example might be on road conditions or running late. I had my doubts about the site at first, but I have enjoyed using it to follow the latest information. I find it like a lighter verison of facebook and other social networking sites that people use. I'm still learning more about the site as I play around with it. I was amazed on how the news did say that twitter was one of the first sites that people used to tell family members that they were ok after the earthquake in Haiti. It just shows that these sites are here to stay.

Time to Blog

I did like the google reader. I'm not sure if I set it up right, but I did like the articles. I think I would like blogging and all of the new technology if I actually took the time to really get into it. Right now, I don't know what I'm doing with this stuff since I haven't really used any of this before or really wanted too. I can really see the public getting into google reader and blogging. Blogging would really come in handy for reviewing books and even programs that we had at the library. I think with furthur practice and playing around with this technology, I might actually like blogging.

Blog Readers

Blog Readers: "

A reader, also known as an aggregator, is a tool that allows you to interact with blogs and other Internet sites. Instead of visiting each site individually, you create subscriptions for the sites you follow and then visit the reader to view new content. We’ll be using Google Reader.

To get started, let’s first view this video from Common Craft: Google Reader in Plain English

You don’t need a new user name and password to open a Google Reader account—-you can use your Blogger account credentials. You can use your Google Reader account on any computer or mobile device with Internet access. Let’s start by opening http://www.google.com/reader.

Enter the email address you use with Blogger and your password, and then click Sign in. The layout of Reader is similar to the program you use to read email: folders on the left and an item list in the middle.

The Getting Started guide (http://www.google.com/help/reader/help.html) is a great overview of Reader’s features. You’ll be ready to start adding subscriptions after you’ve read it.

The first subscription we need to add to your account is one for the FPL 23 Things blog: http://fpl23things.wordpress.com/

1. Copy the address (highlight it with your mouse, right click and select Copy)

2. Click on the + Add a subscription button in the upper-left corner of your screen

3. Right-click on the box that opens and select Paste

4. Click the Add button

Now, most librarians like to keep things organized—and you’ll need some organization to keep up with your feeds. You should see the FPL 23 Things Blog in the middle pane of your window. Click on the Feed settings button, and then the New folder link:

Enter FPL 23 Things as the name for the folder, and click OK.

Now we’re ready to repeat the process. Add subscription for your blog (use the URL for your blog), and add it to the FPL 23 Things folder. Add the blogs of a few of your coworkers as well. (You can find a list of participants on the FPL 23 Things blogroll.)

Now you’re ready to go exploring on your own. You’ve created your Reader account, and added two subscriptions. Play with this … and write about it in your blog.

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