This is the end, my friend

Well, finally I am done. While I have enjoyed the discovery aspect of the project I have found that the suggested time allowance of 15 minutes a day was unrealistic. For most of the elements it was actually more effective to spend a larger block of time to work through the exercise rather than barely getting started in the 15 minutes and going back to it the following day. Often you'd have to redo what you'd already done or rethink what you'd already thought. Unfortunately, like all things like this where the aim is to expand your knowledge base with no particular goal in mind, it is very easy to push them aside when other, higher priority issues appear. It would also be very easy to spend a lot more time playing with different features and I'm sure this would benefit with the understanding and proficiency in different elements.

Hopefully, some of what I've done has sunk in and will come in handy either at work or in my personal life at a later stage. I guess it's a matter of keeping an eye out for opportunities to apply what we have learned and being conscious that new solutions are being created every day. It's a bit of a reminder that the problems we deal with are shared by other individuals or organisations across the world and they may have found creative solutions that we can apply. The beauty of web 2.0 is that they have made them available to the world to use, improve or build on. It's up to us to be open to their suggestions.

Over and out.

Ebooks

When the notion of Ebooks were first suggested, we seemed to think of specially designed readers with downloadable text to replace our trusty paper copies. The idea of reading an entire book from a computer screen also seemed a bit overwhelming. Ebooks in audio format make a lot of sense given the rise in demand for talking books and the changes to technology. Even in the 8 years I've been in libraries I've noticed that talking books are becoming less and less about providing an option for print disable members and more about finding other ways to squeeze in more 'reading'. Whether it's to have instead of the radio on the daily commute or to have in the background while doing the ironing or housework, they provide a solution for the busy person who "doesn't have time to read". The rise in popularity of Ipods and mp3 players and the conversion of ebooks into compatible formats allows these kinds of people to "read" a range of books without having to carry around the 26cd set or 400 page book. It also removes the need for the Ebook reader we all thought might become a part of our lives.

Given that the books currently being added to things like the Guttenberg project are those in the public domain, it's also kinda cool to see some of the original images from old texts.

And for isolated people without ready access to library collections both Etexts and Ebooks mean they always have 'reading' material on hand.

Podcasting

You know how it is when you're in a foreign country, people think your accent is cool and want you to amuse them and their friends by saying something in your "funny" accent? I never know what to say so it's usually just "What do you want me to say?". It's the same when I'm asked to search for anything as a means of demonstrating a point or learning about something. I never know what to look for. So when it came to searching for podcasts, I ummed and ahhed until I relented and typed in "podcast book reviews".

One of the results was a series of podcasts from Nancy Pearl, the librarian who is the model for the Shushing Librarian Action Figure (not a doll mind, it's an action figure! So that's what I've added to my Bloglines. :)

YouTube

I must admit, I'm a fan of YouTube. I much prefer someone send me a YouTube link than the actual video clogging up my inbox (are you noticing that I have inbox issues?!?). It does have the potential to be both a HUUUUUUUUUUGE time waster and an easy way for creative types to get their work out to folks that otherwise wouldn't see it like the Mr Potato Head film noir on the right.

And it's also a means for viral marketing but if it's funny (like the one below) you can kind of let it go. :)

Web 2.0 Award winners

I took the easy way out and just looked at the winners of the Web 2.0 awards and was still overwhelmed by how much stuff is out there. At first I couldn't see what was so Web 2.0 about them, they looked just like regular online stores etc but then I realised that's the whole point. Sites like Etsy look like a regular online store, with regular types of payment such as Paypal and Credit cards but is functionally more like a stall at your local market. Crafty folk are able to use the web to get their creations out there without having to lug them all over the place. They can then get a larger number of people "through the doors" by being part of a collective store than having their own little website, and customers would have greater confidence to buy online. I've already emailed the address to my brother's mother in law as a means of selling her jewellery. (Or go to http://www.jewellerybyrae.blogspot.com/ -hmmm, must remember to ask for a commission!)

Zoho

This is more like it.  This kind of thing is what makes me excited about the whole Libraries 2.0 concept.  Tools that overcome the limitations of the stand alone pc which allow easy collaboration between workmates, family members and/or friends.

 

When I first saw Google Docs and now Zoho, I wished I'd known about it sooner.  I mean how much easier would it have been for my siblings and I to organise Mum and Dad's ruby anniversary do if we all had access to the same document rather than trying to keep up with who had the latest version.

 

Not to mention having access to documents from anywhere without having to email them backwards and forwards leading to the dreaded "Your inbox is over its size limit" message.

 

From a business perspective it would be useful for group projects, the final result could then be saved on a business drive without the limitless drafts that proceeded it.

 

It would also be great for home users who don't have a need for an Office Suite all the time but would like to occasionally use a word processor, spreadsheet etc.  Not to mention to have permanent online access to resumes etc....

 

The features also seem to be similar enough to other programs that you can just open them and go. 

 

Playing in the Sandbox

sandbox village #2
Originally uploaded by Eric K.

I've just added myself to the Sandbox wiki and was surprised by how easy it was.
They would be perfect for people who aren't technologically gifted but wish they were.

Wary of wikis

I'm still not sure about wikis. It's back to that thing about the veracity of information. I guess that's a problem with a lot of the web. I suppose it's really an education thing, about suggesting people use multiple sources regardless of what format they take. Wikis seem to have a lot of potential in terms of sharing library information such as booklists, reviews etc. I think you'd have to be careful to use them for information that doesn't date as if could be a full time job checking details, following links and removing outdated information.

To Libraries 2.0 or not to 2.0

Having read the 5 different perspectives on Web 2.0 suggested in the discovery resources, it was "To a temporary place in time..." which resonated with me most. There is a lot of information out there and more than ever, librarians and other information staff are vital to help the general public make sense of it. Sure, anyone can find their answer on Google but it can be quite overwhelming dealing with the information overload that can throw up. Also, having an expert of sorts to help you distinguish the golden nuggets of information from the "fool's gold" which can be thrown up. The ways of manipulating how your search results are presented means it can be increasing difficult to ensure the veracity of the results that are being thrown up.

Technorati

I think I'm a bit of an information snob! I know that the 2.0 refers to the community interactivity of the internet but I like to know my sources. There is a point at which I think sometime people forget to distinguish opinion from truth, particularly their own. Tagging seems to be a good way to work through the millions and millions of blogs out there. I'm kinda glad that there are sites like Technorati so that those that want to search through them can, and those that don't can use other more mainstream searches which leave the blogs out.

On the bright side, when searching technorati for Libraries 2.0 the inevitable "couple of clicks" let me to this short clip from Youtube.

Mmmmm, that's Del.icio.us

Now Del.icio.us is a site I can see being useful at work. For a lot of the steps so far in the Libraries 2.0 process I've felt like we were learning to play with toys that may be kinda cool to mess around with in our spare time. Del.icio.us looks like a practical tool which would have applications here at work. As my team deals with Interlibrary Loans, we have a lot of online resources that we use to verify details and find items or libraries. If I have time at another branch, or if someone else wants to try to process them, I have to rely on the old grey matter to remember where to look. This would make my bookmarks portable and easy to share which should help in workflows. It will also give me easy access to my favourite sites if I'm on leave or just away from my desk. The import/export option would also make it easy to update bookmarks for the customer service desk and to make sure both the del.icio.us and browser bookmarks match. I need to spend some time tagging my bookmarks to make it more effective but I'll have to leave that for another day.

On a Roll(yo)

I'm struggling to find a valid use for Rollyo. Almost all the things I could think of to make useful searchrolls from were search engines themselves which don't work. So I went with an old favourite and did a recipe searchroll. I can't really think of reasons why you would want to limit your search to only sites you know, leaving out the possibility of new and exciting sites... I guess I always figure there could be something better out there that I just haven't heard of yet.
I guess the main advantage is limiting your search results (but good use of search terms can do that too) with the option to search the web if your Searchroll is unsuccessful.
Don't think I'm a convert yet, but I guess you never know....

I've added My recipe search Rollyo on the condition that if you find and make anything exceptionally yummy (I'll even take moderately yummy), you have to bring me some to taste!

That (Library)Thing You Do!!

I've headed over to Library Thing and had a bit of a play. I haven't catalogued many of the books I own or have read, figure I'd be here for months. If I remember to use it, I think it would be most helpful for keeping track of all the books I keep meaning to read as I could then search by tags etc rather than having a stab in the dark when I go to read them 2 years later.

As for our customers, we have a lot of customers who have notebooks or exercise books catalogued by author, series etc with their own markings for the ones they've requested, reserved and so on. While I'm sure they could benefit, it would take a lot of effort to convert them from pen and paper to keyboard and mouse.

From a staffing perspective, I quite like the suggester/unsuggester tool. Everyone who has ever worked in a library knows how difficult it is to answer the old classic "Can you recommend a good book?". Maybe it should be added to our Customer Service Desk shortcuts.....

Images: the next generation

Ok, so my blogging has stalled a bit, I was a bit wary of 'play week', mostly for the potential to spend a lot more time than I should messing around with some of the toys out there on the net.

I guess that's been my biggest problem with this program, allowing myself to benefit from the program without it turning into a work sanctioned procrastination!

There are a lot of interesting imaging sites out there (and probably a lot more that are pointless ones!) but this one caught my eye.


Ahh, if only I could complete this program with the push of a button...

Feed me!!!

I haven't had much chance to do any Libraries 2.0 for the last couple of weeks, other more pressing tasks were demanding my time. It also didn't help that RSS feeds were giving me some trouble, and it's difficult to perservere with something like that when your time is short. I'm also think that sometimes the best way to figure something out is to put it away and stop trying to figure it out. When you come back to it, you can then look at it with fresh eyes and give it another crack when the frustration has worn off. :)

It also gave me a chance to listen to what other people have done and how they got over the same hurdles.

So now, a good couple of weeks after setting up my bloglines account, I've finally got my feeds linked to my blog. Still not sure they're 100% right but I'm sure I'll figure it out/

Lightbulb moment!

Ok, so I've been thinking some more about Bloglines and this RSS thing and I think it could be more helpful than I first thought.

There are so many work documents that get sent backwards and forwards via email that clog up your inbox and are often out of date before you even open them. They also get sent to everyone, even if they are not relevant as its usually better to send it to people that don't need it than to risk missing someone who does.

Some of the key ones are things like our Telephone listings (which are forever changing as staff play maternity leave induced musical chairs/posiitions), Rosters and meeting agendas.

With the RSS module last week floating around in my brain, today those thoughts mingled with ideas I've been having about how to use Google Docs which I discovered when I was registering for this very blog.

With Google Docs, we can share and publish documents created using Excel, Word or Powerpoint (or create them directly in Google Docs). They can even be published to the web which would mean they could be easily accessed via our Intranet.

As our old handwritten rosters have recently been converted to an Excel spreadsheet maybe we could use Google Docs to access them rather than have them emailed to all staff. We'd then be able to access the most up-to-date rosters, see who is due to replace us on desk, locate other staff more easily and we could all access it electronicaly from our desks to save the inevitable treks to the noticeboard to find out when we were expected out the front.

As we all now know, or are in the process of learning, how to use RSS, we could set it up so we only have to check the roster when there are changes. Managers based at different sites could all access the roster to make changes without things having to be reprinted or manually updated.

Our IT officer in charge of the intranet thinks its a good idea, now I just have to convince the Powers that Be when it comes to rostering that it will make their lives easier.

Probably should make sure I've got the hang of this RSS stuff as if it's my idea, I can expect they'll ask me how to do it :)

I walk the (blog)line(s)

I've now set up a bloglines account to help keep track of sites that I visit regularly.

At the moment it's mostly everyone else's Libraries 2.0 blogs so I can see who is motoring on if I get stuck and need some help.

Can't really think of what else I'd need to keep track of as I don't necessarily think you need to be constantly reminded of what everyone else out there is up to.

Life's gotta have some mystery doesn't it?

I am not a technophobe...

My family is not afraid of technology.

I still remember getting our first VCR when I was just a little tacker, my brother's excitement moderated by my cynicism that our parents couldn't have _possibly_ bought one and that it was simply something else in the video box (what I thought it could have been instead I still don't know.)

When we go to family gatherings there are often as many cameras as people, more if you count those of us with camera phones. If there's anything that goes undocumented by a photograph, it's usually not for want of trying.


With family that do a fair bit of overseas travel, and friends and family spread across the globe, we've already discovered photo sharing sites as a way of avoiding the old fashioned slide nights without overwhelming everyone's inboxes.

My sister even used one of these sites so we could all look at the photos taken with disposable cameras at her wedding without us all having to flick through the photos. It also saved me from getting in trouble for putting fingerprints on her prints!

My brother and his wife were also in Taiwan when they found out they were expecting their first child so for those of us back home, their blog was our only way to keep track of how they were going through my brother's regular musings and the regularly updated ultrasound photos. We almost felt more involved than when they had their second child here at home and the only ultrasounds we saw were on their fridge!




AMAZING!!!!!

Getting M*A*S*H*E*D*

I was just checking out some of the Flickr mashups and found this interesting one.


Do you remember when you were a kid and people used to say if you keep digging, you'll get to China? Well apart from the whole "earth's core" issue when you get a bit of an idea of geography you figure out that's not true. So where would we end up?

Well thanks to "Dig straight down" http://map.talleye.com/bighole.php you need wonder no more.

If you were to start digging somewhere around Melbourne you'd need to take your snorkel cos you'd end up almost smack bang in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean.

Which of course led me to the question, if you were to start digging in China, where would you end up?
Turns out that takes you to South America or the surrounding oceans (depending on which part of China you dig).

Maybe it was the Americans who started the whole -dig your way to China thing. Seems they were a little off. :)

Fun with Flickr

There are so many programs available to use with Flickr it's hard to know where to start.

I've been quite taken with one program but can't say too much because it's given me a great idea for a Christmas present. If I blog about it I fear I will forget, mention to the intended recipient that I have this blog if they want to check it out and give the game away.

Suffice it to say, it's using the hi tech world of blogging to come up with something individual and tangible that I'm hoping will be a winner under the Christmas tree.

I'm tempted to play with some of the others I've seen but fear I could lose days as I wander and browse. I would like to check out some of the ones that allow you to upload pics directly from your mobile. Haven't figured out what to do with the pics I take with my phone yet, other than use them as a portable photo album or use them as wallpaper.

Will add that to my todo list.

My Friend Flickr

So this week is all about photo sharing websites such as Flickr. I've been and had a browse and even uploaded some of my own photos to see what I could do with them.

This photo is one that I took a couple of years ago when my parents, my sister and I went to Taiwan to visit my brother and his wife. This was sunrise at Alishan, one of Taiwan's most popular tourist attractions and well worth the pre-dawn wake up call.

And now the world can see....

As part of the Libraries 2.0 project we have a centralised register of everyone's blogs so we can look, see and compare. Having just registered this blog, everyone will now be able to see what I've been up to.

No pressure.....

What's in a name

So why Sea Comet you ask....It was the first username I had when I first went online in the mid 90s. I needed to come up with a user name for a BBS (Bulletin Board Service) that I wanted to join that would be difficult to change and wanted it to be unique and not too daggy. In the desperation that comes from a creative block I started looking through Children's books for inspiration.

Being a patriotic Aussie girl, I went back to my favourites, Blinky Bill, The Muddle Headed Wombat, The Magic Pudding and Snugglepot and Cuddlepie.

And that's where I found it. When Snugglepot and Cuddlepie ended up at the bottom of the ocean they met all kinds of creatures and saw all kinds of things. One of these was an underwater flower...the Sea Comet.

First blog entry

Ok, so after messing around with MySpace and the council firewall blocking Blogger, I'm finally on the air.

I've never been very good with diaries, and I'm only setting up this blog as part of a project at work. I figure I ramble on enough in the real world without doing it online!