23rd thing

So I've completed Library 2.0. Woohooo! It feels good.

Fav discoveries: Bloglines, Bloglines, del.icio.us... the online image generators were fun. Oh, I've loved youtube forever, so it wasn't a new discovery.

How has this assisted/affected my life long learning goals: Well, there's a lot available online. I like to think I'm fairly up to date with whats gooing on... but really there's just too much to keep up with almost. It was nice to have a summary, and build some kind of general knowledge on a variety of different online tools available.

Any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised me: an iPod!!! Well, I guess learning about some new things online too. haha

Well, last day at the Library tomorrow... should get some sleep. It was a fun summer, and it was nice meeting everyone -- add me on facebook if you have it. :)

audio books

I visiting Dale at the reference desk today and made a netlibrary account. I didn't know this was available... pretty cool actually, good for long drives and stuff. I did some searching, and found a few titles I would consider downloading. I've only listened to one audio book before, and I didn't get through it. I just like reading it more... I don't think I'll be downloading any. But it is nice to know it's available.

podcasts

So, I don't really have as much time for this as I have had this summer, because I leave Saturday morning!! But, after winning an iPod today (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) I thought Id finish this up... bc I definitely could use that laptop now. I spent the last 2 hours on the phone w Dell, and they are going to fix it (hopefully) for FREE.
(It's 3 weeks past it's warranty...)

Anyways, I added the RSS feed for Harry Potter related podcast called "Blogging from the Alley". I didn't search through too many podcasts, mainly bc I dont have much time to wrap this up... but it's really one of those things you could spend HOURS investigating. (Also- after youtube, podcasts are not as fun.)

youtube

Activity 20

Web2.0 clip: the html reminded me of computer sci class...... not really impressed. lol
Lib2.0 clip: it's nice to see people that really are taking this whole thing to the next level... and really serious about it.

I love youtube! I cant really say anything bad about other than, like everything else on the interet, there's a lot of crap to work through to find good stuff. The search is pretty good, but people sometimes put really popular tags/titles on their video that is completely unrelated.

I posted one of my favourite scenes of my favourite tv show - Grey's Anatomy.
Anddd, yes I did post Justin Timberlake singing "What goes around..." Youtube is awesome for finding live performances and videos from concerts etc.

Also-- reallllly easy to post these on my blog!! I was so impressed.

grey's anatomy

what goes around...

web 2.0 sites

I looked at the short list (www.seomoz.org/web2.0/short) and recognized a few sites that we've used with Library 2.0 and some sites that I've been using on my own for a while.

I checked out a few sites and decided to fool around with yourminis where I searched through A LOT of widgets. I tested out a few, and decided on a simple countdown. A countdown to the second of when I will be getting on a bus to Waterloo. I'm really excited to go, but time is going almost too fast - I have so much to do!

I liked the yourminis site. There were a lot of choices and it was easy to post it on my blog. The widgets I saw were not really 'useful' applications in a 'Library setting' but they are fun.

yourminis :: widgets

publishing in blog

Publishing my document here was easy. Im happy I didnt have to fiddle around and figure it out. :)

zoho writer

So this is kind of cool, an online word processor. Saving it here is useful... Don't need to worry about sending attachments in Word, and have the person you're sending to have Word Perfect, open it and mess up all the formatting. Another thing, if you were to save documents here, then you can access them from any other computer... I like it.

...Not sure if this counts as a simple document...? I don't have too much to say on it. It's a straighforward site, easy to use if you're familiar with Word. ooh all the keyboard shortcuts work too.

BOLD

italics

underline

wingdins:)!

blue!

green!

yellow

red

purple

pink

white

sandbox

to finish off week #7, we had to 'play' in the sandbox. I posted my favourites to favourite author and favourite food, and then I added a new topic (i hope that's ok) for favourite tv shows.
Favourite author was JK Rowling... surprise, surprise! I linked her official website and posted a picture of her. then i left a comment on chris blog...
done week 7... woohoo (bedtime!)

wikis

Ugh, so I had a post... and I was almost done, then my computer did something and now it's gone. Anddd the autosave draft thing didnt work out either. Grrr. (AND it's not like I write out what I'm posting on paper first *coughJoancough* so I have to write it allll again.)

Ok - Activity 16: Check out some library related wikis and post thoughts.

Book Lovers Wiki: Nothing really new, but I think it would be a nice addition to our library. Maybe a link off of our website? I know that the CYS staff like choosing books to be put in the 'staff picks' display... it's sort of the same idea. Just with ratings, reviews and recommendations from library staff and patrons too.

Library Succes: This wiki was huggggeeee. But organized. I didn't look through much of it, but I checked out the Programming link. I found a pretty nifty Children's Program database. (Would have been nice to find at the beginning of summer ;))

ALA 2006 New Orleans: I agree with Sarah, a nice idea for a big event. Would have been useful for Homecoming with so much going on, organized by different people. Maybe for Summerfolk too..... there are lots of possibilities.

I think I'm done for now. It's almost time for Big Brother. :)

library 2.0 perspectives

I feel a little behind on this... I'm a bit busier now that I've realised I move back to Waterloo in 2 weeks. There are things I'd rather be doing, and things I should be doing instead of this but I'm determined to finish it (and win an iPod).

Perspectives --
There is so much potential for growth and change in libraries with new technology, I think it's great that librarians are taking such an interest and learning about what's available. Librarians need to 'embrace Web 2.0 tools' - providing patrons with new and improved resources (ie. blogs, wikis etc.) I thought the term 'technolust' was pretty funny. ("New technologies are not implemented for the sake of coolness or status" ) I'm pretty sure that libraries try to improve services for patrons, and generally try not to add new technologies simply for the sake of coolness. The process that goes into adding new technology needs to change... change speeds. Libraries will need to be quick at keeping up, and spotting new technology as it becomes available to keep up with library users.

The second perspective I read had ideas for growth specifically regarding library bibliographic services. Some ideas I like include: the option of ranking search results based on circulation, ratings etc. and features similar to Amazon (reviews, tagging, and other user participation) As I read this, I was actually shocked to see that someone hasn't jumped on these great ideas and cashed in yet. "The comprehensive menu of choices in a single place" is a great idea. Links to books store inventory, options to purchase online instead of borrowing, displaying search results and availability of libraries nearby... it's endless.

Okay, I think that's enough from me. I'm going to try and start week seven activities tomorrow or Sunday.

technorati

Activity #14

I searched 'Library 2.0' and found the results from seaching Blog Directories got the most relevant hits. With the other two, especially just the keyword seach, it brought up a bunch of completely unrelated hits. I did find my blog for fun... turns out there's at least 6 other blogs with the exact title. Oh... the internet is sooo big. haha.

I don't see myself using Technorati, but it seems useful for those who need/want to search blogs... so I didn't join/register with Technorati or claim my blog. I don't really see any reason for me to tag my posts or make my blog 'more findable'.

I do check up on various blogs, but they normally belong to friends and I don't need to search for them since I already have the url. I do like how you can search for words in posts, tagged words, or search for registered blogs that are under tagged subject. There are soooo many blogs and this makes it a little easier to navigate and find what you're looking for.

Top searches - not surprised with youtube, facebook, myspace, google or iPhone.

del.icio.us

I've made a del.icio.us account and added in a few favourites. This is a really easy way to access your favourites from any computer. I don't think I'll be using it much since I have a laptop that I drag around with me for the majority of the year.

Rollyo

So I registered and from the start, I personally found this site pretty useless. (If I'm going to the trouble of adding sites to a searchroll, why don't I just search the site itself? I guess it would be better if you were searching the same things all the time.)

But I set up a searchroll anyways. I couldn't think of anything to search... so I chose celebrity blogs. (I already have a few favourites, so I added them) So....... now you can search "Lindsay Lohan" or "Britney Spears" and it will search these blogs, and you will find posts about how they are both crazy drug-addicted trainwrecks. Sweet.

Link - http://rollyo.com/ethompso

LibraryThing

This site was straighforward to use. I added books by title, searching Amazon.ca instead of the default American sites listed. I'm not sure if I'll really use it though. I won't have a lot of time for 'fun' reading starting in September.

Link - www.librarything.com/catalogue/ethompso

'old' pics

Originally uploaded by ethompso

I found this Image Generator that made pictures look old. Kinda neat. :)

Me and a friend at uni, on our way out.

Originally uploaded by ethompso

Same.

Originally uploaded by ethompso

Haha, at the beach again. Last summer.

Originally uploaded by ethompso

Reading week.

sketches

Originally uploaded by ethompso

I like the Image Generator that made sketches. {http://www.dumpr.net/sketch.php}

Again, I tried a few different pictures to see what worked out. This is me with a few friends last summer at the beach.

'Warholizer'

Warhol3
Originally uploaded by ethompso

This "Warholizer" was really fun! I had to try a lot of pictures, because they all turn out completely differently... some don't work out with bad lighting and stuff.

{http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/warholizer.php}

Flickr Fun

Slytherpuff

RSS & newsreader coolness

So, this is the first 'assignment' that I haven't been completely familiar with. I have to say, it's pretty cool. I have heard of RSS feeds, but never really investigated them on my own. I had my own little system for sites that I visit daily - a folder in my Favourites. But bloglines is useful because it's all in one place, shows when there are new posts, and there's also no advertising. The page looks oddly plain and boring though, took some getting used to. I'm so used to the bright, blinking and otherwise annoying ads on the internet... so it was strange without it.

Making an account with bloglines was straighforward and at the end they gave me the option to subscribe to some of their 'top blogs'(I think it was called that). So I picked out a few (movie ratings, weather etc.) just to see what would happen. As it turns out, they were added to my feeds right away, without any confusion or problems. Impressive.

I added the Library 2.0 feed, and a few blogs so I can keep up with what other ppl are posting. Realising it was easypeasy, I checked out some of the sites I go to on a regular basis and check to see if they offered feeds. Many of them did. Both copy+pasting and the little orange icon are fast and easy to use.

So I found out that all my lovely celebrity gossip sites have feeds. As well as some of my favourite Harry Potter sites. I also added iTunes top 25 songs, and Movie6 feed (of of my fav movie streaming sites).

As far as the feed searching sites: topix, Syndic8, feedster etc. I don't really think I'll use those very often. I already have enough sites to check up on. Maybe on a rainy day I will investigate more... but for now, Ill stick to the feeds I have. I did check them out and I think Syndic8 and feedster are both reasonably easy to search and navigate. I probably won't ever use topix because it's all new related and stuff... and I'm just not really into that.

Well I'm off to read a chapter or two of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows (for the second time) because I'm awesome.

Oh-- and my poll. I was totallllly right w/ my predictions! BUT I won't tell you anything. You have to read it. (I'm talking to you Sharon... and Nadia. lol)

Zoe

Zoe

I looked at some of the other blogs and it seems to me like a lot of people are posting pictures of their dogs. I thought I'd post one of my dog. This picture of my dog Zoe is hilarious! She looks crazy... I got her all hyper and then shoved a camera in her face. (She's normally camera shy. Or at least has a curious look on her face.)

Poll

So I added a poll.

I know how much you alllll want to vote. (Especially Sarah, right?)

More Harry Potter

So, I'm sticking with the Harry Potter theme as it is a very special month for HP fans. I saw the new movie (Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix) last night. Of course, I reserved tickets... and went to the theatre after work so I could wait in line for a good seat. Chris was like fourth in line - very impressive.

The movie was my favourite so far... they actually managed to fit a lot of the book in. I'd be interested to see if someone who hasn't read the book knows what's going on though. The biggest disapointment for me was the death of Sirius. (If you haven't read that far in the series, HAHA.) I cried when I read the book! You'd think that the movie would tug at my heartstrings... but unfortunately it didn't. So that wasn't really well-done. But over-all a good movie. :)

Oh right, what was I supposed to write about?? ...okay, my 'experience'

Well, I use photobucket (a similar site to Flickr) on a regular basis so I didn't have any trouble figuring it out. It was annoying having to make a yahoo email though. (Another account that I will never use.)

And, 'the topic of technology'... well I was talking to Joan about this today. It's strange for me that this stuff is completely new to some people. I guess I've grown up with it, but I really thought that most people were at least somewhat familiar with all that the Internet has to offer. I can't imagine going through all this never having done most of it before... it would be prettttty confusing.

Okay, I think that's enough. BigBrother is going to be on soon. (I don't want any comments on my guilty pleasure, okay?) Byeeee

First postie

Well, here's my first post of my new blog. Hopefully this Library 2.0 thing won't be to complicated and I'll win the laptop after sweeping everyone off their feet with my Internet savvy-ness. YEAH I said it. I can write whatever I want to... even words that aren't real.

Anyways, I've never really been one for blogs. I'm familiar with them, read other people's blogs (when they're going on an exciting trip or something) but I can never really post in them for any length of time. I'm more of a facebook fan. It's my time-waster of choice.

Oh- the title of my blog is a quote said by Dumbledore. :) If you don't know who Dumbledore is... get out of my blog!!!!

I would like to talk about how EXCITED I AM about Harry Potter. I've been waiting for this month for everrrrr, and now that it's here I'm not sure that I'm ready for the last book. (The movie this month is just a bonus.) It will be the end of guessing what's going to happen next because it will all be over. (Don't get me going about how it will all end...)

Yes, I think that's enough rambling. More later.