The 23rd Thing!

Yes, I made it to the 23rd Thing! What is it? We are tasked with writing about the 23 Things Program.

Personally, I thought the 23 Things program was terrific. I use technology every day and am addicted to surfing the web at home, but I learned something new things and found some cool sites. I thought some of the mashups were fun.

My favorite part of the program was learning things about my coworkers through their blogs. I work with some really interesting people. I love learning where people were from, what their hobbies are, and their thoughts about the technologies we used for the 23 Things. I really hope staff keep blogging!

I definitely think we should have a 23 Things - Part II. I think these programs add enrichment to the work we do, are a great creative outlet, and personally I think they are fun.

Podcasts

One fun site for podcasts is Just One More Book - podcasts about the children's books we love and why we love them - recorded in our favorite coffee shop. Even though I don't have kids, I still enjoy children's book. I'm always looking for good books to buy my niece and cousin - both are 3 years old. So, if you have any suggestions, leave a comment!

You can always find interesting podcasts at the Smithsonian Institute

And a favorite site for podcasts of ALL types is the NPR podcast directory

Gnome Spotted in Argentina

A small person in gnomish clothing was spotted by several boys, one of which captured the gnome in action. David the Gnome has never been so creepy
read more digg story

BookSwim

Check out this book rental site: www.bookswim.com

It's a service very similar to Netflix.

They do have a great selection of technical books.

If you want to keep a book that you have, pay for it online. Then you'll get the next book on your list.

Read why BookSwim thinks you should become a member: http://www.bookswim.com/media_kit.html

23 Things Post

This week we had to take a look at Google Labs, play around with online apps, and explore some of the sites nominated for the Web 2.0 Awards.

Google has some great offerings like GOOG-411. You should try it. I frequently use Google Alerts when I'm researching hard-to-resolve PC problems.

I liked checking out the Web 2.0 nominees. One of my faves is Pandora. I love it. And, recently Michael T. introduced me to Last.fm. Thanks, MT - it's great! Both are well-deserved winners.

Using Zoho Writer

I'm writing this post using Zoho Writer, and hopefully I will successfully publish this to my blog - from Zoho.

 

I noticed that Zoho uses AJAX technology. I do know someone that told me they were going to use AJAX technology for online app development for their clients, but the technology has some security issues, so that project never made it off the ground. Google "AJAX security concerns" for more info. What does that mean for these Zoho online collaboration tools? I have no idea.

 

I've been playing around with Zoho's planner. A few times I received strange code errors. I checked their forums and noticed there are quite a few bugs.  Can't say that's something I will use.  I will take a look at their online db, though.

 

 

Library 2.0

When I think of Library 2.0, I visualize libraries that have strong online presences. Libraries could do this via Reference IMing, promoting events and services via blogs and sharing podcasts, video, and photos. I do think it's important for libraries to have a presence on social networking sites. This is a different (and free!) way to reach people in the community and around the world.

I think it would be awesome if PPLD would have instructional video available for online viewing. The possibilities are endless. Video could include instruction of how to use the online catalog, E-Reference, and even how to use software like Office. And, it would also be really cool if PPLD had podcasts of some of the speakers at their events and some of the Shiver's concerts.

Social Networking

I have both a MySpace account and a FaceBook account. I use MySpace most often only because most of my friends and family have accounts with MySpace. I personally think FaceBook is more fun.

I've had a Ning account for a while, but I'm not really into it. The few networks that I joined are not very active.

I think social networking sites are a great place to promote PPLD services and events and to build an online community.

Find me on one of the social networking sites, and add me as a friend!

Week 5 Post for 23 Things

If you're interested check out my Linkedin Profile and my bookshelf at LibraryThing.

I do have a Rollyo account, but I never do much with it. I do like that you can import your bookmars and use those domains as a starting point for sites you want to search.

23 Things Update - Week 4

One of the exercises for 23 Things' Week 4 was to blog about what we learned this week.

I already had a Bloglines account and use Google Reader, so I added some feeds. I am using Bloglines Beta. It looks much snazzier than the original version.

flickr fun stuff

I do have a flickr account, but I hate to admit that I upload almost every picture I take. I haven't had time to go through all of my pictures to completely organize them and write descriptions. I did put together a set of pics of my kitties. Check it out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/analogkid/sets/72057594127027997/

This is what we need

Lets get one of these for each library. It's an R2D2 projector. It plays CDs and DVDs and has an integrated speaker system. It also has A/V ports AND can be used as an iPod docking station. Check it out at Nikko Home Electronics.

Libraries and Wikis

We were asked to look at some library wikis and blog our findings.

A few of the uses of the library wikis included collaborating, sharing files, tracking projects, sharing resources and instructing staff and patrons.

PPLD has an incredibly useful wiki that includes a staff directory, meeting minutes, policies and procedures, training information and more.

Why this blog?

I started this blog to fulfill the requirements for PPLD's 23 Things Program. However, I'm hoping I'll continue with posting even after the program is over.

To read more about PPLD's 23 Things:
http://ppld23things.blogspot.com/2007/04/about-23-things.html