ugly betty goes to the opera

Showing how to blog

2010-03-11T11:34:00.000-08:00

I am demonstrating how to enter a new blog post.

Thing 29: Google Tools

2009-05-08T13:10:00.000-07:00

I tried Google Wiki and Google Sites. I have to agree with the article from Techcrunch - Google didn't need to change the way we search. When searching Google I usually don't get past the first page before I tweak my search again. If I find web sites, I either add them to my favorites or send them to my delicious account with appropriate tags. For me, Google is just the starting point. I don't think that it has to be everything.

Google Sites on the hand is a great tool. My co-workers and I used it to work on a presentation and then actually used it instead of power point using Google Presentation if we needed to create any slides. We started using ZOHO wiki but after seeing how easy Google Sites was to use, we stopped and created the same content on Google sites in about half the time. Plus it looks a little nicer than some of the other tools. The only criticism is you can only embed videos from Google or YouTube.

Thing 28: Customized Home Pages

2009-04-30T13:45:00.000-07:00

I had created an iGoogle home page before so I tried Pageflakes. It didn't seem as easy and my changes didn't stick. Maybe it was me. So I went back to iGoogle and added a few more gadgets to my original page and changed the theme. I added a couple of foreign laguage tools, a news feed and of course, local weather. I also like the world clocks and having the theme reflect the time of day. I use other Google tools so using iGoogle makes sense. I am not that organized to really have a useable, all-inclusive home page. It seems like I just have a lot of stuff. But I like it.

Twitter revisited

2009-04-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

I am still not comfortable using Twitter but since I first wrote about Twitter, I have read a few articles about Twitter. I can see its uses. I was too hung up on the fact that I don't have a cell phone or lap top. Plus, I am following someone who is twittering as Julius Ceasar.

Thing 27: Twitter

2009-03-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

I read the introductory stuff and don't think Twitter is for me. I was almost convinced after watching the Common Craft video but as I began exploring, I quickly lost enthusiasm. Is it because I don't have a cell phone? I also never update my Facebook account. I just look at my friend's pages. However, after reading how Twitter is being used by librarians and other possible uses, I think it would be a useful tool professionally but that would mean that I would have to practice using Twitter. Do I need to purchase a cell phone now or a lap top to take to conferences?

I signed up to be a follower of Hibbing Public Library.

Thing 26: Join the 23 Things Ning

2009-03-18T13:45:00.000-07:00

I joined Ning during the first round and have not looked at it until now. I added a video, a picture and displayed my badge on my blog. I did not join any groups. I am not so sure that Ning is something that I would use if I did not have a specific purpose or group project. It would be a great tool for sharing ideas - if one had any ideas to share.

Thing 25: Blogger's Toolkit

2009-03-05T12:50:00.000-08:00

I spent way too much time on this Thing, probably about 2 hours. I added a clock, Odiogo, Snapshots, an RSS feed and a picture that if you click on it there is a short slideshow from my Flickr account. I tried really hard to use the slideshow gadget on blogger but could not get it to work. I am not interested in keeping track of how many people visit my blog so I skipped over these widgets. My analog clocks changed after I added Snapshots and I couldn't figure out how to change them back. Stop me - I just used Feevy to add a friend's blog.

My Blog for 23 Things and More Things on a Stick

2009-02-20T13:04:00.000-08:00

Here is my blog that I created for 23 Things on a stick. Re-reading my blog I realized I was really racing through the last few things and perhaps did not spend enough time on them. So now I need to follow my own advice and take the time to really look at what all these things can do and how they can be used. I read somewhere that Web 2.0 changes about every 6 months. When I took the original class, the twitter explosion had not yet happened!

I have to admit that I spent more time looking at RSS feeds after the the class was completed. Now I can't imagine what I would do without my Bloglines reader.

I also changed my avatar for More Things on a Stick and found it just as fun as the first time. I would highly recommend adding an avatar to your blogs. It seems to be a great way to express yourself besides the blogging.

Thing 24: Refresh Your Blog

2009-02-19T13:04:00.000-08:00

I have not blogged since I completed 23 things on a stick, at least not on this blog. We have been busy working on a blog for a class we are teaching that is very similar to 23 things on a stick. I have looked at a lot of blogs and added a few blogs to my Bloglines account. The blogs that I do read are mostly for professional reasons. I am amazed at the dedication these bloggers have to their audience and also, how much I depend upon the information I receive from their blogs. It is a lot of work on their part to keep current. I have not commented on others blogs I guess because I am still pretty much amazed and humbled by the bloggers' expertise. What can I say - Wow, I didn't know that!

Getting information from others' blogs is now a part of my daily routine. And I love my new avatar!

Thing 23: One Last Thing

2008-09-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

Going through 23 Things has been a great experience. It has expanded my use of the computer. The class was very well organized and but remained challenging. It has also made me more comfortable with the vocabulary of Internet 2.0. I love all the new words and say them with confidence! Twitter, Ning, tweat,... Of course like most other projects I am hurrying to finish by the deadline today. Because of this I did not spend as much time on the things as I should have.

I would definitely sign up for another round of things. It is a great way to learn. Thank you!

Thing 22: What did I Learn Today?

2008-09-15T07:52:00.000-07:00

Almost done! Keeping up will be difficult but here is what I hope to do. I think I will be adding more RSS feeds to my Bloglines ( I just added lifehacker.) I will try and figure out how to best use del.icio.us. My library will be incorporating Library Thing into our OPAC in 2009. And I will keep looking back at the 23 Things on a Stick website and looking over items I did not spend much time on and keep adding to my blog.

My coworkers and I are planning on teaching an abbreviated "Things" class in 2009 with an emphasis on medicine and healthcare. We sent out a small survey in our monthly newsletter and surprisingly, there was enough response and interest to maybe support on online class.

I was particularly impressed with the online productivity tools and plan on using ZOHO projects and Google Docs to help me with two projects in 2009, creating a tutorial in Captivate and disaster planning.

Thing 21: Beyond MySpace: Other Social Networks

2008-09-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

I joined Ning 23 Things on a Stick, created a badge then posted my badge to my blog. I really do not feel compelled to join other social networks. Keeping my FaceBook up to date will be enough for awhile. On to Thing 22 - I need to finish all my things by noon today!

Thing 20: Social Networking

2008-09-12T14:09:00.000-07:00

I would have never created a Facebook account had it not been for the 23 Things. Now I feel I have to keep adding more stuff to my profile. But who really cares? I only have 3 friends and belong to 4 groups, the 23 Things, Librarians against Sarah Palin, Barack Obama and I Love Opera.

I can see how this is a great way to keep up with people, stay in touch and find people or groups. I agree that librarians need to be aware of the communication tool. I jumped ahead to this thing, went immediately to Facebook, created an account and did not look at MySpace. So I can't compare. It does feel like Facebook is secure. But I am still leary about using a real picture. (I am using my Blog avatar.) Although I was disappointed that only 5 people, out of 173, from my high school graduating class had a face book page and I could only remember 3 of them. I have to remind myself that people really use the thing for networking and not snooping.

I tried using the new interface and got a little confused so I went back to the old one.

I will probably keep updating my facebook profile because it is fun.

Thing 19: Podcasts

2008-09-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

Podcasts are great! This is my first experience with podcasts and I have to admit it seems overwhelming. But what hasn't seemed overwhelming to me in this whole Internet 2.0 world. I searched Podcast.com and Podcastalley.com for learning how to speak Italian podcasts. Both were about the same in ease of searching and results. I could not believe the many, many different podcasts available to learn Italian.

I would consider subscribing to a podcast and listen on a regular basis. I am a MPR freak so I think that is one podcast that I would enjoy. I am still searching for the perfect Italian podcast.

Thing 18: YouTube

2008-09-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

I love this thing! The first video I watched was Juan Diago Flores hitting all 9high c's when he performed Donizetti's Daughter of the Regiment in Milan. (This was prompted by his equally wonderful performance at the Met.) My VP walked in on me. Luckily, he is an opera fan.

I have to admit I spent a lot of time looking at videos for this thing, then looking at more videos and on and on. I will probably never make my own video but who cares! There are so many others willing to entertain and enlighten and offend!

The video I put on my blog is sad. It is a quote from Molly Ivens. I miss Molly. I wish she were still alive. Maybe I wouldn't feel so scared about Sarah Palin if she were here to offer her wisdom.

2008-09-09T12:12:00.001-07:00

Thing 17: ELM Productivity Tools

2008-09-09T11:49:00.000-07:00

Minnesota public library users are very fortunate to have ELM available to them. I attended a webinar about a year ago on Academic Search Premier. (I was never quite sure about how to best search the EBSCO databases. I always felt I was missing something.) Anyway, the webinar included the page composer. It is a great way to share ideas. I also created a RSS feed from Business Source Premier with little difficulty.

Thing 16: Minnesota Library 2.0 - Assignment Calculators

2008-09-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

I don't have any experience with these tools as I do not work in a school or academic library. Although some of my patrons (whose level of schooling and profession will go unnamed) could use some help when developing research projects.

Thanks for the introduction to this thing!

Thing 15: Online Games and Libraries

2008-09-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

My organization had blocked many gaming sites so I was not able to look at Puzzle Pirates or Second Life. I was able to view the PBS site and played some of the older games which seemed very high tech back to me at one time. I really don't have any experience with the newer games.

I do think they belong in public libraries because they are fun! Don't we want our patrons to have fun?

Thing 14: Library Thing

2008-09-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

I love Library Thing. I had looked at it about two years ago. We are actually thinking of using Library Thing for our collection. (My library is a moderate-sized medical library.) The only problem I had with thisThing was adding my books to my blog. It took many attempts and I finally asked for help from a co-worker.

Thing 13: Online Productivity Tools

2008-08-25T13:41:00.000-07:00

I had created a iGoogle page last winter and it was very fun. There was a some repitition in some of the photo groups I chose. I mostly enjoyed checking the time and weather in other cities and watching the picture across the top change from morning to night. If you are going to travel, it is a great way to track weather, etc. I did not make it my permanent home page because of the repitition. But it was fun while it lasted.

I didn't sign up for Backpack but watched the demo. It was cool but I am still a paper list maker.

I signed up for a Zoho projects account to help me organize a big project that I will be working on this year. My coworkers and I are also going to use Google Docs and Zoho to collaborate on another project. I hope it will cut down the amount of those painful meetings when not everyone is feeling creative and we walk away feeling like we haven't accomplished anything.

Thing 12: Do You Digg?

2008-08-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

I have Digg as an RSS feed along with a few other non-social media sites. I find myself skimming D igg. When I do click on an article that I think might be interesting, it often isn't what I expected. Still I keep the Digg feeds coming.

I did create an account with Digg after looking at the other sites. I think the RSS feed will be enough. Although after exploring the site, I found out some really neat things about Hellboy. (I am a new fan!)

I think it is important that librarians stayed informed about news from all sources. No matter your personal bias. People do seek out information from a variety of web sites. I think these sites are one way to find information from the same source or sources that your patron might use.

Thing 11: Tagging and Deli.cio.us

2008-08-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

I think I have only skimmed the surface of Delicious as I am still a little fuzzy on how to use this thing. Although, I think I see where it could be extrememly useful for research. Particularly after you have found a trusted network.

It is certainly interesting to see what other people have bookmarked.

As far as using this tool for work, this is a great tool for sharing web sites with your co-workers on a particular topic or subject.

Thing 10: Wikis

2008-08-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

I have worked with wikis before and they are a great collaboration tool. Of course, I found that in order for a wiki to be successful, it should have a purpose for true collaboration. The first wiki that my coworkers and I created failed miserably because there was little interest on the part of the users. Who knows the reason? No time, too new, too scary....

My favorite source for a wiki is PB Wiki. I am one of those who is always losing that slip of paper with my usernames and passwords. It is very easy to change these in PB Wiki.

Thing 9: Online Collaboration Tools

2008-08-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

About a year and a half ago, my colleagues and I signed up for Google Docs accounts. That is about as far as we got. We really did not have a good use for it. But now we have a project underway that lends itself to using either Google Docs or Zoho. I like Zoho better. It seems easier to use than GD. But I guess I will find out as the project continues. I have created the same document in both tools.

Thing 8: Slide decks, photos or presentation slides

2008-08-08T13:42:00.000-07:00

This thing was fun. If only I had different photos. Although I do love the flying pictures, especially the carpet piece. Having no photos of my own puts me at a disadvantage! It is hard to believe that people can now spend hours upon hours arranging photographs.

It has been a couple of weeks between posting my photos and writing this. I remember that it was a little confusing in the beginning. Once I have more of my own photos, I think it will be good to revisit this thing.

2008-07-30T13:00:00.001-07:00

Thing 7: Communication

2008-07-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

Wow - This thing took me a really long time. Curious, since this thing is about making communication easier and faster!! I had some difficulty with the IM part. I needed to download Google Talk twice. If my co-worker hadn't mentioned that she too had to download it two times, I would not have known to do this. It seems to depend if you run it or save it. As long as I have started with instant messaging here is what I think. I think it could be a useful tool for asking general reference questions. It is quick. The downside is that you have to be available. I am not sure I see the difference over email or even the telephone in some instances.

Email is a generally the way I communicate at work and with friends. It works fine for most situtations. I do appreciate a well written email with zero or no typos. More people should re-read their emails before pressing that send button. It can be a time waster - especially when your mailbox is full and you have to delete, delete, delete.

I do not own a cell phone (!) so the text message part of this thing was not possible.

I have attended several Minitex Webinars and think it is a great instruction tool. I looked at the Opal schedule and it seemed quite intriguing. I will try to attend one of the sessions.

Thing 6: Image Generators

2008-07-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

This is addicting! Time to move on. I spent far too much time working with photos.

Thing 5: More Flickr Fun

2008-07-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

Swirls with notes

2008-07-16T12:34:00.001-07:00

Swirls with notes
Originally uploaded by witte002

I did not think I would be able to do this thing. It is because I had another blog from the first time I went through the 23 things. Flickr kept sending my edited photos to my other blog. It took a while for me to figure out how add my new blog to Flickr. (My problem, not Flickr's.)

Thing 4: Flickr

2008-07-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

I must admit I was a limited with Flickr as I have a digital camera but a really old computer. I needed to use photos taken by one of my fellow librarians (JN). On to Thing 5!

Mosaic

2008-07-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken by a fellow librarian.

Thing 3: RSS feeds

2008-07-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

I used Bloglines for my reader. Apparently, I already had a Bloglines account from the last time I went through 23 things and had forgotten. I am still not so sure about the value of RSS. Perhaps I need to expose myself to more information sources. I added 2 library blogs, 1 medical blog and my other 2 sources are news web sites. I activated the notification feature in hopes of becoming more familiar and apreciative of RSS. On to the next!

Thing 2: What is library 2.0?

2008-07-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

When I was in library school many of our early class discussions were about what to do with the Internet? Here are some of the comments I remember.

"The internet will take the place of libraries!"
"There is no order!"
And my favorite "How dare Yahoo not include any librarians on their staff! Who will do the organizing."

So we went ahead with our classwork, learning how to evaluate web sites, always looking for flaws and decline. It never happened.

I think it is great the librarians are embracing Web 2.0. I plan to learn, reflect and welcome the unexpected.

Thing 1: Set Up Your Own Blog

2008-06-03T06:25:00.001-07:00

This is my second time learning 23 Things. But this is the first time that I have created an avatar. What fun! Of course at one time I had four avatars but that was quickly remedied, only after one brief panic episode.