#7 Blog about technology

This Library 2.0 is a great exercise in restraint. I really enjoy learning about what's possible, what's popular, what's really being used online. So much of what I see (and am starting to use) is fun! I enjoy it. I've spent time experimenting with some of the websites and applications and tools. I know my teens use lots of these every day. They've obviously got more time than I have! I could (and sometimes do) get lost in the web, just following one link to another to another. Before I know it, I've spent an hour on nothing very productive. However, I do see that there are things that libraries can and should be doing for our patrons. We should be where they are. Our business is becoming more "virtual", and we need to make sure that we remain vital and visible in the virtual world.

#6 More Flickr Fun

I explored some more Flickr-related websites. Mappr ended in 2007. I really liked FlickrColor Pickr - it was fun to try the different types of "sorts". I liked "textures" and "urban decay". I liked clicking on the photo to see all the tags it used, and others from that Flickr group. A really nice time-waster. Montagr took forever to load one mosaic. That was as far as I got.

In looking for more mashups, I also tried iGuide - a map/hotel/flight/sightseeing app. I really loved Spectra visual newsreader. I'm going to customize it and bookmark it.

#5 Flickr: My favorite vacation photo of all time

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Originally uploaded by pearl1757

(You thought I was kidding about the vacation slides...?)

But, seriously, here's what worked for me and my thoughts during this exercise:

1. I had to find my old Yahoo account info.

2. I had to bring some photos from home. I used my flash drive. They needed to be in jpg format - not all of them were.

3. Getting the two applications to talk to each other made sense, once I figured it out. It took a little time, though.

4. I only got this to work by writing my post in Flickr. I think there's a way to get the Flickr photos into Blogger, so I can write my post in the usual way, but I haven't figured that out yet.

5. I understand that some people are really into the social networking stuff. I'm finding that I use parts of it when I need it - but it's not a way of life to me. I already subscribe to several RSS feeds, though, so I'm looking forward to that week's project a lot. I want to explore some different aggregators - I'm not thrilled with the one I use at home.

I got it!!

I need more practice, but...it worked.

Next, I'll be entertaining you all with slides of our last vacation!

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image002
Originally uploaded by pearl1757

Owhatageekteam: Here's where I work!

Flickr Experiment

At home, I created a Flickr account and uploaded some photos of my son, my dog, my favorite vacation photo. At work, I also uploaded a photo of the Millard Branch sign outside our library. I'm now trying to get the Flickr photo to upload to my blog. I published it, looked at it, saw that there was no photo included, so I'm now trying to figure it out.

More later.....

Regarding Lifelong Learning...

Considering that I am "of a certain age", and I went back to school for my masters degree four years ago (one semester till I have my MLS), I have no aversion to learning new things. And it's not just formal education that's important to me. I learn things from patrons and coworkers every day; I frequently even learn things from my kids! It never stops, and it never gets stale. I happen to enjoy keeping up with new technology, and this program is a great way to introduce some new things to my skill-set.

Day one of my new blog

Looking forward to the next few weeks! The MP3 player (that bookmarks!) is quite a carrot to hold out in front of me!

I created a blog last summer for my practicum for school. It was a great way to update my practicum advisor on my progress. She loved it - no one else had done this for a practicum before. I loved it - it was easier than creating a word document, attaching it to an email, etc.

I am really looking forward to the weeks where we do something new - something I haven't done before - Flickr and Tagging, specifically.

So, thank you for the opportunity!