Thing 46: Updates, Part 2

Unfortunately the links in the Zoho Notebook that was used to explore Part 1 and Part 2 of the updates to the Original 23 Things do not directly work. You have to rest your mouse over the hyperlink and right click and open the link in another tab or window. It took me a bit to figure that out.

Library 2.0 - I think it has went from it's introduction phase to staff to implementation with patrons. We're comforable enough with its resources and terminology now to start thinking of how it can be implemented to facilitate the needs of patrons. From workshops to new communication tools, libraries are reaching patrons where they are to offer services.

Wikis - Wikis are wonderful for collaboration to pool information knowledge quickly as soon as its found out. People as a whole have more knowledge together than a singe person. I've seen wikis created for games and books so that players and readers can have a quick list of references. I have a wiki that is a humble work in progress that will be an archive of PLCMC gaming programming. I have everything stored in Box.net ready for linking, I've just got to design a nifty homepage to draw readers attention. *Sigh* So many projects, so little time.

Web Based Apps/Productivity - Zoho and Google are still king of the hill in the web based app world, but it will certainly be useful to let patrons know about other up and comers as options if needed such as Adobe Buzzword and Microsoft Office Live. It is simple phenominal how many web based apps that Zoho has created since 2006. Google Docs and Spreadsheets combined with all the other features that Google offers is another great package.

Web 2.0 Awards - I love Seomoz's Web 2.0 Awards so I was tickled to find The Crunchies - another set of Web 2.0 awards to compare them with. Crunchies is more for innovators in the field as a whole whereas the Seomoz awards have winners for each cateory of Web 2.0.

Video - YouTube and more. I am simply amazed at what is available online now. Now there's Joost, legally offering 20,000 TV shows a day, requires a software download; Myspace videos, and the major networks CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox now offer their shows but include commercials. PBS Videos are availabe via the library's NCLive subscription and some are available on Snagfilms. Snagfilms is a way for documentary creators to distribute their work. You'll see PBS, National Geographic and Indie documentaries that you would see featured at Sundance. If you have Netflix just download the player and view films online.

Podcasts - Most websites will have podcasts available in audio or video format. Just add to your feed reader. I've really enjoyed seeing things that I might otherwise forget to watch or listen to if not for my podcast feeds. This will be a natural extension of library programming with the advent of easy to film and upload devices such as the Flip. What a great outreach tool for patrons that are homebound or homeschooled!

Netlibrary and Overdrive - Our library's downloadable content is changing. NCLive is dropping Netlibrary so unless our library picks up the subscription on their own we will lose some great resources such as the Pimsleur Language Learning series. Overdrive's big claim to fame is that it is compatible with Ipods now but doesn't feature bestsellers yet or have a comprehensive foreign language collection. I do not like the overdrive media console. I liked that on Netlibrary you could at least view the ebook text inside the browser window without having to download or checkout. Now with Overdrive you do. I also used Netlibrary to supplement our print resources for adult learners taking online classes. Their college library is miles away and not everything is accessible through the college library's website. Overdrive's ebook collection is mostly entertainment. I don't see as much nonfiction. I hope this will be remedied by collection development so it will be a useful resource. Otherwise it will not be used.

Thing 46: Updates on the Original 23 Things

Blogger - I was fortunate that when I created my account on Blogger in 2006 I was one of the lucky that were selected to use the New Blogger when it was in beta. So I got to learn Blogger in it's new format. I also use Facebook and browse Myspace but have been hesitant to create an account on it. Facebook seems more civilized than Myspace. Myspace makes me feel like I would be exposed more than I would be comfortable with.

Flickr - Flickr Uploadr and Picnik have made Flickr an even more valuable tool. I haven't heard about Flickr Places so this was a welcome find. It uses geotagged photos and gives you a listing of groups and featured photographers that focus on that place. I can't believe all the new Flickr mashups available. Wow! I was intrigued by the All of Ibiza from one Google Map.

Bloglines - I was considering Google reader but when Bloglines updated its features in it's Beta I decided to stay with it. For finding feeds I still like Technorati but I also like Google Blog search. I've come across single topic image generators that I've bookmarked, but none have come close to the archival depth of the Generator Blog, keep up the good work guys!

LibraryThing- I still like to use LibraryThing, but I also add books to my Facebook accout using Visual Bookshelf. I also like to use the LibraryThing widget for my bookclub blog to list what we have read.

Rollyo - Rollyo is still king of the self made federated search of websites you trust. Keep on rolling!

Thing 36: Online Photo Editors

For this discovery exercise, instead of taking several photos and testing them on one editor, I took one photo and looked at several editors. I posted the results on Flickr, tagged Cinnamon, since that is the subject of the photo.

Original Photo
Here is the original photo. This is our neighbor's cat, Cinnamon. She is too skittish to hang around if I go outside but I got this shot from the kitchen window.

Picknik
Registration required. For an inexperienced photo editor like myself I found that Picknik offers the right amout of simplicity and level of detail. It also helps that Picnik is already the photo editor partnered with Flickr and Box.net, both of which I use to store my photos. Very nice.

Splashup (Formerly Fauxto)Registration required. If I was a Photoshop user I'm sure that I would have taken to Splashup. But there was no tip sheet and some things I just didn't understand how they could be used. So for this novice, the picture probably didn't turn out as good as it could have.

Pixenate
I appreciated that I did not have to create an account with Pixenate. I could just upload my picture and get to work. It was also nice that Pixenate gave you the ability to upload your edited photos directly to Flickr or save to disk. I was able to get the contrast I wanted on Pixenate but not the level of sharpness.

Snapfish
Registration required. Very limited on what it offers for online photo sharing-except for email. It really pushes you to buy things. It didn't even give me a place to save the images I edited back to my PC. I had to right click and copy and save it myself. I was afraid I wasn't even going to get to do that. Like Pixenate, I was able to get the contrast I wanted but not the level of sharpness.

Pixer.us
Another nice site that I did not have to register on. I just uploaded my picture and set to editing. It gave me the ability to save back to my PC. Pixer.us gave me the sharpness that I wanted but not the contrast.

CellSea
Since I do not have a cell phone camera I did not use CellSea.

ImageEditor
ImageEditor would not let me upload my original, untouched photo to edit so I did not use it.

Wiredness
No registration required. Wiredness gives you many places you can upload your photos from and back to. You can integrate with Flickr or Picasa, save as a .jpg, .gif, or .png. You can also bookmark the site directly to Delicious, Stumbleupon or Digg. I wasn't able to get the level of sharpness or contrast that I wanted though. Again this may be due to my lack of photo editing experience.

Overall I choose Picknik for its ease of use and intuitive layout and autocorrect features. At almost every level there is an auto-fix feature which made it so straight forward. I recommend Picknik for online photo editing whether you are a novice or an expert. If you are an expert you may appreciate Splashup more.

Thing 31: Plaxo - Stylish Organization

I will say that I was really impressed with this discovery exercise. Before Plaxo I had all but given up on trying to update my yearly calendar with important dates and anniversaries. Now I'll never have to

1-buy another day planner or

2-add another reoccuring date again!

Signing up was easy enough, Plaxo walked you right through the process and gave you suggestions on what to explore next. The trick with calendars is to create your different calendar categories first (work, home, etc). Then when you add an event select the calendar you want to add it to first--then add the rest of the data. If you don't remember to select the correct calendar then the event will have to be deleted and added again to the correct calendar. There were some quirks with the calendar, I couldn't set an event for every two weeks or three weeks, etc. Those I had to put in each event manually. But most every other sort of reoccurance was available. Viewing each of the different calendar categories and overlaying them onto the same calendar was straight forward. Countdowns were easy to do, just click on the event and check off the countdown box. Task lists were easy to create, and I'm glad that they didn't force you to put a deadline on them. When you check items off, Plaxo marks them out and deletes them.

iCalShare took me the longest to pick up on, simply because I didn't know where to look on Plaxo to find where to add the iCal calendars. It's not visible from the main calendar screen, you have to click on the 'Calendars' tab at the bottom of the screen and click on 'Share & Manage'. Then click on 'Subscribe to iCal'. iCalShare had some interesting calendars but I just wanted a simple astronomy calendar so I chose 'Science' category and then chose the Eclipse Calendar. Now here is what stumped me for a while. When I clicked on the word 'Subscribe' in iCalShare it would try to add the calendar to the default Outlook calendar. I didn't want to use that so finally I noticed that if I rested my mouse over the little calendar icon next to the word 'Subscribe' the calendar address would pop up in the marquee at the bottom of the browser. So I jotted that down and then directly added it to Plaxo and Presto! the iCal calendar worked without having to sync it with an outside calendar.

I tried printing the Plaxo calendar in both Firefox and Internet Explorer. It works best in landscape view and I had more space in the calendar if I used Internet Explorer. Your results may vary depending on what web browser and version you have.

I'll certainly be using my Plaxo calendar, not only for important birthdays and anniversaries, but also for work. This will certainly replace my print outs of the 'Systemwide Meeting & Important Dates Calendar' from the staff intranet. I'll be able to more effectively plan going to library conferences and continuing education workshops. You could use it for the staff desk schedule, although getting everything to fit in a small space for printing might be a challenge. You could also use it to advertise in-house library events and outreach activities if your library doesn't already have a calendar for that on their website. You probably would want to create a separate Plaxo account for that so that it is dedicated for that purpose. Here's a little library events calendar that I made public for sharing.

Thing 30: LOLCats

more cat pictures

For this discovery exercise I got to know what LOLCats were all about. I've seen many of these photos in emails that friends have sent me but just didn't realize where they were being generated. Then when I explored many of the popular LOLCats sites I found where they originated. It's hard to believe that this Internet phenomenon has been around since 2005. It's been mentioned in Time Magazine, Wired, the New York Times, even Business Week and the Wall Street Journal!

Shown above is my favorite LOLCat, which is actually a collage of several in the 'Invisible' theme. Just in time for the Summer Olympics comes the Invisibl Olimpiks! I can just imagine these cats taking over gold, silver, and bronze medals.

I also created my own LOLcat using the LolCat Buildr. I've always thought the angry wet cat look left a lasting impression. The picture came from funnycatpix.com. Then I just added Dr. Banner's famous line from the Incredible Hulk in LOLcatspeak and presto!! A great looking LOLcat. Meow!

Thing 29 : Scrapblog - Online Scrapbooking

I have really enjoyed getting to know about Scrapblog. It took me a while because when I read "favorite" books in the exercise description I panicked! I thought--I have so many favorites! So I decided to do the most influential books instead. When I read these 5 classics they influenced everything else that I enjoy reading. I have also posted the scrapblog to Flickr. They are tagged as "scrapblogbooks." There was a slight glitch, when I tried to share/post to Flickr directly from Scrapblog it only seemed to load the first page. So I exported all the slides as .JPGs to my PC and then uploaded them to Flickr. No problem.

I can really see using Scrapblog in many different ways to showcase what the library is doing. What a way to jazz up your branch photos. Also they can be used for PR to showcase a program you want to feature, to commemorate library volunteers, retirees, or staff functions. You could even highlight your trip to ALA or Internet Librarian! They could even be used as prizes for summer reading or any other library contest. Over all, Scrapblog is a very useful tool.

Thing 28: Magazine Image Generators

After looking at the magazine image generators featured in this discovery exercise, I chose the Wired Magazine Cover by Xerox. I used my Meez Avatar and added a superhero cape (Yes I know that capes are uncool according to The Incredibles but I liked it better than a mask. After all, I want folks to know who I am to ask for help. ;) but to get her to fly I had to play games to get enough coinz to get the animation. Superhero flying was a premium item.

After I created the cover I could not right click and select "save image as". So to get the image I took a screen shot using Alt+PrintScreen and pasted it in MS Paint and cropped the image to just the magazine cover. I have also uploaded it to Flickr and tagged it LibMagCovers.

I could see using image generators to create unique signs for the library to grab patrons attention. Like creating a programming sign that looks like a magazine cover and putting it in the magazine display area. I'd be curious to see how many people would pick it up for novelty or for the programming being offered. You could certainly use them as prizes for contests. Who wouldn't like to see themselves featured as Time "Person of the Year" or on the cover of the Rolling Stone?

I have referred patrons to specific image generators when they have an assignment that calls for it. I've had students that needed to create cd covers and comic strips for projects. I could certainly see using image generators as a sequel workshop after one that covers online photosharing or digital scrapbooking.

The QL Blog Gets a Makeover!

I've been wanting a 3 column blog for a while and have been looking at many templates. I wanted something that didn't have obvious margins so that if I put something in, like the Photobucket video, it wouldn't look like it had run off the column and into the sidebar. Three sites that I really got ideas from were: Webtalks New Blogger Templates, Free Blogger Skins, and FinalSense : Free Blogger Templates. After much comparison I decided to use the Denim 3 column template from Webtalks. I really like how it lays out the blog and with the ability to change colors in various parts of the template, I can make things stand out and easy to read.

I think I got inspired after I created my new Meez Avatar. She had such a fresh look that I wanted a new blog template to go with her!

Thing 27: Photobucket - Photosharing and More

I created a remix of Cicely Mary Barker's Flower Fairies to explore the site.

Photobucket introduced me to many features that were incorporated directly into the product itself. Instead of looking at 3rd party apps after I had used a photosharing tool (like Flickr), Photobucket has some of these features as a part of its service.
It was a nice way to quickly put together a slideshow or create a remix--complete with fade options and even music. Then you could quickly get the code you needed to link it to what ever blog, webpage, or email you liked.
Photobucket is partered with Meez.com to offer avatars. This gave me an opportunity to go back and look at my Meez account that I had made a few months back and really take a look at its features. I've added a Meez Avatar as a widget in my sidebar. I like it much better than Yahoo! Avatars because it's 3D vs. 2D. Plus the animations show up better in the widget.

I don't think I would use Photobucket for personal use because anyone can use photos you post if you make them public. But I would certainly consider using it for PR purposes for the library. If people are incorporating the library into their works then that's spreading the word about what the library offers.

Now Flickr is partnered with Picnik to offer similar photo editing and creation services as Photobucket. In my mind Flickr and Picnik serve different audiences with different purposes than Photobucket. I'd use both, just for each for certain projects.

Thing 26: Widgets on YourMinis

Ok I spent wayyyy too much time on this one. I actually have tried several start pages in the past so I went back and reviewed them first and worked with the YourMinis startpage last. Some of the others I tried were: Netvibes, Pageflakes, iGoogle, MyYahoo!, and Protopage. This was a continuation for me of an earlier "thing" : #19 Web 2.0 Tools - Start pages : "Pimped Out" Personalized Home Pages. Each has their bright spots. MyYahoo and iGoogle have the bonus of being a part of a persons email account so you can link directly to other parts of your Yahoo or Google accounts easily. Netvibes, Pageflakes, iGoogle, MyYahoo and YourMinis have widgets by well known content providers. Protopage and YourMinis had unique widgets I hadn't seen before. Many will let you add your own custom made widget but you have to sign up for a widget developer account. There were many times that I wanted to add a widget from one site to another and each startpage had content providers they partnered with. Unfortunately if your startpage was not among the "preferred" providers it was very difficult to add it to your startpage. Many times I thought it wasn't worth it to try to go through the added steps transfer to another startpage's site. If you were adding the widget to your personal webpage or blog it was much easier. Just copy and paste the code like with other sites widgets.

With all of them you could customize them and drag and drop widgets where you liked on the page. Some more so than others. Protopage and Yourminis gave you the closest feeling of an open desktop with their dark backgrounds and ability to place the widget anywhere on the page, not just in a certain order. Protopage also gave the added bonus of letting you create multiple rows of tabs not just one row with a left/right arrow like with Yourminis. That way you could see all of your tabs in one glance.

I finally leaned towards the YourMinis startpage because of how their widgets interacted with sites that I already use and also for how the startpage was laid out and how the menus were laid out to add new widgets. I'll cover how I use the startpage by tabs.
Tab 1 - Productivity
Here I added the ususal suspects: calendar, weather, the web search widget, bookmark widgets of heavily used sites--its nice that they open in a separate tab or window (depending on what browser you have). I also added my avatars from Yahoo! and Meez and a wood elf picture linked directly from the web into a frame--nifty.
Tab 2 - Reference
I tend to scribble down notes on a little slip of paper and then would forget where I put it when I needed it. So I created a Reference tab and used the notepad and text editor widgets for little reference tidbits. There is even a widget called ScribePad that looks like you are typing on a little parchament scroll. These notes are especially handy when I do NCKnows online reference because I can access it from any browser on any computer under any login.
Tab 3 - Books to Read
LibraryThing covered in Thing 11 doesn't have a separate menu for books to read. I could add tags to my books called "ToRead" but I find that I use LibraryThing more for books I have already read. There is a site that has a separate "Books to Read List" called Shelfari. It's similar to LibraryThing but I haven't really looked into it to compare more than that. I do know that LibraryThing seems to have more users for what ever reason. Both are great tools for feedback for bookclubs. One of our children's librarians uses Shelfari for her bookclubs. Check our her blog at Stiletto Storytime. In the Yourminis startpage I've got my Amazon wish list widget there as well as search widgets for Amazon US and UK. I tried adding the library's catalog widget but it has to be a URL not HTML code. (Note to self--email Paul about having the catalog widget available as a URL) I even added the cover art widget where you can type in the title of a book, movie, or music cd and it will bring up the book cover. You can even search by keyword.
Tab 4 - Photos
I also created separate tabs for photos and videos. The Flickr widget is most awesome. If you have friends in your Flickr network, this is way cool to keep up with what they are adding. You can also do a search for a keyword in the Flickr widget and it will constantly update with the latest on that keyword. Of course I had to create ones with elves, fairies and shelties to test it out. If your friends use a different photosharing service you can use the Slide Show widget instead.
Tab 5 - Videos
You can do keyword video searches in You Tube or Veoh and it will retain that search for you to view each time you use your startpage. I found a video that had giant koi swimming in a pond to Japanese music. More soothing than a fish tank and no clean up!

Whew! After all of that...I still want to go back and look at NetVibes and see all the nifty content they have. That should take oh...another month. Ha Ha!

Thing 25: Letterpop.com - Online Newsletter Tool

LetterPop.com is an online newsletter creation service. It is similar to other online applications such as Google Docs or Zoho Writer for word processing, in that it allows you to create documents on the fly from any computer that has access to the Internet. Also like them it's free. It draws comparison to MS Publisher but it does not have quite all the customization features that Publisher does. But it offers you the convienience of a basic template creator for newsletters and flyers.

It is free to use with a basic subscription or there are other subscriptions for those who want more features and more space. It also allows you to email your creations to a list you create. You can upload pictures directly into LetterPop or link to your photos stored on your Flickr account. You are limited to 25 photo uploads with a basic subscription. If you want ideas you can see what other members of Letterpop are doing with their newsletters. I can see immediate applications with teachers communicating with parents, businesses advertising products, people writing their annual Christmas letter to all their relatives, and of course libaries communicating programs, resources and services to patrons--instantly via email. Talk about saving stamps and probably getting some great communication back.

Here is the little mockup announcement I created for library programming:
Game Night at Independence
http://letterpop.com/newsletters/?id=62773-4c64f3
Letterpop certainly has it applications.

Thing 24: Zamzar File Conversions

I took one of my word processing documents (size 7.1 MB) and converted the file to .pdf using the file conversion tool, Zamzar. It was very easy to follow. No complicated instructions needed.

I tested it by sending it to my Yahoo, Google, and MS Outlook mail accounts to see which one would get it the fastest. It took several minutes for them to show up. And the the stats look like this:
1. Yahoo Mail - I sent it to this one first.
2. Google Mail - I sent it to this one second.
3. MS Outlook - I sent it to this one third.
From this little test it looks like that no email provider has an advantage over the other with Zamzar.

It looks especially useful for converting PR fliers for programs into .pdf for distribution.

I've already used it with one library patron. He was desperate to print out a portfolio he had created but the library didn't have the same software he had. He was so impressed he offered to buy me lunch! Needless to say, Zamzar rocks!

Learning 2.1 & Ning Network - The Learning Continues

Visit Explore ... Discover ... Play!

Well, I have decided to take the plunge and participate in Learning 2.1--the continuation of the Learning 2.0 program that PLCMC started last May (2006). Announced during the May 2007 Technology Summit : Virtual Worlds, Gaming & Beyond, the exploration continues of new Web 2.0 tools but now the project is ongoing and it is the users that are doing the entries themselves.

I begin my Learning 2.1 journey by creating a profile on Explore ...Discover .. Play Ning Network and added my blog to the Learning 2.1 Wiki. Ning is a Web 2.0 tool that allows users to make their own social networks.