It's an adventure, Barnaby!

Thing 35

2009-05-18T16:43:00.002-05:00

I was happy to learn about lib.rario.us (although it has one of those annoying names). I like LibraryThing, but found it didn't work well for me in the non-book arena. I got a Blackberry for Christmas, so the BooksinMyPhone site is one I will visit again. I have visual bookshelf on my Facebook page, although I keep forgetting to post what I'm reading. There are so many book group/book info/book idea sites out there. I don't use them much unless I'm after something specific. I was amused by the Book Stumpers site that charges $2 to post a vague memory of a book to see if somebody can identify it. The librarians in my library system have a stellar record of identifying books from vague memories and they do it for free. I also got a kick out of the BookCrossing site - I like the idea of releasing books into the wild. I looked at "Books in the wild" info for Minnesota and I just have one question - what's up with Little Canada?

Thing 34

2009-05-18T16:28:00.002-05:00

I think answer sites can be helpful if you have a simple, straightforward, common question. As soon as variables start to enter the question it gets harder to get a satisfactory answer from an answer site. I thought the interviews about the future of the library were interesting. I agree that convenience and participation are two of the most important concepts to incorporate into library services as we move forward. I see a role for both online and in-person answer options.

Thing 33

2009-05-13T18:41:00.002-05:00

Aside from suggesting these as potential online travel tools for patrons, I can't really see how I would use them in the library. On the other hand, I enjoyed them for myself! I have used tripadvisor in the past to find hotel reviews. I like the travel blogs, especially the ones that incorporate lots of pictures since I'm traveling vicariously these days. Interesting article about cell phone use on planes, and great map of wifi spots around the country.

Thing 32

2009-05-12T17:20:00.002-05:00

I should start by saying that I love maps! I use google maps all the time. My daughter sometimes calls me when she's traveling without her computer to have me find shops and restaurants near her hotel or on her walking path. I thought the mashup options were fun and interesting - I'd like to revisit them when I have more time. I had never tried the my maps option. I made a map of a part of Rockport Massachusetts than I'm particularly fond of. I tried to get it to link to my blog but couldn't get the copied code to paste in. I suspect there's a simple fix, but it will have to wait for another time. I'm not sure how I'd use that function in real life anyway.

Thing 31

2009-02-25T16:23:00.002-06:00

Hmm. More Twitter. In spite of all the ways to tap into it, I can't quite work up a liking for Twitter. My guess is that I won't log in very often - maybe one of the options in this Thing will work for me. If I were still using Firefox I would add the extension. My phone is charging, but when it's done I think I'll try adding the app. I don't want to be hounded by updates though - it's a fine line.

Thing 30

2009-02-24T17:41:00.002-06:00

I have used rss feeds on iGoogle through Google Reader for quite awhile. I have them organized into folders so news, humor, library stuff, 23 Things blogs, etc are all separated out. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't use feeds if they were all lumped together. I have a delicious account (thank god they got rid of those crazy periods) but I find I haven't used it much. I actually got sidetracked on this Thing setting up more widgets and feeds on Pageflakes. It was fun browsing the options - they reminded me of Firefox extensions, which I miss since I've been using Chrome. In any case, I added delicious to Pageflakes, so maybe I'll use it more.

Thing 29

2009-02-24T16:32:00.002-06:00

I use iGoogle on a regular basis. I often use Google search (who doesn't?), including image search and book search. I used to use Google calendar and sync it with my Outlook calendar when I remembered, but often ended up with duplicate entries. Now that I have a Blackberry I keep my combined calendar on it instead of trying to remember to sync. I have used Google docs while working with a puzzle hunt team - it worked pretty well. I use Google maps when I want to find out how to get someplace. I have it loaded on my phone, which is handy. I love Google Earth and have used it for work projects as well as just for fun. I have Google news in my rss feeds. One of my favorite Google products is their new browser, Google Chrome. I used to use Firefox and was pretty pleased with it, but Chrome is definitely faster and doesn't seem to crash as much. It has some very handy features too. As I look over this post I realize I am something of a Google junkie...

Thing 28

2009-02-24T16:13:00.002-06:00

I have used iGoogle for a long time now, so I'm quite familiar with this Thing. I looked at the comparison of other options though, and found netvibes and pageflakes the most interesting because of their social networking possibilities. I signed up with Pageflakes and created a homepage. I like the ability to track Facebook and Twitter right from Pageflakes. I'm curious to see if I start going to Pageflakes more often than iGoogle.

Thing 27

2009-02-24T16:01:00.002-06:00

I like microblogging. My posts tend to be short anyway, so being required to be brief is a nice excuse. My Twitter username is srwalsh. I signed up to follow some people and some news outlets. I think I'll add the application to my phone and see how it goes. This could be a quick and easy way to disseminate library information, provided you had enough library users on Twitter that signed up to follow the library.

Thing 26

2009-02-24T15:28:00.002-06:00

It turns out I joined the 23 Things Ning the last time around. I phrase it that way because I couldn't remember if the Ning was one of the many, many things I registered for. It was. So I added a blog post and commented on the forum. I think this type of site can be a useful networking tool, especially if you want to keep your private life and work life separate. For me, Facebook has become an easy and fun way to keep up with people from all parts of my life. I probably won't spend much time with the Ning.

Thing 25

2009-02-24T15:13:00.002-06:00

This is a good warm-up, I guess. I read the articles, watched the videos, and looked at some of the widget options. I added widgets to my blog during the first 23 Things, and I have added numerous widgets (news feeds, weather, pictures, games, maps, etc.) to my iGoogle, so I am going to call this Thing done.

Thing 24

2009-01-23T11:37:00.002-06:00

On to a new round of Things. I changed my avatar and updated a little personal info, although I'm reluctant to put too much personal stuff into this blog. I'm feeling pretty good because, even though I haven't done it in quite awhile, I changed my avatar quickly and with no problems - a big improvement over my first go-round with avatars.
From the last round of Things, Facebook and rss feeds have both remained a regular part of my life. I'm curious to see what might "stick" from the second round.

Thing 23

2008-04-13T01:03:00.002-05:00

It's 1:00am and I finally finished. I really enjoyed working my way through the Things. Although I was already familiar with several of them, I learned lots of new stuff and got some ideas for future exploration. I realized early on that I rarely had time at work to pursue this. Once I figured that out, it was pretty easy to get it done at home. My kids are grown up and living elsewhere, which gives me a leg up in the discretionary time department.

Anyway, I think it was worthwhile and I'm glad I did it. Thanks, Metronet!

Thing 22

2008-04-13T00:05:00.002-05:00

There are several Things I know I will use, and I think the secret is to make them a regular part of my day, like checking email. I'm finding it pretty easy to check Google Reader every day, and the more stuff I can send there the easier it will be. I also think having other people trying to keep up will help - we can nag, I mean encourage, each other.

Thing 21

2008-04-12T13:04:00.002-05:00

I like Gather - this is something I might use. WebJunction is probably a better bet for work, but (much as I love them) there's a limit to how much I want libraries to take over my life. Ning is intriguing - I noticed alumni groups, which seemed like an interesting use for it. I found a group for fellow "23-Thingers" from my library system so I joined that, and apparently it automatically signed me up for the big 23 Things group. I am member 213. I posted my picture (why does that feel a little scary?), put the badge on my blog, and left a comment for a friend.

I tried some of the other networks. Open Source Food is fun - I'm always looking for new recipes.

Thing 20

2008-04-12T12:26:00.002-05:00

I'm signed up for facebook, belong to a group - Kikiland, and have four friends. KikiLand is a private group, so I also joined Librarians and Facebook. I wrote on my niece's wall (I've been trying to see her pictures from France and found some - woohoo!) This is pretty fun.

The library pages on MySpace are interesting - I especially like the idea of using MySpace for a library teen page. I'm finding it impossible to keep up with all the stuff I've been joining. Clearly, I will have to pick and choose which things to pursue. I prefer Facebook for this Thing.

Thing 19

2008-04-12T11:48:00.002-05:00

I listened to an AP Travel Podcast on Brooklyn. I used Podcast.com to get there. Podcast.net seemed to be having problems - could never reach their server, and the first podcast I tried from Podcastalley started with a commercial so I ran from that site.

I like the idea of isolated bits of information available in this format. I might subscribe to something if I ran across a great series - it's easy to manage in an aggregator, and this kind of thing is a nice change from music on an ipod. Which reminds me - I had to download itunes to get any of the podcasts I tried to play.

Thing 18

2008-04-11T23:24:00.002-05:00

A person could spend a lot of time on these sites... I chose the L-Team video because my library is in the midst of redesigning reference services and I think this may be the model we want to follow. Seriously, I love that it isn't serious. What fun it would be to put things like this on our library website!

Thing 17

2008-04-11T15:15:00.002-05:00

I have used ELM databases for years and never realized these tools were available. I could see them being very useful for somebody doing research, and probably useful at the reference desk as well. The endless registrations are getting to be a pain though...

Thing 16

2008-04-11T14:53:00.003-05:00

Hmmm. This is the kind of thing that is terrific in theory. My guess is that students who would use it probably don't need it. It would certainly be a good source for students (or more realistically, optimistic parents of students) asking for materials on how to study. I probably would have thought this was cool when I was a student, for the same reason that I love to peruse all the organizational stuff in office supply stores. I doubt if I would have followed through and used it though. I tend to be productive in fits and starts, and have found that for me it works best to go with the flow. Nice to know this exists, just in case I ever do get organized.

Thing 15

2008-04-11T12:49:00.002-05:00

I wasn't too interested in the pirate game so watched the Second Life video and signed up. I created an avatar and took the orientation tour. I walked into walls just like in real life! I'll go back and hang out again later, but so far I predict I won't spend a lot of time here. I find the idea of an imaginary world very appealing, but my real world takes up most of my day, so I'm not sure I'll be able to really get into it.
I'd like to spend some time on Info Island though.

Thing 14

2008-04-11T10:58:00.003-05:00

I love LibraryThing. I started cataloging my own books a few months ago (have you ever bought the same book twice?) so I'm really familiar with the site. It's surprisingly easy to add your books, especially if they're newer. Older titles can require more work. Love the tagging, love the RA possibilities, love the look of it. A winner.

Thing 13

2008-04-11T10:46:00.003-05:00

LOVE the Google calendar. I am in a perpetual struggle to keep track of where I'm supposed to be at any given time. My Outlook calendar is handy at work, but not at home unless I lug my work computer home every night. This is something I could access anywhere if I'm near a computer. It has possibilities, and apparently can sync with Outlook. I will definitely be trying this for both home and work. (I chose Google because I already use so many Google products and I need to simplify. Plus, I really like their stuff. (note to self: look into google stock...)

The online list services are fun, but I like a list I can carry around with me, and I don't want to be printing all the time. Might be useful in certain situations.

As for the links in the opening paragraph, games and puzzles always suck me right in, and I love the quirky pictures. I haven't quite figured out the pdf converter, but I'll pursue it because I think it could be useful.

Thing 12

2008-04-11T10:29:00.002-05:00

Although I do believe that ANYTHING might be potentially useful at a reference desk (that's one of the fun parts about being a librarian), I think these services are generally likely to be of limited usefulness at work, and are not my cup of tea for home use either. One exception is StumbleUpon, which I added as a Firefox extension a couple of years ago and have found to be entertaining.

Google docs redux

2008-04-11T09:36:00.002-05:00

I've been participating in a puzzle hunt from Melbourne, and we've been using Google Docs to share our work. Very cool. Each puzzle has a spreadsheet and it's easy to tab from one to another. A useful feature is the ability to chat in a sidebar as you work. One of the puzzles involved a quintuple sudoku, which was clunky to solve on a spreadsheet. Instead I solved it offline and created a text document showing the pattern which I could then share with the team. Really cool - people in Australia, California, Massachusetts, and Minnesota working on the same document at the same time. I like that the changes show up right away - no need to refresh as in wikis I've used. I'm re-thinking using Google Docs at work...

Thing 11

2008-04-11T09:31:00.002-05:00

Tagged one of my blogs and signed up for del.icio.us. I watched the video - not the best in my opinion. Did anybody else notice the dots kept shifting? Sometimes del.icio.us, sometimes del.ici.ous. I found it quite distracting, and made me think maybe del.icio.us isn't the most catchy name out there. Easy to say, hard to type. Anyway, I started cataloging my own books on Library Thing a few months ago, and I have picture files on my computers with Vista, so I'm pretty familiar with tagging. That service with the annoying name looks like it could be fun and useful in my personal life.

Thing 10

2008-04-06T13:15:00.002-05:00

I love wikis! I first used one a few years ago during the MIT puzzle hunt. The team I was playing with had a wiki that kept track of open puzzles, who was working on them, where that subgroup was working, and any progress on each puzzle for others to build on, as well as the puzzles themselves and lists of useful resources. It worked so well that I developed a wiki for a trivia team that plays out of my house once a year. (I realize I'm revealing my essential nerdiness, but I guess that hasn't ever been a secret.) Anyway, our trivia wiki has a list of team members and contact info and useful resources. It is also the place we post "visual trivia", a bunch of unidentified pictures sent to teams a couple of months prior to the contest. Team members work on identifying the pictures (harder than it sounds) and post progress on the wiki. It works really well. We've also tried to use it for scheduling, but that has been less successful.

When the library I manage was rebuilt on a different site, I developed a wiki to keep track of progress and moving details. I posted a list of all the furniture and equipment we were expecting and the dates when it was expected. I would say this wasn't as successful as I had hoped - I think this kind of tool is more useful for people who are in front of a computer most of the day.

I watched the Common Craft video (I like their approach to training) and added a bit to the 23 things wiki. On to Thing 11.

Thing 9

2008-04-04T14:32:00.003-05:00

There's no contest for me - Google docs was easier to use. I signed up and added my 2 cents to the document (which is getting pretty interesting...) Zoho was a different story. I could get to the document, but couldn't edit. I signed up for an account and asked permission to edit that document. I got an email confirming my registration, and then another email saying I had permission to edit the 23 things doc. However, when I clicked on the link it went nowhere - said the document couldn't be found, although it was there 2 minutes previously. Very annoying.

I can see that this might be useful at work if you had some kind of standing arrangement with people you worked with a lot. I think it might be clunky if you had to register everybody and work with getting permissions for each document. Cool to know it exists though. And I also discovered the calendar feature which could perhaps provide part of an answer to my ongoing and perpetual calendar dilemma.

Thing 8

2008-04-04T14:27:00.002-05:00

Ok, this picture stuff is fun. Right offhand I can't think of how I'd use it at work - my job doesn't usually involve this type of thing. But I can think of lots of ways to use it in real life. I added a slide show of pictures taken by our friend Kiki on a trip to New England. It was surprisingly easy!

Thing 7

2008-03-25T20:22:00.002-05:00

I'm not going to say much about this thing because it's so basic. I've been emailing at home and work for years. Can't imagine life or work without it anymore. I've been IMing with my kids for years. We started using it at working a few months ago. It's quite handy, and is often quicker and more efficient than a phone call. I'm not wild about text messaging - I think it's because I'm getting old and can't read my phone that easily.

Thing 6

2008-03-18T09:34:00.003-05:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks, but I'm finally getting back on track with the "things". I added a postage stamp picture of New York taken on September 21, 2001 by our friend Chris Conway. You can still see the dust in the air. It was a strange but wonderful trip. New Yorkers thought we were crazy for being there but were so grateful that people were still visiting. We had planned to drive down to New York for a few days during our annual fall trip to Boston. There was never any question about following through on the Boston trip - our son lives there and we don't get to see him very often. But we debated about whether to do the New York thing or not - we really didn't want to get in the way. Then we saw the mayor on TV asking people to come and that settled it. We've been to New York many times, but this time, of course, was quite different. There were memorials and pictures of victims and people still missing in every storefront. The area around the Towers was completely out of commission. Parts of the lower east side were still without power. On the up side, everyone was seriously friendly. We've always had great experiences with New Yorkers, but this time it was like we were a part of them.

Years earlier, when the Towers were being built, we had drinks a couple of evenings at a place called the Sky Dive that was on about the 60th floor, the highest floor at the time. We were at a window table on the north side looking out over midtown and the park. We watched the sun set and the lights come on all over the city. I'll never forget it.

Thing 5

2008-03-03T21:19:00.001-06:00

Lots of fun toys on Flickr. I'm enjoying some of the stuff arriving on Google Reader and Bloglines. See a Douglas Adams quote spelled out in Flickr letters below.

Thing 4

2008-02-26T09:42:00.005-06:00

I signed up with Flickr and posted a picture from my library. Pretty easy.

I'm enjoying the 23 things, but it's dangerous - I'm only on Thing 4 and I've already discovered lots of new ways to spend my time (like I needed help with that!)

I've been reading posts about generational differences in using this 2.0 stuff, but I'm wondering about how different personality types use these sites. So much of the 2.0 thinking involves sharing, and usually it's something personal - ideas, feelings, pictures, random thoughts. As an introvert, that isn't something I can embrace easily. Nevertheless, I think I'm ready to make the leap. Ok, maybe it's more like baby steps, but still...

Thing 3

2008-02-23T00:48:00.001-06:00

I signed up with both Google Reader and Bloglines - it went pretty smoothly. Too early to have a preference. One thing that is driving me nuts - I want to check off or delete articles as I read them but can't figure out how to do it. I tried the "mark all as read" but everything disappeared so that wasn't so useful. Is it possible to satisfy my neurotic need to cross things off a list? HELP!!

Aside from that issue, I can see where this is going to be useful in keeping up with what's going on in the world.

Thing 2

2008-02-21T13:02:00.000-06:00

This "23 Things" format cramps the style on titles.

I watched the Abrams video (listened might be more accurate because there wasn't much to see...) and read the John Blyberg blog. Maybe it's just that we've been talking about Library 2.0 for a long time in my daily work, but I can't say I found any of it especially inspiring.

The best part for me was checking out some of the websites referred to in the video. I'm familiar with Skype - I'm in an annual trivia contest where we rely on the ability to get a St.Cloud radio station over the web for questions. Most of the time it works, but this year their server was swamped and the lag time was huge. We're lucky to have a team member who lives in St. Cloud. By using Skype, we were able to channel his regular radio through one of our computers. It saved the day.

I love Firefox and see that Meebo is available as an extension. I will be adding that to my computer at home tonight.

Loved the wall of books idea for online browsing - I'm a sucker for pictures.

Thing 1

2008-02-19T21:10:00.000-06:00

It is more or less finished. Probably will play around with blog layout and content, but ready to move on to the next Thing.

No time! No time!

2008-02-19T17:36:00.001-06:00

I'm finding I have to do this at home. Setting up the blog was pretty easy, and I've already done some of the other stuff. I think finding the time is going to be the biggest challenge. Maybe.

Getting started

2008-02-13T09:53:00.000-06:00

The hardest part was finding a name that wasn't already being used.