It's a Wrap!

My favorite thing that I learned about was Technorati. I thought that it was very interesting that the most popular sites were technically orientated. I also found it amusing that many of the popular blogs had really nothing to do with current events, but were focused on their own tangents.

My least favorite was ListenNJ. After trying to work with it for several attempts, it has not gotten any easier. Users need software like a refrigerator; just plug it in and off you go. I think that software that makes you go through all kinds of setups & plug-ins to work, eventually turns the user off, and then away.

I would like to see the library get more involved with blogs and wikis. They would allow for more customer generated content and comments. Those two tools in conjunction with a Flickr presence might have added another dimension to my diversity project.

I'm waiting to find the free time, between work & school, to set up a family wiki & Flickr account to connect my wife's family together. It would offer another alternative to the in-person, face-to-face, get- togethers.

ListenNJ

This is about the third time that I've tried to use ListenNJ in an OCL setting, and once again the experience has been frustrating. I'm able to download the software, but keep battling with the Digital Rights Management section so I never really get to download the book to my PC.

The message I usually get is "Error 0xC00D2781: A problem has occured in retrieving the "Digital Rights Management" machine identification. Contact Microsoft product support.

Maybe Listen NJ is easier to download & configure at home?

Pod/Vodcast

I'm a big fan of the podcasts/vodcasts run by the Sirsi Dynix Institute (the text links to their archives where you can listen, watch, or subscribe). They're about an hour long but are well worth it. They deal with such topics as RSS feeds, new technologies to follow, etc., all from the viewpoint of using them in a library setting.

Here's an interesting one about Info Island in Second Life in regards to providing library service there: http://www.sirsidynixinstitute.com/viewvideo.php?vid=20070403.wmv

YouTube

I'm in the market for a digital camcorder and have been reading a number of reviews. But what would be better for comparison purposes than to find a video made with the camera that I'm considering, and about the camera, too! Here's the video I found:



Here's the link to the actual YouTube video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=T4QtUVzWw4U

Ning

I think that Ning has a lot of potential for creating a social network on the job. Unlike FaceBook or MySpace, Ning allows one to customize all of the aspects of a social network to meet the needs of any organization or workgroup. The look, access permissions, control of the code used to create the Ning are all under your control. No matter what the needs or interests of your group, you can create & customize your own social network, do it for free, and retain control.

Collaboration

I've used Google docs when working on a group project at school. Rather than emailing a doc back and forth for revisions among the group, it was much easier to have everyone access it online.

When I worked in the Virtual Branch Workgroup in technology, the group also used it to prepare several docs for the very same reason. Members of the group were spread throughout all the branches, and it was an easy way for members to work collectively on our documents without repeated emails or in-person meetings.

Library Success

Other than being a very plain looking website, I like Library Success. I see that it is moderated by Meredith Farkas, the author of "Social Software in Libraries" so it's got to be good.

A link there to online training resources took me to Web Junction. What I found interesting was their online course offerings. Some were free and for most the charge was nominal. Coming from an online learning environment (Rutgers Online MLIS program), I found it refreshing that there were alternatives to online learning other than college programs.

About the only thing that makes me cautious about wikis is the very thing that makes them appealing: anyone can add to them. This is not so much a concern when they're password/key protected, but wiki purists will say that this defeats the entire purpose of a wiki. Some claim that they are self-moderated & policed by their members and that vandalism is quickly corrected. But I'm still a little sceptical.

I still think that they're a great tool for online collaboration, and have emailing a Word doc or PPT presentation back-and-forth beat. They put the richness of web design within the typical users' reach, and are inherently simple to use.