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.

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.