Thing 22 Staying Current
15 years ago
Monday, April 13, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Thing 22: Looking Back and Forward Simultaneously Makes Me Dizzy.
So, it is here that I shall reflect upon my very first bog post. Seems like only 2 months ago. Ohh, wait, it was.
In the beginning of this adventure, I was skeptical, yet hopeful that I would draw some really useful ideas out of all these Things we were to look at, and hey, it worked out pretty well. As I scan my mental inventory of those Things, I remember that, and that, and oh yeah, defiantly that. Then there was that one Thing. Ahh, memories. In the end I think all my expectations were fulfilled. A few of these Things are really useful, and I am very glad to have be exposed to them. Many of these Things just really aren’t very useful, and that’s ok too. I can manage to ignore those in the future.
Which brings me to the future, which is now, and always will be, or at least just in a minute or so? Will I continue to blog? Probably not on this one. I created this for the use with this program, not as some official library representation. I could keep posting here, and keep adding all the weird stuff that pops into my mind from time to time, but why bother? Nobody is going to read it anyway. That seems like an immense waste of time. I am considering starting a different, more officially serious blog, but we will see if I really have anything to say. Maybe. I think creating a wiki would be more of benefit for me and my fellow Public Services Librarians here at the college. I think it would be of a greater assistance overall than me thinking anyone cares about my opinion. And that is all a blog really comes down to, an opinion.
So the Things that were presented on this Thing, I looked through most of them. A few of the blog links may be worth following. The news feeds are something I should take more time to pay attention to, for professional development and all. The directories, I only liked the one titled Go2Web, the other two I found to be less organized, are good to look at from time to time to keep abreast of all these new web services. Some I saw on there have real potential for use. Most are just more social garbage, you know as far as I am concerned. Opinions, remember?
So I had a lot of fun doing 23 Things with NEFLIN. I learned a lot and got to experience many different Things. I will recommend it to other people in the future if NEFLIN ever does it again, and suggest you do in a couple of year, with updates and additions of course.
Bye
U_T
In the beginning of this adventure, I was skeptical, yet hopeful that I would draw some really useful ideas out of all these Things we were to look at, and hey, it worked out pretty well. As I scan my mental inventory of those Things, I remember that, and that, and oh yeah, defiantly that. Then there was that one Thing. Ahh, memories. In the end I think all my expectations were fulfilled. A few of these Things are really useful, and I am very glad to have be exposed to them. Many of these Things just really aren’t very useful, and that’s ok too. I can manage to ignore those in the future.
Which brings me to the future, which is now, and always will be, or at least just in a minute or so? Will I continue to blog? Probably not on this one. I created this for the use with this program, not as some official library representation. I could keep posting here, and keep adding all the weird stuff that pops into my mind from time to time, but why bother? Nobody is going to read it anyway. That seems like an immense waste of time. I am considering starting a different, more officially serious blog, but we will see if I really have anything to say. Maybe. I think creating a wiki would be more of benefit for me and my fellow Public Services Librarians here at the college. I think it would be of a greater assistance overall than me thinking anyone cares about my opinion. And that is all a blog really comes down to, an opinion.
So the Things that were presented on this Thing, I looked through most of them. A few of the blog links may be worth following. The news feeds are something I should take more time to pay attention to, for professional development and all. The directories, I only liked the one titled Go2Web, the other two I found to be less organized, are good to look at from time to time to keep abreast of all these new web services. Some I saw on there have real potential for use. Most are just more social garbage, you know as far as I am concerned. Opinions, remember?
So I had a lot of fun doing 23 Things with NEFLIN. I learned a lot and got to experience many different Things. I will recommend it to other people in the future if NEFLIN ever does it again, and suggest you do in a couple of year, with updates and additions of course.
Bye
U_T
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Thing 21: Stuff for Students
So now this is a great resource. This is the kind of thing we need more of. And at the same time I think that students should just work harder and figure all this out on their own, why do they need everything spoon fed to them? Uhhhh, I’m not contradictory or anything am I?
So I looked fairly close at all three links, and yes I do realize that the second two go to the same place. The first I really liked. It gave that break down of time management which is so crucial to new research writer. They just think you can scratch a paper off over a couple of days and write it in a night. It takes practice to pull that off, trust me. You must get accustomed to writing before you can put things off to the last minute and still expect to get a good grade. Even once you’re proficient, the longer papers still take a couple of weeks at least to do well. So I really liked how it was laid out and encourages the long term usage of information through out the process.
The first link was kind of hodgepodge in where it took its pages from, which I respect. Why rewrite the world when soo much info is already produced and available through the internet. It’s not like the info was ganked from other sites and reproduced as their own. The simply linked many pages to the over all guide, with the subject specific stuff coming internally. Made sense to me.
The second link, the RPC was very nice, but I am a little confused as to why it bothers with two layers of the same content. It gives you the table with links, that all go to the exact same document with parallel links. Seems redundant. The ability to email the outline and to continue to email which step to take, and when, made good sense. It seemed to be focused on High School students, and I think needs to be tweaked a little for college, but I really do like it.
The last link, the teacher resources from the RPC, was very useful. I think some of our Comp instructors could benefit from these pages and hand outs. I can see how taking this overall structure and implementing it for our students could be very beneficial. So that leads me to thin, yes, this could very well be one of the most advantageous Things I have seen so far. I need to let it all role around in my head for a while and see what I can develop. At the very least, it should pick up some of the cobwebs and dirt and help clean that space out. Mwahahahahah
Thing 22, time for reflection, so let me get a mirror.
So I looked fairly close at all three links, and yes I do realize that the second two go to the same place. The first I really liked. It gave that break down of time management which is so crucial to new research writer. They just think you can scratch a paper off over a couple of days and write it in a night. It takes practice to pull that off, trust me. You must get accustomed to writing before you can put things off to the last minute and still expect to get a good grade. Even once you’re proficient, the longer papers still take a couple of weeks at least to do well. So I really liked how it was laid out and encourages the long term usage of information through out the process.
The first link was kind of hodgepodge in where it took its pages from, which I respect. Why rewrite the world when soo much info is already produced and available through the internet. It’s not like the info was ganked from other sites and reproduced as their own. The simply linked many pages to the over all guide, with the subject specific stuff coming internally. Made sense to me.
The second link, the RPC was very nice, but I am a little confused as to why it bothers with two layers of the same content. It gives you the table with links, that all go to the exact same document with parallel links. Seems redundant. The ability to email the outline and to continue to email which step to take, and when, made good sense. It seemed to be focused on High School students, and I think needs to be tweaked a little for college, but I really do like it.
The last link, the teacher resources from the RPC, was very useful. I think some of our Comp instructors could benefit from these pages and hand outs. I can see how taking this overall structure and implementing it for our students could be very beneficial. So that leads me to thin, yes, this could very well be one of the most advantageous Things I have seen so far. I need to let it all role around in my head for a while and see what I can develop. At the very least, it should pick up some of the cobwebs and dirt and help clean that space out. Mwahahahahah
Thing 22, time for reflection, so let me get a mirror.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Thing 20: To Continue on with Books and Such…
So I continued with these topics, and the next interesting Thing are Kindles and all things Kindle like. Electronic books, not just ebooks, but complete hand held devices that allow one to read a book electronically. Without a computer monitor. Just a little hand held device. Kind of like a paperback book, on not made out of paper. Clear? So I don’t know about these yet. I haven’t read one, and in looking at the possibility of circulating them through the library, it appears that several titles can be available at a time. So is that a circulation of one item, or is there a way to track individual title usage within a loan period? I suppose these questions will go beyond speculation for many libraries soon. But as I have read through different opinions about these, they have some distinct drawbacks in comparison to their paper counter parts. Distinctions in function and design that will be thought out and overcome in time. So I can see the rise of the Kindle.
The next Thing I looked at was reading a book through your phone. Hmmmm, nope this has zero appeal to me. Way too much scrolling and futzing around with the text to get into a good reading groove. I suppose it would be better on something like an iPhone, with a larger screen, but it’s still not large enough for me to consider it. I suppose that if you were interested in portability and needed to study while traveling it might have some purpose, but then again so does a paper book. I looked at BooksinMyPhone and txt2ph, and that was enough to help me form an opinion.
The next Thing was the Readers’ Advisory. I actually found this quite interesting. The first two, Reading Trails and Bookamp were pretty cool, but I liked to former better. It is really interconnected and can lead you into some surprising paths. I am interested in spending more time in there. BookStupmers was very cool, but less useful as a guide in the labyrinth of which authors you might like to try reading. But really cool none the less. There is an old story I remember reading in grade school that I can’t find an original copy of, and am interested in maybe putting in a stumper myself.
Online Book Communities. These I have less of an interest in. The discussion of books amongst readers is not something I am very interested in perusing; it kind of falls into the “why I don’t tend to read blogs” category. Lots of people think they are experts on subjects, but really just like to talk and sound impressive. It’s not for me. I will say that as an ebook tool, BookGlutton and the Unbound Reader are really cool. I dig the format they both provide. I can just do without other people's comments.
Book clubs, well I know lots of people like them, and that is cool. I do sort of place book clubs into the above topic, so it goes without saying that they are not for me.
Online Audiobook sites, now these are really cool. I love the idea behind Libivox. Power to the people! I guess I need to spend some more time in there. Are the files available to download and burn to CD. I’m not inclined to sit there and listen to a book at a computer, but I would be interested in listen while driving.
Book Reviews, this Thing does very little for me, since I very rarely do any reading based off of book reviews. But it is a good thing to know where it is in case a patron is interested.
Book Rental, well as a librarian, I like the idea that you can get a book you want to read, and then when you are done you can give it back, so you aren’t cluttering up your house with a bunch of books you probably will never read again, but I hate to point out the obvious: That is kind of the point of a library. Why not just borrow a book from the library? It’s free!
In the facebook Thing, I added Worldcat to my account/profile. That’s enough for me. I don’t feel a need to project what I like to read all over my facebook page.
Book Swap, now this is really cool. It’s like the library without walls. As much as I love libraries, I love this idea too. And the Book Crossing site is wild. It’s like the idea that you draw something (which of course you wouldn’t because it’s defacing government property) on a dollar bill and see if you come across it again. Only this way you get to track the life of the item. I may just have to try this out.
For the last Thing listed, I did look at the online Children’s Book sites, and I do like them. In fact I think tonight I’ll haul the old computer up to the kid’s room and set it up in my son’s bed and we’ll curl up and read a nice goodnight story, by the flickering warmth of my monitor. Or maybe not. They are cool sites though.
So in conclusion of all these Things that make up this one Thing, and that is a lot of things we are talking about, it is very interesting to see all the creative productions of and around books that are going on in the greater World Wide Web. So Thing 21 beckons me from a distance, and we all know not to ignore these things, so here I go…
The next Thing I looked at was reading a book through your phone. Hmmmm, nope this has zero appeal to me. Way too much scrolling and futzing around with the text to get into a good reading groove. I suppose it would be better on something like an iPhone, with a larger screen, but it’s still not large enough for me to consider it. I suppose that if you were interested in portability and needed to study while traveling it might have some purpose, but then again so does a paper book. I looked at BooksinMyPhone and txt2ph, and that was enough to help me form an opinion.
The next Thing was the Readers’ Advisory. I actually found this quite interesting. The first two, Reading Trails and Bookamp were pretty cool, but I liked to former better. It is really interconnected and can lead you into some surprising paths. I am interested in spending more time in there. BookStupmers was very cool, but less useful as a guide in the labyrinth of which authors you might like to try reading. But really cool none the less. There is an old story I remember reading in grade school that I can’t find an original copy of, and am interested in maybe putting in a stumper myself.
Online Book Communities. These I have less of an interest in. The discussion of books amongst readers is not something I am very interested in perusing; it kind of falls into the “why I don’t tend to read blogs” category. Lots of people think they are experts on subjects, but really just like to talk and sound impressive. It’s not for me. I will say that as an ebook tool, BookGlutton and the Unbound Reader are really cool. I dig the format they both provide. I can just do without other people's comments.
Book clubs, well I know lots of people like them, and that is cool. I do sort of place book clubs into the above topic, so it goes without saying that they are not for me.
Online Audiobook sites, now these are really cool. I love the idea behind Libivox. Power to the people! I guess I need to spend some more time in there. Are the files available to download and burn to CD. I’m not inclined to sit there and listen to a book at a computer, but I would be interested in listen while driving.
Book Reviews, this Thing does very little for me, since I very rarely do any reading based off of book reviews. But it is a good thing to know where it is in case a patron is interested.
Book Rental, well as a librarian, I like the idea that you can get a book you want to read, and then when you are done you can give it back, so you aren’t cluttering up your house with a bunch of books you probably will never read again, but I hate to point out the obvious: That is kind of the point of a library. Why not just borrow a book from the library? It’s free!
In the facebook Thing, I added Worldcat to my account/profile. That’s enough for me. I don’t feel a need to project what I like to read all over my facebook page.
Book Swap, now this is really cool. It’s like the library without walls. As much as I love libraries, I love this idea too. And the Book Crossing site is wild. It’s like the idea that you draw something (which of course you wouldn’t because it’s defacing government property) on a dollar bill and see if you come across it again. Only this way you get to track the life of the item. I may just have to try this out.
For the last Thing listed, I did look at the online Children’s Book sites, and I do like them. In fact I think tonight I’ll haul the old computer up to the kid’s room and set it up in my son’s bed and we’ll curl up and read a nice goodnight story, by the flickering warmth of my monitor. Or maybe not. They are cool sites though.
So in conclusion of all these Things that make up this one Thing, and that is a lot of things we are talking about, it is very interesting to see all the creative productions of and around books that are going on in the greater World Wide Web. So Thing 21 beckons me from a distance, and we all know not to ignore these things, so here I go…
Friday, April 3, 2009
Thing 20: Books, or Not Quite Books as We have known Them But Will Possibly Know Them Better in the Near Future, Or Not
So the age old issue of the future of the printed page rears its head. And by age old I mean in the last ten years or so. There was strong push towards digitalization, which is still happening. But it does seem that some of the earlier predictions that seemed so dire are not really coming around as fast as originally thought. In my best estimation, books in the print form still have some life left as a viable medium. I wouldn’t bother with a prediction on this, it could be 20 years, it could be 100. I was under the impression that the up and coming generation would little use for such things, but I just spent some time talking to a high school student this week, and said student still prefers to read off of a page than a screen. My 10 year old daughter prefers to read a paper book over the computer screen, so I think the medium of the paper book will hold on for a while yet.
Research books and text books on the other hand, I can totally see better electronic implications in how one transverses the info. It is a faster medium to gain precise location of subjects with an item, as well as faster cross reference capability. I do see the appeal in this arena of information. It is the pleasure reading that will help maintain the print world. Considering the amount of paper used though, in time the need to use less will become more of an issue.
Ok, so on to the articles we read. The 4 pager on how and what we read is interesting. There is validity to the thought that internet reading does form some level of cognitive development, and should be considered in how we evaluate what a young person is reading. Yes, the skill set that internet users are developing will be increasingly more and more influential in the work place of the future. The internet has been born, and now has a life of its own. It changes, grows, morphs and reproduces. It consumes. In many ways this highway of information it alive, and how we interact with it will and use it will be a determining factor in the future success of the work place. Yes the internet is a tool, and in my personal opinion should remain in that capacity. But as it stands, that is just my opinion and many people are already allowing how they interact with this tool to influence their lives. It’s like when the network goes down here at the college, everything grinds to a halt because most of what we do now in the library is so inter driven. Out catalog is online, in the Community College arena our LMS is online and we lose access when the internet goes down. It is a tool, but a central one that directly dictates how productive we can be at any given time. So what happens when we have given over to using the internet to live our lives?
In regarding the rest of the article, yes I do see why some people would argue that internet reading is as good as reading a structured book, such as literature. I don’t agree that it should be a replacement for most people. Instead I think that both should be utilized, but reading formal prose is very important. Disregarding a proper structure devalues the reading experience. Students are not going to get a good feel for how to write well by reading poorly written prose. What you read will affect how you write, how you read, and how you process information. Not everything needs to be in tiny snippets. People are becoming impatient enough in society with furthering the cause by reinforcing not reading well structured text. Part of why I think many young people don’t read books as much as they could is because so much-the internet is a big part of this-is so instant gratification oriented these days. Books take time and investment, it’s not an in and out thing.
Then we come to the argument that print is the back bone of information gathering, and many of the newer info storage mediums are flimsy or unreliable. I can see this, but when you start to think about how much info is in bare electronic form at this point, then you start to think about the file sharing that is going on with much of it. For every copy made, there could be thousands of copes remade and remade without the loss of quality that used to accompany that sort of transfer. If digitalization is being done on certain items, and no distribution is happening, they are being horded, then we see the very possible need of paper backup, in the case of file corruption. It comes down to the need for wide spread distribution of texts for a wider spectrum of coverage. If the ideas are held close, then they stand a better chance of being lost. That is where time and public domain will be the ultimate keepers of these ideas. Copyright and idea control will be the barriers. I understand the need for copyright and agree with it. Intellectual property is a huge issue, and the continuation of literature depends on it. Great writers don’t get to be as good at their craft when they only do it on the weekends after the kids are in bed. Authors and artists need to be able to create to be creative. Copyright provides that.
We’ll call this part 1. Next I will examine all the sites I checked out.
Research books and text books on the other hand, I can totally see better electronic implications in how one transverses the info. It is a faster medium to gain precise location of subjects with an item, as well as faster cross reference capability. I do see the appeal in this arena of information. It is the pleasure reading that will help maintain the print world. Considering the amount of paper used though, in time the need to use less will become more of an issue.
Ok, so on to the articles we read. The 4 pager on how and what we read is interesting. There is validity to the thought that internet reading does form some level of cognitive development, and should be considered in how we evaluate what a young person is reading. Yes, the skill set that internet users are developing will be increasingly more and more influential in the work place of the future. The internet has been born, and now has a life of its own. It changes, grows, morphs and reproduces. It consumes. In many ways this highway of information it alive, and how we interact with it will and use it will be a determining factor in the future success of the work place. Yes the internet is a tool, and in my personal opinion should remain in that capacity. But as it stands, that is just my opinion and many people are already allowing how they interact with this tool to influence their lives. It’s like when the network goes down here at the college, everything grinds to a halt because most of what we do now in the library is so inter driven. Out catalog is online, in the Community College arena our LMS is online and we lose access when the internet goes down. It is a tool, but a central one that directly dictates how productive we can be at any given time. So what happens when we have given over to using the internet to live our lives?
In regarding the rest of the article, yes I do see why some people would argue that internet reading is as good as reading a structured book, such as literature. I don’t agree that it should be a replacement for most people. Instead I think that both should be utilized, but reading formal prose is very important. Disregarding a proper structure devalues the reading experience. Students are not going to get a good feel for how to write well by reading poorly written prose. What you read will affect how you write, how you read, and how you process information. Not everything needs to be in tiny snippets. People are becoming impatient enough in society with furthering the cause by reinforcing not reading well structured text. Part of why I think many young people don’t read books as much as they could is because so much-the internet is a big part of this-is so instant gratification oriented these days. Books take time and investment, it’s not an in and out thing.
Then we come to the argument that print is the back bone of information gathering, and many of the newer info storage mediums are flimsy or unreliable. I can see this, but when you start to think about how much info is in bare electronic form at this point, then you start to think about the file sharing that is going on with much of it. For every copy made, there could be thousands of copes remade and remade without the loss of quality that used to accompany that sort of transfer. If digitalization is being done on certain items, and no distribution is happening, they are being horded, then we see the very possible need of paper backup, in the case of file corruption. It comes down to the need for wide spread distribution of texts for a wider spectrum of coverage. If the ideas are held close, then they stand a better chance of being lost. That is where time and public domain will be the ultimate keepers of these ideas. Copyright and idea control will be the barriers. I understand the need for copyright and agree with it. Intellectual property is a huge issue, and the continuation of literature depends on it. Great writers don’t get to be as good at their craft when they only do it on the weekends after the kids are in bed. Authors and artists need to be able to create to be creative. Copyright provides that.
We’ll call this part 1. Next I will examine all the sites I checked out.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Thing 19: More Social Things, Yeahhh.
So more social things. I guess there just aren’t enough out there.
I do have to say that I really liked WebJunction. That is a great resource. I have known about it for some time, but hadn’t ventured in yet. I think I will be spending more time reading through content now. It defiantly creates spring boards for thought, and answers for other thoughts. Excellent professional resource.
Ning I found less uses for, but I could spend some time poking around. Did you get that, I used a “ing” word when talking about Ning. Ohh, I did it again. Anyway, this does not strike me as a real productive tool. I like how you use it to create specialized groups, and I liked how everything was presented. In fact, I liked it much better than the following site, Gather.
After reading the article about Gather, it seemed like it might shape up to be interesting, but the article was written in 2005, and I have a feeling that the site has change a good deal since its original inception. I really found it rather sloppy and haphazard. The groups I looked through really didn’t strike me as something I would want to read on any regular sort of basis. I poked around on a few of the other possible sites listed below the articles, and most of those I also found to be kind of, well not interesting. Ok, but not interesting. I have spent some time on Last FM before and had some fun with that site, but my tastes in music tend to lead me back to the Live Music Archive on Archive.org. I find more of what I want to listen to there than anywhere else.
Reading the second article, I can see how an effort into these tools can be a positive presence for a library, but maybe not in these Things as much as, say Facebook or even possibly Myspace. It is good to play around with new stuff though.
So I will look at Thing 20, say that’s getting pretty close to 23 Things, isn’t it?
I do have to say that I really liked WebJunction. That is a great resource. I have known about it for some time, but hadn’t ventured in yet. I think I will be spending more time reading through content now. It defiantly creates spring boards for thought, and answers for other thoughts. Excellent professional resource.
Ning I found less uses for, but I could spend some time poking around. Did you get that, I used a “ing” word when talking about Ning. Ohh, I did it again. Anyway, this does not strike me as a real productive tool. I like how you use it to create specialized groups, and I liked how everything was presented. In fact, I liked it much better than the following site, Gather.
After reading the article about Gather, it seemed like it might shape up to be interesting, but the article was written in 2005, and I have a feeling that the site has change a good deal since its original inception. I really found it rather sloppy and haphazard. The groups I looked through really didn’t strike me as something I would want to read on any regular sort of basis. I poked around on a few of the other possible sites listed below the articles, and most of those I also found to be kind of, well not interesting. Ok, but not interesting. I have spent some time on Last FM before and had some fun with that site, but my tastes in music tend to lead me back to the Live Music Archive on Archive.org. I find more of what I want to listen to there than anywhere else.
Reading the second article, I can see how an effort into these tools can be a positive presence for a library, but maybe not in these Things as much as, say Facebook or even possibly Myspace. It is good to play around with new stuff though.
So I will look at Thing 20, say that’s getting pretty close to 23 Things, isn’t it?
Friday, March 27, 2009
Thing 18: MyFaceSpaceBook, So Now I am Virtually Connected, Virtually.
So I have gone and done it and am now apart of the social web. I created a Facebook account.I even found two of my oldest friends in there and asked them if we could be friends, which we already are, but I need friends so I begged my friends to be those friends. No, not that kind of friend, the other kind. I hope they will be my friends. Kind of like the whale that falls to that planet in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy because he was pulled from his real existence by the probability drive on the Heat of Gold. Yeah, like that.
I am not going to create a Myspace page though. One social website presence is enough for me in this life time. I have seen Myspace before, and I think I can draw distinctions between the two mega social sites.
Myspace is a very put yourself out there and see who you can meet in the ether kind of a place. Facebook is more controlled and requires a level of agreement in the socail connecting that goes on. Myspace is wild and woolly, a free for all romp. Face book is much more cold and calculated, and the background is always white, very sterile.
I can see how Facebook could be used in a professional capacity, much more so than Myspace. It is also less likely to be a stalking ground for under aged children than Myspace. Somewhat more control.
In the end, I see no real attraction to either in my personal life. As for professionally, well I can see some applications that could pan out.
Thing 19 is what, the alternative to these? Ok, lets go explore.
I am not going to create a Myspace page though. One social website presence is enough for me in this life time. I have seen Myspace before, and I think I can draw distinctions between the two mega social sites.
Myspace is a very put yourself out there and see who you can meet in the ether kind of a place. Facebook is more controlled and requires a level of agreement in the socail connecting that goes on. Myspace is wild and woolly, a free for all romp. Face book is much more cold and calculated, and the background is always white, very sterile.
I can see how Facebook could be used in a professional capacity, much more so than Myspace. It is also less likely to be a stalking ground for under aged children than Myspace. Somewhat more control.
In the end, I see no real attraction to either in my personal life. As for professionally, well I can see some applications that could pan out.
Thing 19 is what, the alternative to these? Ok, lets go explore.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Thing 17: Spring is Upon Us, and My Break Is Over.
So last week was good, but on to Thing 17. POD CASTS (echo echo echo)
These are basically a lot like You Tube without the visual element. I am familiar with MP3s, and yes that is a loss compression file format, and I would like to see the rise of FLAC, but we are not hear to argue that thread of thought.
I looked at Podcast and liked the format. It provided the user with on online streaming utilities, which is ideal. There is no need for a specific software to handle an one extension or another. There have been countless times where I have been stopped from listening to an audio clip because I didn't have Quicktime or RealAudio or whatever. I do happen to have the Windows Media Player, and it is okay, but not everything will play in it. MP3s will though. FLAC will not.So I like the online streaming utilities some sites provide. For better information about the pod casts, I did find out that a subscription is required, and since I am not that interested right now in setting up another account, I have no idea if it is a pay thing or not.
Next I looked at Podcast Alley. It did not provide the streaming utility. Instead it only allowed me to download the file, which played through my Media Player. The access was a little more limiting than Podcast for that reason, but the site was fairly easy to navigate, so I don't think I have too much of a preference between the two, other than the streaming.
Last I looked at Yahoo. I liked this least of all. It really seemed more like a store than a web 2.0 utility. It's ok.
So, what do I think about these? Well, if a student, and lets remember that my focus is academic, was looking for primary resources such as an interview, I think these are an excellent resource. It might be very possible to find interviews in some of these podcasts that are not available anywhere else. I really like the utility. As for creating podcasts for students to use, it could be useful. I'll have to think on that.
Next, Thing 18.
These are basically a lot like You Tube without the visual element. I am familiar with MP3s, and yes that is a loss compression file format, and I would like to see the rise of FLAC, but we are not hear to argue that thread of thought.
I looked at Podcast and liked the format. It provided the user with on online streaming utilities, which is ideal. There is no need for a specific software to handle an one extension or another. There have been countless times where I have been stopped from listening to an audio clip because I didn't have Quicktime or RealAudio or whatever. I do happen to have the Windows Media Player, and it is okay, but not everything will play in it. MP3s will though. FLAC will not.So I like the online streaming utilities some sites provide. For better information about the pod casts, I did find out that a subscription is required, and since I am not that interested right now in setting up another account, I have no idea if it is a pay thing or not.
Next I looked at Podcast Alley. It did not provide the streaming utility. Instead it only allowed me to download the file, which played through my Media Player. The access was a little more limiting than Podcast for that reason, but the site was fairly easy to navigate, so I don't think I have too much of a preference between the two, other than the streaming.
Last I looked at Yahoo. I liked this least of all. It really seemed more like a store than a web 2.0 utility. It's ok.
So, what do I think about these? Well, if a student, and lets remember that my focus is academic, was looking for primary resources such as an interview, I think these are an excellent resource. It might be very possible to find interviews in some of these podcasts that are not available anywhere else. I really like the utility. As for creating podcasts for students to use, it could be useful. I'll have to think on that.
Next, Thing 18.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Thing 16: Part 1, section A, paragraph@ and so on...
So we get to YouTube, huh? I am in this site all the time, to find really good library related videos and stuff, I swear. Not to find awesome videos of music and funny things to pass the time. Nope. Only work realated. Like this:
I think it's work related. Also this:
I am planning to make a little video and put it on there very soon, so more to come on this Thing in the future.
U_T
I think it's work related. Also this:
I am planning to make a little video and put it on there very soon, so more to come on this Thing in the future.
U_T
Thing 15: Rollyo-e-o-e-o (Sorry Morris Day and the Time)
So Rollyo. Rollyo, Rollyo, where for art thou Rollyo?
Right here on the internet, where do you think? Juliet can be just a tad dense at times, even though she is my sun.
But really, this Thing is yet another that I don’t have a personal need for and can see still how it could be used to advantage. If I was a subject librarian and answered a narrower line of questions on a regular basis, this might be very useful. Since I am not, my needs range a little too wide for this to be of any regular use. In my personal life, I just don’t spend that much item on the internet to have a need for this. If I was to go back to school and was studying a specific subject, then I would see the relevance.
So in a quick conclusion, Rollyo has no particular draw for me, but I think it is a neat idea.
Thing 16, Thing 16, YOU TUBE
Right here on the internet, where do you think? Juliet can be just a tad dense at times, even though she is my sun.
But really, this Thing is yet another that I don’t have a personal need for and can see still how it could be used to advantage. If I was a subject librarian and answered a narrower line of questions on a regular basis, this might be very useful. Since I am not, my needs range a little too wide for this to be of any regular use. In my personal life, I just don’t spend that much item on the internet to have a need for this. If I was to go back to school and was studying a specific subject, then I would see the relevance.
So in a quick conclusion, Rollyo has no particular draw for me, but I think it is a neat idea.
Thing 16, Thing 16, YOU TUBE
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Thing 14: I Need a Time Managing Tool to Help Me Manage to Write My Blog Entries on Time!
So what can I say about these tools? A few of them are absolutely incredible! Most don’t do much for me, but hey, it’s good to know they exist!
I created an iGoogle account because….I already have a bunch of stuff in Google, so why not. One stop shopping, right? I added a bunch of widget type things into the account that will never be of any use because I will never log in to iGoogle to look at them. But they are there just in case I go wild one day and decide to live my whole life through my computer. It could happen. I did get to pick a groovy image for the banner. I tried to create my own banner image using my Flickr account and an image off of my hard drive, but both avenues were cut short by Google not accepting them for whatever reason. I prefer to think the new system is buggy. Ohh well, I did find a fractal banner, and I just loves me a fractal, so it’s cool. Adding the rest of the widgets was very easy. I did have to configure the one for current weather to my area of the world, but that’s ok. I was also able to remove the cnn link and a few other that I have no interest in. Now I iGoogle.
The file converting sites are just too cool, and very useful. I am glad to know about them, so when students come in with whatever they have from home, they can always use our programs here at the school.
Beyond all this, no I don’t see a need to use online calendars and planners. I would spend half of my time updating them, instead of getting things done. Completely organized, and always one step behind.
Time for Thing 15.
I created an iGoogle account because….I already have a bunch of stuff in Google, so why not. One stop shopping, right? I added a bunch of widget type things into the account that will never be of any use because I will never log in to iGoogle to look at them. But they are there just in case I go wild one day and decide to live my whole life through my computer. It could happen. I did get to pick a groovy image for the banner. I tried to create my own banner image using my Flickr account and an image off of my hard drive, but both avenues were cut short by Google not accepting them for whatever reason. I prefer to think the new system is buggy. Ohh well, I did find a fractal banner, and I just loves me a fractal, so it’s cool. Adding the rest of the widgets was very easy. I did have to configure the one for current weather to my area of the world, but that’s ok. I was also able to remove the cnn link and a few other that I have no interest in. Now I iGoogle.
The file converting sites are just too cool, and very useful. I am glad to know about them, so when students come in with whatever they have from home, they can always use our programs here at the school.
Beyond all this, no I don’t see a need to use online calendars and planners. I would spend half of my time updating them, instead of getting things done. Completely organized, and always one step behind.
Time for Thing 15.
Friday, March 6, 2009
I Made an Update to the Wiki Page on the 23 Things Wiki
Thing 13: The Thing That Is a Thing in Name and Action, Library Thing
So here I go, blogging about Library Thing. It is blogolicious by the way. I have my Library Thing Widget on my widget bar now, and I finally figured out how to properly and easily install the Javascript so I'm not getting error messages. I had to put my widget into a widget so I could blog about blogging. Un-huh.
So, Library Thing.I am again not sure why I would want to make lists of my own books. I already own them you see, and I know which ones I own, so a catalogue of them is not really going to help me very much.
On a library related level, i can actually see many applications that make this an attractive application. I think it could be a very powerful presentation tool for a library's web presence, even in embedded class situations. Yes, I do believe that I think that is a great resource.One of the more useful so far. Used in conjunction with a small and well thought out wiki, I think I might just be able to...TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or not. It is hard to tell about these things.
So in poking around Library Thing, I enjoyed the Thingology section. I may just frequent that particular space in the future. Some of the social connection utilities in this Thing are yet again lost on me. I don't really see the point.To each his/her own though, and on-ward and upward in the list of Things, all the way to:
Thing 14!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, Library Thing.I am again not sure why I would want to make lists of my own books. I already own them you see, and I know which ones I own, so a catalogue of them is not really going to help me very much.
On a library related level, i can actually see many applications that make this an attractive application. I think it could be a very powerful presentation tool for a library's web presence, even in embedded class situations. Yes, I do believe that I think that is a great resource.One of the more useful so far. Used in conjunction with a small and well thought out wiki, I think I might just be able to...TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or not. It is hard to tell about these things.
So in poking around Library Thing, I enjoyed the Thingology section. I may just frequent that particular space in the future. Some of the social connection utilities in this Thing are yet again lost on me. I don't really see the point.To each his/her own though, and on-ward and upward in the list of Things, all the way to:
Thing 14!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Thing 12: Wikis for the Wicked!
Now I know I can come off as rather non-Web 2.0 in my thoughts on these Things. Wikis are one of the Web 2.0 applications that I think are really cool. The Wikipedia is a great place to get general information for a feel on a subject. It is a horrible place to do research. I always discuss the Wikipedia with students during Information Literacy sessions. They need to know not only that wikis are bad for research, but why. Without the why, students tend to ignore what they are told. So I understand why many teachers and professors have banned these really cool tools from the class room.
I did recently see a video that explained how some students use the wiki world to begin research, to use it as a launching pad if you will. But that is where the usefulness ends. I can get behind that, as long as the students are being very evaluative in using sources posted there. Anyone can source materials on the wikis, and sometimes the sources seem legitimate, but tend to support an agenda or point of view that is not necessarily unbiased. Of course the argument that all info is presented with some kind of bias is valid, but some are overtly biased and make poor resources for a basis.
So for research wikis are limited in usefulness, but over all I think they are really cool. I can see how using this type of web structure could be realized to great advantage within a small team or organization. It is very versatile and dynamic. More so than relying on just a web site with limited access to who can change the content within the team. I can see how it could become problematic if you have a control freak involved, or you are not all on the same page. Cohesion in vision would be necessary.
I have edited the Wikipedia before, because I found an entry that I knew was wrong, and dig the concept. I use it for general knowledge all of the time. So I had no reservations in logging into the 23 things @ NEFLIN wiki and making a page, which is called:
Uptown_Toodeloo's Page of Random Thoughts
Anyone who might read this is welcome to go that page and put some random thoughts together. I encourage it. So in conclusion, I like Wikis and the overall concept of them.
Thing 13, here I come.
I did recently see a video that explained how some students use the wiki world to begin research, to use it as a launching pad if you will. But that is where the usefulness ends. I can get behind that, as long as the students are being very evaluative in using sources posted there. Anyone can source materials on the wikis, and sometimes the sources seem legitimate, but tend to support an agenda or point of view that is not necessarily unbiased. Of course the argument that all info is presented with some kind of bias is valid, but some are overtly biased and make poor resources for a basis.
So for research wikis are limited in usefulness, but over all I think they are really cool. I can see how using this type of web structure could be realized to great advantage within a small team or organization. It is very versatile and dynamic. More so than relying on just a web site with limited access to who can change the content within the team. I can see how it could become problematic if you have a control freak involved, or you are not all on the same page. Cohesion in vision would be necessary.
I have edited the Wikipedia before, because I found an entry that I knew was wrong, and dig the concept. I use it for general knowledge all of the time. So I had no reservations in logging into the 23 things @ NEFLIN wiki and making a page, which is called:
Uptown_Toodeloo's Page of Random Thoughts
Anyone who might read this is welcome to go that page and put some random thoughts together. I encourage it. So in conclusion, I like Wikis and the overall concept of them.
Thing 13, here I come.
Thing 11: All the News That Is Fit to Print, and Then Some
Alright, so I check out the 4 suggested news sites for this Thing. I am not personally a news junkie, so I hadn’t looked at this type of site before. It is interesting. I can see how this might help when the need of current events rears its head. Instead of running away in fear, I can now go and find all the relevant, and not so relevant, breaking news for those events. Or maybe not. Apparently the story needs to be popular to be relevant, not necessarily informative. It could just be entertaining.
So we come to the crux of why many people find Web 2.0 applications to be non research tools; too much user input with little or no authority control. Hmmmm. I can see sites like this as being good spring boards in moving towards breaking news and events. The stories are decent and mostly from reputable sources, but whether or not a story that provides more precise information and coverage on a topic will not necessarily be a determining factor in it being prevalent on one of these sites. Further exploration of a topic would need to be recommended.
In looking at the 4 sites, I did them in order listed on the 23 Things blog. So first I looked at Digg. I found this fairly easy to navigate. When you click on an article title, you are brought straight to the article, which I liked. The site’s navigation is broken into tabs, which is very easy to move through. The screen is a little cluttered, but not to the point of distraction.
Next I looked at Reddit. It is very similar in function with Digg, but I found it unappealing aesthetically. Is that a good reason to like it less? Why not, I’ve got to draw a line somewhere. It is not cluttered, but the navigation felt kind of 10 years ago. Small point to be sure. One thing that I did get out of looking at the 4 different sites is that there is some cross over in stories, not complete cross over. So how does one find the best source or evaluate which site is more productive for him/her? I suppose that since everything is user derived that it depends on the range of participants on any given site. Would one age group be more drawn to one design over another? Or is there a base line bias in the users, like on the cable news networks. Hmmm.
Third, I looked at the third site listed. Shocking, I know. So Newsvine was very much like the first two. I found two main differences. The first is that I really liked the look and feel of the site better. It used better colors and had a nice layout. Second is that the articles I tried to access did not go directly to the articles, but to synopsis pages written by the people who found and are calling attention to the article on the site. At least one article did provide the full text, but it was still on the Newsvine site. I wasn’t as hip on that aspect.
The fourth and final site was Mixx. It didn’t really add or detract form the whole experience. I found it adequate. Again the site did not bring you directly to the story, but kept you on the same site with a link. Since I liked the colors and the feel of Newsvine better, I think it is the nicer of the two. Overall, I liked Digg the best. Newsvine looked more appealing, but I prefer to link directly to the story and not need to click again to get it.
That is it for Thing 11. It is good to know that these exist and how they work, but I don’t see them as crucial for research. They are worth looking at from time to time.
U_T
So we come to the crux of why many people find Web 2.0 applications to be non research tools; too much user input with little or no authority control. Hmmmm. I can see sites like this as being good spring boards in moving towards breaking news and events. The stories are decent and mostly from reputable sources, but whether or not a story that provides more precise information and coverage on a topic will not necessarily be a determining factor in it being prevalent on one of these sites. Further exploration of a topic would need to be recommended.
In looking at the 4 sites, I did them in order listed on the 23 Things blog. So first I looked at Digg. I found this fairly easy to navigate. When you click on an article title, you are brought straight to the article, which I liked. The site’s navigation is broken into tabs, which is very easy to move through. The screen is a little cluttered, but not to the point of distraction.
Next I looked at Reddit. It is very similar in function with Digg, but I found it unappealing aesthetically. Is that a good reason to like it less? Why not, I’ve got to draw a line somewhere. It is not cluttered, but the navigation felt kind of 10 years ago. Small point to be sure. One thing that I did get out of looking at the 4 different sites is that there is some cross over in stories, not complete cross over. So how does one find the best source or evaluate which site is more productive for him/her? I suppose that since everything is user derived that it depends on the range of participants on any given site. Would one age group be more drawn to one design over another? Or is there a base line bias in the users, like on the cable news networks. Hmmm.
Third, I looked at the third site listed. Shocking, I know. So Newsvine was very much like the first two. I found two main differences. The first is that I really liked the look and feel of the site better. It used better colors and had a nice layout. Second is that the articles I tried to access did not go directly to the articles, but to synopsis pages written by the people who found and are calling attention to the article on the site. At least one article did provide the full text, but it was still on the Newsvine site. I wasn’t as hip on that aspect.
The fourth and final site was Mixx. It didn’t really add or detract form the whole experience. I found it adequate. Again the site did not bring you directly to the story, but kept you on the same site with a link. Since I liked the colors and the feel of Newsvine better, I think it is the nicer of the two. Overall, I liked Digg the best. Newsvine looked more appealing, but I prefer to link directly to the story and not need to click again to get it.
That is it for Thing 11. It is good to know that these exist and how they work, but I don’t see them as crucial for research. They are worth looking at from time to time.
U_T
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Thing 10: Apparently Eight Ate My RSS Because It Was Delicious.
So I explored the Thing that is just soo tantalizingly Delicious, that millions of users are doing it too. And as I suspected, I don’t really find this to be very useful. I’m just not going to login to something just to see the few websites that I already go to anyway. I don’t spend that much time on the internet when I’m not at work.
As for applications at work, again I don’t see it as really useful. I guess that I could create a cloud (that’s correct, right?) based on some topic the students are interested in, but the truth is the students already know how to get to all the time wasting stuff they want to know about anyway. When it comes to research and finding legitimate websites, there are better ways then me sitting here trying to find those sites on any given subject that the students can utilize in preexisting tools. I can’t know every subject that will have a paper written on it ahead of time, nor should I collect that kind of information for the students. That’s kind of the point of research and learning how to research. If I do it all, then they don’t learn what they are supposed to be learning. Much too many a student’s chagrin, I don’t think making things easier for them is doing them any favors. I am all for extending the utility and function of databases and making our OPACs more accessible, but I still think that having the students learn to be self sufficient in the pursuit of reliable/factual information is a far better service than hand feeding them.
A big part of this Web 2.0 craze that has taken on the library world is the widespread access to lots of info. I don’t agree with all of it, and this particular Thing I find to be useless; at least in my situation. Personally, I find it an utter waste of time. I don’t see the appeal to this type of website. I am also not into being social on the web, so that might be the disconnect for me. As a way for individuals to show their likes and dislikes to other individuals, I suppose it makes sense, but why would you? I guess I just don’t get it.
Well enough of my ranting, so I was not impressed with this Thing. I did try to make a Delicious Badge, but the code it gave me created the same errors that I was getting when I tried to put the slide show on my widget bar. So I kept removing code until it stopped giving the error, and all I have left is the little message directly under the Meebo box. Maybe some one who might read this would know how to properly place the Badge on the blog. I keep trying to put it in with the widgets so it will appear with everything else. I am not sure what language the widget script is written in, but this Badge script was in JavaScript, but I was getting an xml error. Should I try to put it out side of the frame for the widgets?
Anyway, I am quite over Thing 10, so lets see what Thing 11 is like.
As for applications at work, again I don’t see it as really useful. I guess that I could create a cloud (that’s correct, right?) based on some topic the students are interested in, but the truth is the students already know how to get to all the time wasting stuff they want to know about anyway. When it comes to research and finding legitimate websites, there are better ways then me sitting here trying to find those sites on any given subject that the students can utilize in preexisting tools. I can’t know every subject that will have a paper written on it ahead of time, nor should I collect that kind of information for the students. That’s kind of the point of research and learning how to research. If I do it all, then they don’t learn what they are supposed to be learning. Much too many a student’s chagrin, I don’t think making things easier for them is doing them any favors. I am all for extending the utility and function of databases and making our OPACs more accessible, but I still think that having the students learn to be self sufficient in the pursuit of reliable/factual information is a far better service than hand feeding them.
A big part of this Web 2.0 craze that has taken on the library world is the widespread access to lots of info. I don’t agree with all of it, and this particular Thing I find to be useless; at least in my situation. Personally, I find it an utter waste of time. I don’t see the appeal to this type of website. I am also not into being social on the web, so that might be the disconnect for me. As a way for individuals to show their likes and dislikes to other individuals, I suppose it makes sense, but why would you? I guess I just don’t get it.
Well enough of my ranting, so I was not impressed with this Thing. I did try to make a Delicious Badge, but the code it gave me created the same errors that I was getting when I tried to put the slide show on my widget bar. So I kept removing code until it stopped giving the error, and all I have left is the little message directly under the Meebo box. Maybe some one who might read this would know how to properly place the Badge on the blog. I keep trying to put it in with the widgets so it will appear with everything else. I am not sure what language the widget script is written in, but this Badge script was in JavaScript, but I was getting an xml error. Should I try to put it out side of the frame for the widgets?
Anyway, I am quite over Thing 10, so lets see what Thing 11 is like.
Thing 9: All better now.
Ok,
So yesterday I made a slide show on Zoho, or Zo ho or whatever, and I found it to be fairly easy to use. Power Point has more bells and whistles, literally because you can add sounds to your presentation (as well as animation), but for the simple access this provides, I think it is great. If you are going to be traveling around while giving a presentation, you don't need to even bring a flash drive or worry about whether or not the computer where you are going will be compatible with your slide show. This allows you to always have access to your work, unless the internet is down where you go, or the server crashes on the Zoho site, or the little purple people who live in the walls finally escape and bring our civilization crashing down around us.
If the last scenario happens, admittedly the last thing you need to worry about is your presentation, unless it is a presentation on how to defeat the little purple people who live in the walls in the event of their escape. In that case, you had better go ahead and bring a backup flash drive with you, we may need it.
But I digress; I initially tried to put my slide show into the area where I stuck the Meebo talk thingy. That is when I got all the error messages about the xml needing a ";" after the occurrence of the DOC something or other, blah blah blah computer speak. I know just enough html to be dangerous, but I haven't tried my hand at xml, so I don't know what it was talking about. Then I thought,
"Hey, I should try and see what happens if I just post the iFrame into a post."
Look out, because that worked. I am not sure what the difference is, but I assume that the code used to create the left side navigation was not designed to accept an iFrame; a widget yes, but not an iFrame. And yes I do talk to myself while blogging, so be glad that my sanity-or lack thereof-doesn't show here in the written word.
So there you have it, on the post below, my slide show. I had to adjust the width of the iFrame in the code so it would display correctly, but now I am satisfied with the outcome.
It is the same Mr. Shoe story I created in Flickr, but I think it has more of a narrative quality in this form. I did not use anymore photo driven Things this time, because I need to increase my Flickr holdings so I am not repeating the same images over and over again. I'll make a point to do that soon.
The next Thing I tried to do was make a database with Lazybase. The link worked just fine from the 23 Thing @ NELIN blog, but when I tried to create a database, I got a server error, so I assume they are having issues. Maybe I'll try again at some other time. It could be fun.
Next, the Thing that is known as 10!
So yesterday I made a slide show on Zoho, or Zo ho or whatever, and I found it to be fairly easy to use. Power Point has more bells and whistles, literally because you can add sounds to your presentation (as well as animation), but for the simple access this provides, I think it is great. If you are going to be traveling around while giving a presentation, you don't need to even bring a flash drive or worry about whether or not the computer where you are going will be compatible with your slide show. This allows you to always have access to your work, unless the internet is down where you go, or the server crashes on the Zoho site, or the little purple people who live in the walls finally escape and bring our civilization crashing down around us.
If the last scenario happens, admittedly the last thing you need to worry about is your presentation, unless it is a presentation on how to defeat the little purple people who live in the walls in the event of their escape. In that case, you had better go ahead and bring a backup flash drive with you, we may need it.
But I digress; I initially tried to put my slide show into the area where I stuck the Meebo talk thingy. That is when I got all the error messages about the xml needing a ";" after the occurrence of the DOC something or other, blah blah blah computer speak. I know just enough html to be dangerous, but I haven't tried my hand at xml, so I don't know what it was talking about. Then I thought,
"Hey, I should try and see what happens if I just post the iFrame into a post."
Look out, because that worked. I am not sure what the difference is, but I assume that the code used to create the left side navigation was not designed to accept an iFrame; a widget yes, but not an iFrame. And yes I do talk to myself while blogging, so be glad that my sanity-or lack thereof-doesn't show here in the written word.
So there you have it, on the post below, my slide show. I had to adjust the width of the iFrame in the code so it would display correctly, but now I am satisfied with the outcome.
It is the same Mr. Shoe story I created in Flickr, but I think it has more of a narrative quality in this form. I did not use anymore photo driven Things this time, because I need to increase my Flickr holdings so I am not repeating the same images over and over again. I'll make a point to do that soon.
The next Thing I tried to do was make a database with Lazybase. The link worked just fine from the 23 Thing @ NELIN blog, but when I tried to create a database, I got a server error, so I assume they are having issues. Maybe I'll try again at some other time. It could be fun.
Next, the Thing that is known as 10!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Thing 9: AHHHHHRRRRGGGG
So far I can't get my new slide show to embed. I keep getting an error in the xml, which I don't know how to write in. Let's see what happens when I post it here.
More on this Thing tomorrow.
U_T
More on this Thing tomorrow.
U_T
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Thing 8, Ahhh Thing Eight, But Just What did It Eat? Maybe that Is Why My RSS Looks Hungry!
So IM, or as those of us like me who don’t really do much of that would refer to it, instant messaging. I looked into creating a Google Talk account, mainly because it doesn’t require a download to work. As I have stated previously, I use more than one computer for this, so downloads would be prohibitive. Google Talk does have a system that requires a download, and then they have one that is linked into G-mail. So I went with the G-mail option. Now, if I understand everything, I need to chat with other people who also have this G-mail based IM. So that is limiting. I did see a link that mentioned something about linking to other IM accounts, being outside of Google I guess, but I did not explore using this function since I don’t know anybody to try and contact. So I am at the very least becoming exposed to these services, but I don’t really understand them yet.
After setting up my Google Talk, I went and created a Meebo account and embedded a chat box onto this blog, as can be seen to the right. There is probably a better way to put it on the blog, but I just followed the html and stuck the Meebo code just above the widget codes. It looks ok like this, but I might try to tweak it again. So far I have not chatted with anyone, but I’ll try to soon. So that is my grand IM experience so far. As far a chat goes, I think it is good when there is a specific time to be available. I don’t mind doing Ask A Librarian, and this is very similar. Minus the extra links and screen sharing.
As for the other mini-Things in 8, email is not really a Thing to me because I, and most of the people I know, am not just familiar with email, but proficient with it at this point. We use email extensively at work. Using IM from time to time would be a good means for communication when two of us are at a computer at the same time, but for the most part the phone is easier to use than typing. E-mail is a great tool for asynchronous communication, where as IM is far more demanding.
Texting, well I just don’t use it. I know some libraries do, but the cost is prohibitive, and not to sound old fashioned, but we should worship more than one god, and fear the sun. No, just kidding, but the whole text language short cut mode of typing is, well, lazy. Having our students use actual language with complete thoughts framed out in a coherent manner is a far more productive use of their time. A well written email is far superior to texting. We have students try to use text language in formal papers. There is a problem there. I am not resilient to change just for the sake of being stubborn, but sometimes I don’t think that we are doing ourselves any favors by encouraging sloppy communication.
As to the web conferencing, I think it is great; the more of this type of communication that we have access to the better. It is a little strange at first, but once I had experienced using a couple of different systems, I really like the environment. I had used products that require phone usage in conjunction with web displays, and used products that are strictly online. I like that strictly online mode myself. Having the voice over power point slides with chat is great. Having multiple voices at once is not so great, so mediation has to be tight. I played around with some of the OPAL presentations, and I think it is a good product.
So, now to Thing 9, and we get to share, isn’t that cool.
After setting up my Google Talk, I went and created a Meebo account and embedded a chat box onto this blog, as can be seen to the right. There is probably a better way to put it on the blog, but I just followed the html and stuck the Meebo code just above the widget codes. It looks ok like this, but I might try to tweak it again. So far I have not chatted with anyone, but I’ll try to soon. So that is my grand IM experience so far. As far a chat goes, I think it is good when there is a specific time to be available. I don’t mind doing Ask A Librarian, and this is very similar. Minus the extra links and screen sharing.
As for the other mini-Things in 8, email is not really a Thing to me because I, and most of the people I know, am not just familiar with email, but proficient with it at this point. We use email extensively at work. Using IM from time to time would be a good means for communication when two of us are at a computer at the same time, but for the most part the phone is easier to use than typing. E-mail is a great tool for asynchronous communication, where as IM is far more demanding.
Texting, well I just don’t use it. I know some libraries do, but the cost is prohibitive, and not to sound old fashioned, but we should worship more than one god, and fear the sun. No, just kidding, but the whole text language short cut mode of typing is, well, lazy. Having our students use actual language with complete thoughts framed out in a coherent manner is a far more productive use of their time. A well written email is far superior to texting. We have students try to use text language in formal papers. There is a problem there. I am not resilient to change just for the sake of being stubborn, but sometimes I don’t think that we are doing ourselves any favors by encouraging sloppy communication.
As to the web conferencing, I think it is great; the more of this type of communication that we have access to the better. It is a little strange at first, but once I had experienced using a couple of different systems, I really like the environment. I had used products that require phone usage in conjunction with web displays, and used products that are strictly online. I like that strictly online mode myself. Having the voice over power point slides with chat is great. Having multiple voices at once is not so great, so mediation has to be tight. I played around with some of the OPAL presentations, and I think it is a good product.
So, now to Thing 9, and we get to share, isn’t that cool.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Thing 7: This Really Shouldn't Be Available for Me to Play With.Part 2
Well now, it is next week and I have gone back and continued to play around with Image Chef and Letter James. Both are pretty cool and each has a functionality all their own. Of course that functionality would increase if I created accounts in each, but I am avoiding that for right now.
Letter James is sort of like the Bus add from the Generator Blog. You can add text to whatever image you can access, and then keep the image. Again I can see using this as a way to create different graphics for our web presence. Here is the image I made:
Next I went over to Image Chef. They have a very similar utility available, but they also provide you with scenes that you can manipulate to create your own fun Thing. Like this:
I am still interested in working in Toon Doo, and if I can get my account to work, I will have one more part to Thing 7. Otherwise I am on to Thing 8.
Letter James is sort of like the Bus add from the Generator Blog. You can add text to whatever image you can access, and then keep the image. Again I can see using this as a way to create different graphics for our web presence. Here is the image I made:
Next I went over to Image Chef. They have a very similar utility available, but they also provide you with scenes that you can manipulate to create your own fun Thing. Like this:
I am still interested in working in Toon Doo, and if I can get my account to work, I will have one more part to Thing 7. Otherwise I am on to Thing 8.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Thing 7: This Really Shouldn't Be Available for Me to Play With.Part 1
WOW, I am having fun! So I tried out a couple of things so far. The first was Toon Doo, and I had lots of trouble with that one, which is too bad because I have some ideas I would like to exercise on their site. It maybe a temporary issue, but I cannot log in, and when I try to ask for my password to be reset, the link in the email they send gives a system error when you use it. I'll tyr again next week.
Then I went to The Generator Blog and am playing with some of those. I have noticed a tendency for many of these generators to be funny, but not allow any sort of input by the user, like the Create a Greek God Name Generator. I did find one I liked, and here is the result:
My Brand New Christmas Card for You
I was unable to save the image anywhere directly, so I at least got the url. The image could be a little larger and the letters are hard to read, but it was fun to play with.
I also created an inauguration speech for the president, which reads like this:
"Barack Obama's Inauguration Speech
My fellow Americans, today is a superlative day. You have shown the world that "hope" is not just another word for "aardvark", and that "change" is not only something we can believe in again, but something we can actually ate.
Today we celebrate, but let there be no mistake – America faces blue and rotten challenges like never before. Our economy is cute. Americans can barely afford their mortgages, let alone have enough money left over for bicycles. Our health care system is swampy. If your little toe is sick and you don't have insurance, you might as well call a librarian. And America's image overseas is tarnished like a swamp thing sprocket. But chucking together we can right this ship, and set a course for Hollywood, Florida.
Finally, I must thank my snotty family, my soft campaign volunteers, but most of all, I want to thank The Attila the Hun Appreciation Society of Bismark for making this historic occasion possible. Of course, I must also thank you, President Bush, for years of gacking the American people. Without your thrust efforts, none of this would have been possible."
So that was also fun. So was this:
So next I am heading over to Image Chef.
Then I went to The Generator Blog and am playing with some of those. I have noticed a tendency for many of these generators to be funny, but not allow any sort of input by the user, like the Create a Greek God Name Generator. I did find one I liked, and here is the result:
My Brand New Christmas Card for You
I was unable to save the image anywhere directly, so I at least got the url. The image could be a little larger and the letters are hard to read, but it was fun to play with.
I also created an inauguration speech for the president, which reads like this:
"Barack Obama's Inauguration Speech
My fellow Americans, today is a superlative day. You have shown the world that "hope" is not just another word for "aardvark", and that "change" is not only something we can believe in again, but something we can actually ate.
Today we celebrate, but let there be no mistake – America faces blue and rotten challenges like never before. Our economy is cute. Americans can barely afford their mortgages, let alone have enough money left over for bicycles. Our health care system is swampy. If your little toe is sick and you don't have insurance, you might as well call a librarian. And America's image overseas is tarnished like a swamp thing sprocket. But chucking together we can right this ship, and set a course for Hollywood, Florida.
Finally, I must thank my snotty family, my soft campaign volunteers, but most of all, I want to thank The Attila the Hun Appreciation Society of Bismark for making this historic occasion possible. Of course, I must also thank you, President Bush, for years of gacking the American people. Without your thrust efforts, none of this would have been possible."
So that was also fun. So was this:
So next I am heading over to Image Chef.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Thing 6: Fun with Images Part 3
Ok, and now my crowning achievement of the day: BACON!
This was lots of fun. Creating your own stuff is a hoot. So again, I had a little creative fun with this, and no I wouldn't use it for the library, but I can really see using a tool like this to enhance our web presence.
So all in all I can really see how these tools could be applied in a constructive manner. Or I could just burn tons of free time amusing myself, which ever. Thing 7 awaits.
Thing 6:Fun with Images Part 2
In Big Huge Labs, I tried my hand at two different application. The first I am going to show is this spiffy picture poster puzzle. I thougt it might be an actual functioning puzzle, which would have been way cooler, but I'll take the poster.
Thing 6: Fun with Images Part 1
Ok, so it can be pretty fun to mess around with the Mashups. I admit it.Creating fun graphics to use on the libraries web site might just have some positive implications. So I tried several Mashups and here is my Spell with Flickr
Pretty cool so far.I also looked at the Clockr and Flickr Color Pickr. These are pretty neat, but not something that we would have a direct practicle use for. At least I don't think so. Next I looked at Big Huge Labs.
Pretty cool so far.I also looked at the Clockr and Flickr Color Pickr. These are pretty neat, but not something that we would have a direct practicle use for. At least I don't think so. Next I looked at Big Huge Labs.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Thing 5: Mr. Shoe Thinks Flickr Is Just All Right with Him.
So now I have to blog about my brand spanking new Flickr account. For anyone who might looks at this, I am going to have some fun with these accounts. I can’t seem to keep myself from doing that, so why bother? I found Flickr to be fairly easy to begin using. I had to play with it a little to create a flow in the photos that I am using. There seems to be loads of functionality that are outside the parameters of what I have an interest in. Getting the images into this here blog so I can blog about blogging about them was none too hard either. For anyone who might see these images, enjoy.
In as far as looking at other photo sharing websites, like the 23 Things @ NEFLIN mentioned Picasa, I did flirt with using that briefly, since it is created by Google. I was interested in not creating a separate account (for my own sanity), but to the best of my understanding there needs to be some kind of software downloaded in order to use it. Since I access these accounts from various computers at work, it seemed prohibitive to need specific software just to put photos on the web. Of course, I could have misread the info on the Picasa sign up page and the software is not needed to do online basic photo hosting, but when I took a look at Flickr, it seemed more intuitive to start using, so I went with Flickr. And here is a photo from the album I created.
Very Scary, Right?
Also, I put a widget on the top left hand corner of my blog that directs you, or whoever, to The Wild Adventures of Mr. Shoe in the Library. Next up, playing around with other image stuff.
In as far as looking at other photo sharing websites, like the 23 Things @ NEFLIN mentioned Picasa, I did flirt with using that briefly, since it is created by Google. I was interested in not creating a separate account (for my own sanity), but to the best of my understanding there needs to be some kind of software downloaded in order to use it. Since I access these accounts from various computers at work, it seemed prohibitive to need specific software just to put photos on the web. Of course, I could have misread the info on the Picasa sign up page and the software is not needed to do online basic photo hosting, but when I took a look at Flickr, it seemed more intuitive to start using, so I went with Flickr. And here is a photo from the album I created.
Very Scary, Right?
Also, I put a widget on the top left hand corner of my blog that directs you, or whoever, to The Wild Adventures of Mr. Shoe in the Library. Next up, playing around with other image stuff.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Thing 4: Please Feed My RSS, It Looks Hungry
Thing 4, this was enblogening. So now I understand how to actually do RSS feeds, and I listed the blogs I am following on my blog. And I began a blog reader in my new Google blog reader account, which interacts with my blog and the blogs I have now decided to blog about in a list of blogs, that is now presented (as previously mentioned) on my blog.
But seriously, it is good to gain an understanding of how all this works. It is possible that I can find a good use for all this here in the library. For me personally, as stated before, I have no interest in most things bloggy. There is one blog that I like to read, and that is Christopher Moore’s. I have it listed to the left there. He is one of my favorite writers, very funny, and has a well rounded perspective on life, at least as far as I am concerned. Other than that, I just don’t find most of the blogs that I have run across in the huge realm of the www to be interesting. What I have noticed is a strong inclination of many bloggers to take themselves way too seriously. I might find one or two that could be of interest through this program, but I’m not really all that concerned if I don’t.
That said, I am enjoying the sharing environment that we have going here in 23 Things, and I like to read through other participants thoughts. This is a nice setting for asynchronous learning. So now I am following some of the other 23 Thingers, and look forward to continue to draw from all of our experiences.
But seriously, it is good to gain an understanding of how all this works. It is possible that I can find a good use for all this here in the library. For me personally, as stated before, I have no interest in most things bloggy. There is one blog that I like to read, and that is Christopher Moore’s. I have it listed to the left there. He is one of my favorite writers, very funny, and has a well rounded perspective on life, at least as far as I am concerned. Other than that, I just don’t find most of the blogs that I have run across in the huge realm of the www to be interesting. What I have noticed is a strong inclination of many bloggers to take themselves way too seriously. I might find one or two that could be of interest through this program, but I’m not really all that concerned if I don’t.
That said, I am enjoying the sharing environment that we have going here in 23 Things, and I like to read through other participants thoughts. This is a nice setting for asynchronous learning. So now I am following some of the other 23 Thingers, and look forward to continue to draw from all of our experiences.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Thing 3, Oh to Find A Blog
Blogging, blogging, blogging on this bloggy of all bloggy days. Yes, I am blogging about blogging and I am just about blogged out for now. It has been a virtual bloggorama.
So in looking at this Thing, I have now been exposed to blog search engines. I initially tried the suggested Technorati search engine, and found it fairly clean and easy to use. I used several search terms on topics I find interesting, and only received a few results that interested me. The search engine did what it was designed to do though, and seems like an effective tool. I did not find the Top Blogs very interesting, but that is a matter of opinion and taste. So I think it works pretty well.
From Technorati, I ventured into more suggested search engines listed on the About article. They need to update that article. OpinMind has dropped their blog search tool, which took me a minute to figure out. Blogdex is apparently being rethought. Sphere doesn’t appear to have any kind of search engine, but seemed to be selling various web based products. Maybe they did at one time, have a search engine that is. The next link on that article I tried was titled “Search Blogs with Ask.com” and I never actually found anything that provided access to the search engine mentioned. It does claim to work with something called Bloglines, but this sub article did not give access to even that. So I gave up on this and tried Google’s Blog Search.
Google’s product worked fairly well. It was clean and simple. Whether or not you like Google, they make good products, so I think it was the only one I looked at that was comparable with Technorati. As far as which was better, well I think they are fairly close in functionality. I have no preference.
So, I think the experience of see the blog search engines has been good. Now I know that they exist, and if a student asks, I can direct them to at least two decent search tools. Cool. I’m ready for thing 4.
So in looking at this Thing, I have now been exposed to blog search engines. I initially tried the suggested Technorati search engine, and found it fairly clean and easy to use. I used several search terms on topics I find interesting, and only received a few results that interested me. The search engine did what it was designed to do though, and seems like an effective tool. I did not find the Top Blogs very interesting, but that is a matter of opinion and taste. So I think it works pretty well.
From Technorati, I ventured into more suggested search engines listed on the About article. They need to update that article. OpinMind has dropped their blog search tool, which took me a minute to figure out. Blogdex is apparently being rethought. Sphere doesn’t appear to have any kind of search engine, but seemed to be selling various web based products. Maybe they did at one time, have a search engine that is. The next link on that article I tried was titled “Search Blogs with Ask.com” and I never actually found anything that provided access to the search engine mentioned. It does claim to work with something called Bloglines, but this sub article did not give access to even that. So I gave up on this and tried Google’s Blog Search.
Google’s product worked fairly well. It was clean and simple. Whether or not you like Google, they make good products, so I think it was the only one I looked at that was comparable with Technorati. As far as which was better, well I think they are fairly close in functionality. I have no preference.
So, I think the experience of see the blog search engines has been good. Now I know that they exist, and if a student asks, I can direct them to at least two decent search tools. Cool. I’m ready for thing 4.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Thing 2: Or, So That's What All the Fuss Is About
So here we go on to thing 2! Web 2.0, and all things Web 2.0 related. How bloggy.
In reading through the articles that were provided on the main NEFLIN’s 23 blog, I noticed that they were all (with the exception of the article from Library Technology Reports) from 2006. That is three years ago. Not that the info is obsolete, or even not relevant-I found all the articles to be informative-but the web world has moved in the last three years. The introduction of more Web 2.0 content has increased, as well as the use of that content. I am not in the least Web 2.0 savvy, or even have much of a personal interest in most of what 23 Things is examining, but I am very interested in being proactive towards my professional education and development. So with that, I read three articles which were published in the last six months.
The first article is:
Hawkins, Donald T. “All Things 2.0: The Fall of 2008 ASIDIC Meeting.” Information Today 25.10 (2008): 32-3. Library Literature & Information Science Full Text. Wilson. SJRCC Library. 22 Jan 2009
As the title states, this article came out of The Association for Information and Dissemination Centers’ (ASIDIC) fall conference. Much of the content is looking at how business and industry are addressing Web 2.0 opportunities, and the challenges of the change that is coming with this new environment. Consumers (or users to most of use) have become expectant of interaction with products. In recognizing this, providing that interaction can also provide opportunities to track how much specific areas, or even documents, on a web site are being interacted with. Tag clouds, word trees, and bubble charts are all ways for users to interact with the content being presented, and there are tangible and scalable results that are produced and can be captured.
Libraries can create accounts using Web 2.0 applications already available that could be used in similar ways. Instead of looking at raw statistics and some surveys, implementation of a user interactive environment could provide feedback by analyzing the cloud tags.
The article continues into how business models are shifting for some companies. Now in the library world, this does not apply as much, but the idea of cloud computing is brought up, and could have elements of interest to us. This concept is also explored in the next article I read:
Hempel, Jessi. “Web 2.0 Is So Over. Welcome to Web 3.0.” Fortune 19 Jan. 2009: 36. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. SJRCC Library. 22 Jan. 2009
This article brought up some very interesting perspectives, but for the moment let’s stay with the concept of cloud computing. Cloud computing allows entire organizations to create remote environments, where all shared applications, files, and even “desktops” are stored through an online service. These applications are then accessible to the employees/participants from any where with internet access; a true wall-less environment that removes the need for an intense infrastructure. How could libraries utilize such capabilities? That requires some understanding of what can be used and some imagination. I don’t have answers right now, but I think it is important to see how these developments are coming around and pay attention to how different companies/organizations are utilizing them. Ideas could spring up anywhere.
The rest of this second article I found very interesting, in that it covers how the initial promise of e-commerce through Web 2.0 applications is not being readily realized. Many of the most popular social-networking websites are a bust in terms of commercial viability. Millions use Myspace and Facebook, but profits aren’t being generated. Though tools like these may draw huge users, newer and more dynamic tools will not be developed until a way to make a profit can be realized. The ad revenue that Google can generate is not being translated to these other applications, where users just aren’t interested in the products presented. If this persists, the development of these Web 2.0 products will slide into oblivion, regardless of how much the users like the connectivity. Some kind of shift is going to happen in the next few years, and the current face of Web 2.0 is going to change. How it will change and how we may be able to gain advantage from it remains to be seen.
The next article I read is:
Thompson, John. “Don’t Be Afraid to Explore Web 2.0.” Education Digest 74.4 (Dec 2008): 19-22. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. SJRCC Library. 22 Jan. 2009
This article is taken from an educational perspective, and suggests using the different Web 2.0 applications to create educational sharing environments. I like this idea. It gives me something to really ponder over the next few months as we explore all this information. Not just for the promotion of library materials, but in a dynamic and collaborative learning atmosphere that could allow users direct input into how we shape the use of the resources that are available. Much to think on.
So that is about as bloggy as I am getting on this topic. On to thing 3…
In reading through the articles that were provided on the main NEFLIN’s 23 blog, I noticed that they were all (with the exception of the article from Library Technology Reports) from 2006. That is three years ago. Not that the info is obsolete, or even not relevant-I found all the articles to be informative-but the web world has moved in the last three years. The introduction of more Web 2.0 content has increased, as well as the use of that content. I am not in the least Web 2.0 savvy, or even have much of a personal interest in most of what 23 Things is examining, but I am very interested in being proactive towards my professional education and development. So with that, I read three articles which were published in the last six months.
The first article is:
Hawkins, Donald T. “All Things 2.0: The Fall of 2008 ASIDIC Meeting.” Information Today 25.10 (2008): 32-3. Library Literature & Information Science Full Text. Wilson. SJRCC Library. 22 Jan 2009
As the title states, this article came out of The Association for Information and Dissemination Centers’ (ASIDIC) fall conference. Much of the content is looking at how business and industry are addressing Web 2.0 opportunities, and the challenges of the change that is coming with this new environment. Consumers (or users to most of use) have become expectant of interaction with products. In recognizing this, providing that interaction can also provide opportunities to track how much specific areas, or even documents, on a web site are being interacted with. Tag clouds, word trees, and bubble charts are all ways for users to interact with the content being presented, and there are tangible and scalable results that are produced and can be captured.
Libraries can create accounts using Web 2.0 applications already available that could be used in similar ways. Instead of looking at raw statistics and some surveys, implementation of a user interactive environment could provide feedback by analyzing the cloud tags.
The article continues into how business models are shifting for some companies. Now in the library world, this does not apply as much, but the idea of cloud computing is brought up, and could have elements of interest to us. This concept is also explored in the next article I read:
Hempel, Jessi. “Web 2.0 Is So Over. Welcome to Web 3.0.” Fortune 19 Jan. 2009: 36. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. SJRCC Library. 22 Jan. 2009
This article brought up some very interesting perspectives, but for the moment let’s stay with the concept of cloud computing. Cloud computing allows entire organizations to create remote environments, where all shared applications, files, and even “desktops” are stored through an online service. These applications are then accessible to the employees/participants from any where with internet access; a true wall-less environment that removes the need for an intense infrastructure. How could libraries utilize such capabilities? That requires some understanding of what can be used and some imagination. I don’t have answers right now, but I think it is important to see how these developments are coming around and pay attention to how different companies/organizations are utilizing them. Ideas could spring up anywhere.
The rest of this second article I found very interesting, in that it covers how the initial promise of e-commerce through Web 2.0 applications is not being readily realized. Many of the most popular social-networking websites are a bust in terms of commercial viability. Millions use Myspace and Facebook, but profits aren’t being generated. Though tools like these may draw huge users, newer and more dynamic tools will not be developed until a way to make a profit can be realized. The ad revenue that Google can generate is not being translated to these other applications, where users just aren’t interested in the products presented. If this persists, the development of these Web 2.0 products will slide into oblivion, regardless of how much the users like the connectivity. Some kind of shift is going to happen in the next few years, and the current face of Web 2.0 is going to change. How it will change and how we may be able to gain advantage from it remains to be seen.
The next article I read is:
Thompson, John. “Don’t Be Afraid to Explore Web 2.0.” Education Digest 74.4 (Dec 2008): 19-22. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. SJRCC Library. 22 Jan. 2009
This article is taken from an educational perspective, and suggests using the different Web 2.0 applications to create educational sharing environments. I like this idea. It gives me something to really ponder over the next few months as we explore all this information. Not just for the promotion of library materials, but in a dynamic and collaborative learning atmosphere that could allow users direct input into how we shape the use of the resources that are available. Much to think on.
So that is about as bloggy as I am getting on this topic. On to thing 3…
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
So, I guess it begins! Thing 1
Hello Stephanie and everyone at NEFLIN, and everyone who is participating, and Patty, and Brad, and Jeannie, and the CE Committee, and the NEFLIN Board, and any one who might happen to stumble upon this, and the academy, and the directors of all my favorite films, who most likely will never see this, but thanks any way. So I'm blogging, huh? Blog, blog, blog. Blog is kind of a funny word, don't you think? Kind of like smurf. You know the little blue things that had a cartoon in the '80s?
In fact, I think it is the new smurf. You know how no matter what was going on, the smurfs used their own name to describe it? Like:
"Ohh, how smurfy."
"You don't smurf like that everyday."
"You'll have to smurf pretty early in the morning to smurf old papa smurf!"
These aren't really quotes, I just made them up, but you remember. So now we can just use blog to describe everything.
"Ohh, how bloggy."
"You don't blog like that everyday."
"You'll have to blog pretty early in the morning to blog old papa blog!"
I think it works. Anyway,this is exciting and I can't wait to learn all the bloggy new stuff 23Things@NEFLIN is going to cover.
Have a bloggolicous day.
UT
In fact, I think it is the new smurf. You know how no matter what was going on, the smurfs used their own name to describe it? Like:
"Ohh, how smurfy."
"You don't smurf like that everyday."
"You'll have to smurf pretty early in the morning to smurf old papa smurf!"
These aren't really quotes, I just made them up, but you remember. So now we can just use blog to describe everything.
"Ohh, how bloggy."
"You don't blog like that everyday."
"You'll have to blog pretty early in the morning to blog old papa blog!"
I think it works. Anyway,this is exciting and I can't wait to learn all the bloggy new stuff 23Things@NEFLIN is going to cover.
Have a bloggolicous day.
UT
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