Google Docs & Spreadsheets

Another place where I've had an account but haven't really used it. Coming back today I noticed that formatting with Google Docs is much more like formatting in e-mail and blogs. The little tabs up top and icons to click rather than the pull-down menus of word. Is Web 2.0 pushing us toward a universal editing menu?

Things that I like about docs & spreadsheets:

Having them accessible where you are using the web and not tied to a computer.

Collaboration is also a plus.

Why haven't I used it? Old habits die hard. I'm just used to clicking on the desktop icon and using words. Complying with expected standards is also a reason -Microsoft Office has been so dominant that people expect it to be used.

Need to keep coming back here and using this.

Technorati, I start to understand it

Yesterday I was feeling nostalgic and began thinking about Mt. Monadnock in New Hampshire and wanted to see some pictures. Youtube has several videos of people climbing it (note to self: Whenever filming physical activity turn off the sound - it's really unappealing to hear grunts and puffs.) but most of them just made me dizzy.

A Technorati search resulted in several recent blog entries with pretty pictures and nice descriptions. I have to backtrack from the comment in my earlier post. There are times when you want to search blogs without the clutter of the rest of the Internet.

Learning Wikis

This week I'm supposed to teach the rest of the staff about wikis, but our schedule won't allow many of us to meet as a group so I'm writing this blog post as a lesson. Here we go!

For most of us the term wiki equals Wikipedia the web-based encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

Wiki really refers to a software that allows for information to be easily published and edited on the Web. Unlike blogs which are online journals meant to be written by an individual Wikis are more of an encyclopedia or guidebook that is written and edited by many people.

Here are links to explanations of Wikis:
CNET

Technosight Blogs versus Wikis

Infopeople's 23 things link

The Infopeople 23things assignment is to add a post to their wiki

You can also join WetPaint and request to be a writer for the OCPL government documents wiki DocsLynx

Youtube

I have a teenager. Here's his take on the web (2.0 or otherwise)in order of importance:
MySpace
Youtube
itunes (tied with Youtube)
ebay

So I have used YouTube, found the funny videos, looked at the instructional ones on RSS, wikis, and knitting (my hobby). Last night my son watched WWII propaganda videos. What I haven't done is upload any videos.

Web 2.0 & Libraries Thoughts (thing 15)

Web 2.0 is as big or small as you want it to be. An branch running a book club could set up a blog or wiki for that club and invite club members to make entries and comments. A blog, MySpace, or wiki could be created for an entire library system for announcements, calendars, or events for either the public or staff. What about a del.icio.us account for Reference staff instead using favorites/bookmarks at individual computers and then letting your public know about it so they can use the links also?

WorldCat Link Second Try

Trying the send to thing again. I searched from the Google Toolbar for Open WorldCat, searched for a title, rightclicked and chose send to blog, logged into blog and the following link was created (yay, it works):

WorldCat: The Clarks of Cooperstown : their Singer sewing machine fortune, their great and influential art collections, their forty-year feud

FirstSearch: WorldCat Detailed Record

Just playing around with WorldCat & found with the Google Toolbar I can export a link to a record directly to my blog. Good concept, except the link won't work if I'm not logged into WorldCat. I'll have to see if I can do this with Open WorldCat
FirstSearch: WorldCat Detailed Record: "126945207"

Teaching Flickr

Our branch is taking a collaborative approach to 23 Things. Each week we have a lesson taught by staff who have already been using Web 2.0 to staff that are new to it. This week it's my turn to teach Flickr. Below are the links to Flickr that I will be using during the lesson so staff can get to them easily.

Flickr has 2 account levels:
Free - You can upload an unlimited number of photos but only view the most recent 200. To view older upload newer photos need to deleted. You are limited to 3 sets.
Pro - $25.00 annually and no limits.

Where do I Flicker http://www.flickr.com/

Flickr Tour http://www.flickr.com/tour/

Web-based uploader http://www.flickr.com/photos/upload/

Uploader tools http://www.flickr.com/tools/

Spell with Flickr http://metaatem.net/words

More Stuff (things that I didn't go over during the lesson)
Flickr Badge (show some of your photos on your blog) http://www.flickr.com/badge.gne

Great Flickr Tools Collection (lots of things for Flickr Mashups)
http://www.quickonlinetips.com/archives/2005/03/great-flickr-tools-collection/

Newbie's Guide to Flickr
http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-9703620-2.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=Webware

Curious Cat

Here's Squeaks (whose picture is in my header) exploring my Clapotis

GGR photo

GGR photo
Originally uploaded by jkam

I work next to a pond with ducks and geese

Wikis

This thing was my easy one - I've recently setup a wiki called Docslynx to push out information on government documents to other staff a my library.

The link to learn about wikis put up by Our 23 Things wasn't that helpful, in my opinion. Since blogs have been the chief vehicle for this challenge I prefer this site which provides a nice description of the differences between blogs and wikis.

The entry I made on Infopeople's wiki was for del.icio.us which I feel has great prospects for all Internet users since using it frees bookmark from a single machine to being available anywhere you access the Internet.

Technorati where blogs rule but I have no Authority

After joining Technorati, claiming my blog, setting up some favorites, and even importing my blogline feeds, I still didn't quite understand what Technorati is for. Why Technorati instead of Google, Yahoo, del.icio.us or Bloglines? I finally looked it up in Wikipedia.

Here's my take on Technorati's purpose: You can search for information on blogs, specifically their tags, knowing that results will not be cluttered with hits from websites. If I'm right will someone let me know?

I just don't see myself spending much time here. If I do go back I would probably use this search instead of the standard one.

Showing Coptermom

My friend Coptermom just setup a blog. She wasn't sure how to create a post so I made this one to show her. Coptermom, remember to always click Publish Post when you're done.

Social Bookmarking

Continuing on my theme I'm slow to get the social part of Web 2.0. del.icio.us has become my mobile bookmarking site over the last few months. The convenience factor of being able to access my bookmarks on any computer is what got me started on using it. More bookmarks keep creeping in as I have adapted to adding and tagging sites I'm on. Just may get social yet. I've started del.icio.us subscriptions

Rollyo

Be the master of your own searches using Rollyo - but be aware that the idiosyncrasies of searching the web can make for some sketchy results. In the meantime do some searching:

Select...Book SearchSearch The Web

Image Generators

Image generators could be amazing time-wasters. No, I think this would look better in blue, with rounded corners and maybe a dove flying over scattering rose petals. You could keep playing with er, tweaking these forever.

But what a great way to get some images for a website or blog. Make sure you copy the entire code before pasting it. Also size matters. I had pasted the URL into this entry, but the images threw off my blog's layout. Click on the title if you'd like to see the image I generated.

Scratch that entire 2nd paragraph. Blogger didn't like the code for my billboard. Picky, picky, picky!

How about this:

Link to an earlier entry

Trying to figure out how to link to an earlier blog entry. Hey, it worked!

LibraryThing

This is growing on me. I've only cataloged 2 titles so far. To use the suggestion feature a library needs at least 5 books so I'll add some more.
I've also tried to link to my library using LibraryThing's javascript tool and haven't been able to get it to work in this post or my blog's sidebar.

Google Maps

This is number 19 on the list so it's a little out of order.
Here's my map of Garden Grove Regional Library

My Web Starts to Get Social

As you can tell from my previous post I've been lacking the Social in the Web 2.0 experience. Well that changed yesterday when I got my first invite to be a Flickr contact. It all started with a message to a Yahoo Group linking to a Flickr picture of one of my knitting projects. A group member then sent a message through Flickr inviting me to be a contact.

By George, I think I'm getting it:

Yahoo to picture

Picture to Flickr

Flickr to invite

invite to Website

Website to friend

this may never end!

Oh here's the link that started it all:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/195/513491777_818d7b0271_o.jpg

Twitter - or - It's Official, I'm Dull

I don't run with a text-messaging crowd. We are of the phone generation with e-mails when necessary and sometimes a nice card in the mail. This was a serious drag on actually using Twitter beyond logging a few things on the web page and what a boring week it's been, let me tell you!

Okay, so Twitter's obviously not my style. I do see applications for a library. Create a Twitter account with patrons to contact them about programs or materials - wonder if you could send overdue notices via Twitter?

What about using Twitter to notify staff of an unexpected building closure and telling them where to report to work instead. This wouldn't work in a full-scale catastrophe (or most power failures) but otherwise could be a bit easier than phoning individually.

I'm going to give Twitter some more time and see if I can adapt to using it.