Thing 12: Social Media Sites

I liked the interface for Newsvine the best. I could not find the sharing tools when I located an article in the NY Times. When I tried to "Digg" an article in BBC News, it first told me it might be a duplicate and then I got an error.

Although I haven't read a story as a result of seeing it on one of these sites, I can see using these tools as a way for an individual to scan news stories or for a reference librarian to regularly scan.

Thing 11: Tagging

In the tutorial, I liked the distinction made between taxonomy and folksonomy being that folksonomies are "user driven." It also helped to think of delicious as a "collection of URLs."

I created a Delicious account about a year ago for a class, but didn't really use it. This was a good refresher. I was able to find my account. The tutorial was a good reminder about the advantage of using Delicious...that is, you can access your bookmarks from any computer, anywhere.

I can definitely see the usefulness of this tool for managing research and for sharing links with others. The example in the tutorial about creating a unique tag (e.g. ALAL2) was useful in understanding how a group could create a shared reading list.

Thing 10: Wikis

I edited the 23Things Wiki and found it to be easy to use. I can especially see the usefulness of wikis for internal use in libraries. The Library Success Wiki looked quite useful, especially for someone new in the profession.

Rather than banning a source or format, I think the focus should be on helping students critically analyze the source. I have discussed Wikipedia with my daughter. The reality is that she and her friends use it often. Banning its use won't work. It's better to talk with students about the benefits and risks of using such a source. For example, I think it can be a good place to start research on a topic you know nothing about, but not to use it as the definitive answer.

Thing 9: Online Collaboration Tools

I'll start this post and come back later while I wait to get permission to use Google Docs and Zoho Writer. A volunteer organization I work with uses Google Docs to post sign-up spreadsheets for various events. It works well for that purpose although I assume anyone can change what anyone has entered...i.e. there are no controls on editing.

Thing 8: Share Your Creations

Link to my Zoho Slideshow:

http://show.zoho.com/public/mscheide/zoho

I created this slideshow in early 2007 as a way to present information to a class on ZohoShow, which was in beta testing at the time. I easily accessed my account after about a year of inactivity. The interface looks somewhat different; I see that there still is not a way to easily print your show. I also uploaded a presentation I created in 2006. Here's a link: http://www.slideshare.net/secret/445JBdn7BfMhS2

I had some difficulty embedding the links; I received some HTML errors, but I think I finally got this to work. Should the URLs, though, be hyperlinks? As they are now, a viewer would have to copy and paste the URL into their web browser. Generally, though, I think these online slideshow tools are great, especially for someone who does not have access to the software at home.

eFolio Minnesota: Wow! What a wonderful resource. Unfortunately, I live in western Wisconsin so I cannot take advantage of this. My interest would be in creating a career portfolio. I sent off a request to find out if there is a similar service available to Wisconsin residents.

PictureTrail: I could get lost with these tools for days. This site really got my mind spinning with ideas of photo sharing for an upcoming graduation open house.

Thing 7: Web 2.0 Communication Tools

I recently used IM for technical support with a software company. The back-and-forth exchange as the tech was instructing me through a number of steps was a bit tedious, but for the most part it worked quite well. I use text messaging on a limited basis to communicate with my daughter who is away at college. Once I learned how to use the word recognition feature, I have found it much easier to use.

I viewed an archived webinar and hope to be able to attend a live web conference, which I assume would be quite different.

Thing 5: More Flickr Fun

I checked out the 10 Best Flickr mash-ups and explored Captioner. This was quite amusing. I added a caption to the photo in my previous post. Check it out at:

http://shadydentist.com/captioner/captioner.php?URL=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm3.static.flickr.com%2F2240%2F2303898722_fdcaba531b_m.jpg&saved=1&text1=I%20feel%20ridiculous%20in%20this%20costume!&t1=12&l1=12

I had fun with the Puzzle Maker, but couldn't find directions on how to upload my puzzle photo to the blog. I saved it to my desktop and then uploaded it. Maybe there's another way, but I couldn't find any instructions.














I LOVED the "Spell with Flickr" mashup. I can see how someone would easily get addicted to that. I don't see, though, if it's possible to save a word that you created there.

I would think these tools would be a good way of attracting teens/young adults into the library.