Week 8, Thing 19 Web 2.0 awards

I explored the short list. I found that I was familiar with some of the award winners as they are sites I have visited along my journey through "23 Things", (i.e. Technorati won first place for blog guides and bloglines won second place). I explored Upcoming, first place winner for events. I found it very useful. I liked how you could browse by category ( music, social, education, family, sports, other). I also liked the option of selecting a particular weekend, week, or month for your search. The next time my family is looking for something interesting to do, I will visit Upcoming.

Week 8, Thing 18

I set up Zoho account. I created a test document, then tried to publish it to my blog. I couldn't find the document on my blog at first. I finally realized that it was listed as a draft among all of my posts, so I had to actually go in and click on "publish post". It appeared below this post.Anyhow, I enjoyed exploring Zoho. I think that it is wonderful that you have access to free software which enables you to create a spreadsheet (Zoho Sheet), powerpoint (Zoho Show), or word document (Zoho Writer), without having to download the software. I also like the fact that you don't have to worry about different software versions or file types. I have Microsoft Office Word 2007 and every time I create a document at home, I have to remember to save it as a Word 97-2003 document so that I can edit it at work and open it as an email attachment at work. I didn't get a chance to explore Google Docs, but would like to come back to that when time allows!

ZOHO TEST DOCUMENT

Test Document

July 31, 2007

This is my test document for Zoho Writer.

• Just like working in Word
  

1. I can use bullets
2. I can do bold print
3. I can do itallic print
4. I can underline where I need to
5. I can find and replace a word
6. I can use spell check

• I think this is great. No more spending money to purchase the newest version of Microsoft Office!
• You don't even need a thumb drive to save the document to. It is just saved right in your account!
• I like the many templates that are available.
  

Week 7, Thing 17 Sand Box Wiki

I created an account in the Maryland Libraries sandbox. I added my wiki with an attachment to my blog to the list of Maryland Libraries Blogs. I had a little bit of difficulty posting the link to my blog, but with a little patience, I figured it out on my own.

Week 7, Thing 16 WIkis

I like using Wikis. One of the Teams that I served on used a Wiki. I found it very easy to post to. It is a great way for a team to communicate what they are doing with the entire staff and allow other staff to post their thoughts and suggestions as well. I did learn in this activity that you need to protect your wiki from spam. I think using a wiki for book reviews would be a fun way of sharing thoughts.

Week 6, Thing 15 Web 2.0 and the future of Libraries

These activities really helped me tie Web 2.0 together with libraries. Just like Michael Wesch's video said, we need to make library space more user inviting. Every aspect of web 2.0 is something that future library users are familiar with and are using. Libraries need to change their way of thinking and do away with the "just in case" print collection and provide a digital collection of books, journals, blogs, etc. Libraries need to adapt to the customers they serve and bring their services to the customers through the web. After all, the web is a part of most of our customers' everyday routine and can be accessed from anywhere.

Week 6, Thing 14 Technorati

I explored technorati and found it a little overwhelming. It really isn't something that I feel that I would use. I did the keyword search for "Learning 2.o" in blog posts, tags, and blog directory and got different results for each. I came across a blog from "23 Things". I didn't spend a lot of time exploring top favorited blogs, top searches, or top blogs. Maybe I will go back to explore those more later.

Week 6, Thing 13 Del.icio.us

I tried to view the recommended tutorial a few different times, and was unsuccessful each time. So I went on to explore the PLCMCL2 account that was created at the Charlotte and Mecklenburg County Library. I can see where Del.icio.us would be a great tool for gathering information.

Week 5, Thing 12 Rollyo

I explored Rollyo, created an account, and created my own searchroll. Creating the searchroll was fairly easy. I am not sure that I would use it in my personal life. Then again, this is new to me, so maybe after I give it a chance, it will grow on me. I am having trouble getting the link to my searchroll to work. http://rollyo.com/321321321/your_childs_safety

Week 5, Thing 11 Library Thing

I found Library thing extremely easy to use. I really like the BookSuggestor that suggests books to read from titles you have already read. Here is the link to my library:http://www.librarything.com/catalog/shahn.

Week 5, Thing 10 Online image generator

I made this avatar in Yahoo avatars. It was fun playing around with all of the different options for the background, hair styles, clothes, and accessories. I also had fun looking at The Generator Blog. I may use the singing email generator to send birthday wishes or "pick me up" messages to friends in the future.

Week 4, Thing 9 MERLIN/news feeds

I looked at Merlin and subscribed. I linked to Gaming and Avatars. I had fun experimenting with Sitepal. I also like topix.net. It is a great place to get news feeds on local information. I could link to information about meetings on school redistricting when the new Ebb Valley Elementry School opens. This is important to me since my son is entering Kindergarten in August.