23 Things Project: Thing 14 Microblogging

Microblogging...what an interesting term. Maybe I can remember that one more than tweeting. I talk to my daughter about Twitter but I also call it twittering. Needless to say, she loves correcting her mamma. "Tweeting" not "twittering" duh mom! So I joined the Twitter world at her insistence a while ago. Again, I am a lurker, not a poster.

I have learned about lots of great books and learned about new writers as well. I have two Twitter accounts -- one for my work interests (debrayocum) and one for my personal interests (dkyocum). I follow publishers and authors on my work account and knitters, Dr. Who people, and my family on my personal account. I like having my interests in separate accounts. I also have found that I like using my IPad to read the Twitter feeds more than my Droid phone. It is easier to switch between accounts that way.

My daughter shares all kind of weird tweets from her Twitter account with me. It makes for great drive to school conversations. She is also a huge Tumblr user. Tumblr is interesting to say the least. Some unusual stuff out there.

I never thought about setting up a Twitter account for my school's library, but it might be useful. I could see using it to send mini-updates on what's going on in the library. I could use it to showcase new books or highlight curriculum connections. I might just set one up now that I've thought about it.

Forward ho!
Debra

23 Things Project: Things 12 & 13 Wikis

It's Wiki time! Now wikis are more than just a way to explore odd topics like on Wikipedia. It is an easy way to get students involved in their own learning. I could see how a wiki could be an integral part of student learning once the teacher instructs students on the proper care and feeding of the wiki.

I checked out several class wikis as part of this 23 things project item. I found a variety of different wikis from the super simple to complex arrangements of class notes and more. It got me thinking about how would you use a wiki in the school library. I could see using a wiki for book club discussions and library program suggestions, maybe even library research. I need to explore this idea further, but not now...

I visited the Pasadena Librarians Wiki and dipped my toes in the sandbox. Okay, so I just put a link to my blog  in the Play in the Sandbox section, but still I finished that portion of the assignment. I'm still not sure if I like wikis because it is a little too easy to change things, plus everyone posts in different fonts and colors and that kinda bothers me -- not aesthetically pleasing to my eyes. I guess I am getting old.

Ta ta for now,
Debra

23 Things Project: Thing 10 & 11 Useful Library-Related Blogs

This 23 things project item is reminiscent of thing 4 on RSS feeds, but now I have to focus on library-related blogs only. It is interesting to read how other librarians run their library programs especially since I believe my own library program is still evolving into what I had envisioned it to be when I applied for the job. It is much harder than I thought to create an effective library program, so reading other librarians' trials and tribulations are very informative. I only wish I had time during the work day to explore these resources further instead of relying on my family time to do so. Any ideas how to do this? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

I checked out several of the suggested blog search tools during the course of this project thing. Using Google Blog Search was like using the regular Google Search. Everything was familiar and still sometimes hard to find exactly what you are looking for...just like a regular Google search. I tried out Bloglines, but didn't get far because frankly I am tired of creating accounts to do anything. So I let that one go. Next, I looked at the Edublogs Awards Blog. I liked the way the blogs were sorted into categories. I could pinpoint my search to library/librarian blogs and explore from there. I have checked out Edublogs before on one of the previous 23 things project item. I like this site for looking for education related blogs. I tried to use Suprglu to search for blogs but couldn't even get the site to come up.

I found some cool middle school librarian blogs, even though middle school in most districts have a different configuration than my middle school. The Book Bug, The Media Specialist's Guide to the Internet, and The Adventures of Library Girl are now either in my Google Reader account or in my bookmarks. I couldn't figure out how to add The Adventures of Library Girl to my reader account.

Now if I could only find the time to check the Google Reader, I could keep up!

'Til we meet and read again,
Debra

23 Things Project: Thing 9 Technorati Tag

Tag...you're it. Searching the blogsphere is like playing "tag". Sometimes it's easy and you catch everything...other times it's real work, not a game. That's how I feel about trying to understand some of these tags people use. I feel the same way when I search databases. It like a game -- am I going to win today or not?

I searched Technorati for my favorite topic to read about -- knitting. I found 2919 blogs and 18 posts using the regular search box; and 0 blogs using the blog directory. This confused me. How can you have 2919 blogs, but only 18 posts; conversely, how can you have 2919 blogs and 0 blogs in the blog directory? Huh?

So, I searched again, this time using young adult literature as my search term. The results were 129 blogs, 7 posts, and again 0 blogs in the blog directory. Obviously, the blog directory doesn't like me. I concluded that Technorati and I don't really share the same interests. Next, I checked out the popular blog tags and found that if I wasn't really into all things techie or politics, maybe I should go home and try "tag" with someone else.

Tagging could be fun or it could be tedious. It's all in the mind of the tagger. Some people will never understand how the mind works to make connections, I know I don't when it comes to trying to understand how my daughter's mind makes connections. It's a big game, alright.

Play on!
Debra

23 Things Project: Thing 8 Del.icio.us Tagging

Tagging used to mean spray paint and "creative" expression of the illegal sort, but nowadays it means categorizing information. I spent some time checking out the del.icio.us site to see what the deal was with tagging sites. At first, I didn't like the look of the interface, but I got used to it. It was easy to view other people creative tagging of sites. It reminds me of my daughter's hash tags in Twitter. Some people make odd connections to information. I did like the use of comments when you save and tag a site though. People have interesting ideas about how to use information presented on different sites. It seems that in today's technological society tagging is now a multiple meaning word with lots of interchangeable terms. Tag, label, hash tag...what else is out there?

I can see how del.icio.us could be used as part of the research process. It would be much easier to organize sites for students to explore on their own than allow them to venture out on the web without assistance. It would require more up front planning on a teacher or librarian's part, but it would pay off in the end with better Internet-based information used for research projects.

I do like the ability to view your saved bookmarks on any computer as well. It would have come in handy when we bought our new computer. It also would save time if you needed to access sites from home or from work as well. There has been many instances when I needed a site address that I had saved and of course was always away from the computer I saved it on...if I could even remember which of the many techie devices I used in the first place.

Tag on 'til next time,
Debra

23 Things Project: Thing 7 Social Networking

Everyone is so caught up in social networking these days. It seems like you have to have a Facebook, a LinkedIn, and Twitter, and many more (insert name here) in order to be a part of this big Internet world. Well, I have all those things, but I don't feel any more a part of the Internet world than I did before. I don't post, I don't tweet, I don't post pictures...so do I really need these things? I do lurk...I do read and think about what people are saying online. I still think it is kinda silly though. It's kinda like blogging, do you really want to put your whole life out there for strangers to see? I still undecided about how I really feel, so I'll keep lurking and posting to this blog at least until the project is done...then we'll see. I might like it by then, who knows?

My favorite social networking site is Ravelry.com. It is a social media site for knitters and crocheters and other crafters. I find patterns, yarn recommendations, advice, and fabulous pictures of people's knits. I'm pretty much a lurker here too. I don't post many comments to the forum groups I belong to...currently I have 39 posts, whereas my best friend has over 4,000 posts. See the difference!

Now, on to the assignment...Facebook and the library. I went to my Facebook account and "liked" the Harris County Public Library. Why? It's my local library. I want to know what's going on there, in case I want to participate. It is a super cool Facebook page. Lots of stuff to see and read.

As to having a Facebook page for my school library...it could be a good thing as long as you update it. Lo, here in lies the problem. I am not an updater. I barely update my SchoolCenter library site. I start the school year off with good intentions, but they fade away quickly. I'm sure I would be the same way with Facebook. (See my above confessions about posting).

I could foresee some issues with having a Facebook library page. You would have to be careful about posting student pictures. You would have to censor your comments as well. You would have to monitor other's comments too. And what about if the original "owner" of the library page moves on to another job?

I could see some good outcomes as well. You could keep people up-to-date on the library happenings, you could recommend books, you could discuss issues and books with others. Again, the update issue raises its ugly head...you would have to be diligent in keeping up. I'm just not sure if I'm up to the challenge.

See you soon,
Debra

23 Things Project: Things 5 & 6 RSS and Newsfeeds

I must admit that it is too easy to get caught up in searching and reading blogs to include on a RSS reader. What started out as an easy assignment...you know, shouldn't take more than an hour or two, turned into several days searching and reading...getting caught up in the clicking on one thing after another. Don't get me wrong, it was fun to read some on the outrageous things posted on the Internet, but true confession time...I probably won't keep up with most of the RSS feeds I choose for this assignment. I hate to admit it...but I forget about most of my techie things after a short while. I let my IPod die, I forget to charge my Nook and my IPad, and shocking as it may seem -- I forget about charging my cell phone as well. I hate checking email and forget about posting to social media sites. Heck, I can't even keep up with reading my magazines.

So, what did I choose for my RSS feed assignment? Well, to be honest, I just choose things I enjoy reading about -- knitting, books, and a few library related blogs. I signed up for a Google Reader account because it was the first on the list and I already had a Google email account set-up (had to make one when I bought my smartphone). I'm following my favorite knitters who produce podcasts that I listen to, my favorite yarn suppliers and producers, a few personal librarian blogs, the main library organizations, and my favorite library journal publishers.

Reading the tidbits on the Google Reader takes some getting used to. I like to see everything at once, but no, you have to click on the titles to see the pretty pictures. Not a problem with text only entries, but knitting blogs have delicious pictures of yummy knits. I did find a new knitting favorite through this assignment: Wendy Knits. She has a wicked sense of humor and a Siamese cat too.

I explored the newsfeed section of the assignment too. But I must admit, I don't care too much about reading news stories. We watch enough news on the television for me. Topix seemed to have a couple of fun things to explore but that's about all.

Until next post,
Debra