More Twitter - Thing 31

My use of Twitter has really dropped off in the past year.  When I had children attending college out of town, I used it as a way to stay in touch with them.  

My library system has started using Twitter to provide program updates and library news.  The Tweets are fun and informative.  It's going to be interesting to see how this develops.

RSS & Delicious - Thing 30

I don't have much to say about Thing 30.  I didn't change anything I'm already doing.  The Thing 30 options seem like overkill for me.  I don't need or want weather or traffic feeds or any of the other feeds that were listed.  I've been using Google Reader since the original 23 Things and check it nearly every day.  I set up a Delicious account with the first 23 Things and haven't used it much.  I bookmark the sites I use on a regular basis and I use Google for everything else.

Google Tools - Thing 29, Continued

Thing 29 is done! I read the articles on SearchWiki and watched the video. I did a search and looked at the comment boxes (but I didn't leave any comments). I reviewed the search history information. I don't see any immediate value for SearchWiki or search history for me.

Twilerts was my favorite part of Thing 29. I enjoyed the tweets about my local libraries.

Google Tools - Thing 29

I've stalled out on Thing 29, but I'm trying to get started again. I set up Twitter alerts for my library system and library branches a couple of weeks ago. Through the alerts, I discovered that the County is using Twitter and now my library has a Twitter account too.

I explored the Google News page and bookmarked it with other news sites that I follow. I did a search on the upcoming winter storm and was pleased to see that a recent local story was the top hit. I liked the timeline feature in the news archives. It could be really useful for student homework assignments. Many of the library's timeline books are in the reference collection.

I'll return to Thing 29 later. It's time to get ready for work.

Customized Home Pages - Thing #28

I used My Yahoo to customize my home page as an exercise in the first 23 Things. I selected My Yahoo because I had been using Google for many of the Things and wanted to try something different. I ended up with a home page that really works for me. When I got a new laptop in the fall, I kept the same home page without any changes.

For this Thing, I changed the color of the home page, deleted one gadget that I never use, and added a maps and directions gadget and a New York Times front page news gadget. My home page provides me with local and national news, a weather report, stock reports, TV listings (modified for the networks I watch), and a few miscellaneous, less used options like movie schedules.

Twitter - Thing #27

I been reading Twitter tweets (of family members) for a few years and have had an account for the past year and a half. Twitter was my first venture into social networking. I took the leap and set up an account when my daughter was away at college. Most of my tweets were written to amuse her or keep her up-to-date with what I was doing. Last fall, she transferred to a college closer to home and my use of Twitter dropped off. Once I set up a Facebook account, I found that the few people I follow on Twitter link their Facebook and Twitter updates, another reason my Twitter use has decreased.

I don't particularly want to link my Twitter account to my blog, so I didn't take that step. I did become a follower of mnmorethings.

Ning - Thing #26

I joined Ning and a group for my library system in the first 23 Things, but I did not revisit Ning after I completed the 23 Things. Today I added a photo and a comment. I also read through the entries for the RCL group. I don't have a good sense of how Ning would be useful at work yet, but I probably need more experience using it.

Gadgets - Thing #25

I read through several of the Thing directions last Saturday and felt overwhelmed! So, I returned to my Thing #24 strategy of working through a single Thing element per day.

I used Google Gadgets for Thing #25. The directions were absolutely clear and easy to follow. I added and subtracted gadgets until I ended up with an "on this day in history" gadget, a local weather report, a National Geographic photo of the day, and a news feed.

I rejected a game gadget before I tried the game. The gadget image moved and flashed in a way I found too distracting when viewing the blog. I tried a number of news gadget, but some of them weren't working.

Beginning Again-Thing #24

I haven't blogged since I finished the original 23 Things last April, but I have been following the blogs of a few of my coworkers who started with the 23 Things and kept on blogging.

I worked my way through Thing 24 over the past couple of days. So far, everything seems much easier than it did last year. I have a new laptop and that makes a difference. I used an ancient Apple computer last year-an introduction to the Mac and the 23 Things at the same time. There were some challenges.

It was relatively easy to update the look of my blog and avatar, although I did not veer from the standard templates. I imported a photo using one of the gadgets-this was where the new computer made a huge difference. Instead of being a lengthy and painful enterprise, it was quick and seamless.

On to Something New!

The 23 Things has gotten me into a learning mode. I hurried to finish them before Wednesday's deadline because I signed up for an 8-week Spanish class. The class starts tomorrow night. I don't have a particular reason for taking the class and don't have a strong interest in learning Spanish, but the class was available at the right time and I feel like doing something new!

Thing #23

I just finished the 23 Things survey and sent my completion e-mail to Metronet.

I have been so impressed with this program! I did it at home, because I don't have a lot of extra time at work.

One of the best features of the Things are the participants' blogs. I enjoyed reading my coworkers' blogs and I used them as a resource when I found myself getting stuck on an activity.

I liked the exposure to so many different topics. The Things are a great introduction to Library 2.0. We covered a lot of ground very quickly. I think we have to do that to stay even remotely up-to-date in this ever-changing web environment.

I would love to see more trainings like this one. Thank you, Metronet and Ann!

Reblogging Thing #22

I wrote a post for Thing #22 and lost it. This is the first time it has happened to me since I started the 23 Things. Every other time my posts have been autosaved and I've found them by going to Edit Posts, but I couldn't find by Thing #22 post.

So, I'm going to continue to use Google Reader. I like it and check it once or twice each day. I want to do more with del.icio.us and get better acquainted with LibraryThing and Flickr. I'm still not confident about the photo sites and image generators.

I'm completely surprised by how many people have friended me on Facebook. I contacted three people to complete the exercise, but nine others have contacted me in the past day. I'll definitely stay with Facebook for a while.

I feel more confident about using these technologies overall. There has been a lot of conversation around the 23 Things in my library and people have been supportive of each other. I hope the group learning continues.

Moving Through Thing #21

Gather looked less youth-oriented than Facebook and MySpace. It looked like it could be rewarding if you put time into it. I don't get the Gather Points--the gift cards and cash thing though. I've looked at WebJunction in the past, but I haven't used it much.

I registered for Ning, joined a Ning group, and left a comment.

I really like last.fm. I bookmarked it months ago. I looked at Bake Space, What's on my Bookshelf, and Good Reads.

Thing #20 Again

Wow! I was right in thinking that Facebook could take up large amounts of time. I set up my account last night and have already gotten 17 Facebook-related e-mails. Way more than I expected! It is kind of fun though. I have nine Friends now, have written on a couple of walls, have been poked again (still dumb!), and have been sent more photos.

Working on Thing #20

I watched the Common Craft video and set up a Facebook account. I sent requests to be friends to my husband, daughter, and a coworker. Then, I left the house for three hours. When I returned, I found e-mails from my husband and daughter--they accepted my friend invitation and wrote on my wall. I also found friend invitations from my nephew and one of my kids' friends.

As I've been writing this, I've been poked and poked back (pretty dumb!) and I wrote on a wall. I've also been tagged in a photo on a my husband's Facebook account! I can see that if you add a lot of friends, you could spend way too much time on this!

I joined the group Librarians and Facebook and the American Library Association group.

I looked at MySpace and then viewed the Denver and Hennepin County MySpace pages. Both were very impressive!

Getting Current with Thing #19

I listened to podcasts from MPR and ended up adding The Current Song of the Day from 89.3 to my Google Reader account. I looked at most of the directories. I'm not sure which one I prefer. I'm hearing more and more about podcasts, so I'm sure I'll be using the directories again.

The YouTube Thing--Thing #18

I never go to YouTube and just browse, but I'll look at videos that people recommend to me. My husband showed me the one embedded in this exercise just last night--someone had recommended it to him.

For Thing #18, I watched the librarian Grand Marches, I did a few subject searches, and followed the link to embed a YouTube video in a blog. However, I didn't sign up for an account. The embedding instructions seemed easy to follow, so it feels like something I could do without too many snags.

One of the questions I have as I work my way through these Things is how to identify copyrighted graphics and what is the appropriate level of citing when you import graphical material into a blog.

On to Thing #17

I've used the ELM databases for years without realizing that you could get podcasts and radio broadcasts. I did a general keyword search in the student edition of Infotrac using the words "audio file" and was surprised by the results.

I looked at Ebsco's folder feature, but I must have been looking at the wrong time. I couldn't get the sign-in page to load. The Proquest "create a web page" feature was fun and interesting and was also new to me.

I have not registered for a NetLibrary account at the library, so I can't access it remotely right now. This will be something to try later.

Pondering Thing #16

I don't see many public library applications for the assignment calculators. We don't get that heavily involved in homework assignments, but I would guess that they could be very useful in a school library. They seem like valuable resources for the right kind of student. I like the detailed breakdowns of each step in the project process. The calculators probably motivate some students and reassure others.

Ahoy Mateys! It's Thing #15

Okay, I have to confess that I tried Puzzle Pirates very early on in my foray through the Things. I created a cute pirate girl and played the game. I was much more interested in the Puzzle Quest game I was playing on my DS, so I didn't save my character and never revisited Puzzle Pirates.

I've played a range of video games on the Wii, Playstation, and older Nintendo systems. My favorites are puzzle games like Puzzle Quest or the Tetris version where you rescue the professor. I've tried a couple of versions of Final Fantasy and similar games and find them a little frustrating, so I'm guessing that Second Life is not the game for me. I don't quite get the appeal of virtual reality games. I was given a copy of Nintendogs as a gift. Boring! I have enough to do without adding virtual chores to my list!

My favorite online game right now is Zoo Keeper. It's addictive!

I think gaming definitely has a place in the public library. We've done a few gaming programs for teens and will be doing more of them this spring. I suspect that games like Wii bowling would be a hit with seniors.