Thing 16- YouTube

YouTube is fun, but very time-consuming. I heard on the radio the other day DJ's talking about just sitting and watching YouTube videos instead of TV. I have seen some good videos, but I also have seen a lot with language that I would not want to view or share, especially in my library. I chose a video, Gorilla Librarian,to upload, but unfortunately, your directions are not working. I will try to add the link. I chose this video because it was a humorous spoof of a librarian interview and because my shoulders are aching from sitting in front of the computer too long watching YouTube and I needed to choose something. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukJmF6f0JdQ

Thing 15- Rollyo

I set up a Rollyo account; the link should be at the end of this post. I think Rollyo is ok as it functions to organize your major searches and can be accessed from any Internet ready computer. However, there was another 23Things item that does the same thing; I just cannot think of which one. I really don't see a need for it when I use my favorites on my browser. The favorites I use at home are not the same I use at work so Rollyo does not help that issue. One library use I could imagine is to make a list of reference tools for library users to use. The link I have is one of the Rollyo searches I created; It is a link to a few sites to aid in writing APA form papers for college.

Select Search Engine...APA Paper HelpCampusCaper23Search The Web

Powered by Rollyo

Thing 14- Online Productivity Tools

Wow! Talk about information overload...this Thing is full of it! I chose to look at Yahoo's page because I already have a Yahoo account. The calendars mentioned are not of use to me because I use Outlook for the same thing at work (in the library). At home, I'd rather not be so organized to the minute--I'd rather relax. The calendars all seemed to do the same thing so I guess it would be a preference choice. I tried the Ta Da list. It was fun and quick to do, but since I tend to make my list where ever I happen to be thinking (and usually waiting for something), a scrap piece of paper and pen is really all I need. (I do not carry a PDA or Blackberry; I can't afford it.) I think the online to do list is a bit much especially when some of the other sites will do the calendar and the list as well as other things. I really do think there's too much out there to choose from--as I said too much info! So much that I'd just rather not spend the time on it, but I did do the assignment and click on each hyperlink to see what you wanted me to see. I just think that these are a little overboard. I feel like I have opened a million online accounts, set up a million passwords (although I tried to stick with the same thing), and there is no way I will remember that I did those. So, the productivity tools were not productive for me. I could have made a list and made a note on my calendar in less time than it took to do all of this.

Thing 13- Library Thing

I really wasn't very interested in Library Thing because I had found Shelfari on someone else's Blog and was using that to display books of interest. But, the assignment must be done, so I set up an account. One big plus for Library Thing for me is the possibility of getting free books that have not been placed in bookstores yet. That was most of my motivation for using this site. I did look for local events and only found two other places in my city using Library Thing-the main public library and one used bookstore--not much was going on either. I'll try to paste the Html to show my books as I set them up in the site. If I am successful, you should see them listed below:

Thing 12- Wikis

I don't think wikis are for me. For one reason, PBWiki wouldn't allow me to make one. Oh well. I understand the concept-that here is a place on the Internet that many people can access and contribute. A wiki would be a great place to do a collaborative project. That's what I was hoping until that site wouldn't let me do it. On the negative side, as a former English teacher, I do not like Wikipedia because of its "anyone can edit" feature. It is not a viable source. It's a great shortcut for something you want to know right now, but there can be errors. One of my own students made one on it once--yes, on purpose. (No, never found out exactly who, but it sure gave me a dim opinion of Wikipedia as a source. To their credit, the vandalism was found and corrected, but not immediately.) I suppose if my institution were willing to pay for its use, PBWiki would work. I wanted to create one that all librarians on our many campuses could collaborate on such as a pathfinder site. We'll see....

Thing 11- Social Media

I liked the set up for Digg and for Mixx, but not the others; there was too much advertising on them, and the format was not as easy to read. I really do not think I would use these sites because I am not an Internet hound--only when I'm researching--I really prefer to read in print. It doesn't hurt my eyes or my neck. The video in this Thing did not work; neither did it work for the last one (same site). I found a great article in the NY Times for librarians, particularly media specialists, and I added it to del.icio.us. (The sharing tool on the NY Times site would not work.) Here is the URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/books/16libr.html?scp=6&sq=librarians&st=cse

Thing 10- Tagging & del.icio.us

I put some tags into place so that I could easily find the blogs having to do with images. I added tags to Things 5, 6a, b, and 7. I set up a del.icio.us account and imported some of my Internet favorites into it. I really don't think I can see an immediate importance for this account until I have the opportunity to use it more. Now, when I find a site I want to access from any computer, I will have to add it to my del.icio.us account. I like the feature that you can view all the accounts; it may save a little Google time. I also tried one of the challenges to set up Pagekeeper, but it has not shown up in my email account to continue with that as yet. I also emailed that URL to my husband who is a middle school teacher; I was sure he would love that sample page with the math helps. Well, I'm behind in 23 Things since life happened, but I am going to catch up soon.