Thing 23- Final Thoughts

My favorite discoveries were: Flickr, especially the API "Trip Planner" I could see using it in the future to find opinions on travel destinations.

23 Things has made me aware of the vast amount of interactive information available on the internet that can be used for educational and entertainment purposes. I found 23 Things increased my awareness of 2.0 web technology. I did appreciate the "Into the New World of Librarianship" which gave me a perspective on the 2.0 Librarian.

I would be interested in participating in other discovery programs for CEU's.

Thing 22- Audio Books

I explored Project Gutenberg and listened to a couple of audio books. I listened to Hans Christian Anderson's "Little Match Girl"(human read) and "The Diary of a U Boat Commander", computer read. I found the human read book more enjoyable, of course. I think Project Gutenberg is a wonderful resource in order to access older books.

Thing 21

I posted an RSS feed from Podcast.net to Bloglines. I found the Merlin podcasting most informative. It showed how libraries use podcasts to provide information and resources to customers and colleagues. Podcasting has opened up a whole new world to library customers. They can view or listen to library programs from anywhere in the world as long as they have access to the internet.

Thing 20 You Tube

This is my favorite You Tube video.

Thing 19 - 2.0 Awards List

Rated #1 for Events- "Upcoming", A Yahoo Service, lists a types of events occurring in the selected locale. Whether your looking for a rap concert or a rock concert, a reading or a talk on education, you will find it on "Upcoming". The creators of "Upcoming" wrote:

"What is Upcoming? Why should I use it?

Upcoming is a community for discovering and sharing events. It can help you find stuff to do, discover what your friends are doing, or let you keep private events online for your own reference. "

Time, date, location and map with a link to the venue are posted. You have to contact the venue for event ticket prices.

This tool can be used in the library setting to refer customers to local events that they are interested in attending. Upcoming is a free service and money is made through advertising.

Thing 18 - Online Productivity Tools

I took a look at Google Docs. I created a test document. I can see the benefits of online productivity tools for people who don't have access to software. They can use it online through Google and Zoho Writer.

Google Docs allows for greater collaboration and compatibility when sharing documents through email or when changing from one PC to another. There's no need to worry about different software. The nature of the web-based productivity applications allow for increased interface in a 2.0 environment.

Thing 17- Blogs Page

I tried but I am not sure that it worked. I went to the Sandbox. I viewed the You Tube video "Wikis in Plain English" and I went to Beth's Sandbox.

Thing 16- Wikis

Of all the Wikis, I found the ALA 2006 New Orleans Wiki to be the most interesting. Information was gathered for conference attendees so that they optimize their conference going experience. The ALA 2006 wiki provided many informative links and was practically a guidebook to New Orleans. I found it accessible, easy to read with many practical and interesting links.

I would find that a subject guide wiki would work well within a library. The subject guide wiki would provide links of interest to the public for a variety of consumer information as well as library information.

Wikis would contribute to easier collaboration among staff. The wiki would allow staff to focus on creating informative content and eliminate a lot of emails.

I found content to vary from wiki to wiki just like any other website. Some wikis are strictly created for participants within certain professions and others are created for the general public. Many wikis now ask for user name and password in order to circumvent malicious content.

Thing 15- Library 2.0

"Into a New World of Librarianship,"I found to be the most relevant to the human aspect of librarianship in considering the customer's point of view when deciding what new technology to implement. Michael Stephens discusses how Librarians 2.0 can use technology to satisfy their customers needs and wants. One of the principles he adds to the Library 2.0 meme is that “the Library is human” because it makes the library a social and emotionally engaging center for learning and experience. Librarians 2.0 plans for their users, Librarian 2.0 embraces Web 2.0 tools, Librarian 2.0 controls technolust-not purchasing technology for the sake of technology but creates a "living, breathing technology plan. He believes that Librarian 2.0 should purchase technology that meets the users needs in a new and improved way.

Thing 14 Technorati

The top favorite blog on Technorati at this time is Boing, Boing. If one is not able to find an item by keyword search, sometimes tags related to the topic come up. Many of the top blogs are discussed technology.

The top searches are more eclectic and are more related to current events, entertainment or sports. The topics range from earthquakes to political candidates.

Boing, Boing appears in the top blog category as well. Four technical blogs top the list, with
5th place going to a political blog.

I am not surprised that the technology related blogs were at the topic of the favorite blog list, given the nature of the beast.

Thing 13 Del.icio.us

Del.icio.us appears to be an excellent site for conducting research. A researcher can find people bookmarking or tagging topics that interest them. After a while, one will find certain names that continually appear on articles you like and learn to trust their selections. One can discover authoritative writers or bloggers who deliver trusted information as well.

Del.icio.us can also be used for bookmarking your favorite topics all in one spot for easy access versus having to add bookmarks to each computer.

Thing 7 Trends in Technology

Teleradiology

Due to the shortage of radiologist in the U.S. the reading of radiology scans has been outsourced to trained radiologists in India. The Indian radiologist are able to read the important emergency CT scans in the middle of the night U.S. time, saving valuable time and in turn saving lives. The scans are double read in the morning by the U.S. doctors who make the final diagnosis. Some feel that the outsourcing endangers U.S. radiologists jobs. The example used by the MSN article focused on the small town isolated hospitals that lack the staff and the resources to be available around the clock. According to the article the U.S. doctors appreciated the use of teleradiology because it increased their effectiveness in providing good patient care.

Radio Broadcasting on the net

One can set up to broadcast your own radio station on the net and broadcast to your friends and other fans. You can also do it legally by setting up an account on Live365 system. Astreaux World Online Radio advertised this on their website www.astreauxworld.com. You can listen, exchange and discuss music on the site as well. They have bookmarks to concerts venues, record labels and other radio broadcasts as well. They also make it clear that they want to follow copyright laws. This site would be excellent for the New Age and Space Music enthusiast.

Thing 5 Flickr

I enjoyed viewing Flickr because there were so many beautiful photos of natural phenomena and scenic vistas that I would normally have had to wait for a coffee table book to be published on the topic.

Thing 12

I tried to use Rollyo and I did create an account. It could be useful for those who want to categorize many websites for easy access.

Thing 11-LibraryThing

I found LibraryThing to be a good resource for finding "What's Next" for readers of similar tastes. By creating my own library I can visualize what genres I have a tendency to read and make a connection with others by finding "read a likes". I can also use LibraryThing to diverge outside of my norm to see what others are reading that peaks my interest.

Thing 10

Thing 9

I found that I was more successful searching for feeds on Feedster and Topix.net. The most confusing was Syndic8.com. I was able to use Syndic8.com but I found the format cluttered.
I found some good news feeds, such as the many Yahoo news feeds. There were a few feeds that seemed dated such as Food Network's.

RSS and Bloglines

This thing allowed me to view and add feeds to my Bloglines account. RSS is really quite accessible once you set up the Bloglines account. I added library feeds and news feeds. I will compare how useful I find feeds to be (for me) versus websites as I work on 23 Things.

Flickr Mashups

Of all the mash-ups available on Flickr, I really enjoyed the 3rd party API "Trip Planner" by Yahoo! Travel. It lets me plan and document my itinerary as well as post photos of my trips to share with family and friends.I can add content including: hotel, restaurant, map and driving directions. The "Trip Planner" website can be useful to others interested in traveling to a particular destination. I will have a more accurate assessment of the accommodations and restaurants based upon recent travelers opinions. I plan to check it out in the future.

7 1/2 Habits

Setting up this blog was a problem for me. Through trial and error, I have managed to complete my first post. The 7 1/2 Habits says to view problems as challenges. That will be difficult for me. I have a tendency to worry and ruminate over problems that arise. I believe it is probably more effective in the long run to view problems as challenges and less stressful, of course

I have no problem with Habit 7 1/2, Play!