So, I'm pretty sure that is the Web 2.0 Training all wrapped up. Although I never have written a blog before, I've become kinda attached to this one. Maybe I'll even miss it.
I would consider myself pretty technology and web savvy, and this course has forced me to further investigate things which I otherwise had a general, but not particular deep knowledge of. Which is great.
I think I will definitely keep my Twitter account, but personally, the rest of the accounts I created will fall by the wayside.
Out of all of this I have realised how useful a wiki an be in organising internal information. Something which I really think my library system could do with. I always have and always will think that blogs and social media have a huge part to play in libraries and I really hope that some of the opposition to online and digital resources will dissolve away in libraries over time.
People really need to remember that all technology evolves, and to not use online resources is really stupid. What if people refused to use magazines, or DVDs or audio in libraries? What if we had kept libraries as private institutions only for the rich? Libraries are against censorship - why passively stop our patrons accessing information just because it is online or in a different format?
And as a parting thought, here is something for everyone to remember: Information overload, the early years - Five centuries years ago, a new technology swamped the world with data. What we can learn from the aftermath.
W00t!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Geocaching
I don't think regular Geocaching is appropriate for libraries. It's a lot of fun, but really, other than just getting people into the building I don't see much point.
However, we could maybe apply the principle small scale within the library, or even within a library system. Maybe the older sport/hobby of letterboxing could also be used, where a the participant carries a logbook and collects stamps. This could be used as an interbranch/library way to get people to visit libraries that they otherwise wouldn't.
I have gone geocaching before and it has always been lots of fun, and never have we found anything nasty or inappropriate in the boxes. Once again, like any sort of unregulated or democratic sort of activity, I think that you will infrequently have problems because 99% of people are normal, good folks just like everyone else. A bit like the Internet really.
However, we could maybe apply the principle small scale within the library, or even within a library system. Maybe the older sport/hobby of letterboxing could also be used, where a the participant carries a logbook and collects stamps. This could be used as an interbranch/library way to get people to visit libraries that they otherwise wouldn't.
I have gone geocaching before and it has always been lots of fun, and never have we found anything nasty or inappropriate in the boxes. Once again, like any sort of unregulated or democratic sort of activity, I think that you will infrequently have problems because 99% of people are normal, good folks just like everyone else. A bit like the Internet really.
Podcasting
Podcasts are something that I think could work for public libraries really well. I think that adding and promoting a list of links to podcasts that other organisations have relevance to libraries.
Here at Swan we are planning on having monthly promotional themes, and I think we very quickly and easily add a couple of themed/subject specific podcasts to our catalogue each month. Once again, like other resources, it is not so much libraries producing the resource, only guiding people towards where they can access it.
As the training blog mentioned ABC does podcasts/vodcasts really really well. In the past I have downloaded quite a few from the science/environment pages and Triple J, especially a lot of their Live at the Wireless live music sets. You can find their pod/vodcasts and live stream at http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/live/podcast/.
Here at Swan we are planning on having monthly promotional themes, and I think we very quickly and easily add a couple of themed/subject specific podcasts to our catalogue each month. Once again, like other resources, it is not so much libraries producing the resource, only guiding people towards where they can access it.
As the training blog mentioned ABC does podcasts/vodcasts really really well. In the past I have downloaded quite a few from the science/environment pages and Triple J, especially a lot of their Live at the Wireless live music sets. You can find their pod/vodcasts and live stream at http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/live/podcast/.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Youtube
Here is a great video produced for the University of Liverpool's Library. Library Ninja showed me this quite a few months ago when we were discussing just how badly promo videos, especially those for libraries, can be. I think some of the videos posted/ found by other people have highlighted how very well meaning, sweet hearted librarians all over the world can make us all look as daggy and dated as our stereotype suggests while trying to do the exact opposite. Case and point here. Oh dear.
HOWEVER! Here is a video which I think is really successful:
It's short, it's cute and original and best of all it gets the message across. And it's classy.
HOWEVER! Here is a video which I think is really successful:
It's short, it's cute and original and best of all it gets the message across. And it's classy.
Okay, this blog can be a short one after my thoughts on Twitter.
I use Facebook socially, and I find it a really quick, convenient way to keep in touch with friends, especially the ones who do not live close to me. I regularly share links, photos and messages with people on Facebook and have never had any problem with security. But then again, I personally set my security settings, make sure everything is private, only add friends who I know personally, and don't usually post anything I wouldn't want my family or colleagues to see.
I'm not convinced of the application of Facebook in Libraries. Personally, I'm not someone who would 'friend' a library on Facebook, and I would seriously question the cost benefit of running one for a average sized public library.
Dispite this, I'm very sure that in the future other networking sites will spring up with different formats and functions which will be very important to the development of libraries and our relationship with our patrons.
I use Facebook socially, and I find it a really quick, convenient way to keep in touch with friends, especially the ones who do not live close to me. I regularly share links, photos and messages with people on Facebook and have never had any problem with security. But then again, I personally set my security settings, make sure everything is private, only add friends who I know personally, and don't usually post anything I wouldn't want my family or colleagues to see.
I'm not convinced of the application of Facebook in Libraries. Personally, I'm not someone who would 'friend' a library on Facebook, and I would seriously question the cost benefit of running one for a average sized public library.
Dispite this, I'm very sure that in the future other networking sites will spring up with different formats and functions which will be very important to the development of libraries and our relationship with our patrons.
Twitter; not just for egocentric morons.
Twitter often portrayed as the ADHD side of social media, and we all see the stories about people tweeting about what they had for breakfast.
Although I don't really use twitter often, I find it really interesting. I think that there is an ever developing push for the freedom of information and knowledge. This certainly isn't new, but there is a greater opportunity for it to flourish online.
Open source software, user driven content, indie developers and publishers have been with the net from day one, and there are many high profile developers, academics and business people who are strong advocates of accessibility, transparency and an all round DIY attitude. Have no idea what the hell open source is? Have a look at this page.
Another example of the fight for transparency and access to information is whistle blower website Wikileaks. I'm sure that everyone has heard about Wikileaks now, but if not check out their website.
And how does all this relate to social media like Twitter?
Twitter means that people can trade information, links and pictures in real time which otherwise may have taken hours or even days to hit the conventional media. Even then it can be skewed, censored or edited.
For examples of this check out this Time article Iran Protests: Twitter, the Medium of the Movement about the role Twitter played in the post election protests in Iran last year. Another example is the Mount Merapi eruption where twitter and facebook had faster and more reliable news than major news networks. See this article from the Jakarta Globe about how Twitter is being used by Volunteers Use Twitter to Help Victims of Indonesia Eruptions .
Even yesterday, after the announcement that Wikileaks had published a new round of leaked memos and documents the high traffic use of the hashtag #wikileaks almost bought twitter to it's knees. Obviously, the huge level of traffic means that it was something that people were certainly talking about.
Not that information in the blogosphere or the twitterverse should all be taken as gospel, ( indeed maybe we should apply our distrust and skepticism to all media, not just digital media) but I feel really optimistic about the future of news and information access in the digital age.
I hope that these sorts of websites will lead to a more democratic way of transmitting news and current affairs in the future.
Any thoughts?
*edit* oh, and you can find me on twitter at @chelsearpayne.
Although I don't really use twitter often, I find it really interesting. I think that there is an ever developing push for the freedom of information and knowledge. This certainly isn't new, but there is a greater opportunity for it to flourish online.
Open source software, user driven content, indie developers and publishers have been with the net from day one, and there are many high profile developers, academics and business people who are strong advocates of accessibility, transparency and an all round DIY attitude. Have no idea what the hell open source is? Have a look at this page.
Another example of the fight for transparency and access to information is whistle blower website Wikileaks. I'm sure that everyone has heard about Wikileaks now, but if not check out their website.
And how does all this relate to social media like Twitter?
Twitter means that people can trade information, links and pictures in real time which otherwise may have taken hours or even days to hit the conventional media. Even then it can be skewed, censored or edited.
For examples of this check out this Time article Iran Protests: Twitter, the Medium of the Movement about the role Twitter played in the post election protests in Iran last year. Another example is the Mount Merapi eruption where twitter and facebook had faster and more reliable news than major news networks. See this article from the Jakarta Globe about how Twitter is being used by Volunteers Use Twitter to Help Victims of Indonesia Eruptions .
Even yesterday, after the announcement that Wikileaks had published a new round of leaked memos and documents the high traffic use of the hashtag #wikileaks almost bought twitter to it's knees. Obviously, the huge level of traffic means that it was something that people were certainly talking about.
Not that information in the blogosphere or the twitterverse should all be taken as gospel, ( indeed maybe we should apply our distrust and skepticism to all media, not just digital media) but I feel really optimistic about the future of news and information access in the digital age.
I hope that these sorts of websites will lead to a more democratic way of transmitting news and current affairs in the future.
Any thoughts?
*edit* oh, and you can find me on twitter at @chelsearpayne.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Flickr
I had completely skipped over week 3 for the web 2.0 training, so here is a post to catch up:
I used Flickr to look up images of a a type of photography which I have a slightly obsessive crush on.
Wanna know more about ambrotypes and why I love them? More after the jump....
I used Flickr to look up images of a a type of photography which I have a slightly obsessive crush on.
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William Edward Kilburn (1819-1891); Ambrotype Collection of National Media Museum |
Wanna know more about ambrotypes and why I love them? More after the jump....
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Treats!
This has nothing to do with the Web 2.0 Training, but everything to do with how awesome the internet is...
Not So Humble Pie is a blog I regularly read, and it has a great combo of food and science (oh my).
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| Need I say more? |
This website has an amazing section on macaroons here, and the author has done her tasty, tasty homework on these little treats, and clearly knows what should and shouldn't be done. Best of all it is all explained in a simple way which is easy to follow in your own kitchen.
I LOVE the way that the net encourages this free and social exchange of information and ideas. Anyone who doubts the goodness or honesty of digital media just has to scratch the surface and see what an amazing community exists online <3
Friday, November 19, 2010
Librarything, you enabler, you
After half an hour of playing with Librarything I had to force myself to walk away. I'm not the most highly organised person out there in library land, and compared to many of the obsessive cataloguers and catagorisers out there I have an almost unhealthy disregard for cataloguing. However, I'm now fighting the compulsive urge to add all my books on to library thing.
I was super impressed at how fast the searches for the titles are and they have certainly streamlined the process and made it as easy as possible to add items to your library. I think it would be a great tool for library users and libraries alike.
One of my favourite functions on online bookstores (amazon and the like) is the "People who bought this item also bought...", so I instantly found Librarything super tempting.
I really like the widget as well... but it makes me wonder, do people only put on books that make them look smarter/better read? Are there any guilty pleasures which you wouldn't add to your Librarything library in case they pop up on your widget?
I was super impressed at how fast the searches for the titles are and they have certainly streamlined the process and made it as easy as possible to add items to your library. I think it would be a great tool for library users and libraries alike.
One of my favourite functions on online bookstores (amazon and the like) is the "People who bought this item also bought...", so I instantly found Librarything super tempting.
I really like the widget as well... but it makes me wonder, do people only put on books that make them look smarter/better read? Are there any guilty pleasures which you wouldn't add to your Librarything library in case they pop up on your widget?
Delicious
I think that websites like delicious are fantastic as a digital replacement for ye olde vertical files. I had never played with it before, but I really enjoy the tag cloud which we were directed to on the training blog. I have used similar clouds before and think that they are a fantastic way to graphically present information.
I tend to think that one of the problems people face when trying to locate information is having the ability to pick out key words and think laterally of other subjects which might contain the information (and I'm not just talking about digital resources... think about the way Dewey organises similar info in completely separate places!)
My delicious account is here, but I still have some work to do on it. I don't think it is something that I would use personally, however I think there is great potential for libraries/organisations to organise information/links this way.
I tend to think that one of the problems people face when trying to locate information is having the ability to pick out key words and think laterally of other subjects which might contain the information (and I'm not just talking about digital resources... think about the way Dewey organises similar info in completely separate places!)
My delicious account is here, but I still have some work to do on it. I don't think it is something that I would use personally, however I think there is great potential for libraries/organisations to organise information/links this way.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Wikis
Here in library-land, and I think generally in the community, people will trust the information in a printed book much more than a website - why? I think that there needs to be more understanding of different information resources online and more debate about what is a reliable information resource. Just because something is online does it make it less trustworthy? What about peer reviewing? User generated content? Who moderates these things?
I assume by now everyone has had a look at Wikipedia, and hopefully now knows a little more about how it works. Well, here are two websites which I thought I would share which will hopefully ignite some discussion about information resources in general.
**Please note that these two websites do contain material which can be considered offensive**
Conservapedia"Conservapedia, launched on November 21, 2006, is a conservative, "family-friendly" Wiki encyclopedia. " Conservapedia is a far right, extremely conservative version of Wikipedia, designed to challenge wikipedia as an educational resource. For fun, check out pages like the one on Barrack Obama
This website has attracted a lot of ire from online communities, academics and especially Trollers, so check out: Examples of Moronic Vandalism by the "tolerant"
on the other hand:
Uncyclopedia: which is a politically incorrect (yet funny) spoof of Wikipedia. This website is intended as satire/entertainment, however has also been targeted as some believe people may actually believe what has been published on the site.
Ultimately, I feel that the responsibility of checking out information lies with the user. Whether you are using information found in print media or online people should always question the details and intent of the author and publisher of the material, and people should always look at how a work has been referenced.. After all, I personally have seen many books I disagree with, and don't even get me started on print resources like The West newspaper. Websites like Conservapedia make my skin absolutely crawl, but it is difficult for anyone who supports free media to argue that it should be shut down - after all, I'm sure that the people who contribute to the page think I am just as crazy.
What do other people think about these websites? Do you consider issues surrounding information the same way when using print and online resources?
I assume by now everyone has had a look at Wikipedia, and hopefully now knows a little more about how it works. Well, here are two websites which I thought I would share which will hopefully ignite some discussion about information resources in general.
**Please note that these two websites do contain material which can be considered offensive**
Conservapedia"Conservapedia, launched on November 21, 2006, is a conservative, "family-friendly" Wiki encyclopedia. " Conservapedia is a far right, extremely conservative version of Wikipedia, designed to challenge wikipedia as an educational resource. For fun, check out pages like the one on Barrack Obama
This website has attracted a lot of ire from online communities, academics and especially Trollers, so check out: Examples of Moronic Vandalism by the "tolerant"
on the other hand:
Uncyclopedia: which is a politically incorrect (yet funny) spoof of Wikipedia. This website is intended as satire/entertainment, however has also been targeted as some believe people may actually believe what has been published on the site.
Ultimately, I feel that the responsibility of checking out information lies with the user. Whether you are using information found in print media or online people should always question the details and intent of the author and publisher of the material, and people should always look at how a work has been referenced.. After all, I personally have seen many books I disagree with, and don't even get me started on print resources like The West newspaper. Websites like Conservapedia make my skin absolutely crawl, but it is difficult for anyone who supports free media to argue that it should be shut down - after all, I'm sure that the people who contribute to the page think I am just as crazy.
What do other people think about these websites? Do you consider issues surrounding information the same way when using print and online resources?
RSS Feeds - just call me new-old fashioned.
I've never used an RSS feed before - I usually have my favourite blogs/websites bookmarked and enjoy mooching through them most evenings. Although the feed seems more time efficient- it is certainly much easier to have all new posts in one place, and I could easily set it up on my lovely new phone, in the end I think I will just sick to my usual browsing habits. Just call me old fashioned (cue the scoffing from everyone at work) but I enjoy all the peripherals which a whole blog offers (even the ads).
The RSS feed for Outlook just seems to be like another wonderful excuse to distract myself from work, so as someone who is a habitual procrastinator I have decided to abstain from it. :)
This week I have also added two new lists on my blog, which you can see to the left. One is a list of non-web 2.0 training blogs which I currently follow in my RSS, the other is a list of websites (mostly shops and comics) which I frequently visit. I'd encourage anyone who loves wasting either time or money to take a look at them and let me know what you think.
The RSS feed for Outlook just seems to be like another wonderful excuse to distract myself from work, so as someone who is a habitual procrastinator I have decided to abstain from it. :)
This week I have also added two new lists on my blog, which you can see to the left. One is a list of non-web 2.0 training blogs which I currently follow in my RSS, the other is a list of websites (mostly shops and comics) which I frequently visit. I'd encourage anyone who loves wasting either time or money to take a look at them and let me know what you think.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Hooray!
Finally I have finished uni for the year and have the chance to make, collect and do my favourite things, which I will use as the inspiration for the posts on this blog.
Through the Western Australia Public Libraries Learning 2.0 Basics program hopefully we can all learn about the awesome things which you can access through the web - My aim is to try to add in further reading or some of my favourite websites/blogs into all of my posts.
Although I use the web every day I have never set up a blog and hopefully there will be plenty more to learn in the other week’s sessions. It’s great to see how successful the course has been so far and hopefully everyone learns a whole load more about all the amazing resources and people out there in the big wide world of the intertubes.
Finally I have finished uni for the year and have the chance to make, collect and do my favourite things, which I will use as the inspiration for the posts on this blog.
Through the Western Australia Public Libraries Learning 2.0 Basics program hopefully we can all learn about the awesome things which you can access through the web - My aim is to try to add in further reading or some of my favourite websites/blogs into all of my posts.
Although I use the web every day I have never set up a blog and hopefully there will be plenty more to learn in the other week’s sessions. It’s great to see how successful the course has been so far and hopefully everyone learns a whole load more about all the amazing resources and people out there in the big wide world of the intertubes.
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