Last leg - podcasts and online communities

Had a wander around the podcast directories and found variable results - some just don't load, some play but the content is... well... why would you spend the time. And some had the unforgiveable error 'You're place for the best podcasts' etc Aural content is always harder to generate an audience for, but as one of the Edna contributors notes, Radio National does it superbly - could be because they are professional and seems odd that so many podcasting people would spend time making and listening to everyone else's amateur efforts. I suppose it's a form of publishing and a clamour for your 15 minutes of fame. These endless 'search for...' sites do seem a bit pointless but the technology could be useful. How could a podcast be useful on a library website? As part of an info lit program maybe, explaining 'how to...' a reseach activity in the library or just a friendly voice talking about their needs in general?

Edna

I did facebook way back in Task 19 so had a look at Edna - found our own Institute has a Lead Arts group I didn't know about, and also found some interesting contributions by some of the TQL people commenting on our journey of 23 steps.

What was good? Now knowing what the rest of the world seemed to know about these technologies and being able to use them if needed. And would I do it again? Yes, the self-paced aspect was good, the process well organised and the material fairly amazing if not always engrossing.

So thank you to the team and to Robyn. That last X in the tracking log is going to look SO good!

Blanchett as Dylan - amazing ! From Daily_motion

I'm not there
Uploaded by cinencuentro

Task 19 - Web 2.0 Awards

Why am I not surprised that there is an Oscar equivalent for Web 2.0 websites? OK, that aside, I explored Facebook and now feel I belong to the human net race. First stumbling block was finding a friend in there somewhere - and the 'group' of everyone in Australia did seem a tad broad. So I searched for the 20-something friend I thought might be 'on' and there she was. Not only that, but she replied immediately, and reinforcement does wonders for motivation to use the site. So a different type of communication connection's been made I didn't have before and that's a benefit. I guess that's what it's all about, having a point to the exercise, which also happened with my excursion into Flickr as well, when a TAFE officer in Brisbane used the photos straight away for a publication she was working on.
I chose a few others ( Kayak, ColorBlender ) but nothing special. PEERtrainer looked useful - an online group motivator for people to find similar age/stage personal training buddies as a support mechanism. That the other group members are in Virginia doesn't matter a jot I guess, so we'll see how that little connection develops.
The plethora of this type of web 2.0 site is truly astounding for the uninitiated so it's been useful to explore the possibilities.

Zoho

Zoho Writer - write the great Australian novel from anywhere any time !  

Wikis

Library applicatons for Wikis ? The case studies online sounded useful: i.e. a library subject web link wiki for anyone finding a stupendous site to add it, rather than 'us' giving 'them' what we think is good for them; a community information site in a Public Library wiki; and librarians using a wiki as a collaborative work space for those with particular experience to share with colleagues who could then make further contributions.

Library 2.0

Into the future with leaps and bounds here... the way of life in libraries (again with a U S of A slant) heading fast and furious hand in hand with Web 2.0 and taking us where we have to go. The perspectives were the same only diffrent, each catching a different glint from the many facets that are our possible e-future.

del.icio.us & technorati

Maybe I need to cruise some more around these two environments but not much moved by them - did a search on yoga in technorati and got rubbish basically ... seems like popular American content with some redeeming features if you're American with nothing but a PC in your life...

Rollyo

This kind of integrated searching could certainly save time for specialist searching. Particular and often visited sites could be grouped together in personalised selections to create another form of 'Favourites' but at a more sophisticated level. Could be useful for reference work, or Rollyos for specific subject areas could be set up by Faculty Librarians.

Art search

Select Search Engine...joy-noosaSearch The Web

Powered by Rollyo

Link to catalogue

librarything

http://www.librarything.com
This is truly a mecca for a pathetic soul who has made a written record of every bedside book read since about 1980. Once toyed with the idea of using a small database but life rushed on and now THIS! Well, it's all very well but it's just 27 years too late. I do love the idea of a personal OPAC which could be shared with the world. Nice way of running a Reading List in perpetuity.
How could this be used in an academic library? I guess we could show students how to keep a record of their research reading? In any case, it's very handy to know about and I'm amazed someone has made cataloguing a recreational activity !! Cataloguing IS hot!

Image generators

Making up a doll's face, dressing a robot - well - but then there's creating a calendar or poster with personalised text and images. That I can see some use for.

Technology ? Variable...

The most evident aspect of the technology we're playing with is that some doesn't work, some works, some EVENTUALLY does, and some works brilliantly with unanticipated flow-ons. The podcasts on the weekly task pages are usually OK but sometimes 10 seconds between syllables is just toooo much. This blog was good to do, easy and all, and Flickr was great and had an unexpected flow on - someone in TAFE Infrastructure was creating a booklet on water saving in TAFE's, found the images of Noosa Centre's architectural eco water features I'd posted on Flickr in Task 5 and emailed for permission to use them! First time around the Gizmo didn't seeem to load ( the clip in the weekly task page didn't) but then I re-visited and presto, the waitressing wonder woman was born (it took 37 years off me - 1970 lives on!) The RSS feeds are clever in theory, and are designed to save time perusing net sites, but only a Really Sensible Solution if you're one of those out there who do spend time using these sites ( news, weather, whatever else). Tried to set one up on library topics from Feedster etc, but didn't find anything worth spending time reading - maybe that's just dodgy searching on my part. I can see it'd be just the thing for some purposes, a kind of SDI ( libraries been there, done that!) but not my thing. But at least now if I do see the logo on a site I happen to want, then the option's there I guess. Now for image generators...

Gizmo

Express Yourself with Gizmoz Video Clips

Nifty technology in Flickr

Never heard of a trading card till today, but just made one and sent it from Flickr to my blog so that's a giant step for this little black duck...mind you I did it on Tuesday 4th not Monday as shown so dates seem a bit on the wonky side.

My creation

My creation
Originally uploaded by joynoosa

The truth will out...

Web 2 practitioner

Now officially a Web 2 practitioner, what next? I guess that's the question re- blogs in libraries, what's our purpose? Clearly it's a communication tool, but what's our objective? How will our library patrons benefit from a library staff blog? Or is it a staff collaboration tool?

Already some answers to this in inventive blogs thus far - as a serials network tool for said collaboration, as a wish list generator for great fiction titles, and I guess the possibilities are endless...