Friday, October 27, 2006

Week 6 Tagging, Folksonomies & Technorati.

# 13. Del.icio.us
Oh Dear! the 'old' Cataloguer in me who is so used to 'controlled vocabulary' now has to adapt to this random tagging (Folksonomies)..... Input by 'ordinary mortals! using an 'informal' method of categorizing by keyword' (..you can actually think them up yourself......pass me the smelling salts please!)

I decided to Barge into Del.icio.us (4 Volumes of LC Subject Headings under my arms) and give them a piece of my mind.
I had to admit defeat when I realised how easy this site is to list your favourite websites and the real exciting part......see who else also 'tags' those websites!
A great site for 'information specialists' who need everything at their fingertips!
Check out my starter group of of Del.icio.us bookmarks.

# 14. Technorati
See the Most popular Video Blogs on YouTube. Free Hugs my favourite! You gotta check it out! Great music track too!

Leading authority on all things Blog!
Currently tracking in excess of 51 million Blogs. Blogs double every 6mths. The Blogosphere is 100 times larger than 3 years ago.
Technorati also utilises the power of Tagging. You can search content 'within' blogs, and this makes Technorati so popular.
The way tagging works here is just amazing, you can see who is tracking 'Your' Blog and then see who is tracking their blog.....and on and on and on..!

#15 Library 2.0 and Web 2.0

Reading through the listed perspectives certainly shows that Libraries and Library staff of the 21st Century will be the 'innovators', leaders and collaborators who will show others that we DO have a handle on 'new and emerging technologies and we will kick butt with the way we organise the 'information explosion' and provide exceptional customer service.....so basically we allow ourselves to be swept up into this cyclone of Learning or we get walked over by lesser skilled beings!

Reading the Blogs of 'Movers and Shakers' in the library World is my personal way of staying in touch, keeping my head above water, madly paddling underneath, appearing serene to all who observe.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Week 5 (Play Week)




#10. Image generators.
There is no shortage of resources on the Image Generator Blog
and Custom Sign Generator.

Image generators are fun and so easy for those of us with no creativity or Photoshops skills!!

# 11. Library Thing

I listened to the Podcast and clicked on the link from 23 Things, it took me straight in....I don't even remember registering or that I had already catalogued 'The Precious Present' on Library Thing last year.
17 others also have this book on their shelves.
The Zeitgeist link shows just how popular this site is.

Being an 'old' cataloguer from way back, I'm dismayed that mere ordinary folk are now joining our ranks! Unfortunately the mystique we sought to portray about the elite world of cataloguing has been revealed to all. Alas we are but humans, with the foibles of mortals. Can someone help me down from my pedestal!

I like the Search facility....if the book has already been entered. Just click and add to your own collection.

Old habits die hard and I found myself entering publication details according to MARC.

Library Thing also adopts the Amazon.com style of 'similiarly tagged' books enabling you to find like minded souls! check out their collections or Join a Group!

Library Thing could be a bit of a challenge to newbies, but like any other website....spend some time clicking around to familiarise yourself with the layout.
Tagging just like on Flickr = another name for Subject Headings! (have I reached the bottom step of the pedestal?)

# 12. Roll your own Search Engine. Rollyo

Wow, this is a handy little tool. I liked the way I could customise the Search engine to just my own sites. I set up 'Travel Australia' and listed over a dozen sites. I did a search on micro breweries in Victoria and the results only came from those sites I had listed.
I also listed 2 other categories to search with Rollyo - Libraries and Recipes.
This could be a great reference tool.
It's getting late, I'm doing something wrong, cannot get my Seach Roll to show correctly, will have to try again tomorrow.


Wednesday, October 18, 2006

RSS & Newsreaders


Things 8 & 9.

I have been interested in RSS (Really Simple Syndication??) for a long time now, even if it took me about 2 years to realise that the fancy acronym really has no bearing on this wonderful piece of software that lets you put several of your favourite feeds (or websites) all in the one place and just read updates as they arise.
I set up my first Blog and first Feeds all at Bloglines in 2004. I found that Bloglines handles the RSS feeds really well. The associated Blog software is not as 'user friendly' as Blogger but you do not have to use it.

I have Found an RSS reader to be an invaluable tool in keeping up to date with all the latest Library and Internet technologies. I subscribe (it's free) to the Blogs and Websites of several leaders in the field and find I don't have to re-invent the wheel as a Resource Discovery Officer here at Yarra Plenty.
Where do you think I get all my great 'Websites of the Week'?
You will find my feeds here!
Warning RSS can be addictive and you really do have to decide just what feeds you are prepared to read.

I think the word News Reader can give people the wrong impression about an RSS Feed reader. I agree, its great for the latest news if you subscribe to the CNN or BBC RSS Feeds, but perhaps we should think of the term NEWS loosely = also meaning latest additions to 'any' website (even our Blogs!)
As well as the Internet site Bloglines, you can download gadget type Newsreaders that sit on your desktop and run through the latest news just like the 'ticker' displays you see in places like Times Square (or Fed Square for that matter!)

I am also using a Bloglines RSS Feed reader to monitor all our partipants Blogs for Learning 2.0.
One of the Top Search engines to find RSS feeds in Blogs is Technorati
another is Feedster which looks for news feeds too.

RSS can make life easier so that you don't have to jump all over the web visiting individual web sites.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Week 3 Photos and Images.



5. Flickr is a great photo sharing site using key words and tags to create associations between images. Sort of like Cataloguing for Dummies!
Already being a member of Yahoo, signing up for Flickr was so easy, you just use your Yahoo login.
I uploaded a few photos I had taken, sunsets and sunrises being a favourite of mine.
Check them out here at Flickr

I browsed Flickr Groups under Oceania (Australia seems to be lumped into this category) and found a Group called Melbourne Graffiti with 244 members and their associated pics. The Australian Sunset and Sunrise Group has 52 members.
Flickr has lots of potential for Libraries to use the site to upload library activities and even staff pictures maybe?
Links to Flickr's most popular tags is a good place to start looking.
6. Flickr Mashups is a fun application. I used Fd's Flickrs Toys and picked the the Framer link to make my stamp pic!! I used the Trading Card maker for my Melbourne Trading Card.
7. Blog about Technology. Sitepal is a great Text to Voice site, that is not Free but certainly has lots of potential for use in a library. You just choose an avatar, type what you want it to say (You can even choose voice styles and accents). Play it back to yourself, Viola!! your words spoken out loud.....amazing stuff!

Wow I think I have completed Week 3 and 7 Things!