So thing 12...YouTube...the principle place on the internet to watch and share videos.
It's predominantly made up of user-generated content from individuals but increasingly organisations have been adding content to the site.
I wouldn't say that I was a regular user of YouTube, but I occasionally dip in and out. It's usually when someone has recommended something to watch or I've missed some sort of event in the news and the clips are on the site. I don't really have the patience to trawl through the thousands of videos just for the sake of it, I'd rather have something specific to look for.
I like the idea that libraries and universities are using the site as a marketing tool. The Said Business School where I work has a strong presence on YouTube Edu, offering interviews with alumni, videos about events and aspects of the courses as well as studying at the university in general.
I don't know how large the uptake for library based educational videos are but it's great to offer an alternative format of information to students, especially to those who learn visually.
Just to finish off, I've included a video of a really cute baby panda!! Enjoy!
Friday, 5 March 2010
Thing 11 - Podcasts
I've dabbled in podcasts before but they've never really held my attention so for the sake of 23 things, I've had another go.
There is a vast ocean of podcasts out there covering every subject imaginable. There really is something for everyone. I can definitely see the plus points of them.
I decided to subscribe to some of the BBC 6 music podcasts. The site was very easy to use and clearly linked to Google Reader so I didn't have to faff around finding out how to subscribe. As much as I enjoyed testing out the podcasts, I don't think it'll be something that I continue with! I already have enough to follow what with my google reader feeds and uni work, I think I'd struggle to keep up and end up with a massive backlog and ultimately I'd rather listen to music!
In terms of the use of podcasting in a library context, it's definitely a useful tool. It can be used for library tours, especially useful when readers have missed their induction or when people are joining throughout the year. I also like the Bodleian's podcasts as it's an excellent way of marketing the libraries and their collections and getting them out there in the public domain. This is something that should be expanded on.
There is a vast ocean of podcasts out there covering every subject imaginable. There really is something for everyone. I can definitely see the plus points of them.
I decided to subscribe to some of the BBC 6 music podcasts. The site was very easy to use and clearly linked to Google Reader so I didn't have to faff around finding out how to subscribe. As much as I enjoyed testing out the podcasts, I don't think it'll be something that I continue with! I already have enough to follow what with my google reader feeds and uni work, I think I'd struggle to keep up and end up with a massive backlog and ultimately I'd rather listen to music!
In terms of the use of podcasting in a library context, it's definitely a useful tool. It can be used for library tours, especially useful when readers have missed their induction or when people are joining throughout the year. I also like the Bodleian's podcasts as it's an excellent way of marketing the libraries and their collections and getting them out there in the public domain. This is something that should be expanded on.
Monday, 1 March 2010
Things 9 & 10 - Social Bookmarking & Tagging
I have been a member of Delicious, the social bookmarking service recommended in the 23 things programme, for about a year now but admittedly my use of it has been rather sporadic!!
Delicious is a really useful tool, especially when you flit between numerous computers which I do. It makes much more sense to have your bookmarks saved in a centralised service which can be accessed from anywhere as opposed to tied to favourites on one particular PC. The one thing that really annoys me though is that when you click on a link, it navigates away from delicious. It would be much better if the link opened in a new tab!
I like the element of serendipitous resource discovery that comes with tagging! It allows you to find similar links to yours based on other people's tags. The downside of this is that there is no standardised terms and is very much based on individual opinion. There is a large margin of error for misspellings.
The network element of Delicious is useful as it means you don't have to search for a user each time you want to view their bookmarks. I added the Sainsbury Library to my network. Being able to switch between my own bookmarks and the library's makes it easy to access this links whilst at work! I think social bookmarking and tagging is one of the most useful Web 2.0 tools for library as it eliminates the need for messy useful links pages which are often difficult to navigate and update.
Delicious is a really useful tool, especially when you flit between numerous computers which I do. It makes much more sense to have your bookmarks saved in a centralised service which can be accessed from anywhere as opposed to tied to favourites on one particular PC. The one thing that really annoys me though is that when you click on a link, it navigates away from delicious. It would be much better if the link opened in a new tab!
I like the element of serendipitous resource discovery that comes with tagging! It allows you to find similar links to yours based on other people's tags. The downside of this is that there is no standardised terms and is very much based on individual opinion. There is a large margin of error for misspellings.
The network element of Delicious is useful as it means you don't have to search for a user each time you want to view their bookmarks. I added the Sainsbury Library to my network. Being able to switch between my own bookmarks and the library's makes it easy to access this links whilst at work! I think social bookmarking and tagging is one of the most useful Web 2.0 tools for library as it eliminates the need for messy useful links pages which are often difficult to navigate and update.
Friday, 26 February 2010
Things 7 & 8 - Flickr & Picnik
I've been starting to get pretty behind on my things, so here's an attempt to catch up a bit!!
This week I've been experimenting with photos on Flickr & Picnik. Both seem fairly straightforward to use. Flickr is good for those budding photographers who want to get their images out in the public domain but personally I'm not too keen, it's not really the service for me. Photos I take are more about events and holidays as opposed to photography just for the sake of it. When I want to share my photos, I'm more likely to do it over facebook as the people I'd want to show them to are all on there, none of them are Flickr users. The other thing that I don't like is that I had to create a yahoo ID, yet another username and password!!
Picnik is very user friendly and offers some good free features for photo editing! I had a play around with the images that I'd uploaded to Flickr. As you can see, this is my family dog, Alfie, looking very regal in a crown!
This week I've been experimenting with photos on Flickr & Picnik. Both seem fairly straightforward to use. Flickr is good for those budding photographers who want to get their images out in the public domain but personally I'm not too keen, it's not really the service for me. Photos I take are more about events and holidays as opposed to photography just for the sake of it. When I want to share my photos, I'm more likely to do it over facebook as the people I'd want to show them to are all on there, none of them are Flickr users. The other thing that I don't like is that I had to create a yahoo ID, yet another username and password!!
Picnik is very user friendly and offers some good free features for photo editing! I had a play around with the images that I'd uploaded to Flickr. As you can see, this is my family dog, Alfie, looking very regal in a crown!
I'd definitely use Picnik again, it's a effective way to edit your photos to give them that professional look. As for Flickr, I'll probably use it browse other people's images but I'm unlikely to upload more of my own.
Friday, 12 February 2010
Things 5 & 6 - Google Reader
One of this week's things was to set up a Google Reader account. I have been using Google Reader for a while now, as it's a good way to keep up to date with new blog plots and online content without having to visit each site individually.
I often find that if I don't keep on top on my reading, there is a mountain of posts to wade through! For this reason, I've weeded out some of the feeds which were making my account unmanageable such as the Guardian Life & Style feed.
My main set of subscriptions are to library blogs, these are really useful for library school and being aware of what's going on in the librarian blogosphere. As Thing 6 suggests, I've added a couple of new feeds, such as India Knight's blog where she shares links and images of cool things she likes! I'm definitely going to try and keep on top of my subscriptions,especially now I've had a good clear up!
I often find that if I don't keep on top on my reading, there is a mountain of posts to wade through! For this reason, I've weeded out some of the feeds which were making my account unmanageable such as the Guardian Life & Style feed.
My main set of subscriptions are to library blogs, these are really useful for library school and being aware of what's going on in the librarian blogosphere. As Thing 6 suggests, I've added a couple of new feeds, such as India Knight's blog where she shares links and images of cool things she likes! I'm definitely going to try and keep on top of my subscriptions,especially now I've had a good clear up!
Friday, 29 January 2010
Things 3 & 4 - My 23 things blog
Blogging is very much new territory for me. Although I read numerous library related blogs to keep on top of current issues, I have had no inclination to write my own. I've never really been a diary keeper either so I suppose it all links back to that.
Despite this, I've managed to set up my 23 things blog and start posting! And guess what...it wasn't as horrific as I thought it would be! Blogger seems quite easy to use and with a user-friendly interface, especially for novices like myself. It's good that it's linked to my Google ID as that one less username and password to remember.
Blogs are an excellent medium of communication and networking. They provide an instantaneous way of discovering people's opinions and experiences of current and relevant issues as well as being able to easily share your own thoughts. I also find them extremely useful for resources discovery, the number of times I've stumbled across an article or website on someone's blog is countless.
As suggested, I've been having a look at the blogs of other 23 things participants. There is such a variety of skill levels and different library environments. It's going to be interesting following the experience of others and picking up tips!
Despite this, I've managed to set up my 23 things blog and start posting! And guess what...it wasn't as horrific as I thought it would be! Blogger seems quite easy to use and with a user-friendly interface, especially for novices like myself. It's good that it's linked to my Google ID as that one less username and password to remember.
Blogs are an excellent medium of communication and networking. They provide an instantaneous way of discovering people's opinions and experiences of current and relevant issues as well as being able to easily share your own thoughts. I also find them extremely useful for resources discovery, the number of times I've stumbled across an article or website on someone's blog is countless.
As suggested, I've been having a look at the blogs of other 23 things participants. There is such a variety of skill levels and different library environments. It's going to be interesting following the experience of others and picking up tips!
Things 1 & 2 - iGoogle
I already have a Google ID as I'm a dedicated Gmail user and I've had an iGoogle page for a while now. However rather than skip this section completely, I decided that it was time for a tidy up and revamp of my old iGoogle page. There were some features I couldn't bear to part with such as the weather forecasts, my Google Reader feed and Guardian & BBC news headlines. I also added some new gadgets such as sticky notes to remind me of those all important tasks and a national rail enquiries app seeing as I spend so much time on trains these days commuting to uni.
Here is how my iGoogle page looks:
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