Well the end is here and how sad it is. I have really enjoyed this exploration of Web 2.0 and have learned many new, wonderful, and useful things, and a few things that not useful, but super fun! Thanks for all the hard work Katherine!!!!
Now as for podcast, I am a big fan. I don't get to listen to them as much as I'd like, but that is my fault. I keep forgetting to put some on my ipod. However, I do like to listen to them from my computer. My favorite new one is BackStory http://www.backstoryradio.org/, which features one of our trustees, Ed Ayers. It is a very laid back group of historians who take a current topic and plumb its historical depths. The Thanksgiving one was great. I would encourage everyone to check it out. If podcast are not for you, you can also catch the show on public radio. Also you can add it to your RSS feed. I have added it to my iGoogle page, and it tagged in my Delicious account (see how I am using all the stuff we have learned over the past few weeks!).
I also really enjoy Grammar Girl (http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/), which is a podcast that Katherine introduced me to. It is very short and provides lots of great information about proper grammar. Actually I need to check that one out again, it has been awhile. I need all the help with grammar that I can get!
Podcasts are a wonderful tool and which the VHS should embrace. I think it is wonderful that we have audios of our lectures and it would be great to add all those gallery tours too. Perhaps we could even add podcasts to our on-line exhibits to give our Internet patrons a more enriching experience.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Goggle Docs
Wow, where was this when I was in grad school! I really think this is a super application and I think the use of it is only limited by your imagination. I think we can certainly use this within the institution. I know we have the server, but it is limited by who has access by department. If I wanted help from across departments, I could simply put my doc on Google docs and give access to the people I want to use it.
Also I could put something I am working on on Google Docs and work on it at home. I know, what you are thinking, "work at home?" Sometimes my brain is still going on a certain subject when I go home and I will do some more research at home. This way I can update my note right away instead of having to remember it for the next day.
Any who, I think this is an awesome idea and cannot wait to make use of it.
Also I could put something I am working on on Google Docs and work on it at home. I know, what you are thinking, "work at home?" Sometimes my brain is still going on a certain subject when I go home and I will do some more research at home. This way I can update my note right away instead of having to remember it for the next day.
Any who, I think this is an awesome idea and cannot wait to make use of it.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Wiki, wiki, wah
Ok, the title of the blog is suppose to be my imitation of the sound of a record being scratched, you know, like you hear in rap and hip hop songs. That is the sound that pops in my head when I hear the word wiki, but I digress...
I really like the idea of a wiki for the VHS. I think for internal use, it could be most helpful in keeping everyone informed about policies, procedures, etc. It can also be a way for us to communicate and learn about all the various departments. For instance, I made a page called "collections in process," so that those of us in archives can let everyone one know what we are working on. This might not be of interest or value to everyone, but who knows. I think it could be very useful for the library staff. Sometimes a patron will come in looking for information and if the collection they need is not yet processed, they might miss some valuable information. By listing collections that we are working on, the reference staff could quickly view this page to see if there is anything relevant.
For external use, it might be another way to attract and interact with out patrons. Using wikis in connection with our on-line exhibits could draw people into discussions and in turn help us learn more about our patrons and what they are interested in. The drawback to a public wiki though is something we would have to deal with. Open source formats need to be monitored to make sure that all the content is appropriate.
At any rate, I am very excited about the wiki. I will be checking back this week to see how other people like it and what they have added or edited.
Back to the crypt lots of work to do...
I really like the idea of a wiki for the VHS. I think for internal use, it could be most helpful in keeping everyone informed about policies, procedures, etc. It can also be a way for us to communicate and learn about all the various departments. For instance, I made a page called "collections in process," so that those of us in archives can let everyone one know what we are working on. This might not be of interest or value to everyone, but who knows. I think it could be very useful for the library staff. Sometimes a patron will come in looking for information and if the collection they need is not yet processed, they might miss some valuable information. By listing collections that we are working on, the reference staff could quickly view this page to see if there is anything relevant.
For external use, it might be another way to attract and interact with out patrons. Using wikis in connection with our on-line exhibits could draw people into discussions and in turn help us learn more about our patrons and what they are interested in. The drawback to a public wiki though is something we would have to deal with. Open source formats need to be monitored to make sure that all the content is appropriate.
At any rate, I am very excited about the wiki. I will be checking back this week to see how other people like it and what they have added or edited.
Back to the crypt lots of work to do...
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
MyFace
Ok, I cannot take credit for the "MyFace" name, that came from the fearless leader of the crypt and I thought it was very funny. On the outside, Facebook and Myspace may appear to be very similar, but I like Facebook much better. I cannot really put my finger on why, but maybe it is because in the Myspace world I would be a "friend" of the VHS, whereas in Facebook, I can be a fan of the VHS. I guess being a fan makes more sense to me. I have to admit also that I am quite addicted to FB. I like being able to check on my friends and basically see what is going on in everyone's life in about 5 minutes. It is a nice way to keep up with people and to find out things about them you might not have known. During the election is was really something to find out people's politcal leanings.
I quickly scanned LinkedIn and I think it might be useful were I searching for a job (which I am not).
I also checked out Meebo. I am not much of an IM'er, nor do I text message that much either, but I can see the usefulness of this application for those who do. It would be nice to have one single application to go to and remember a password for and to be able to access it from anywhere. It could also be helpful for intitutuions like our to have live chats with patrons who have reference questions, but then that leads to other problems such as who has to monitor this and how much will it take away from you time.
At MARAC, I met someone who works at a University and we talked about the IM feature being used to help students with library reference questions. In one the IM ended up being nine pages long if printed. This is too much! This tool needs to be used for short conversations not for epistles! In this case, the librarian should have had the student call or come in for a face-to-face chat. This is the danger of relying too much on technology. So much can be lost in translation.
Another archivist and I were discussing whether or not we would become dinasours later in our careers; as in would our technical skills become obsolete. My first reaction to this was no, because I feel as long as we keep augmenting our current skill sets with new information I think we will be ok. But as we kept talking, I thought this might not necessarily be the case. I am from an in between generation. I grew up with computers, but the internet did not come along until I was in college. I have know the pre and post internet world, so as much as I love the internet I could get along without it. The current generation of college students cannot contemplate a world without the internet, cell phones, text messaging, etc. I am not all that fond of text messaging. I still prefer complete sentences. I get mad at my nephew for sending me e-mails where he abbreviates words like he would if he were sending a text. So in some ways I am already falling behind the cutting edge. I'll have to console myself with the knowledge that I am doing the 23 things and that I use email and have a Facebook page...but I still am not big on faceless, voiceless chats, or text messages.
L8tr,
Devo
I quickly scanned LinkedIn and I think it might be useful were I searching for a job (which I am not).
I also checked out Meebo. I am not much of an IM'er, nor do I text message that much either, but I can see the usefulness of this application for those who do. It would be nice to have one single application to go to and remember a password for and to be able to access it from anywhere. It could also be helpful for intitutuions like our to have live chats with patrons who have reference questions, but then that leads to other problems such as who has to monitor this and how much will it take away from you time.
At MARAC, I met someone who works at a University and we talked about the IM feature being used to help students with library reference questions. In one the IM ended up being nine pages long if printed. This is too much! This tool needs to be used for short conversations not for epistles! In this case, the librarian should have had the student call or come in for a face-to-face chat. This is the danger of relying too much on technology. So much can be lost in translation.
Another archivist and I were discussing whether or not we would become dinasours later in our careers; as in would our technical skills become obsolete. My first reaction to this was no, because I feel as long as we keep augmenting our current skill sets with new information I think we will be ok. But as we kept talking, I thought this might not necessarily be the case. I am from an in between generation. I grew up with computers, but the internet did not come along until I was in college. I have know the pre and post internet world, so as much as I love the internet I could get along without it. The current generation of college students cannot contemplate a world without the internet, cell phones, text messaging, etc. I am not all that fond of text messaging. I still prefer complete sentences. I get mad at my nephew for sending me e-mails where he abbreviates words like he would if he were sending a text. So in some ways I am already falling behind the cutting edge. I'll have to console myself with the knowledge that I am doing the 23 things and that I use email and have a Facebook page...but I still am not big on faceless, voiceless chats, or text messages.
L8tr,
Devo
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Scrumptious!
Well here we are at week 5 and I am still amazed at how little I really know about the web and all its many applications even though I spend so much time using it. I did not really expect to care much about Delicious, but as it turns out it is a very good tool for me. I bookmark quite a few sites that help me with my everyday research in the archives. I have found it increasingly difficult to manage them in my folders. Delicious seems to answer my dilemma with the use of tags. That way a site that is helpful for multiple topics (i.e. Virginia, genealogy) does not have to go in just one folder. I can instead add both tags and it will show up in both places. I also like the ability to bundle tags.
Technorati was also very interesting. I was confused at first why the Cato institute video of Alan Pell Crawford came up, but then realized that there was some info about him using sources from the VHS. I also like the pictures that I found. Most of them were by one person. People really do like the horse! Also, a comment left on one of the pictures was very favorable to the VHS. It certainly is good to know what is being said about us, both good and bad. That way we know what we are doing well and also what we can improve.
Technorati was also very interesting. I was confused at first why the Cato institute video of Alan Pell Crawford came up, but then realized that there was some info about him using sources from the VHS. I also like the pictures that I found. Most of them were by one person. People really do like the horse! Also, a comment left on one of the pictures was very favorable to the VHS. It certainly is good to know what is being said about us, both good and bad. That way we know what we are doing well and also what we can improve.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Peru es un pais...
I did my first lesson on LiveMocha today and it rocked! I talked to a miner from Peru. His English is way better than my Spanish! I hope to be able to talk to him more in his native tongue real soon. If anyone else is interested in taking Spanish lessons using LiveMocha, let me know. We can be friends and help each other out.
Adios
Adios
Friday, October 31, 2008
Mashup Mixup
I went back and reread the directions for week 2 and now see that I did in fact misread the directions. I have now gone and looked up mashups and tried spelling my name with "spell with flickr."
The flickr color picker was really cool, just to see the variety of color and images. Not necessarily a practical application, but fun!
Obviously mashups have some practical applications i.e. google maps, but I'd have to think on it a bit to figure out how we could use this technology here. I did read Erik's blog post on mashups and I like the idea of using it to create VHS scavenger hunts.
The flickr color picker was really cool, just to see the variety of color and images. Not necessarily a practical application, but fun!
Obviously mashups have some practical applications i.e. google maps, but I'd have to think on it a bit to figure out how we could use this technology here. I did read Erik's blog post on mashups and I like the idea of using it to create VHS scavenger hunts.
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