Embedding ...

Videos Online :0)

Youtube and google video are great online video tools. It's amazing the kinds of things that you can find on there, some educational ... a lot not ... :p

Having staff training videos and library skills in video format on a public interface is a great idea, as it can help not only the people that created it, but also anyone else that is interested in it as well.

A great use for videos online is training and information about using the library, catalogues, introductions to specific topics etc.

It could be used for staff as well as helping the public understand the libary and what we have to offer as well.

Youtube would be a great way to promote libraries, reading and education, and just an introduction video is an ideal way to get people see the library and know that we aren't just about books and physical items, it's all about information everywhere !!

Google, Google and yet MORE Google !

Let me just start off with ... I LOVE GOOGLE !!!! It is a great tool to have ready access to!!

Google Translate is fantastic !! Wish I found this when I was studying French at school !!! In saying that, this is a great tool for exactly that, helping students with their languages at school. And also for patrons of the library that speak/read/learn another langauage. It would allow them to browse the web, find information etc. in that language. It's great that it can translate whole web pages!! I tried translating our library home page from English to Greek ... WOW !!! This is such a great tool to have access to!

Loved the i-google video! Very cute and simple. SO easy to edit and change the page to suit your own personality.

Google Calendar would be great to use with the Library. By sharing with the council or tourist information as well as other staff, it would allow all to see what is going to be happening in the library and important dates to remember. The e-mail reminders are a great idea too!! Makes sure no-one has an excuse to "forget" about anything :p

I use google maps quite alot to find directions to places or just to check out buildings etc. I haven't created my own map yet because I can't think of anything exciting to map out but may have to give it a go later ...

Sly little Fox ...

Well, I haven't used many other web browsers other than Internet Explorer (boooorrrring I know !). So it was great to see the comparison video on youtube! It was a really fun way to see the differences between the four main browsers.

I think that although Chrome is faster than Firefox, it's versatility and what you can do with it doesn't quite match up. Firefox seems to win out !!

I downloaded firefox to one of the work computers just to check it out for myself ... and boy am I impressed !!!! The speed of the downloading is incredible! SO much faster than Internet Explorer, and the functions available are fantastic !! I was quite impressed when it asked if I would like to bring across my bookmarks etc aswell, as this means you don't have to manually add anything that you already regularly use. Although, I do believe that when you download the others they offer a similar thing.

Google Chrome is not for me ... yes it's fast, but very plain ... sorry I think "sleek" was the word used ...

Poor little Safari, doesn't get much of a mention at all ... It didn't stand out in any way to me, but others may find it great to use?

I think on my personal laptop I will be upgrading from IE to Firefox.

Plodding along with Podcasts

Podcasts are great !! So much variety to choose from !!

I had a look at a few meditation podcasts (or should I say, a listen to). They were pretty good. These would be great to be able to download and listen to at a later stage.

I also had a quick look at what ABC had to offer ... which is ALOT !!!

Podcasts are great! I think I'm going to have to have a good look around and find some things to put on my ipod for my half hour drives to work.

They are a great way to learn a language, or learn to meditate, or learn about science or listen and learn just about anything !! It is a great thing to keep in mind when people are wanting to learn another language aswell, as we only hold a limited amount of kits, they could jump on the internet and listen to it every week or download the lessons and take them home to practice.

I'm very impressed !

Mishy Mushy Mash-Ups

I have to admit, the whole mash-up concept confuses me a little bit.

There are some great mash-ups out there, but most I found were all related to Twitter, and I'm not a twitter fan ...

Woozor was a good one. Looking at the weather around cities using google maps and weather.com, but it didn't cover Australia, which is very disappointing as it is something that would be very useful.

I also liked the real estate mashup, which also used google maps. It was easy to navigate and is one again something that is really useful. It was interesting to see what was for sale in my local area, and I liked the way you break it up in to smaller sections. It's really handy to see exactly where the houses are in location to the main roads and parks things. I think suburbview.com was great!

Tweet tweet to all those twitter fans ... it's just not for me.

GoggleDoc-ing

Well, welcome back to my blog !! Let's move on with Licence 2 Test Drive Part B.

First on the hit list is Google Docs.

This is a great, free service offered !!!! I can see how this could be used to great advantage in the work environment, especially with two or more branches. It's a great way to keep everyone up to date and work on collaborative documents. It's so simple to use and share. The availability for the owner to decide who can edit/view is also good. It still allows ownership of a document, but at the same time you can work on it together.

I think Google Docs is something I will use alot more now, especially seeing how easy it is to use and share. For some reason, although I had heard about it before I had never even looked at it, as I thought it would be too hard to navigate and use. I am pleasantly surprised to see that this is not the case.

Happy GoogleDoc-ing everyone !!

Thingology :)

I think Library Thing is great !! We actually have it attached to our library catalogue which is fantastic for us to help borrowers with book choices, as well as great for library users in general who use our catalogue. Check out the link - I did a simple search for Cujo by Stephen King to give you an example :) http://library.lockyervalley.qld.gov.au/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/OPAC/BIBENQ?ENTRY_NAME=BS&ENTRY=stephen+king+cujo&ENTRY_TYPE=K&NRECS=20&SORTS=HBT.SOVR&SEARCH_FORM=%2Fcgi-bin%2Fspydus.exe%2FMSGTRN%2FOPAC%2FBSEARCH&CF=GEN&ISGLB=0

I love what librarything can do ! When I get some time, I think I may add to my library, but my enthusiasm will probably drop off after a bit ... I have WAY too many books! :)

Library Thing is a great asset for libraries to have access to and a great way to promote books with the recommended reads and reviews.

Here's the link to my (very small) library on librarything - http://www.librarything.com/home/Courty

Let's get Technorati :)

Hmmmm ... I don't think I would bother publishing my blog with Technorati but I can see how it would be an advantage to a business or company, as it gets a lot of users.

I tried the search with "bookmobile" but I got the same serach results both times ? Is this what was meant to happen ? I tried an "exact phrase" search and got the same results as just putting it in the search bar, but when I put in "book mobile" I got completely different results. So I guess a space really does make a difference.

FolksonoMANIA !

WOW ! Pretty mind blowing ! My head is full of clouds, taxonomy, folksonomy, tags etc. But I think I have got it half sorted in some kind of order in my head.

I created my Delicious account (http://delicious.com/Courty87) and added a couple of URL's and tagged them. So now I have my own little cloud happening, which is kind of exciting :) It is still a little confusing to me but I think if I keep at it for a little while I will get the hang of it.

I can see how it would be really good for research and teamwork, and like the tutorial for teachers, groups of students etc, having websites of the same subjects linked together with a tag that others can add to. It would open up your eyes to other sources that you may not have thought of or seen before.

I think it is also a great way to keep a track of your favourite websites on any computer. And once again it would be easy to browse and find what you're looking for as you have tagged them.

Mystifying RSS Feeds ...

Well, I have to admit, this RSS thing really got me frustrated! I was so confused! But once I worked it out, I realised it was so easy peasy !!

I'm now subscribed to quite a few different feeds. Should be interesting to see what updates I get :0) I'm really looking forward to getting my Daily Dilbert Dose :p (http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2009-05-31/)

I also found one called "Library Link of the Day" which will give me a link daily for people in the library profession (http://www.twincities.com/life/ci_12471044). This feed sounded quite interesting and relevant, so we will see if I remember to check them for updates every now and then. A great thing to do in a lunch break I think. Something quick, interesting and also easy to find once you have subscribed.

RSS feeds are a great way to keep on top of the topics you like to read about without clogging up your e-mails with all those yucky reminders and Bloglines keeps them all in the one place. If you're really good you can organise them into folders so that all your library blogs are together and the news ones together and entertainment feeds together etc.

Sassy Social Networking

Well I find it interesting that businesses and libraries use social networking to promote their services. I have a facebook profile and use that to socialise with friends and family. Guess it makes sense that businesses do it as well. It's a great way to show locations and give information about the services they offer to their clientele, and also to engage younger clientele, which is great for libraries as the younger generation seems to be the hardest to engage.

It's also a great way to advertise special events. I know that Moreton Bay Libraries (not sure if that's right) have used myspace to promote a huge Mash It Up film festival that they have been running which was great advertising for them and I think it gave them a huge following and promoted their work in a very positive way.

I had a look at NZ's twitter page, but I didn't really understand the concept behind it ... Maybe I need to look into Twitter a little bit more but I think for a company/library myspace or facebook is the way to go. It seems to be the easiest way to engage, inform and provide for their patrons.

Wicked Wikis :p

Well, I have finally added my contribution to SLQ's wiki ... after a little bit of a kerfuffle (helps if you sign in first). But all good now :)

Interesting to see some of the comments that other Licence 2 Test Drive users have been making, and what they think of wikis as well. Good to see that other organisations use the great service that a wiki provides. Wikis definately make it easy for people to keep documents and information up to date easily.

Weird and wonderful wikis ... :)

I have always found wikis an interesting topic. The idea that anyody and everybody can change entries has always worried me a bit. But in saying that we use a wiki at work which works pretty well for us. As we have the two branches it helps us keep up to date with each other and allows us to post documents to both branches etc. Very convenient.

I quite like the Book lovers wiki by Princeton library. I noticed that you need to be a member which is great, as that means that it somewhat private. Which is the same as ours. So, I guess my initial shock that anybody can access the information, edit etc. has eased as I have come to learn a little bit more about them.

I have to get back to work now, but will explore the wikis a little bit more next time.

Free Freddo Frogs on Flickr

I would have to say that this has got to be one of my fave photos so far!! How could you go past 3 marching freddo frogs ! And it also includes Nova FM, which is a station I like to listen to a fair bit ... mainly due to the Hamish and Andy factor!! Get this though, the person that took the photo was given all three freddos !! Where's mine?! :) Check out the pic - http://www.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/2387415360/ .

Bring on Flickr

Well, have finally gotten back to the Web 2.0 adventure, and pottering my way through the photosharing section.

I have created my own Flickr account now, which was pretty easy. It looks fairly easy to use and manage. I think a program like this would be particularly useful for holiday snaps that never seem to get further than a disc shoved in a drawer. At least by putting them on here and making them public, everyone can get pleasure out of seeing the places you have been.

Some interesting results when you put in search terms. I tried my name and got some completely unrelated pictures ! But i guess it is all relative *shrugs*

Found some pictures that others had put on Flickr with the "slql2td09". I particularly like the "bag head" photos ! An ingenious way to avoid privacy issues, and also looks pretty cool ! Can't wait to have another look in a week's time to see what else has been added. Hopefully I will get some of my photos on there as well.

Licence 2 go - Part Two

Well, it's very interesting to see all the other blogs that Licence 2 go participants are creating. Some of them are absolutely fantastic!!

I hope by the end of this course that mine will at least look a little bit more fancy than it does now ... Fingers crossed! :)

I have just finished reading the introduction to Lesson Two (photosharing). Now this looks interesting!! I have never used Flickr, so that was pretty cool to check that out. I did a search for my town and was surprised to see that photos had been posted! And one was of a "landmark", you could say!

Very interesting indeed ! Will be fun to play with Flickr a little bit more and check out what a few more searches bring up.

Let's GO 2.0 !!

Well, here we go, first blog ! I'm starting a new chapter - Web 2.0. Had a few dramas with slow internet (the youtube video conked out 3/4 through!), but now I've created my gmail account, started my first blog and I'm kind of excited!

We have decided to dedicate an hour a fortnight to play and experience the wide, wacky world of web 2.0 at work. I'm really looking forward to getting into this course and conquering the world of web 2.0!

So far this has been much easier than expected... If it's this easy why didn't we think to do this earlier?! :P