The last leg...The End?

I have enjoyed this online workshop, although the last bit has been pretty intense due to time constraints. I realize I have only skimmed the surface of this new technology and I have lots to learn but at least I feel like I have taken the initial plunge.

I liked the format of the online course. The group learning approach really worked for me. I know I wouldn't have taken the time to familiarize myself with these new concepts on my own and I liked having the opportunity to read other people's comments and blogs. It was reassuring to know that my colleagues had questions and difficulties too.

It was also great to know that help was close at hand and that I could contact Matt or Caitlin at any time. I think offering prizes was a good incentive too - it certainly spurred me on to the finish line! And I did have fun while learning - I could spend a lot of time poking around Facebook and Flickr...

This has been a good overview and I think the next step would be to offer more in depth courses on some of the topics we have covered. It would be great to add some practical applications, perhaps setting up blogs for branch activities or facebook pages for specific branch groups.

So thanks Caitlin and Matt for a job well done - I look forward to the next installment...

A blogged-out biblioblogger

And finally, Flickr

There is certainly a lot to look at in Flickr and it's a neat way to organize and safeguard your photos. Unfortunately, I had to cheat a little bit on Exercise 1 - I wasn't able to upload photos from Flickr to my blog. I kept getting a message saying the photos were uploaded and to click on the "done" button to publish them but then no photos appeared. When I used the edit function, there was an entry for the photos but again there was nothing there. I read the help section on posting pictures but I seemed to be doing everything correctly. I was able to upload photos from my own desktop without a problem (hence the cheat) but I guess I will need some remedial help to figure out how to actually upload photos from Flickr.

A flagging biblioblogger...

Iceberg in Bay Bulls, Newfoundland

East Coast Trail, Newfoundland

And another one down! - Facebook

My kids will be impressed (or not!) that I now have a Facebook page. I just found out that my son has 201 friends (202 if he accepts me!). My daughter's information is less accessible which probably emphasizes the whole security/privacy issue - I definitely think that's a major concern. I was really surprised at the variety of people Facebook suggested as possible friends for me. I know them but have a very tenuous link with most of them so it makes me wonder where they are getting this information....

I checked out the Brooklyn Museum page (comprehensive, up-to-date and obviously very popular), the Edmonton Public Library Page (fairly good) and the Ottawa Public Library page (disappointing). I initially became a fan of OPL, then removed my name when I realized that I really didn't know what this entailed.

Well, on to the next stop in this whirlwind tour: Flickr

The breathless biblioblogger

Moving on - Delicious...

Oddly enough, I already had a Delicious account...Caitlin had introduced me to Delicious way back in 2006! I didn't find it useful at that time so I didn't do anything with the account but I was able to remember my old user name and password and access it again (the wonders of technology!).

What intrigued me about Delicious back in 2006 was the ability to access my bookmarks at any library work station, since I was using several different work stations at GB and I was working in various libraries as a casual. What didn't work for me was the "cloud" type structure of the tags since I was used to (and more comfortable with) a hierarchical/linear file structure.

I guess I have become more open-minded over time because I can now definitely see the value of developing my own tags and being able to access to other people's tags - and I'm not so tied to hierarchy! I think I will be using this tool more frequently in the future...

An enlightened biblioblogger