Week 13 - Thing 23 - Wrap-up

So it's over. I think this was a great introduction to new resources. While not everything was for me, I appreciated the chance to try them out.

Week 13 - Thing 21 - Wordle & Thing 22 - LibraryThing

Well I can't see using Wordle much but it is nice to know it's available.

I like the concept and could almost see using LibraryThing but I'm just not that organized.

I can't think of any other fun online tools I use or have used, games or otherwise.

Week 12, Thing 19 - Online Mapping & Thing 20 - GIS

There isn't much to it, but here is my map.

I've used Google Maps and Google Earth before, just looking for things, but I've never had a need to create a map, at least not yet.

Week 11 - Thing 17 - Social Bookmarking and Thing 18 - Widgets

Social Bookmarking

I see the value for research and for access from different locations but diigo isn't something I see myself using or needing right now.

Widgets

Countdown added! There are so many widgets/gadgets out there that it would be hard not to find something useful or entertaining to you or others coming to your page or blog.

Week 10 - Things 15 & 16 - Social Networking and Twitter

Social Networking

I am on Facebook but don't use it a lot. I will skim through it maybe once a week but that's about it.

Social networking can be useful for libraries and library promotion as long as it is kept up with.

Twitter

Well I created an account and picked a couple of streams. Odds are I'll check it a few times and then completely forget about it. The only thing that I regularly check is my email so unless its going there I don't really bother with it.

Week 9, Thing 14 - Photosharing

© All rights reserved by John_Reese    Source: Home Theater (Flickr)

I had a hard time deciding what to look for but finally decided on a home theater pic. I do check them out occasionally for ideas for my modest setup.

I do have some photos on Google's Picasa Web Albums. Originally it was to have another place to store copies of my images but I haven't really kept up with it. I've never really felt a need to share images so I never really looked into it and kept my Picasa photos private.

Week 7, Things 11 & 12 - Wikis and Wikipedia

I don't really have any more to add. I like wikis for group work and sharing information. I currently use the Reference Support Group and the Website Editors' Group.

Week 6, Thing 10 - Podcasting

I already listen to a few podcasts but none on a regular basis. Most are on hockey, home theater/tech, or books. Would I ever podcast myself? No thanks, not my thing.

I've added HT Guys - HDTV and Home Theater Podcast to my blog. It is one I listen to occasionally, depending on the topic.

Week 6, Thing 9 - YouTube

I have a hard time imagining the web without YouTube. News, clips, music videos, how-to/instructional/do-it-yourself pieces and more. I appreciate it mostly for the how-to/diy videos.

Using videos for instruction or introduction/promotion can definitely be of use for a library. As an example, the Newton Free Library in Newton, Massachusetts created four YouTube videos on the ScanPro 1000, the predecessor to Murray's new micro scanners, ScanPro 2000s. The videos are How to Load & Rewind Microfilm, How to Load Microfiche, Using Microfiche, and Using Microfilm.

We can make use of these videos or create our own for instructional purposes and have them available on the scanner computers and on the library web site.

Here is How to Load & Rewind Microfilm:



NOTE: If your video is wider than your main blog column and you would like to resize it here is one way:

I searched for 'aspect ratio calculator' and found this site. I then entered the width and height numbers found in the embed link into the form.

The smaller calculated width and height numbers replace those in the embed link. I tried two smaller width numbers and tested them with the Preview button before finding the right size. Hope this helps (and made some sense).

Week 5, Thing 8

Prezi - would I use it? Maybe, I would likely default to PowerPoint but may consider Prezi. I like the controls in Prezi. They make it easy to create a presentation quickly. What I don't like is the lack of precision. Specifically I have a hard time changing fonts without knowing what size they are. I know it sounds crazy but I need exact font sizes not slide-smaller or slide-bigger.

As for ease of use, I didn't have any problems but my presentation is very basic. Others in the pod didn't seem to care for the navigation/controls - I did hear some muttering and cursing in the pod behind me.

This is a very short and simple presentation on music - the title says it all. I'm guessing there won't be a lot of fans of the tunes but if you want to check out my Prezi go to

The last three songs on my mp3 player...

Testing... (thanks Christine, I didn't see the embed link there either)

The last three songs on my mp3 player... on Prezi

Week 4, Things 6 & 7

Another one finished. I was aware of Google Docs but have never used it. I can definitely see uses for it in an office, especially for collaborative work.

Week 3, Things 4 & 5

Well, I just finished Week 3 including the optional bits and it was painless.

I already subscribe to a few RSS feeds and use a few other similar services. I subscribe to any threads of interest on forums I read, receiving email updates as they are posted. I also use Google Alerts to keep tabs on my hockey team. I receive an email alert for any news stories about the New York Islanders or at least any stories where their name appears.

Week 2, Thing 3

Well, finally got my blog registered. Hopefully I have a some time this week to check out some of the others.

Week 2, Thing 2

Blog created! I can't say its something I'd use personally but I always like trying out tech so this was fun.

Week 1, Thing 1

Thing 1=Done.

Already having a Google ID made this a quick Thing. I can't say I've used my iGoogle page much since creating it but I have added it as one of my startup tabs in my browser.