Downloadable Audiobooks

Thank you for the MP3 player. Now I can use it to listen to audiobooks while walking after work (my "Active For Life" goal). I tried Overdrive to find audiobooks through the library's website, yet was disappointed that they have a checkout system. I was hoping that I could immediately download a title and not have to wait until someone else was finished with it. No such luck!

However, I think this is a very convenient way for people to request books - never having to leave the comfort of their own home.

"23 Things" Wiki

It was fun to play around with the "23 Things" Wiki. Though we were not to edit what someone else had written, it was fun to see that we could - if given the authorization.

I read a few of the wikis that other staff had created and posted for fun and even created one of my own. I am glad that I now know how to create a wiki. I imagine that a Wiki would be a very useful tool when a particular project could be accomplished easier because of having one in place.

Podcasts

I found two directories to locate podcasts : Yahoo! Podcasts and Podcast.net. Yahoo! Podcasts was easy to use and had some cool features: "What We Like This Week - New and Noteworthy" - podcasts that the Yahoo! staff members found interesting, "What Other People Like" and "Tags".

Podcast.net was even easier to use. I was able to listen to different podcasts using the Podcast.net Player in Mozilla Firefox.

Wikis

Why Wiki?

• Easy to use
  • Web-based
  • Simple syntax (don't need to know HTML)
• Anyone can make changes -- no more waiting for the Webmaster to get around to your requested changes.
• Many free and open source options
• Flexible and extensible

Why Not?

• Too open -- "I don't want someone changing my writing!"
• Disorganized
• Vandalism and spam
• 
  

I love the idea of being able to help develop a web page no matter how experienced a computer user I may or may not be.

However, I do not like the idea that someone could destroy all your hard work by vandalizing the page. (Yet, I suppose that is where log ins, passwords, etc... would be helpful).

Technorati

I do not have a lot of interest in Technorati & the world of blogs. When I searched for "Learning 2.0," there were so many posts. After looking at those on the first page, I was overwhelmed. Plus, I questioned the relevance of what was written in some cases.

Though I imagine some people may find Technorati helpful, I am not one of them. Since there are so many other more useful tools available, I do not believe I would have much use for this one.

Library 2.0

"The heart of Library 2.0 is user-centered change. It is a model for library service that encourages constant and purposeful change, inviting user participation in the creation of both the physical and the virtual services they want, supported by consistently evaluating services. It also attempts to reach new users and better serve current ones through improved customer-driven offerings"

If our goal here at HCL is customer loyalty, then Library 2.0 will help us meet that goal. Making the process of meeting customer's needs easier and done in a way that allows them to be actively involved can only help. Plus, change is inevitable. The only way to survive it is to be constantly looking at what the customers will want and striving to provide those services before they even realize they want it!!

Facebook - the Web 2.0 award winning social networking site

I had heard lots about "My Space", since having a teenage daughter, yet not much about Facebook. However, when I went to see what all the buzz was about, I discovered that many of my friends and family members were signed on to Facebook. It was so easy to set up an account. Instantly, I was communicating with people I had lost touch with, and found that they were in contact with other friends that I wanted to communicate with as well.

It was lots of fun, yet a friend of mine warns "Be careful - it can be addicting".

Life-Long learner - Late Entry

Here I am - finally getting back to Thing #2. When asked to blog my thoughts at that time, I had no idea what "blog" meant. Now that I am "using technology to my advantage", I can complete the original request. I love technology, yet only wish I knew more. Being involved in the 23 Things program has given me an opportunity to, at least, begin to scratch the surface of what is available to us.

Tagging

I found that when I tried to organize lots of information with tags only, I was not always successful in finding what I needed two separate times in a row. When I clicked on the same tag name or a slight variation, I would get different responses.

I am sure that there are benefits to tagging, yet it seems like there is so much information tagged in so many different ways. I find that I miss consistency and clarity - everybody calling an apple an apple (vs. brand name of apple, etc...).

Rollyo

I created a Rollyo using many of my favorite book locating sites. The hope was that when a person asks for a book recommendation, I could be more successful at providing different suggestions. Though my Rollyo was slightly helpful, it did not produce the results I had hoped. Perhaps as I use the tool more often, I will learn ways to improve the Rollyo I created.