Week 9 - #21 Podcasts, Smodcasts!

Podcast are the new ‘in’ they are being used to communicate information.

I have listened to quite a few over time but I will have to say I prefer the video podcasts to the audio podcasts. I do not think I would ever make one myself I think my voice is not the best for casting messages.

As part of the week 9 task we were asked to check out a couple of websites that offer podcasts, I tried them all but did not found anything interesting except that Yahoo closed its podcast directory, effective October 31st there are still plenty of places to find podcasts. Therefore, I went looking in other places.

I visited the Library of Congress and found they introduced podcasts, I added National Book Festival Authors Do Podcasts to my blogines feed (see above) and also I have add one from Orange County Library Systems (OCLS) they offer video podcasts you can subscribe to RSS feeds from both these sites. I looked at the Victorian State Library and the National Library of Australia and could not find any obvious reference to podcasts they may have them but I could not find them.

I can see a future for podcasts within libraries if anyone is brave enough to do the voice over.

Week 9: - Video -YouTube

For this exercise I have posted a classic Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis video @ the Library.
I have been to YouTube many times and in previous posts, I have uploaded videos from YouTube.
YouTube is a fun site to visit; it is amazing how many people have uploaded their personal videos or mashups videos they have created.
Libraries could take advantage of the popularity of YouYube and promote some of their activities for example holiday programmes conducted in the library, using the appropriate tags may generate traffic back to the library

Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis @ the Library

Part 1

Part 2

Not happy but still fun-a widget I made - countdown to the Librarians' TV show

Technology can try ones' patience but determination is a wonderful thing.
While I was looking through the award winners of Web 2.0 I came across Springwidget.
This site allows you to make your own widget and because I like to try things, I decided to have a go.
Jumping on the bandwagon about the TV show called The Librarians I decided to make a widget countdown to the premiere of the show.
I am sure there will be a lot of comment some good some bad about this series.
Making the widget was easy, it took me awhile to work out the best way to place it on my blog while I was deciding on this the site went down and I thought I had lost all my work but I did not give up, I waited and tried again and have successfully finished off my widget.
For someone who is not very tech savvy I was quite pleased with myself.
BUT the website is either unstable or my firewall keeps interferring with the script, and it may happen to anyone looking at my blog ( if I turned off my firewall the widget worked but you should not have to comprise your security to make things work) so I decided not to post the widget, even using a page element the widget plays up. So I used Widgetbox to make the countdown to the Librarians
Learning is to challenge oneself continually

Week 8: Online Applications & Tools - WEB 2.0 AWARDS

Blog Guides, Bookmarking, Books Business, City Guides & Reviews, Classifieds and Directories, Collaborative Writing and Word Processing, Communication, Content Aggregation and Management, Digital Storage and Remote Access, Events, Feed Management , Fun Stuff, Games, Health, Hosted Wikis, Lists and Polls, Mapping, Marketing, Mashups, Mobile Technology , Music, Online Desktop, Organization, Philanthropy, Photos and Digital Images, Podcast Services , Professional Networking, Questions and Advice , Real Estate, Retail, Search, Social Networking, Social News, Social Tagging, Start Pages, Travel, Video, Visual Arts, Web Development and Design, Widgets

Where does one begin, so many to look at, so many choices?

I looked at everyone; some I had come across before and even joined a few well before I heard about Web 2.0 and have also posted about some on this blog.

I guess the decision comes down to what your need is, how easy the site is to use, will it still be around in years to come, will it still be free to use.

I think some of these applications/programs if integrated can add value to the services the library offers to their patrons and the community in general.

I was pleased to find an Australian website "The Broth" although its’ only offering applications that can be added to Facebook but still it is an ozzie.

A little bit of blogging humour

Online Applications & Tools - Zoho Writer

Well I tried Zoho Writer and found it very easy to use. I created this document for my daughter so she could place it with the tickets she wants to sell.

I took up the challenge and original posted my creation using Zoho’s "publish" options to post to my blog but the effect was not the same so I have created a link below.
I think Zoho - Work Online is an excellent find and can be very useful for many people, for myself I have all the necessary programs on my computer for all my needs. Google Docs and spreadsheets is another excellent resource for online collaboration, our Library used it for suggestion on ideas for a new look web site for the Library. I give them

click on promotion to view my creation

Videos may not work - my apologies

Today I tried to show my work colleague the videos I had posted using SplashCast and found they would not work on my work computer the reason being I did not have Flash Player installed and I am not able to download it, lucky for me our IT guy did have the player so he was able to view the videos on his computer. So if the videos don't work try installing Flash Player

Playtime No 5 - A couple of videos featuring Libraries

A great little programme to show case your favourite videos at one time. There are 6 videos set in a Library situation, the controls are at the bottom left hand corner (move your mouse over the screen and they will appear) you choose which one you want to view or watch them as they appear. I found SplashCast through an RSS Feed.

Wikis - Week 7- Playing around with PBWiki

Wikis, looking around at a few, I feel that I have a good understanding of how they work.

Wiki’s can be a great way of sharing information either internal or external.

Internal could be a work related one, allowing staff collaboration on a particular subject created.

Our Library created a Wiki called “Ideas for the future” staff was able to offer up their ideas/thoughts on the new directions and projects in the pipeline for the library service.

The external can be a valuable source to share around information as to what is happening around the community.

The Library Success and The Book Lovers Wikis are a great idea for sharing information.

Most Wikis require you to register although it is possible to a have a generic login. Because anyone can edit and/or add to the content perhaps when setting up an external Wiki for the community the Library perhaps add a warning to the public that information contained in wikis may not be accurate.

I have added my blog to PBwiki Learning 2.0 SandBox wiki, Favourite Blogs page under AUSTRALIAN BLOGS

More thoughts and ideas on Web2.0, Learning 2.0 and Libraries

Since posting my thoughts about Web2.0, Learning 2.0 I came across a few post about communities, libraries and Web 2.0 in my RSS feeds. I found these post very informative (no doubt they say it better than I do) and wanted to share so here are the links with the title of the posts. You will have to scroll down for the last two.

It’s about the community
http://www.davidleeking.com/2007/10/02/its-about-the-community/

Using Web 2.0 to Communicate with Customers
http://librarianinblack.typepad.com/librarianinblack/

Telling the Library's Story: A TTW Fave
http://tametheweb.com/

Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the future of libraries and my thoughts.

The web has become the THING everyone is using it or nearly everyone. first it was the tech savvy people or geeks as some people were called, the computers was something only a few people owned like when colour television started not everyone had one now everyone has one and the same goes for computers, then laptops, which are no longer just used for typing up a document, or homework. The web has changed how we do things; you can do your shopping online, your banking you can even talk to a friend or family member who lives across the other side of the world.
With introduction of emails and chat, the way we communicate with each other has changed, then came along social networking making friends with people you have never met.
Technology and the web has slowly crept into our way of life, sometimes without us realizing that it has, it’s in the home, it’s at work and even when you are out and about. Mobile phones, PDAs and laptops have giving us a very mobile life style.
Web 2.0 has brought into the conscience of the business world of how technology and the web if integrated into their services would benefit them and their customers. The young (perhaps not so young) have taken to these new services offered through the web for example there is MySpace, Facebook, RSS feeds, YouTube and many other types of social networks and also blogging they use these to communicate with each other or showcase their likes or dislikes.
Libraries can take advantage of some these new toys (for wont of a better word), RSS feeds to patrons about new additions to the collection, podcasts of events that happen or will happen, Facebook for a pictorial of events, blogging. Perhaps have a community blog to inform about what is happening in their areas or even a Wiki allowing patron to offer suggestion to the library, or create a book discussion online
Web 2.0 or Learning 2.o can bring the library and the community together to make them one, so the Library will no longer be seen has just a place that hold books but a place for the community and the Library to become partners for the future development of all.

Time out for play + a lesson

My creation

I came across this website while reading through a blog, String Spin you draw a couple of lines or more, click play, watch the magic happen. You could say it's the electronic version of creating a string picture using a board, nails and string which was the craze a few or more years ago. If you want to save a copy of your creation you will have to take a screen dump (press 'Print Screen')

Tip: a quick way of achiving this is to paste your screen dump into PowerPoint, crop the picture to your liking, right click scroll dow to 'save as picture ' choose jpg format give it a name and save, see example, good luck.