The Terrible Truth about Tagging on Technorati
I get it. Tagging a post is different than tagging a blog. A blog with a tagg is going to have posts about the subject on a regular basis. Just searching a post only gives you recent examples of when anyone discussed a subject. This is useful if you are looking for info or opinions on a particular event or product, (say you want to know more about the new I-phone) you would be best served to search posts. Searching for the blog tagg will help you find a blog that is going to be consistently (at least partially) about the topic you are interested in (Japanese poetry, economics in Uganda, whatever). So think of the blogg taggs as searching for the title of a journal, and the post taggs as searching for a specific article in said journal. What is better? Depends on what your looking for. For the purpose of learning 2.0, I found that the blogg tagg results were more relevant and useful.
As for the top searches...why would you search for a blog about myspace? I guess there is a great deal of varying opinion and argument over the issue but I mean really? Popularity doesn't = credibility so you can keep the top 100.
On a side bar, what is this authority stuff on technorati? I suppose I should find out but my guess is it's like seller ratings on e-bay and what does that really tell you about someones actual authority on an issue? I think not so much.
-M
Friday, September 14, 2007
Thing #17 Sandbox Wiki
Editing a sandbox/wiki
I think that wiki totally open to the public (or any very large population) can easily get out of control with too many creative voices and not enough accountability for ones actions. But I have to admit they are fun. The actual editing process on this particular sandbox was very easy. I haven't had much experience on a sandbox or wiki and I had no trouble posting to the site.
I'm afraid that's about all I have to say about that.
-M
I think that wiki totally open to the public (or any very large population) can easily get out of control with too many creative voices and not enough accountability for ones actions. But I have to admit they are fun. The actual editing process on this particular sandbox was very easy. I haven't had much experience on a sandbox or wiki and I had no trouble posting to the site.
I'm afraid that's about all I have to say about that.
-M
Thing #5 Flickr
Exploring Flickr
I was actually surprised not to see MORE photos of summer reading displays! We all work so hard to get our libraries all jazzed up for summer reading with colorful displays and amazing programs. Sharing the fruits of those labors could inspire others.
I was impressed, for example by the Worthington Libraries in Ohio (who also have a very impressive website http://www.worthingtonlibraries.org/).
The Northwest branch, where the pictures were taken, really went all out jazzing up the place with hanging records, music notes, a music stand complete with sheet music, and a violin. The part of the decor which stuck out in my mind the most were these lovely silhouettes.
Photo Posted By: Worthington Libraries
at Flickr: Northwest Library summer reading decorations, 2006.
-M
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Thing #15 Library 2.0
After reading the commentarys about web 2.0 at http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/1.htm I have one over arching comment: What about the computer illiterate? All these ideas about moving all our resources on to the web and updating our libraries misses one key feature, we still have many people in this society who are grossly computer illiterate. While the number will fall as the number of people who grew up around computers grows, even in my limited experience as a public librarian I still encounter many people everyday who lack even basic computer skills. I love many of the ideas that library 2.0 suggests to us in this profession, but we cannot afford to leave high percentages of our patronage that are either completely computer illiterate, or are at least computer shy, behind. The point of libraries has always been to democratize information and offer priceless information to everyone. Be they digitally challenged or financially challenged, a library should be the place where you can what ever kind of information you want or need.
On a lighter note one specific thing that struck me "quite a change from monolithic...long development times and software release cycles web 2.0..." I hope everyone gets that...that web 2.0, that name is based on the idea that it is the second cycle or software release of the web. And it's funny how the author of this comment was referring directly to the software cycles that gave it it's name.
And I LOVE the NCSU library's catalog http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/!
The flexibility that the catalog hat is the best way to search.
On a lighter note one specific thing that struck me "quite a change from monolithic...long development times and software release cycles web 2.0..." I hope everyone gets that...that web 2.0, that name is based on the idea that it is the second cycle or software release of the web. And it's funny how the author of this comment was referring directly to the software cycles that gave it it's name.
And I LOVE the NCSU library's catalog http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/!
The flexibility that the catalog hat is the best way to search.
Monday, September 10, 2007
A quote that exemplifies learning (LATI)
Find a quote that exemplifies what you think and feel about learning. Note why this quote resonates with you.
As often as a study is cultivated by narrow minds, they will draw from it narrow conclusions. [Auguste Comte and Positivism (1865)]Mill, John Stuart (1806 - 1873)English philosopher, economist and reformer
This quote resonates with me because I believe it contains an important caution about learning. If we do not approach information with an open mind, we learn absolutely nothing. This is not to say that one should except every item of information that is presented to him or her, but that each piece of information should be given fair and carefuly consideration before it should be accepted. If you build your knowledge up on false assumptions made by quickly rejecting or embracing certain thoughts or theories (or even alleged facts) than everything else you build upon it is subject to fall apart if this basic concept does not hold up to scrutiny.
-M
As often as a study is cultivated by narrow minds, they will draw from it narrow conclusions. [Auguste Comte and Positivism (1865)]Mill, John Stuart (1806 - 1873)English philosopher, economist and reformer
This quote resonates with me because I believe it contains an important caution about learning. If we do not approach information with an open mind, we learn absolutely nothing. This is not to say that one should except every item of information that is presented to him or her, but that each piece of information should be given fair and carefuly consideration before it should be accepted. If you build your knowledge up on false assumptions made by quickly rejecting or embracing certain thoughts or theories (or even alleged facts) than everything else you build upon it is subject to fall apart if this basic concept does not hold up to scrutiny.
-M
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Week 9 Thing 23 Summery
1. My favorite discovery exercise was online productivity exercise I Had never used an online word processor before and I think it is one of the most useful web 2.0 type resources in the whole program. As I mentioned in my post for that 'thing' I believe it could be a very useful resource for patrons who have trouble moving data around.
2. This program has not affected my life long learning goals. I already had goals before this program and I still have them after.
3. My favorite take-away from this program was Pandora.com an online radio station that you can program by telling it what kind of music you like and do not like. Personally, that was my favorite part of the program.
4. To improve this program I would recommend a more careful consideration of the 'things' used and/or how one is directed to look at them. There is a difference between familiarizing ones self with a professional resource that may be used to help staff field questions, or may be useful to staff and patrons, and poking around a site like youtube, that you familiarize yourself with to help patrons navigate the site. I think that discovery excesses could be more carefully tailored to each purpose. Such as giving staff a question to answer using the site, or a specific topic to search. Having a reason to use a site or application in a specific manner would help familiarize a learner with it in a much more real way than just asking us to poke around.
5. I would chose to participate in future programs if offered CEUs.
6. 23 things, a bunch of moderately useful stuff you might not have heard of yet. (Hows that for marketing?)
-M
2. This program has not affected my life long learning goals. I already had goals before this program and I still have them after.
3. My favorite take-away from this program was Pandora.com an online radio station that you can program by telling it what kind of music you like and do not like. Personally, that was my favorite part of the program.
4. To improve this program I would recommend a more careful consideration of the 'things' used and/or how one is directed to look at them. There is a difference between familiarizing ones self with a professional resource that may be used to help staff field questions, or may be useful to staff and patrons, and poking around a site like youtube, that you familiarize yourself with to help patrons navigate the site. I think that discovery excesses could be more carefully tailored to each purpose. Such as giving staff a question to answer using the site, or a specific topic to search. Having a reason to use a site or application in a specific manner would help familiarize a learner with it in a much more real way than just asking us to poke around.
5. I would chose to participate in future programs if offered CEUs.
6. 23 things, a bunch of moderately useful stuff you might not have heard of yet. (Hows that for marketing?)
-M
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Week 9 Thing 22 e-books and e-audio books
Generally speaking, I am not a big fan of audio books. I just don't pay attention to sounds the way I pay attention to written words. I end up letting the sound be background like I do with music and I concentrate on something else because I feel like I'm not doing anything when I'm just listening to a CD.
I also hate reading large bodies of text on a monitor. when ever I have an article or something to read online that's longer than a couple pages I print it out. So needless to say, all e-books and e-audio books are not high on my interest list.
That being said, I did find and download several audio books of the Maryland Consortium site. (the two sites listed for the 23 things do not appear to be available for Cecil County) I found several titles I was interested in, and three that I could download without a wait on a hold list. Project Gutenberg looked like it would have been a good resource when I was in school as it seems to have works with a more scholarly feel to them. I will have to look around more some time I am in a brainy mood.
I have one very real complaint however.
I INTENSELY dislike the fact that I have to download a special media player to listen to the books on cd. I already have 5 or 6 media players. I don't want a 7th. I want to use winamp or iTunes to listen to my book on tape. I'm sure they can figure out all the petty little 'you can't transfer or save or whatever this file' into mp3 format so I can listen to it like I do every other piece of audio I get off the net. Forcing users to download a special player limits the use of theses e-files as people at public computers (for example IN A LIBRARY!) may not be able to install programs on the computer they are working at. Mp3 format is so standard that almost any machine you can find today already has at least one program that can play these kinds of files.
Mp3 format. It's not to much to ask.
That's my 4 cents on the matter. You can keep the change.
-M
I also hate reading large bodies of text on a monitor. when ever I have an article or something to read online that's longer than a couple pages I print it out. So needless to say, all e-books and e-audio books are not high on my interest list.
That being said, I did find and download several audio books of the Maryland Consortium site. (the two sites listed for the 23 things do not appear to be available for Cecil County) I found several titles I was interested in, and three that I could download without a wait on a hold list. Project Gutenberg looked like it would have been a good resource when I was in school as it seems to have works with a more scholarly feel to them. I will have to look around more some time I am in a brainy mood.
I have one very real complaint however.
I INTENSELY dislike the fact that I have to download a special media player to listen to the books on cd. I already have 5 or 6 media players. I don't want a 7th. I want to use winamp or iTunes to listen to my book on tape. I'm sure they can figure out all the petty little 'you can't transfer or save or whatever this file' into mp3 format so I can listen to it like I do every other piece of audio I get off the net. Forcing users to download a special player limits the use of theses e-files as people at public computers (for example IN A LIBRARY!) may not be able to install programs on the computer they are working at. Mp3 format is so standard that almost any machine you can find today already has at least one program that can play these kinds of files.
Mp3 format. It's not to much to ask.
That's my 4 cents on the matter. You can keep the change.
-M
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