Hedgehog

Review

2011-10-13T11:10:00.001+13:00

This has been really useful in assisting me writing up my Prof Reg Journal - lots of things I had forgotten about here. And interesting to see how many of them seem dated now, looking back to 2008!

The End of Round 2

2010-11-05T14:07:00.002+13:00

The end of Manukau City and the end of Web 2.0, two significant events for the second half of 2010!

This Web 2.0 round was better in the time allocation given, with less pressure to complete each activity, especially for us part time staff. And it was great to visit some really useful sites such as Box.net, which will be a useful solution for customers who do not have a USB stick to save work to.

One disappointing aspect was the inability to access some of the video clips and sites due to them being blocked by Web Marshal. Made it a little incomplete for me.

This is a great way to introduce new sites and tools to staff for passing on to our customers, especially for those of us who do not use some of these.

Ready for the next round .......

Week 6: EnCompassCulture

2010-11-05T13:34:00.003+13:00

This is a nice site to navigate and would have been a great help with Reader Advisory -- BUT .....
As of 1 November 2010 it was decommissioned! Great timing! So - yes - I would have used this site & recommended it to patrons.

I liked the ease of searching for exactly what you wanted. And the added feature of showing where you could obtain the books, anywhere in the world, with links to various websites. The Booklists were also great - for example "A Celebration of Indian Writing".

A shame it is now defunct, but as long as it is still available on-line it will be of use.

Week 5: Slideshare

2010-10-27T09:40:00.002+13:00

Looks like a great site for people wanting to share products/ideas on-line. But I found it very slow to load any presentation - in fact I gave up after trying a few and getting getting bored watching the little circle thing going round & round. But there were quite a few interesting results for libraries, perhaps I might try again at home.

Can't really see a use for me but if a customer wanted to promote something it might be worth a try. Another useful site to keep in mind for the future.

Still having my inbox stuffed - haven't become brave enough to turn it off yet.

Week 4: Tastespotting

2010-10-17T11:27:00.003+13:00

As expected from my last blog, my inbox is being stuffed with "news". Not sure how long I will continue but really afraid if I delete it I will miss some groundbreaking news (or some insignificant thing that is really interesting).

As for Tastespotting, the pictures are great. Some weird & wonderful names such as Snickerdoodle Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwiches (shown left).

Neat that the recipies are from round the world, I found some in French and noticed the current glut of Halloween themed cookies etc. The site is really easy to use & search. I never knew there could be so many recipies for mushrooms (1618 of them).

This is a neat site for foodies. Nice to see something other than a book/library orientated site, but not really relevant to this Web 2.0 exercise.

Week 3: Feed My Inbox

2010-10-01T14:17:00.003+13:00

This was relatively easy to sign up to and seems like a good way to add feeds. But I found it annoying that you had to know exactly what the url for the site you wanted to follow was - no search facility. And once you opened a window there was no back button, so using the site overall seemed a bit clunky.

Will see how it goes, no doubt it will start filling up my inbox with useless messages - not sure why there has to be a daily message, would be better just when there was something new (or a selection for a weekly update instead of daily). And I did not get any results for www.manukaulibraries.govt.nz but did get several feeds for Auckland Libraries (are we missing out here?).

Don't think there is too much relevance for our customers, it is a good tool for following specific feeds on a personal basis but we would seldom get the opportunity to promote it (we don't look over their shoulders & make suggestions).

Week Two - PiccApp

2010-09-10T13:20:00.003+12:00

This is a neat site for getting free & legal photos, with the emphasis on free. And easy to use once you worked out how to capture the image & get it into your blog. I liked the search function as you could be quite specific as to what you wanted to see & then choose from the thumbnails.
Would recommend to others, but seldom get the opportunity to assist customers who would find this useful, most internet users know what they are doing or just want to do the minimum. Don't know if the images are everlasting as they are a web link, will they disappear in the future leaving the dreaded red cross? Could not find anywhere on the site to answer this.

I liked this photo of a British Zoo Keeper in 1940 with an armful of wee beasties. Needed the gloves!

Web 2.0 Round 2 - Week 1: Box.net

2010-08-13T15:35:00.003+12:00

On to the next round of learning!

I liked Box.net - especially the ability to create & store documents on the site. This would be useful for people who do not have access to Microsoft Word or similar, so would recommend it to customers - and it is free! Also, it would be an easy way to share files instead of e-mail, for example if there was a group of people requiring access to a document. The ability to edit (simply), save & print is also a bonus.
Uploading was quick & simple (once over the initial settings glitch), in fact the whole site was easy to use & navigate. Once again I would be hesitant to upload anything personal (as with any site) as I am basically very reluctant to share anything on line that could be used by people of doubtful integrity.

The End

2010-06-26T20:01:00.002+12:00

Much better experience than last time around - not as intensive & more relevant sites visited.
Very frustrating being blocked from sites by MCC. Eventually had to complete most of the training at home due to lack of time & available computers. Was impressed by Zamzar & Good reads, will probably use these. Nice to take a look at the other popular social networking sites, but won't be using them myself. Overall, good refresher on Web 2.0.

Facebook

2010-06-26T19:44:00.002+12:00

Visited my facebook page for the first time since I created it last Web 2.0! Hope those who wanted to be my friend were not too disappointed I didn't get back to them!

I know it is a very popular social networking site & is great in some situations e.g. keeping in touch when travelling, but - I am not a fan. It is hard to navigate around, there is too much happening - and who gets time to read all the stuff that arrives? Even with only a handful of friends. Can't imagine what it must be like with hundreds of friends as some people have. Full time - kind of what the college kids were saying in the Youtube clip.

Don't think facebook needs promoting to our customers - those that need it, have it. And I think the Manukau Libraries website is a better vehicle for our activities etc - not lost in the other junk.

Week 5 : Music files and mp3s

2010-06-18T20:11:00.004+12:00

Well - what a disappointment that was - signed up to Amazon.com only to find that only those lucky enough to live in the good old US of A were allowed to download mp3 from this site.

So I then went & took a look at Free Albums Galore - this would be a great site for those keen on classical & alternative music (strange combination). Not me.

Finally, I signed up to mp3.com & tried to download a song - but - nothing happened. This site is great for finding info about artists & their albums, it directs you to where you can purchase the tunes apparently - but I could not get it to work.

Think I will stick to iTunes - simple, can buy a gift card, no need to put credit card info on-line. But it does lack some of the more unusual artists I would like to download (which I did find on the above sites but could not download - grrrr!)

It would appear that most of the "free"music out there is not the popular commercial stuff, rather tunes that small unknown bands have uploaded to get exposure. You get what you pay for.

Goodreads

2010-06-11T19:28:00.002+12:00

Kind of like Library Thing isn't it? This appears to be a website for the serious readers - not for those who are happy to read a book & enjoy it, but for those who want to talk about it & share opinions. A Book Club on-line really.

Would recommend it to those customers who live remotely or are unable to attend gatherings but who would enjoy this kind of thing - and on a global scale. Not something for our regular customers though.

Also would be good for those reviewing books to see what other people thought. And for library staff who are developing Next Reads and such.

Twitter

2010-06-04T16:07:00.002+12:00

Have avoided getting dragged in to Twitter up until now. And probably won't use it once Web 2.0 is over. Definitely won't be signing up with my personal e-mail. Was easy enough to join, but can see that one could spend a lot of time just browsing. Found it really annoying that I could not access it through my login, I must have quite a list of illegal attempted accesses against my login name by now!

Who really wants to know about what people are doing right this minute?

Can see the usefulness for advertising events & such as Manukau Libraries do. But I would prefer to send a text or ring my circle of friends for the more personal stuff. And not sure I am happy about being out there in the public domain, even though I set up my privacy settings. Just how private is it really?

Zamzar

2010-05-28T14:25:00.004+12:00

Hey - what a useful tool this is! Tried a couple of conversions & they were very quick. A little confused at first as the selected file did not appear in the box, but when I tried to add it again Zamzar told me not to be stupid as it was already there! Worked a treat though.

Can definitely see me using this tool (if I can remember it under pressure at the time). I guess the limiting factor would be if the patrons had an e-mail address already (if not, add another 10 -15 minutes to set them up with one, and also whether they would want to pay to access the converted file?). But it will be a good tool to try just when we are looking stupid in front of the patrons 'cause we can't work miracles, produce just what they want & save the day!

http://www.zamzar.com/

Here we go again.....

2010-05-21T13:12:00.000+12:00

What a long time since I looked at this blog (last post Sept 17 2008) - was rather surprised that I could remember my login and password after all this time (and that they actually worked still!)

It will be interesting to see what new developments there have been in the world of Web 2.0 since my last interaction. And hopefully the chance to see some new things. I am also hoping it won't be as time consuming as the last round.

Sometimes I get the feeling that blogs, facebook, twitter etc are already becoming old news - personally I think they are a great way to divert your attention & spend time (sometimes time you can't spare).

The Last Post

2008-09-18T18:25:00.003+12:00

Well - made it at last!
I would agree that experience has enhanced my Web 2.0 skills, (which were pretty non-existant), and has provided me with some useful information and knowledge to help provide better service to our customers. If anyone ever asks.
However, it has been a major effort to complete the programme (especially as it has all been done at home). Not really designed for part-time people and I feel sorry for those that only work 1 day a week but who were also expected to participate. A shorter version might have been more appropriate.
But on the whole, the experience has been a rewarding one!

E-books

2008-09-18T18:25:00.002+12:00

Took a look at Project Gutenburg at http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
Unbelievable that 452 people downloaded the Illustrated History of Furniture by Frederick Litchfield yesterday. Interesting to see that there are a lot of textbooks & general reference books available here. Not just popular fiction. And such a range of languages available - never heard of Friulano before, but there are 4 books available in this lingo.

Week 9 - Podcasts

2008-09-18T18:25:00.001+12:00

Podcast, vodcast - what next!
Well, believe it or not there is a Library podcast which I found on http://podcast.com called The Library Channel.

"The Library Channel - Podcasts. Join our staff, students, and friends in lectures, roundtable discussions, announcements and tips in the latest trends for research libraries. Take an audio tour of one of our libraries, subscribe to the latest news, or watch video presentations. The Library Channel is your source for all things library."

Wow. Listened to one about old Arizona which was quite interesting.

You Tube - Funny Cats

2008-09-18T18:25:00.000+12:00

You Tube - well you could spend a long time watching all these videos, some are really trashy, but others are really good.
Thought this video was quite funny, especially with the added sound effects.

(Week 8) Discovering Web 2.0 tools

2008-09-08T20:30:00.000+12:00

As I have an interest in genealogy, I took a look at the first prize winner - My Heritage at . a site that originates in Israel of all places. Looks like quite a good family history site, it allows upload of your family photos & you can creat a web page as well. One interesting feature is the application of advanced face recognition technology to personal photos and family history; and it's free! It also has the usual message boards & family tree building software to download. Easy to navigate around & nice layout. Can see why it won an award

Zoho

2008-09-08T20:19:00.001+12:00

What a neat tool Zoho is. Can see great possibilities here for presentations etc. I often wondered how people could put together such complicated slideshows - now we know!

Week 7: Social Networking

2008-09-01T19:00:00.000+12:00

Social networking - another great little video clip to describe how it works.
Signed up to Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/) & found Ed on holiday in the USA. Hopefully he will be my friend. Would like to hear about his adventures since he left us. Facebook is a bit Americanised I think, still, I can see it does have great potential for making contact with old friends etc.
Bebo (http://www.bebo.com/) - a bit teeny-bopper 4 me - I had trouble reading some of the messages, (showing my age I think) and there is obviously no censoring of language required! Can see the attraction for the younger set.
Hennepin County Library http://www.facebook.com/pages/Minnetonka-MN/Hennepin-County-Library/ - nice to see a message from Manukau Libraries on the wall. Guess this is an alternative way of getting noticed by the Facebook users.

Icebergs

2008-08-26T19:37:00.000+12:00

Away from the “icebergs” by Rick Anderson

How true this article is - especially the quote "Libraries are poorly equipped and insufficiently staffed for teaching." We need to somehow make it easier for patrons to access the information they need without requiring specific training or assistance. Perhaps more specific links to popular websites eg Google, Hotmail, so that just one click takes them there.

The Library 2.0 concept is an exciting one and we must ensure that we are not left behind, especially in the areas of knowledge and technology. People only need one disappointing experience to put them off a library visit - even if it is only to use a computer & they ignore the books.

Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us

2008-08-26T19:31:00.000+12:00

What a neat video clip this is - very clever. And it points out some valid important issues such as copyright and authorship - how can these be controlled effectively on the web?

Technorati

2008-08-26T19:02:00.000+12:00

Today we are taking a look at Technorati (http://technorati.com/tag/Learning+2.0) specifically looking for WEb 2.0 blogs, of which there are a lot - 896 in fact with the tag of Learning 2.0.
The section on popular books is worth taking a look at too. Amazing the range of different languages used - this would annoy me I think, not being able to read every message.

I still wonder at the value of spending so much time looking at all this stuff (most of it at home I might add) when surely it would be of more value to be learning about the things people always ask about e.g. how do I make this photo bigger, how can I print this, why isn't this working. It always amazes me that the public expect us to be fountains of knowledge regarding every computer application that exists.

Del.icio.us

2008-08-15T20:13:00.000+12:00

This looks like a useful site for people on the move and for groups with a common interest, however I dont know if I would want everyone to see & share my bookmarked sites. Also, there is a problem with currency - several of the bookmarks I tried did not exist anymore.
The YouTube video clip was good at explaining the concept.

http://delicious.com/

Also added a couple of gadgets to my blog today for fun. Smiley face & today in history.

PBWiki Sandbox

2008-08-10T21:09:00.000+12:00

Another form of artificial communication! Could be useful for remote planning as was demonstrated in the Camping video clip (which I thought was a great way of describing a wiki).
Interesting to see what turns people on.

Wiki

2008-08-10T20:26:00.000+12:00

Norwich University, Northfield, Vermont, USA have used a wiki for their Library Research Guides. See http://library2.norwich.edu/guide/index.php/Main_Page

This looks like a great way to organise resources, it also introduces the staff responsible for each area e.g. Meredith Farkas, 802-485-2168 mfarkas@norwich.edu is the librarian for Criminal Justice students at the University. Using this site you can click on subject headings to find books on that topic in the library catalogue and also follow web links to Government departments & online databases. Very useful.

Beatties Book Blog

2008-08-05T14:05:00.000+12:00

Lots of info here - recommended by New Zealand Book Council.

Check it out: www.beattiesbookblog.blogspot.com/

Beattie's Book Blog
Former leading New Zealand publisher and bookseller, and widely experienced judge of both the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, talks about what he is currently reading, what impresses him and what doesn't, along with chat about the international English language book scene, and links to sites of interest to booklovers.

Technology

2008-08-03T19:28:00.000+12:00

What a lot of fuss about the new i-phone! There are a lot of people out there who will just have to have one - but they may be disappointed with the product. For instance - you cannot send PXT messages (something even a basic phone with camera can do) and it does not have a flash or torch.
No doubt there will be a new version once everyone has complained enough and hopefully it will be more affordable. There are some wonderful features and how neat to have everything in one package (i-pod, camera, e-mail, internet etc), not to mention all the other little treasures like maps, alarm, weather etc.

Trading card

2008-08-03T19:17:00.001+12:00

I found making this card using Trading Card Maker quite easy compared to some of the previous activities. It is quite mind-boggling to see what is available for constructing a wide range of material.

Flickr

2008-07-28T20:12:00.000+12:00

Flickr: Explore interesting things from 19th July 2008

I chose this day as it was my birthday. Quite a range of different photographic subjects. I quite liked the boiled egg photo - what makes one want to photograph breakfast?

Rollyo

2008-07-24T16:08:00.000+12:00

What a lot of great toys there are out there in internet land. Can't help wondering what adverse effects signing up to all these sites will have in the future.

Rollyo - could be a very useful tool, especially for sites visited often. Bit annoying the search box doesn't quite fit in the left margin of the blog though, so it will have to be relegated to the bottom of the page for now. One could spend ages trying to set out the page to look nice, but time is limited.

Library Thing

2008-07-21T20:07:00.000+12:00

This looks like a great way of keeping track of my favorite books & authors.

http://www.librarything.com/rsshtml/recent/Hedgehog2

Home | LibraryThing

2008-07-21T20:02:00.000+12:00

Home LibraryThing

fd's Flickr Toys: Do fun stuff with your photos

2008-07-21T19:38:00.000+12:00

fd's Flickr Toys: Do fun stuff with your photos

This is neat - you can turn your photos into a jigsaw!

LetterJames - Image Gallery

2008-07-21T19:21:00.000+12:00

LetterJames - Image Gallery

Pictures

2008-07-21T19:13:00.000+12:00

Tonight I have had a play with pictures at LetterJames.
It looks like it was a nice day in Paris when this photo was taken.

The link to LetterJames is http://www.letterjames.com/start.php?mod=image-personalization

RSS Feed

2008-07-13T20:28:00.000+12:00

Hmmm - getting the hang of things but agree this is quite hard, even for a semi-computer literate lump.

My RSS feed link is http://www.bloglines.com/public/Hedgehog2

Have to admit I found Dilbert the most attractive feed. How sad.

Week 2

2008-07-12T20:54:00.000+12:00

As a part timer I am having real difficulty finding the time (uninterrupted) at work to do these exercises, hence here I am at home doing them while the All Blacks play. And today was even worse with Millenium out all morning, offline circ, new staff and just to top it all off we are in the middle of tagging for RFID. No wonder I was a little stressed!

The RSS feeds exercise was tricky, especially as I couldn't get some of the feeds to copy as I had not confirmed my e-mail address (that will have to wait until tomorrow at work). What I really want to know is how many people spend their life doing this stuff?

2008-07-05T20:38:00.000+12:00

Hello All

Here goes with my first ever blog.

A joke for you:
A woman & her husband interrupted their holiday to go to the dentist.
"I want a tooth pulled and I don't want Novacaine because we're in a big hurry," the woman said. "Just extract the tooth as quickly as possible & we'll be on our way."
The dentist was quite impressed. "You're certainly a courageous woman," he said. "Which tooth is it?"
The woman turned to her husband and said, "Show him your tooth dear."

More importantly, can the Springboks play in sub-antarctic conditions? Are they wearing their woolies?