Evaluation

Now these are tools I can see the point of.
I had heard about Google Alerts but never investigated what they could actually do. I have made an alert for Tumut Library. Hopefully I will be plesently surprised to find that people are googling us non stop.
Really liked Survey Monkey. I think this is a really nifty tool that has no end of uses. This is definitely something that I will investiage the use of further and hopefully find uses for it not only within the library but also for the Shire.
The survey I created was extremely simple and just aimed at getting a grasp on the concept.
Click'>Click'>http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=glQ4QDt_2fWXBkFkFQHLOEGw_3d_3d">Click Here to take survey
Great week and found some really useful stuff.
Cheers

Delicious

Well here we are once again. I hadn't even considered Delicious since completing Web 2.0 last year, so I really had to think hard about what my login and password were to get back into it.
In working through this session I again draw the conclusion that perhaps in an attempt to make life easier we have clogged it with unnecessary things such as Delicious. Make no mistake I can see that for some people this tool would be extremely useful, but it is not the tool for me.
After linking Delicious to my Twitter account I decided to do a bookmark search on dressage, a topic near and dear to my heart. I found a multitude of hits and even found one which I will follow up at a later date when I have time.
In completing Web 2.0 & 2.1 I have had the opportunity to review technologies that I have knowledge in and expose myself to new technologies which I had not taken the opportunity to explore. I love technology and I seriously wonder how I would survive without the Internet these days. Some of the "advances" however which we are exploring through Web 2.1 I am finding to be more time consuming and jargon ridden then expected.
Anyhow Web 2.1 is about exposing us to the latest technologies and for that I am grateful.
Cheers

Twitter

Well I never thought it would happen, I have a Twitter account. Of all the technologies and ways to connect with people Twitter is the one form that I have resisted. I can't say that I am really a fan of the "lets publish my every thought for everyone else to read" phenomenon.
However despite my personal feelings about this particular information stream I am trying to positive about its use. I conducted several searches of Twitter for library related information and tags and whilst I did find some, and a few that were even worth looking at, I can't honestly say that I find Twitter to be of use.
Compared to Facebook and blogs, Twitter in my opinion is limited. As I said above I am not a fan of the way Twitter works with one off thoughts posted here there and everywhere. In comparison Facebook and blogs give greater control over information and the ability to 'discuss' topics and information.
As part of my search of Twitter I also stopped in on the tweets of some celebrities and I have to say that if my life is far to hectic and full of my own excitement to consume myself with an inane thought that a celebrity may have had, so I quickly moved on.
The internet has produced far better social interactive sites then Twitter and I would say that once Web 2.1 is finished my Twitter account with never tweet again. On that note if you want to see my tweets before they end go to http://twitter.com/klt1981
Cheers

Web 2.1 The Journey Continues

Well as is the trend with technology it is ever changing. Web 2.1 sounds very exciting with the possibility of introducing new tecnologies like Twitter.
Since Web 2.0 I have actually started my own blog on card making. I am an avid card maker and wanted the opportunity to document the different types of cards that I have made. To date this blog has been a bit stop start, but who knows it may flouish with Web 2.1 inspiration.
Blogging is a wonderful tool and it has given the everyday person the opportunity to showcase talents, document travels or simply comment on those things of interest to them.
In my travels I have come across a number of blogs, especially card making blogs, which have been great to look at and gain inspiration or information from.
It has been great to rejuvenate my blog and I can't wait to get into Web 2.1.
Cheers for now.

Signing Off

Well this has been a marvellous experience and I would recommend everyone work through the Web 2.0 program.

This program has helped to reinforce my knowledge of many application and it has introduced me to new sites and applications that I would otherwise have not come across.

Internet technology is developing and changing at a rapid pace and even those of us who are tech-savy can often miss new developments or not know the full scope of these applications that we do use. The Web 2.0 format enables everyone, at their own pace, to develop and reinforce their knowledge.

This has been great, thanks to the State Library NSW for running the program and until next time, Cheers!

Social Networking

Ah the wonders of MySpace and Facebook. I personally am a Facebook person and have a nice little Facebook page. In saying that I am a Facebook person please do not assume I am one of those people who documents my entire days activities via this site. No I am a Facebook person who created a page to link up with a friend and view a few photos and from there I have gained a few friends along the way. (As a note these are actual friends who I see and speak with on a regular basis, they are not these cyber friends that seem to have appeared all over the place and I certainly do not have 100's of them)

In relation to the library environment there is an opportunity for us to use these tools to perhaps connect with the younger demographic, which otherwise seem to slip through the cracks in library partnerships. As this is the section of the community that is so connected with these social networking sites, libraries could harness these sites to promote directly to this demographic library activities that are of interest to them.

Whilst I am an avid Internet and gadget geek (yes I can admit it), the social networking side of things is for me a little too impersonal. Whilst you could have 100 friends list in your Facebook, how many of them are actual friends?
There is also an intrusion into what are personal aspects of our lives through these pages, which have become a real issue.
I still like to write an email and send a txt directly to one person in a personal way. That person knows that I am thinking about them when I write and when I write it is styled specifically for them and not the masses.

For now Cheers!

Online Applications

It is truly amazing how much the Internet has altered the way in which we approach tasks. No longer are you limited to one computer, one disk, one opportunity to create, share and experience information, the Internet has made these experience timeless. Or perhaps more to the point Google has completely transformed the computer experience in ever facet possible.

Google.docs is the perfect example of the freeing nature of the Internet. The flexibility it provides people in publishing documents is enormous. It creates a new world where people are now no longer bound to purchase high cost software, which in reality they may only use in a limited capacity.

The only draw back to these applications is the limited formatting available and insert file limits. In other words they don't have all the bells and whistles of Microsoft applications. This can limit the creativity for people in when developing documents, but this again must be held in contrast to the amazing flexibility Google.docs and other online applications provide to the general public.

I personally have never been in a position where I haven't had access to various Microsoft application and conversion software, so I can not understand the frustration that exists for people when trying to complete projects. These new online applications now mean that if you can access the Internet you can complete documents with little fuss.

I am still unsure about the applications of these tools in the library environment. At the Tumut Library we provide people with access to a variety of desktop publishing products, however if these were not available for any reason these online publishing products could easily fill the void.

For now, Cheers!