NUMBER 23, I MADE IT!

I can't believe it, I'm finally at number 23. It's been a great experience, though at times I did want to pick up the computer and throw it as far as I could. If nothing else, it's shown me if I stick with something I can finish it, no matter the roadblocks. I appreciate the help of Megan, Benola, and of course the Library 2.0 mavens, Louisa, Barb, and Michelle. Without their help, I'd be stuck back in the single digits I'm sure.
Although I use the computer every day, I still am awed by what it can do and the portals it can open for us. The problem is always which door do you choose, number 1, 2, or 800? I've had fun and learned a lot. Unfortunately, I've forgotten things I've done, too, but I know I can go back here and refresh my memory if I need to do so. At least now, if someone asks me about blogging, RSS feeds, or avatars, I can respond without having a huge question mark hanging over my head.
In response to the question would I take up a challenge like this again, I'd say "definitely" because I'm always willing to try new things - except for skydiving like Cathy C. I would recommend, however, that we have the technology to do the things we're asked to do before we start. Some of the problems I had were due to the inability to access a site or have the upgrade needed to do the task. I know some of the problems would have happened anyway, but although "it's all about me", I did feel badly about bothering the tech guys when they have so much other stuff on their plates. I appreciate their help in all this also.
And last, but not least, I'd like to thank the academy.

NUMBER 22, ALMOST THERE

Hey, a big thanks to the Tech Guys for making this one possible. I finally got to read a book online and listen to one, too. Reading online doesn't appeal to me, except for maybe looking at some how-to thing, but when I get my mp3 player, I can definitely see myself downloading the audiobooks. I wonder if parents have thought about downloading the juvenile audio books so the kids could listen to books on their mp3 players instead of having to use the cd player in the car - maybe Mom and Dad don't want to listen to Coraline by Neil Gaiman on the family vacation. Anything we library people can do to connect people with books is a good thing.

NUMBER 21: PODCASTS

PODCASTS - A good thing? Yeah, I think so, but I have to make everything difficult. I registered for about a million podcast sites to try to get one to work and just going to Podcastalley.com ended up being the best for me. I like the setup of categories and when I clicked on "Education" I found podcast lessons on several languages. I had taken Spanish in school and I had always wanted to learn the French language, but it wasn't an option. Now I can try to learn by podcast. I've linked the first lesson.
http://www.thefrenchecole.com/soundbytes/podcast/tfe1.m4a

Louisa tried to help me do a podcast, but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. We just have to figure out why it wouldn't save. I must say it sounded pretty good, but alas, no record of it, just Louisa's memory. I just hope I can figure out how to do a podcast before I retire, but don't get your hopes up kids, I have to be here forever, and it might take me that long.

Evolution of Dance

Judson Laipply was the closing speaker at the recent OLC Convention and Expo. He did this at the end of his presentation. What a hoot! He has the Evolution of Dance 2 coming out soon. He's waiting to get the rights for all the songs he uses. Here in the library world, it's nice to see that someone understands the importance of doing things "legally" in the world of copyright abuse. I'm also sure he understands he could be sued by numerous people if he didn't get their permission in advance!

By the way, I can't believe how easy it was to do this!

Enjoy!

NUMBER 19

So many things to look at - or should I say too many things? The thing about these blogs is they suck you in. You look at one, and then you look at the next and so on and so on. I went to the awards and looked at the short list. Naturally, I looked at City Guides and Reviews. Youngstown didn't have much of a representation, but I expected that. I thought it interesting in YELP that Columbus, Cleveland, or Pittsburgh had no mentions on the first page of cities, and thought it even more interesting that when you looked further, Pittsburgh had no mention at all. Guess it's not as big of a city as I thought it was. I was able to access Pittsburgh info by typing in the name. One of the things I like about the blogs is that they seem to be by "real" people, not just professional reviewers, so you get more realistic, shorter, and to the point reviews. For example: "good, but overpriced for Pittsburgh" or just the simple, "stay away". I really didn't care for Judy's Book, maybe it's because I looked in the 44512 zip. Hundreds of hits, but nothing really local - all online, or maybe from a national ad. I randomly clicked on one that's a local store from a national chain and the info on the product was there, but no price - what's the point of that?

Actually, the award page itself is the good thing. It gives us a place to start for different subjects so we should be able to help people find things in sites that have gotten good reviews.

Bottom line - If I want to find somewhere to dine or find something to do in a city, I'd go back to YELP.

NUMBER 18 ONLINE PRODUCTIVITY

It's a good thing I'm not to the audio part yet, or there might be some choice words about this activity. Honestly, this is a good thing, and I'm sure that eventually it's going to do what I want, but it's not working that way, yet... I'm going to move on and come back to this, because I know it's going to be a tough fight to get Zoho and my blog to cooperate. I'm almost there, but I've got some kinks to work out and it may take a while. I'm going on to 19, but don't worry, I'm coming back to this, because I especially want this one to work out for me - I can really see potential here.

WEB 2.0, LIBRARY 2.0, ETC.

I've read everything and I'm overwhelmed with the possibilities and problems the future holds. Where do librarians fit in all this, where do our patrons fit? How do we keep up, or should I say try to stay one step ahead of one group of patrons while others are struggling just to keep their heads above water? There has always been and always will be the separation between those that have and those that don't. The problem seems to be that the information gap is getting wider and wider between these groups. The library has always been the go-between, serving both equally. With funding resources the way they are, you have to wonder how we're going to provide the services everyone wants. It seems that someone is going to get left out, let's hope it's not left behind.