Crazed Bunny

PodPeople

2008-08-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

I subscribed to Library Lofts podcasts from the Public Library of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, and Prime Speaks from Manchester Public, and NPR Books on my BlogLines account. Prime Speaks are teen booktalks, while library Loft includes interviews from authors, etc.

I have no experience creating podcasts, but I have regularly listened to "Wait..Wait...don't tell me" podcasts.

I like the various book review podcasts and the opportunity to include Teen Advisory Groups in the production. I would be curious as to how often they are listened to. I went to a couple of sites where the podcasts weren't working or hadn't been updated in a while - which discourages subscribing. I think they are great for speeches and lectures, I think they may be of less value in promoting programs (just another commercial).

Me by any other representation is a good thing

2008-08-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

My meez avatar that I made as a Teen Contact is at the bottom of this page. It was really fun making that, though I wish there were several library/book backdrops. You can try out the red carpet dresses after the Oscars.

I also Doppelmeed me.

I found Ms. Dewey annoying, a bit like the librarian version of a magic 8 ball. While I have heard of Second Life (CSI, and there was a report about SL college visits) I do not have a Second Life. Frankly, my First Life is all I can handle (and there are days I wonder). I was never a gamer or an Internet surfer, so while I can see the appeal, I doubt that I would pursue it.

Image Generators

2008-08-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

Could be cute. The monopoly card site wasn't working, so I tried the tarot card site. Renamed the High Priestess after myself - as is appropriate. The pop-ups were annoting.

Overdrivin'

2008-08-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

I have shown many patrons Overdrive but this is the first time I tried it. Downloading the software wasn't difficult. However, I think some of the instructions for checking out could be easier. I especially find it useful for people wanting to learn a language and classics. I was happy to see that alot of the teen books were checked out, but the collection is fairly hit or miss for my favorite authors. Only 2 Barbara Kinsolver titles, no Laurie King, no Harry Potter, no Beatles music, no Mary Chapin Carpenter. I really like the how-to videos. I think it work best as abrowsing collection at this time. I checked out Caps for Sale.

So del.icio.us I licked the plate

2008-08-20T15:28:00.000-07:00

I had heard of del.icio.us before and had looked at it once, but I hadn' really spent any time exploring. I LOVE this. I searched for teen craft projects. Of course there was some duplication between del.icio.us and google, but the Del sites were much more on target with what I needed (actual crafts with instructions) whereas with Google there were more ads, lists of events, etc.

I've just started, so I promise I will have more links later.

I definitely see it as having reference applications a) to keep track of good sources AND b) as a way of connecting people/experts with similar interests.

Wikitastic

2008-08-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

This could be really useful. I had actually just last week gone to a wiki by Jim Thomas "the toddler icon" with his handouts, tips, etc. for toddler storytime. It was great having everything easily linked (without the formality of a website). My only complaint with his wiki was that most of the information was hidden in the "sidebar" which was not very prominent. I really liked the BookLovers wiki and the collaborative nature of having the whole community adding to the site.

I was thinking about how useful this would be in planning regional events. For example, it would be a lot easier to organize who was doing what, bringing what for Children's Day or South Whidbey's Finisher's event, etc. I definitely want to ry this.

Because I didn't watch enough tv as is

2008-08-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

Love Hulu/Fancast for the full episodes, especially of the shows no longer on tv. I'm used to watching episodes linked on the network sites, but they only offer current listings. I used Hulu to catch up on some "30 Rock" episodes I hadn't seen. I It is getting harder and harder for me to watch anything in real time anymore. I was talking with some teens in a book group and they often wait until the show is out on DVD so that they can watch the whole thing in a few sittings. I'm not sure how useful these sites, but they are entertaining and it is useful to recommend them to patrons. They do offer recommendations for other episodes/movies you might like ("Watchers' Advisory" - sounds menacing)

I've watched YouTube videos that friends have e-mailed me about and I enjoyed several of the library videos. I enjoyed looking at several teen spaces and promotional videos for Summer Reading Programs. I'll often look up how-to videos for a craft or project. For example when looking for bug origami proects for a program, I found this simple origami butterfly.

Of all the Friends - I think I'm most like Phoebe

2008-08-20T10:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, tried Facebook. Apparently most of the people I know or went to school with are NOT on Facebook. The people I know who are - I'm in regular e-mail contact with already, so it seemed redundant. I wish there was a way that a business (library) could have a profile without having an age/gender. I went to the page of a local game store which is apparently a 19 year old female?
While I didn't find Facebook to be terribly useful, I use GoodReads all the time. It is an easy way to save my book lists and share book titles to a group. This way I don't have to remember who I recommended what to. It is also great because you can share which books work particularly well for storytimes.

OMG! Too loud in the library! Mute! Mute!

2008-05-09T16:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, I think it is a very bad thing that I have now discovered Pandora. I could spend hours creating stations. My only complaint is that they keep suggesting songs that I already know. I want new music. I'm sure that when I spend more time, it will have more offerings. I looking forward to playing with this at home.

Step-by-step instructions for How to Ship Your Brain.

2008-04-16T16:51:00.000-07:00

or mine if you find it.

This is just one of the tidbits that I found on the Mental Floss blog. Mental Floss is one of my favorite magazines and their website is always packed with stuff that I've always wanted to know and didn't even know I wanted to know it. I've just subscribed to it's RSS feed using Bloglines. Woo-Hoo! #5 is done!

I have never used a feed reader before, though I was curious what the little RSS symbol meant. I can see how it could save some time IF you currently checked blogs/websites regularly. However, I can envision subscribing to too many feeds - which means they just won't get read. I like that I can subscribe to sites that I have found useful in the past, but have forgotten. It acts like a reminder, "remember me... how I helped you that one time...you could call sometimes."

I actually see this working best for keeping up on specific interests. As libraries, if we subscribed to the local feeds, we could better anticipate the needs of the community.

the whole 20 for 2.0 thing

2008-03-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

I'm running behind schedule (those who know me are shocked. SHOCKED) Setting up the blog was super easy, easier then I expected. I slowed myself down by waiting until I could upload a picture. I've enjoyed reading through the blogs. I can really see how connecting with a group of people with similar interests/working on the same project could be useful. I'm still not quite sure how you make those connections though. I've left comments, but I mean how do you get noticed by the larger blogging universe (if that is what you want?) And while I appreciate reading the tips from the people who have been blogging a long time - I can tell that it would be easy to spend vast amounts of time personalizing a blog. So, for right now I'll keep it simple.

Now that I no longer have to worry about the S.A.T.s

2008-03-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

I've recently become addicted to a website that lets you improve your vocabulary and help end world hunger at the same time. It's always nice to get warm & fuzzy feelings about your obsessions. For every word you get right at Free Rice, 20 grains of rice are donated through the UN World Food Program. It adjusts to your vocabularly level - not that I care what level I'm at. Really, in no way am I competing with my friends and family about what level we are at - it's all about the hungry people.