Twitter

I always had an idea of what Twitter involved, and I think it is one more way to be able to reach the public. The information being posted on the different library "tweet sites" is great! It gives a quick bit about what is going on currently right in that particular library, as it is going on. The information is relative to that particular library, and it lets people be included in what is going on, kind of like they are there, even though they aren't!

I think everyone who is "tweeting" is doing a great job with posting the information that should be on Twitter regarding the library. It all has to do with what the library is offering, the different programs running currently (if there is space available even!), and letting the customers see that Calgary Public Library is up with the times! Tweeting!

Library Thing

I think Library Thing is a great website, because it is simple to use, and once you find the author you like or the title, you can find similar books and authors. I know we have Novelist, but sometimes I find that one... I'm not sure. I always kind of struggle my way around, for some reason. But with Library Thing, I feel like I have an answer right away. I don't know why I think like that, but I just do!!

So I know I will use Library Thing for my own purposes, and probably even use it while I'm working, for the customers. Any knowledge is a good thing when dealing with the public!!

Online Productivity Tools

It was neat to see how people would/are able to make documents on an internet website, which would allow you to access the documents from any computer. I can definitely see the advantage in that, ie. if your computer was to crash, and the computer went black, and you couldn't get the computer screen back online. If you had saved your material to the Google Documents website, you would be able to go to any other computer and be able to get back in the game with no down time in regards to your project. A definite advantage! I would know because that happened to me!! But on the other hand, what might be the downside of having your information on the internet? It would make things easier for people to possibly get into your account and find your personal documents. I don't know if that is very beneficial.

I could see things like this taking over Windows, because it does have the benefit of access no matter where in the world you are to your documents. That is a huge plus. But would people really be willing to change what has become "normal"? I'm not sure that people are ready now for that. Some people are still hesitant about paying for things over the internet, and so they should!! But I can definitely see the bonuses of using something like Google Documents!

Flickr & Youtube

Both Flickr and Youtube are fairly user friendly. There wasn't any difficulty figuring out what to do or how to go about finding or using any of the options available. But I found the quality and value of some of the videos on Youtube are not all that great. I guess that is expected when you anyone can put whatever they want on. There are some videos which are very useful for people, stuff like how to actually do things by watching others, ie. applying makeup, wood carpentry, and so on. But on the flip side, there is the potential for inappropriate material to make its way onto the internet, but that is true with anything!! So for a quick jolt of entertainment with not alot of high quality, these websites are good, but to really get a sense of satisfaction from what you are watching, go to the movie theatre in 3D!! :)

RSS

I was successful in setting up two different RSS feeds for my bloglines site. I think that is great to be ableto have all of the websites that I want, right there at my finger tips, waiting for me, although if I know the websites, I do know how to get there relatively quickly, but whichever. This allows me to see all of my favorites right there waiting for me. AWESOME!!

Google Universe!

I truly love the Google Earth "product"! I love the earth, maps, and everything that is incorporated with it, so being able to look anywhere in the world using the satellite imagery, terrain, and street views is awesome!! I already recommend Google Earth to people! I absolutely love being able to see the diferent aerial views and now that the street view has come into play, that is so NEAT! I also am aware that the street view does have issues with privacy if the individuals face has not been "covered", but for those of us who are not out to stalk people, I think being able to see the ground view... it's amazing!

Social Networking

I definitely can see the appeal of the different social networking sites. You can keep in close (very close in some cases!) with the people you know and even people you don't necessarily know. To be able to see new and updated photos of your friends and family, no matter where in the world you are, that is exciting and easy. But I can also see the downfalls of people getting too much information from you, and people you don't even want knowing you exist, they know you are there, if you aren't careful. That tends to be a little bit scary, from my point of view!

Also, I don't want to lose the basics of getting together with a friend over coffee or a lunch and actually talking to them. You will never be able to replace face to face conversations with the like of a computer screen. And really, if you need a shoulder to cry on, or a smile to see directed your way, who better then the person already sitting before you?!

I prefer actually going out and experiencing life and talking to others, versus talking via a computer. You only have one life to live, and really, do I want to spend all my free time inside, in front of a screen? Nope!!!

Wikipedia!

Wikipedia, I think, is a great starting point for any research. It was find out that there are monitors of the information; not everything that is inputted will stay. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered the link which shows the recent changes, and to what posts the changes were made. It's nice to know, when you are reading the info, there is some credibility to the work!

I was unable to find a topic too obscure that Wikipedia didn't cover. There is quite a bit of info, over 3 million entries, so obviously there is still room for knowledge, but I was unable to find that point!!