#23 Is this really the end? Or just the beginning...

The Learning 2.0 program has been a great opportunity for me to learn more about and play with a heap of different things, some of which I'd heard of but never actually used before. In the past, my approach to computers was often to only learn new things on a need to know basis but I think this has encouraged me to be a bit more adventurous and explore just for the sake of exploring. I also want to try and keep in touch with new things as they emerge so I've subscribe to a few technology type blogs through bloglines in the hope of keeping up with at least some new things in this rapidly changing area. The only problem is that there is just so much good stuff out there and it is quite time consuming to play around with it and there are so many other things I also want to make more time for such as cooking and reading for starters.

There are just so many possibilities for how we could use various Web 2.0 technologies to make our website and other library services more interactive and user friendly. I think one of the challenges is to keep up with the pace of change and try to embrace these things as they emerge.

I think I will using many of the things I've learned on a regular basis long after this program has finished for work, study and play. I've been using bloglines regularly since signing up. I think I'll also keep using delicious to keep track of my favourite websites. I want to add more books to my librarything library soon. Until I purchase wordprocessing etc programs (because I have to work through the Microsoft stable for a particular uni subject next year) for my new computer I will probably use zoho or google docs if the need arises. I'm sure I'll also use some of the other things too but those are the ones that come to mind immediately.

#22 Audiobooks

I explored some of the titles available on the world ebook fair site. I listened to bits a couple of Edgar Allan Poe works and Edith Wharton's "The Age of Innocence"- I picked these as they were things I had studied in Literature at school. The Poe poem and short story made good listening as they were read by human voices whereas the "The Age of Innocence" was read by a computer voice, which I found really annoying to listen to. I think it is great that there are audio books that you can download for free but the vast majority on the site are read by computer voices, which I would not want to listen to even if they are free.

Talking books are pretty popular in our library with a range of customers. I think the addition of talking books that library members can download onto their MP3 player for a loan period would be a valuable addition to this collection. They might appeal to people who don't currently find talking books convenient, such as commuters who catch public transport and would like to listen to something other than music on their MP3 player.

#21 Podcasts, Smodcasts!

I had a quick look at the three recommended podcast directories. I wanted to find some kind of podcast about or by the author Haruki Murakami and only the yahoo directory returned any results. I had a listen to a couple provided by Naxos Audiobooks. The one for his book the Wind-up Bird Chronicle included a bit of a blurb and review of the book, followed by a bit of the audio book. I like the idea of being able to listen to a bit of an audio book in podcast form before deciding whether to buy it (or more likely borrow it from the library).

When I have more time I'd like to look for some library related podcasts but I really want to finish this learning 2.0 program before I go on holidays tomorrow so that will have to wait. Recently I was looking at the RMIT library website and discovered that they have a range of podcasts about the services they provide. I think we currently have one podcast on our website, the audio from an author event that we hosted. I think there is definitely room for expansion. As well as including other events in podcast form we could have some instructional type podcasts, such as a brief into to our online resources. We could also have a brief podcast about our services, policies and procedures for people who join online to listen to before they sign-up.

I had a look at the ABC website and they have a lot of podcasts available from various radio programs. I also had a look at RRR's website and subscribed (through my bloglines account) to a podcast of one of their Sunday morning programs that I like listening to but often miss because I'm busy or forget about it at the time.

#20 You too can YouTube

I had a bit of a look around YouTube but I think we have some bandwidth issues as the videos stop and start every few seconds, which makes it a bit frustrating. I had a browse through some of the top rated videos but none really appealed to me. I watched bits of a few tagged with 'library'. I'm not sure how much I'll use YouTube just for fun- you have to spend a while trawling through results to find the good things. One thing I may consult it for in the future is knitting instructions. In my winter knitting phase this year I needed to learn a particular increase and I just couldn't get the hang of it from the various diagrams I found in books and online. I looked at a couple of videos and YouTube and they seem much easier to follow (but still not as good as having someone actually show you what do). I'm going to try and embed one of the ones I watched. I wanted to add written instructions with diagrams for comparison with the video but I couldn't get any of the images from the various sites I found to copy across into the post. There are quite a few examples out there- such as this or this.

#19 Discovering Web 2.0 tools

I'm going to try and post this directly from Google docs. I had a look at a few of the Web 2.0 award winners (many of which we've played with in this program). One that I've been using a lot lately is Google maps. I love the look of these maps- so much nicer than the Whereis maps. I like that you can choose street map, satellite map or a hybrid of the two. So far I've been happy with the directions I've received using the directions search. A couple of things that would make these lovely maps even better would be a nice bright colour for bike paths and a specialised directions search for cycle routes (possibly with options for on-road, bike path and combination routes).

#18 Web-based Apps: They're not just for desktops

I've signed up for Zoho Writer and I am going to attempt to publish this post directly from it.

I like the idea of web based applications like word processors and spreadsheets. They could definitely have a place in our library service. Our internet computers do not have access to Microsoft Office or disk/usb drives, which in the past has prevented customers from creating and saving word or excel files on these computers. Zoho and google docs would allow them to create and save similar types of documents using these web based applications.

The ability to share documents could be very useful for group assignments next year when I am studying. In the past group assignments have involved a lot of copying and pasting and sending files via email. It could be much easier to create one document that can be shared with and edited by all group members.

I wanted to insert a photo into my document but it was taking ages so I decided to leave that for another day.

#17 Playing around with PBWiki

I added my blog to the favourite blogs part of the Learning 2.0 favourites wiki. I also added a post about my favourite book to that part of the wiki. It was good to actually practice using a wiki. Although it seemed pretty easy to use I must have done something wrong as the hyperlink to my blog still has the square brackets showing (but I noticed I wasn't the only one). It really did seem to be a case of type and click. The favourite books page did seem to demonstrate one of the potential downsides of wikis. It is a jumble of text. There is no consistent formatting for entries. I know we're just playing but I guess it demonstrates what could happen if you let everyone contribute with no moderation of the content (even if that is just tidying up formatting).

#16 So what's in a wiki?

Before this exercise the only wiki I had really used was wikipedia, and I've only consulted that occasionally. I stumbled across another wiki called wikihow the other day when looking for suggestions for removing a splinter from underneath my fingernail. It describes itself as a "a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual" and covers a diverse range of topics from how to open a door with a credit card to how to keep safe during a house fire. I like the idea of the collaborative nature of wikis and that they are designed to be easy for non IT experts to use. However, the fact that they may be open to unrestricted editing also makes me somewhat cautious of the content in some cases.

One thing I noticed about the wikis that I looked at for this activity was that they are not the prettiest web sites. It would be great if they could look a bit more exciting. Content wise I liked the SJCPL subject guide wiki. I like the mix of information with links to books within the library collection as well as a few select websites. I even added one of the knitting websites to my delicious bookmarks. I found this wiki user friendly and I think it is the sort of thing we could do as a public library that could actually be really useful (and easy to use) for library members.

#15 On Library 2.0 & Web 2.0

I read a few of the perspectives from the eOCLC Next Space newsletter. At the moment I don't feel as if I have a unified sort of vision of how public libraries can embrace Library 2.0 and Web 2.0 but the articles did give me some idea of the wide ranging possibilities.

Michael Stephens' "Into a new world of librarianship" gave me some ideas about the kind of web 2.0 tools that we could be relevant and useful for our library users. Perhaps we could use instant messaging for information requests. At the moment we have a form on our website that customers can submit if they want to request information/reference help but instant messaging would allow more of a dialogue between the information requester and the librarian, which has potential benefits for both. However, I'm not sure if the use of 'instant messaging' may create unrealistic expectations of the kind of time frame within which we would be able to deliver the information. I think that blogs are definitely another tool we could use. We have an events calendar on our website but I think that an events blog might be more effective. People could subscribe to the blog to receive notification about upcoming events. They could also contribute comments about the events.

I think that Michael Stephens' point that "Librarian 2.0 makes good, yet fast decisions" is crucial. I'm amazed by how quickly things are changing in the technological sphere. If we don't speed up our responses to these changes by the time we implement new technologies our customers may have moved on to newer things.

#14 Getting not-so-technical with Technorati

I had a bit of a play/search on the Technorati site a few days ago. I didn't find it very visually appealing but it seemed easy enough to use. I tried a few of the different advanced search options and did get quite different results for each. In the keyword search for all blogs I got 1,155 results when I used the exact phrase "learning 2.0" but 10,280 when I used the "all of the words" and learning 2.0. I got 360 results for the exact phrase "learning" 2.0 when searching tags. A few of the top results in this section appeared to be other Victorian learning 2.0 blogs which was kind of exciting to see. In the blog directory search I got over 800 results. I had a look through some of the popular 100 blogs and found a few of them interesting enough to add as feeds to my bloglines account (how long I will continue to subscribe is another matter). So many of the popular blogs seem to be technology related. I did a few searches for topics of interest to me such as vegetarian cooking and knitting but I didn't find any blogs that I really wanted to subscribe to. However, I noticed that one of the knitting blogs had some you tube videos, which I gave me the idea to check you tube when I am stuck with stitches/techniques in the future. The diagrams in most knitting books and websites leave a lot to be desired. Hopefully a video might be a bit easier to follow.

#13 Tagging, folksonomies & social bookmarking in Del.icio.us

I like del.icio.us and I think I will definitely be using it long after I finish the learning 2.0 program. I had a look at the PMCLCM2 account but I've also set up account for myself. I've added a lot of the sites I've discovered through this program as well as old favourites that I use on a regular basis. I still have to add some that I have bookmarked on my old computer. So far I've found del.icious easy to use. It's great that you can access all your bookmarks from any computer. Also, using tags makes it seem more organised than the simple list of bookmarks saved in my browser. I like the way it links things- for example, by clicking on a tag I can then link to sites other people have saved with the same tag. I think del.icio.us could be useful in an academic context as well. At uni most of the course/subject readers included lists of useful websites. How much better would it be if the lecturer set up a del.icio.us account with all of these links and maybe even comments about their strengths and weaknesses. All students could easily access the relevant sites and possibly find other useful sites by exploring tags etc.

#12 Rollyo

I've created two search rolls so far using Rollyo. The first is a recipe search. I actually like browsing through my many cook books or bulging recipe folder for inspiration- when I have the time. However, sometimes it's handy to be able to search for a recipe with just a few clicks rather jumping from book to book, index to index. Rollyo worked well for me for this topic because it meant I could limit the search to just a few good Australian sites, avoiding unknown American terms for ingredients and that pesky imperial measurement system. I also created a search roll related to speech pathology, which I studied recently. I'm in two minds as to whether I would want to use this when actually studying. By carefully choosing sites that you believe to be well researched and reliable you could be saving yourself the time that it takes to filter through a general google search. However, there is the possibility that you might also miss out on valuable information if you create too narrow a search roll. Also with a clinical science such as speech pathology, it is valuable to be exposed to the personal as well as academic texts that are available on the internet (perhaps not to complete a 2000 word assignment on the anatomy and physiology of the vocal tract, but in order to understand the experiences of your clients and their families).

#11 LibraryThing

I enjoyed this activity. While I've only really done the minimum at this stage (I've only added five books so far) I think I will continue to use this in my own time. I may even be tempted to upgrade to a paid membership so that I can add all of my books when I have the time. I think I really need to have a bit of a play before I can say much more about the various features. The next step is to try and add one of the widgets to this blog.

#10 Play around with image generators

This warning label (which I created using http://www.warninglabelgenerator.com/) illustrates my current feelings towards learning 2.0. Actually, I am enjoying it on the whole but got frustrated with the image generator task as it ended up taking me forever. First of all, there were just too many different things to choose from. I looked at quite a few of the links from the Generator Blog but I wasn't particularly taken with any of them. I created an avatar using http://www.doppelme.com/create/step2.asp but I didn't like the result. I'll have to play around to make it a bit more exciting. I tried the bonsai story generator http://www.critters.org/bonsai.html but it wasn't what I expected. I know this was meant to be a fun exercise but it turned out to be more frustrating than fun for me tonight.

#9 Finding feeds

As soon as a I set up my bloglines account I found myself checking websites for the RSS symbol that would indicate possible feeds to subscribe to. I subscribed to some feeds from the ABC website after browsing through their many possibilities. Already I've noticed that some seem to be updated much more frequently than others. I found a couple more feeds that interested me by viewing bloglines 200 most popular feeds list. One of these was BBC world news, which I quickly unsubscribed from when I found more than 120 items awaiting my attention after a weekend. I've just subscribed to a couple of feeds from The Age website but I don't know how long that will last either. I like reading the paper while I eat breakfast. Although I could use my laptop to check my bloglines account in the morning it's just not the same as flicking through the paper and I couldn't find feeds for some of my favourite supplements like Epicure (not to mention the fact that coffee spills might have more serious consequences for a laptop than for a newspaper). I had a quick look at a couple of the suggested search tools such as Feedster and Technorati, but by this stage I'd already subscribed to more than 20 feeds on a range of topics and didn't feel inclined to increase my reading load. I might go back to these tools if I get bored with my current feeds and want to find some new ones.

#8 RSS

I've set up a bloglines account. I subscribed to a couple of their suggested blogs on knitting, libraries and vegetarian cooking when I set up the account. I then added a couple of other feeds suggested as part of the discovery exercise as well as blogs that my friends write. I can see the advantage of using a newsreader to keep up to date with blogs and other websites that I check on a regular basis. Using bloglines means that I don't have to check the individual sites on a regular basis to see if they've been updated.

#7 Blog about technology

When it works smoothly and quickly technology can seem amazing and indispensable. How quickly this can fade when things start to go wrong.

After months of careful consideration followed by an impulsive 'I want it now and I want it now!' moment, I finally bought myself a computer. The set-up was all going smoothly until I tried to connect to our home wireless network. The computer could detect and, with some assistance from the IT helpdesk, connect to our wireless network but was unable to connect to the internet. With every failed attempt my frustration was building and boiling.

I think that while this is fresh in my mind I will have more empathy for customers experiencing IT problems. In my case, the technical support offered while experiencing technological frustration did make a difference to my experience of the problem. The computer company helpdesk spent about half an hour on the phone with me trying various different methods to solve the problem and got me about half way there before referring me to our internet service provider. Our internet service provider prefaced their couple of suggestions with the statement 'we don't actually provide support for wireless' (but they're happy to sell it to you) and referred me to the modem company, whose recorded message asked me to call during business hours. Although the first person didn't solve the problem, at least they attempted to and didn't immediately claim that it wasn't their area or problem. I'll try to keep that in mind when someone complains about the speed of our internet (or something else that we don't really have control over but influences their experience using our service). I think that's enough frustrated ranting for one day.

#6 More Flickr Fun

My creation
Originally uploaded by Alice Fahey

I was a bit overwhelmed by the number of flickr tools on offer. After having a bit of a browse I decided to play with fd's Flickr Toys trading card maker, which was very easy to use.

#5 Discover Flickr

dreams (reprise)
Originally uploaded by velco

I created a Flickr account earlier in the week and started exploring but have only just got around to actually posting.

I enjoyed browsing through the interesting last 7 days feature in the explore section.

I uploaded some photos, which was easy enough, but I had some difficulty deciding what tags to use. I guess it doesn't really matter as you can always go back and alter them but part of me wants to set up a system for myself from the outset to make it easier to remain consistent when I upload more in the future.

I found this photo when I did a search for 'Melbourne' and it captured my attention as I was scrolling through the many postcard-like cityscapes that dominated the search results.

#4 Register your blog

I'm about to register this blog. Originally I was going to use my facebook page (I even registered it but it hasn't appeared yet on the Darebin participant blogs- hope this won't cause any problems for the program administrators) but then I decided that it would probably be better to learn how to use something new. While I read some blogs that my friends have created I've never been tempted to create my own. Despite being part of a generation that has grown up using computers I've never been an early adopter of new technologies. I've heard of most of the 23 things that form part of this learning 2.0 program but I haven't actually used them.