Thing 23: And the winner is ... wikis!

For this final post on the 23 Things Oxford programme, I have been thinking about which of the 23 things will be of most use in my working life. The conclusion? Wikis, or more specifically, the C&RD Board wiki (hosted by Wetpaint). In a fit of enthusiasm which could only have been prompted by my participation in 23 Things Oxford I found myself volunteering at the last C&RD Managers meeting to take responsibility for the C&RD Board wiki, which has languished since its driving forces (Alice Keller & Rosemary Pyke) left the Bodleian Libraries last September. I'll need to give some serious thought about how to enliven the wiki and introduce new content on a regular basis, to convince subscribers that it's worth visiting on a regular basis.
Other Web 2.0 tools that I have particularly enjoyed using are Twitter and Facebook. However, I think that Facebook is probably never going to become a work tool for me, whereas Twitter seems to cross the boundaries between work and leisure with greater ease. (Although it's slightly disconcerting to see the Web 2.0 guru Phil Bradley tweeting about the new Dr Who one moment, and then analysing the speed of Internet responses to the Mexican earthquake the next .) Google Docs seems to have much potential for work use, and I'm sure I will use this again, and I have never stopped using Delicious since I started back in 2007.
I still haven't taken to RSS feeds. It really does seem like just another tool to make me feel guilty when I fail to keep up with my reading and have to employ the "mark all as read" option - again. Having said that, having the feeds appear in a Google Reader gadget on my iGoogle page - which I have made my home page - does mean that I am more likely to spot interesting posts and read them in a timely fashion.
Flickr is a tool that I will be using for non-work purposes. I plan to photograph everything that comes up in my new garden this year, publish the photographs on Flickr, and then ask my gardening friends to identify them. I also want to take some more photographs of my cats - was there ever such a photogenic creature as the cat?
What else have I learned about over the past 12 weeks? Some of the tools have already begun to fade in my memory - Piknik and that Web 2.0 substitute for Microsoft Office for example. (Not useful for me, and too slow, respectively.)
I was disappointed that LibraryThing was not one of the 23 things - and not just because it would have been an easy one for me to complete as I am already a lifetime member! I love the social element of LibraryThing, finding out whose libraries overlap with yours and connecting with people with common book collecting interests.
Well, I think that is probably enough Web 2.0 reflections for one day. I have enjoyed participating in the 23 Things Oxford programme and feel a real sense of achievement for having completed the programme within the time limit. I'd like to thank the dedicated band of Oxford librarians who put so much time and effort into devising the 23 Things Oxford programme: Laura Wilkinson, Penny Schenk, Jane Rawson, Emma Cragg & Angela Carritt. I salute you all! I'm only sorry I won't be able to come to the prize-giving event on 28 April - I'll be on my way home from a work meeting in Edinburgh.

Another change to my iGoogle page

I've changed my iGoogle backgound/theme to a misty green forest, and this screen shot also shows the My Delicious gadget in all its glory.

PS to Thing 22

I noticed when I opened my iGoogle page today that the My Delicious gadget defaults to displaying the "hotlist" bookmarks even though I last selected my own "bookmarks". This is slightly irritating, but I guess I can live with it.

Thing 22: Adding the MyDelicious gadget to iGoogle

I had already added a gadget for Delicious bookmarks to my iGoogle page, but I think I made a bad choice because it did not seem to have an option to display my bookmarks, only those added by others. This is mildly interesting at first, but when you realise that a lot of people using Delicious are programmers and their bookmarks are for various techie sites the interest fades fast.
The My Delicious gadget, on the other hand, does what it says on the box and displays my latest bookmarks (or those from my network). Much better!
I've noticed that it does not display my private bookmarks, so I'll still have to use the full-fat version of Delicious if I need to find one of these.
I'm quite happy with my iGoogle page now, and think I will try using it at work as well as at home.

Thing 21: Flickr Photostream

Just added the Flickr Photostream gadget/widget to this blog. It was almost too easy - hope I haven't missed something.
Static photos are nice (especially when they feature my cats), but what I really covet for my blog is a gadget that shows a single photo at a time, but cycles through a selection of photos. I think I saw this on Jane's blog and I'm hoping she'll read this and let me into her secret...

PS to Thing 20: No Note for Leda

I knew things were going too well. I tried to create a note in ThinkFree, but hit this compatibility snag.

More evidence that Microsoft is trying to keep ahead of its competitors?

Thing 20: ThinkFree Office - it works!

Before I wrote this post about ThinkFree Office I read a few other posts on Thing 20 from 23 Things Oxford participants - which did not fill me with confidence!

Undaunted, I went ahead and followed the instructions and was able to use ThinkFree Write without any major problems. I did find it rather slow, but I guess that's just my network connection (thanks, BT). Perhaps the offline mode would be quicker.

What struck me most was its similarity in appearance to MS Word 2003. Is there no copyright on the design of the Microsoft sofware? Or does Microsoft not care now that Office 2007 has updated the look of Word quite radically?

I uploaded a Word file to ThinkFree Write with no problems, and I would definitely consider using this software if I had not spent a few bob at the OUCS Shop a couple of months ago on MS Office 2007 (which I am growing rather fond of).

Thing 19: Google Docs

I have to admit Google Docs is pretty good. The only problem I came across was with a template that was not found when I tried to use it. I tried the new Upload feature and was easily able to upload a PDF file from my laptop's hard drive.

I created a form (see above) and publicised it via Twitter and four people filled it in (thanks to all). What I have not been able to do is incorporate the form into this blog. I'm hoping someone will read this post and tell me how it's done (Penny? Laura?).

And finally ... the new version of Firefox just downloaded comes with a choice of backgrounds (I think they call them profiles). I have chosen "Two Birds" and you can just see them in the top right corner of the screen shot above. I think my choice must have been influence by all the tweeting ... even the real-life birds in Moreton are giving it their all these spring mornings.

Thing 18: Wikipedia

Wikipedia is often my first port of call for finding or checking facts on the Internet. I have now read the Wikipedia article on Wikipedia and feel if anything more comfortable about continuing to use it for fact-checking and information discovery in general.
I checked the Wikipedia page for Moreton-in-Marsh soon after moving here last September, chiefly to find out the population (3,198 in the 2001 census, if you're interested). I often use Wikipedia to check a fact in connection with a bet (aka a difference of opinion) with my beloved, but I very rarely check Wikipedia for work-related issues. I looked up the entry for "Resource Description and Access" (the successor cataloguing rules to AACR2), and found a rather brief entry. This may well be expanded after June 2010 when RDA is officially published. I looked at the History tab and discovered that user "Omassey" created the page on 17 May 2008. That user name sounded strangely familiar and when I clicked on it I was taken to the user page for our very own Addedentry Owen, take a bow.

Thing 17: Wikis

I have some experience of working with a wiki, as I have contributed to the Collections and Resource Description wiki, artfully named "C&RD Board". This wiki got off to a flying start in 2008 and provided a useful forum for discussion about a number of significant changes in technical services operations and activities in C&RD and other Bodleian Libraries, including the restructuring of the Collections and Resource Description (C&RD) department. However, since the departure of Alice Keller and Rosemary Pyke in September 2009, the wiki has not been updated as much as it used to be and is now chiefly used for booking the C&RD meeting room. I think a lesson to learn here is that you only get out of some wikis what you put in. Of course, I have logged in and made a few updates to the C&RD Board wiki this week, chiefly to earn my Thing 17 brownie points. I have also revisited the Web 2.0 wiki (one Wetpaint account works for both) and have done some "OULS spotting" as suggested by Jane. One thing I noticed about the Web 2.0 wiki was the presence of annoying advertisements. I understand we paid a modest sum to Wetpaint to get rid of the adverts from the C&RD Board wiki, and I think this was money well spent.

Things 15 & 16: Is Twitter for bird-brains?

To answer the half-serious question posed in the title of this post, no.
I have spent a couple of hours on Twitter today, finding librarians and others to follow, installing TweetDeck and testing its capabilities, tweeting and re-tweeting, etc. I have come to the conclusion that it can serve a useful purpose for front-line librarians wishing to connect with their readers, and for back-office librarians like myself wanting to feel connected with others in the same noble profession.
I was going to try installing Twibble on my mobile this evening, but I lost my nerve. Perhaps it was the mention (in the "disclaimer" section of the Twibble website) about it being expensive if you don't have "a reasonable data plan". I don't think I have any data plan - I just pay-as-you-go. I probably haven't got a smart enough 'phone, anyway. I do seem to be able to tweet via text message, so looks like I will have to make do with that at the Oxford Libraries Conference next Thursday. (If anyone out there has any ideas about how to fully engage with Twitter using a Nokia 6300, let me know.)
I have also added the TwitterGadget to my iGoogle page - nice!

The Silent Spring continues

Still trying to get my old Twitter account sorted out with my new email address, but this evening I got the message
"Twitter is over capacity.
Too many tweets! Please wait a moment and try again."
Am I doomed never to tweet again?

Thing 15 - Twitter aggravation

Have just spent a frustrating 45 minutes trying to (a) get into my old Twitter account and (b) change the password. The latest message from Twitter is "We've temporarily locked your ability to reset passwords. Please chillax for a few, then try again." Chillax?!
Will try again this evening, if I can muster the mental energy.

Likin' gettin' LinkedIn

I had been vaguely aware of LinkedIn as a sort of Facebook-for-grown-ups. I guess it took this week's Thing 14 to make me realise that I am a grown-up and should perhaps spend more time developing my career and less time milking cows in Farmville. (Actually, I don't participate in Farmville, Mafia Wars and most of the other games and silliness in Facebook. Those aspects of social networking don't appeal to me at all - although I do admit to taking the odd quiz and I like the lists.)
After creating my LinkedIn account I initially attempted to link up with the Oxford people suggested and with other Oxford people, by inputting their email addresses. The next day, it occurred to me that I should cast my net wider (doh!), and I started searching for uni friends - and found some easily. Today I had another thought, and will start looking for some of the friends and contacts in the States and Canada that I've got to know via work over the years.
Whether I will ever need to use LinkedIn for business purposes remains to be seen. Watch this space ...

iGoogle redux

I keep tinkering with my iGoogle page, chiefly to add gadgets for the lastest 23 Things app. Here is the current incarnation of the page. Note the LinkedIn gadget, and the Google Reader one also. Saves me having to open these pages individually. Having said that, the Google Reader gadget does have a tendency to misbehave and display a blank window...

Thing 13: Facebook and libraries

Facebook: whatever did I do with my spare time before I joined up? Or rather, why don't I have any spare time any more?

I have been using Facebook to keep in touch with friends and acquaintances for what feels like forever but is probably no more than 18 months. I like the passive way that you can keep up with people that you don't see very often (e.g. friends overseas), although this may simply indicate that I am lazy and too mean to pick up the 'phone.

I have never created a Facebook page for a library, although I am a fan of several library pages on Facebook. I have observed libraries using the status or wall features to convey short pieces of information to their fans, and this seems to me to be a good use of Facebook. Status updates can be easily checked on Web-enabled mobile 'phones, and it's likely that information posted in this way will be easily picked up.

I have looked at the wealth of pages for Oxford libraries, including college libraries and Bodleian Libraries libraries. They are all inspiring and I'm full of admiration for their creators and updaters. The Queen's College page has nearly 2,000 fans, but that seems to be an exceptional number. Other pages have far fewer.


I think I've run out of steam for this week - better go and get some quality sleep before the cat wakes me up at dawn.

PS toThing 12

Here's a YouTube link specially for Laura, who loves typefaces even more than I do:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHCu28bfxSI

Thing 12 - You Tube

I have been using YouTube at home for a couple of years, chiefly to watch the exploits of Simon's Cat and to search for old TV programmes - usually to settle some silly bet about theme tunes of seventies cop shows. Using it to find work-related content was a new experience. Imagine my excitement when I found a short film by Shawne Miksa introducing her presentation on RDA (Resource Description and Access) at the forthcoming RDA Executive Briefing in March (I'll be there!). I was also pleased to find the Library of Congress channel which contains lots of archive material as well as contemporary stuff. Our own British Library is also represented on YouTube, but no sign of a channel for the Bodleian Libraries yet.
Since it's late on Sunday evening I feel justified in including a link to a clip from one of my favourite TV shows - The Mighty Boosh. Check out the Bouncy Bouncy Crimp. It's impossible to explain - you'll just have to watch it.

Podcasting and Thing 11

I knew that Angela was the Queen of Podcasting, so I was not surprised to see that she had written the explanatory post for Thing 11. After reading her post and watching "Podcasting in plain English" I was ready to have a go. I went to the BBC site and subscribed to AHOW (or A History of the World in 100 Objects) as I feel that I ought to be listening to these programmes but have not really managed to so far. (Neil MacGregor's voice sounds quite different over my weedy laptop speaker, but mustn't let that put me off.) I also searched Podcast Alley for podcasts on cats (well, I searched for"Resource Description and Access" first, but no got hits). I found plenty but after trying out a few in Google Reader I decided that life is too short to spend time with some of these podcasters.

Delicious and Thing 10

I've belatedly completed Thing 10 by adding some other Delicious users to my network. The Web 2.0 Directory page on the Bodleian Libraries intranet makes it very easy to add other Bodleian Libraries libraries' (?) to my Delicious network. Once I have clicked on the del.icio.us link to get to their Delicious page I can simply click the "Add to my network" link on the right hand side, under the search box, and Bob, as they say, is your uncle.
As I prepare to leave Delicious for the time being, I must share with you the best website I discovered by randomly browsing in Delicious - the Red Interactive Agency. Enjoy!

Laura and Labels

Thank goodness for Laura's timely post "Half-way point!" and its description of the Labels gadget. When I added this gadget to my blog the full horror of my amateur labelling efforts was exposed for all to see. I had been entering the labels incorrectly, not separating each label with a comma, and as a result I had long stringy labels in my list. Luckily I was able to edit each post and tidy up the labels and I now have a very respectable and tidy list on my blog. Honour is satisfied.
Now all I need to do is catch up with last week's Things ...

Timezone

Whilst trying to change my email address to the new @bodleian version I came across the timezone setting for my blog and changed it to GMT. Now my posts will have the correct time stamp. A small victory, but a sweet one.

Social bookmarking

I have to confess I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw this week's things. I've been using Delicious to save my bookmarks (aka favourites) ever since the Oxford Web 2.0 day back in spring 2008, and feel very comfortable with it. I've just added the bookmarklets (is that a real word?) to my Firefox toolbar, and will add a bookmark for my blog when I've finished this post.
I do find it very useful to have my bookmarks with me wherever I go, and I would never go back to using bookmarks/favourites linked to a PC.
Having said that, I have been fairly indiscriminate in my bookmarking, and I now have 330. Many of these I no longer use, and I should really delete some of them. I have tried to use tagging consistently, and Delicious makes this easy by suggesting tags that you have used before and other possible tags as part of the process of creating the bookmark.
Another problem with my use of Delicious is that I have a single account for work and personal bookmarks. I should really set up separate accounts and keep the two sets separate. It's too easy to be distracted by personal bookmarks (like the latest products at ModernCat) when I really should be working ...

Flickr and Picnik

Considering 7 is my lucky number, Thing 7 got off to a bad start when I could not link my Yahoo ID to my existing Flickr account. Tried two or three times, and eventually gave up and created a new Flickr account (leda_neatfossil). Uploaded some photos of the January snow in Moreton and the cats in moody black and white. Geotagged one of the snowy shots, which was great fun. Thanks to a mouse malfunction I almost located the photo in Norway - which, considering the snowy scene, was not as dumb as it sounds. Played around a bit with Picnik but could not achieve anything worth saving. May have another go tomorrow.
Here's a link to my Flickr photostream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/leda_neatfossil/

RSS feeds and a glass of wine

I went back to Google Reader this evening, with a glass of wine near at hand, to spend some more time with RSS feeds. I have to confess this was prompted by receiving a link from friends in Washington, DC, to their photographs of the recent snow storm (http://web.me.com/dcbooboobear/Site/Snowmageddon.html). I was slightly surprised to see the now-familiar RSS icon, and clicked on it to add the feed to my Google Reader.
Once "in the zone", I added a few more feeds from the Recommended Sources. That led me to wonder who recommends these sources? I checked in the Google Reader help and discovered that it's done automatically based on various factors including the feeds you're subscribed to, information from your web history and your location (see
http://www.google.com/support/reader/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=80468 for more details). This strikes me as having something of the Big Brother about it, but I have to admit that the Recommended Sources were all on the money and I added all of them (including our own Digitalist) with the only exception of the graduate trainees' blog.
Looking forward to next week's Things!

By the way ...

Every time I go to my blog I always finish by clicking "Next Blog". It's different everytime!

Does she know her RSS from her email?

I have set up my Google Reader and have added some feeds, including some of the blogs of other 23 Things Oxford participants. I'm getting another flashback, to when I set up a Bloglines account last year (or was it 2008?) and subscribed to so many feeds I just could not keep up with them. Aren't RSS feeds just another way of feeling overwhelmed by information, like email? I gave up on the Bloglines account but did not delete it - goodness knows how many items are sitting in it now, patiently waiting for my attention...

What is the optimum manageable number of RSS feeds?

PS Apologies for the pointlessly punning title.

iGoogle page image - finally

Here is my iGoogle home page in all its glory:

Firefox finds favour

I've finally downloaded and installed Firefox and made it my default browser. Hope this will improve the performance of Blogger, which has been a little erratic in IE.

Getting the hang of this now

I'm growing to love my iGoogle homepage, and this evening I seached for a gadget (widget?) which would allow me to post to my blog from my iGoogle page - and found one! This is my first test post from said gadget ...

The difficult second post

Just time to write a second post before Nurse Jackie.
Creating the Google ID was simple last week - I discovered that I already had one! I think I created it when I had to use Google Docs in connection with my work with the Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries (ALDL).
Creating the iGoogle page was a breeze, although I'm not sure including the gadget "Bash my Computer" (translated from the Spanish, apparently) was a good idea. Took a while to get rid of it, too. Note to self: Must evaluate these gadgets more carefully in future.
I've used Delicious as my home page for the past few months, so it's nice to have a change - and there's a gadget to include Delicious on the iGoogle page, so it's a win-win situation.

Deja vu

Another year, another blog. I wonder if I will continue with this one for longer than I did with my previous effort, created on the Oxford libraries' Web 2.0 day on 27 March 2008? The only Web 2.0 tools I have really embraced since that eye-opening day are Facebook, Library Thing and Delicious. Come to think of it, that's not bad going. And I even bought an ISBN scanner for use with Library Thing, and have added >300 of my books (see http://www.librarything.com/profile/alison_felstead). One of my cats enjoyed a short but intense period of tweeting on Twitter, but in the end he found typing with his paws just too difficult - and his online feline friends kept inviting him to join their gang in Mafia Wars!
I confess I got hopelessly confused with my Google accounts, created under different email addresses, and have discovered that it's not possible to merge two acocunts into one - hence the brand-new blog. In case you're wondering, I've deleted the old account - it would have been too confusing. I did discover one interesting thing whilst attempting to sort out my Google accounts, which I will record here for posterity. To delete a Google account, go to My Account and click "edit" to the right of My products. On the next screen you get the option to "Remove Web History Permanently". (Alternatively, try the Web 2.0 Suicide Machine to erase your online identity or identities at http://suicidemachine.org/ - not sure I should be blogging about this during 23 Things Oxford, but hey.) I think that's enough for one day.