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.