Think 23: Summary

Fini! I found this to be a very enjoyable and enlightening experience and I am grateful to HCL for the opportunity to be exposed to so many new uses of technology and to have the work time to do it. Although there are certainly some aspects of it that I will not embrace, I am happy to know that they are out there and the basics of how they operate. The "things" I will certainly go further with are RSS feeds, LibraryThing, audiobooks and maybe podcasts. I will give this experience an A+ and would welcome the opportunity to do more. It might be desirable to do this in teams with a more knowledgeable person on each team to make it go more quickly.

Sorry to say, that as my knowledge expanded, so did my waistline. Every time I sat at my computer facing a new challenge, I did so with a Diet Coke and a Snickers at my side. Oh, well - small price to pay!

Thing 22: Audiobooks

Audiobooks, now here is something to which I can relate. I have long been a fan of books-on-tape or CD and now I can have even more choices with downloadable books. Because we are no longer subscribing to NetLibrary, I did not bother with that and because there were not many titles of interest to me on Project Gutenburg, I only looked at that for a minute or two. But, I saw many titles on interest on Overdrive which I plan to "reserve" and download to my new (thanks to the library) MP3 player. I still have more to learn about the downloading process, but I am on my way.

Thing 21: Podcasts

After exploring both Podcast.net and Podcast Alley, I had a preference for Podcast.net because of the ease of searching. The categories are similar to Yahoo.com categories Business, Entertainment, etc. I started with the Learning and Instruction category and listened to Unbellavista. How to Tour Italy. It was a relatively short podcast and was informative. However, I'm not sure I will be a frequent listener - too little time to sit at the computer listening.

Thing 20: Youtube

I could waste some time on Youtube. Take a look at Battle at Kruger - a battle of lions, buffalo and crocodiles at a watering hole in Kruger National Park in South Africa. Not great film quality, but good action!

Thing 19: Winners

I had a good time exploring some of the winning sites. I especially enjoyed Forecast which was voted #1 in the Travel category. It lists airfares and notes if the fares are expected to go down or go up. It is also beta testing a hotel category - just enter a city and Forecast shows a map of hotels with rates. Of course, Google Maps, is a great site and I have been using it for some time. The driving directions have been accurate and it is helpful to have an overhead view of streets. Some sites were, in my opinion, totally useless - Say-So ("would anyone like to talk about Halloween costumes?") and 43 Things - which lists things contributors would like to do (get straight A's, stop procrastinating). I just couldn't care less.

Thing 18: Zoho

The free registration for Zoho was fast - I am now using it to post this to my blog (I hope).  There are a great number of features and incredible number of templates from which to choose -amything from student id forms to resumes.  It is understandable how this free service could catch on - giving Microsoft as run for its money.  What a good tool for anyone working on a group project - students or in the workplace.  And quite a convenience not to have to carry a flashdrive, etc. with you.  I like it.  Now to try to add it to my blog . . .

Thing 17: Maryland Sandbox Wiki

I added an entry to the Maryland Sandbox - Favorite Vacation Spots. Real easy.

Thing 16: Wikis

Wikipedia is great for background information in areas that I have an interest, however, I would not quote a wiki for a reference question because of the free and open editing which could very easily lead to wrong information. I think a better use would be for opinions or experiences. Perhaps a good use for a wiki for Howard County Library would be to establish a site for Columbia residents to record experiences and photographs of the development and growth of Columbia - what it was like in the "old days" of Columbia.

Thing 15: Future of Libraries

Having read most of the articles provided, I certainly agree that libraries have to change with the times. It is necessary to provide our customers with web access to our services, research tools and communication. But I hope that we will temper our enthusiasum and continue to provide the personal service to our customers that we have prided ourselves on for many years.

Thing 14: Technorati

Interesting - but, I have not caught blogging fever and do not anticipate having a need to use this site.

Thing 13: Del.icio.us

After playing with Del.icio.us and looking at other libraries pages, I could see using it in the library and also opening an account for personal use. In the library setting, it would be useful to have bookmarks which could be accessed from any information desk - a quick link to the health department's page on flu shots or the elected officials, etc. For personal use, it would be convenient to have bookmarks available on any computer - work, home, laptop. Although I did not take the time to open an account, it looked fairly straightforward and not too complicated.

Thing 12: Rollyo

I used Rollyo and entered six websites for vegetable gardening since this is a new interest of mine. It is a good idea, however, I don't know if I will use it much - especially for the subject I have chosen because I am not yet familiar with all the websites on gardening and don't want to limit myself to the few I know. I suppose I will continue to Google a question on gardening and learn which are the more reliable sites and add them to Rollyo.

Thing 11: Library Thing

This is the best so far. I love Library Thing. For years, I have been keeping a reading log and now finally, a great way to record my reading online. It is extremely easy to register, add books, change the display ( by author, title, date, etc.), access reviews, and more. The other "things" have been fun or interesting, but this is something that is really useful.

Thing 10: Meez

I could only get so far with this on the computer at my desk - it did not save the colors I chose, etc. But when I moved to another computer, it worked perfectly - what fun! I don't foresee using this much, but I'm happy to know what avatars are and how to create them.

Kathy's Blog of 23 things

Thing 9: MERLIN

I spent some time looking at MERLIN and the Library News Blogs such as The Shifted Librarian, Library News and Library Garden. Enjoyed seeing Beth's Blog on MERLIN. I will periodically check MERLIN - especially the shared training opportunities offered by library systems all over the state - handy if I come up short of CEUs. However, I don't see having the time to check the others regularly.

Thing 8: RSS Feeds

Got a little carried away with Bloglines and subscribed to about 10 feeds - news, book reviews, cooking, health, etc. I'll be busy reading - or looking for the unsubscribe button.

Thing 7: Picaso

After playing around with Flickr, I decided to look at some other ways to organize photos online and was impressed by Picaso. My goal is to upload the photos from my digital camera to my computer, organize them into folders, crop, enhance and star the best.

Thing 6: Flickr Fun

Had a good time looking at some of the interesting and entertaining aspects of Flickr. The Retrievr is pretty incredible. Also, I liked the Mappr - fun way to organize travel photos.

Thing 5: Flickr

With a little help from my friends (Tom, Rachel and Debbie, so far), I have posted a photo of "Blue Beauties" from Flickr.com. I find the number of photos on Flickr to be amazing!

Thing 4: Registration of Blog

I'm official. Registered my blog - saw it on list of HCL blogs.

Thing 3: Blog

Yes! I did it - a blog of my own. My teenage daughter is impressed!

Thing 2: Lifelong Learning

Yes, I agree with the hints from lifelong learners. For me, the most important one is to view problems as challenges - a more positive approach.

Thing 1: Read 23 Things Blog

Read the blog about 23 Things and am looking forward to becoming more knowledgable about technology.

Getting Started

Began 23 Things today. Blogger.com was quite easy to use with very clear directions. This might be easier than I thought.