Thing 12 Podcasts are history

I first started listening to podcasts during the Learning 23 Things program. I was was very excited by the concept and immediately subscribed to many ABC,BBC etc mainly book based ones using iTunes. I soon discovered that they had the habit of multiplying if not listened to so radically cut back my subscriptions. I love listening to fiction on my iPod but sometimes non-fiction/history/biography is what cuts it and podcasts are a great vehicle for this.
Sound recordings are precious. The Sound Archive at the British Library is one of the most fascinating places to visit.
Talking of history - I located a podcast I had recorded myself - click here to listen. Podcasts aren't hard to produce. It would be good if we could record some of author talks as podcast as Moreland Library do.

Thing 11 - A star is born

Not yet I am afraid. Just learning to use Prezi. My initial basic attempt (bravely shown to a critical audience) is here
It does seem to be more visually appealing and flexible than Power Point. I haven't yet mastered the insertion of images but I did discover that you can insert a pdf and it looks good.
Slideshare reminded me that I had once used Zoho to upload a slideshow about Library Thing and I tracked it down. View
This byway led me back to Zoho which I discovered has been upgraded with many more apps - business, productivity and collaboration. Worth checking out.

Thing 10 - you wish you were coming

I learned to love online documents when we were doing Learning 23 Things and used Zoho frequently post the course.
Google Docs is even better - yet another great Google idea. 

My brother lives in London and in the last few years we have twice gone on holiday with him and his family. Many emails, attached documents etc have gone in to the planning of these joint trips.
I have signed up to Google Docs and created a spreadsheet to use for the planning of the next one.
I plan to rent an apartment in Rome for a week and be joined there by various members of the family in preparation for the significant day. We will be arriving I think by train from Paris across the Alps and departing from the Eternal city to travel to Sicily.
View from our window last time we were in Rome.

Thing 9 - Sharing

I like the idea of wallwisher - it's informality, and sense that anyone can contribute. However, I haven't found any great examples of its use in public libraries, although some schools appear to be using it quite heavily. It will be instructive to see if anyone uses this wall much.
I signed up to Pinterest but don't think it is the sort of thing that I will be using much. I'm not that much of a social animal although I do like sharing my own photos

Thing 8

I tested Minutes to Go on the minutes I took for the April Team Leaders Meeting. I like the concept (ie shortcuts, brevity, to the purpose) but found the application limiting. It tries to be too pre-emptive. It was not suitable because that meeting focusses too much on the disseminantion of information, rather than directing actions. It would be more useful at meetings that have discrete actions as outcomes. And it was clunky to save/send the file.

Thing 7 - I wish I had shares in Google

Predictably, I love iGoogle. I like to do several things at once, and have all my links and tools wherever I am. Moving from branch to branch as I do, I have always spent a couple of minutes customising the desktop by saving my bookmarks and links bar to my P drive so that I can import them. And using Quick Launch. This allows me to access all my applications and common files with one click. And now with iGoogle I can see all my updates in a single glance. Photo is hard to see but so far I have put Google News, Google Reader, Twitter, my Gmail and Hotmail accounts, Facebook etc on the page. There are more gadgets/sites that I want to add.

I will be using it as my home page. At work I have set it to open alongside EDNA.

Thing 6 - QR Codes

I didn't immediately comprehend what QR codes were all about although of course I tried to look knowledgeable but I am a convert now. The beauty is in the capturing of information in such a mobile form. We can use QR codes in the library to promote events, resources and collections. Scan this code I just created

and it takes you to our Library Anywhere app. We will hopefully be putting it on some of our publicity material. I would like to see it on our website, blog and Facebook page.
And I love this idea. Contra Costa County Library uses it for Text-A-Librarian

It helps people use their SMS reference service. Snap the code with your phone and it creates a new text message, adding "ccc" at the beginning (the "ccc" helps MyInfoQuest track which libraries are using the service). It also prefills the telephone number so all you do is type your question and press send. A librarian responds within 10 minutes.
Pikes Peak Library in Colarado sent out this postcard

as an invitation to a film premiere. When scanned, it connected the user to a trailer for the event.

Thing 5 - do I still need the plane ticket?

Does the Google Art Project replace overseas travel? You can traverse the galleries online, see the paintings, even visit the gift shop but what about the sore feet? The feeling of sinking into sustaining food and drink after a day at the Hermitage. Irreplaceable.
If I was Mistress Google, I would create a search option so that you could do a super search for an artist of all the galleries simultaneously. As it is, I think that the search for each gallery is perhaps too well hidden.
I created a collection of one of my favourite artists- Vermeer who sadly had a very small output. See <"http://goo.gl/wb1iI". For some reason I can't fathom the direct link isn't working.
The good news is that I will be able to see four of these during my travels next year - New York and Amsterdam here I come. Started my little brain thinking - maybe there are apps for these museums (none for the Art Project) - off to explore. In the meantime, who could resist The Museum of Me?

Thing 4

Big Huge Labs promises hours of endless fun. I created my new blog header from a photo of a wonderful old library that we visited in Prague at the Strahov Monastery. I then made an attempt to create a movie poster advertising the new service that I am hoping that we can offer later this year (mentioned in my last post) - a collection of eReader devices that borrowers can use within the library.

Good Reads I signed up to Good Reads but I don't think I like it as much as Library Thing. I loved being able to catalogue my books and see who else had a collection of similar titles. Not to mention the tags that have enriched our catalogue. I am happy to read reviews and recommendations from my friends, but I am slightly uncomfortable with the very social networking aspect of it ie pushing out recommendations.

Thing 3 - In love with my iPod/iPad

Audiobooks have immeasurably added to the quality of my life. I transfer them to my iPod and can listen when I walk, drive, cook, hang washing out etc. And soon I will be able to swim whilst listening as I have just ordered a mini ipod that will attach to my goggles.

It is easy enough to do with a a physical cd but tedious - you have to load each disc into your PC to import into iTunes - the latest Harry Potter had 25! But downloadables do away with all of that - and some of the products transfer straight to the iPod should you choose to.
I have used all of them. Clipper Ebsco has a good range of titles but has certainly been the most challenging to use. Their new version (about to be released) is a great improvement.
Bolinda is certainly the most seamless.
I like Overdrive also (used via Melbourne, Port Phillip, Yarra Plenty libraries. You can join these online). They have a huge range of titles. You do have to load the software but is efficient and stable. It facilitates the transfer of wma files to iPods.
Overdrive of course has ebooks as well. I have been experimenting with these since I bought my iPad last year. I have got used to reading on it. I mainly use the Kindle app which allows me to read free and pay titles from Amazon, as well as library titles that I have converted. Overdrive have developed a relationship with Amazon in the US and you can borrow Kindle titles there via public libraries. I sometimes load my current title onto my iPhone as well and synchronise the two (seamlessly via Amazon wireless) devices so they always know what page I am up to.
The convenience of being able to carry around thousands of titles is very tempting. We have a Kindle Touch at our house also (sadly not mine) and its compactness is very seductive.

Thing 2 - being up with the latest

Tweeted my first tweet! Should have done it at the time at VALA. I have never been convinced by the whole Twitter thing although I certainly think it is a great communciation tool between a large number of people attending the same conference.
Sort of like passing notes in school - but for educational purposes. There is an argument that it actually fractures the experience at a conference - can you be really paying full attention if you are focussing on your response? On the other other hand, someone else's tweet might enrich your understanding.
For me, I think I will be using Twitter to keep abreast of the latest news on a particular topic, not tweeting updates on my fascinating thoughts and life.
I much prefer using a RSS reader to stay in touch with the latest in libraries (amongs other interestseg Melbourne food blogs). I like being able to take in at a glance a range of info. I originally set up a Bloglines account during the Learning 23 Things course and never stopped using it. Sadly, Bloglines shut down at the end of 2010 and I had to migrate to Google Reader which I didn't like as much.
However, I decided to explore what happened to Bloglines and discovered that it had resurfaced, but not in quite the same format. I spent a few too many hours exploring the full capabilities of both readers and discovered that neither has the useful option of being able to share lists of feeds. I did make the effort to categorise the blogs though into Food, Libraries, Books and Moonee Valley blogs. I subscribed to all 22 of our blogs made much easier by going to Google Reader, Settings/Goodies and getting the Subscribe bookmark.
I have also downloaded Feeder apps for my phone and iPad. I cna read your posts wherever I am!
I tried Pushnote but was not engaged by it. I think I will still use Delicious (see tag cloud on the left) to bookmark web pages.

Thing 1 - Back to school

I'm looking forward to starting the Web 2.0 refresher. I loved the Learning 23 Things and still use some of the tools that I discovered then eg. social bookmarking, rss feeds, Flickr.
And we embraced them in the Library- Blogs, Flickr and my personal favourite - Library Thing.
Hopefully, doing this course will bring forth new possibilities.
I have been considering possible themes for this blog: debating between work oriented such as the world of going mobile, or continuing the travel theme as I am currently planning a trip around the real world at the end of next year to mark a possibly significant birthday.