Begonias

 

These were too beautiful to pass up in VA during an August family reunion trip.

Family Reunion Time!

 

Just thought I'd include a photo of some of the family at the Massanutten Resort in Massanutten, VA. Not everyone is here of course...I'm the second one from the back.

Linkedin.com

I explored the Linkedin.com website. I registered and added personal data to my profile. I looked at the "top advisors" under the professional tab. One individual whose profile I reviewed is a presented at "Landmark Education," an organization I have been involved in. It was good to see that there are folks I could connect with here. For business professionals, this looks like a well-used networking and colloboration website. If you have specific and specialized work projects you are involved in, this could be a great people and information resource. I also checked in to library jobs but didn't find any listings...Does anyone else know of other librarians or educators who use this successfully?

Welcome

Hello--

This is a great looking word processing site. It LOOKS better than Google docs, which I have been using for a couple of years.  I find that Google docs is easier to use thus far.  There are lots more tools in the toolbar to learn here.  I'm not sure I need them all; they seem to complicate things more than simplify and simplifying is my mantra.  I'm a gal with lots of work to do as a full-time employee and student.  I do enjoy seeing the options available though and I especially like the PowerPoint-like "presentation" feature in Zoho. I will try to import an existing PPT of mine and see how that works...I want to blog to my blogger account as well from here...

Wacky Wikis!

There's something freeing about this whole Web 2.0. I've enjoyed reading in the informal kind of way people express themselves online, which is a break from my normal reading fare of professional literature, newspapers, non fiction and academic texts. I still like reading print of course, for its writing style and intellectual rigor. I would never ask anyone to choose one over the other though, because for me, they are complementary, and to disdain one over the other is just not being circumspect.

I find that in reviewing the recommended wikis there is really so much available. From ideas about how to do special needs library services and all other things library(see Library Success Best Practices Wiki) to working readers advisory in a whole new interactive way. I like the idea behind the Library Success Wiki, and I hope more library people find out about it and contribute to it.

On Meredith Farkas' wiki, I learned that PowerPoint is not the only way to make a visual presentation! Just the other day, I saw a book on CSS and wondered what its application is. Well, she says that her tutorial was made using HTML and CSS. So I am looking into doing my next presentation (next week!) using this format--gotta get busy, right?

I learned the term "wiki farm," which is a server or array of servers which host a wiki--and there are about 3 dozen of these different wiki farms available. And of course, the PLCMC wiki stated (with no authority cited...) that there are more errors found in the Encyclopedia Britannica than on Wikipedia, a fact I have heard before but wonder about...
That's all the 2.0 learning for now. Enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Technorati Profile

Network Badge

Just wondered why the URL for delicious is so crowded up with dots. If anyone knows the purpose of it, let me know! Still there is a lot here in del.cio.us to learn. It is really all about making use of online communities for your specific needs and interests. I've had an account for some time, but never had a reason to use it. But I just found an excellent virtual community that I can use for doing my research. I went through a few of the Nova tutorials and can see that the "inbox" feature is where the real rub is. I want to learn more about that. Finally, I can see how the Firefox extensions make things a lot smoother and integrated up on the toolbar, so I've added the delicious toolbar to my home computer.

On Vacation Right Now

 


Hi y'all. I'm on vacation right now, which means I am home looking at photos I took on vacation two years ago in Cedar Key, Florida. It's not a well-composed photo, but it is part of this bird's daily ritual.


I also toured through some great online video tutorials on geeksontour.com. The ones on Picasa were really extra good--like having the instructor's voice piped in too. The website is really top notch b/c it has so many unique Web 2.0 learning tools on it--and the owners just seem like they are having such a good time. It reminds me of a local guy I met in one of my classes (he's actually the father of one of my colleagues at FAU) who gutted a bus he bought on eBay and now runs as a satellite Internet "techno train" here in South Florida. He goes around in his bus to senior communities teaching retirees how to use Microsoft Office tools and how to do things like the "geeks" teach from their RV. It's a great way to help narrow the digital divide. Check it out at www.techtrained.com--something the library needs to consider doing with those bookmobiles that could easily convert into "cybermobiles."

Thing #12

My Thoughts About Web 2.0 and Library 2.0

I think that these tools have the potential to make public libraries (yes, our public library too) a place that captures the minds and hearts of its customers, especially those under 30. Today, the Internet is more than taking off; it is way up in orbit and we need to be there along with the Steve Jobs, Larry Pages, and Eric Schmidts of this world. We need to be concerned more with the how and not so much the what also...Meaning paying more attention to how technology is best used to market and expand our services to our customers.

Love One Another Flickr Toy

My creation
Originally uploaded by cassell_mare

These two creatures belong to my mom and her husband, Dave. The dachshund-chihuahua mix's name is Braveheart and the tuxedo cat is Archie.