week 11 thing 22

I looked at two My del.icio.us gadgets (Alex Young and LabPixies) and preferred the simplicity of Alex Young's which showed my recent entries. I kept both gadgets for the time being until I learn what tools other 23ers prefer.

I still haven't taken to the visual clutter of icons on my iGoogle page but I do like the drop down menu of gadgets. It's useful to have the most commonly used on a frontpage which remembers my usernames and passwords so long as I'm careful to log out when I'm on a shared computer.

Week 11 thing 21

The instructions were clear and easy to follow.

I was somewhat chuffed when my Flickr photostream appeared - they seemed to make my Blog more homely somehow. It seems such a long time since I took the photos for thing 8 and uploaded them to Piknik and Flickr.

It was good to recall my username and password and to remember an earlier part of the course as we draw to a close.

Week 12 thing 23

What I liked most about the programme was being able to do the 23 things when and where it suited me. As a part-time worker it was the first course I have been able to do within my normal working hours. It also allowed me to join up with an online network of colleagues. I enjoyed their cheerfulness and humour as they faced the same challenges.

I particularly enjoyed using Blogger (the appearance, and autosave draft function) and Google Reader which is a real time saver on a slow connection.

What I liked least about social networking was not being able to decide on my online identity. One prosaic way round this problem could be the time-tested pseudonym eg @enquiries @librarian. Content was not a problem as we could talk about using the tools but I shyed away from the permanence that a written record gives to a passing moment. I was also ambivalent about giving personal informtion on free software sites.

On balence this reservation was a small price for the discovery of so many wonderful tools. Thank you to the organisers for discovering this course and leading us through it.

week 10, thing 20

ThinkFree Office has a look and feel similar to Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. All in all, as free software it compares well to Microsoft office.

I played with the presentation software and found it familiar but it didn’t have the same defaults as Microsoft templates so I felt it was better for someone with no access to Microsoft or who prefers to creating their own design.

I noted that the default setting for a saved document was Bodley 25. I was surprised that Thinkfree.com used my network server to name a document so when I was on a quiet evening shift I did some experiments and read the notices more carefully. Thinkfree states quite clearly that it only saves to the desktop when the system crashes. When I chose the File/Save As menu, I did indeed have a choice to save in My Office on the Thinkfree site, or on the Bodley K, U or M Drive. This creates useful options for having backups of a cloud document on my hard drive, on a memory stick, as well as on a network drive. At the same time I found it somewhat scary that an unknown server could read my computer as well as my network. Let's hope it's a benign site.

I was also interested who uses this site for social networking. I viewed one site by Danielle Brigida Social Media Outreach Coordinator National Wildlife Federation. Her document (Welcome to the Social Media Bandwagon) gave an overview of current social media options and a summary of some of the tools we are doing in 23 things (Facebook, Twitter, Google alerts) as well as other social tools such as Stumble Upon. It was interesting to see the same information in a presentation and to note that other institutions are also joining the media bandwagon.

Week 10 thing 19

I wrote a short document to a fellow 23er and experimented with adding notes, sending copies to email, and making a read only and edit version.

It's important to tick all the right boxes. Google noted that I was contacting a colleague and offered to make the document more secure. I'll follow this up sometime.

week 9 thing 18

I love wikipedia. I use it to find out about any item of general knowledge, and trust it. Research compares it favourably to Encyclopedia Britannica. I like the concept of enthusiasts collaborating to create something of worth. Maybe one day I'll become a wiki volunteer.

I would like one day to explore the other areas of wikipedia(eg Help desk, reference desk, village pump) and would love to read articles in languages other than English.

Week 9 things 17

I looked at some of the case studies on the Oxford web 2.0 wiki at http://socialouls.wetpaint.com and found what didn't work as interesting as what did work. I presume common interests is as important as the right tools.

I was also interested in the web 2.0 working party contributions on using free software in the workplace and the issues it raises. I don't know whether to be delighted by the convenience or irritated at the intrusiveness of web 3.0. tools (eg Google).

Given the right browser, the easy edit tool on our library wetpaint wiki / staff manual is easy to use and a simple way for any member of staff to update procedures.

week 8 thing 16

I read all the tweets that include the hashtag #ox23 and had a really good laugh. Thank you very much konnie bunnie and jamesnfishwick.

Week 8 thing 15

Following the instructions and opening an account on Twitter was straightforward.

I wanted to follow the library where I work but could not find the address using the website on the OULS directory and a search on Twitter using its name and location was also unsuccessful.

A Twitter address on a poster in the foyer where I work used abbreviations and so I was able to find the Twitter address and become a follower.

I still wanted to become a follower of the library so I searched on the OULS Web 2.0 directory and found the address which also used abbreviations.

There is always a tension between social networking and privacy concerns but less so if an address is not easy to find. There seems to be no cross-referencing in Twitter nor sophisticated search robots. Putting the word library in my search brought up some useful addresses (eg Library of Congress, New York Public library, British Library) but nothing close to the name of the library.

On a work based course, the convenience of using free software is offset by using work emails which is a ready identifier of workplace. According to Wikipedia, which we explore next week, Twitter collects personally identifiable information about its users and shares it with third parties. The service considers that information an asset, and reserves the right to sell it if the company changes hands.

I resent ads, but accept them as part of the visual clutter of modern communication. While Twitter displays no advertising, advertisers can target users based on their history of tweets and sometimes may quote tweets in ads. Will we one day read plagiarisms of our teletweets in ads for libraries?

I am also concerned about getting drawn into the illusion of an online identity. Does a hashtag #ox23 link me to virtual bodies or colleagues with corporeity?

week 2 thing 4

I read other people's blogs and am beginning to feel that this is a shared learning experience. Some participants express my own thoughts very aptly. Others draw on their own experience of using other tools for blogging.

As a writer, I think the form lends itself very well to a diary, stream of consciousness type of writing. As a reader I appreciate touches of humour and keen observation.

week 7 thing 14

I have heard good things about LinkedIn and joined as it is part of the course.My first impression of completing a profile was that the questionnaire was like using a a template to write a CV. I would first like to see some profiles and then decide if and why I want to join the community.

Is there anyone planning to buy LinkedIn?

week 7 thing 13

I gave myself a time limit of 30 minutes to skim read the information on groups versus pages in Facebook and then to quickly browse the front pages of web 2.0 libraries with Facebook. I found a range of input - some were very chatty and buddy, some more neutral, some seemed more recently used, others rarely.

I noted that not all the libraries in the web 2.0 directory used all the web 2.0 tools and would be interested to know what informed the choices.

Week 6 thing 12 You Tube and Google Reader

I searched for Michael Pollan using the search box in You Tube Edu. I found the broadcast I wanted but could not share it with the tools we have used so far on the Ox23 course but I could email the link if wanted.

I fed the Url into my Google reader and have now subscribed to videos related to Michael Pollan which I can sort newest to oldest or by magic ( which seems to be in order of popularity) as well as translate into my own language (American English into British English?).

I received various invitations to download Google Chrome.

For anyone who is interested in why it is a good thing Christ Church has cows on Magdalen Meadow, listen to Michael Pollan talking about the ecology of eating. He starts talking about grass 39 minutes into the talk.

I also added an article on the same subject to my Delicious account (Save the planet: Eat more beef, Time Jan 25 2010).

I've discovered I cannot copy and paste URLs directly into this blog but I can if I toggle the Compose and Edit Html tag http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFpjskn3_Pcif.


I can also embed the video by clicking on the link in you tube then pasting it in Edit Html and the box below appears.

Week 6 thing 11

Finding a podcast and adding a RSS feed to my Google account was straightforward. I chose the BBC podcast series "A history of the world in 100 objects" and from the University's faculty of English Language, a one off podcast , "Tolkin and Oxford".


I discovered the Microsoft feed tag which sits under My Favouites between favourites and history. Presumably it is to a specific computer so is a step backwards from cloud computing but it interested me as I hadn't previously take any notice of it so I must be learning something.

I also created a link from the BBC to Delicious which is where I would probably keep items for longer term reference.

week 5 thing 10 tags and the long tail

I like the idea of foksonomies and tags. I'm sure there are lots of new subjects that don't quite fit in with old taxonomies, and new ways of seeing the world that don't conform to the old hegemonies. Writers like Chris Anderson put this very well in his 2006 book "The Long Tail" where he describes online business phenomena like Amazon which show the effect of large numbers on small areas of interest.

Why not use the old (LOC, DCC) and new (Joe Blogs') along side each other for a while?

HF5415.127.AND
658.8
Tagged: economics, information profession, library, long tail, marketing, skills

Week 5 thing 10 Delicious and bookmarks

I've just moved a bookmark from My Favourites to Delicious which means that I will begin to be able to keep a minimalist list of bookmarks on each computer where I work. Using the Share symbol was very easy, but there wasn't an option to share on every site I had bookmarked.

I'll also be able to access the sites from any computer I use, and, when I want to clear the information overload, I'll be able to sort and weed selectively rather than just chop whatever happens to be on a particular computer.

Week 5 thing 10 browsing other libraries' bookmarks

I enjoyed browsing through other library bookmarks and found interesting things to read, but not the time.

week 5 thing 10 Delicious v Google

This is a screenshot ofthe VHL Delicious site. A reader had phoned fo find out if we had a particular item but a quick search of the shelves showed that we had stopped subscribing the the physical copy in 1976. I was able to get an update on the current publications from the bookmark on ourDelicious site and to email the URL to the student.

The same search term in Google brought up the site in the first hit.

week 5 thing 9

Opening an account with Delicious was easy enough, as was adding a bookmark to the Oxford 23 things blogspot with the tag ox23.

I like the idea of all my bookmarks in one place and would find this tool useful as a student if a tutor was constantly recommending interesting sites outside the standard reading lists.

Being able to use my Yahoo login was conveniant. Delicious also used my personal details from my Yahoo account as the basis for my profile and so I restricted access to my site more than I would otherwise have done.

week 4 thing 8

The link from the 23 things blog brought me to a page which needed more elbow room to work and wanted permission to use temporary space on my desktop but the system refused. I wondered if it was because I was on a network computer. I opened another window in Firefox and this worked but left me little time for editing my image.

It was interesting to play withall the options in Piknik before saving and sharing. Next time I'll keep the original in Flickr and work from a copy.

thing 7

I've got a Yahoo ID, a Flickr account, and more names, passwords and favourite people to remember or forget. Uploading an image to an online sharing site seems straightforward enough so long as I remember if the original is on my desktop, in My Pictures or on a memory stick(if so, which one?). I uploaded a Screenshot from an earlier exercise for a trial run, and then, after a peek at the photos in the 23 things Oxford group where I was impressed by the skill and technical savvy,I was shamed into borrowing an image from the VHL blog archive (January 6 2010) to upload.

Thanks to Jane for her permission to use her image.

I am attracted to the concept of creative commons and attended the course at OUCS recently. I'm a natural magpie for beautiful things but am increasingly worrried about copyright (and self directed plagiarism on courses like Oxford 23 things).

My request to join Oxford 23 Things is still awaiting moderator attention - I'm hanging in there and grateful for the reassurance that Flickr knows I'm waiting.

Thing 6

I added 5 subscriptions. I was delighted to realise I could add my favouite blogs and so be updated from one place as well as complete the task.

I've also discovered the edit and draft tools in blogger which mean I don't have to live with my mistakes ad nauseum.

I'm really learning a lot from other people's comments on the tools we are using and am relieved when we share the same reservations.

Thing 5

I've added a subscription for 23 things to My Google reader and will choose some other feeds later.

I'm having to overcome all sorts of reticence about talking to strangers and don't want to get overwelmed by too many people talking to me at once.

Having said that I've really enjoyed the blogs I've read.

thing 2 google map and paint

I found it easier to edit a screen shot by copying it first into Word and using the picture toolbar to cut the image before pasting it in Paint to save as a JPEG.

thing 1

I found setting up a Google account and adding stuff easy from a technical point of view. I wasn't so sure about content though as I'm a bit of a minimalist and also like to clear the clutter regularly.

thing 2

I changed date and time, made map local and changed weather reports to
UK and added word of the days in betweenst helping one student to use microfilm and helping another avoid microfilm by accessing our online resources.

This was just an experiment in changing layout which did not seem to make a difference. I did learn though that your can't upload image two until you have uploaded image

thing 3

I'm following the 23 things programme and setting up my first blog as I sit at the issue desk. Constant interrruptions make it hard to follow a trail of thought so I'm using default tools for the present and hope to get more creative on a quiet evening in the vacations! Life long learning has made me pragmatic about bitesize opportunites to learn or do something new.

blog completed

First exercise completed as I'm about to log off from desk. No time to dither.