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.