23, my lucky number!!!

Most days I have thoroughly enjoyed this technological roller coaster ride. I especially appreciated the help I received both on-line and in person from FCPL staff. Banging one's head on a keyboard can be productive when a sympathetic soul comes to your rescue.

My suggestion....please consider some real people interactions every few weeks. Setting up a few opportunities to come together and ask questions, play on-line, and practice would be so helpful. I think many of us experienced lost cyberspace hours when we saw no progress and felt great frustration. And then there are those "Eureka" moments (usually followed by a "now how did I do that again?" question.)

What's next for me? Bloggers Anonymous? No I am not that hooked, but I will continue to use many of these tools. Who knows I may even take on 43 things.....it might even become my new lucky number.

Technorati

As you can see from this cut and paste below I did successfully configure and claim my blog but I couldn't seem to copy the info I needed from the site....so here is something....

Your blog claim has been successfully configured.
My Claimed Blogs

Susan's Space
http://susansub.blogspot.com
Authority: 1
Rank: 2469418

I learned that technorati will help me tag blogs, but at the moment I am feeling a little overblogged.......

Pod Search Tools

Podcast.net's categories were so broad that I had trouble finding what I wanted to listen to. I listened to "Rabbit Bites" which was accompanied by video and there were voices superimposed on twitching rabbits. (Yawn!) The range is certainly broad....from a discussion of how one defines god to how to plan a wedding.

Podcastalley.com was much more user-friendly. I was able to listen to a restaurant review by Frank Bruni of the NY Times. It was nice to hear a voice since I normally only read his column. I did find that many of the items could not be opened and heard.

Yahoo podcast was my favorite. It provided me with a list of most popular and most listened to and I liked that. There is so much out there that it was nice to have a place where the choice was limited for me.

Podcasting

I have been listening to podcasts for a while....NPR is my favorite, especially "This American Life". I rarely have the radio on when it is initially aired so it is great to be able to catch up on my time schedule. In the past I have listened to them while sitting at the computer, but I did download one on my MP3 player. Just have to do more.

With all the ways we can create our own playlists of music and talk why listen to someone else's selections?

Say Good Bye to the Old Library!

Downloadable audiobooks

Got an MP3 player for Christmas and hoped to be more proficient in using it by now, but I am learning. I registered at NetLibrary and downloaded a book and then couldn't find it on my player. How could I lose such a big item on such a small item? Then I found it but kept playing the same first chapter over and over. That got old fast.

A few months later I tried again. This time the book "Julie and Julia" was not available on NetLibrary so I put it on hold and got an email that it had arrived. I successfully downloaded it....what a big head I had that day...and then got a device from Radio Shack to play it on my radio. Only problem I am having now is lots of static and an inability to stop and restart the book. So I guess that is progress.

I really liked NetLibrary and hope to use it a lot more in the future.

Wallace and Gromit

Zoho and Web 2.0

Zoho was a good experience for me. I sent the document I created back and forth to my personal and library email and it was very easy to use. I think that some people who don't like opening up word attachments would like the alternative of opening up the URL. I think this would work for any of my volunteer activities where we might need to create a brochure or letter where everyone gets to provide input.

When it came to the Web 2.0 Awards list I wasn't as enamored. I checked out "Say So" which is an on-line support group for parents. I much prefer kvetching to people at the playground (when my kids were small), but I guess if you are housebound this could be a good site. The other thing is that I read a number of those scary stories about what potential pitfalls your kids can be engulfed in. Didn't find that very helpful....like those email alerts that your friends send to you and 5, 000 other close friends.

I checked out Peer Trainer....a lot of people complaining about their weight or trying to get you to check out their new business or inspiring you to lose.

I prefer a face to face with a friend or even a stranger who might be sitting next to you on the train....too much time conversing with a screen.

Library 2.0

After reading some perspectives on Library 2.0 I felt so optimistic about our future. I think that there is a perception that the library will be phased out as more material becomes available on line and that the computer will rule. But it's really about how we shape the information....like sculptors with amorphous clay....I see morphing claymation figures (think "Wallace and Gromit"). And it's not all about us librarians. Everyone is empowered, everyone has a perspective, everyone has a say.

And I really could relate to the "retreat space for thought leaders". I am nestling into that leather chair right now.....Bring on those "sensory treats".....I can't wait.