Thing 34: Is This Our Competion? Online Answer Sites

Online Reference Sites
http://www.distancedegrees.com/2008/lose-your-wikipedia-crutch-100-places-to-go-for-good-answers-online/

"The role of the 2.0 librarian is no longer just that of information professional, but also that of someone who is going to make the customer’s experience a good one. It doesn’t matter whether that “experience” is real or virtual—they combine good information skills with those of a caring ambassador. Additionally, the 2.0 librarian recognizes that things change, are changing and will continue to change." Laura Solomon, Cleveland Public Library


Stephen Abram Quotes - "Evolution to Revolution to Chaos?
Reference in Transition" article, Sept 08
http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/sep08/Abram.shtml

"We need to understand, and understand deeply, the role of the library in our end-users’ lives, work, research, and play. This is critical to our long-term success, and failure is not an option...."
"Now we just have to reintroduce ourselves into every aspect of the virtual world. That means focusing our staffing balance from the backroom to the front room; investing our technology decisions in ones which meet the needs of the end user."
" Can we partner with all providers in the information space to create a one-stop solution? Will we offer a one-stop solution of computing help, training, social interaction, circulation, education, and research in the reference space?...Can we elegantly blend the physical commons with the virtual commons?"
"This scenario depends on understanding the potential in personal devices — laptops, smartphones, PDAs — to dominate as the device. When this happens (if it doesn’t already in your environment), every user becomes a distance user and every user should potentially have all the information and help they may require in their pocket. Can we be there too? Such emerging service technologies such as micro-blogging, Twitter, text messaging, social networking, tagging, and digital phones with advanced web features offer great opportunities for us to be at the point of every user’s need. Check out the Seattle Public Library’s beam-me-up devices!"
"Librarians 2.0 are those who understand the wisdom of crowds and the real roles and impacts of the blogosphere, web syndicasphere, and wikisphere. Librarians 2.0 understand that the magic sauce of Amazon lies in its recommendations and the social interactions of readers."
"Wisdom of crowds - mine behavioral touchstones to determine how best to predict user needs, as well as to allow end users and cardholders to share their experiences and patterns."
"Those of us who prepare for an emerging new world balance of personal service — virtual, in-person, and computer-mediated — will be better prepared than those who wait and see."
"The best way to discover our future is to invent it ourselves."

QUESTION AND ANSWER SITES
Question and answer (Q&A) sites such as Yahoo! Answers are places where users ask questions and others answer them.

The most-visited website in the Questions and Answers category is Yahoo Answers (answers.yahoo.com).

“The popularity of user-generated media has helped to establish a category for social knowledge where consumers can obtain answers from a single aggregated source developed through others’ asking similar questions.”
http://www.marketingcharts.com/interactive/question-answer-site-visits-up-118-yahoo-answers-is-clear-leader-3891/hitwise-question-answer-sites-top-5-march-2008jpg/

Predictors of answer quality in online Q&A sites
A Q&A site's community of users contributes to its success. Yahoo! Answers, a Q&A site where anybody can answer questions, outperformed sites that depend on specific individuals to answer questions, such as library reference services.
http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=1357054.1357191

Slam the Boards - Librarians--Ask Us, We Answer!
Librarians invade the various Web answer board sites such as Yahoo! Answers, Amazon’s Askville, The Wikipedia Reference Desk, and others—answering as many questions as they can using authoritative sources.

Blog Prompt
Why are these sites so popular? There is quick response time and they are anonymous.

Thing 33: Travel 2.0

"The main theme of Travel 2.0 sites are the ability to not only find a flight, hotel, vacation, etc. but to also find out more information about the destination to which you are headed from other people who've been there."

TripAdvisor.com "real stories from real travelers," "fresh, up-to-date information that you can't get from a guidebook," " fully interactive and expands via user-generated content."

"More sophisticated online users are looking to take control and identify the perfect trip. Along with the rise in popularity of social networking websites like MySpace and Facebook, and the virtual-reality site Second Life, the travel industry is spawning a slew of 2.0 websites specifically designed for travel discussion forums and information exchange." And " established air, car and hotel vendors are opening up their websites to customer participation."

And if conversing with other travelers online isn't enough to satisfy your social needs, you can even join an online matching community such as Flight Club, Tripmates or AirTroductions where you can search for the perfect seat mate on your next flight, a travel companion on an upcoming journey or more.

TRAVEL BLOGS
http://mykugelhopf.ch/ Food and travel

http://windowseatblog.com/ Travelocity's blog

TRAVEL REVIEWS
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ Most popular (Expedia)

I have used TripAdvisor in the past - it was invaluable!

I think you could really make classroom lessons more meaningful by taking virtual trips here and there - to places you have been studying in class. For example, you could plan a trip to the Gettysburg battle field after a Civil War unit!

Thing 32: Google Maps & Mashups

It is amazing how many uses there are for Google Maps - from mapping the weather and news to mapping things like paintings or magazines. Trip planning would be a great use! Map journeys of people's lives! Biking and walking maps! Creating a personalized map from scratch with embedded video!

I did not create a map at this time - I did watch the "My Map" video!

There would be so many uses for this tool in a school curriculum -current events, history, geography, literature...fantastic!

Antwerp Train Station Dance

Thing 31: More Twitter

What is Twitter? Good definition: http://www.jbspartners.com/blog/new-media/is-twitter-for-the-birds-a-tweet-tweet-tutorial

I'll put Twitter in my social tool box when necessary. I am glad I know it is there just in case... however:

"Which of my Twitter updates make people follow me or leave me??" the website asks. In other words I want to make myself so socially attractive that I can have as big a following as possible. I consider myself a leader, but I just don't have that big of a head. And I would rather save my time for more meaningful things than being distracted by other people's two cents. I am sure there are a few gems that come out this voyeuristic hobby, Twittering - but I have to believe it is mostly a giant waste of time. Perhaps if I were in the business world or politics...it just seems like you would feel "your phone is ringing off the hook" with a continual barage of triteness.

Twitter gives you the chance to publish your thoughts quickly?? Am I so important that my thoughts should be published - often before I have given them a healthy second thought? THIS IS SO "IT'S ALL ABOUT ME" MENTALITY.

"Real life happens between blog posts and email!" - therefore... I better Twitter (share) about all those in between times just so people can stay caught up with ME!! because it is, after all, all about me. I watched the YouTube video called Twitter Whore - totally confirmed what I have written above.

I like the idea of CrisisWire - aggregate in one place many takes on the same event.
http://go.crisiswire.com/about/

Thing 30: More Ways to Use RRS & Delicious

RSS
I did establish a Google Reader with the first 23 things. I have never used it.

I think it is interesting that all these Internet products are supposedly created to make our lives more efficient but in the end more products are needed to just help with the overwhelming number of "voices" that are coming at us from all sides. Voices that say "answer me" now and give us guilt trips when we don't.

Products that filter RRS feeds! Products that help you read through your news feeds faster! Products that are viral marketing tool that say "Buy, buy, buy!" Yikes! Being connected electronically all the time because why? Staying socially connected? Politically informed? Getting the best deal? I think it is a lot about voyeurism - peeking in the window of other people's lives and minds on an incessant basis. Where is the peace and self-contentedness in all of this?

I spend hours each day reading email, School Library Journal professional articles and book reviews, and the daily print newspaper delivered to my door. I also have homework each week for two Bible studies I do with my church. I choose to fill my life with these things. In my spare time and when I exercise I read or listen to new juvenile fiction so I can recommend books to the kids at school.

No more voices! No RSS feeds!

Delicious
The tastiest bookmarks on the web! I liked this tool from the very beginning! It is so useful!

Good tips on using delicious - http://www.bizzia.com/slackermanager/the_several_hab/
I like knowing about the "settings" section where I can edit my tags.

Thing 29: Google Tools

• Alerts - I don't see any need personally for these alerts at the present time. My K-5 library - probably not - nothing is ever that critical. But who knows...one day...

I did let my son know about Google Alerts (he probably knows already!) as he has some very popular websites he has developed where he has problems with people copying his content.

• News - I can see setting up this kind of new service if I ever want to follow a particular new story over any length of time.

•SearchWiki - This is way too advanced for any of my needs. I just type in my term, visit my search results and move on. I cannot imagine spending any time customizing my Google search results! Seems like it might be a ploy for Google to improve their own way of analyzing search results??

•Web History
I don't need my web searching history saved - I like to start fresh, with no history getting in the way of searching any given topic. But, alas, it seems like Google is and has been keeping track of my searching along!

1-800-GOOG-411: Google's 411 service - free information service from anywhere! I want my pizza delivered that fast!

•GMail - I already have two email accounts. I choose not to set up a GMail account at the present time - but I like it and could one day make a switch.

•Google Calendar - I can see its usefulness in group-wide activities, but not for me personally yet. I make little paper to-do lists and write on my paper calendar. Remember I am the one who carries a cell phone turned off in my purse - but I like it there for rainy day emergencies.

Thing 28: Customized Home Pages

What is this?
These are personalized start pages -- also known as Web desktops or customizable portals - the convenience factor being the main appeal. "Instead of visiting 10 sites every morning, you just load your browser."

This start page combines all the web service pages I use to one access page or feed aggregator - which becomes MY HOMEPAGE! - it's a one stop solution to corralling all my activities on the Internet, i.e. where I can view content from many feeds in one location.

I chose Netvibes because it seemed to get the best reviews. It is very customizable and provides social functionality by being able to share modules with others.

Personal comments:
O.K. That was fun. I got my home page all set up. It looks pretty and is pretty functional. I named it "Karen's What's Up Page." I especially like the box where I can make notes to myself. I also like the fact that I can check both my email accounts from the same place!'

I can see where this type of re-mixing web pages all in the same location would be real handy for any group of people working together on the same thing - like staff or classroom projects.

Thing 27: Twitter

I will not get a Twitter account at the present time.

For a person who keeps her cell phone turned off in her purse and rarely makes an outgoing call - maybe every other month - Twitter does not interest me.

I reluctantly joined Facebook. I only go on it when someone asks to be my friend.

I am feeling the same way I did during the first 23 things on a stick - only more so. Our world has become sooooooooo "It's all about me." In the name of socializing we have our noses in our handheld devices all day long - our hardware - and not looking into the eyes of the flesh and blood people around us.

I thought blogging was so "it's all about me!" now we have microblogging that answers the question, "What are you doing?" for all the inbetween times when we're not blogging! How arrogant! For all the gems that come out of Twittering there a truck loads of time-wasting refuse.

I love my family and friends. I have a husband, children, neighbors, colleagues, church friends - but I pick up the phone when I want to say something socially - and that is not very often. I can email when I want to say something - but that is not very often. I am a private person who likes to live a quiet life with the least "noise" possible. I listen to music and audiobooks, watch little TV, and I read, read, read professionally and recreationally. I leave email to Monday to Friday and don't care to check it over the weekends.

I read all the intros and viewed all the videos for this "thing."
I go the most out of David Lee King's "10 ways for librarians to use Twitter."
http://www.davidleeking.com/2007/03/10/twtter-explained-for-librarians-or-10-ways-to-use-twitter/

I understand what he is saying- I am just not interested. Maybe someday, if I glean it to be professionally useful or to be part of a life-important network - but I will certainly not use it socially.

Thing 26: Ning-a-Ning-a-Ning

I had already joined the "23 things ning" last spring. So today I participated in a discussion that was going on in the School Librarians and Media Specialists group about what our favorite "thing" is that we have used in our library media centers.

I mentioned the blog I had recently created for my grades 2-5 students to use to study the Dromedary camel. Here it is: www.ourcamelblog.blogspot.com.

I hadn't ever used the ning professionally before - sharing about what I'm doing in my job. I can see using it to ask around about things that interest me or put up something I think others could be interested in.

Thing 25: Bloggers' Toolkit

I read the article "Twenty usability tips for your blog." Informative but I am just not there yet with blogging. I will try to add more visuals, however.

Every Google gadget I tried to add today said the URL had an error in its script.?? I had added the Blinkx widget the other day and it worked but it was way too busy for me to have here - after all. So I just got rid of the post and started over again and now I can't get any widgets to add??

But I have learned how to add photos, a search bar, and a response system - cool!

I spent probably 2 hours on this thing. I wish I had someone next to me to help me when I get stuck - it can be VERY frustrating!

I have been to Tuscany, below!

Thing 24: Refreshing My Blog

O.K. I am back.

I have done nothing with this blog since I finished it last spring. I did update my profile a bit today and changed some font colors. I like this layout look best - so I kept it the same as last spring.

I read the Blog Slideshow and had no idea how many uses blogs have. Wow! I have new respect for blogging of all kinds.

Blogging is a great way to journal one's thoughts and activities and share them with others in a nice, readable format. I recently used a blog for my grades 2-5 research project on the Dromedary camel. I posted information for my students to use to do a drawing of a camel which included 16 special physical features of the camel.
www.ourcamelblog.blogspot.com

I do not read or post on others blogs much - I will try to change that.

I need to update my avatar - but I kinda like her as she is.