Tools for searching the enigmatical blue

Well well, aren't we getting fancy with the customized search tools? Fun though!

I tried a few that were already created, but there are already so many (like Matapihi, Community Archive, New Zealand Libraries Catalogue etc.) that making more in a similar vein seems like a bit of a waste of resources...There would have to be a specific need for a specific search to make it in any way worthwhile.

Down to the blue depths...

It's all about discovery and seredipitous learning apparently...

I did try one of the recommended search tools - Anzwers.com, especially for ANZ use. Nice interface. However, when I searched for "Parker Hulme" and later "marmite", the results were startlingly similar to a simple Google search...

The only glimmer of lighter blue was when I searched for "gumboots" and there was an amount of more specific/useful stuff in the Anzwers search.

I think the name is the cleverest bit, of course taken off Answers.com - which was, incidentally, one of the first websites I ever used...ah, those were the days! When it was an incredible thrill to actually find what one wanted using the Internet.

I think information is very much taken for granted in these post-millenial days.

Doogle Gocs

You have no idea how hard I found it to say that! "Doogle Gocs"...Small things!



So here I am typing in Google Docs just because I can..lol!

To be honest, I went through ticking most of the tasks in "In the Cloud..." because I'd already done them.

Google Docs I only used fairly recently, granted, and not in a work situation but I'm confident that I could easily transfer that experience if I wanted/needed to, which is the main thing. I have looked at Zoho writer (looks good!) but I'm afraid Google products are easier and faster for me to use...

As for LibraryThing, I joined that years ago (seemingly before it was quite so huge and well-known) and had some fun, but it wasn't so enthralling for personal use that I felt I should keep using it. I'm glad libraries are though! It makes perfect sense to use a resource like LibraryThing as much as it does to use OCLC & WorldCat.

I love using WorldCat, mostly because the interface is so nice & simple & easy to use (again, small things!) and it was quite useful for ILLing overseas...


On second thoughts, I might just create a doc anyway and invite my group to view/edit it. It would be a good exercise for me to think about a few specifics that I've learnt from the CCL learn programme, and I'm sure the others would be happy to add :-)

Flickr apps p'aps

COLOURS

I LOVE "flickr color pickr"!!
I'm sure I've seen it before, but I've just rediscovered it :-)

Mappr is ok, and I do like Montager, as I've noted before, on my other blog...hmmm.
and looking forward to other toys

Making the blue even more fun!!

COLOURS

Inside St. Walburgis

Inside St. Walburgis
Originally uploaded by dutchveryess

One of the most beautiful cathedrals I've ever seen!!

We got to see it when we were in Europe in 2006 - the ornate interior is simply breathtaking.

(This photo is much better than any we took, but I'll try to get around to uploading some of ours to flickr anyway...)

This is a very handy flickr.com feature, whereby one can post directly to one's blog from a photo on flickr - I like it!

Wikis wikis everywhere - like snowflakes in the blue

I still like wikis! Despite not being able to set up an account at Mediawiki (no matter which username I used to create an account, that username never existed when I tried to actually log-in...)

I have enjoyed the wiki module.

Because of technicalITs, I added a page to the PBworks wiki instead of Mediawiki...I'm sure nobody will mind. I found PBworks generally much nicer to use anyway.

In the past I have edited an entry on Wikipedia, but the going was slow. I haven't bothered in a long time. Maybe I should try again :-)

As the ultimate place for sharing information, I think wikis are one of the most useful points of this programme on a professional level.

I referred to wikis as snowflakes because, well, they look amazing, are quite pretty, very intricate, and one thread leads to dozens more!!

I like wikis.

Wikipedia - the ultimate wiki...so far anyway

Wiki-blue!! i edt u (haha)

Just been looking at the way some libraries are using wikis (from the CCL Learn blog entry).

Looks good!!

I particularly like the subject guide wiki put together by St Joseph County Public Library. This allows people to just that - put together a subject guide. They have an impressive range of subject guides and I can see it would be an exiting place for people to share info they've found on different topics, or add a local author they know of to the local author subject wiki.

I like it :-)

The library success wiki is also interesting (if somewhat cliche). I don't know if I'd use it that much professionally, but it's useful to know it exists. And the whole idea of anyone being able to edit (within reason...) has always appealed to me - feel the power!!!

Heh, yeah, moving right along.

Ning the thing!!

Or so Ning would have you do ;-)

Ning is a base website where you can create your very own social network (or "ning") with customized purpose and content (very much like Blogger is a place where you can create your own blog).

Each social network created then gets its own site, looking something like

http://my-very-very-own-social-network.ning.com/

Don't try that link, it won't work! Although, if you do, Ning will helpfully tell you that this page doesn't exist, and will invite you to create your-very-very-own-social-network to help ease the disappointment. Excellent marketing skills!

I have to say, to begin with I was totally annoyed with Ning.

Firstly, I didn't realise each Ning network is separate from the Ning home page (like blogs and Blogger). So I couldn't go click on any "home" option - I had to type the address in again.

Secondly, Ning homepage very kindly allows you a peak into the ning world of networks, and suggests you browse through nings by subject...This really irritated me, because it had only a few in each of the categories (which were fixed) and there was no keyword searching!! Grrrrrr!

Anyway, eventually I managed to join a few Ning networks to see how it works - although by this time I had given some wacky answers on the individual network application forms...Ooops!

Having said all that, Ning could be lots of fun :-)

Several networks were dedicated to groups who have used Ning for educational purposes, so it must be possible LoL! And there were causes and entertainment networks as well. Ning is obviously very versatile, which is always good.

Oh, and Ning is actually green, not blue...

Feeling blue? Get a new social life!

And no, I don't mean 2nd Life or any some such thing!


I mean the big FB! or MySpace or Bebo or Ning or...you get the idea :-)

I must admit I didn't spend that much time on the social networking module...I don't like to make generalisations, but I'm pretty much over social networking! Sorry, but there it is.


Been on FB for about 18 months (spring chicken! lol) have heaps of friends that I love keeping in contact with, lots of people I cyber-nod to every now and again, and quite a few that I've never met...


And there's Mafia Wars and bits of flair and pillow fights and so many quizzes they would rival the number of photos on Flickr!!! Ok, major exaggeration, but you get the picture...lol sorry, Friday night pun.


Anyway, the long and short of it is that I used FB heaps when I was studying because it was a perfect procrastination-enabler...However, now that I have my life back (lol!) I don't have time to procrastinate!! And there goes social networking...


However, again I can see how it would be very useful on a professional level for getting word out there about libraries and all the cool stuff they have and can do. Reaching people - that's what they're there for! :-)

Hello fellow adventurers!

Hello everyone!


Sorry for not saying hello earlier, now that I know who everyone is! I hope we all enjoy this programme, however challenging as it can be at times...


Looking forward to some good discussion tomorrow!

Choosing your shade of blue

Personalised homepages...why not?

Here's mine - sort of, the little version anyway. Another Google feature that I never looked at because it's way at the top-right of the Google homepage!

What do I think? Yes, it's fun. Yes, it's handy. Yes, it could perhaps be useful...But those facts alone are not enough for me to actively use and engage with it.

To be worth sparing some minutes from a frantic lifestyle, an application has to be more than interesting, handy or even fun - it has to be directly relevant to what I do, what I know (or want to know) and how I live.

Maybe the same applies to most information agencies...

Tweaking the blue

Feeling generous, I am trying gadgets once more...in a more safe setting perhaps.

I don't think this one will be much use on my blog (although perhaps fun to read), but I like the practical and seemingly seamless widgets included on this library blog

These widgets blend into the blog and go all the way down the side, filling up the otherwise empty *blue* space with useful things like

Recent Comments
Flickr Photos
Blog Archives
Tag Clouds
Calendars

Also appears to be good way of plugging a library's website and resources...

Phantom blue pt 2

Obviously there was a bug of the blue kind running around!

I closed all windows and logged off the PC.

Later, I went to have a look at my blog. It took a long time loading and then before it had finished went to some more random (though seemingly harmless) advertising page. Uh oh!

I logged into blogger, took the gadget off as quickly as I could, and then...

(drum roll please)

...all appeared normal again.

Hmmmm.

Beware of the phantom side of the blue - bugs posing as gadgets.

Phantom blue

Ok, I was meant to post about my experience of widgets and gadgets.

My only serious thought so far: Beware!

I enjoy the basic gadgets blogger offers, but I decided to try one from the "more gadgets" category. There were some fun looking gadgets.

I tried one that was a (perhaps random?) counter - you know, numbers rolling around like a really fast odometer :-)

When I clicked "save" to put the gadget on my blog, it came up with an error and all these strings of numbers and various advertising. Fail!

To be continued...

The future of the blue

(Cartoon from http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/img/2007/12/getting-fired.jpg)

The blue speaks

Podcasts are brilliant - especially those that are good quality. Who could resist listening to some random person talk for an hour about something they think is important? LoL JK

Having just added several podcast feeds to my Google Reader, the number of "unread" items has bounded up to 66...significant number, although not as impressive as the upside down version.

I'm sure I'll get to 99 soon enough!


One very good resource for people like me (i.e. those who are not afraid of technology but are not exactly knowledgeable about it either) was the free podcasting tutorial.
Now that may come in handy on day :-)



Interesting tidbit I have found is the right-click option when downloading podcasts.
Sometimes all the podcast does is start playing on the actual site, when in fact it would be nice to download it (see example courtesy of CCL Learn post).

But wait! Do not despair! Right-click on the link and select "save link as".
This will open the normal "save to" window, from whence everything should proceed as normal.

Colour clash??

What do I think about RSS feeds in the blue nowhere?
Well, for me personally it would be just another place for unread somethings to build up and I would eventually stop using it altogether.

However, for all those who are up-to-date, on-the-ball and downright-super-organised people, I can see that it would be a very useful tool.

None of this surfing idly through the blue while you're meant to be working. Oh no, all your blue is brought right to your PC using a little orange. Hurray!

As for professionally, if that is the way the world is going it would be foolish to ignore it, foolish to ignore it Jim, foolish to ignore it! Ahem, or indeed to underutilise it as an effective means of promoting information to the world.

The blue turns orange

That's right! Just been looking at RSS feeds, usually represented by those little orange buttons on someone's blog or some org's website, gleefully encouraging you to subscribe.

I love the fact that the acronym stands for "Really Simple Syndication" and yet so many people still don't know quite how it works (let alone what it means).

Anyway, so now I've worked through the very useful info and exercises on the CCL Learn Blog and know (almost) all about it.

I've activiated my Google Reader and promptly have nearly 30 items "unread"...hmmm, nearly as bad as my Hotmail account!

Bring on the orange.

Out of the blue

Ok, I didn't think I'd be creating yet another blog...One that will probably fade into the all encompassing blue nowhere itself!

But there we are. Or rather, here I am. Again.

To avoid possible allegations of plagiarism (which would be very serious in my line of work) I should say that the term "blue nowhere" is not one I made up.

Truth is, a few years ago I read a thriller of that name.
Before I could blink I was caught up in the mystery and idealism of the blue.
I can't pretend I know much about the blue at all, but I find the concept fascinating...which is probably more than most people will find this blog!

Possible tags for this post? Um, blue...

(The cartoon is from http://www.vanwensveen.nl/rants/microsoft/MSimages/bsod_cartoon.jpg)