I've been putting this one off. Not because I don't think all these things are important (I do!) but because I've never had a satisfying wiki experience. There, I've said it. They usually come off well-intentioned and often quite useful, but only for an fixed moment in time and then eventually fall off. I know this doesn't have to be the case, but...
I am a FB fan of OPPL and have often thought that we could promote a page specifically for Children's. Announce events, etc. ("Sign up starts today for the Baby Derby!")
Getting better about using GoodReads and keeping it updated, but like everyone else, don't buy enough books anymore to really find LT as useful.
Showing posts with label unit five. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unit five. Show all posts
Monday, April 25, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
OPPL 2.0
Wikis
____________
At first, I had trouble linking my pages in OPPLkids. With help from Shelley, I was able to figure it out. I didn’t realize how easy it is to create a wiki and that you can add so many different features, like slideshows, calendars, etc.
My favorite wiki is Wikitravel. It is great for tips on how to Get In, Get Around, See, Do, etc. when you need travel information quickly.
Twitter
____________
I had my own Twitter account for a little while. When I had it, I tweeted for a conference and I texted updates through my phone. I tried to post things that were relevant keeping in mind that my audience had a wide variety of interests. I don’t follow anyone regularly, but I’ve looked at some of TIME’s 140 Best Twitter Feeds.
Facebook
____________
Facebook makes it so easy to connect with people. I use the private messages the most since it is helpful when you are making plans with multiple people. I also like that I don't have to update friends, family, etc.'s contact information, like their email addresses, when you can simply communicate through the network. On a occasion, I'll use the chat function to send people links when we are on the phone. I've found Facebook great for sharing and viewing pictures since you don’t have to have accounts with the same photosharing site. I'm, however, tempted to delete my wall altogether because now when I send out a status up-date I’m sending it to so many different people, my mom, college friends, professors, the list goes on... Similar to Twitter, it is hard to figure out your audience.
GoodReads.com
________________
I use it to keep track of the books I have read for fun, my book club, storytimes, and literature classes. I peruse others reviews or look for books to add to my to-read "pile" I have been meaning to add tags and a bookshelf. I frequently search for books and use the covers for bibliographies and look to see if they have won any literary awards. Like Rory, I don't buy a lot of books in order to save $, space, and the environment, so Librarything does not make sense for me either.
____________
At first, I had trouble linking my pages in OPPLkids. With help from Shelley, I was able to figure it out. I didn’t realize how easy it is to create a wiki and that you can add so many different features, like slideshows, calendars, etc.
My favorite wiki is Wikitravel. It is great for tips on how to Get In, Get Around, See, Do, etc. when you need travel information quickly.
____________
I had my own Twitter account for a little while. When I had it, I tweeted for a conference and I texted updates through my phone. I tried to post things that were relevant keeping in mind that my audience had a wide variety of interests. I don’t follow anyone regularly, but I’ve looked at some of TIME’s 140 Best Twitter Feeds.
____________
Facebook makes it so easy to connect with people. I use the private messages the most since it is helpful when you are making plans with multiple people. I also like that I don't have to update friends, family, etc.'s contact information, like their email addresses, when you can simply communicate through the network. On a occasion, I'll use the chat function to send people links when we are on the phone. I've found Facebook great for sharing and viewing pictures since you don’t have to have accounts with the same photosharing site. I'm, however, tempted to delete my wall altogether because now when I send out a status up-date I’m sending it to so many different people, my mom, college friends, professors, the list goes on... Similar to Twitter, it is hard to figure out your audience.
GoodReads.com
________________
I use it to keep track of the books I have read for fun, my book club, storytimes, and literature classes. I peruse others reviews or look for books to add to my to-read "pile" I have been meaning to add tags and a bookshelf. I frequently search for books and use the covers for bibliographies and look to see if they have won any literary awards. Like Rory, I don't buy a lot of books in order to save $, space, and the environment, so Librarything does not make sense for me either.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wiki Fun
The exercise I liked the most for this unit was our Wiki. I created a Library Pets page with a picture of our favorite gerbil. I think the Wiki is easier to use than our blog. I also answered a Yahoo question, I think some people are trying to get out of their homework!
I created a Twitter account awhile ago to follow our favorite pigeon but then got cold feet when strangers started following me. I give myself Kudos for remembering my log in and password! I added the library and Bill Cosby to my list. I read an article in the Sun-Times about how he uses social media.
I also joined Good Reads so now all I have to do is read some books! I think the thing I'm afraid of most with Twitter, Good Reads and Facebook etc. is sounding witty, interesting and intelligent. Man, you could spend all day just reading your blogs and the links and writing concise smartly worded posts yourself!
Library uses? Twitter would be great to let people know of events or links to book trailers.
A wiki might be fun to post what was done in storytime and getting patrons to contribute reviews.
I created a Twitter account awhile ago to follow our favorite pigeon but then got cold feet when strangers started following me. I give myself Kudos for remembering my log in and password! I added the library and Bill Cosby to my list. I read an article in the Sun-Times about how he uses social media.
I also joined Good Reads so now all I have to do is read some books! I think the thing I'm afraid of most with Twitter, Good Reads and Facebook etc. is sounding witty, interesting and intelligent. Man, you could spend all day just reading your blogs and the links and writing concise smartly worded posts yourself!
Library uses? Twitter would be great to let people know of events or links to book trailers.
A wiki might be fun to post what was done in storytime and getting patrons to contribute reviews.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Socialites
I have to say, I find wikis very useful for content and such a pain to create. It just always feels awkward and I'm not sure why. Part of it is that you have to consider navigation as you create, I think - pages need to link to other pages as well as be linked from others, so there's a lot of editing involved, trying to figure out how it all slots together and what people will be looking for next. The benefits of a wiki is that with so many connections, you can pretty much follow a stream of consciousness to learn more information. (Best observed when you realize you've lost an hour going from wikipedia page to wikipedia page.)
Heather has talked about wanting to do a website with storytime song and rhyme videos, and I really like how this library uses their wiki to do that: Tell Me a Story. You can find songs easily through categories or alphabetic lists, and each song page has recommended similar songs as well as links to back to categories it belongs in.
****************************
I adore twitter. So easy to keep up (provided you don't go overboard on followers), so easy to update. It's not for everyone, I understand, and it's easy to get lost in a sea of obnoxious updates. I have a mix of librarianship and friendship people listed and use it accordingly. This probably violates some twitter social rules, but I am too lazy to manage more than one account and no one has complained yet.
I love the creativity that the medium forces - it's hard to be witty and/or smart and/or interesting in 140 characters or less, especially consistently, but some people manage well. I only linked Betty, but all the Mad Men characters have accounts - during the season, they will chat back and forth, or hold parties, which is great. I also just learned that Clara Barton is "live" tweeting the Civil War, via the National Park Service. The first bullet was just fired on Fort Sumter 12 hours ago. Nifty.
It is also a very easy way to push information to people - I like hearing about events, sales, brand new books, etc straight from the brands without having to go hunting. I like being able to surprise people with book recommendations or answers to questions thrown out into the twittersphere. I can also choose to get text messages when certain accounts update, which can be very handy.
I think we have a nice balance on the OPPL account - there's three of us posting (me, Sharon and Monica, with Anne rejoining soon) - and we are able to push events, answer questions and just chat with our patrons, all of which is appreciated. Ten Ways Twitter Will Benefit Your Library sums it up pretty well. Also see: The four stages of understanding twitter.
**************
I think the article overstates the importance of having a Facebook, but since we do have one, I wish we used it better. It's missing the social aspect that our twitter has, and I agree with Rory that we need to engage the patrons who are there more. I think we could ask questions, share reviews, share links, solicit opinions, etc. Why didn't we post asking for snapshot quotes there? We're half-hearting it there, and it shows.
**************
One great thing about Library Thing is that it offers you recommendations based on the books you add and the tags you give it. There's also a quick link to Project Gutenberg, and it tells you if there's a copy available there without any clicking required. I like that a lot. I like the idea behind it quite a bit, but the thought of actually cataloguing my own collection is overwhelming. I'll stick with GR, which serves my purposes pretty well.
I do like the idea of using LT for book reviews/recommendations for patrons, though. In addition to the automatically generated recs, we could add our own read-alikes. I think it might work as a replacement for the staff recs page, which I generally forget exists. An LT widget on the home page would be neat.
*****************
My best friend loves to go on Yahoo Answers and answer math questions (she's an accountant, and a geek). I hadn't tried it before, but I liked the idea as suggested at ILA. There is a books and authors section, and a homework help, which could be a good place to start. Like Rory, I haven't responded to any under the authority of a librarian, but maybe some day. I think it's a great way to remind people that librarians are there to help with any kind of question.
Heather has talked about wanting to do a website with storytime song and rhyme videos, and I really like how this library uses their wiki to do that: Tell Me a Story. You can find songs easily through categories or alphabetic lists, and each song page has recommended similar songs as well as links to back to categories it belongs in.
****************************
I adore twitter. So easy to keep up (provided you don't go overboard on followers), so easy to update. It's not for everyone, I understand, and it's easy to get lost in a sea of obnoxious updates. I have a mix of librarianship and friendship people listed and use it accordingly. This probably violates some twitter social rules, but I am too lazy to manage more than one account and no one has complained yet.
I love the creativity that the medium forces - it's hard to be witty and/or smart and/or interesting in 140 characters or less, especially consistently, but some people manage well. I only linked Betty, but all the Mad Men characters have accounts - during the season, they will chat back and forth, or hold parties, which is great. I also just learned that Clara Barton is "live" tweeting the Civil War, via the National Park Service. The first bullet was just fired on Fort Sumter 12 hours ago. Nifty.
It is also a very easy way to push information to people - I like hearing about events, sales, brand new books, etc straight from the brands without having to go hunting. I like being able to surprise people with book recommendations or answers to questions thrown out into the twittersphere. I can also choose to get text messages when certain accounts update, which can be very handy.
I think we have a nice balance on the OPPL account - there's three of us posting (me, Sharon and Monica, with Anne rejoining soon) - and we are able to push events, answer questions and just chat with our patrons, all of which is appreciated. Ten Ways Twitter Will Benefit Your Library sums it up pretty well. Also see: The four stages of understanding twitter.
**************
I think the article overstates the importance of having a Facebook, but since we do have one, I wish we used it better. It's missing the social aspect that our twitter has, and I agree with Rory that we need to engage the patrons who are there more. I think we could ask questions, share reviews, share links, solicit opinions, etc. Why didn't we post asking for snapshot quotes there? We're half-hearting it there, and it shows.
**************
One great thing about Library Thing is that it offers you recommendations based on the books you add and the tags you give it. There's also a quick link to Project Gutenberg, and it tells you if there's a copy available there without any clicking required. I like that a lot. I like the idea behind it quite a bit, but the thought of actually cataloguing my own collection is overwhelming. I'll stick with GR, which serves my purposes pretty well.
I do like the idea of using LT for book reviews/recommendations for patrons, though. In addition to the automatically generated recs, we could add our own read-alikes. I think it might work as a replacement for the staff recs page, which I generally forget exists. An LT widget on the home page would be neat.
*****************
My best friend loves to go on Yahoo Answers and answer math questions (she's an accountant, and a geek). I hadn't tried it before, but I liked the idea as suggested at ILA. There is a books and authors section, and a homework help, which could be a good place to start. Like Rory, I haven't responded to any under the authority of a librarian, but maybe some day. I think it's a great way to remind people that librarians are there to help with any kind of question.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Always Wanting to Be First, I Am
It was really fun playing with our new department wiki. In the current context of both the brand new wiki and this blog...well, they feel like they could serve a lot of the same purposes. The wiki is more about organizing and sharing information that we might want to have saved, though, while a/our blog is more about "whoa, cool, check this out!"...anyway! The wiki's discussion feature would probably be better for dialoging with each other than keeping up with blog comments from each other, that's for sure.
I "improved" the wiki with some colors in the headers and added some images and made a new page, too [a page which wants your additions]. I wasn't quite sure what Shelley meant by making sure I link my new page, but I think I figured it out. I did wonder if, whether we kept this wiki up, if we'd want to all have a different login to keep track of who was changing/adding what? (I was looking at the "History" tab, see.)
* * * * * * *
I'm fairly familiar with Twitter, so forgive me if I don't create a new account and connect with anyone (been there! done that!). I did check out all of Shelley's suggested accounts, though, and that was a lot of fun. It made me realize that, as a "lurker," I'm sometimes put off by Twitter streams with tons and tons of @ messages and inter-tweeting communication. Makes me feel like I have to pick through for original content, and that I'm not in on the conversation (because, well, I'm not). Does that make any sense?
I think OPPL's Twitter is pretty darn good (and, nope, I'm no longer contributing to it, so that's not a pat on my own back).
* * * * * * *
I made sure to like OPPL's Facebook page, feeling a little doofy for not having done that before. And I love feed prompts listed in that Library Journal article that Shelley linked to. We should do a bit more "Hey, throw us back your take on this!" to our followers, I think. Put more "social" in our social media efforts.
* * * * * * *
I'm a huge GoodReads fan and agree with Shelley's take that it's more about sharing and reviewing books than Library Thing's more personal, organizational set-up. I haven't ever actually signed up with Library Thing (because I tend NOT to own a lot of books), so I just did. Like I was supposed to. Good Rory.
I'm not going to be converted away from GoodReads, but I did like/prefer some things about Library Thing. Like that it asks you what your preferred source of cataloging info is? And included links to local book events? But mostly, Library Thing seemed a bit clunky and slow and...sorry...like something catalogers would like.
* * * * * * *
Go answer something on Yahoo Answers, huh? With research? Um...that seems like a lot to ask at 5:05 pm. Am I learning enough and expanding my horizons enough if I just answer something FROM MY HEART? Seriously, I've always wondered how easy the interface was for responding to questions (or how, exactly, you find questions which need answered), so I did learn something! And I answered this (not admitting I was a librarian).
I "improved" the wiki with some colors in the headers and added some images and made a new page, too [a page which wants your additions]. I wasn't quite sure what Shelley meant by making sure I link my new page, but I think I figured it out. I did wonder if, whether we kept this wiki up, if we'd want to all have a different login to keep track of who was changing/adding what? (I was looking at the "History" tab, see.)
* * * * * * *
I'm fairly familiar with Twitter, so forgive me if I don't create a new account and connect with anyone (been there! done that!). I did check out all of Shelley's suggested accounts, though, and that was a lot of fun. It made me realize that, as a "lurker," I'm sometimes put off by Twitter streams with tons and tons of @ messages and inter-tweeting communication. Makes me feel like I have to pick through for original content, and that I'm not in on the conversation (because, well, I'm not). Does that make any sense?
I think OPPL's Twitter is pretty darn good (and, nope, I'm no longer contributing to it, so that's not a pat on my own back).
* * * * * * *
I made sure to like OPPL's Facebook page, feeling a little doofy for not having done that before. And I love feed prompts listed in that Library Journal article that Shelley linked to. We should do a bit more "Hey, throw us back your take on this!" to our followers, I think. Put more "social" in our social media efforts.
* * * * * * *
I'm a huge GoodReads fan and agree with Shelley's take that it's more about sharing and reviewing books than Library Thing's more personal, organizational set-up. I haven't ever actually signed up with Library Thing (because I tend NOT to own a lot of books), so I just did. Like I was supposed to. Good Rory.
I'm not going to be converted away from GoodReads, but I did like/prefer some things about Library Thing. Like that it asks you what your preferred source of cataloging info is? And included links to local book events? But mostly, Library Thing seemed a bit clunky and slow and...sorry...like something catalogers would like.
* * * * * * *
Go answer something on Yahoo Answers, huh? With research? Um...that seems like a lot to ask at 5:05 pm. Am I learning enough and expanding my horizons enough if I just answer something FROM MY HEART? Seriously, I've always wondered how easy the interface was for responding to questions (or how, exactly, you find questions which need answered), so I did learn something! And I answered this (not admitting I was a librarian).
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Tech Adventures Unit Five: Social Media
Unit five: Social 4/11-4/25
Wiki: A wiki is a collaborative website that multiple people can easily edit and contribute content for. The most famous wiki of all is, of course, Wikipedia. Usually wikis are smaller and more focused, though, like Library Success: A Best Practice Wiki or Child Lit Wiki.
The Library has a wiki: OPPL Sandbox. I created one for us, too: OPPL Kids.
Check your email for log-in access to OPPL Kids. (If you prefer the Sandbox, I can get you that info, too.)
Create a page, maybe for program you’ve done or a book you want to recommend, and edit someone else’s. Be sure that you link whatever page you create to another page – the home page, a hub page, etc. This is easy to do with the Link button. You can add photos using “file” and videos, slideshows, calendars, and a lot, lot more under “widget.”
Twitter: This is a tool the Library uses pretty consistently, so everyone should have at least a passing knowledge of how it works. This is called microblogging – every post is no more than 140 characters. Some writers are better at condensing than others! It works like facebook (or an RSS reader) in that you add accounts to follow and they all appear on your feed. Create an account, connect to a few other users and make a few test posts.
Suggested accounts to check out:
Ours
Arapahoe Library District Storytimes
Mr. Schue, a fairly local children's librarian
Mel, an ALD Children's librarian with great storytime ideas
Updates from our favorite Awful Library Books site
Laura Ingalls updates on the Twittograph
Betty Francis tweets from 1965. (Best during Mad Men seasons)
Tweets of Old (one liners from 17th, 18th, 19th and early 20th century papers)
You can also look for authors like Judy Blume or Neil Gaiman.
Twitter slang:
Tweet: your <140 character long post Retweet: Click “retweet” on a tweet you want shared with your own followers. At: Put @ before someone’s user name to ensure they get notified you’re talking to them. @oakparklibrary You have the best children’s programming ever! Hash: Put # before a word or phrase to make it searchable. #saturdaylibrarian for example. The top ten talked about #s on twitter are called the trending topics. (SaturdayLibrarians never trends.)
Facebook: Did you know that the Library has a Facebook fan page? Check out other library pages, too. Do you think we need one?
Good Reads.com v. LibraryThing.com: Most of us have accounts on GoodReads, which can be a great reader’s advisory tool. Another option is Library Thing. While GoodReads focuses primarily on reviewing books, Library Thing is more about cataloging your own personal library. LTs tags are also used differently than “shelving” tags on GR.
Choose one of the above and create an account. Add/review a favorite childhood book, favorite book now and favorite of 2011. Which do you prefer?
Bonus: Librarians at ILA talked about how they would go to Yahoo Answers and answer questions, making sure to point out they were librarians doing research to help. Give it a try!
Don’t forget to make your unit post. Do you think we should step up or change our social media presence? How can we use these or similar tools in our department? Could we use a department Good Reads or Library Thing page to provide recommendations to patrons? Which tagging style do you prefer? District 200 is partnering with District 97 to create a wiki on research strategies and practices for kids, parents and teachers, as part of the Vertical Team. How could we use a wiki?
We don’t have a social media policy that I’m aware of: should we?
Wiki: A wiki is a collaborative website that multiple people can easily edit and contribute content for. The most famous wiki of all is, of course, Wikipedia. Usually wikis are smaller and more focused, though, like Library Success: A Best Practice Wiki or Child Lit Wiki.
The Library has a wiki: OPPL Sandbox. I created one for us, too: OPPL Kids.
Check your email for log-in access to OPPL Kids. (If you prefer the Sandbox, I can get you that info, too.)
Create a page, maybe for program you’ve done or a book you want to recommend, and edit someone else’s. Be sure that you link whatever page you create to another page – the home page, a hub page, etc. This is easy to do with the Link button. You can add photos using “file” and videos, slideshows, calendars, and a lot, lot more under “widget.”
Twitter: This is a tool the Library uses pretty consistently, so everyone should have at least a passing knowledge of how it works. This is called microblogging – every post is no more than 140 characters. Some writers are better at condensing than others! It works like facebook (or an RSS reader) in that you add accounts to follow and they all appear on your feed. Create an account, connect to a few other users and make a few test posts.
Suggested accounts to check out:
Ours
Arapahoe Library District Storytimes
Mr. Schue, a fairly local children's librarian
Mel, an ALD Children's librarian with great storytime ideas
Updates from our favorite Awful Library Books site
Laura Ingalls updates on the Twittograph
Betty Francis tweets from 1965. (Best during Mad Men seasons)
Tweets of Old (one liners from 17th, 18th, 19th and early 20th century papers)
You can also look for authors like Judy Blume or Neil Gaiman.
Twitter slang:
Tweet: your <140 character long post Retweet: Click “retweet” on a tweet you want shared with your own followers. At: Put @ before someone’s user name to ensure they get notified you’re talking to them. @oakparklibrary You have the best children’s programming ever! Hash: Put # before a word or phrase to make it searchable. #saturdaylibrarian for example. The top ten talked about #s on twitter are called the trending topics. (SaturdayLibrarians never trends.)
Facebook: Did you know that the Library has a Facebook fan page? Check out other library pages, too. Do you think we need one?
Good Reads.com v. LibraryThing.com: Most of us have accounts on GoodReads, which can be a great reader’s advisory tool. Another option is Library Thing. While GoodReads focuses primarily on reviewing books, Library Thing is more about cataloging your own personal library. LTs tags are also used differently than “shelving” tags on GR.
Choose one of the above and create an account. Add/review a favorite childhood book, favorite book now and favorite of 2011. Which do you prefer?
Bonus: Librarians at ILA talked about how they would go to Yahoo Answers and answer questions, making sure to point out they were librarians doing research to help. Give it a try!
Don’t forget to make your unit post. Do you think we should step up or change our social media presence? How can we use these or similar tools in our department? Could we use a department Good Reads or Library Thing page to provide recommendations to patrons? Which tagging style do you prefer? District 200 is partnering with District 97 to create a wiki on research strategies and practices for kids, parents and teachers, as part of the Vertical Team. How could we use a wiki?
We don’t have a social media policy that I’m aware of: should we?
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