I started my search for Learning 2.0 with the typical boneheaded Google approach. I put Learning 2.0 in the search window. Bad idea. I got well over 5,000 hits. Though a scattering of them were on target I pulled up more junk than I wanted.
Then I put Learning 2.0 in quotations marks. The results were much better - only 400 plus hits - and many of them mentioned (and even linked to) Learning 2.0. Finally I added the word "Maryland." My results here were actually too narrowly focused, since I only located a few blogs that contained links to Learning 2.0.
I then went into the Advanced Search mode and put Learning 2.0 into the Tag Search Box. I got about 625 hits. I did pick up a fair amount of junk. On the other hand, I also picked up a bunch of videos which (I am sure) I would never have located without tags.
A Blog Directory search raised the number of hits to nearly 750, though the quality of the hits was erratic.
When I went on to look at the Top Favorited Blogs, it was interesting to note that intellectual navel contemplating seemed to be a common thread running through them. Most seemed to address the interests of techno dweebs.
Looking at Top Searches, I found that few of them interested me. That's not surprising, actually. The whole thrust of the web is to satisfy the interests and needs of countless millions of people niche audience by niche audience. So a top search can be a top search without needing the ratings of a top network television show.
As for Top Blogs, some are favorites of mine and have been for a long time. Most I've never heard of.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Thursday, November 1, 2007
#13 del.icio.us
I started to set up an account with this tool but (breaking the rules) I did this exercise from home and wanted to go through the button setup phase on my work machine rather than my home machine. Some of these programs only let you do a setup in one place. So it is best to do the setup in the place where it will be most needed.
Anyway, this is a tool that I SERIOUSLY LIKE.
Is this why:
"Or just as an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere?"
To a point, you bet! Having all your bookmarks at your fingertips is a little bit more than "just an easy way...." For instance, this tool gives you an easy way to get a new computer without risking the loss of all your bookmarks in the process of switching machines.
More important from the Howard County Library standpoint, each information desk in the system has a collection of bookmarks - relatively few of which are shared. Not only are they not shared from branch to branch. It can be iffy that they will even be shared by information desk machines that sit two feet away from each other. del.icio.us gives us a WONDERFUL way of making sure that all the nifty stuff a branch manager (or other august personage) wants his/her staff to have at their fingertips will actually be at their fingertips.
Anyway, this is a tool that I SERIOUSLY LIKE.
Is this why:
"Or just as an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere?"
To a point, you bet! Having all your bookmarks at your fingertips is a little bit more than "just an easy way...." For instance, this tool gives you an easy way to get a new computer without risking the loss of all your bookmarks in the process of switching machines.
More important from the Howard County Library standpoint, each information desk in the system has a collection of bookmarks - relatively few of which are shared. Not only are they not shared from branch to branch. It can be iffy that they will even be shared by information desk machines that sit two feet away from each other. del.icio.us gives us a WONDERFUL way of making sure that all the nifty stuff a branch manager (or other august personage) wants his/her staff to have at their fingertips will actually be at their fingertips.
#12 - Rollyo
While I have known for years that institutions could make use of commercial search engines to search their own web sites, this one was a new one for me.
It should be extremely useful. At work, I can use it (in some cases) to group vendors together and search their products. At home, I can search a group of my favorite cabinetry sites all at the same time. This is the Rollyo search roll I created. It's called Wood Finishes Tools and is located at:
http://rollyo.com/mchughj/wood_finishes_tools/
It should be extremely useful. At work, I can use it (in some cases) to group vendors together and search their products. At home, I can search a group of my favorite cabinetry sites all at the same time. This is the Rollyo search roll I created. It's called Wood Finishes Tools and is located at:
http://rollyo.com/mchughj/wood_finishes_tools/
#11 Library Thing
I learned about the Library Thing this past spring. It's got it's uses. In particular I'd love to be able to see library users supplement our LC Subject Headings in the online catalog with tags. Hopefully, when Koha comes up they will be able to do this - eventually, if not immediately.
Anyway, I set up a Library Thing account and stuck the first five books I could think of into it, adding a bunch of tags for each. Here is the URL:
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/mchughj
Anyway, I set up a Library Thing account and stuck the first five books I could think of into it, adding a bunch of tags for each. Here is the URL:
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/mchughj
#10 - Image Generators
This was a new one on me. The only thing that puzzles me about it is why our employers ever let us see these things. Don't they ever want to get any work out of us?
Anyway, I played with the magazine cover image generator at http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/magazine.php. What I generated was a magazine with myself and my wife Linda on the cover. It was taken at Evening in the Stacks - just last winter, I believe.
#9 Son of RSS Feeds
I started this section by playing around with the Bloglines feed search. I searched for feeds on the current rivalry between the Airbus A380 and the Boeing Dreamliner, found what I was looking for, and subscribed to them. I did the same for Feedster, Topix,Syndic8 (which seemed a bit cryptic for my tastes) and Technorati. Interestingly in most of them I found an interesting item titled, Airline bans A380 mile-high club and/or Singapore Airlines Forbids Passengers From Doing Hanky Panky In Their New A380 Planes Who says computers are dull?
Finally, I subscribed to the Merlin RSS feed. It was a piece of cake to do so.
Finally, I subscribed to the Merlin RSS feed. It was a piece of cake to do so.
# 8 - RSS feeds
I've dealt with RSS feeds before, when they became an AquaBrowser feature. They were useful for getting notification that one of my wife's favorite authors had just written a new book and that the library had placed it on order.
Once I set up my account I set up a feed with a political blog I rather like to look at. It's written by an old curmudgeon - in other words, a person I can identify with. I also set up feeds from three of my fellow staffers. These shall remain nameless.
As for the "select three from below" part of the assignment, I subscribed to the Unshelved Librarian feed, one graphic novel reviews feed from Library Journal and two graphic novels feeds (one adult and one teen) from the Reader's Club. Since I'm buying graphic novels these days, these should prove quite useful.
Once I set up my account I set up a feed with a political blog I rather like to look at. It's written by an old curmudgeon - in other words, a person I can identify with. I also set up feeds from three of my fellow staffers. These shall remain nameless.
As for the "select three from below" part of the assignment, I subscribed to the Unshelved Librarian feed, one graphic novel reviews feed from Library Journal and two graphic novels feeds (one adult and one teen) from the Reader's Club. Since I'm buying graphic novels these days, these should prove quite useful.
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