Thing 6: Blog Readers

I used to use bloglines last year, but migrated to Google when I realized just how more convenient Google is. It is really a one stop shop. Which is also kind of scary in its own way.







I have my blogs set up into distinct categories: librarian, culturetech, and kids. I am trying to separate my work from personal life in these distinctions, but it is hard. The only one I know isn't work is kids. In my culturetech folder I use many blog posts from the blogs I follow as inspiration. Or I find out things for work. In fact, from Lifehacker, I found a tip that cut down on the amount of blog posts I had to slog through. Now I show my blogs in list form instead of expanded, and with the categories don't have to click through to each single blog.

From your 46 subscriptions, over the last 30 days you read 771 items, starred 0 items, shared 30 items, and emailed 7 items.

So even though that seems like a lot, in reality I only read in between 20 and 30% of those 46 blogs (with the exception of Free Range Kids 100%!). When I am sharing an item, I've really only been doing that so I can remember to go back and read it in depth later.

Thing 5: Image Generators

Something my nine year old said to me yesterday: "Love is when you buy me sweet things." How sad and how cute at the same time. There is one of these that is potentially useful for libraries where you can make a READ poster. It is from ALA. This thing is really similar to the last one except this time the point is to create something that didn't exist before, instead of altering it. I like it.

Here's a question

I wonder how you delete a blog? I did a test one for work that I don't need anymore...

Thing 4: redux

I used to be so obsessed with my name that I had speakers of different languages write out what my name would be in their alphabet.

I'm digging this one too.

Thing 4: More Flickr

So I went ahead and uploaded some new pictures and tried to use the Big Huge Labs tools. One of them wasn't very web page friendly (it was gigantic when it put all my pics together). But I love this one. I chose to use my nine year olds photo since I've been kind of obsessed with the new baby and Ben should get his "props". This was back in 2007 at the zoo. That day I got a call from my temp library job asking if I could come in. But hanging out with him was way more important!

This was my first time using anything like this and while it is kind of cool, I don't know what use it would be for my library except to show other people how they can do cool stuff too. :)

Thing 3: Flickr

Its the next thing from North Texas 23 (that link is mainly for me).

I do have a flickr account, but I haven't updated it in over a year, with most of the photos I put up in 2007. I think that is a little strange. I take pictures all the time with my phone's camera (or I did until I got the iphone--I don't like the camera on it). I have a digital camera that will hold a jillion photos or 10 hours of movie. And to top it all off, I actually intended to minor in photography in college, so I even have a solid pre-digital background in photography. I guess the reason I stopped uploading the photos is because I didn't think anyone wanted to see them. If I do think someone wants to see them, I put them on facebook or myspace. I've uploaded TONS of photos to snapfish, with the sole purpose of getting them printed out at a Walgreens, but in order to share your photos there you have to email each individual person you want to see your photos.

One way that I've used flickr in my professional capacity is finding creative common licensed photos for use on fliers. It is hard to find interesting photos. I know I've seen the same Microsoft clipart on tons of libraries fliers. For instance, when I wanted to do an altered book program, there weren't any photos for that. So I went to flickr and found Teresa Stton, who has let people use her photos as long as they are attributed to her. Anyone interested in this should go to The Creative Commons part of flickr. It is amazing.

Thing 2

So I really don't think of web 2.0 as a separate idea set apart from what was originally the world wide web. I very much think that humans like to catalog and identify what is different and what is the same about different objects. Quantifying the new social networking as 2.0 is disengenous because the internet has always been about sharing. Are we doing it in a new way? I don't really think so.

I remember when I was 16 and on a BBS (bulletin board system). This was when most people were still not on the internet and you had to dial in to other people's computers to receive information. It was very unregulated and wild west-ish. There were different forums on different topics and I ended up sending a few emails back and forth with Bruce Sterling. I didn't know who he was at the time, but I've later learned that he's a pretty famous author in his own right (and from Austin, where I lived at the time). A couple of years later I emailed Maureen F. McHugh and received a response back (You can tell I like science fiction).

I will say that, especially in the world of science fiction writers, the internet blogging culture has given rise to the "in" authors: Cory Doctorow, John Scalzi, Charles Stross. I read a blog post that said the only reason these guys are nominated this year is because they have a cult of personality that follows them. I tend to agree even though I enjoy all of their writings.

My boss asked me why I would want to do 23 things since I do know about technology. I have always learned new technologies ad hoc and I think this might be a good way to break the cycle.

23 Things North Texas Style

Hello North Texas 23! My name is Melissa Jeffrey and I am currently the adult services librarian at the SW Branch of the Arlington Public Library. I have done teens, childrens and genealogy, but my position right now is just about the adults within a 2 mile radius of me. I am also on our web team here and I sent the link to this to people on my team.