THING 23 - FINAL THOUGHTS

My first post was 'Thing 1 - What a good looking group! Hope you enjoy our blog.' I have learned a lot from these exercises, some I will use and many I will not use. While it is good to have knowledge of the things that we explored, considering our library's current staff shortage it is hard to imagine how we can assist patrons with such involved tasks. While it has been fun at times, I am glad we are done with 23 Things. Thank you for your effort.

THING 22 - SURVEY

Survey completed! One more thing and I'm done.

THING 21 - SHOW US WHAT YOU KNOW

This is kind of a tall task in that you don't really know what the 'newbie' is going to want to do. But here goes.

One of the most frequent things people need to do, especially if they are submitting resumes, is to set up an e-mail account. I would suggest g-mail, hotmail or yahoo.com and show them how to get started setting up the account.

If a patron came in with pictures and they wanted to share them on the web, I would start them off scanning the pictures, creating a Photobucket or Flickr account and showing them how to upload the photos.

If a patron came in asking about where they could go to find job opportunities, I would direct them to something like Craiglist, jobs.com, monster.com and perhaps Linked in if someone was searching the job market. I would also assist them in posting their resume on these sites. To create a resume, I would recommend finding a good resume building site such as resumetemplates.org or tell them to book a librarian.

I would direct a patron who wanted to find out information on a particular medical disorder to the Mayo Clinic website or WebMd which has a plethora of information and is easy to navigate.

If a patron wanted to view on-line videos, I would recommend YouTube as a good source of a variety of videos. I would also recommend eHow.com for how to videos.

For most needs, I would suggest the old standby (which I use all the time), Google.com. I google everything and that would be my first suggestion to patrons doing any kind of research.

THING 20 - MORE FUN WITH GOOGLE

I chose to investigate Google Translate, it was beaucoup de plaisir (lots of fun). I also chose Google Images. Both of these would be beneficial to the general public, translate for obvious reasons and I use google images frequently to find images for a variety of applications. I set up my iGoogle page selecting U2 as my theme, and added gadgets Hamster, Hangman and Todays horoscope to customize my page. Since I was already logged in to my blog page, it automatically saved my iGoogle page. It was fun setting it up and selecting the gadgets and theme.

THING 19 - BEST OF THE WEB

Mayo Clinic and Sports Reference were two of the ones I liked from the 2010 list. From the 2004 list, I liked eHow.com, lots of interesting how to information on that site. I also visited wordswithoutborders.com, very strange and interesting. I found it interesting that one of the sites listed in 2004 was craigslist, which is huge now.

THING 18 - MORE SOCIAL NETWORKS

I visited the sites for children's social networks. I do not believe in social networking for children. I visited sites such as Togetherville and What's What and even though these sites say they are secure for children, I do not believe it. Sure parents can direct their children to sites such as this, but they cannot restrict them from getting on other sites when they are in other places, such as friends homes, school, etc. I know this is true with anything when it comes to kids, they will find a way if they want to, but I do not believe they should even be exposed to social networking on the computer. I believe social networking for children should be such be things such as lunchtime, recess, and just hanging out with friends - not on the computer.

Linked In seems like a good resource for business and help finding jobs. I did enjoy Webjunction and found there are a few classes that might be helpful, in particular the ones dealing with handling difficult and angry patrons. I found it very interesting and easy to navigate. I will explore this site further when time permits.

Thing 23

Looking back at my first post, I didn't realize all that the 23 things would be. I remember I was excited and a little apprehensive. As we went along, the apprehension lessened and my appreciation increased. I enjoyed the 23 things and I believe that this exercise has increased my confidence and abilities and has given me more to offer our patrons.

Thing 22

Took survey

Thing 21

The first website where I would help a newbie get started is Yahoo...I would encourage them to get an email address and help them sign up and SAVE in a very secure place (such as their wallet) the email address and password that they established.
Secondly, I would direct them to craigslist.org. ALOT of people come into the library looking for jobs. Also, some people may need to buy or sell items and this website would help them.
The third website I would introduce them to is YouTube. After signing up for an email, and looking for employment listings, some lighthearted fun with some cute videos will help them realize that the internet isn't only for serious business, but is also fun and entertaining.
Fourth, I would show them hulu.com. I don't watch tv, but do like to watch the tv show 'cops' on the internet... yes, I am quite the highbrow!
Also, I would show them facebook. If they're interested, I would help them create an account and upload a profile photo. I would let them know that library staff could help them with any questions and challenges they may encounter.
Last, but not least, I would show them last.fm. I like listening to the radio, but I know alot of people (including my husband) like to listen to music selected specifically suited to their musical preferences.

Thing 20

I looked into Google calendar tour, google scholar, google advanced search, and google earth. For me, Google calendar is not necessary, but I'm sure it is helpful for many people. Google scholar was interesting since I looked up some library science books and had access to the abstract and other info on the book. I liked Google advanced search and am sure I'll use that alot. Google earth was fun. I've looked at it over the years and liked the instructional video on the street 3D viewing. I do believe all of these would be useful to the public and am glad to introduce, or re-introduce, these tools to our patrons.
I really enjoyed making my iGoogle page and did save it, since I'm sure I'll be looking at it often for the interests that I selected (news, music and humor).

THING 17-SOCIAL NETWORKS

I do not do any social networking other than Facebook. I was reluctant to join Facebook, but was encouraged by family members in other areas to join so we can keep in touch. I am not a member of any online communities. I can see how some people, who are passionate about particular subjects may want to share their passion with others, but that is not something I would do. I visited Gather and Ning. I found the Library 2.0 on Ning to be very interesting.

Thing 19

I found tons of informative and entertaining websites. In the category of the 50 best websites of 2004, (under News and Information),I looked at the National Geographic.com/education and really am impressed with the Giant Traveling Maps! In the 50 best websites of 2010, I looked at youtube's 50 best videos, and also got a kick out of the top 10 youtube train wrecks. I viewed the top 10 people caught on facebook...a couple that I looked at were criminals who were caught because of what they put on facebook...good!

Thing 23

Well I have to say I am glad it's over. But I have learned that I am not so apprehensive about looking at something I may know nothing about. I did enjoy finding some interesting cooking and music websites, And really liked some of the fun things like elf yourself. So in all this was a great experience and hope that the Fab Four wins!!!!

Thing 22

Took Survey

Thing 21

1. You Tube - I think You tube is great for so many reasons. To name a few, I have used it for watching people fix things I have no idea about, or watching local bands that are not around this area anymore to see whats up.

2. Mayo Clinic - Well this one goes without saying, I think alot of people use this web site for great medical info.

3. IGoogle - I liked to set up my own page, and be able to add gadgets.

4. Amazon - I have ordered from this website many times, my husband and I love to see if they have the rare movies we like to watch.

5. Facebook - Even though I don't use Facebook, I do think it's a great way to keep in touch with family from out of state.

6. Chegg - I found this website interesting, how you can rent and sell textbooks at a much lower price. Great Idea.

THING 23

Well,what can I say,this was not the most fun or easiest I have done,but I finished.I did learn a lot of new things and even found a few things I might use in the future.I am not the biggest fan of computers,only use them when nothing else will do,but I am willing to learn what I have to, to get by.

THING 22

TOOK SURVEY

THING21

1. I would start with Google.com.It is easy and FREE to set up an account.From there you can add all the RSS and newsreaders that interest you.
2. Photo bucket is a great way to share you pictures with others and it is also free.
3. Google docs can make your group projects for work or school a lot easier.All parties have access to the work and you don't even have to leave your home.
4. Last.fm or Grooveshark for the music lovers,from classical to hip-hop to what ever the mood.Download it to your p.c. or any other device you own.
5. Any of the social networking sites will do, if you want to communicate with people online.Facebook seems to be a favorite.If you want to see the person you are talking to Skype is great for video calls,it is free in the U S ,other countries charge for the calls.
6. i Google pages are fun to create. You can add all kinds of gadgets[G.mail-news-weather-quotes of the day-driving directions]all on the same page.

THING20

More fun with Google. Checked out the mentioned discovery Resources. We have used Google Earth before , to look up old addresses including mom's in Germany.I did create my iGoogle page.I used the animated Nemo for the background.I added a few gadgets to the page: directions by Google Map -funny cat pictures -quotes of the day -weather map -google translate[translate text into any language] -inspirational quotes and pictures -three animated pictures[turtles,hamsters,penguins] just for the fun of it.The page is saved in iGoogle . I did not know how to create a link for people to view it.

THING19

I checked out 50 best websites of 2010.Looked at :family and kids[serious eats]found a few recipes,even one for boiling water[ha ha] some people have way to much time on their hands.I have two sites that I usually go to,when I need a new recipe, that I find easier to use.Also looked at the greatest toys of all times, found a section called 'Top 10 Toy crazes of all times" I remember a lot of crazy stories about people trying to buy the cabbage patch dolls.Then came the furby, my kids loved those little critters. Also the Beanie Babies, they were going to be worth a lot of money some day, ours are just collecting dust now along with the Rubiks cube.I did check out a few sites under the best 50 websites of 2004.I do like National Geographic , their pictures are great and I have checked out Freecycle a few times. You have to go through a lot of sites to find something you can use.The only site that I will continue to use at this time is Sesame Street , for my granddaughter, we are always looking for things to do,and this site has a lot to offer for her.