Monitoring RSS feeds posted from Zoho writer

Monitoring Commitments

Top of Form

Question 1:

Content – what do I want to monitor?  Make a list

Your Answer:
Listed in priority order:
CCL bibliofile http://cclbibliofile.wordpress.com/
CCL blog http://cclblog.wordpress.com/
Librarians matter
Library Link of the day
http://www.tk421.net/librarylink/
Librarytechnz
http://librarytechnz.natlib.govt.nz/
Internet archive
http://www.archive.org/index.php
Librarian in Black blog
http://librarianinblack.net/librarianinblack/
Tame the Web
http://tametheweb.com
Librarians matter
http://librariansmatter.com/blog/
The shifted librarian
http://theshiftedlibrarian.com/
Delicious bookmarks tagged library by mstephens7
http://www.bloglines.com/myblogs_display?sub=89819606&site=24700895

Question 2:

Time available – How much time do I wish to/can I make available? Think about this in terms of daily or weekly timings. When would this be?

Your Answer:

Question 3:

Now backcast – put the time available against the content you want to monitor. You will want to monitor some content most days. Other content on a weekly basis. If there clearly is not enough time, you need to decide what’s most important about the content you will monitor.
 

Indicate what your priorities are!

Your Answer:
CCLBlog CCLBibliogile
Use http://www.libworm.com if I need RSS feeds on a particular topic and I haven't time to scan the feeds I have subscribed to using Bloglines and GoogleReader.
Otherwise scan in order as listed above.

Question 4:

Weeding & Reviewing – inevitably you will find new information sources and places in which you want to participate. Some of your sources will become less important to you. How often will you review… and weed!

Your Answer:
Every 3 months

Bottom of Form

 

Widgets and Gadgets

Before I forget again I'm going enter an aid to memory here that Gadgets are the Google version and Widgets the Yahoo version of an applet code that can be embedded in your blog or elsewhere on your Facebook, Yahoo or Google page. Yahoo widgets are a little cooler with transparency one feature. As far as library funcions go the Digital NZ widget is pretty cool I can definitely see uses for that. As we can see Christchurch City Libraries has already used the Coming Home customised a widget for our web pages. This sort of customizable widget/gadget would be great to have if you could search across the library web pages and select certain sections of it especially if you could select premium databases, sections of the web pages and the catalogue and build a mini search engine for your own purposes. I have an IGoogle account I took a quick peek at Netvibes and it makes a good alternative and connects to my Gmail okay but I'll stay with IGoogle as it has my bookmarks and is more widely used. Short of a cool gadget try Google gadgets or add stuff tab from your IGoogle page.

Monitoring and Managing

This module has demystified the catalogue quick search links we have on the desk pcs. Having search bookmarklets for the library catalogue cinch and local eye on my home computer toolbar saving time finding the link in my bookmarks. Highlight text and search for it in the bookmarklet of your choice be it the quick search the library catalogue, quick search cinch, quick search localeye, google, oxford english dictionary etc. I dragged the Oxford English Dictionary bookmarklet to my toolbar as instructed but it doesn't seem to conect, a shame, there may be time to take another look at it later. I'm not sure of the rest of the range of bookmarklets like resizing windows or page freshness are relevant to me at the moment but give an insite to tech heads lives.
I have put off subscribing to List servs for years for fear of being bombarded with emails so we will see how it goes. I subscribed to PubSig, ITSig and NZLibs it will be good to see what its all about.
My IGoogle page is making a lot more as I tailored it more to my needs recently. Currently I've got my Gmail, Google calender, Blogger, BBC news, Weather, Wikipedia search box, To Do list, Suduuku, Google news, Date and time and Blogs of note on it. I've imported my foxmarks and my Internet explorer bookmarks, now its a horrible confusing mess but they are all there and eventually I can find them, it needs a bit of work on my part to make the bookmarks more organised and workable.
GoogleWave looks promising for collaborative work enabling collaborative work on a document or viewing a video, while editing and giving comments in real time. You can invite who you want to collaborate or inviting people to view rewind the changes people have made to see who contributed what, this is all done through your browser which for some reason is important, looks easier to manage than a Wiki and I see a MediaWikiWave too just to add another feature to the pot.
This module also gave me the opportunity to revisit Delicious I originally bookmarked on Delicious to give me access to my bookmarks on other computers, however IGoogle gives you access to Google bookmarks as well as your Internet Explorer bookmarks and Foxmarks so I stopped using it. The advantage of Delicious is you can search for bookmarks and tag them so you can find them again easily and share other peoples bookmarks and your own. Subscribing to bookmark lists by tag or from a person of interest to you enables you to follow additions to the list much as an RSS feed. Its best features are the ability to create blog rolls which link to your blog, the ability to import and export bookmarks to firefox and Internet Explorer using the toolbar bookmarklets. From now on all your bookmarks will be instantly accessible both in your Firefox and Internet Explorer browser and from your bookmarks page on the Delicious website. Any changes you make to your bookmarks in either location will be synchronized. For example adding or deleting a Delicious bookmark in Firefox will add or delete it from your bookmarks page on Delicious which is very cool and its just a matter of clicking Tag button to add a bookmark to both of them which is great as its a drop down menu under Bookmarks to bookmark a page in Firefox which is a little clunky. I follow one RSS feed from Deli.cio.us through my Bloglines account Delicious/mstephens7/library, Delicious enables me to search for other lists of bookmarks from this account holder by searching for them under people and filtering the list by different tags I can further refine which of their bookmarks I follow.
I hadn't completed the Gadgets and Widgets module so I wasn't sure what Netvibes was so I did a quick reckie of the module and found it was the quickest module ever to complete so I can put another tick on my certificate. IGoogle and Netvibes usefulness for a team page is the question we are asked well since the good folk in the Digital libraries team have put all that effort into Desknet it seems a little redundant but I can see the use for a library without that IT support and it would be very useful.
As far as managing my RSS feeds go my priority is the CCLblog and

Bibliofile

blog then the rest of my RSS bloglines feeds as time allows I'll try to spend 10-15 minutes a day on the desk at quiet times. I would use http://www.libworm.com if I need RSS feeds on a particular topic and I haven't time to scan the feeds I have subscribed to using Bloglines and GoogleReader.

Pass it on

I have had a few instances where the customer has not had a pen drive or the pen drive is faulty when they have come to save their work. Twice now Google docs has come to the rescue after one of these instances I asked Mary Edwarsd-Read if she would like to find out more about it. I gave her a quick intro to Google docs showing her where to find it on her Google account and how to upload a document. She thought it was easy to do and very useful.

Library Thing and World Cat

Library Thing is a quick and easy way of cataloguing books, people use it to catalogue their own books or books they would like to read. Some groups put up records for their books. Authors and publishers also have a presence on the site. Their are some neat features including recommendations of books to read based on what you have catalogued and lists of who else has your books. You can share your library and conversely you can meet new people through the site by contacting those who have similar reading interests to your own. You can add tags, books covers, recommendations, ratings stars, and common knowledge information such as quotes, awards and honors, people and characters, book description to the books. Their are group forums and blogs and details of local libraries, book stors and book events. Book covers can be selected from those already on Library Thing or you can upload your own. Copy cataloguing information is added to your library from those titles already on Library Thing or by searching a list of major libraries your national library or search from for your local library's holdings. I found it quick and easy to use. Library Thing for Libraries pulls over provides a similar service for libraries sitting alongside your library OPAC running parallel with it.
WorldCat is OCLC's open catalogue and a competitor of LibraryThing for Libraries you can make lists, add tags, write reviews and find locations as an individual. It is much more than LibraryThing offering library management system. To get the product you need to subscribe to FirstSearch which includes the Wilson indexes. FirstSearch provides links from citations in one databse to full text articles in another and can fully integrate search results to your OPAC. Worldcat provides a whole cloud based operating system for libraries of which a really tantalizing feature is their interlibrary loan module.
Both Library Thing and WorldCat are ways of exposing your catalogue to the web rather than remaining in the deep web. As these two are competitors it would seem these two cannot co-exist in the same library system. WorldCat has a no third party plugins policy. Libraries need to balance the concerns raised by loosing control of data through OCLC control against the convenience of the product. WorldCat works with an EBSCO agregator to provide integrated searches of its articles enabling you to do a single search box.
Todays Library Library Liason session showed New Zealand applications of Library Thing for Libraries at Palmerston North and Nelson Public Library also AquaBrowser as used by Wellington and Auckland Public Libraries, Massey University as we have seen have Encore Summon was also mentioned.
Mentioned in passing where Facebook's Visual Bookshelf, Goodreads and Shelfari which are similar in concept to Library Thing. Project Gutenburg, the Internet archive and Open Library one page for everybook where also touched on.
Christchurch City Libraries is contemplating the future of our unsupported catalogue, some decisions on the route we will take towards a more open catalgue are just around the corner.

In the cloud computing Zoho writer and Google docs

In the cloud computing enables web applications for all sorts of things such as image editing word processing social networking and media creation. Users access software which is not on your own machine giving the advantage of not having to install and update software or scale up your computing grunt on your machine. The draw back is you normally can't back it up, you have to trust that it will be constantly available this is traded off against the ability to share and collaborate on documents enabling group work. Zoho writer and Google docs are two examples of in the cloud products which provide great alternatives for our customers using free internet computers. No need for extra hardware CDs and pen drives are redundant just upload from Microsoft to google docs or Zoho when your session is running low. They are also great for those who travel around with their tiny notebooks they don't have enough grunt to run Vista. It may not be economical to purchase wordprocessing software for small notebooks when their primary purpose is to access the internet and keep touch with those back home. I've briefly explore these before but didn't realise the full extent of applications that are available. I looked a word processing last time so I tried a slide show presentation. Google Docs takes a more spartan approach I found the background templates after I had started my presentation whereas Zoho's where right up front like in Microsoft. Both seem to do the job well enabling uploading and downloading to and from Microsoft office products. I managed to download presentations alright to powerpoint from each product and I then tried to upload them. I got Zoho show to upload to Google docs via a downloading to my computer and then uploading it.I've yet to have any luck getting the Zoho show presentation to upload to Google docs via the same route. Iuploaded a link from Zoho alright to my blog using the HTML gadget but its window a bit too small. The slideshow gadget didn't work even when I saved it as a slide show. No success yet in getting google docs test presentation onto the blog. I even managed to repeat this with Google docs must be getting the hang of this.
I've figured out how to add my Google docs presentation onto the blog, I had to publish it first. Apparently Zoho enables you to work offline on documents and spreadsheets and have these changes reflected directly in your Zoho account online which sounds great. Zoho and Google docs enable you to create things in Microsoft office nd save them directly into Zoho and to do the reverse.

Our other green flower

Our other green flower
Originally uploaded by canong2fan

Enjoy this stunning bloom blogged from Flickr.

Creating PBWorks pages

My PBWorks page was easier to find again than in MediaWiki listing under all pages or from front page of CCLlearn public Wiki then pages and files or all pages. It was also easier to use to create the page using the top right hand create a page icon. To build it go to the edit screen here you can change font and font colour and background, insert links using the globe, plugins such as google gadgets, slideshows and photos. A seperate sidebar also enables you to insert a link to a PBWorks page or to a new page where you get an option to insert a URL. A seperate folder in the sidebar allows you to insert images from a pop up URL box. The insert files option opens up window in My computer so you can navigate to your files and inserts a link to them in the sidebar.

Medi Wiki and PBWorks

I found PBWorks less confusing than MediaWiki on which Wikipedia is based. My MediaWiki hint is to create a page from the main page, or search for a page that is unlikely to exist. Creating a page does not require an account in MediaWiki although that is encouraged. Once you click on the main page a message appears saying there is no text in this page you then click on the create tab and a message appears saying the page doesn't exist this is your opportunity to now start entering the content for your new page including the title etc. If you search for a nonexistent page the same message appears giving you the opportunity to create the page. This is kind of confusing but fine once you get used to it. I created a page however all I can not seem to get back to it??? I created an account and I verified my account by email link but it won't let me in so I've had a few issues with MediWiki.
PBWorks is easier to understand as we have been using it already. I created a page here without any hassles.

Libraries use of WIkis

Libraries can make good use of Wiki's for generating user participation:
1. Libraries can provide Community information such as the information provided on the Local Eye website. Customers can then add reviews of resturants, comments on service from retail shops etc, this may be one direction to take Local Eye in.
2. Subject guide wikis can be updated by customers who can add pages and extra links and repair broken links. Podcasts can be made to show customers how to search databases and the library website.
3. Wiki's can be used internally in libraries as collaborative work spaces or as an intranet. Conferences use wikis to provide information on the best place to eat, or use Wifi or host a conference blog and photos.
4. Catalogues can use wikis to annotate the catalogue with reviews and synopses of books customers have read and add tags to books to improve findability in an Open Catalogue such as Open WorldCat.
5. Library events such as competitions and author visits can be promoted and winners displayed and reported in the library blog and photos displayed on the Library's flickr pages. Library podcasts can be hosted reporting and promoting events. Consultation on Library proposals for new buildings can get immediate feedback from their communities.
The aim is for libraries to take the conversation with users into digital space so they can share library experiences and enable a digital community. Enabling real conversations where you can tell your personal story and others continue the story. For example our library puts up a page on Christchurch history and some digital photos we could encourage library customers add their photos to the site and tell their stories about them, other customers could then view them and comment on them adding their own stories. I can see potential for subject pages to be developed by librarians and extented by the public by specialist users creating a database similar to our FITCH pages extending it to include publishing or comments from the public.

My creation

My creation
Originally uploaded by Daza Barnes

Another fun Flickr toys mashup from Big Huge Labs.

Social websites, Ning and Online Groups.net

This week I am investigating social websites, I found an old friend listed on Old Friends and revisted my very basic Facebook site which I set up as part of the 23 2.0 web learning things. Libraries see that social networks are where people are they want to use them to foster librarian user communication and to create chat-room forums and groups. Forums and groups can be used to foster discussion for research assignments public libraries can use them to engage with customers for feedback on library services and to provide spaces for user generated content. I can see much potential but as yet it seems to be early days for most libraries.
I was interested to see the software available to set up your own social network.
OnlineGroups.Net is business and education/library oriented it enables you to share files and conversations creat public or private groups. You can chat in real time and manage multiple document versions enabling projects to run across multiple organizations. It provides workspaces for virtual teams, web forums for customer engagements, message board and discussion forums. Online groups are like list serves with message boards, file sharing and chat.
Ning is a free website for setting up your own social network and is as easy to use as Bebo with templates you can pick from and customize. You can pick a template which and modify the colours, choose which elements to such as blog, groups, events, comments wall and where you wish to place them on your site. You can upload your photos from Flickr yur computer or your camera and invite users from your outlook address book or web mail provider or enter them manually. Apps are also available such as Google docs and trivial games such as BuddyPoke. Darrylsccllearn is my ning site for which I sent an invitation to my CCLlearn group and my facilitator. I found this fun it was like setting up a Bebo site crossed with a blog. Ning makes it easy to set up a social network its the most fun I've had with the CCLlearn modules so far. My daughter of course it would be my 12 year old daughter, already knew about Ning and pointed out her favourite website Max-Dan-Wiz uses Ning to support its social network pages. I don't know whether I've missed the invitation but I don't seem to have received one to join the CCLlearn Ning group so I have been unable to contribute to it, but I did join the Maximum Ride ning group. I also added my Ning site and a few photos to my Facebook profile.

Online Groups.net

Darryl

Darryl
Originally uploaded by Daza Barnes

I wish you a Scary Halloween, made with the Picnik applet. Picnik enables you to upload photos from Facebook Picasa Facebook Myspace your computer etc and edit them and then upload them back to any of these applications. I had fun with this, but it's frustrating that it often asks you if you wish to upgrade to a pay version of the software to save the effect.

RSS feeds and podcasts

I have had a Bloglines account for quite a while I set it up for the 23 2.0 Web learning things, but you know I never once checked it out after finishing the project. I have revisited my feeds today, scanned a few for relevant feeds and ended up deleting quite a few. I have added a few new feeds and you never know I might actually get around to viewing them now I've added some of them to my blog. I never know how people have the time to view RSS feeds, if I'm interested in a site and have the time I just view a few of the old entries. altogether easier to use and more convienent is Google reader. I quite like the idea of subscribing to some RSS feeds for podcasts. It would be great to download them regularly and listen to them while in the bus or walking.
I find Technorati's adds very distracting it makes the whole site look like something viral UGH! It's not very professional looking and I find it a bit dissapointing. I would have expected a search of blogs returning sites with the word libraries in it to return something, but at least a search of posts was quite successful. Technorati looks like a site on the way out but I did add my blog to it. Syndic8.com looks cleaner seems to take a keep it simple approach but working slowly today.

Tilted off my axis

 

Tilted off my axis a little this week with problems over my Blogger account and missing the Tuesday session through sickness. I have found Flickr harder to use than Picasa as it hasn't initially linked to my blog although another blog of mine is there. I've had to spend a lot of time finding out how to add another blog to flickr. If anyone else is desperately trying to blog from Flickr only to find their blog is not listed follow these instructions to add another blog.
From the online flickr home page select the You tab then Your account from the drop down arrow then the Extending Flickr tab then Your blogs - Edit - Add another blog- Next - Blog name drop down arrow and select the blog you want to add from the list.
Didn't occur to me that they would bury in the Extending Flickr tab. Hope this is of some help.
I had to recreate my blog this week due to my account problems so the Masups have been a fun distraction but time consuming.

New blog same content

Old blog's been cut loose and a new one set up here. Flickr still won't list this blog but will link to an earlier blog of mine so I managed to blog a photo there. Google really can't cope with one user having more than one Gmail account or a family wanting to use several Gmail accounts on one machine.
I have found a work around for finding a blog entry that has been deleted in Blogger. I lost a photo due to closing a session without saving it. If you want to recover a missing blog post in blogger try going to the dashboard and editing a post. If the post is still not there and it looks like you've lost it but take a look at the tags and select a tag that refers to your post you may be able to recover it there. If clicking on the tag brings it up you can edit and post it. I've added this advice to the CCLlearn Tips and tricks skills box.

I'm a spammer! - So says Blogger

It appears my blog is irrelevant and repetitive with nonsensical text, along with a large number of links, usually all pointing to a single site. The little robots have decided I'm a spammer!
Crazy Huh! I've asked for a review so hopefully you'll be able to read this should you want to.

A beginning

Here I have made a beginning on my CClearn programme. Learning with others in a small group is going to make this process much easier than the 23web learning things programme I completed previously. This programme will reinforce and supplement what I have previously learn and remind my lazy brain which has forgot most of it all ready.