Things #13 and #14: Tagging, Del.icio.us and Technorati

So much valuable info is out there in those tens of millions of blogs if only you can find it. One thing I learned from these assignments was that Technorati, the chief blog search engine, lets me narrow down my search for what is going to be entertaining or helpful to me by the use of tags, or keywords without a control list. And I can tag my own entries for sharing and retrieving. As for Del.icio.us, a social bookmarking tool, the podcast from the Otter Group was the perfect introduction to it, showing how you don't have to be a researcher or academic to make it work for you. One thing on Del.icio.us can lead you to another and another and another, and back to you. I can definitely see having an account with Del.icio.us.

Thing #12: Search Rolls/Rollyo

I registered with Rollyo and made my own search roll, "NewsJunkieNancy". The thousands, or tens of thousands, of individual website lists might sometimes help in Ref. work to track down obscure or ephemeral information but only if precise keywords are used. In the main, tho, there is bound to be enormous,time-consuming useless duplication as far as searching goes.

Thing #11: Library Thing

Thanks to Library Thing, I now have a new way I can keep track of the books I've read.

Thing #10: Avatars

It was fun picking from the avatar options on several of the image generators. What choices! I finally settled on one from Meez.

Thing #9: MERLIN and News Feeds

I looked at MERLIN and our own HCL contribution, and will check it periodically. Also feel more sure about how to use news feeds.

Thing #8: RSS Feeds

The on-line videos were helpful, and made Really Simple Syndication do-able for even a non-techie like me. I picked out a few feeds I thought would be interesting, especially news sources, and loaded them into my Bloglines Account.

Thing #7: Technology

2007 is the first year we've had a digital camera. For so many reasons, I wish we'd bought one years ago. The photos seems sharper and can be edited in a variety of ways. They can be printed almost instantly at a drug store. Most impressive to me is how easy it is to upload pictures onto the computer for editing and sharing on the internet.

Librarian Trading Cards

My trading card, originally uploaded by joycevalenza.

The graphic art image of Ms. Valenza caught my attention.

Thing #6: Mashups

You can do so much with these apps, and I'll definitely use them if I continue with blogging. The librarian trading cards are a hoot.

Thing #5: Flickr

Flickr is a wonderful site for finding photos. After setting up the Flickr account , I gave Google the release to let me move photos from Flickr to my blog and everything went smoothly. But I still want to find out how to configure the photo for another placement.

Old Quebec City

In August, we visited Quebec and it was wonderful. Tres French with abundant old world charm. An unhurried pace, and wonderful French Canadian food and hospitality. Did you notice the old-world gentleman sitting in the window above what looks like a bookstore? Trompe l'oeil murals that highlight the city's history are everywhere. Now check out that bookstore.

Thing #2: Play vs Problems

Of the 7 1/2 habits of successful lifelong learners, the one that is probably easiest for me is "Play". I'm usually glad to learn a new skill that fairly quickly rewards me with pleasure. "Play" is why I've enjoyed taking yoga and knitting classes, and it's why I enjoy reading.
Probably the hardest habit for me to develop would be viewing problems as challenges. Frustration is my common first reaction to a problem, followed by disappointment in myself that I can't quickly find a solution.. Getting past those emotional road blocks takes a special effort, as does finding the extra energy to look at the problem as a challenge.

Thing 3: Blog "Est. 2007"

Three cheers! Ok, just one whispered cheer; this is a library blog after all. Here's the proof I finally figured Thing 3 out. Not that the effort was what I'd call fun. No... I wouldn't have this headache if I'd been having fun. But now I have a sense of accomplishment, and am definitely more "techno".