MySpace rant

First impressions upon setting up a MySpace page:

1) Ads, ads, ads!!! I didn't expect my own MySpace page to be so full of them! I'm told you can screen them out, if your browser is Firefox. Should you find yourself using MySpace much, that's a good thing to keep in mind.

2) The MySpace interface isn't intuitive, at least not if you're trying to figure out how to add a "Friend."

3) I'm disappointed by the heavy-handed emphasis on helping MySpace grow and make money. (See #1). The "Invite" tab turns out to be just a way to ask other people to start their own MySpace page, so that (warning, cynical remark ahead) they too can begin generating advertising revenue for the website. I don't disagree that MySpace should be able to make a profit. But I'm surprised by the degree to which that goal is apparent on my individual page.

4) It's very helpful to have someone personally show you how to use MySpace. I'll bet even most teens learn the basics of MySpace from one another, rather than puzzling it out on their own.

5) I now realize that my experience with Google Blogger has spoiled me. It turns out that not all popular 2.0 tools are as well-designed and user-friendly (at least for me) as Blogger, with freedom of choice regarding advertisements.

Social Networks

I thought the comments at Librarian in Black , and elsewhere, regarding the pros and cons of libraries' creating a profile on MySpace and other social networks were very interesting.

Cons ranged from the practical (e.g., who's responsible, privacy concerns, links to questionable content on "friends'" pages) to the more philosophical (e.g., we may think it's cool for the library to be on MySpace, but will the kids see us as authority figures invading their domain with unwelcome clutter?) I thought these were valid points for consideration.

On the pro side, users of MySpace can choose to be "friends" of the library, or ignore us if they really do find us intrusive. And I liked some of the ideas on how we could use a library MySpace page: a blog/feed for upcoming library programs, YouTube videos of library events, and podcasts of new teen books. Looking at our own YAAB page on MySpace, it also seems worth noting that the library's presence there gives teens who love reading a ready place to plug into. We can be there for the already book-oriented, regardless of how many young adults can be persuaded to consider us cool.

Instant Messaging

So far, IM is the only item in our 2.0 tutorial that I had previously used. (Exodus is on the computer at my desk).

New technologies eventually seem to settle into their own niches, and over time those niches can shift. Isn't this true of everything from horses to radio to computers? And a new technology may not supplant an old one exactly as expected. For instance, IM hasn't functioned all that well as a substitute for phone contact in our department, partly because a phone can be answered by anyone who hears it, while IM (at least as we have set it up), must be directed to a single individual. And that individual may not be the one available to answer queries.

However, I've found IM to be ideal for directing a quick question to a specific person, when you don't want to interrupt with a phone call, or when you'd like to transmit a URL or other info best suited to text form. I like IM in this context. For me, IM is finding its own place in my work routines and serving a different purpose than phone or email.

A fellow blogger notes that teens and young adults generally opt for text messaging, rather than IM. This should be an important consideration in implementing instant online ready reference. Chat reference seems to be yet another alternative, though according to one of the IM articles, chat is prone to technical difficulties. As a consumer, I've had mostly good experiences in getting customer assistance via the chat links on company websites.

A pretty picture...

Dark-eyed Junco
Originally uploaded by sandy130

Feisty little birds with black caps have been visiting our backyard this winter. With a little research, I discovered that they are Dark-Eyed Juncos. They flock to the seeds we put out on cold days, and it's fun to watch as they jostle for eating space. Our cats like to watch them too -- but we try to make sure it's from behind the closed window!

Here's a link with more about the Dark-Eyed Junco. There's even a sound sample:
www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Dark-eyed_Junco.html

Finding some RSS feeds

Of the feed search tools suggested for us to try, I most liked Topix. It has a fairly attractive layout, and wasn't too hard to figure out how to use. It offers a keyword search as well as some category groupings.

Feedster sounded interesting, but unfortunately their website seems to be down for maintenance. I was unable to access it a few days ago, and it still didn't work for me today.

At first I didn't care for Syndic8. It looks like it was designed by techies who read the phone book for pleasure. Lots of texty links. But then I found its beauty. You put your keywords into the search box, and instead of a page full of posts from different newsfeeds, up comes a simple list of matching feed names, with some basic info for each. For instance, it gives you the date a blog was created, the language, and its URL. I like being able to link directly to a source via its URL, rather than coming in through the back door of a string of postings.

Technorati looked kind of like Topix. I'll explore it more when it comes up again in the tutorial.

How can the library use RSS? Patrons could subscribe to our newsletters, event calendars, booklists, etc, as an option along with email or postal mail. They also could build customized groupings of newsfeeds from what the library has to offer. (A library blog I subscribed to will be sending me information related to one particular topic area). Staff can use their Bloglines account to subscribe to all the in-house blogs that interest them and organize them into one spot.

Frankly, though, I think subscribing to newsfeeds can be like subscribing to listservs in our email accounts. It takes a lot of time to read them, and it is easy to sign up for more than you can handle.

RSS with ALHFMF

Whew, I managed to sign up for some RSS feeds (with A Little Help From My Friend -- thanks, EH) but it may be awhile before this makes real sense for me. I do get the purpose of RSS, but the way the whole thing works is a shifting shape in the fog.

So far, it appears that a blog also is automatically a newsfeed that anyone can sign up for. (Is every blog a newsfeed and every newsfeed a blog?) And you have to sign in to your Bloglines account -- or other news reader-- to view your RSS feeds. I had pictured these feeds somehow appearing *presto!* on my browser toolbar, in my email, or maybe somewhere on my blog, but no, you go out there and retrieve them. And, there are multiple ways to subscribe.

Once I start viewing the feeds and editing my list, the sun will come out, the fog will slip away, and I will be master of my own techno domain .... yes?

Flickr Mania

Well, I like Spell with Flickr. It's an application I can relate to! Some of the other types of flickr mashups seem quite mystifying, probably because I am still in the 20th century photo-wise. (My first camera was a Brownie. The Smithsonian probably has it now). Although I do use a digital camera -- that is, I look through the viewfinder and press the button -- I've never personally downloaded any of the photos to a computer. Maybe that should be my homework assignment!

Chickadee and the Snowman

Chickadee and the Snowman
Originally uploaded by nature55

Until we get a blizzard locally, this snowman will have to do. Looks a little like Paulie Walnuts (Sopranos fans, note the "hair"!), although I think those are peanuts sticking out of his chest.

Lifelong Learning Habits

Welcome to my blog!

My first entry is a response to a work assignment. So here goes:

1. Easiest learning habit for me? "Accept responsibility for your own learning." I was a student for so many years, this seems like a given...

2. Hardest habit? Probably "Play." In trying to learn something new, especially something confusing or difficult, it's easy to become too serious and forget to look for the fun.