Google Docs

Well, I finally managed to make a document on Google Docs. It wasn't exactly difficult once I decided on what kind of document to do. I ended up typing up a top twenty list of Christian Fiction which I do every month. This was a little nicer and since I get the list from the internet anyway, it was more efficient. I could see that that kind of application would be helpful in a library. Any kind of informational document that changes every so often or needs updating would be ideal in this format.

Podcasts

I went to the three different podcast websites and picked one. Then I tried to pick out a couple of podcasts to subscribe to. That was the hardest part! There are so many and the descriptions are vague so you have to listen to them. It took me three times longer to pick podcasts than getting set up. I finally picked a couple of music podcasts because I love music. I think I'll try again tomorrow.

Trading Card

As you can see, I have done it! I finally figured out how to make a trading card after much consultation with my fellow librarians. It was fun! I really like flickr and all the stuff you can do with it.

flickr

Flickr looks like fun and I know I would enjoy working on my photos online. I especially like the fact that it is a backup so that you don't loose your photos. Neat!
I can see where it would be nice in the library, but maybe not as useful as a blog for the patrons.

RSS

This has got to be the most fun thing we've done so far. I've subscribed to ten sites and counting and numerous blogs. It has really made a difference in how I surf and how much I surf. Before doing this it was too time consuming to go to each different site. Now I can browse through sites I might want to look at and immediately know if I like them and want to get updates from them. I liked Google's reader best simply because I have an email account there so when I check my email I can just click the reader button and check the sites I've subscribed to at the same time.
I also tried bloglines and liked it, but it is a separate click so it is not as convenient. I think these could be very useful in a library for patrons to browse through.

Twitter

I have never twittered and after reading the information about it, I don't think I ever will. I don't just find it hard to do myself. I also find it too much work to figure out what people are saying with those little bits of information. I admit I'm from a different generation and that may be part of the problem, but I do love technology. For me the issue is that I love words and reading well written books, information, etc. Twittering is the opposite of well written. It is meant to be shorthand. Anyone who has ever written in shorthand can tell you that it can't take the place of true writing, and it is fairly hard to communicate with it because everyone must understand your shorthand.
The things I can see it being useful for would be if you are in a hurry and need to communicate something quickly. How that could be applied in a library I'm not quite sure.

Blogging

I found setting up a blog fairly simple. More challenging was figuring out what to say.

I can think of several uses for a blog for me personally. My husband loves to talk about history. I think he would enjoy blogging with other historians. I think it could also work a little better for family stuff like posting pictures and videos. As for the library, you could set up a "suggestions" blog for patrons or anybody really. They could sound off on things they don't like or make suggestions about things they would like.