I was already aware of Wikipedia (how can you not be when it is claims to be the largest and most popular reference work on the internet!), and use it mainly for finding information about books, films, tv series (useful for a quick summary of an episode if you missed one); and travel information. On reading up about Wikipedia it was interesting to see that the top 10 subjects referred to in 2009 consisted of famous people, bands, tv series, films, and web 2.0 tools; so it looks as though most people use it for similar subject areas to me.
For this task I looked up some information about a book I was thinking of ordering and also took a look to see if the Social Science Library was on there. I discovered via the 'Discussions Tab' that the page for the SSL had been put there as part of a Wiki project for Oxford University to improve coverage of the university on Wikipedia. There was more information that could be added to the page but I felt I would want to more research (check dates) etc before I went ahead with doing that. Other people may have just gone ahead, relying on their memory; so you can easily see why mistakes could me made; leading to inconsistency and accuracy problems.
Although there are negative points about Wikipedia; such as accuracy and possible vandalism of certain subject pages; I do think it is a very useful free reference tool. It is amazing to think that since its conception in 2001, millions of people have contributed and edited articles featuring on it. I can remember weekly trips to my local mobile library as a child to consult hard copies of the Encyclopaedia Britannica for my homework that week, I wouldn't even have to leave the house now (though maybe I would still want to check the validity of what I had read on-line, and you can't beat a trip to your local library!)
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
"Come together, right now ..." (Beatles; Song: Come Together; Album: Abbey Road )
I was aware of wikis because of the C&RD wiki; although I hadn't looked at it for a while as technical services is not really my job area, but because of it I understood what a wiki was. As I couldn't remember my log on details it was useful that you could still gain access via your Facebook or Twitter account.
The Web 2.0 wiki was full of useful information and interesting to look at now I've gained more knowledge of the web 2.0 tools out there. I was a bit hesitant about editing the work someone else had already done, so I looked at the case study for current web 2.0 tools used by the SSL and added some information about the iGoogle start page I helped to set up last year, as I felt this would be useful for other libraries.
Wikis seem to be a really usefuly tool. They are easy to contribute to and edit by multiple users (maybe to easy to edit as someone could easily write false information), and I imagine are much easier than trying to do the same via a web page. They are a simple way for groups of people to log information, discuss ideas, and provided useful comments and tips' all in one central point of reference. I would definitely refer to the web 2.0 wiki in the future before developing use of a web 2.0 tool for the library.
The Web 2.0 wiki was full of useful information and interesting to look at now I've gained more knowledge of the web 2.0 tools out there. I was a bit hesitant about editing the work someone else had already done, so I looked at the case study for current web 2.0 tools used by the SSL and added some information about the iGoogle start page I helped to set up last year, as I felt this would be useful for other libraries.
Wikis seem to be a really usefuly tool. They are easy to contribute to and edit by multiple users (maybe to easy to edit as someone could easily write false information), and I imagine are much easier than trying to do the same via a web page. They are a simple way for groups of people to log information, discuss ideas, and provided useful comments and tips' all in one central point of reference. I would definitely refer to the web 2.0 wiki in the future before developing use of a web 2.0 tool for the library.
Saturday, 20 March 2010
"She can sing like a bird in a cage" (Arcade Fire; Song: (Antichrist Television Blues); Album: Neon Bible)
Just spent a large chunk of Saturday afternoon getting to grips with Twitter (I can't seem to find time to get on with 23 Things tasks in work time). Twitter is a Web 2.0 tool I was aware of but didn't really know what is was all about and how to use it. So now I understand that it is essentially a brief form of a Blog post from which people get let you know what they are up to or share information that other followers may find useful. When sending a Tweet having a countdown of the letters you are typing in certainly makes you keep things short and to the point (perhaps I need this on my Blog to stop me rambling!)
I began by searching for fellow 23 Thinger from SSL so that I could follow some people I knew, and then branched out by following a few famous people and also Radio 2. Adding Tweets was very simple (once I had decided what to put!) and I soon worked out how to ReTweet and Tweet replies to people (I'm waiting for someone to Tweet me back so I can see what that looks like on my Twitter page).
I contributed to #ox23; it was quite interesting to see that some people had been Tweeting from the Staff Conference.
Not fully sure what to make about Twitter yet, I think I need to play around with it a bit more and start contacting more people to get conversations going, and then I can judge how much I might use it in the future. It has been interesting though to find out more about it, understand the Twitter jargon and feel confident about using it.
I began by searching for fellow 23 Thinger from SSL so that I could follow some people I knew, and then branched out by following a few famous people and also Radio 2. Adding Tweets was very simple (once I had decided what to put!) and I soon worked out how to ReTweet and Tweet replies to people (I'm waiting for someone to Tweet me back so I can see what that looks like on my Twitter page).
I contributed to #ox23; it was quite interesting to see that some people had been Tweeting from the Staff Conference.
Not fully sure what to make about Twitter yet, I think I need to play around with it a bit more and start contacting more people to get conversations going, and then I can judge how much I might use it in the future. It has been interesting though to find out more about it, understand the Twitter jargon and feel confident about using it.
"I hear a sound, a sound above my head" (Doves; Song: Kingdom of Rust; Album: Kingdom of Rust)
I've no idea why I haven't used podcasts a lot up until now. There are radio programmes that I enjoy but if I happen to be out and miss them, then I just miss them. So in the same way as I view the majority of my tv programmes when I want to watch them via Virgin on Demand or on-line, I hadn't really considered doing the same for radio programmes. So I really enjoyed this weeks task of getting to grips with them and exploring all the types of podcasts that are out there.
I eased myself in gently by subscribing to an RSS feed of the podcasts of the Jonathan Ross show on Radio 2 as we listen to that every Saturday morning if we can. I then found a Claudia Winkleman Arts show that looked interesting sosubscribed to that as well. We recently went to see the comedian Dave Gorman at the New Theatre and hasn't realised that he had a radio show until we went, so I searched for that online and listened and subscribed to the podcasts for that. So now I will have all these new podcasts to listen to (if I find the time!) and like the idea of downloading them to my ipod so I can listen to them on the go or even on long car journeys. I did have quick look on the podcast.com site where that are 1000's of podcasts, so I'll have to explore that a bit more and find other things I'm interested in listening to.
Last years library trainees here at SSL created a podcast for a tour of our library as their final end of year project. This was then made available via our website and also downloading on to some MP3 players we purchased which readers could borrow and do a self guided tour. We felt this would be useful at the start of MT for new students that were unable to attend the library induction and also thought out the year for visitors to the library. The only problem is that we've had such a lot of changes recently in the library that the content already needs updating. It would be interesting to explore though other uses for podcasts in a library context in the future.
I eased myself in gently by subscribing to an RSS feed of the podcasts of the Jonathan Ross show on Radio 2 as we listen to that every Saturday morning if we can. I then found a Claudia Winkleman Arts show that looked interesting sosubscribed to that as well. We recently went to see the comedian Dave Gorman at the New Theatre and hasn't realised that he had a radio show until we went, so I searched for that online and listened and subscribed to the podcasts for that. So now I will have all these new podcasts to listen to (if I find the time!) and like the idea of downloading them to my ipod so I can listen to them on the go or even on long car journeys. I did have quick look on the podcast.com site where that are 1000's of podcasts, so I'll have to explore that a bit more and find other things I'm interested in listening to.
Last years library trainees here at SSL created a podcast for a tour of our library as their final end of year project. This was then made available via our website and also downloading on to some MP3 players we purchased which readers could borrow and do a self guided tour. We felt this would be useful at the start of MT for new students that were unable to attend the library induction and also thought out the year for visitors to the library. The only problem is that we've had such a lot of changes recently in the library that the content already needs updating. It would be interesting to explore though other uses for podcasts in a library context in the future.
Friday, 5 March 2010
"Watched tv, laid awake all night" (Barenaked Ladies; Song: What a Good Boy; Album: Gordon)
YouTube is one web 2.0 tool that I use alot. My brother is constantly sending me links to funny clips etc. I also use it for viewing trailers for films I might be interested in, and looking for videos from music concerts I've been to, among many other things. There is so much on there and I can happily spend an hour looking for videos that I might be interested in.
At the moment I am taking a night school course in pottery, so I searched YouTube for some demonstrations of people throwing pots on a wheel; they make it look so easy!
I hadn't used the Channels section before and I'll definitely use it again for searching for topics of interest. I had a look at the kind of videos that had been loaded against Oxford University, there were 100's of videos on there ranging from films of matriculation at the Sheldonian, interviews with students to videos of formal dinners at colleges. Alot of these would really be of interest if you were thinking of applying for the University and wanted to see more about what student life would be like. The demonstrations of e-resources were also useful and could easily be built in with links from library webpages to assist students with using them.
At the moment I am taking a night school course in pottery, so I searched YouTube for some demonstrations of people throwing pots on a wheel; they make it look so easy!
I hadn't used the Channels section before and I'll definitely use it again for searching for topics of interest. I had a look at the kind of videos that had been loaded against Oxford University, there were 100's of videos on there ranging from films of matriculation at the Sheldonian, interviews with students to videos of formal dinners at colleges. Alot of these would really be of interest if you were thinking of applying for the University and wanted to see more about what student life would be like. The demonstrations of e-resources were also useful and could easily be built in with links from library webpages to assist students with using them.
Thursday, 4 March 2010
"I was looking for a job and then I found a job" (The Smiths; Song: Heaven knows I'm miserable now; Album: Hatful of Hollow"
I had never previously heard of LinkedIn, although it says it has massive membership. I can see why it would be good for social networking in a professional capacity. You have the opportunity to make new contacts in your career area (first viewing their profile to find out more about them), but also reconnect with past colleagues from previous work places. It also looked very useful if you were searching for a new job, as well as being able to search for opportunities, you could also be head hunted. I suppose the more you put into it the more you would get out of it, so it would help to write a good profile of yourself, so you almost have an on-line CV.
I'm not sure how much I would personally use it in the future, but I can appreciate that it does have its uses.
I'm not sure how much I would personally use it in the future, but I can appreciate that it does have its uses.
"Painted faces fill the places I can't reach" (Kings of Leon; Song: Use Somebody; Album: Only by the night)
I currently have a profile on Facebook but don't use it in the avid way that some people do. I initially joined when I found out about a group called 'The SSL Appreciation Society' formed by readers a few years ago (most probably now defunct). They had amusing ideas on there such as a competition to see who could write the most stupidest comment in our reader comments book, which is probably why we had the suggestion for 'Bunk beds for power napping' (needless to say this never came to fruition).
I suppose I currently use Facebook more to have a nosey at other friends pages and see what they are getting up to, but myself, I don't seem to find the time to be constantly adding things to my wall, and prefer to contact friends directly via the messenging service within it. I have found it a great way of keeping in contact with friends that have moved abroad though, and it great for looking at photos that people have uploaded to their page, as they can just do it in one central place. I can understand why some people might be initially nervous of signing up, but with the security level settings you can really control what you want people to see and if you don't want someone to be your 'friend' then don't accept them. My Mum was on the receiving end of this when she asked to be my brothers friend, and he sent back a rejection message, in some circumstances it best that Mum's don't see all the wall comments and photos that you add!
So with my bit of knowledge about the ins and outs of Facebook I was really interested to look at the Libraries that had set up a Facebook Fan Page and what they had done with it. There were a lot more than I thought there would be, so it was interesting to look at the different styles that were used, some were quite formal and others were quite chatty and had fun information connected to libraries, as well as more formal information. I think it is a really good way of connecting to readers, there are so many different web 2.0 resources that people are using that the more you use, the more likely you are to reach readers, who can then subcribe to the resource they prefer. The popularity of this method was also proved by the number of fans for each page. Setting up the page looks to be quite straight forward, the layout is very clear with the tabs along the top; I particularly liked the 'Boxes' tab where you could put useful links to the library catalogues, e-resources etc. The important thing is that you get the information you need to across readers, what ever the means and by the looks of it this is another web 2.0 resource that seems to be work for this purpose. I definitely think it would be a good thing to explore in the future for our library.
I suppose I currently use Facebook more to have a nosey at other friends pages and see what they are getting up to, but myself, I don't seem to find the time to be constantly adding things to my wall, and prefer to contact friends directly via the messenging service within it. I have found it a great way of keeping in contact with friends that have moved abroad though, and it great for looking at photos that people have uploaded to their page, as they can just do it in one central place. I can understand why some people might be initially nervous of signing up, but with the security level settings you can really control what you want people to see and if you don't want someone to be your 'friend' then don't accept them. My Mum was on the receiving end of this when she asked to be my brothers friend, and he sent back a rejection message, in some circumstances it best that Mum's don't see all the wall comments and photos that you add!
So with my bit of knowledge about the ins and outs of Facebook I was really interested to look at the Libraries that had set up a Facebook Fan Page and what they had done with it. There were a lot more than I thought there would be, so it was interesting to look at the different styles that were used, some were quite formal and others were quite chatty and had fun information connected to libraries, as well as more formal information. I think it is a really good way of connecting to readers, there are so many different web 2.0 resources that people are using that the more you use, the more likely you are to reach readers, who can then subcribe to the resource they prefer. The popularity of this method was also proved by the number of fans for each page. Setting up the page looks to be quite straight forward, the layout is very clear with the tabs along the top; I particularly liked the 'Boxes' tab where you could put useful links to the library catalogues, e-resources etc. The important thing is that you get the information you need to across readers, what ever the means and by the looks of it this is another web 2.0 resource that seems to be work for this purpose. I definitely think it would be a good thing to explore in the future for our library.
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