Second Life

Second Life was a totally bizarre experience. I felt very strange at first reading other people's conversations and I wished I was invisible so no one would talk to me. It really freaked me out when people noticed me and called out to me.

Info Island was awesome though. Rolig (in the green dress) was the reference librarian on duty. She took me on a tour, answered questions and told me how to do stuff. There was a group of about 7 of us, and everyone was super chatty and friendly. I even met another Rutgers student and I wasn't the only newbie. I was really impressed with all the available resources.

I just wished I could walk in a straight line. I totally ran into people! I nearly died laughing when someone came crash landing into the middle of the group, which really helped put me at ease. I don't think I would hang out there on a regular basis, but I'm really glad that I know a little more about what Second Life is. PLCMC is doing a teen library on the teen grid, and I at least understand what that means now!

If I Were Steve...

I'm totally having a love affair with this class, so I really don't have that much to say. I wish it would be a required class because I feel like my MLIS experience would have been sorely lacking without it. Four days ago I started a Ning for book bloggers and book lovers and I already have 36 people networked, most of whom I do not know nor have I ever read their blogs. I also scored points in a job interview today when I said I would screencast technology lessons for the teachers so they could be viewed on their own time.

Seriously, it's been awesome.

Some small suggestions:

• I thought it was interesting that we mostly used Twitter (at least I did) for help and questions. IM has been around for awhile, and although Meebo was new to me, maybe it didn't need its own full week. I used to IM people all the time, but now that so many people have unlimited long distance and even international calling is pretty cheap, I don't use it very much anymore.
• Something small I might add to the week on blogging is to have everyone create a blogroll of the class. Sometimes I wished I could click through everyone's stuff directly.
• I felt like I could have gone another week on wikis. Those were new to me, and so very cool.
• And, the only other suggestion I have is to maybe switch the gaming weeks so we get a little more time on Second Life.

EBIGFY, Part Deux

What does it mean for libraries and educational organizations?

Well, if everything bad is good for you, then I think as librarians we need to be prepared to face the issue head on. Libraries need to understand current trends in gaming, TV, movies, and online resources, speak knowledgeably about them and help people who have interests in them. A wide variety of media needs to be available to the public to meet demand and interest. Even if "everything bad" really isn't all that great, assuming public interest is there, librarians should strive to meet it. Quite frankly, a lot of books are garbage too but it doesn't stop them from being stocked in a library!

For me, the key phrase in the second half of the book is that we need to have the ability to "adapt to adaptability." I think libraries are a prime example of organizations that have had to adapt during the past few decades. And, on a micro level, librarians need to be more prepared than ever to keep up with changing technologies that influence our popular culture.

I do think that we are becoming smarter in the IQ areas tested, but I'm not totally convinced it can be attributed to popular culture. Johnson proved that IQ's are going up, but there really isn't concrete evidence why. I'm also not certain that as a society we place value on those problem-solving and logic skills quite yet. Are they getting us into college? A new job? We're still jumping through the same hoops from past decades that rely on rote memorization and standardized testing to a large degree. It will be interesting to see if the influence of new media and technology changes any of that...

To Wii or not to Wii?

Assuming I'm in charge of a fairly small library that currently has no gaming program, I would decide which console to get by doing the following:

• Survey parents. See if they will allow their kids to use the library for gaming and see if they have a preference for which console is purchased. Use an online survey program like surveymonkey from the library website or written surveys in the library. Talking to parents will also work.
  
• Survey the kids. Use the same methods as above but could also go into the local school libraries to get feedback from them there as well.
• Research the consoles.

Criteria:

• Cost
• Interest
• Target demographic
• How many people can play at a time?
• Space--Will there be open game time or will this only be brought out on special occasions.
• Can patrons bring in their own games/consoles?
  

Decision:

I would have a tough time deciding between the PS2 and the Wii. They are both relatively low cost options that have their own advantages/disadvantages. I think my decision would depend a lot on the feedback I received. The Wii is excellent for all ages (my parents play with my kids) so personally I'm partial to that system. However, PS2 has a lot of games which are cheap to buy. Having said that, a lot of kids already have a PS2 so having a Wii might be a good way to lure people into the library to check it out.

Sophisticatedly Delivering Stupidity

Let's assume Johnson is going to wow me in Part II with empirical evidence about how much smarter we all are as a result of TV, games, movies, and the Internet.

Who cares?

Here's the thing: There are still only 24 hours in every day. When you add in all the things you "should" get done during the day--sleeping, eating, working, reading and what ever else you have going on in your life, the question remains--how much time do you really have left over for popular culture? I have a few hours a week. And, quite frankly, if I'm being fed stupidity during that time or intellectualism I really don't care. I just want to enjoy myself.

I understand and even agree with Johnson's arguments about how media today is more geared towards problem solving and making us think through things. I'm amazed when I watch my six year old logic through the strategy required to win a Pokemon battle. But, that doesn't mean he gets to spend all day doing that, even if it isn't stupid.

I own a GameCube, PS2 and a Wii. My kids play Webkinz, Playhouse Disney, and PBS Kids games on the computer. They also watch TV and movies. But I don't let them do it because I think it is good for them.

I think Johnson glosses over the addiction and physical and mental health issues that lead to personal and family problems that can come from game-playing and being a couch potato. I read a study a few years ago about how kids and adults are cranky after getting up from staring at a screen. So, they continue sitting there because sub-consciously they know they are going to be in a bad mood when they finally do get up. I think this stuff is fine, but the amount of time one spends on it should be carefully monitored.

Also, I definitely noticed Johnson avoided discussion of children watching TV. Ever heard of Noggin? Their slogan is: It's like preschool on TV.

Oh goody, I'll save myself a couple hundred bucks on a month on preschool and sit them in front of the TV instead!

Puh-lease.

There's a mountain of evidence that says TV isn't great for kids. Again, I think it is all about making a balanced life. I'm a reality-TV watching West Winger, but I'm not going to pat myself on the back at night because I just fed my brain tuning in.

Screencast Best Practices

I'm definitely still learning when it comes to screencasting, but I have picked up a few things that make my life easier.

• Use a decent mic/headset. And, if using said decent mic, point it at my forehead so I don't sound like Darth Vader.
• If I know it is going to be short and not too involved, Jing is a more streamlined choice. I find the process of uploading to Blip to be kind of tiresome and taxing on my computer.
• Slooooow down. I struggle with this in my daily life, and it seems to be amplified a zillion times on screencasts. I realize that not only do I talk too fast, but I'm moving the cursor around really fast too. Obviously, I know what I'm thinking, but a person watching the screencast might be a second or two behind in following my instructions and I've headed off into the wild blue yonder alone.
• Plan on doing it at least twice. That way, I find I can flush out the mistakes and I don't feel pressure to get it perfect. It almost always gets better each time I re-record.
• If it is going badly or you need time to think, hit the pause button, take a deep breath, and try again.
  

Cribbage Screencast

A game of cribbage with my sister.

Click to play

SNS Screencast

This short screencast is about how to create a group on Facebook.

Click here!

boyd

i think that boyd's articles should be noticed by libraries. Libraries need to accept that social networking is the business of the library, whether they think it should be or not. If libraries want to stay relevant to the community they serve, they need to have a presence where people spend their time, and they need to understand the role and function of social network sites to the population. At a minimum, libraries can add applications such as a the Ask a Librarian application to sites such as Facebook to increase community presence.

boyd feels that there is a class division between MySpace and Facebook teenage users. MySpace is used more heavily by "subaltern" teens and Facebook is used more by "hegemonic" teens. i think this has a lot to do with the origins of those sites, as both the boyd readings outline. Libraries need to be aware of the differences between those sites and why patrons are attracted to them. In turn, they need to have a presence on both sites so as to not alienate a certain group of patrons.

Ning

I had never been to Ning before this week, and I have to say I was pretty impressed. I set up a network myself and found it to be a simple painless process. I really liked seeing what features Ning had to offer.

Advantages:

• Control and privacy. Ning allows you to set these options in accordance with the purpose of the social networking group.
• Sharing. You can set up a Ning for any reason under the sun--a group project, goal setting, common interests or hobbies. Workplaces can use them for specific projects or for the long-term to promote sharing of ideas and workplace unity.
• RSS feeds. In a work environment, I think it would be an advantage to have everyone in the same Ning with access to RSS feeds that impact the business.
• Easy creation of a badge. This is good if you want others to promote your Ning on their blogs or websites.
• It's free.
• Search. If I remembered that Joe who works in YA Lit said something a year ago in his Ning blog that I wanted to remember, I can do a keyword search for it.

Limitations:

• Google Ads.
  
• Getting people to sign up and try it out.
  

Sticky SNS

Social network sites are sticky because we can spend an unlimited amount of time there and still find plenty to do. We have a natural interest in "stick"-ing around because the content revolves around what we know best--ourselves! It makes us feel important and validated when check out our friends and update our personal content. It allows us to keep up with people from the past that we would probably not otherwise given time constraints.

To make things more interesting, we can also add various applications that also let people know who we are (We're Related, Cities I've Visited, ad infinitum) and other multimedia goodies that get passed around like spam. MySpace lets us blog directly on the site. MySpace also lets anyone view public profiles making stalking "celebrity" pages all kinds of fun.

Personally, I spent a lot of time on Facebook when I set up my account about six months ago. Since then, it has been sporadic at best. I'm glad to know that I have a place where I could get in contact with people if I wanted or needed to. But I find that my younger friends do most of the updating, poking, snowball throwing, setting up false personas to make themselves look more popular, etc.

Camtasia Video

This is a screencast about using NetVibes as a personalized homepage. I made one very l o n g video, but I've separated it into two different ones. The pop up window includes step 1 of setting up a NetVibes page. I will include a link to the second part for those clamoring for more. I'll put it up perhaps next year when my computer gets done uploading/converting and all that good stuff.

Click to play

Part 1 on blip.tv (1:57)

Totally ignoring Steve's one cast per post rule, here's the second part. It's over 9 minutes and I don't think the sound quality is very good. (I've been in Florida this week and I forgot my mic!)

Part 2 on blip.tv

Jing Screencast

This is all about downloading and using a Firefox extension for Google Reader. It's one of my favorite tools!

Click here!

YouTube scils598s08

I felt like I got to know the different personalities in this class more through the two videos than I did through the Flickr exercises. They were all really fun to watch.

I was really touched by Lorri's video about her son and alopecia. I thought it was well done and informative.

Gail's son was a hoot in the PB&J video. I especially liked the distinction between "left bread" and "right bread" as well as the credits.

I also thought Kelli's educational video was really fun, upbeat, and interesting all at the same time.

Educational vs. Entertainment Videos

Do educational videos stand a chance next to entertainment videos?

I think so.

I found it interesting looking at the YouTube videos of Steve's last social software class. The videos that were viewed the most times and rated highly were actually the "educational" videos. When you see how many hits videos like the Wesch videos or Shift Happens receive, you realize that educational videos definitely have and important role in our society. It turns out, we like to learn and think deeply and feel inspired every so often! (And, sometimes we need a better way to peel an egg too!)

I think that services such as YouTube will be known more for their entertainment value, but I don't think that negates the importance of making and sharing educational videos with the public.

Flickr Groups

What do we have in common?

• computers
• food
• Rutgers
• books
• a need to escape

What are our differences?

• some are outdoorsy and some like sticking closer to home
• we come from all over geographically
  
• different outlets for our free time
• some have kids, some have pets (presumably, some have both...but not me!)
  

"Educational" Video

All about Pokemon...from the mouth of my six year old:

Click to play

Direct link to Blip.tv

"Entertainment" Video

Bella is the baby of our family. These are pictures from her first year:



Direct link to YouTube

Podcasts vs. Blogging

Benefits of blogging:

• You can read faster than you can listen
• Less personal than listening to someone's voice
• You don't need a microphone
• You can add details with fonts, colors, word size, links and pictures
• It is easier to find something in the text because audio cannot yet be effectively searched
  

Benefits of podcasting:

• You can download the item to a portable playing device, such as an iPod
• You can record for a very long time, so you aren't constrained by how much space is being taken up with text
• Saves recordings of your voice for future generations
• You can hear personality and meaning behind the voice. It is easier to tell if someone is making a joke or being sarcastic by their tone and inflections.
  

Interestingly, I decided to put a VoiceThread up on my personal blog and I found that the only people who actually wanted to "talk back" to me were members of my immediate family. Others either left a comment (in the blog, not the VoiceThread) or steered well clear.

The Long Tail, Finale

I believe that libraries can and should utilize the long tail of their collections if they want to stay a viable and integral part of our culture and society. It is absolutely worth and it and must be done. As the rest of the culture diversifies its interests, library collections must mirror that shift. I think a few factors are important in accomplishing this shift:

1. Remembering that some consumers still want to come into the library to browse and check out physical goods, but some consumers will want to download from their computers, or perhaps even receive items directly in the mail. The same holds true for reference services. Making services easily accessible and available through various distribution channels is key.

2. Finding more ways to let the patrons influence collection development. Using surveys and polls, online and in the library, can help librarians ensure they are meeting the needs of the public. In addition librarians can utilize blogs to start discussions.

3. Chris Anderson reminds us to "think and, not or". This can be more difficult when physical storage space is limited. More patrons may need to use ILL. Stand-alone libraries are quite possibly going to need to somehow utilize a consortium system to be able to offer increased selection and variety to patrons. And perhaps as libraries come together, they can utilize economies of scale to purchase increased online collections and services.

Soup Story

This is the story of what happened to me yesterday when I decided to make tortilla soup.




Link to MP3 file

The Long Tail, Part Deux

New Producers

There are great examples emerging of libraries acting as new producers, but I think they are still the exception rather than the rule. Ideas such as podcasts of story times, blogs to support book groups or gamers, etc. allow the library to produce content relevant to the community it services. I see the production arena as one where the library can really step up and reach out to the niche populations because the software tools are so inclusionary.

New Markets

Certainly, a library is probably one of the purest and oldest forms of an aggregator going. While once only books were contained in libraries, today libraries can be seen as an aggregator of aggregators--books, music, films and information in the form of reference librarians, online services and paper displays (e.g. tax forms) are found in the library. In addition, the library acts as a community center providing a place to meet and discuss ideas.

With items such as downloadable audiobooks, eFlicks, music, and other digitized content, and the service provided by interlibrary loan, libraries are moving away from their dependence on physical space alone. Interestingly, Borders has decided to move further away from the long tail
and decrease inventory in stores to allow more titles to face out. While I think it is a worry that Amazon will one day rule the book world entirely, at least the library still has the distinct advantage of being free! However, libraries must capitalize on the long tail distribution services they can provide.

New Tastemakers

Reader's advisory is probably the most obvious way librarians act as tastemakers. Although I don't work in a library, I know that when I provide a book recommendation through my blog, or somehow match an information need with the desired information, nothing is more satisfying to me. Filling those needs is probably what got me interested in librarianship in the first place.

While no librarian can be an expert on all genres of books and music, librarians hold the keys to the filters. It is their job to be able to help patrons who have both popular and niche interests find what they want. Librarians act as pre-filters through collection development, but by paying attention to the post-filters (through patron word of mouth, blogs, reviews, etc.) they will provide a higher degree of service excellence.

Educational Experience

I have been solely an online student during my SCILS program. Even though I started off the program living in New Jersey, I moved halfway through to North Carolina. The only hiccup produced as a result of the move, was the move to out-of-state tuition! I don't feel slighted in the least by the quality of my education because it has been online. For me, the effort I have put in has been very rewarding to me personally and I hope will play out one day for me professionally.

I have loved my educational experience. At this point in my life, raising my young family is the most important thing to me. The part-time online program has allowed me to keep that as my priority while also allowing me an intellectual journey that I have cherished. Of course some times during the semesters have been more stressful than others. But I do feel the negative impact getting this degree has had on my family has been minimal. In fact, I love that my kids have learned to respect me for what I'm doing and also respect my time. I especially love it when I hear them tell others, "My mom wants to be a librarian when she grows up!"

Photos from my Flickr page

Photos from scils598s08 - EdExperience

Google Analytics

Browser:
Firefox (93%)
IE (7%)

Connection Speed:
Unknown (59%)
Cable (29%)
DSL (12%)

The Long Tail

Anderson posits that the rise of the long tail is due to technological advances such as the internet and DVR. We are no longer constrained by shelf space or even time. This allows the rise of the niche market and the population has shown its enthusiasm in diversified interests.

Do I think libraries are set to benefit from the long tail? No. There are precursors in place, such as ILL and electronic resources. But, ILL can be expensive and I'm not sure that the average library user even knows about ILL outside of their own county system or consortium. The selection of electronic resources is still seriously lacking and can't be downloaded onto iPods, alienating a large portion of potential users. In short, I do think libraries have the potential to serve the populations increasing varied interests, but I anticipate funding as a major obstacle.

The timing of this article from The Times in London could not have been more apropos. Among the article's recommendations:

• extending weekend and evening opening hours
• introducing a web-based lending service with home delivery
• diversifying reading material to lure young people, for example with comics, film scripts and music lyrics
• consider a tie-in with Amazon, the online retailer, allowing users to order a new book for a friend once they had read the library copy

Collaboration Software

I definitely think Google Docs and other collaboration software would be useful for group projects. In fact, I have a group project this week that I thought, "Doh! We could have used this!" It's too late now, and the problem is that I don't know who is familiar with the software and who isn't. There is a certain amount of time that has to be devoted to getting up to speed with the software, and people aren't usually willing to do that during crunch time. However, as time goes on, I think the programs will become more widely used, making it easier and faster to create group projects. The software makes it so that everyone can have a say about everything and it is nice that there are no surprises when it comes time to present the project. However, there is the flip side that something you spend quite a bit of time working on can be edited/removed/changed so easily by others.

As far as how teachers would feel about them, I'm not sure that they would have a reason to care one way or another. My guess is that most teachers will have a look at the final product and grade it independently of the edits and work that went on behind the scenes. However, it is nice that teachers do have the option to see the history in case there is a dispute among participants as to how much effort each group member put in.

Wiki Comparisons

I'm new to the world of wikis, so I don't have a strong opinion about anything really. This is the first semester I've used them (other than as an observer of Wikipedia...as if that counts). Both of my classes us them--Steve in pbwiki and Lilia in wetpaint (I didn't even realize it was wetpaint until I went and looked today, that's how clueless I've been). I also set up a wikispaces account so I could have a look there as well.

• I definitely prefer the spartan look of pbwiki and wikispaces. Wetpaint is a bit more colorful (maybe I just don't like the template?) and busy.
• I like that wikispaces and wetpaint have easy to set up discussion threads.
• The sidebar on pbwiki and the navigation systems of wetpaint and wikispaces seem to be very similar. It took me a little bit to figure out how to navigate between pages in wikispaces, probably just because I am the least familiar with it.
• Because I'm new to wikis, I like all the help I can get. I find wetpaint's page toolbox very useful.
• This is probably petty, but I think the horizontal rule icon is invaluable for a wiki. Wetpaint doesn't have one (at least that I or anyone in the class can see) and it is really difficult to tell where one person's ideas begin and end. Both pbwiki and wikispaces have a horizontal rule icon in their edit toolbars.

Virtual Introduction

I think the del.icio.us bookmarks was a fun way to get to know the class members. If you used them earlier in the course, it would also help give exposure to del.icio.us which students could utilize as they move through the course. I know I've been bookmarking most of the stuff we've been introduced to and if a student wasn't familiar with these social bookmarking tools before, it is a good way to learn--nothing like trial by fire!

Del.icio.us vs. Ma.gnolia

I was beginning to think that whatever service I had used first, I would always stick with: Google Reader, Blogger, MSN, GoodReads, etc. But now I think I might have to make a switch to ma.gnolia. Thankfully, they make it easy to move your stuff from del.icio.us on over to ma.gnolia.

They say you can make bookmarks private in ma.gnolia, but del.icio.us does allow something similar. You can also rate pages, but quite frankly, I wouldn't bookmark them if I didn't care about them in the first place. I'm not going to bookmark a page I hate. However, I love that ma.gnolia will save a copy of the website you bookmark so you don't have to worry if it disappears tomorrow. And ma.gnolia is pretty as a flower, really. The visual appeal is definitely a bonus.

Del.icio.us has the advantage of time and Yahoo backing. The Firefox extensions are awesome and I have used them extensively. Del.icio.us is the most widely used social bookmarking site, so from the social aspect, it is better. However, if you don't care so much about how many people are tagging with you and networking with you, I think ma.gnolia is a lovely choice.

Digg

I've used LibraryThing before, but not for myself. My in laws have a crazy number of books so I spent time cataloging them about 18 months ago. It is very cool, especially if you have a lot of books...which I don't...because I go to the library mostly. But, Laura got me hooked on Goodreads earlier this semester and I've really been enjoying it. Shelfari looks a little prettier, I have to admit, but I'm going to stick with where I'm at for now.

On to Digg. I've seen it around, but never really knew what it was. Steve said we had to set up an account, but it was a little scary since, unlike the other stuff we've been doing this semester, you can't have multiple accounts (otherwise you could inflate your Diggs by voting multiple times).

So here's the deal. When you see a website that you think would be of interest to a lot of people, you Digg it. Diggs are put into an Upcoming Stories section, where other users and view and Digg the item. If it becomes popular enough, it will be on the homepage of its section. If it never gets popular, it will fall out of the Upcoming Stories. If you see a bad link, you can "Bury" the item. So the users are in charge of Digging and Burying content. Like del.icio.us you can be a fan of another user, or you can be a mutual friend, allowing you to follow someone's content.

Will I use it? Probably not. I'd have to decide that there was a facet of the news I really cared about enough. Quite frankly, a quick glance at FoxNews or CNN usually satisfies me. But, never say never. The Wii section looks interesting....

Implications for the Education System

Chapter 5 of Brown & Duguid echo the educational literature and trends toward constructivist learning theories. In a nutshell, teachers and their curricula are necessarily moving away from the rote memorization and fact dumping of yesteryear. Any fact or snippet of information can easily be retrieved from Google. However, applying what what is learned in authentic situations is key to helping students gain knowledge. As Brown & Duguid state, it takes "people to assimilate, understand, and make sense of [information]." Being able to transform information into knowledge is a skill that will be required by 21st century learners. The difficulty lies in shaping classroom instruction so students have a chance to practically apply what is being learned and in ensuring that each individual student understands the "whys" and "hows" of what is being taught.

Certainly, as far as Chapter 8 goes, all members of this class are living proof that distance education is moving forward. When I joined Rutgers in Fall of 2005, there was only one student who lived outside of what I will call Rutgers-metro. Even though physical proximity was not a necessity for the program, it was still favored by those close by. However, I am amazed by the different demographic dynamic present in the program now. Students are from all parts of the country, and on-campus and off-campus students are beginning to mix in online environments. I myself moved out of Rutgers-metro during the program and felt no hiccup except that I had to start paying non-resident tuition. :( In light of the developments in my own program, I found the section on A Sense of Place to be quite interesting. Last semester I took a class in which required that we use New Jersey's education standards to create lesson plans. However, it became clear early on, that many of us would never have a need to understand NJ state standards and the instructor altered the course accordingly to allow students to focus on the state standards that would be meaningful to them. Thus, the course was "centralized" and the "locality of knowledge" was diluted. Like Brown & Duguid, I don't predict the demise of the university or its physical facilities. However, I do think a mix of virtual and traditional will become increasingly prevalent for all students--elementary, secondary, and university.

Information Overload

Does RSS contribute to information overload? Well, I guess it depends on how you define 'information overload'. I feel information overload when I feel overwhelmed by the amount of data I have to sort through. The great thing about RSS is that it allows to you to filter items that are of interest to you. You only get items that you ask to get.

However, just like my TiVo, I watch/read WAY more stuff than I used to because it is so much more efficient for me to do so. RSS acts as the dam to information overload, however I'm allowing continuously more through as I find things that are meaningfully interesting to me.

While I think it can be argued that RSS both mitigates and aggravates the problem of information overload, I certainly feel better informed because of it.

New to Me

One site that is new to me this week is Connotea. This site is designed for scientists or clinicians, however it is free and easy to use. As you perform research you can click on the button in your browser (similar to del.icio.us) and it automatically saves your references. You can also add tags for easy retrieval. References can be public or private, emailed to certain colleagues, and of course, are available on any computer with Internet access. Connotea will also save links to any webpage, however, the most bibliographic data will be available when using sites like PubMed or Amazon.

Will I use it? In my other class this semester, we are preparing to do a group project. I think this would be a great tool to be able to share our research and easily access the references we've used.

Final Thoughts on Feed

I think we are getting closer to the Feed society all of the time. Nothing really seems to be stopping us because, as a culture, we believe that the good and convenience of the feeds outweigh the negatives. As an example, I have totally drunk the Google Kool-Aid, I know it, and I don't care! The dependence I have on my Internet connection and my social software tools is what leads to me to believe I'm headed down the path that leads to the Feed society.

Jon Stewart had a guest on last week that is trying to take a stand against the dehumanizing nature of our electronic dependence. Lee Siegel has written Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob. I definitely plan to check it out. I found it interesting that Mr. Siegel feels that there will ultimately be a backlash and a return to more focus on human interactions as a result of events like the MySpace suicide. I'm just not convinced.

I think the thing that struck me the most about Feed is how people had completely ceased to think for themselves. The didn't question anything the feed told them. Violet saw that Titus was not like everyone else, that he could still think and question. But Titus rebelled from those feelings because they made him different. I think one of the major responsibilities that school librarians, public librarians, and academic librarians have to is to make sure that patrons question the data they find, dig deep into the research, and to not be afraid of original thought.

Feed

Having read this book last year for YA Lit, I have to admit that I didn't love it, although I thought it was interesting. However, this book has stood the test of time for me. I still think about it because of my increasing reliance on feeds and the irritating need I have to feel connected all the time.

Could events like this actually happen? I actually think anything is possible. So many people said the things we have today could never happen, so I'm not one to say never. But even if I don't really think we can implant a chip into our brains, I do think our reliance to various feeds can certainly increase. The question is whether or not we are strong enough to know when to shut down and whether or not we continue to question everything we are being fed. You see the emergence of Crackberries (my husband among them) and people who believe everything they read online to be the gospel truth. So even if I don't think the problems in the book may come about in the exact way described, I do think the problems created by technology are real nonetheless.

Would I want a feed? No. Don't get me wrong, I love technology. It makes my life richer, connecting me to friends and family and keeping me informed and educated, and allows me to accomplish more in less time. The convenience of a feed would be awesome. But I need silence, escape and peace every so often. I need to talk a walk, play with my kids, and have time for quiet reflection. I wouldn't give that up for a feed.

Bloglines vs. Google Reader

I should say up front that I've been a Google Reader user for awhile, so I don't think that Bloglines could displace my love in one day.

• I actually prefer the font Bloglines uses, although I downloaded the Firefox Add-on for Google Reader and it has made things much prettier.
  
• I like how Google Reader lists new items front and center when you access the page. Bloglines split screen bugs me.
• I also like how Google Reader gives me recommendations based on my viewing habits. I know some people think it's creepy, but I've actually subscribed to some of the blogs "they" list for me, and I've been happy I did.
  
• Google Reader automatically lists the previous posts of a person's blog when you click on the blog title in the sidebar. Bloglines requires an extra click (I know, it's a travesty) by clicking the Display button.
• This is a little silly, but I like how Bloglines gives the number of blog subscriptions above the folders on the sidebar. You can see the number in Google Reader but only when you go to manage your subscriptions.
• I do like how Bloglines lets you see the number of subscribers to a feed.
• Also, I like how Bloglines lets you choose the folder as you add the subscription. In Google Reader, you have to add the subscription and then go into Manage Subscriptions to choose the folder.
  

New to Me

Netvibes is new to me today. I got intrigued when we watched the Michael Wesch video and I saw something that looked like Netvibes (maybe it was) but I had no idea how to find it or how it worked. It was super easy to set up. It's great because you can set it as your homepage and instead of checking multiple sites, you can get an overview of everything you like in one place. I have multiple email accounts using different services, and you can include them all allowing you to check your email in one place. I also like having the weather, news headlines, and Google search bars in one convenient location. I've also included Twitter and Facebook and downloaded a Google Reader widget. This is a great time-saver and I definitely think I'll stick with it.

Wordpress vs. Blogger

• In Wordpress you can upload pictures without going into a separate pop-up window.
• Both allow tagging/labels, but Wordpress also allows posts to be categorized.
• Both have a WYSIWYG editor and html editor.
• Wordpress stores pictures allowing you to label them and send them into the post editor whenever you wish. In contrast, Blogger only allows you to upload pictures that relate to the post you are working on.
• Wordpress supports Trackback and Blogger does not. Blogger uses backlinks.
  
• Wordpress scares me since I've only ever used Blogger! But, it does seem like it has a lot more capabilities that would be useful if I felt I wanted that additional functionality.
  

Messages from Brown & Duguid

Technology and automated bots cannot replace the human element in interactions. While some predicted the demise of libraries with the advent the the WWW, libraries have proven their worth with Generation Y. Thus, libraries need to continue to utilize new technologies in a way that complements their existing purpose.

Do not assume what new technologies can do or overestimate how it will be used. Look to the users and take clues about what is important to them. Don't assume that everyone knows how to use new social software and networking tools.

The library is a social system and provides a service that differs from what people can accomplish in isolation at home. Librarians need to stay current in their technological knowledge so they can help people in ways that save them time, effort, and money.

Social software is important to keep people who are at home connected to resources of the library. This is why tools such as IM and blogging are important--they help ensure that the community has links to library services from the comfort of their home.

Library Blog

My library (meaning the one I am a patron of, not the one I work for...yet!), PLCMC, a has a blog for gamers called The Gaming Zone. While not updated often, it does keep the gamers of the community connected with game reviews and advertises game nights and reports on library gaming events. It also has some good RSS links to library events, gaming items in the Charlotte Observer, and podcasts. I think this blog is a good way to serve a niche market in the library community, and to highlight library services and events.