caparoza

The dark side of the web

2010-03-17T21:14:00.000-07:00

I have been lucky and have not had too many problems with malware or phishing attempts. It probably helps that I'm very cautious about opening e-mails from unrecognised addresses. We also have good security on our home computer and are very careful about downloading anything.

It is necessary to stay alert when using the internet and being careful about how much personal information you provide.

Mashups revisited

2010-02-18T20:51:00.001-08:00

I loved this week's topic and it was great to see all the amazing mashups that people have created. I have already registered to use Libworm and can't wait to spend more time looking at mashupaustralia.org, which is great.

I haven't created my own mashup yet, but will attempt to do it over the next week. Wish me luck!

Instant Communication

2010-02-07T15:42:00.000-08:00

I have used all of the different instant messaging tools, but must admit not very frequently.

I have used Skype to talk to my parents in the UK, which is great, but have found that it drops out fairly regularly (may be my internet connection), which is quite frustrating.

I have also used Twitter and IM, but not on a regular basis. I think they are all great technologies that can be exploited at libraries. They provide clients with another way in which to get in touch with the library allowing them to choose the most effective means of communication. Some people may find this the most convenient and accessible option, rather than telephoning, sending an e-mail or physically visiting the library.

More with Google docs

2010-02-07T15:36:00.000-08:00

I haven't used Google docs much at all, but imagine that it would be a useful tool, particularly for collaborative work.

I wasn't aware that you could use Google docs offline, which I think is a very useful feature, as an internet connection is not always guaranteed. I will have to play around with this software more and learn more about it.

Getting organised

2010-01-20T15:15:00.000-08:00

I have had a google account for a while now, but have never done much with it. I enjoyed this week's blog as I was able to play around with my settings and layout to make it more useful for me.

I also thought ping, 43 marks and the various other tools were also very useful for those who did access and regularly use the different social networking sites.

Event Manager

2009-12-15T16:48:00.000-08:00

I loved these tools - particularly Doodle. It would be a great way to efficiently organise meetings for a group of people, without endless e-mails. I also liked the Google calendar, which I have set up for myself.

Productivity: more ways with RSS

2009-12-15T16:31:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed this section and found it very useful. I have a google reader that I don't check as much as I'd like and when I do there are sometimes just too many articles to read through. The filters are great in making the information sent to your reader much more specific and personal.

I also set up a couple of alerts for "nowra libraries" and "shoalhaven libraries" and it was interesting, and heartening, to see where we've been mentioned.

Nings

2009-12-14T15:12:00.000-08:00

I have just joined Library 2.0 and am waiting to hear from the administrator.

I love Mosman Readers - what a great idea. I think it's a fantastic tool for creating a library community for those who maybe aren't always able to access the library physically. I like the idea of reading others book reviews and it's also a great area to find out about what's happening at the library.

I will join some other networks once I hear back from the Library 2.0 administrator.

Evaluation

2009-12-14T14:59:00.000-08:00

I found this an interesting week as it's great to see that with free tools you are able to look at usage of your sites, blogs, etc ... and also gain insight into how to make improvements.

I have set up a google feedburner to look at statistics for my blog - not suprisingly no followers, but what I expected. In a work environment though these would all be useful tools. Click here to see my feedburner results!

Delicious

2009-11-29T20:54:00.000-08:00

I have been using Delicious quite a lot in recent months as a handy reference tool for my job. Every time I handle a reference query and find a particular good website (making sure I've checked authenticity, currency, accuracy and such) I add it to my delicious page and tag it. I have also created tag bundles that put together web resources on the same topic. I have found it really useful, much more so than 'Favorites' on IE as I'm able to assign several tags and also write a short description highlighting the main resources on the website. I have also given out the address so other staff at the library can access it and add to it. I think it's a great tool.

I don't use any of the other tools - I probably should explore them more - but love it as a really handy reference resource. If you want to check it out, click here.

I've added the tagroll text here so it will be interesting to see if it works?!?!

Twitter

2009-11-17T16:11:00.000-08:00

This is Week 2 and it's Twitter Week. I have set up a Twitter account - http://twitter.com/caparoza - but must admit that I doubt it will get much use. I am following a couple of libraries, but I'm not sure that it's very useful for me. Most of my friends do not have Twitter accounts, so I really have no need to use this tool.

I think for libraries it can be a great tool, Mosman are doing a great job with theirs.

Now I have a e-mail (both work and private), a Twitter account, a blog and have a Google Reader page set up - there just seem to be so many places to check. I'm sure that there must be a way to combine all of these so I'm able to look in just one spot to see what's happening in all of these??!??!

2009-11-03T16:50:00.001-08:00

Well, it's been nearly a year to the day since I last updated this blog! I have in the meantime though created another blog, but this was for one of my subjects in my information studies course that I'm following at Charles Sturt University. I enjoyed having the opportunity to use this technology more.

I haven't really thought about adding to my blog for a number of reasons. Firstly I don't have as much time as I like to play around with social software, but I suppose more importantly I don't have the personal desire. For me these tools are more useful in the context of the library where I work and how we can exploit them to reach more of our users.

I don't really read many other blogs either, although I do look at some of the library based blogs, such as LibraryCrunch and I have never made a comment on anyone's blog - although do enjoy reading comments from others.

Looking forward to revisiting these technologies again and discovering new ones.

Week 12

2008-11-18T00:09:00.000-08:00

What an adventure it has been !! I have found this course incredibly useful and it has opened the doors to so many tools and possibilities which are available online.

I am looking forward to trying to implement some of these tools at my library and I hope that many more of my colleagues will have the chance to follow this course in the future.

Thanks to all those at the State Library who have worked hard to make this happen - it is very much appreciated.

Week 11

2008-11-15T17:42:00.000-08:00

These online tools are fantastic and I was unaware of the majority of them.

These tools could provide very useful at our library service, where we are spread over a wide geographical area with over 11 branches. It would be useful for collaborating on documents and presentations without having to send endless e-mails with attachments.

These are all such useful tools and it's essential that we find the time and enthusiasm to use them.

2008-10-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

I am always amazed that I can actually complete these tasks - I always think that they sound too difficult, but then they actually are relatively simple.

Mash-ups are a great tool for libraries. As several people have already mentioned they would be a useful tool for local studies to have maps showing places of historical interest and would also be useful for tourist information.

WEEK 9

2008-10-18T03:30:00.000-07:00

I loved the podcasts and before this module had no real knowledge of what they were.

They could be used in the library for library tours, story time and author visits for those who can't make it to the main branch. They would equally be great for staff at remote branches to keep in touch, rather than just through e-mails and telephone calls.

All these tools that we've been introduced to have real potential for the library.

Shoalhaven Libraries Nowra

2008-10-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

Shoalhaven Libraries Nowra

2008-10-10T21:14:00.000-07:00

Week 7 has been a really interesting week - with loads of new information for me !! I am time poor at present, but will definitely return to this section in the future to make use of de.licio.us and library thing more. These are two great tools that I'm looking forward to exploreing more.

2008-09-24T03:41:00.000-07:00

Week 5 - wikis

2008-09-16T02:17:00.001-07:00

I've just finished the wiki segment and have really enjoyed it.
They seem like a great tool to use in libraries. It can be used to keep users up to date with upcoming events, but also allows for clients to make contributions and give their opinions, on the library's services, for example.

Week - RSS

2008-09-08T02:52:00.000-07:00

This has proved to be a really useful tool and very easy to use. I had heard of RSS feeds before and knew what they did but had never really thought about their application for me.

I have found it easy to set up - the easiest task we've had to do yet - and have found lots of really interesting blogs and sites that I want to have updates on. I think it will be particularly useful for the news sites, as this will be a way to keep up with current affairs.

My main interest is cooking and there are thousands of blogs that you can subscribe to, which will be great.

Ouagadougou

2008-09-06T23:03:00.001-07:00

Ouagadougou
Originally uploaded by Ferdinand Reus

Well, I'm hoping that this works and actually shows the photograph. I've read the comments from other bloggers and hope that I've solved the problem of the image not appearing by signing on to Flickr.
Fingers crossed.

2008-09-06T22:51:00.000-07:00

I used to live in Africa and love this photo.

I was unaware that you were able to upload your photos to Flickr and keep them private, which is good to have the option. So it's a fantastic way to store your photos, as preservation of your images is a difficult thing.

MY THOUGHTS

2008-09-01T02:30:00.000-07:00

I hope to learn about all this new technology and its applications by completing this course. I have heard of all these tools - blogs, wikis, ..... - but have never used them. I definitely want to keep up with technology and its advances and this seems like an ideal way to do it. I'm hoping that this will show ways that these tools can be incorporated into the library world with real life examples to provide inspiration.

I believe that we learn all our lives and should always be ready to investigate new things. I am also studying a masters in information and library studies so I feel this program will compliment my studying.

I still haven't really thought about useful applications for blogs. I am sure there are definite uses for them, both for library staff use and for contact with clients. The blogs can be used to provide information to the clients of the library and are very interactive and friendly, so hopefully they will appeal to the younger customers, as well as the older ones.

I still feel strange writing this and knowing that it will be posted on the internet for anyone to read - I think maybe it's a generational thing.