In summary...

What was the most important thing you learned in the Betty Blogger Summer School? Why?
I learned just how much I have yet to learn!! In going through each of the tasks I tried to spend time exploring features of the various applications, typically extending beyond those required to complete the task at hand. Although this led to frustration at times, particularly when I couldn't get an app to function the way I thought it should(!), it gave me a better appreciation for the breadth of functions that are available within the vast scope of Web 2.0 technologies (knowing that we were only using a selected few apps!). While I now understand some of those jargonny terms -- I was even able to drop a couple at a meeting, knowing what they meant [bonus!] -- and have achieved a basic, entry-level proficiency in some of these apps, I also see that I will need to spend a lot more time developing my skills if I want to adopt any of these into regular practice and use them effectively.

What was most challenging? Why?
I suppose I had two major challenges. My first major hurdle was how to deal with privacy issues, as I was concerned that I was entering a "black box" of personal data collection. I was pleased to find out that I could get by quite anonymously and that some of the "scary" apps, particularly Facebook, are perhaps not as malicious as I'd initially feared. I still do have "trust issues"; however, the seemingly unlimited reserves of free disk space is awfully appealing ;) As the course evolved, the greatest challenge for me became one of "integration". In addition to being somewhat overwhelmed by specific tasks (e.g. Google Reader) and knowing that I was only scratching the surface of the massive "data stores" out there, I started to drive myself a little crazy by seeking connections -- trying to understand the interrelationships between the various types of applications. It just struck me that I should be able to view these in some greater context, rather than as isolated tidbits. And it also struck me that, with the many categories of applications and many apps within each, the field is becoming ripe for consolidation! ;) In any case, I have yet to synthesize much of what I've learned, particularly when thinking of ideas I might like to develop for our office web site.

Would you like to see the library use web 2.0 technologies to improve library services? If yes, what would you like to see? If no, why?
I will probably continue to use the library much as I have done -- remotely checking the online catalogue to order books/movies -- so I don't know that I would personally benefit from the use of Web 2.0 technologies at BPL. Nevertheless, I can see can see the potential benefit of adopting some of these technologies for the library, particularly when it comes to outreach to younger audiences or socially isolated individuals in the community. In addition to providing information resources, the library is an important community hub for many, and I'd imagine that it is challenging for the library to keep pace with the fast-changing environment and to maintain its relevance. Providing this course is an excellent example of how BPL is addressing this! As far as specific technologies go, I could see: using YouTube to promote the library; making author series available by podcast; setting up Facebook groups for staff, students; developing a pictorial archive of Burlington in Flickr; creating Wikis for event planning, interest groups; setting up an RSS feed on the BPL web site to help people keep track of updates, or; using LibraryThing as a tool for organizing book clubs, summer reading competitions, etc. Just to name a few. But it would depend on resources, how issues of privacy would be addressed, how they support your core business, etc.

How successful was the "self-directed" learning model?
Very!! I appreciated the opportunity to proceed at my own pace, even if I did find it a bit of a challenge to catch up once I'd gotten behind ;) I do think I would have benefited from some more interaction, especially to more fully discuss some of the topics we covered and how they relate. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend any of the drop-in sessions as they were scheduled during work hours; however, it was nice to know that Library Lady was keeping tabs, and her comments on my blog posts were very helpful. Although I did try to keep track of other students' blogs, it would have been helpful to somehow be notified as to when blogs had been updated -- perhaps set up RSS feeds on each blog early on? With so many people in the course, clicking on every page was very time-consuming and, while I noticed that some people were using the comments, I wonder if it would be possible to set up some additional sort of online mechanism to facilitate interaction.

Looking back at your reasons for participating in the Betty Blogger summer school, did the program fulfill your expectations?
Totally!! In fact, I'd say it exceeded my expectations. My main objective was to gain a better appreciation of what this technology has to offer by getting some hands-on experience; this was definitely accomplished!

If we ran this program again, would you recommend us to a friend?
Certainly!! This has to be the best deal in town! The course is very well organized and the material (task descriptions and related background references) relevant and informative. And fun! The cooking motif was very entertaining and Library Lady's messages and postings very enthusiastic and motivating. Even the hidden identity of "Library Lady" made me more comfortable with my own desire for anonymity. It was an excellent course and I'm very glad I was able to see it through to the end. I would definitely recommend it to anyone with an interest in learning, communications or technology!

LibraryThing...

Well, this is a neat application! I could easily see this being a very useful tool, particularly for people who read a lot and want to keep track of what they've read, recommendations, etc. Aside from the virtual network that's available to members, I could also see this being useful locally to help book clubs, classmates and the like organize their reading material and reviews.

Now, if it could only keep track of movies, too!

PS I couldn't help it... All those food references made me think of interesting food-related books -- note, not cookbooks, as I would find very few of those to be memorable! -- though I did throw in a classic for good measure ;)

Reaching saturation, sadly...

My own personal descriptor for RSS, at the moment anyway.

I did try using Google Reader's "discover" feature but was inundated with results to almost any search term I entered. After starting with topic searches, in an effort to narrow the returns, I started to search for organizations as well, thinking that I would turn up feeds published by specific information providers. This was not much more effective; it took me a while to realize that, not only was it returning results for these specific "publishers", it was returning results for any feed that happened to contain a news item pertaining to that publisher.

So, while I selected a couple of feeds through Google Reader, I picked most by going to specific web sites and either using their own subscribe function or pasting the URL into GR! My subscriptions include the following news categories: general (CBC top stories, Spectator local news, Globe & Mail headlines, Ontario government); consumer (CBC Marketplace, G&M Report on Business); health (Ontario ministries of health & health promotion, Health Literacy Network), and; Specator restaurant reviews. The folder feature is helpful and I have yet to experiment with tags.

But here's where I became overwhelmed...

• First, when I realized that a single organization may provide several RSS feeds. And it doesn't have to be a large organization; healthyontario.com has at least 6 individual feeds that one can subscribe to!
• Second, when I clicked on some of the subscriptions and got a sense as to just how much data could be published in any day. How much do I really want to sift through??
• Third, when I remembered that I also subscribe to some excellent listservs that sift through loads of data daily or weekly to "feed" me information on topics of interest. And, although this is easily accessible via my inbox, I often don't even open those messages!

So, although I can see how RSS feeds may be helpful, I think it would be necessary to develop some "personal information management" strategies to organize subscriptions and the resulting "data" so that it, indeed, becomes useful "information".

Thanks to wiki...

...it would seem as though we have a forum for building and sharing of ideas with minimal effort. But it must be more difficult than it appears, particularly as layers are built within a wiki. Personally, I found it difficult just to search for information on one flat page, so I'm not sure how one would go about constructing a more complex site that might be subject to heavy editing.

The YouTube demo was very interesting but it did raise some questions about how such online collaboration would be tracked. While I wanted to try editing some entries in our Thanksgiving Dinner list, I didn't think that others would necessarily appreciate the "intrusion". Further, without documentation, it would seem as though entries could be posted with little accountability on the poster's part.

Therefore, while I can see the potential usefulness of such an application, personally, I would want to somehow track who was adding/deleting what.

I do use Wikipedia frequently so, now when I go back into it, I will pay greater attention to its structure and content.

By the way, if you read my previous post, you will likely be able to guess which is my dinner contribution; it's the cognac or rental dishes. All potential cooking disasters averted!

Cooking with Google Docs...

Well, Google Docs certainly seems like a promising application. Perhaps a little rough around the edges, missing out on enhanced word processing features. Nevertheless, this is a beta version and the idea of being able to create (shareable) documents online strikes me as eminently useful, particularly when using remote devices.

My story can be found at http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcbv58f4_0f6frcthm. Enjoy!

Flickr: Regular irregularity...

Regular irregularity
Originally uploaded by jmvnoos in Paris

What an amazing shot!! I was impressed to see that it's a "real photo"; there's a lot on here that is obviously edited and/or "contrived".

In any case, there is certainly a lot to see on Flickr! But I must admit that I began to think it'd be good if it weren't quite so "open" -- or that the so-so shots were weeded out. But I suppose that's not the point ;)

I did find the experience somewhat mind-boggling -- the sheer volume, the various search features, the groups/sets, comments, etc. I'm not sure I'd use it, though maybe when I take the time to sort through some of my photos I may think differently; not sure who I'd share them with, but it might be interesting to see if they attract any feedback. I think it'd be a helpful resource in learning about style and composition and, once I look at the copyright stuff more closely, perhaps it might be a source of photos for graphic design work.

As for usefulness to the library, it's hard to say. Perhaps photos could be assembled for a visual tour of the facilities? But when I think of library services, it would seem that YouTube -- "moving pictures" and sound -- might be a more useful tool. Perhaps I'm thinking too narrowly...

PS I noticed that Flickr pro has a video uploads feature, so perhaps Flickr can be used similarly to YouTube??

Facebook: Probably not for me...

Okay, I tried to be objective and to shake my preconceived biases against Facebook...

I suppose I can "get" what all the fuss is about; people wanting to feel connected. I guess I'm just not so concerned about that; I have my own outlets for maintaining/developing connections. Nor can I see why I'd want to share personal information with a bunch of strangers.

Actually, I'd expected to find more information about the people I'd looked up. All I could see were lists of "friends", so I guess users' profiles are more secure than I'd anticipated. So my curiosity remained unsatisfied, as I didn't want to add "friends" just so I could see their profile! ;)

Besides, I continued to use a pseudonym, and I didn't fill in any personal info on my profile. So no one would even know who I was! Alas, I suppose I'll never be found... And I won't have more "friends". Boo hoo :( Okay, I'm being sarcastic; can't help it, as the whole "will you be my friend" thing just strikes me as rather schoolkid-ish.

That being said, perhaps I'll take a closer look at some of the groups; but, in some initial browsing, I didn't find anything that would entice me to join (and spend more time at the computer!). Frankly, I was amazed at some of the things that turned up even when doing a search for "Burlington Ontario"! These groups seem awfully fragmented for an application aimed at fostering networking and connections ;)

So perhaps Facebook isn't as scary as I'd thought. Though I guess it's impossible to judge this without plunging in -- using my real name, adding personal info, adding "friends". I've heard enough stories about how difficult it can be to remove one's info that I'm not keen on pursuing the experiment. Maybe if I become housebound or something I'll change my thinking but, until then, I'll give it a miss.

Tagging: A mixed review...

This task did not go quite as smoothly as the others. In fact, I have a message out to Delicious tech support to help solve the problem, which I just couldn't manage to figure out myself. It's probably an issue with the settings on my Internet Explorer (ver 6); although I changed cookie settings as indicated on the support forum, and uninstalled and reinstalled the IE add-on, I just couldn't get the sidebars to display tags and bookmarked pages. Even if signed in, the sidebar indicated that I wasn't signed in! So, although I could bookmark pages and apply tags, the only way I could view these was by going to my main planetzanet page -- kind of takes away from one of the main benefits of using this! ;)

But I did experience how this is supposed to look because I also configured Firefox for Delicious. So, if I can't use IE, and if I want to continue using Delicious, I may have to change my default browser. Or download IE 7 and see if that works any better.

On a positive note, I can definitely see the possibilities! The biggest plus is being able to access Favourites from any computer!! Coordinating bookmarks between work and home PCs is such a cumbersome process -- or maybe I just haven't figured out an efficient way of doing this.

After I get the browser issue sorted out, my next experiment will be to import my currently bookmarked Favourites. I have a ton of these and, while they're fairly well organized, it'd be great to cross-reference in multiple categories -- much easier than saving one Favourite multiple times! But I can see this being a fairly time-consuming process, as I'd imagine I'd then need to go in and apply tags after importing. Perhaps I'll start with a small test using only one category of bookmarks.

As for Delicious' networking ability, while it's interesting to see the types of sites people have bookmarked and to see who else has bookmarked my own selected sites, I don't know that I would get into sharing. At present, the key benefit (for me) still appears to be the ablity to organize and cross-reference, particularly according to my own method of categorization.

By the way, I tried to find Library Lady's (or Betty Blogger's) bookmarks -- no Betty Crocker, so perhaps I was trying the wrong user name...

Went fishing...

Seemed like an appropriate title to describe my experience with Task #2: Streaming. It is just way too easy to spend way too much time on YouTube!!! Quite remarkable, the amount of stuff that's on there. I played around with the various search functions and was amazed at how many words I threw in yielded a result.

On to the "assignment"... Actually, my first search was somewhat fruitless. Taking a lead from Library Lady's cooking theme and TV examples, I tried to find a classic SNL sketch -- Julia Child cutting up a chicken. All I could find was a spoof of this, which I didn't bother viewing; but, I did get an omelette making lesson courtesy of the "real" Ms. Child!

I then thought of comedy and politics -- a natural combination ;) -- and decided to test out whether one of my favourite old shows, Yes, Minister (or later, Yes, Prime Minister) was too obscure for YouTube. It wasn't. Here's a clip I found particularly enjoyable: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yhN1IDLQjo.



Thinking of more recent -- the Yes, Minister stuff is still very "current" -- and more local political comedy, I checked out the 22 Minutes content. Found this clip spoofing Facebook (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kerC5AG2IaE), which reflects some of my own biases against it. Okay, uninformed biases, which will be addressed in a future assignment ;)

Anyway, to complete this assignment... I'd imagine that YouTube is most popular for its entertaiment value, for the ability of like-minded people to share information, and for exhibitionists. Seriously, while there's fun stuff on there, and informative stuff, there's also a lot of junk -- topic wise and audio/video quality wise -- and I have to wonder how some people have so much time on their hands! And I saw only a very tiny tip of the iceberg! As for myself, I will probably avoid visiting too often; while it was fun to be entertained, I spend enough time at a computer ;) However, I was quite surprised by some of the educational "programming", and will now think to search there when researching a subject, particularly a "how to" type of demo. I could easily see using the streaming technology on our work web site; however, I don't that we would publish to YouTube. In fact, as I was browsing, I couldn't help but wonder about issues of copyright and intellectual property.

Curious, but skeptical...

Perhaps this post title sounds a bit negative as a set-up to explain my reasons for embarking upon this new learning experience ;) However, it does sum up my current pre-conceptions!

Not one to follow trends just for the sake of it, I've been somewhat skeptical about the hype (and fervour) surrounding Web 2.0. But I'll also admit that it's inappropriate of me to be overly critical of something that I haven't really taken the time or effort to understand.

So, I'm taking this course to be a better critic ;) Just kidding... I see these applications cropping up all over, and I'd like to have some hands-on experience to judge their suitability to work/personal use. In perusing the online course material, I've already started to develop a better appreciation of what this technology has to offer -- and I look forward to exploring this further over the next several weeks!