Reflections

Wow! I am almost done with this 23 things project. Yeah~! Now, I need to summarize my thoughts about this project. So, I decided to write a letter to Madame FC23things.

Dear Madame FC23things:

Thank you for educating me by showing those amazing online tools which I was not aware of. I think it is a big loss to remain ignorant. So, it is a good thing that you introduced me to those hot technologies. I truly appreciate you designing this project. I can feel that this was a huge job.

When you offered this 23 things project after the Spring convocation, you told me this is fun. I needed to have some fun, so I joined. Well, ... I had fun but it was a different kind of fun from what I was thinking about at the beginning. I thought I just need to write some comment on FC MySpace and meet some new virtual friends on the Internet. In fact, I had a great fun while I was going through this project.

As same as my girl friend, Olive, I appreciate the Del.icio.us software. Now, I can not live without it. The other thing I have noticed is that people are really getting into blogging. People really enjoy the technology and so we will see many more blog sites. As a result, pretty soon the Internet will be full of not-so-good blog sites. I am not sure if I am going to start my own blog because this is another time consuming task. But, collaborative blogging may work for me.

You really geared me up to web2.0 and guided me to Wikis and GoogleDoc. I think these are worth doing. I am sure this is the modern method of social networking, so we should carry on.

As an undercover watch dog, I will send my new technology plan to my boss in Washington, D.C. I am going to request an Internet Tablet which is very compact, easy to carry, and does everything that the latest PC does, including cell phone, I-pod, and digital/video camera. My boss should provide the best equipment, so I can do my work more efficiently.

Merci, encore, Madame FC23things. Vous êtes merveilleux.

My turn

Oh, wow! I felt so honor that I was actually showing some of the technologies I have learned from this 23 things project.

Well, ...

I showed Olive, my girl friend, each of the steps I was going through. Olive was my only audience. She did not say much, but she is one of the techie terriers who enjoys technology. So, it was easy to show her.

Olive really liked Del.icio.us with no doubt. She got very delighted when she figured out how this online bookmark works as much as I did. This is a major finding from this project. Thank you, Madame FC23things. Isn't it nice that you have your favorites sites or bookmarks wherever you go as long as you have Internet access?

Next thing I showed Olive is Flickr. Oh! This is wonderful. Again, this is somewhat the same as Del.icio.us, in that you don't have to carry your big photo album to show your pictures to your families or friends. You just need Internet access. How clever this thing is!

Then, I showed Olive Google image labeler. Do you suppose that I regret showing her? She just kept on doing it and did not stop. I had a hard time removing her from my PC. We almost had a serious fight because she did not appreciate my advise on tagging words and she said, "This is my game, not yours! I don't need your help!" So, I decided to leave her alone until she got tired playing it. Also, she did not like the fact that I had a higher score than her. Sorry, Olive.

Olive also liked Podcast and YouTube. But, she said she already knew about them, so I didn't have to show her that part. Olive said that she hadn't found an I-Pod that fits to her ears, either. But, she promised me she will keep looking, too.

I am looking forward to showing these technologies to my friends, Goofy and Snoopy.
I am sure they will get a kick out of it.

Social networking and libraries

Oh, boy! Internet technology has changed the life styles of so many people. That certainly is impressive.

The speed and simultaneousness that the Internet can provide is unbeatable. I agreed that is what most people want. Social networking electronically is possible on the Internet. So, many people and organizations start using it. I admit I am little behind.

I used to enjoy reading "Letters to the editor" or "Looking for pen pals" in the newspapers and weekly or monthly magazines. It was fun to know other people's thoughts and wanting to meet new friends. Also, that was the one of the motivations to read the next issue, although I needed to wait one week or month. Now, the world spins too fast, people can not wait that long anymore.

The Internet solved that problem. Everything is real time. Social networking is already happening whether you like it or not. It is your choice to join or not. Many are already participating. I think that is because they are not only natural computer users but also they really want to be connected to other people or groups, or they can get high by simply exposing themselves to the world. Whatever the reason, social networking is already expanding. I am sure that the younger generations appreciate it. "Thanks God for the Internet!"

I visited all the library sites from the FC 23 things list. I think they are doing nice job. FaceBook is much more clean than MySpace. The letter fonts on MySpace are too small and the display is too crummy. Well, I think FC Library can have both MySpace and FaceBook. Why not?

I am sure that many people will trust libraries as blog owners, so I can see more people joining as a "friend" and opening their page through the library blog. I guess in order to maintain a blog and providing virtual social networking, the library needs to keep the trust of the users. Therefore, it is important to maintain a clean site.

I have to come up with my new virtual name soon because I want to hide my identity.
Too bad, I can not be Jack at the FC MySpace.

Online Productivity tools

As I was instructed, I visited the following Web2.0 sites. Now, I am very exhausted because this section was too much for me. But, I am required to write comment before I move on. So, here I am.


Collaborative mind mapping: Mindmeister & Mind42
Note sharing: NoteMesh
Organizational tool: Backpackit
Project Management: Basecamp & Project2Manage
Web-based word processor & spreadsheet: Google Docs

At the beginning, I was discouraged by the quantity: 7 sites. I said, "What!? Why so many!?" But, I put kept my head up and challenged it.

When I visited Mindmeister and Mind42, I thought I was mentally challenged. I registered as a user, and I wanted to start. But, I even could not figure out how to start. Instead, I said, "What the heck is that?!" My mind got very confused. I am sorry, I still did not get it. It was too much for a dog brain. I am not sure how the library can utilized these two sites.

NoteMesh sounds good. Unfortunately, NoteMesh was experiencing unexpected downtime when I visited. But, I read the brief description. I am sure that students can make use of it.

Backpackit, Basecamp, and Project2Manage are specialized tools for organization and management. I may recommend them to my boss in Washington, D.C. Do the librarians want to offer specialized BI sessions for managers on the campus to introduce these sites? That will be fun!

Google Docs is pretty cool. I like it because it seems easier than other web2.0 and clean.

I figured that these are all somewhat like Wikis. I believe this is the direction we are heading. The idea that more than one person will write a Web page is good. That will save a tremendous amount of everybody's time. That is for sure! Instead of sending revisions after revisions through e-mail, just keep one web site and revise it! This will avoid confusion and people will see the most updated information at the same time. This YouTube site, Google docs in plain English, helped me to understand. Now, I have a better picture of web2.0 and Wikis.

The key is who will be the moderator. Umm~! I may have a new position because I am a professional watch dog!

Also, the contributors who write articles need to sign there names on the contract paper and should be required to give their thumb print with their blood as an oath to not write any fake information. In my case, I am not too good at signing my name, so I will just use my paw print.

Good luck!

By the way, does anyone want my carrot sticks? I am always ready to share with you.

Wikis (2)

I visited the "FC Library Staff Wiki" today. It already looks pretty good to me.
I left a comment for Madame FC23things. I hope she will kindly reply to me soon.
So, I may be able to start writing something for the staff Wiki.

However, what shall I write about?

Lately, I have noticed that there is a big gap between my value and humans' value. Therefore, I really need to think deeply in order to become a good contributer for the staff Wiki. I can see that the staff Wiki site is a very serious one. So, I feel pressure because I need to become a serious dog.

Sigh...

Oh, I feel big challenge waiting for me.

Wikis

Aloha!

I learned that Wiki is the simplest online database.
Online database!!! That sounds pretty cool.
Also, the definition says, "allows users to freely create and edit Web page content."
All right! I can smell it that is the reason millions of people love to use Wiki.

I looked at the University of Minnesota Library Staff Wiki and the St. Joseph County Public Library's subject guides. Both sites were very good. I can tell that St. Joseph County Public Library's subject guides has just started using Wiki. On the other hand, the University of Minnesota's Library Staff Wiki is very sophisticated.

I will look at Fullerton College Library Staff Wiki as soon as I get the password.
I am looking forward to contributing some information.

Then, I will be back and update this entry.

By the way, do you know that the meaning of Wiki-Wiki in the Hawaiian language is "quick" in English. What a co-incident this is. But, I interpreted it as a quick database.
Well, ... my imagination is not too bad for a dog.

Mahalo!