Thursday, March 29, 2012

LibraryThing

LibraryThing seems interesting, but I need to play around with it more. I still prefer GoodReads. I don't see the point in using both because then it's just too much to keep up with. I'm used to GoodReads. The tag clouds really don't mean much to me. I definitely prefer free sites to paid ones.

Goodreads

http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2237666-jennifer

If you enjoy reading, you'll enjoy Goodreads. Find me and friend me. I love this website. This is where I go for all my recommendations and reviews. There are shelves on favorites, recommendations, and lists on all topics. There are chances to win advanced copies of books.

Google docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gPABrXHzwZMCEZ84S55ZJtjpcEzCuzajHq9qQjvgQck/edit

Above is a document I created in Google docs. I think Google docs is useful for collaboration for both students and teachers. Projects can be completed remotely in order to accommodate busy schedules. I wanted to use Google docs this school year in my classes, but my district had it blocked.

Blog Searching

I went on Technorati and searched for Web 2.0. I found several blogs discussing the subject. For the most part, these blogs gave the latest up to date information about Web 2.0. When I did a similar search in plain Google, I came up with Wikipedia, commercial websites, and other sites trying to define Web 2.0.

I find this to be very helpful both professionally and personally. It's a great way for teachers and librarians to stay updated on their professions and it's a great way for me to find others that are interested in the same topics I am interested in.

Instant Messaging

I don't really care for instant messaging. If there's someone I have to talk to right away, I'll call or text them. That's just my preference. I used to enjoy chatting online much more when I was younger (early 20s), but not so much now. I even have the option turned off on my Facebook because if I don't people will catch me off-guard and try to chat me when I don't really feel like chatting. It's just not something I'm interested in.

Our school computers have an instant messaging system for the teachers and that is something I will use. My colleague across the hall and I will communicate this way on occasion. We're scared to do it too often because we're not sure how much we are monitored. They have instant messaging blocked to students here.

Social Bookmarking

http://www.delicious.com/jennasita

That is my Delicious site. It's pretty straight forward. Reminds me of Pinterest. I like this site.

Tagging and Folksonomy

I went to Amazon.com and searched for the book I'm currently reading - A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin. I looked at tags customers created. Most of them were good, but a few did not seem to fit. Example: the fallen angle. I'm assuming they've misspelled the word angel. Even still, there isn't a fallen angel in the book. Another one: mediocre. How is this helpful? I see tagging as useful for Amazon and its customers because more product will be sold if people click on some of the tags like the author's name or the genre's type (fantasy, high fantasy, etc.). They will be led to additional books containing similar subject matter. Customers buy more books; Amazon makes more money.

How can I transfer this knowledge to my future library? Well, in the card catalog I believe there is a tagging option where you can connect students to other books they may enjoy. Additionally, the concept could be transferred to signage in the library. Example: If you like books about cats, you may enjoy: _____"

My Flickr account has pics of my chickens. I used tags like: chickens, Easter eggers, backyard chicken. This will help anyone who is looking for other pics of chickens to find my site.