Thing #9

Spring Break!! I'm glad I have a little time to catch up because Thing #9, "Finding Feeds" can be time consuming. I find myself wandering to all sorts of places, then spending lots of time editing my Bloglines feeds.

My first exploration was with Topix. I think I only skimmed the surface of this vast tool. I really like the site map, which breaks down all of the news feeds by category. I added a few on subjects I like to follow. Then I also created a feed for the search phrase "Ocean County Library". This site seems like is could replace the Yahoo and Google News Alerts that send emails with links to recent articles on keywords that the users choose to your Inbox. I'll keep both for a while and see which method of delivery I like better.

Then I tried the Bloglines Feed Search. Way, way cool! Via Bloglines, I subscribed to another Topix feed that hadn't been on their Site Map, and I found a Library Journal news feed. I searched the feeds with the phrase "Ocean County Library" and discovered that OCL's Going Green Committee has started a blog. Just typing the word "Library" in the Feeds Search got me over 39,000 hits. I wonder if that means that a lot of librarians out there are blogging like mad? Wow, Bloglines also tells you how many subscribers each feed has so you can see which are the most popular. I could spend all day browsing through these feeds.

The bottom line, to me, is that there are an endless number of feeds out there, depending on where your interests lie. Used wisely, feeds can be a great way to sculpt your blog reading habits according to your interests. But the vastness of the blogosphere and its seeming ability to endlessly expand mean there is not enough time to explore all of its delights!

I hope this post fulfills the requirements of Thing #9.

Feed Me

This post is designed to cover Thing 8 of the OCL Web Challenge. I have been a fan of feeds for going on three years now. Hard to believe! I got a Bloglines account after hearing Jessamyn West of Librarian.net talk about them at the April 2005 New Jersey Library Association Conference. She planted the seeds of the web challenge idea, telling librarians to get out there and try these cool new Web 2.0 widgets.

Like many of these Web 2.0 tools, Bloglines is addictive. It's an easy way to keep track of favorite and inconsistent bloggers. I have divided my many feeds into different categories, including: News, Libraries, Books, Health & Nutrition, Hip Moms, Technology, and the Brain. Some of my favorite News feeds are: Yahoo Most Viewed, The Daily Nightly, and Slate. I also think it is a legitimate way to keep up with trends in the library profession. I think it would be great if OCL could add catalog feeds listing new acquisitions in a given subject. I would sure love to receive a feed listing newly purchased books on autism spectrum disorders, or Asperger's Syndrome. Wouldn't it be cool to be one of the first to find out about the latest cookbooks purchased by the library?

For this web challenge, I've added The Asbury Park Press news feed for Ocean County and an interesting blog on the changing job market from the New York Times called Shifting Careers . I also subscribed to the feed for my branch's events, as well as the OCL Web Challenge feed. (I already subscribe to Unshelved). Bloglines is a great tool - simple and intuitive.

What Book Is It?

This is the photo I scanned and sent via email to the OCLWebthings Challenge. Can you guess what book it is from? First to post the correct answer gets a free something that I picked up at ALA MidWinter in Philadelphia and hauled back with me on the Magic OCL Bus.
Soo..Flickr - photosharing - how to use at work? I think it would be very cool to scan and post images from old and out of print local history books online, making sure to tag the heck out of them. what a great service for people who are doing local history research! I think the Web 2.o aspects of Flickr, the way a group of people can pool their knowledge of something, could be used to maximum advantage in gathering local history information.

Photos I have Taken

This is a series of photos I took of a Banned Book Week display here at the Stafford Branch. It was Sue G's idea to wrap the books in brown paper. Eye catching!

Not That TR

I am playing with Flickr and trying to learn more about it. I wanted to share this:

The Library of Congress is posting photographs from its extensive collections on Flickr. You can see what they have posted so far here. This is so neat! I have subscribed to their photostream on Bloglines, so I can see what they add as soon as they add it. Unfortunately, postings have been spotty.

It's also interesting to read the comments that other users add. Go, LOC! This photo also has notes (I think they were added by some other Flickr user.) If you move your mouse over one of the squares on the photo, you can read more information someone has posted. (You have to do this on the Flickr page.)

This photograph is presumably Theodore Roosevelt (that TR, not Toms River) in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.

Velma Trivia

As Velma's Wikipedia article explains, Velma's last name is Dinkley. And, former "Facts of Life" star Mindy Cohn has voiced Velma in a recent incarnation of the show.

Seven and a Half Habits

After viewing the 7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners I would say the easiest habits for me are Play and Create a Learning Toolbox. I like finding and exploring fun, interactive (free) sites on the Internet. It's kind of exciting to customize a site and make it purely my own, and to discover other people out there with similar interests.

The hardest habits for me are setting goals and viewing problems as challenges. To set goals, you have to know where you want to go. I have been struggling with this issue my whole life. I envy those people who knew from a young age exactly what they wanted to do. That has never been the case with me.

Regarding problems, I would say that I get frustrated quickly for several reasons, but the primary one would be realizing that conditions beyond my control are contributing to a problem.

Eyes on the Prize

I'll admit it it. I want the prize. Dangle a free gadget before me and I'll try anything! Don't believe me? I have subscribed to the Just Free Stuff newsletter for YEARS! If it's free I'll take it! So MPOW wants to give me something free for learning more about Web 2.0? I'm all there, baby! Bring on the free!