Challenge # 19--WEB 2.0 WINNERS

It doesn't seem possible that this challenge is asking us to review a few of the tools that we've learned about, and to realize just how many more are available. To think that what was so new to many of us just a few short weeks ago has been around for quite some time--and actually been given awards! I'm glad to finally be catching up with the rest of the world. . .Getting back to this challenge, I've explored a number of the winners and found that I liked PANDORA.COM . This music site offers the opportunity to select personal music choices and continues to find songs and/or artists that are similar in style. I've added this site to MY LINKS.

Challenge # 18--WEB-BASED APPLICATIONS

ZOHO WRITER EXPERIENCE
Using this online WEB application has been one of the easiest exercises so far. And had I only known about this, I wouldn't have worried about changing software from WordPerfect to Word, etc., etc. This word processor appears to have every feature that is available on Microsoft Word, and the best part about it is that it is FREE! I was able to type this paragraph in Zoho Writer, and export it to my blog--cool. I could make changes to the document from Zoho or from the blog, but Zoho editor offered way more features.
Creating a free account in Zoho was very simple, and I plan to try out the various other Web-based productivity apps that were listed in this challenge. I have already added one of the web-based free calendars to my PB WIKI--"30 boxes"--and have had fun with the various features that it offers.

Challenge # 17--PLAYING AROUND WITH PBWIKI

Wheh! This wasn't as easy as I've been led to believe. I managed to add my blog to the Favorite Blogs page, but it took several attempts. I did create a PBWIKI, but I've got to go back to see if it is really still there--more later.
The PBWIKI thrives! I have a wiki and a login so I can actually find it again. In keeping with the theme of this blog, it can be found at Bellpuppy.pbwiki.com.

Challenge # 16--SO WHAT'S IN A WIKI

I found information on WIKIs to be interesting as well as full of pros and cons. If I understand correctly that in many cases, anyone can contribute and edit--or even delete a page altogether--then I don't think that public wikis would be valuable for research purposes. They would of course, serve to bring up various points-of-view. I think that within a given group, using a wiki designed for collaborative work is a great idea--saves on using e-mail that members then must save anyway. There is also the fact that every document posted to a wiki doesn't have to be open to editing. Internally, I think that a programming wiki for librarians would be a great thing to get started--lots of creative ideas, discussion, and sharing of links would be very helpful. A public "Community" wiki would also be a great idea for a library to maintain--a place in cyberspace for our patrons to visit to learn and contribute to what's happening in the library and in the Mahoning Valley.

Challenge # 15--LIBRARY 2.0 & WEB 2.0

Reading the 5 perspectives of this OCLC Next Space newsletter came at the perfect point in this set of Learning 2.0 challenges. I have learned so much already, and can see the value of what we are doing throughout these exercises. They seem to me to be designed to stretch our minds around new concepts, to allow us to conceive of the future and of what place libraries will have there. Using baby steps to veer our mindset away from various "icebergs" and into the world of the Librarian 2.0 won't be easy, but participating in this project is certainly challenging and informative. It makes me want to embrace the "Library 2.0" concept, but more importantly, it makes me realized just how advanced our own Library system already is. We are fortunate to have a leader who is a confident trendspotter that involves his staff and his community in planning for the future, insuring that we won't be left behind. If we choose to protest the technological changes that are being implemented, we are simply choosing extinction.

Challenge # 14--TECHNORATI

Technorati seems to be the sight to "google" the world of blogs. After taking the Technorati Tour, I created an account, and claimed my one and only blog. I don't honestly expect to continue to use this site on a regular basis but that may change as I learn more about it. I did a keyword search using the same terms under Blog Posts (66 results), Tags (88 results), and Blog Directories (0 results), so I can see that it does search in 3 different ways. Doing a keyword search for "Learning 2.0" in the Advanced Search mode produced similar reseults: 4,299 posts, 3,734 tags (27,585 if italics are not used), and 520 blogs.

Challenge # 13 Tagging and Del.icio.us

Tagging was a concept that I was already familiar with from Flickr and LibraryThing, but it was a challenge to figure out what Del.icio.us was all about! Once I got through the podcast (twice), and the Otter Group tutorial, I jumped in. It was much easier than it seemed, and I was able to create and save all of my "Favorites" that I had bookmarked on my computer. Creating BUNDLES of similar sites was neat, and I can see that I will be using Del.icio.us for all of my favorites from now on.

Challenge # 12-- ROLLYO

This was easy to set up, and will be helpful to me as I pursue my interest in genealogy and family history. I was able to create a Search Roll of my own as well as browse through some others that were of interest to me. I really liked it! Adding Links for Rollyo and Library Thing wasn't difficult, but the links weren't visible on my blog. Working on this...

Challenge # 11--LIBRARY THING

I took a look at Library Thing yesterday, and created my own account--very easy. I did a search for some genealogy material and found a number of titles that I'm interested in.

Challenge # 10--IMAGE GENERATORS

Play around with Image Generators--sounds like fun.
Let's see if I can create something here.

Wow! I see Christmas card possibilites here... and more.