Thing 15: Twitter

I have to admit being pretty excited to complete this assignment...and NO it is not because it is the last one!! I've heard so much on the news about "Twittering" and "Tweeting" that it actually peaked my interest. Seems like a fun thing to do, but I personally won't be "Tweetin'" much...as per my previous post, typing fast can be a challenge for me, so typing into my miniature cell phone does not appeal to me whatsoever. Actually Facebook does essentially the same thing with big keyboard keys:) Facebook recently changed their layout and some features to make it more competitive with Twitter (or so I heard.) So I will just stick to updating my friends about my life through Facebook. I don't want them to miss out on any exciting events in my life, such as when I am about to eat dinner or especially when I am enjoying my morning coffee:)

Thing 14: Instant Messaging

This assignment was pretty easy to complete. I set up my account and IM-ed Noel who instantly got back to me the next day:) (She wasn't here at that time so we were not able to get the "true" IM experience.) I do occassionally IM friends while on Facebook, but cannot ever type as fast as I would like to keep the conversation going...so 9 times out of 10 I will IM my friend that I am going to call instead! I do think it is a great feature to have and will probably be using it more and more as my wpm improves:)

Thing 13 Librarything

Librarything actually ended up being quite interesting. After I submitted my four books, I liked the way it showed me simliar books that might be of interest to me. I interlibrary-loaned one of them on personality types in children that I'd never heard of before. This is a topic of interest to me, so I will be excited to read the book Nurture by Nature. I can see me using this "thing" more for getting suggested reading, rather than as a personal cataloging system.

Thing 12 Social Bookmarking

I found social bookmarking to be a very useful tool. I have my own personal list of Favorites on my own computer (as well as a more youth services oriented list here at the library), but I can definately see a benefit to social bookmarking. The fact that it can be accessed from any computer is a plus, but I also like the more "social" side to it. I found some great science web sites that I will hopefully use for my Make It Work program here at the library. Therefore I think this is a great "Thing."

Thing 11

Tagging is fun and I'll have to admit I didn't know "anyone" can add a tag!! (I guess I always just thought there is a "tagging master" whose only job is to come up with fun and interesting tags.) I use the tagging part of Encore a lot when searching books for patrons. I've also seen tags at many other sites and always find them useful. I personally haven't done any of my own tagging until today. I looked up one of my favorite J / YA Fiction books by Jerry Spinelli called Stargirl. I noticed there were subject headings to search under, but no tags. I added peer pressure (which wasn't one of the given subject headings) because I think this would be a great book to read to a class or in a book discussion group in order to spark a meaningful conversation on peer pressure. The girl (Stargirl) in the book is eccentric and different, but by the end of the book you actually wished you "knew" a Stargirl.

Thing 10

Sorry about being a little behind on this one....We've been BUSY in YS! I LOVE Flickr and am still trying to figure out why they forgot the "e" at the end of the word:) I loved the pictures that have been posted by the library (thanks Bridget) and especially like the ones from Make It Work and Book Trek since I never get a chance to take my own picts of these programs. I have a digital camera, but am not great about posting my photos yet. Hopefully this will give me the motivation I need to plunge myself forward into the 21st century!!

Thing 9: Youtube

This was another simple one for me. My family and I have posted several videos on Youtube to be shared with family members out of state. Most are silly skits or jokes, but it keeps us entertained for hours!! I've even posted videos of Jovani's school holiday musical onto my Facebook via Youtube. It's actually quite easy!

Thing 8: Social Networking Sites

This "thingie" was an easy one for me because I had already recently set up a Facebook account for myself. I'm not gonna lie to you...I am a secret addict:) It's amazing how many people from the past I've reconnected with via Facebook. I even communicate with my brothers and sisters using it. I do not have a My Space due to the fact anyone can view your page. Isn't technoloy wonderful?!

Thing 7: To Do Lists

I have to admit being pretty excited about this particular techplay assignment because I am the "list master"...really, you can even ask my husband!! We have a big family party this weekend so I was excited to see how I could use this type of technology with all my current lists I have going. First I tried "tadalist" which was okay and pretty simple to use. I personally did not like "remember the milk" because it didn't seem as user friendly as "tadalist" and I was disappointed that I was not able to send it to my phone as a text message. Lastly I tried "thingamalist" and it was great! I was able to sent my grocery list to my cell phone as a text message. I also sent a "to do" list to my husband...I'll bet he LOVES this new technology! I don't see myself using this on a regular basis, but for a big event like we have going on this weekend, it will ensure that I will NOT accidentally leave my list at home!!

Thing 5: Audio Downloads

Well, what can I say? This was one of the easier assignments we've had. I was one of the people who had to wait until more audio books were checked out, but that was okay since I was able to continue by completing Podcasts first. Since I do not own an Ipod yet, I probably would not find myself using this technology just yet...but my birthday is coming up and maybe if my husband is reading this blog...

Thing 6: Podcasts

Just finished Thing 6: Podcasts, and I am proud to say that I can officially be your "go to" person if you need to know the latest and greatest news from The Onion. I used to love reading it when I lived in the city so I am excited to get a chance to listen to it as well!!