The End of All! Thing 23

Wow. The end has come. It seems like it was only yesterday that Sam and I took up the ring and... wait....nevermind. Indeed, the journey has been long and hard and at times very very frustrating. However, my knowledge has grown and with it my ability to help all the masses... aka library patrons. I'm super glad that I was a part of this, and super excited by the sheer amount of information I learned. I thought I was pretty well versed in all this 2.0 stuff, but I was truly suprised! There is so much out there and with more coming out it is great to feel on the 'edge.' To all those who are still toiling, good luck and go crazy! It's worth it!

Keep on Moving! Thing 22

As a person that knows some things about technology, I am dedicated to being a part of the Library 2.0 craze. It is all about staying aware and keeping an eye on what I've learned and what else is out there. I plan to continue blogging, and keeping an eye on the multiple 2.0 sites that I've seen throughout my time doing the 'Stick.' If I stay aware, there is no way that anything can pass me by!

Deep Space- Thing 21

Hmmmmm... life beyond Facebook? Is that even possible!? J/K. I did some looking around, and Gather seems like it could be way fun. As I get older I can see myself looking for a site that caters to individuals my own age. Not only that, but it allows you to really talk in depth with other people about the things you love! (AKA books) Who wouldn't want to hang out on the site? It seems like a way for people to have a book club who may otherwise not have the opportunity. So, I applaud them and their awesomeness!

Face Off- Thing 20

I have had both a MySpace page and a Facebook page for a long long time. I don't use MySpace very often, but am completely addicted to Facebook. It's easy to use and a great way to keep in touch with friends. When I was in college, Facebook as THE way to get into touch with someone. More than any other social network, Facebook is the wave of the 'future' in my opinion.

I'm totally a member of many groups on Facebook. Some of them are silly, some serious, but all help to reflect the person I am. These groups give me the opportunity to connect with other people that share my interests. (I even have a friend who's now dating someone she met in one of her groups!) It's a win win situation for all those involved!

The Pod People- Thing 19

I have been listening to podcasts for over a year now. I enjoy them a lot, they're a great place to listen to other poeple take about the things you love! Usually I find podcasts on iTunes, but the sites that were listed were really easy to use. Podcast.com was especially easy. Just plug in what you want- and BAM!!!! podcasts galore! Most of the podcasts I listen to involve Harry Potter. I'm a HUGE Harry Potter fan, and these podcasts talk about everything from the movies, to the books, to JK Rowling news!

How to spend 10 hours a day on a computer- Thing 18

I'm not going to lie. I love YouTube! I have known about it for a long time, and although I don't usually 'browse,' I have seen tons of stuff on there. I chose this video because Twilight is one of my FAVORITE books, and I am SOOOOOO pumped for the movie!!!! I'd be a bit careful about using YouTube for library purposes, it's easy to see that anything and everything can be found there. Patrons may stumble across something they deem inappropriate and then ask us why we endorse such a thing. However, I can see that it would be beneficial for library staff. We could share videos (perhaps some of the many that I have seen during my 23 Things experience?), advice, and tons of other stuff.

E to the LM- Thing 17

Hmmmmm.... Well, as a Library Assistant I don't use these databases when helping patrons. Like other Assistants, if a situation occurs when a database needs to be accessed, I 'pass it along' to an Associate. (And the Associate, sobbing in gratitude, continues on) However, I use them for myself. It's a good way to see what's out there if I'm going to be stopping at a library farther away and am looking for a book- or if I'm considering ILL and want to know if such a thing may be possible. I used this opportunity to do some more 'snooping' and 'exploring' on what exactly is possible on these databases. So, although I don't use them to help our patrons, I know that they are truly a tool that are patrons benefit from!

The thing I wish I'd known about in college- Thing 16

Wow. Browsing through the awesomeness that is this thing led me to a note of college longing. If only I were still in college I could REALLY use these awesome tools! I was a total procrastinator in college, or at least, I never felt 'on schedule.' These assignment 'calculators' not only would keep me on track, but would help me not freak out and worry that I was behind or that I was forgetting something important. Many individuals that I know would jump at a chance to use these tools, but they are just as unaware as I was!

It would be such a great tool for both students and teachers, I can't see myself NOT recommending it to someone in need of assistance. Not only does it provide an outline, it has numerous links that go into detail on each step! With this tool I can help those who are unfamiliar with basic parts that go into a project/paper/etc... More importantly, these tools allow people to help themselves! As a person that used to tutor, it was really frustrating to help people that didn't even know where to start. They would look at me as if I knew all the answers, and it was hard to tell them that I couldn't 'make everything all better.' With these tools, I don't catch fish for them, I really teach them how to haul in the fish by the armload. And the smell of fish has never been so sweet.

1/3 Life- Thing 15

There are tons and tons of online virtual games. I'd heard of Second Life in passing, but didn't really know all that much about it. There are soooo many online games that they all tend to jumble in my head. And to be honest, the more I found out about Second Life the more scared I got. It seems to me that these sorts of sites can slowly take over a person's life and render them socially awkward. (Or, in many of their cases, MORE socially awkward) I'm not saying that it looks terrible, it doesn't. However, it does pretty much sound like a simulation of the real world (with flying). In that case, doesn't it make more sense to simply LIVE your own life? I'm trying to look at it objectively, but at least in most online games there is a point/storyline/something. Second Life not only seems like a waste of time, it seems to be encouraging the exact opposite of what people should be doing. LIVING. A poor replacement isn't in my opinion 'fun,' its freaky weird.

Booking it up! -Thing 14

Well, setting up an account was incredibly easy and it was tons of fun browsing through all the books. Some of the books I chose were very popular. (Who doesn't love Harry Potter?) Others were a bit more obscure (Caught Stealing, an awesome book full of intrigue and broken kneecaps), but it was way interesting to see how many other people were interested in what I was. I enjoyed paging through the reviews, but I don't know how applicable this is for the library. It may be fun to encourage patrons to join up and explore, perhaps even have a class on it, but I'm not certain that it is easily applicable. Perhaps librarians could use it to help answer patrons questions. How popular is the book? Where else can I find reviews on it? Hmmm... this may require more consideration.

But, while I'm considering- Feel free to glance at my 'shelves.'
Miss Sticky's Library

The Homepage Makeover- Thing 13

My roommate is an individual that LOVES her homepage. She has it set perfectly to her preferences, and spends at least some time on it everyday. There she manages a calendar, creates lists, checks whats going to be on television that night, and sends herself reminders for all sorts of things.

My own homepage (MyYahoo!) has never gotten much time from me. I'd occasionally set it for this or that, but in the end it usually ended up neglected and ridiculously outdated. So, for this Thing I went ahead and tried to really get to know my page. I don't think I'll ever be good at the whole 'calendar' thing. My life tends to be unorganized to a certain point, and now that I'm out of school- I see no reason to force myself to write down the few appointments I have or the work schedule that rarely changes. It was actually a lot of fun to set a background, and go through all the different modules that I could add. In fact, I think I'll actually set it as my 'homepage' on my personal computer. Once I really took the time to spiffy it up, it had a lot of things on it that I'd like to see daily. Sort of like that room you have in your basement that is old, grungy, and no one wants to use. Once it gets a good cleaning, a new coat of paint, and some decoration- it's the hippest place in the house!

So too has MyYahoo! page become something that makes me grin! At home or even at the workplace I could see myself using it to get a quick look at something important (the weather or what movies are showing at the local theater). Do I think that it will become the most indispensable thing I use online, probably not. However, will I use it more often now that I know more about it? Heck yes!

Digging my way into a hole- (Thing 12)

Hmmmm... I would never call myself a 'news' person. Do I watch it if it's on? Well, until they give the weather forecast. Or if they're making something delicious or talking about spring fashions I'll tune in. To be honest, news tends to be a bit repetitive and dull to me. You can only watch them report on the same things OVER and OVER again for so long.

However, what I really like about Digg and other social media sites is that they have a HUGE variety of articles, and a lot of them are ones that aren't seen on other sites. They're the most popular, the oddest, the ones that more reputable sites may simply 'pass' over. When looking at them, I was struck by the massive variety of subjects that were covered. Everything from the humorous to the serious was a click away. Because of the variety, I could see myself glancing at it from time to time for a look at what is going on in the world. Not only that, but because a person can recommend/share/etc an article, the reader has an idea of how many other people have read it and found it helpful. I also LOVE the idea that if I read an article and love it, I can post it to Facebook for my friends to see.

I'm not sure how helpful a site like this would be for a library. While they are entertaining, I for one ran across a few articles that seemed a bit 'R' rated. While for me, I simply blushed and clicked back (Miss Sticky, what are you looking at!), the adult nature makes it less than friendly for a library environment. We cannot police what goes onto these sorts of sites, and if we endorse them openly, there is a chance that children could run across inappropriate articles. So, while I personally think these sites are a fun and fascinating look at internet/news/pop culture, I am less than eager to recommend its use in a professional environment.