23 Things Week 4: Photo Sharing

I especially loved this week's "things" because I got my first smartphone this week, and since it's a huge step up for me technologically I'm very excited about learning how to get the most out of it. So I'm proud to say that the pictures I uploaded to Flicker today were taken last night on my Motorola Atrix; in order to upload them as part of my 23 Things experimentation, I emailed them to my Gmail account from my phone. This is all very new to me, and I'm absolutely loving it!

Anyway, I have been a sporadic Flickr user in the past, and now that mobile picture taking (and sharing!) is a possibility for me, I have a feeling that I will be using it much more often. I know that it's possible for me to upload directly to Flickr from my phone, so I'm going to be exploring that in the next few days.

In terms of library uses for Flickr, I think the site has a ton of potential. I especially enjoyed this week's activity involving searching for geotagged images. After looking for Carnegie Libraries in Louisville I was able to search for them in Pittsburgh, where I lived last year; I then moved on to exploring some of the images tagged with locations of other places I've lived. I can see how this would be a great way of connecting users to images of places they are interested in researching for any number of reasons. For example, "animals" is one of Flickr's 150 most popular tags. Searching geotagged images on Flickr would be a great way for kids to learn about the animals that live in various parts of the world. It would also be a neat tool for geography-related homework assignments in general.

The Flickr mashups mentioned in this week's post were a lot of fun, especially "Spell with Flickr." While I admit that I can't think of a library-related use for that particular tool, it did seem like a cute way to sign this week's post. So, until next week...

23 Things Week 3: Social Networking

I'll work backwards and answer this week's last question first ("Social networking, do you love it or hate it?"):

Love, love, love.

I know it sounds excessive, but I am endlessly fascinated with social networking. It's been a part of my life for a long time now, and I am happy every time I hear someone talk about a new way to apply it in the library context. I feel that there is a vast amount of untapped potential in terms of the uses of social networking, and I'm excited to be present for this moment in technology's history.

Wow, that really does sound excessive! Anyway, here are some thoughts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and libraries.

Twitter: I'm not bragging, but I was an extremely early adopter with regard to Twitter. I signed up to tweet in 2006 not long after the site launched, just because I happened to read a tech review somewhere that said it was the next big thing.

The problem was, circa-2006 Twitter was pretty darn boring: there was nobody on! A little map of the globe would move back and forth to indicate new posts, and it sort of listlessly hopped from one place to another every few seconds. There wasn't much going on, and back then, I couldn't see the point.

In recent years, I've come back to Twitter and found it much more rewarding, thanks to the millions of others who are currently using the tool. I can't help feeling a little disappointed when people who aren't familiar with Twitter dismiss it out of hand, because for me, it has been a window into the work and interests of fascinating people who are operating on the cutting edge of library technology. It's led me to read articles I wouldn't otherwise have discovered: when I see that someone whose work I respect has tweeted a link to a piece, I have instant access to information that it might have ordinarily taken me hours of searching or combing through blogs to find. It's also a great way to pay attention to trends as they emerge.

My mantra with regard to Twitter: "It's not just about Kim Kardashian's latest pair of shoes!" ...and it isn't. Part of the beauty of Twitter is that it can be so many different things to so many people - serious information-gathering tool, active way to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on a topic, passive means of remaining informed on a subject... there are enormous possibilities. And the enforced succinctness of the 140-character limit is, as our "23 Things" post for the week notes, a great way of making sure that users get their point across effectively.

I would recommend Twitter to researchers interested in staying informed as to current trends in a particular field; following one influential person is a window into the people that authority follows, which can lead to a wealth of additional information. Twitter can also provide users with access to information too new to yet have been published, which is especially imporatnt to those who are interested in following current events.

Library patrons might be encouraged to view Twitter as if it were a party full of people from all walks of life. Following a person's tweets is like being invited to listen to his or her conversation at a party, and following the people that person follows is like being introduced to his or her circle of colleagues or friends. When it's stripped of its Twitter-specific vocabulary, it begins to seem like a very normal, natural way of gathering information.

Facebook:

I've been a Facebook user since 2005, and when I downloaded the contents of my entire wall out of curiosity a few weeks ago it was easy to track the explosion of Facebook into the massive entity it is today. My early days on Facebook consisted of sparse back-and-forth exchanges between a handful of friends; today, I am constantly sharing content and updates, it's my primary means of contact with many of my friends and some family members, and it's one of the main ways I keep up with events in my community. I think it's telling that my high school reunion is even currently being planned via Facebook.

I appreciate the fact that this week's 23 Things post focused on Facebook and privacy settings. This is absolutely essential information for patrons, and I think that being able to advise a user as to how to protect her personal information is an important service on the part of library staff. For many users, Facebook may be the first foray into having an online presence, and being able to help users control and shape that presence is a way of empowering patrons in their use of technology.

23 Things Week 2: Google

This week I'm playing catch-up to get my progress through 23 Things up to speed. I was happy to see that Google was the topic for Week 2, and even happier that I was able to learn something new about a favorite utility.

Like many people, I use Google in some form nearly every day of my life. I use its email and chat to communicate for work and with friends and family, I use its search function nearly every time I'm beginning an exploration of a new topic or need information on a location or event, and I use its "Documents" feature so that I can access important information remotely and collaborate with others. And that's just the beginning! I could go on and on about the things I use Google for, but instead I'll talk about the things I learned this week, and conclude with some thoughts about Google's usefulness in public libraries.

Google Sites: How have I never used Google Sites before? I've created websites on my own in the past. And, since the rise of classy, free blog hosting and template options, I've relied on these when I needed to put content online. But after a brief examination, Google Sites looks like a great option for entry-level users who want a simple way to put information online. One of the neat features here is the compartmentalization of templates into categories based on how a user might want his or her site to function.

Google Uncle Sam: This is another new one on me, and I'm glad that I know about it now. There are all kinds of reasons why a patron might want to search government sites and publications, and I really, really like the idea of being able to direct users to a resource that will take them only to government-created and approved information. There's just too much misinformation on the Web that might be turned up in a typical Google search; being able to weed out unreliable information by limiting a search to government publications is a fantastic option!

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I would direct interested patrons to numerous Google resources, depending on their needs. I prefer Gmail over other available email options and would recommend it to most users; despite the fact that it may offer features that are above and beyond what an entry-level email user might need, I would still suggest it to the vast majority of patrons, especially since a Google account enables access to so much more than just email. Public library users - particularly those who regularly visit the library to work on ongoing projects - are in a position to benefit from Google Documents' storage capabilities, since the need to carry (and remember!) a disc or flash drive when visiting the library is eliminated. And Google Books (which has helped me immensely in my own research) has a huge range of potential applications for library users, particularly since it might allow users to locate books using terms not covered in the library's cataloging.

As with any resource, the usefulness of each of Google's services varies depending on an individual user's needs. But Google offers several excellent starting points, whether a user is looking to be more productive or organized, communicate more easily or effectively, locate appropriate information, or pursue recreational interests. I'm not trying to sound like an advertisment for Google's services, but the company's products form such an important part of today's online universe that I can't help feeling as if understanding and being able to utilize them is a key part (and useful indicator) of an individual's internet literacy.