Week 6 : EnCompassCulture - the global bookclub

I love this site which is produced by the British Council Arts Group, to provide a worldwide reading group which has full details of over 10,000 books for all age ranges.
FIVE WAYS TO SEARCH AND BROWSE:
"You can make your own booklist, check out our bibliographies and ready-made booklists, browse in the author index, use the quick search box, or take recommendations from other readers and the Online Reader in Residence".
There is a really good selection of Author Interviews including one with Award-winning crime writer Val McDermid in which she responded to questions mailed in by EnCompass users.
I really like this title: 'Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs : She Thinks I'm a Piano-Player in a Whorehouse' by Paul Carter, which I found under the Humorous Travels sub-category. I like this way of searching. I will definitely use EnCompassCulture again & recommend it to patrons as it has many useful features. Check out the following:
Book of the Month
Author interviews
Newsletters

Week 5 : SlideShare - online presentations

I did a search for 'libraries' and viewed 3 associated presentations which appealed to me:
TopTen Reasons Libraries are still Important which I've embeded below.
Virtual Libraries, Real Librarians. What librarians are doing in Second Life and how Australian Libraries can join in. A presentation by Kathryn Greenhill at the State Library of Victoria. Mashups for Libraries.

Top Ten Reasons Libraries Are Still Important

View more presentations from bradspry.

Week 4 : Tastespotting - a community driven visual potluck

I chose this pic & recipe (believe me a very hard choice) of Dulche de Leche Triple Chocolate Brownies (adapted from Baking Illustrated) because:
It's very chocolaty!!
It looks moist & heavy as opposed to light & fluffy (which is not for me).
Even though I'm not sure what 3/4 cup dulce de leche is- I'm sure I can find out!!
It can't be that hard to make!!
It's from the following blog where you can find the recipe:
http://treats-sf.blogspot.com/2010/08/dulce-de-leche-triple-chocolate.html
It's easy to use- just narrow your search in search box or browse at random. Yes I think I will use it again. I really enjoyed this task- I like to have a wide range of knowledge of what's available out there. What did I, personally, get out of TasteSpotting? I got a lot of enjoyment out of it. Who doesn't like food! Especially CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!

Week 3 : FeedMyInbox - RSS made simple

Through FeedMyInbox: http://www.feedmyinbox.com/ I have subscribed to:
Auckland City Libraries Scooper on libraries Posts: http://bit.ly/a2UeW6
BBC News - Europe Daily Confirmed: http://bit.ly/c6fmOD
So now rather than checking blogs and news sites every day for updates, update alerts are sent straight to my email inbox on a daily basis & paid accounts can receive emails in real-time instead of a daily digest.
It is easy to use. The instructions are short & clear. We could use this in the learn.nets and in our workrooms especially in the context of keeping abreast of what other Libraries are doing. I would use this site again for favourite websites & promote it to customers.
Auckland City Libraries Scooper on libraries Posts

Week 2 : Picapp - the best images for your blog

I've added 2 pics to my Week 2 Picapp post:
the first is a cityscape of Bath in Somerset, UK which I've added because I really like it & the second because I think it is really fascinating. It's the chariot found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun which was displayed at Discovery Times Square Exposition on August 3, 2010 in New York. The chariot, which most likely had been used by the boy king for hunting, is being shown in the United States for the first time and is the first time it has ever left Egypt. Yes it is easy for staff/customers to use, although I could not find how to add videos- maybe you have to register to do this, so I'll try doing this later.
It's not hard to locate pics that are are newsworthy and relevant although I wasn't searching for anything that Manukau Libraries could benefit from. I will probably use this site again & promote it to customers.

Week 1 : Box.net - online file storage

I created an account with Box.net & uploaded the one & only Stieg Larsson interview. (Thank you Tosca & Danielle). You can view it at: http://www.box.net/shared/drt677rqfu
Some of the ways in which Box.net can be used:
Contact lists; shared folders which can be updated & changed when working on projects together; storage for meeting minutes which can be accessed by staff members; PowerPoint slides for presentations or basically any info that can be shared.
I thought it was a similar concept to a PBWiki & very easy to use. It worked for me & yes I would promote it.

Last Blog Post- this time around

"It's All Good!!"
An enjoyable learning and discovery experience!!!!
Some great new tools which I know I am going to use again & some new Gadgets for my Blog!!

Week 6 : Facebook - playing nicely with others

My use of Facebook is limited due to time constraints, as I have enough trouble at home keeping up with all my emails. I did sign up during the last web 2.0 project, but had not since visited the site until recently, when I logged on to check out a relative living in London, who had uploaded her baby scan! But they had to ring us first to let us know it was on facebook! I was also able to view the numerous pics of their recent holiday in Morocco. All my 'friends' are extended family, except for one colleague, who is now a 'friend'!!
I posted a comment to the discussion topic What book are you reading - RIGHT this minute?
I'm still thinking about: What is the BEST book you ever read and WHY? There are many!
I did a search for The University of Queensland Library on Facebook & their Updates include News & Events such as Opening Hours; Public Holiday closing; advertising a new learning space named: 'The Hive' a space for thinking and working collaboratively; an online exhibition: 'Palaeoart and the dinosaur trail at St Lucia'; announcing the recipient of the Fryer Library Award & Special Events such as visiting Writers; etc.
What can Facebook do for us as a public library? What would our customers get out of a Facebook page? What can Facebook do for you individually?
I couldn't help comparing Facebook to our Library Website. Isn't the latter providing a lot of what Manukau Library provides on Facebook? Some patrons might find it easier to join in a discussion or post a comment on a Facebook Library page than on a website, if they were more familiar with it. Latest thoughts , Top 5s on our Library Website, in fact everything under the Reading & Reviews tab, compares favourably with what Facebook offers.
I like the idea of everything in one place for convenience, rather than having to log on to a lot of different sites.
Quite a few of our customers already use Facebook. It seems to fill a need with a lot of people & yes I would promote it.

Week 5 : Music files and mp3s

Free mp3 sites:
One of the sites on the list I had a look at was very easy to use:
ItsFreeDownloads.com - This site finds the free downloads iTunes offers and lists them on a weekly basis.
It offers a free trial of 25 free downloads from eMusic which is iTunes 'cheaper, cooler cousin'
Following categories:
INDIE ROCK, CLASSIC ROCK, HIP-HOP/R&B, COUNTRY, JAZZ/CLASSICAL, GUILTY PLEASURES
After the free trial, songs are available for 50c (American I think) or less & there are over 7 million songs to choose from.
Free iTunes web widget:
Every week Apple puts a few free songs and some free videos on the iTunes Store. Usually these are free for just a week, sometime longer. This gadget helps you by listing all the free stuff in one place by category (music, videos, audiobooks, etc.) and giving you updates as new stuff is released.
eMusic Daily Free MP3 Download Gadget:
Every day eMusic.com has a free music MP3 available for download. This gadget shows you today's freebie and lets you download it.

Week 4 : Books and social networking- GoodReads website

How can this site be used for readers' advisory purposes? How would Customers & library staff find this site useful?
On this free social networking website for people who love books, you can see everyone's bookshelves, their reviews, and their ratings. You can also post your own reviews and catalog what you have read, are currently reading, and plan to read in the future, join an online discussion group, start a book club, contact an author, and even post your own writing.
If you click on the 'explore' tab there are other things such as trivia, quizzes, videos, quotes, events & a swap option!
Yes I would, & already have promoted http://www.goodreads.com/ to customers.
I don't see why we couldn't have these above options added to the Manukau Library Website. We already have reviews & ratings, so wouldn't it be wonderful for customers to be able to add their own bookshelves, although currently we do have the option of 'Reading History' to keep track of reading history. Through our library website we could compare our booklist to that of another Library member & find readers who have similar tastes - thereby finding more great book suggestions.
I JUST LOVE THESE WIDGETS!!!!

Week 3 : Twitter - micro-blogging at a glance

Twitter is a good way of sharing smaller everyday things that are happening & finding out what your friends are doing, by following their updates on your twitter page.
I found @Manukau_Libs, so now I am 'following' their tweetstream & I sent them a 'tweet' (message) on Twitter. I also added my Twitter page to my RSS Feeds on my sidebar, so now I can go straight to my Tweets from my Blog sidebar.
I also felt I needed a Twitter Profile Widget on my sidebar to display my Twitter updates!
Is it easy to use? Would customers find it simple? I thought the 'Twitter in Plain English' clip was a bit basic & I wanted to know more about it, so found another clip which I thought covered far more, in easy steps.
http://bit.ly/aiSZUl
Yes this would be really useful on the Website, learn.nets and in our workrooms- a good way of providing & receiving latest Library info immediately, such as the following Tweet that I read today:

"Manukau_Libs NEWS: Manukau Libraries now have a small collection of books in the Afrikaans language: http://bit.ly/d0axJt "

A great way for Manukau Libraries to promote a variety of new information to staff & patrons!
Yes I would use this site again if there was a specific purpose for doing so, & yes, I would promote this service to customers.

Week 2 : Zamzar - converting file formats

I think this is great, as I have previously converted PDF files in a complicated round about way. It really is as simple (once I found the right button to click) as selecting a file to convert, choosing a format to convert to, typing in your email address and clicking convert. It was almost instant, it converts up to 1GB in size. I converted a Word doc into a PDF file.
I did find out, though, that the file download expires after 24 hours, unless you sign up for an account to store your files for longer. So you do need to download it before then. You can sign up for a Zamzar inbox to manage your files and store up to 100 GB of your files.

I am pleased I know about this as I think it will be a useful tool for future use.
I then converted the file to JPG so I could upload it to my Blog.

Week 1: Blogger

This has already been done- I am using my old Blog, so can skip the set up and move straight on to the next post!!!!! I will be blogging about the latest Manukau Libraries Learning 2.0 project which is going to encourage us "to experiment and learn about the new and emerging technologies that are reshaping the context of information on the Internet today".
The objectives are:

To encourage exploration of Web 2.0 and new technologies by Manukau Libraries staff.
To provide staff with new tools (that are freely available on the Internet) to better support Manukau Libraries mission: To boldly go where no man has gone before.
To reward staff for taking the initiative to complete 6 self-discovery exercises.
To encourage staff to explore any and all Web 2.0 tools Manukau Libraries is currently using.

What more can be said!!!!