23 things wrap up

Well, I finally finished, Yippee!

I know I will continue to use LibraryThing, wikis, and the downloadable audio books. I also think the online word processing is great. I don't share others' enthusiasm for YouTube, Flickr, avatars, etc. because I tend to use computers for work only; I'm not one who ever "plays" in front of a screen - I've never even played online card games or any other kind of game on a computer, for example.

I'm glad I had to do this (well, I guess I didn't actually HAVE to, but I felt like I should), because many of these 23 things I woudn't have learned about on my own, or at least not as soon, and these are definitely things I should be familiar with. I did get a little frustrated initially, but it seemed to get easier as I went along, probably because I was becoming more familiar with the process. So, while some days I might have cursed you (silently!), thank you Irmgarde and Maurice for putting this training together. I did learn a lot.

downloadable audiobooks

As much as I listen to books on tape, I know I should have explored this option long before now, but now that I have, I'm going to be hooked. I especially liked Project Gutenberg because I love the idea of preserving classic literature on this format. I even read over the requirements for becoming a volunteer proofreader, and I just might do it.

podcasts

I was most interested in seeing how libraries are using podcasts. I listened to a poetry slam, since a few of the libraries in our system are having one. I also started to listen to a book talk which I liked a lot. I also plan to use this to catch up on some news shows like "Meet the Press", which I used to have time to watch religiously, and now never get to. I liked this a lot better than Youtube because I can just turn this and listen while I go about my business, rather than having to sit in front of my computer screen, which I never do when I don't have to!

You tube

The only videos I was interested in seeing were dressage videos (of course). After I'd watched a bunch of them, I honestly couldn't think of anything else I was even remotely curious to see. I'm sure this is very useful for people buying or selling things (e.g. a house or a horse), as this gives you the opportunity to see the thing you want to buy without having to actually get out of your chair. It's not anything that I think I'd actually use for any other purpose, buy, hey, people love it.

Zillow.com - great for BRAC

I browsed the 2.0 awards list andI decided to look at a real estate site called "Zillow" because I used to work for a real estate magazine and out of habit, I still follow the real estate market. WOW - this is far, far superior to any other real estate site I've ever looked at. Homes.com and Realtor.com can't come close. This lists "For Sale by Owner" properties in addition to the ones listed by realtors, it offers aerial views, it is extremely current (unlike the others which never seem to get updated frequently enough), it has a "zestimate" feature which acts as an unofficial appraisal (when the "zestimate" is way out of whack with the selling price, it's kind of a red flag), and it's very interactive - you can leave comments/questions, etc. It offers general helpful information about the local and national real estate markets, too. It has other great features, too, which I won't go on and on about, but suffice it to say, I'm going to suggest this to patrons who ask me about the real estate market in Harford County, like BRAC people, for example.

Online Productivity Tools

I definitely see the value in this, especially for library patrons, and I can see how it might eventually replace Microsoft Office altogether. I created my account, typed a short document, and learned how to save it, import it, share it with others, and export stuff.

added my entry to Learning 2.0 sandbox

Okay, did that...moving right along.

wikis

I think wikis are really handy for providing quick information for someone like me, who may just need a simple fact. The idea of using it for collaborative research that people can keep adding to is great. But it seems to me that potential for disaster is great, too. What if someone changes something critical? I just read an article about the one of the European royal families changing facts and falsifying information about themselves in a wiki.