Thing 5: Podcasts & Video Sharing

on Michael Ian Black reading from his new book, Chicken Cheeks:
Chicken Cheeks is a new children's picture book. It's cute, and we actually own it (it's checked out right now). It is, however, by Michael Ian Black, who is one comedian/actor I would not have expected to write kid's books. As you can see in the clip from CBS, MIB (oh, he has fun initials!) has a strange sense of humor usually directed towards adults. Though I suppose a bit of strange or crazy can make adults good at working with/for kids. ;-)

on surprises:
I've definitely used YouTube before, and I've subscribed to podcasts through iTunes, so this wasn't too new. I guess I was surprised by how much is out there, especially other sites, because I hadn't heard of (or looked for) them.

on library use:
I think that posting book reviews or other information online in a video/vodcast would be great! This is something that's already started, but I could see it growing and succeeding here.
I also think that patrons might enjoy getting to record or post their own reviews too. The kids would get a kick out of that (ooh, program idea!). What if we tried setting up a camera/computer on the floor or in a group study room for a day or some time period (supervised, of course) and let patrons create their own short video for our website? It would require lots of publicity so that people would know what/how to do it, but it would be for all age levels. Something to think about...

Thing 4: Flickr

on activity 1/2:
I had previously used flickr to upload photos from my semester in Spain to an ND group account, but I can't find it anymore. I was able to find "fotos" of me in Toledo, Spain on someone else's flickr account by searching for my Spain nickname. I don't particularly want to upload pics of myself to the blog, so I found some of Toledo. This photo is of Toledo with el Alcázar the big building at the top. The arched arcade at the center of the pic is La Fundación Ortega y Gasset, where I had class. Looking for other photos of Toledo, I found this gorgeous one of the main plaza, Zocodover.

on personal photos:
Well, as I mentioned above, the ND kids abroad together in Toledo set up a site to share photos with each other and with family and friends back home. That's one option. It's also useful for families or friends to keep in touch/updated on each other by posting photos when they live far away.

on libraries and flickr:
I suppose libraries can use Flickr and photo-sharing sites to promote their activities and try to entice people to join in the fun, but I worry about putting photos on the internet without significant privacy settings. The library's goal of putting photos up for publicity would not work if it were a private site. Some people are much more open with sharing photos, so it's basically just a personal preference. However, when we take photos at programs and of patrons, do they have any idea those photos could end up on a public photo-sharing site? It wouldn't have occurred to me. If we did try to "exploit" the site, we would of course need to get everyone's permission, or limit the people in the photos to staff, etc.

Woot!

In Thing 2: RSS Feeds, I mentioned that Woot was a cool site. I knew they had deals for their daily product, but I never knew just how good their deals were or how much money they could save you. Today's Dirt Devil Kurv Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is being sold for $19.99. I checked the Dirt Devil site and it retails for $49.99. That's $30 off!

Now, I have the sudden urge to purchase a handheld vacuum. But I don't need one! Someone else should buy one just to take advantage of this deal. Please?

Thing 3: Social Networks

on Facebook/LinkedIn:
Since I haven't really used Facebook in almost 2 years, the new features confuse me somewhat. There's so much advertizing on the site and outside apps that Facebook isn't as stream-lined or easy to read as I remember/was used to.
LinkedIn looks like an easy to use site, if I were seriously in need of job networking beyond my current coworkers and friends. Since I'm not actually looking for other jobs, I don't want to be misleading in creating "links" and so haven't explored too much.

on social networks' popularity:
I think that social networks are so popular for some people because it's an easy and fast way to keep in touch with people you've met. I won't even say with friends because people become "friends", at least on facebook, within hours of meeting, or without ever meeting and just knowing the same people. (My little sister friended random people who were in the same clubs as me - just because.) Social networks take very little effort, but provide hours of distraction, especially if you have a lot of friends' profiles to look at, etc. They can also be helpful for connecting people with similar interests or needs, similar to some blogs/blog groups.

on surprises:
I didn't do anything surprising. This is probably because, out of all the Things, social networks (Facebook) were what I had the most experience with and knew best.

on Library use:
I think social networks could become a great way to advertize programs and events for the library. However, this would require our target audience to be online and connected on the site we use/ or with us. I know that, at least in college, where everyone is on a social network like Facebook, many gatherings, events, and parties are only advertized through the website. Perhaps social networks would be most helpful for our teens, and as a potential secondary resource for the rest of our patrons.