Final task but not the last blog!

Hi again
This is the last blog entry I can manage before the show closes. I have missed a few entries so I will summarise my answers.

Top List of Web 2.0
The top list of Web2.0 is varied and rather intense once you are in it. I liked the form builder function which I will be using for my website (but with a coffeecup plug in) and I had a bit of a hit with the Arcaplay panda golf game which is suitable for the Friday late shift. Thanks for list - I will return to it at a later date to explore a bit more.

Learning 2.0
Has been a wonderful journey and an opportunity for me, which I appreciate (it really helped with my studies). I like self paced learning as I enjoy the motivation, however there was limited time to complete the tasks at work because I am a part timer.
I will continue blogging and will set one up for my family to use as we have many relatives and friends over seas. I originally spent hours using Front page to set up a website for this purpose but flagged it as it is too hard (don't even mention graphics.) I love the ease of use, the multimedia extensions, and the template options which can change without any dramas of losing your text, links or graphics.

23 Things has revealed how staff can work together to accept new technological challenges and in the process developed a sense of team spirit. There was definitely something new to talk about and I looked forward to blogging and reading/writing comments. I can see the possibility of the workplace becoming an active learning organisation (wonderful to work in!) so that technological changes will be received in a positive way.

The Blog concept will take off with ECU students and staff which is why it is so important for library staff to have a working understanding of web 2.0. I hope that it will become a professional part of the information service and become a featured link on webpages and blogs world wide. RSS feeds are applicable to so many elements of an information service. I think social tagging is a good concept if it is used with the right web resources (resource tagging perhaps and lose the social side!).
Second Life is not to far away but requires more technical management and resources from IT with firewalls, bandwidth etc. Flickr badges and podcasts are a good multimedia extension of blogs - easy to create and manage and don't require purchase of plug-ins.
All the best with the project - Cheers PurpleNixieGirl

Close Encounters of the Video Kind

Hi There

This posting is about my exploration into web video - finding video sites, and using their clever portal function for searching, wading through lists of possibilities and then finding a good one, only to have it slip away as there was no embedding code to use.
The title is 'The Itinerant Poetry Librarian: a Worldwide Whirlwind Tour' an interesting concept in travelling performance art that sets up a poetry information service in public spaces and libraries around the world. The web link is http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=1118075388 but you will have to visit as there is no embed code.
My searching was not really an enjoyable experience - especially on my home pc which has its download limit maxed out because of online study. Visual media takes longer to decide on, unlike music which takes the trained ear about 8 bars to work out whether it is suitable (except for some jazz genres that are so melodic but lose you in the war of the soloist/s)
My selected item, by Aaron Koblin, is a nice blend of the visual, with artistic nuances, some musical atmosphere and as it is based on data computations I think it is most suitable viewing.Enjoy!
PS If it does not load please view the clip at http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=1461977

Podcasts

Hi There
I have just had a wonderful few hours exploring pod casts and have uncovered some interesting sites and a way to link to pod casts. I have tried to focus on the full video and sound rather than audio only. During my web surf session I uncovered http://www.podcast411.com/ which had a nice tutorial designed for those that suffer from Flashing 12 syndrome (i.e. those that still have their VRCs and DVD players set to a flashing 12:00). After a bit of a laugh, look and a search I decided to locate a podcast site close to my heart - cooking - and found a lovely cooking school based in Perth that has wonderful quick recipes and a special on local truffles. If only we had virtual olfactory senses as well as sound and video! The thing I like about pod casts is that you can rss subscribe and get exactly what you want without and ads, spam etc. I also found a great library www.lib.gla.uk/podcasts that were designing pod casts for subject specific areas and on request by academics and post graduate students. A good application of a relatively new and cheap multimedia format. Cheers PurpleNixieGirl.

Wikiwikiwik!

Hi There
Wikis are fantastic and I could find myself becoming totally absorbed in where they take you and the information that is presented. It is hard to imagine that a web tool that has such a great and intuitive GUI could contain information that could be bias or inaccurate. I made the most of the references that were supplied with this exercise and spent some time looking at the comparative charts of wiki software, their developer details, operating platforms, cost and splendid names. I particularly liked the names 'wackowiki' and 'tikiwiki' - great to see a cool (rather than nerd) sense of humour from software developers. Perhaps I should have chosen the wiki option for my lastest assignment rather than the world of blogs.
Have a great week - PurpleNixieGirl

A Frustrating Week Four

Hi Again
This exercise, along with the intro RSS task has given me a good understanding of linking to RSS and the applications that it has for Library 2.0 technologies. As usual, I have tried to push it a bit further along and in my quest have come up against bit of a dead end. Adding the EBSCO link to Bloglines was straight forward, so how about exporting all my RSS feeds, including the EBSCO feed from Bloglines into my blog. Bloglines does have and export function so I selected it and there was a well presented list of RSS links with associated html code. Easy - I'll just include this into my blog using the Add Elements function and insert html code.
I inserted the code using the Add Elements function but it did not work - perhaps I need to change the code but I only have a limited understanding of html having worked with it with a GUI rather than raw code.
The next attempts have generated a bit of frustration as the 'add elements' option with that wonderful menu of what you can include in your blog page has gone! Disappeared! I'll keep looking for it and hope that I can find it soon. Cheers PurpleNixieGirl

But wait there is more....

Hi Again
This week I have had a few interesting blog experiences that have provided a bit more insight into how blogs can be customised. The first task was a live RSS feed which is done through the 'add page element' function in the settings area. Selecting the page element option revealed exactly how people can include graphics, text, clips and feeds etc into their blog. I have included an RSS feed of photos of the day and a list of web references that are of interest to me.
The second task was to assist a fellow blogger who could not locate the 'add a page' element on their blog template. Using the blog online help I was able to locate the html code setting and changed it from Yes to Np which seemed to do the trick. As for how the 'add page element' function disappeared from the blog template - who knows???
And coming around the corner was my last learning task of changing colours of the blog template and the look and feel of other pre-defined templates against my existing blog. I still have not made my mind up but I may change my look and feel during the week. Thank you for the comments - much appreciated.
Take care and enjoy! Purplenixiegirl.

The Learning!

Hi Again

It has been a week of a steep learning! This weeks buzz word is RSS - Really simple syndication. I worked out what it means and have done plenty of reading, but what does an RSS look like, what does it do and why should I use one? I must admit that I thought it was a communications system similar to IM (instant messaging) but it is much more!


Following the RSS tutorial helped the penny drop and I had that 'eureka' moment. RSS is much more - the ability to subscribe to websites, blogs etc of any particular subject or topic and then have instant access and display of the top posts for the day. How cool! I can keep upto date with the latest info, news, events and discussions that occur on a global level for free and from my home or work pc. The next part is a bit tricky - which RSS links to choose, what information do I want to access, is the information relevant and accurate in content and the steps I need to do to link the RSS list onto this blog.

The second part of my learning has been through helping another blogger inserting graphics into a blog. It is so easy and I only wish that frontpage had the same format (which is why I use coffee cup for my web pages www.violablue.com.au!) I'll include some happy snaps at a later date but thought to display two types of Nixies (just in case you were wondering what one is!) Nixie Clock developed in 1952 ("Numeric Indicator eXperimental No. 1" - very retro and coming back into fashion) . Have a great day and enjoy - Purplenixiegirl