Made it at last!

I have finally finished the 23 Things programme! After progress that reminded me of the tortoise and the hare, I haven't actually beaten anyone to the finish line, but I have actually beaten the deadline (just!) Looking back on the project, I started it fairly optimistically and hoped to learn a lot about the various Web 2.0 technologies, even if I wasn't so sure about enjoying some of the 'Things' selected. One of my main problems was pace. I was able to keep up with the one/two Things a week quite well at first, but then as we got busier, it became unrealistic, and to be honest, I almost gave up several times. How I have managed to finish I don't know. I think that the timing of the project could have been better, perhaps if it had been done over the summer then people would not have dropped out/felt compelled to do the project in their own time at home.
Anyway, after that small criticism I would like to say that I did find it an interesting and enjoyable project, and yes, I learnt a lot. Being quite technologically lazy, I have only really investigated a lot of things as and when I need them, and more especially for personal rather than professional use. Having to go through this checklist with the inevitable carrot (in the shape of an Amazon voucher!) as a reward made me really think about things that I had heard of but not really 'played around' with, and while I think that I will not be using some things again (like Flickr) I have enjoyed exploring them and seeing them from a work-related perspective. It has been brilliant to see how libraries are using Facebook, Twitter etc to enhance their reader relationships and I can see the promise in harnessing the power of Web 2.0 to promote the services that we have to offer.
I am definitely a convert to several 'Things', such as Delicious,iGoogle, GoogleDoc, and Google reader, as well as being confirmed in my love of Facebook. I had used quite a few of the technologies before, but whenever I was a little stumped, the instructions that were given to us by the 23 Things team were fantastic and very clear, so thank you all for that! It has opened my mind to new/untried things and I have found the project really enjoyable.
From another perspective, it has been fascinating seeing how people have handled the programme. Some people have been hilarious to read and have taken to the project in ways that quite surprised me, and I hope that some of them will keep blogging!
Well, that is my summary. Thank you to all who organised and implemented this; I have had a lot of fun and learned a lot, so now I just need to work out what to spend my voucher on...

Gadgets galore

Things 21 and 22 were very easy! In fact, they were alarmingly easy and I spent a little time panicking that I had done something wrong! I have managed (thanks to the ever-comprehensive instructions given by the lovely 23 Things people) to use my blogger gadget to display my flickr photostream. (I only used flickr because of the programme and I don't intedn to use it again, so don't be too disappointed, should you choose to view!) I also rearranged my layout to make more sense, although I haven't added anything else to it. Again, adding my delicious bookmarks to my i-Google account was very fast and easy to do. These Things were a nice and gentle way to approach the end of the programme, so just one to go...

ThinkFree

My first impressions of ThinkFree is that it is incredibly slow. Honestly, I could have made and drank several cups of tea while I was waiting for this. While I can see that this does have more functionality than Google Documents, it is not very practical in terms of speed and until this improves, I think that the Google option is by far the best. However, it does look nice and slick.

Google Documents

I haven't used Google Documents before, but several people that I have been talking to recently who are not doing the 23 Things programme have been extolling its virtues, so here we go. I found this really simple and easy to use, and was interested in the other options, such as spreadsheets etc. As we are busy here and I am pushed for time, I didn't do the additional extras on most of the Things, although someone showed me last month how easy the quizzes were to create, and this is another facility which I think is excellent. The fact that it is easy to access is great, especially if you don't have access to Word or something is great too. My only issue with this is the storage and I know that I have raised privacy/security issues before, but I am a little concerned about it being stored on a server in this way. Still, I can see myself using Google Documents a lot in the future.

Wikipedia

I have used Wikiedia before many times, although not for academic research, just idle pondering about people, things, events and places. I would certainly say that it should not be presented as an entirely accurate or reliable source, it certainly brings people and their knowledge together. In some ways, I think it is quite sweet as it lets people who are really knowledgeable (or obsessed!) with their topic have a contribution on such a widely used resource. I think that the references would make a good starting point for someone doing academic research who wanted to see what resources are out there. I found the pages about Wikipedia really interesting, especially the details about editing etc. It is something that I enjoy using, although it can get addictive, what with related things being only a click away!

Wiki

I was completely ignorant about wikis until Thing 17, so this was a steep learning curve. When I first checked out the recommended link, the first thing I noticed was the flashing message congratulating me on being the nth visitor to the site (I am so lucky; I am always 'selected' to win those prizes!) Anyway, I signed up using my Twitter account and have been looking around the site. I was really interested in the case studies section, where I was reading about lots of different types of library and the web 2.0 technology that they are utilising. I was unsure about editing, so I did some OULS spotting instead. I have to say that I haven't found anything to change yet, probably as I am lagging so far behind on this project! I can see that this is an excellent way to share information and experience, and it could obviously be used as a tool for group based projects. Aside from the annoying adverts, it was great; very simple to use and I didn't need to create another password.

Twittering on Twitter

I have successfully tweeted, but am so far behind that everyone else seems to have been and gone, so I replied to a recent post and am hoping that counts, as I did start a conversation! It didn't say that the person has to reply... Twitter was ok, although again I am not sure that it is something that I would regularly check on. When selecting things that I want to follow, it took me ages to trawl through American sites/links and I gave up quite quickly, having selected a couple of things to follow. Once I actually got started, it was great and I used the #ox23 tag as a way of finding fellow library people to tweet to as well as following their converstions about the 23 Things programme. I can see that this would be good for updating readers about revised closing times etc but the limited character space means that one message could become long and tiresome. (This said, the tweets by the History Faculty Library are clear and to the point). I remain to be convinced, but it is fun at least!

Unlink to LinkedIn

I have previously encountered this 'Thing' on Facebook when looking for people, as some links to the profiles of similarly named people appear at the bottom of the screen. I have to say that while I was quite happy to browse this facility, I didn't like the fact that I would actually have to join myself. The main thing that I hate about the internet is the amount of information that people can find out about each other, which those being searched can have little control over, despite setting every privacy setting as high as it will allow(which I have done subsequent to setting up my LinkedIn account). I can see that this would be a good way of checking people and their professional experience, despite the fact that is seems rather cold and uninviting to look at. It was, however, simple to use and I was able to find lots of people from Oxford (mostly students!) so it is useful for further networking as well. My lovely Easter weekend hostess is on there and is a fan, as we established when discussing the merits of the LinkedIn. This is much more for professional development and discussion than Facebook, and as such, probably works well as there is not a lot to distract the user. All in all, this is probably a good 'Thing' for some, but not one that I will be using.

Facebook

As this is another Thing that I use fairly regularly, this was very easy for me to use and report back on. Initially I joined Facebook to keep in contact with friends/family whom I don't get to see very often. I quickly got hooked, and then after the initial flurry of excitement generated by sending hatching eggs etc to my friends, it kind of levelled out. I am still using it but have much less time to go on there now, which some might say is a good thing!
I am also using it for educational purposes, as I am a fan of Nuffield College Library, where one of my best friends works. I think that this is a brilliant resource for libraries, as there are regular posts about new books/courses/lectures and great links to resources like JStor and WorldCat as well as Solo, Oxlip+ and e-journals. Also, unlike individual library webpages, the format of Facbook library pages is standardised so fishing around for information is not such a problem. All in all, I think that there is a lot to be said for Facebook and libraries, as long as the readers remember to become fans.

YouTube is fab!

I love YouTube! I often use it, mainly for listening to random music and also and for looking at childhood tv shows! While this has been great fun, it has not been hugely educational so I looked at YouTube Edu channel and found lots of universities listed. The variety of videos on the various pages were fascinating, and gave me a bit of an insight into what life at the various institutions would be like, as well as projects and talks that they have hosted. Now, back to some more YouTube research...

The joy of podcasts

This Thing was great! I have subscribed to the feeds of a couple of podcasts, a couple from the BBC and one from Podcast.com, on which I found an amazing series dedicated to discussing horror in film, literature, pop culture, mythology and legend. It is a little strange to be listening to podcasts in the library, even though I listen to music when I am shelving; perhaps it is the length of time of some of the podcasts, and the fact that I am actually sat at my desk, which makes me feel like a slacker! I think this is a great way to inform students about library developments/innovations, especially as they can download things to suit them, rather than having to make timed slots for courses etc. All in all, I was very impressed with this Thing!

Sweet and sour?

Having been immensely busy for most of this month, I am finally getting back to blogging. I had to take a quick tour around Delicious again to refresh my memory, and found the 23 Things blog helpful in instructing me about using the Web 2.0 directory to find libraries that I can add to my network. I have found Delicious useful in terms of looking at the bookmarks of various people and libraries as it has enabled me to find resources that I would not necessarily have found out about for months and has added to my perception of how Web 2.0 can enhance information sharing. I have not always found the site very easy to use however, and have found that despite adding people/libraries to my network, these have not always been added when I have re-checked later. Nonetheless, it is a useful tool and one that I hope to make a lot more use of.

Delicious tastes ok

Well, I have to confess that as we have been very busy lately I have neglected the 23 Things programme a little, but managed to remember after a minute or two that the last time I was active I had got around to signing up for Delicious, saving and tagging some web sites and looking at what other people have saved (as well as saving some of their offerings myself). As well as being quite simple to use, I also liked this because it is a good way of finding resources and sharing intelligence on different topics.

picnik was a picnic!

I really enjoyed this one as I got carried away with playing around with my image of the Radcliffe Camera in the snow. Red neon definitely suits it!! However, I was a little disappointed with the very small selection of free options that picnik offers, as the changes are more visually subtle, so I ended up using black and white or sepia for my photos. This is great if you have the time and are willing to pay for extra editing options, but it is not something that I would use again, although it has been interesting to try it out.

Flickr fun?

Well this week wasn't too bad, as the most difficult part was getting access to some photos that I could put up. I have to admit that I am not keen on photos and photosharing sites and it took months of nagging by my friends before I even put my wedding photos up on facebook (after much deleting and editing!) For this project, I prevailed upon our photographer in residence, and he very kindly let me upload a few of his lovely Oxford photos. Creating the account etc was fine, and I found the instructions on the 23 Things blog were excellent and easy to follow. I have since organised my photos into a set, changed the rights to one of them (although full credit should go to Simon anyway; I must look up my notes from the copyright course...) and have successfully geotagged them (although it did keep referring to them as being taken at Headington Hill, despite the fact it was clearly Radcliffe Square so I have settled for the default 'Oxford, England'). I am looking forward to being accepted to the Oxford 23 Things group so that I can have a look at the rest!

Bunnies reunited!

I was so pleased to see that Konnie Bunny has subscribed to feeds from my blog! I have been avidly following her progress since the project started and I was absolutely thrilled to have a mention on her blog, which is brilliant. I particularly love the photos and links that have been put up, and feel that in comparison, my blog must be quite dull. Maybe it is time for me to put up some bunny photos of my own...

RSS feeds and the reign of confusion!

Well, I have done my Things 5 and 6, and I have to say that I found this bit the most confusing so far, which was a shock as I was expecting it to be very simple. I started off quite well, as subscribing to the 23 Things blog was easy enough, and I was away. I then subscribed to the blogs of a couple of fellow '23 Thing-ers' and they had the orange button, so that was fine. Then I wanted to add some more sites, and the process became more complicated, as I was able to paste the url into the reader, but for some reason at first, the url wouldn't take and I wasn't subscribed. I have now managed to add 6 RSS feeds after playing around with different sites and finding various ways of subscribing, so I feel like I have learned something. I also got bored with one and found out how to unsubscribe as well, thanks to the very simple help page on Google reader! It has been a sobering week because even though I am a bit of a technophobe, I assumed that I would be mastering things like this very easily and quickly, and I have actually had to put some work and concentration into it. I think next week I will be a bit more humble!!

The usefulness of blogs

Since setting up and registering my blog, I have been busy checking out the blogs of other people, especially people that I know and work with, or have worked with in the past. It has been really interesting to see the choices that people have made for their layouts, and the things that they actually post. As well as being able to see what other people are hoping to achieve by doing 23 Things and how they are finding the programme, it has also served to help me reconnect a little with people that otherwise would not be interacting in this way because they are not keen on things like Facebook, which I often use.
I have been very excited to see that 2 people have commented on my blog so far! My aims for next week are to put up a picture and become a follower on some of the blogs that I am enjoying reading.

Compulsive clicking

The customising of my start page was fun as there were a whole range of applications to add, some useful and some quite random. The instructions were again really clear and easy to follow and in the end I got a little carried away with adding applications! It reminded me of when I first got my facebook account and I was adding pretty much anything, so I decided to restrain myself a little. The applications were good and setting the time etc was simple, although customising the weather application was bit difficult as it didn't seem to like Oxford. I think start pages are a really good idea as they enable you to have access to all of the information that you select on the same page so that you aren't constantly navigating between different sites, making information more easily accessible and saving time.

Getting started

Last week I began the 23 Things programme and set up my start page. I found the instructions really easy, although I had forgotten about the existence of my old Google account! The 'taking things further' point was good, as I had no idea what the difference was between http and https and probably would not have bothered looking if I hadn't been prompted, as I am a bit of a technophobe and don't really ponder such things. So far, so good...

My 23 Things experience so far

I am participating in the 23 Things programme because I want to gain more practical experience of using web 2.0 in my day to day life. I am hoping that I will gain a better working knowledge of web 2.0 and be able to apply this knowledge in my working life. I already know a bit about web 2.0 from various applications that I use in my personal life for social networking and from courses that I have attended, but I would like to learn more about the applications that I don't use, and see how they benefit me professionally and socially.