Done

Okay, um...done now.

I've actually commented quite a bit throughout, so I'm just going to end here.

Section 8 - Folksonomies

I've actually had a delicious account for at least 2 years. I saw the usefulness immediately, because I'd had a similar account years ago that was not quite as easy to use and didn't have tagging. I used it for a club project that needed a lot of site resources to share between participating members and to be passed on to the new project leader each year.

So--done.

Section 7 - Wikis

Actually set up my first wiki a year ago to compile trip information for going to Europe. Worked pretty well, but collaboration always leads to different ways of disseminating information. Didn't seem necessary to set up a required format, though. (pbwiki)

I've also worked on the LRP wiki--don't recall who it's through. Little bit of a learning curve as to how sections were structured and the need to add links when you upload documents.

So, anyway. Done.

Section 6

This is my document

My name is Lisa

I wasn't expecting to like this exploration very much, or more accurately, to find out much that I didn't already know. As I explore, I'm finding so much, that I want to type it now before I put it in the blog.

MS Office Live - I had one of these accounts, about a decade ago, but I can't really say why. I don't see a lot of practical application for a Microsoft specific site, unless we were collaborating on documents. Come to think of it, as we move to fewer in-person meetings and explorations and ideas being worked on by committees, this could probably be a very useful thing.

I also like the thought that any of these could be used as a cheap way to backup files. There were services in the works quite a few years ago that automatically backed up all of your files, but it seems that many sites offer so much free space, that most of the times these would not be necessary. I didn't really look at options for storing other formats, so I'm not sure if both documents and photos (my two biggest items) could be backed up.

Another way this could be useful is in lieu of a common drive. I already have to transport some things back and forth from home to work, but maybe I should be doing this online the way I do for delicious bookmarks. It's unlikely that we will have to give up servers that store our common files, but for smaller systems trying to create a common drive, this is a free option that might be useful.

Google Docs - Being rather frustrated by too many usernames, it was nice to be able to just use my Google account to test this out. Of course, we've also started using it for the meeting room calendar as sort of a mini common drive like I mentioned above. As I've said in other posts, I worry about how clunky Google products can be--I don't think this is strictly a problem of not having the best browser--I've noticed this at home as well. Then again, I never upgrade until I have to.

Openoffice.org - I was expecting this to be different than what it is -- I could swear that there was a good site for converting documents that was open source, but apparently this isn't it. However, when I bought my laptop 4 years ago, I didn't bother to get a new version of Office, so I think I'm still on 2000, or something. I will definitely be exploring this for home use. I love that it's open source and therefore there are people who actually care about fixing any bugs with newer versions. This may have to be added to my very long list of winter evening projects.

Thinkfree - This one has the one function that I'd been hoping for from these online office tools - conversion. Especially since it's taking us so long to switch to the newest version of Office. I'm hoping it will also convert WordPerfect and will try it out as soon as I have a WordPerfect product to try. Oh, and lookie! 1GB of storage. Definitely a virtual backup option, methinks.

I suppose someday I'll really have to explore the collaboration options offered by these services. I've tried them out in Wikis already, so it can't be that difficult.

Zoho - And this was the biggest surprise of all, since I really didn't want to have to create another account and expected the others to be more of what I'm looking for. Apparently, getting more than you asked for really is a good thing, because the breadth of the functions/programs/offerings(?) is intriguing. The first great surprise was the option to use my Google or Yahoo accounts! I'm hoping that I'll be able to post this right to my Web 2.0 blog as well. I may eventually switch to my Yahoo account (clunkability), but so much of my online presence is already wrapped up in Google. I'm particularly excited about the older versions option. Maybe all of these sharing sites offer this, but it was definitely a life saver on the wikis, and I'm sure I'd use it here. I'll want to try out some of the other programs as well. Oh, and I think I like the tagging option. Not entirely convinced to step away from folders since that is how I organize info in my brain, but it has it's advantages.

Okay, time for a picture and then an attempt to upload.

Section 5 and counting

So, I finally completed Exploration 4, only to discover that I'd already done it and there was no good reason for not doing.

So that means I have to do 5 now, right? Actually no. As it happens, I had really started at 5, so here's a run-down.

By the time I got around to setting up a Library Thing account, no one was using Library Thing any more, so I'm on Goodreads. I go through phases on this one, but it's definitely something that I keep going back to. I follow quite a number of people and am frequently enticed by their lists, but mostly I'm just trying to create an exhaustive list of everything I have ever read. Ever...Plus keep a list of what I want to read...oh, and sometimes I write reviews.

I also signed up as a Goodreads librarian, which means that I have access to update records, particularly those related to specific titles (such as combining two records that are actually the same thing).

I have had a YouTube account for quite some time, mostly to store some favorite videos. I don't really create them myself, but I guess that I could on my digital camera. If my cat ever did anything funny, I would definitely post videos of her.

I've had a Twitter account for ages, but am not particularly interested in the aspect that many people use it for, such as following a meeting or getting the latest updates from Pratt. I primarily use it like an inter-office chat room to talk to colleagues at other branches.

I don't really use widgets, all though I guess that I'm adding widgets to my Yahoo page, and now to my iGoogle page. It allows me to view several email accounts on one page, get my facebook and twitter updates on the same page, etc. Facebook apps are essentially widgets, but I think that they are less secure, so I don't use them much. I do have an app on both my facebook and my yahoo home pages that shows my Flickr pictures. I'm trying to do the same on my iGoogle page with Picasa (Google's version of Flickr) but so far it's not showing my own account.

Incidentally, I'm still torn on Picasa over Flickr. Picasa gives unlimited albums and photo storage, but all Google versions seem to be clunkier than the Yahoo versions. iGoogle routinely crashes Explorer, but MyYahoo always works well--less flashy, but well. The Google bolg and reader seem fine so far, though.

Speaking of social network sites, I've been on Facebook for about 2 years now, I think. Goodreads is actually more of a social networking site than Library Thing and also allows unlimited storage. Library Thing cuts you off at 200. Who are these crazy people who have only read 200 books?

I've created a fan page on my Facebook site (for an old high school side project), and also have a LinkedIn account and a (private) Ning account. No MySpace. MySpace is dead, dead, dead...unless maybe if you are in a band. I'm also a fan of Ask Us Now and the Carroll County Library on Facebook.

Yep. I'd say I have this one covered.

RSS

Well, once again I got bogged down in something by thinking it was much bigger than it really was. I'd been putting off using RSS because I couldn't quite wrap my brain around it. I finally decided before vacation to set it up. Turns out that I already had.

Mostly, I just wanted to move some of my email subscriptions (that I never read) to RSS (where I'll forget to read them) so that they can sit on someone else's server and/or not clog up my inbox.

Not sure how I feel about the part where they sort of disappear once you've skimmed the entry. On the other hand, older posts are still there once you've scrolled past your new ones, and I'm not sure how I feel about that either. It makes me slightly twitchy to never get to the last (first) entry--like I could never actually be done.

Still, I may actually use this a bit. Library Journal has a large host of feeds. I still need to sign up for Aquabrowser feeds, and there are many library and web 2.0 feeds that could fill in the gaps of "what's going on?" that I still feel.

This section done--what am I on now, anyway? All of my other 2.o buddies have long since finished.