At a classmate's suggestion, I tried LibraryThing this week for my "new to me" social software experience. I really didn't like Cataloging when I took it, but I'm not turned off by LibraryThing--I even like it, in fact!
I think what got me really sold on LibraryThing was thinking about how I could use it in conjunction with a class blog or wiki (I teach middle school English). It would be a great way to add just another little interactive component to getting students invested in books and reading.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Feed, take 2
I felt depressed after finishing this book. As I tried to put my finger on why, I came up with a couple of reasons.
I think that we are close to the society of Feed. Perhaps not literally, but our culture is already so incredibly consumer-driven. (Think about the amount of money invested in Superbowl commericals for example.) And when it comes to the internet, that consumer-driven culture just expands exponentially. With so much technology surrounding us, we need to be careful not to get overwhelmed and lose touch, which is what's happened in the novel.
And in the novel, that consumer-driven culture, taken to the extreme, has stripped humanity of, well, its humanity. I think that's really what made me so depressed about the way the novel ended. If people hadn't let it go so far, it wouldn't have ended so badly.
I think that we are close to the society of Feed. Perhaps not literally, but our culture is already so incredibly consumer-driven. (Think about the amount of money invested in Superbowl commericals for example.) And when it comes to the internet, that consumer-driven culture just expands exponentially. With so much technology surrounding us, we need to be careful not to get overwhelmed and lose touch, which is what's happened in the novel.
And in the novel, that consumer-driven culture, taken to the extreme, has stripped humanity of, well, its humanity. I think that's really what made me so depressed about the way the novel ended. If people hadn't let it go so far, it wouldn't have ended so badly.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Bloglines vs. Google Reader
I am newly obsessed with Bloglines. As I delve deeper into the world of blogging, I'm looking forward to using it to track not the blogs of my fellow students, but also the many other blogs out there that I'm getting more addicted to every day! I like being able to sort blogs into folders. Makes it easy to stay organized.
Google Reader, I don't like as well, probably because I just haven't spent as much time with it. I set up an account merely for comparison, after already getting sucked into Bloglines. I'll keep using it though, and see if it grows on me.
Oh, and one last thing that I liked about both sites: they suggested feeds I might like to subscribe to. That was great for someone like me, who wants to read blogs more but doesn't really know what's out there.
Google Reader, I don't like as well, probably because I just haven't spent as much time with it. I set up an account merely for comparison, after already getting sucked into Bloglines. I'll keep using it though, and see if it grows on me.
Oh, and one last thing that I liked about both sites: they suggested feeds I might like to subscribe to. That was great for someone like me, who wants to read blogs more but doesn't really know what's out there.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Feed
I have to admit, I found Feed a little hard to get into at first. However, I kept at it and it wasn't long before I got sucked in.
Being an English teacher, I naturally found an excuse to discuss it with a couple of my students. I gave them the run-down of what it was about, and asked if they thought it was in any way a realistic portrayal of what the future could be. One of them said it sounded like a metaphor or a fable, and I think that's how I see it, too.
What are our "feeds" in society today? To the teens I talked to, their feeds were peer pressure, or even pressure from teachers and parents and everyone else who "tells them what to think." I think it is certainly a very, very interesting parallel to draw.
Being an English teacher, I naturally found an excuse to discuss it with a couple of my students. I gave them the run-down of what it was about, and asked if they thought it was in any way a realistic portrayal of what the future could be. One of them said it sounded like a metaphor or a fable, and I think that's how I see it, too.
What are our "feeds" in society today? To the teens I talked to, their feeds were peer pressure, or even pressure from teachers and parents and everyone else who "tells them what to think." I think it is certainly a very, very interesting parallel to draw.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
New to me: Bloglines!
I logged on to Bloglines for the first time on Sunday night. It is now Tuesday, and having used it for the first time to read my classmates' blog entries, I'm an addict. In my next post I'll be comparing it with Google Reader (also new to me).
For now, let me just say that I love the idea of sites like both Bloglines and Google Reader. When I used to use an LJ account, I had something similar in the "Friends Page" feature that LJ offers, but the feature for that service is very limiting in that one can only subscribe to other LJ blogs. Bloglines has opened up a whole new world to me!
I can't wait to explore more of the possiblities! :)
For now, let me just say that I love the idea of sites like both Bloglines and Google Reader. When I used to use an LJ account, I had something similar in the "Friends Page" feature that LJ offers, but the feature for that service is very limiting in that one can only subscribe to other LJ blogs. Bloglines has opened up a whole new world to me!
I can't wait to explore more of the possiblities! :)
Friday, February 8, 2008
Thoughts on Brown & Durgid
Brown & Durgid's text The Social Life of Information offers some great take-aways for libraries regarding the use of blogging and other social software. The title of the text alone suggests that information is becoming more and more an interactive, "group effort" so to speak. I've listed a couple more specific thoughts below:
Technology, while offering valuable new paths to information access, is and always must be seen as a means to an end. Without librarians to help guide the process and assist users with the technology, the social software itself would just get in the way. Some might raise the argument that a library blog takes the place of a face-to-face conversation with a librarian--but they would be seeing through a narrow lens. Librarians use blogs as one of many ways to do what they do best--provide information.
That said, it is important for libraries to be deliberate in what technology and social software they choose to implement, and how they choose to use it. Used without a plan or clear goal, they can indeed seem to just get in the way of the user-librarian interaction.
Blogs and other social software have a lot to offer libraries. But the bottom line for implementation really needs to be "proceed with caution" to eliminate misunderstandings and confusion about the intent and purpose of these tools.
Technology, while offering valuable new paths to information access, is and always must be seen as a means to an end. Without librarians to help guide the process and assist users with the technology, the social software itself would just get in the way. Some might raise the argument that a library blog takes the place of a face-to-face conversation with a librarian--but they would be seeing through a narrow lens. Librarians use blogs as one of many ways to do what they do best--provide information.
That said, it is important for libraries to be deliberate in what technology and social software they choose to implement, and how they choose to use it. Used without a plan or clear goal, they can indeed seem to just get in the way of the user-librarian interaction.
Blogs and other social software have a lot to offer libraries. But the bottom line for implementation really needs to be "proceed with caution" to eliminate misunderstandings and confusion about the intent and purpose of these tools.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Blogger vs. Livejournal
On my first forays into the world of blogging, during my senior year of college, I was a stauch Livejournal fan. Livejournal does offer a lot of features that I like, and that I miss with Blogger. But now, I feel Blogger has more to offer me than Livejournal.
Here's my breakdown comparison.
Benefits of Livejournal:
Here's my breakdown comparison.
Benefits of Livejournal:
- Livejournal features community blogs, which are missing on Blogger.
- Livejournal also allows bloggers to have a "Friends" page on their blog, linked to other LJ blogs they enjoy reading. No such feature seems to be available on Blogger.
- Livejournal's personalizations options include user pics, which can be highly customized. Different pictures can be used for different entries--a kind of visual tagging.
- Blogger has a much more professional reputation, it seems. Livejournal is a lot more social and informal, while I feel I could use Blogger for a blended professional/personal library blog.
- Blogger's layout menu, while more limited than LJ's in terms of skins, allows more customization options for "page elements," which can be as numerous and varied as the blogger desires.
Monday, February 4, 2008
School Library Blogs
Blogs, in my opinion, hold a world of possiblities for school libraries. As social software, sites like MySpace and Facebook, and free blogging sites become more and more a part of everyday life, library blogs are a great way to draw students in. Of course, the same principle would hold true in any library, but it seems especially relevant for school libraries.
Here are a couple of school library blogs that I like:
Valley View Middle School Library - This "Book Blog" serves a great model from which to get a school library blog started. It consists pretty much entirely of book reviews. The tagging is great; it allows students to search for reviews in subject areas of interest. One improvement I personally would make to this blog would be to allow student volunteers access, to act as student reviewers.
Newton North High School Library - This high school library blog goes a step beyond the VVMS blog, incorporating not only book reviews but pop culture connections and book news, such as notice about upcoming movie adaptations of popular books. The librarian also includes a links list to further engage students' interest. Again, the addition of student reviewers would help to take this blog even further.
Here are a couple of school library blogs that I like:
Valley View Middle School Library - This "Book Blog" serves a great model from which to get a school library blog started. It consists pretty much entirely of book reviews. The tagging is great; it allows students to search for reviews in subject areas of interest. One improvement I personally would make to this blog would be to allow student volunteers access, to act as student reviewers.
Newton North High School Library - This high school library blog goes a step beyond the VVMS blog, incorporating not only book reviews but pop culture connections and book news, such as notice about upcoming movie adaptations of popular books. The librarian also includes a links list to further engage students' interest. Again, the addition of student reviewers would help to take this blog even further.
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