I'VE GOT MY FACE ON FACEBOOK!

I'm  now half way through Week 7 of the Web 2.0 course and have just managed to open a Facebook page.  I have to admit that I was very very reluctant to jump on the Facebook bandwagon, but was informed by a work colleague that it was part of the course and I had to!  Call me an old fashioned gal, but I would much rather chat to a person face to face or even pick up the telephone.  Being an immigrant to Australia from Scotland I guess I can understand the attraction of Facebook for keeping in touch with family and friends, but, like I say, I would much rather pick up the 'phone, hear the person's voice and have a good old chin wag that way.  Not quite sure how we would use it in a library setting.  My main concern about Facebook is the privacy issue and the fact that your information is out there, floating around in cyberspace.  I even contemplated joining with the fake moniker, Morag MacTavish, but thought I was maybe being a bit paranoid!  Then, of course, there are all those horrible stories of bullying on line. What if someone asks to be your friend and you don't want to reciprocate? - it seems a bit mean to ignore or delete their request.  I don't like to hurt people's feelings.  Also, it's just one more thing, in a busy day, to check (it takes me all my time to remember to check my emails!). 


However, having said all that, I had no sooner opened my Facebook account, when I experienced a flicker of excitement when I noticed I had 2 friend requests and a message!  Will I use Facebook after this course has finished?  I don't think so but, then again, stranger things have happened!.    

TAGGING, DELICIOUS & LIBRARYTHING

Well, today is Good Friday, husband and son have gone to Church and I'm sitting here in front of the computer!!  I really wish I had gone with them as I could certainly do with some divine intervention to help me get my head around Week 6 of the Web 2.0 training course!  Firstly, I have to agree with my colleague, wellidclare, that the course seems to be getting more confusing as the weeks go by - and here was me thinking, nae hoping, that a great big light would go on and I would be much more computer literate by now, but alas no!.  I have struggled big time with Delicious, although I did manage to set up a Delicious account.  Whether or not I'll be able to access it again at a later date is another story.  There just seemed to be such a lot of information to take in and I'm not sure if I would use it personally.


As for LibraryThing, well this I did "get" and think it's a terrific idea and, being an avid reader, is something I would definitely use.  How fantastic to build up my own library of books I've read and enjoyed and to be able to read the reviews on them.  It would also be a great idea for Book Clubs.  I've added a few books that sprung to mind (how easy it is to forget what you have already read) and now that I know how to do this I hope to add to it on a regular basis.

I have easily been sitting in front of this screen for about 2 hours, there are some cadbury chocolate eggs in the fridge and I now intend to treat myself (to hang with weightwatchers!).  I need some kind of reward for getting, i.e. struggling through, Week 6 of the course.  Dare I Say, I anticipate Week 7 of the course with a measure of trepidation!!

An Introduction to Wikis

Following the tutorial on RSS feeds I found this one surprisingly easy to understand and what a good idea.  I think wikis could definitely be used in a library setting and to great effect.  It would be particularly good for Job Instruction Guides, where staff who share a specific task could get together and come up with the most efffective procedure.  Coordinating events is another area where a wiki could be a real Godsend.   Previously I had absolutely no idea where the term "wikipedia" came from (hadn't even thought about it) - now I do!  Having a bit of trouble signing up for wiki wetpaint - maybe my computer's too tired or perhaps I am.  Will try again a bit later.

On a  more depressing note, I have just opened my Gmail Reader account and can't seem to find the five web sites I subscribed to earlier!  Perhaps they're hiding? Hells Bells - back to the drawing board....

Grrrr Just completed RSS Feeds!

Well, after having had a crisis of conscience about not doing my "homework", I decided this morning to tackle RSS feeds and, at least, get Week 4 of the training course under my belt!  Not being a person who enjoys sitting in front of the computer (much rather be in the garden or, dare I say it, doing the ironing! or even chatting - nooo way I hear you all gasp!), I found it all a bit confusing and hard to get to grips with.  However, for those amongst us who just love their computers and can't get through the day without checking their favourite websites, I can definitely see the attraction of using RSS feeds - it would certainly make things quicker and easier with the information coming directly to you without you having to seek it out.

As I say, I don't spend much time surfing the net, but there are a few websites I quite like to check out now and again and have now, hopefully, successfully subscribed to them.  One is Victorian artist, Gail McCormack (http://www.gailmccormack.com.au/) who paints beautifully realistic roses and another a blogspot of an English girl (http://www.abeachcottage.com/.) who, after emigrating to Australia, details her day to day life doing up an old beachside cottage somewhere in Sydney - nothing very highbrow I'm afraid.

One thing I did find quite annoying, and this could be just me, is that I had to keep flicking between screens when I was following the RSS tutorial.  I'd be in Google Reader and forget what button I had to press and then have to flick to the tutorial to check (I did this quite a few times - maybe my brain cells are starting to diminish and I'm getting a bit slow!).  Anyway, Week 4 done and dusted.  It  has taken me a couple of hours (not sure if I should admit to that) and I'm now in need of some lunch.  Hopefully,as the weeks progress, I'll get more comfortable with all things technical.