#22 audiobooks

Online audiobooks definitely sounds like a wonderful concept, and people with limited mobility, serious illness, visual impairment could benefit greatly from this concept. An online audiobook library would also allow multiple users, put an end to scratched and damaged material and offer borrowers the highest quality sound. An online audiobook library may also permit Pearl to help herself to locate the newest family sagas. Sounds delightful, but since many elderly people enjoy human interaction and are frightened of computers, struggle to find an on/off button, think a mouse is vermin and have difficulty placing a cassette into a tape player, than I think an online audiobook library may be more likely in the distant future than the present. An online audiobook library would be limited to a receiving computer and would not permit the borrower to listen to the material in his/her car unless they were to duplicate it onto a CD or tape.

#23 final summary

Ahhhh, what a @#$%&*? relief!! Completing this Learning 2.0 program has at times been a struggle for me to fulfill and I can’t believe that I am actually looking forward to checking and filing memberships once again. The course was lengthy and I think 12 tasks to complete would have been sufficient and more enjoyable. I did enjoy completing parts of it and it has helped to make me more aware of some great online services. The online services available to individuals are great. My favourite parts of Learning 2.0 were flickr, the online image generator, learning about the benefits of Wikis, online word processing, spreadsheets etc. and the wonderful service of YouTube. The Learning 2.0 podcast brainwashing sessions for each weekly task have also been very helpful in developing my American accent.

Online learning is a tremendous service, but my greatest concern is it is simply that; which is online, and can only be fully appreciated by privileged members of our society, like myself, who is fortunate enough to be able to use GRLC computers, ample internet and printing services. Many people and families simply can not afford the required equipment such as a PC, software including anti-virus programs and a broadband internet service. This is why public libraries are so valuable in providing individuals of all socio-economic classes with the same services and opportunities. The GRLC does provide a great internet service and the latest computing equipment to the general public at no economic expense. However, GRLC internet users have a very limited amount of time to use these online services and therefore very limited learning opportunities. This is compared to wealthier individuals and families who can afford their own computing equipment, software and 24/7 online internet services.

#21 podcasts

Discovering podcasts was useful, but I am not very interested in it, compared to YouTube. The problem with podcasts is that it is just listening and has no visual entertainment. Listening to Podcasts can become boring very quickly to me because I have a short attention span and limited brain capacity. I shall not be spending anymore time on my Podcast thoughts and I am urgently desperate to finish this blog once and for all and hope that my nightmares about blogging will soon cease, as my doctor has advised should happen.

#20 cont.

I now see the fascination with YouTube, and think I may now have an addiction problem with it. The problem with YouTube is that it has so much rare footage of subjects that I did not no even existed. I think I could spend a full week on YouTube with the assistance of many cups of coffee. A problem with YouTube is that you need top of the range broadband internet service, because the interruptions are very annoying (even with GRLC broadband). For people with dial-up internet YouTube would not be worth viewing, and unfortunately it could only be appreciated by people are lucky enough to have a decent computer and broadband internet.

I would also like to thank Sheena Murdoch from GEE library staff for giving me a helpful tutorial on how to set up my YouTube video on my blog.

#19 web 2.0 awards

Exploring the web 2.0 awards is a great index to fascinating and useful web sites for particular web categories. I was very surprised that these awards even existed. My first thoughts were imagining a group of computer geeks sitting in some hall, sipping red cordial and dressed in tuxedos while the MC (possibly Bill Gates), would announce and the winner is!! While the the awards does list some great web sites, I wonder who the judges are who decide upon places and think that they could possibly be biased and promoting their own orgaisations. The awards are definitely biased to American web sites and I am still looking for an offshore place getter. But after all, America is the centre (or center) of the universe.

#18 continued

I would like to add an example of Zoho writer to my blog but cannot because I am doing this exercise on the public interents, which do not allow me to save to the desktop or hard drive. At the moment we are required to complete our blogs on the public computers because the staff room computers will not permit me to access my blog and are shit-house.

#18 online productivity

I had been told about Zoho writer from the previous blogging group and think that this is a great online word processing tool. Since finding out about it, I often recommend it to library internet users who require quick word processing. One of the only faults with the Zoho writer is that it is not compatible with MS Word and so existing Word documents cannot be opened with it.

#17 sandbox wiki

Well I somehow managed to put my URL for my blog in the correct Wiki location and with the other GRLC blogs. However, I will not be surprised if my blog is omitted for being of such a poor standard and for being an embarrasment to GRLC.

#16 wikis

Well at last I now know what a Wiki is, (although I'm not entirely sure how they arrived at the name, I'm guessing from Wikipedia; but then how did they come up with their name? Maybe it is not important, but sometimes have a curious mind and need to know these things). I would briefly summarise a Wiki as an online noticeboard that allows participants to upload and update information at the click of a few keystrokes.

Wikis are used on many public library web sites, they also allow the community to get involved with their libraries and all Wiki public library users are able to present a voice on issues that are important to them. Wikipedia was a great tool to use and I will be investigating this more in the future. Wikipedia provides fantastic reference information in many languages. My greatest worry with Wikis, Wikipedia and also the WWW is individuals can publish inaccurate or incorrect and biased information that may offend or upset certain people or groups.

me Borat is smart and can read and can smell my name also !

here me am with my fans. Nobody sit next to me because me have not had bath for many months and must wait for it to rain

#15 future of libaries

Reading this promotional propaganda for Web 2.0 was very self-indulgent and a tremendous ego boost. '"Librarians were stewartds, trainers, intimate with the knowledge base and minds who produced it. Librarians today are not just inventory management biobots: they are people with a unique understanding of the documents they compile". It almost sounds as if librarians are some super intelligent breed of human beings with superhuman powers and Web 2.0 is some sort of life changing experience? I believe libraries are a tremendous asset to the community and working in libraries can be a very stimulating and rewarding occupation. I personally get the most statisfaction from knowing that you have genuinely helped somebody and try not to take myself so seriously.

#14 Technorati

Technorati is a pretty useful tool that basically searches all their members blogs for subject matter. I signed up an account with Technorati which took me about 10 minutes to do although I won't be using it but just signed up for the sake of it. I took the Technorati tour and think it is a good instrument for people who spend thier working life on the Internet to read about news and peoples opinions. It is also a useful tool for people to be self indulgent if they desire. I wont be visting Technorati again, but it is helpful to know that it does exist.

#13 tagging and Del.icio.us

I found this tagging exercise interesting. Much of it I already have a basic understanding of but this was still a great refresher course. I have already some knowledge of web site design with HTML and I understand the importance of Meta data on the WWW and how these designated fields are what are retrieved when someone completes an internet search. Tagging is a great system that I rely upon every working day with GRLC as I am forever clicking on tags or access points when I am using the Horizon database ie. subject headings, authour fields, series fields etc. I really appreciate the GUI of ther Horizon database that we use and still get shivers up my sping when I remeber the previous Dynix sytem. I have not subscribed to Del.icio.us and do not intend to at the moment, but I know that it is another useful tool that I can use for specific information requests if I need to.

I have much fun with Flipper

#12 Rollyo

As with LibraryThing, I would like to spend more time with RollYo and think it could be appreciated by some of our borrowers. Again I have only spent about 20 minutes on this varied search engine and will investigate it further in my own time and keep you posted. The search engines topic range is enormous and could be very useful to assist the general publics reference enquires, but could have a US bias.

#11 LibraryThing

A very worthwhile and usefull website and very relevant. I hope to become more familiar with library thing and I will register with it and spend more time exploring in my own time and will keep you posted

Important Message To Janelle

Please excuse the messiness of my Blog as it is a bloody mess, and I am learning as I am completing it

Thank-you

obamalogo.jpg (image)

obamalogo.jpg (image)

Exercise #10

I have now wasted 1 bloody hour on this online image generator. Although I must say that I did enjoy the LetterJames lettering generator and some others. Although I was a bit disappointed because the LetterJames generator would not accept any swearing to be displayed. I find it overwhelming to comprehend the programs that are available on the WWW to create text and image generators and the possibilities are endless.

LetterJames - Image personalization of photo calendars, photo albums and e-cards

LetterJames - Image personalization of photo calendars, photo albums and e-cards

The Generator Blog: Barack Obama Logo Generator.

The Generator Blog: Barack Obama Logo Generator.

#4 RSS & Newsreader

I have opened a bloglines account and now have several environmental themes. I have 8 feeds altogether and have subscribed to About Animals, National Geographic News: Animals and Nature and CNN.com. I have read some of the news stories and and becoming a bit more confident with using Blogslines. Clearly it is a very, very informative web site and I am now suffering with information overload.

Technology

I have so far enjoyed using this Blog creation tool, and it has not been to streesful yet. Although I don't expect it to be this easy throughout the entire exercise. I think that it is good that we are being educated in this new technology and believe that we have to move with the times to provide the latest and greatest support to the public. Technology is a magnificent tool, providing that it is used for the greater benefit of the world and beings.

Borat in the City on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Borat in the City on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

This is picture of me in big city with lats of people. This flickr and computers is very good because all ladies around the world can now see me Borat and may want date. I like very much.

BORAT IN SYDNEY on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

BORAT IN SYDNEY on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Flickr is not a dolphin but has many colour photos and is quite easy to use. I hope you like this picture of me that you may like to keep. It is very nice.

Blogging

This blogging has been very interesting and I like very much. It is very nice. Please be patient with me as we do not have these computers of internet in Kazakhstan yet