Betty Blogger Summary

Well, I started the course thinking I was at a knowledge level of 2.3 or 2.sketchy but I realize now that I was probably at the level of 2.huh! With all my work over the summer I've realized there is so much out there and until I familiarize myself with it all on a regular basis I will only rate myself at a 2.5 or 2.youmeanIcandothattoo?!

The BB course more than met my expectations! The Library Lady was helpful, informative and hilarious!

The most challenging part of the course was the Google docs assignment because I spent far too much time that week trying to get that to work. The other part I found challenging relates to the next question - self directed. It's a great way to do this course but I tended to leave each assignment to  Sunday evening. My self direction is lacking!!

I would definitely recommend this course to a friend. Very educational and lots of fun!

It's a Library Thang!!

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/Rhonda45

Who knew there was such a thing as Library Thing? Obviously the Library Lady did! What a great idea! I'll have to explore further but I get the feeling it's sort of like what we can do now with the new Bibliocommons catalogue. I think this is something I would enjoy using.

Thanks Library Lady!

task #8 - Feeds

I subscribed to 2 RSS feeds just to get a feel for things. The two I chose were CBC/Top Stories News and a Stampin' Up demonstrator that I like stampinpretty.com.

I found Google Reader very easy to use but I'm not sure I will use it in the future because I don't need further incentive to spend more time on my laptop! I'm pleased that I know how to use it for future reference though because my needs might change at some point and it will be great to be able to look into Google Reader for updates on what I need.

Betty Blogger and the Library Lady rock!

wikis

I choose to bring crispy chicken drumsticks to the picnic.

My wiki experience went well and it was easy to use.

I don't have a need for my own wiki but I can definitely see the benefits of it.

problems with google docs

Trouble! I wrote a very nice cooking disaster story but no matter what I tried, I couldn't get it to publish properly. Not sure what the deal is! I couldn't make the box bigger, don't know why there is a box. Very frustrating!

My cooking story

picasa - task #5

I chose a picture of a red panda (because they are adorable) with the following tags - Sydney, red panda.

I thought Picasa was a great site with many excellent features especially for photo editing and sharing with friends and family.

I may use Picasa again when I have photos that I know a lot of people will be interested in seeing ie. family reunion, wedding etc.

Sweet - I did a Tweet!

Well, I must admit, I got a little excited tweeting something for the first time! I realize I have 0 followers and it will never be read, but still, I sent a message out there to the universe and it's just as likely to be received as talking to my teenagers...oh, I'm quickly losing the excitement!

I enjoyed my Twitter experience. I can see some of the merits in it but I still see a lot of drawbacks such as giving too much power to celebrities and pseudo-celebrities and sports stars to impact the opinions of those who accept everything said to them without real knowledge. Also, people tweet things very quickly after an event and often come to regret what they have written. Perhaps my biggest beef is the fact that it is a major time waster for follower and followee and do we really need more time spent on our electronic devices!

I know I sound like a curmudgeon who should be living off the grid but these are my feelings about many social networking sites such as Facebook. Too many naive teenagers are using the site, posting things that are forever out in cyberspace and not using the privacy settings.

Although I found using Twitter interesting and a wee bit exciting, I probably won't use it after the course is finished simply due to lack of time.

Week 3 - Tagging

Okay, so I didn't find Diigo exactly easy to navigate but I eventually figured it out!

I bookmarked www.bpl.on.ca (because it is fantastic!) with the tags library, Burlington, catalogue and books and the site www.stampinup.com with the tags stamping, scrapbooking and demonstrator.

I'd like to think I'll use diigo after the course is over but I will need to get into the habit. To make it a habit will require a bit of forethought before I get into my usual routine on my laptop so we will see whether this old dog can learn new tricks!

Fixed You tube video!

Alright, it took a couple of tries but I have fixed my week 2 assignment and now everyone can enjoy one of my favourite characters on SNL - the Target Lady! Now on to week 3!

Youtube fun!

I'm hoping this embedding thing worked because this is a funny sketch from SNL. It has Kristen Wiig doing one of her recurring characters - the Target Lady!

I did enjoy my YouTube experience - too much! It took me too long to decide which video to post.

I think streaming is popular for many reasons - people love to share what they love, everyone wants a little bit of fame, people are constantly on their computers and youtube provides entertainment.

I will continue to use YouTube as I always have - when I want to find a clip of an old tv show to educate my kids, to see what my kids are laughing about on youtube, to see the latest singing sensation. I let my kids screen it for me so I don't search long.

YouTube is a distraction that can become addictive!

First Time Blogger!

Such fun! What a great opportunity to explore the unknown realms of Web 2.0! I am fairly familiar with some of the applications we'll be using but overall I would rate my knowledge as web 2. sketchy (3 out of 10)!
I love having the chance to expand my horizons!
Chat again soon!