Week 13, FUN Things and Wrap-up

Welcome to Week 13!

After completing this week, you will have discovered some *fun* web 2.0 online tools!

Thing 21 - Wordle

Wordle is a tool for generating word clouds from text you provide. If certain words appear more frequently in the text, they will appear more prominent in the world cloud. You can change your cloud(s) with different colours, fonts, and layouts. Try it out!

Go to http://www.wordle.net/
1. Click on "CREATE your own"
2. Add text from something you wrote or found on the Internet OR you could enter a URL for a webpage or blog. Try entering your blog address or use our University Library 23 things blog address: http://uofslibrary23things.blogspot.com/
3. Then click on "submit".
4. You can now change the colour, font, layout, etc. for your worldle
5. Print it off!

Thing 22 - LibraryThing

LibraryThing is an online personal cataloguing system that lets you add your own personal books and connects you to other people who read what you do. You can also see reviews of books or write your own reviews to share with other people.

Go to LibraryThing and try it out! http://www.librarything.com/
1. Become a member by clicking on the "join now" button and filling out the information. Use a creative member name because if you use your surname, it will probably be taken already. Using your NSID works well since that is unique.
2. Verify that you are human by simply typing in the author’s name of the book on the screen
3. Welcome to LibraryThing- you should now be registered!
4. Now you can edit your profile, add books by building your collection, or engage with others using a talk (forum). You can also see various blogs people have done, announcements, reviews, and featured authors.
5. To add books to your collection, click on “Add Books" tab at the top of the page. Then search for the books you want to add by typing in the title or author or ISBN or LC call number into the search box. Your title(s) will appear on the right hand side. Simply click on the books you want to add. From here you can also review your books and add tags to them.
6. If you go back to the homepage, you will notice you have books added to your library. Now there are recommendations given to you for other books you might enjoy (under the books you have added).
7. Now you can see reviews of your books as well!
8. Here are a few useful links to help you use LibraryThing:
• Edit your profile http://www.librarything.com/editprofile.php
• Engage with others http://www.librarything.com/talk
• LibraryThing Groups http://www.librarything.com/groups
• Find friends http://www.librarything.com/findfriends/
9. Have fun!

Optional:
Smilebox is a tool that lets you do quick and easy creative scrapbooking online! Pick your designs and create photos, videos, invitations, e-cards, etc. with your own photos to send to people. It’s free and really fun to use. You can also share your creations using Facebook, your email, a blog, by burning them to a DVD or printing them at home or a store. To use Smilebox you need to download it. It should only take a few minutes to download and there should be no restrictions.
Try it out and have fun! http://www.smilebox.com/

Now Blog! Blog about your experience using these fun tools. Did you enjoy using them? Have you tried other fun online tools? For example: There are a lot of online games out there. Have you tried any?

***Don't forget to mark this week's activity as complete in the 23 Things Work Completed Spreadsheet so you can qualify for our grand prize draw.


Thing 23 - Wrap-up CONGRATULATIONS!! You made it to the end! Now that you are done the University Library 23 Things Program- blog about the program. What did you think? Did you enjoy it? Did you learn anything new? Challenges?

We will be sending out a short survey to everyone who participated- so please fill it out! We would love to hear your feedback.

Thank you for participating in a successful program! Now that we are done- it's time to PARTY!!!

**Don't forget to register for one of the two parties we will be having for "The University Library 23 Things Program" by Friday May 6th. The invitation/registration will come out this week via email- so watch for it! We will be having two parties, so that everyone who participated in the program can attend. The parties will be held on Tuesday May 10th from 10:00am-11:00am in Room 102 & Wednesday May 11th from 2:00pm-3:00pm in Room 102. We will be having cake and you will receive your prize and gift certificate for completing the program. There will also be a draw for two grand prizes!!! See you there!!!!!!!

***Next week will be a catch up week (Monday May 2nd-Friday May 6th) for those who are behind. Don't give up! Please try to complete all "23 Things" and then enter your completed weeks in the spreadsheet.

Week 12, Thing 19 - Online Mapping & Thing 20 - GIS

Welcome to Week 12, Things 19 & 20 After completing Things 19 and 20, you will have…

Learned about Online mapping, GIS, and explored an online mapping tool called "Community Walk." You will have also explored other online mapping tools on your own and discovered more what GIS is and how it’s being used by our library patrons.

What is online Mapping & GIS?

Online mapping tools such as "Google maps" & "Google Earth" have made it easier for people to find their destination quicker without the hassle of buying and then struggling to search a huge paper map. Online mapping tools can be downloaded to individual cell phones for convenient access while driving to a location.

A (Geographic Information System) or (Geospatial information system) is a set of tools that captures, stores, analyzes, manages, and presents data that are linked to location(s) (From Wikipedia.) For example: If you wanted to map certain locations in the world and indicate where a disease is most prevalent in that country, this is possible using GIS software.

In our library, we have a GIS librarian who can help patrons get this type of information. Many units on campus are using this technology for their research, thus the importance of GIS in the library.

Let’s try using a mapping tool called "Community Walk." "Community Walk" is a website that is dedicated to providing a powerful, yet easy interface for creating informational, interactive, and engaging maps. It will create fun maps, as well as professional maps. You can add photos or videos to your map as well. Today we are going to create a fun map! Say you have a friend who has just moved to Saskatoon and loves Indian food. If you want to give him/her a map of all the Indian restaurants in Saskatoon, you can use "Community Walk!"

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Go to the Community Walk website.

2. Click on the login link on the top right hand corner of the page and then on the next page, click on the ‘Register’ link and signup by filling in the required information (make sure you check the box for the terms of service.)

3. Once you have signed up, you have to go to your email and confirm your registration.

4. Once you have confirmed your registration, you should be able to log into Community Walk with your username and password.

Now that you are registered- let's create a map!

5. When you now log in to "Community Walk", it should open to a box that says “[your name’s] maps”. Under the title section on the left hand side of the page, click the “Create New Map" button.

6. It is up to you to decide what type of map you want to create. For example: Create a map of all the Indian restaurants in Saskatoon. You can use this example but try to think of one of your own. (favourite stores, all the Tim Hortons in Saskatoon, etc..)

7. Next, there will be a pop up that asks you "Where do you want to start your map?"Choose a place, e.g. Saskatoon, SK.

8. After typing in your location, click on the "next" button. It will now ask you if your starting point is correct, if so, select it and click on the "next" button. Now decide if your map will be "published" or "shareable" or "private." I would choose “shareable” for now. You don’t want to publish anything at this point. Select "shareable" and click on the "next" button.

9. Add a title to your Map- e.g. “Indian Restaurants in Saskatoon”. Click on the“finish” button. You can change your title anytime- so don’t worry about it too much

10. Once you see the map of Saskatoon come up, "Click here to add your first marker to the map!" link under the Categorized Markers section on the left hand side of the page.

11. Fill in the information when the "Add Marker" box pops up. Put in the title of the first Indian restaurant in the "by searching" section. Type 'India Palace' and then click on the "search" link. When the address comes up, select the correct address. If the address isn't found, you can add your own address by using the rest of the "Add Marker" box options.

12. The next step is to add information about this restaurant when the information box pops up. e.g. Category-Restaurants, Subcategory- Indian food, Description- You can comment about the restaurant and then click on the save button. Now other people looking at your map can also add comments about the restaurants in the "add a comment section". You can also add a photo. To do this, click on "Add photo" button and a pop up will appear. Click on one of the "Browse" buttons and find a photo you want to add. Note: You have to have a photo saved somewhere on your computer before you do this step. Once you have selected a photo, click on the "save" button to upload the photo. If you want to delete the photo, just click on "delete" button. Then click on "back to main view" to edit other content. Note: You might have to hit the refresh button to see the photo deleted on the left hand side of the map.

13. Click on "Add Marker" at the top of the map to add another restaurant e.g. 'Spicy Bite Restaurant'. You can keep repeating steps 11 &12 for how many restaurants you want to add to your map. (Click on the link below to see an example of the map being created)

Community Walk Map - Indian Restaurants in Saskatoon

What else can you do with Community Walk?

14. You can also start a path between all your restaurants to see how far the distances are from each place by clicking on "Start a Path" at the top of the map. You can also share your map with other people by clicking on "Share/Export" tab at the top of the map. This is where you can email your map or look at it in "Google Earth" (see information below). You can also look at your map using the map feature or satellite feature (top right side of the map).
15. Also if you click on one of your locations, e.g. 'India Palace'- you can get directions. Click on the'India Palace' marker. Click on the "from here" link next to "Directions:". Then under the "Ending At:" section, select the “street address with City & State” option. Type in your home address (including street and city). Then click on the “Get directions” button. This will link you to "Google Maps" (see information below) and gives you information on how to get from the restaurant to your house (or visa versa).
16. Once you are finished using "Community Walk" you can save the maps you create and they will be in the "My Maps"section when you log in again.
17. Have fun!

Now Blog!

Blog about your experience using Community Walk or other online mapping tools. Are these tools useful? Do you have any experience using GIS?

Optional: If you haven’t tried Google Maps yet, try it out. Find the directions from your house to the University. http://maps.google.com/ Try adding a Google Map of your hometown on your blog. Here is a YouTube video to show you how to do this.

** You can download Google Earth to your computer (permission might be required at the University Library to download Google Earth so if you can't at work, download it on your home computer) and check out where you live!

***Do you have a mobile device? Check out Locational Apps, such as Foursquare, for your mobile device. Foursquare, Gowalla and Facebook Places are like seeing a facebook status, but with a location attached. When you sign in to a location, you can see where your friends are too. There are fun little games, prizes and coupons with these apps as well to encourage people to sign in to places. They are available as apps for most smartphones. http://mashable.com/2009/12/25/foursquare-gowalla/

Further Reading about GIS…. http://www.gis.com/content/what-gis.  Or talk with Jasmine Hoover, our GIS Librarian at the University Library.

***Don't forget to mark this week's activity as complete in the 23 Things Work Completed Spreadsheet so you can qualify for our grand prize draw.

Week 11 - Thing 17 - Social Bookmarking and Thing 18 - Widgets

Welcome to Week 11 – Thing 17 - Social Bookmarking
After completing Thing 17
You will have learned about an easy and convenient way to bookmark interesting websites and share them with others using 'diigo'.

Why did we choose to show you diigo rather than the more popular bookmarking web site, Delicious?  Recent news reports have revealed that Yahoo! will no longer be supporting Delicious and is currently looking for a new home for the site.  Because of the uncertainty of its future, we have decided to show you ...

                                                 

What is diigo?
diigo is a social bookmarking website that allows users save interesting websites and organise them with tags. Because the bookmarked sites are saved on the web, they can be accessed from any computer simply by going to the diigo website and logging in or you can add a diigo toolbar to your browser homepage and manage your bookmarks in diigo from there. (Unfortunately, you will be unable to add the toolbar to your work computer, but you could do this at home.)  What makes diigo attractive to its users is the social aspect. You may think you have found some great web sites and then you tag them, but you are also able to see what other people have bookmarked and see what else they have tagged that may be of interest to you.

Step-by-step instructions

1. The following video will give you a good overview of the features of Diigo.



2. Take a look at diigo and click Get Started Now!. Spend some time discovering the interface using Take A Tour, Groups, and Community buttons on the toolbar.  Or, search for a term that is of interest to you.

Here is a sample search using the term ‘chemistry’ but feel free to search for a term that is of interest to you.

3. Follow another user’s trail. You may discover a wealth of information.

Optional (but recommended)
Sign up and become a diigo user; it's a great way of keeping track of interesting websites, especially if you are someone that works from a few different locations or you want to share links with others.
If you found diigo useful, you might be interested in checking out what’s popular on social media sites that allow users to share items that they find interesting.
There are many of these sites – and everyone from mainstream media (ex. New York Times, the Washington Post, even the StarPhoenix) to blogs and Web sites -- include links so readers can recommend content from these sites to other readers. Look for boxes labeled “Share”,  “Article tools”, or "Follow us" on news sites, blogs, and Web pages to find links for sharing the article.
You might want to take a look at some of the other popular social bookmarking web sites:

• Delicious is one of the more popular sites with "the freshest bookmarks that are flying like hotcakes".  "The Delicious Home page shows you teh hottest bookmarks on Delicious right now...Delicious has a little of everything, from the best programming tips to the most popular travel sites. 
• Digg “is a place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web… You won’t find editors at [Digg]… provide[s] a place where people can collectively determine the value of content and we’re changing the way people consume information online.”
• Reddit is a “source for what’s new and popular on the web…We want to democratize the raditional model by giving editorial control to the people who use the site, not those who run it.”
• Newsvine lets “you…read stories from established media organizations…as well as individual contributors … Placement of stories is determined by a multitude of factors including freshness, popularity, and reputation… editorial judgement is in the hands of the community.”

See a theme here? No editors decide what information is important. The content is user-generated and you and others get to vote on what makes the top lists – the very definition of Web 2.0.

Now Blog!
Create a blog post discussing what you find and what you think of social bookmarking on your blog. You may address any of the following questions.
  • Do you think that using tags is a good way to organize your bookmarks/favorites?
  • Were you able to find sites which you were previously unaware of through diigo?
  • What do you think is the biggest advantage/disadvantage of using diigo?
  • Do you think you will be able to use this in your professional or personal life? Why or why not.

***Don't forget to mark this week's activity as complete in the 23 Things Work Completed Spreadsheet so you can qualify for our grand prize draw.



Welcome to Week 11, Thing 18 - Widgets

After completing Thing 18
You will know more about using Widgets to enhance your desktop and/or personal web pages, or the web experiences of visitors to your sites (such as subject pages, blogs, etc).

What is a Widget?
A widget is a small, stand-alone application that can be embedded into third party sites by any user on a page where they have rights or authorship, such as webpages (subject pages), blogs, or profile on a social media site.  Widgets are fun, engaging, and useful applications that allow users to enhance personal web experiences, or the web experiences of visitors to other's sites.

Widgets are popular with the users of social media who are able to add them to blogs, for example.  Widgets add functionality in the same way that an iPhone/iTouch application does.

You are already familiar with widgets and may not even know it!  Other terms used to describe web widgets include, in the case of Google, a 'gadget'.  We visited this in Week 1, Thing 1 when we created an iGoogle account.  Let's add another gadget that you might find useful.

Step-by step instructions

1.  Add a 'Countdown' widget (gadget) to your iGoogle account.

2.  Enter 'countdown' into the search box on the right hand side.  Choose the countdown that you would like to add to your iGoogle account.
3.  Edit the countdown widget to calculate how much time you have left to complete University Library 23 Things.


Optional
Add more widgets to your iGoogle page.  Browse the list of options by category on the left hand bar or search the web to find gadgets. 
Choose a calendar from this article and try it out. 

Or take a look at Jasmine Hoovers' Mathematics & Statistics' subject page.  She has added a gadget for the Worldcat search box to her page. 

Now Blog!
Create a blog post discussing how you might use a widget to enhance your web page. Do you think it would be useful to you? To others?

Can you think of other gadgets that would be more useful to you? What are they?

***Don't forget to mark this week's activity as complete in the 23 Things Work Completed Spreadsheet so you can qualify for our grand prize draw.

Week 10, Things 15 & 16 - Social Networking and Twitter

Image by kasei, on Flickr

Welcome to Week 10, Thing 15
This week, we will take a look at social networking, with a discussion of how libraries use two of the more popular social networking services: Facebook and Twitter. When we get to Thing 16, you will have the opportunity to set up an account on Twitter and try out tweeting for yourself.

What is Social Networking?
An online social network provides a platform for people to create online profiles and connect with people from around the world, thus creating a global network of contacts. These connections are sometimes made via shared interests and activities. The most popular social network is Facebook, as it now has over 800 million active users. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's creator, was even named Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2010.

Facebook and Privacy
Lately, Facebook has received a lot of attention in the media due to its privacy settings. With constantly changing privacy settings (see this great infographic on The Evolution of Privacy on Facebook), it is good to be aware of Facebook's Privacy Policy and make sure you have edited your own settings according to your needs. David Lee King, a librarian at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library who blogs about libraries and emerging digital technologies, offers a good discussion of the Updated Facebook Privacy Settings and how easy it is to manage your own settings:



Other Social Networks
Facebook may be the largest fish in the pond, but it is not alone. Twitter, a microblogging and social networking service, has almost 500 million registered users and seems to be the best way to receive news as it happens. LinkedIn, with over 150 million users, is especially popular in the business community and is a good place to make job or work-related connections. Some social networks have a topical or special interest focus. This is also known as niche networking. For example, see Dogster, a social network for the dog-loving community. While Facebook might dominate in North America, other networks are more popular in other parts of the world. In China, two of the largest social networks are Qzone, which has about 500 million users, and RenRen, with about 140 million users. Other popular networks include Bebo, Friendster, hi5, Myspace, and Orkut.

One of the trends to watch in 2011 (see #33 in 100 Things to Watch in 2011) is Facebook Alternatives. Many of these alternatives are open source networks that claim to offer more control and personal ownership of one's information. Some of the popularity of these alternatives is also due to the backlash against Facebook's privacy issues. Recently, I was invited to join a friend on Diaspora, a social network with the slogan: "Share what you want, with whom you want", so I can personally attest to this trend of Facebook Alternatives.

Speaking of new developments in the social networking realm, there is a new website called FullyFollow.me that "lets you connect your social profiles into one, and be followed across all of them with a single click." So far, it only provides the basis for connecting your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles, but it will eventually add more networks to the list.

Libraries and Social Networking
The best way for libraries to create a presence on Facebook seems to be via Facebook Pages. See the Murray Library's Facebook Page for an example with which many of us are already familiar. For more examples, check out this list of 10 Great Library Facebook Fan Pages provided by AnnaLaura Brown, an academic librarian who blogs about social networking and libraries. Stephen Abram, on his blog Stephen's Lighthouse, also mentions this particular list, but he adds a few Canadian examples to the list as well. For a few tips on setting up a Facebook Page, check out David Lee King's Facebook Page Tips.

Libraries also use Twitter to promote their services. For example, in the UK, Libraries tap into Twitter in order to raise their profiles and spread information more rapidly. As a point of interest, the Library of Congress announced in April 2010 that they would be digitally archiving the entire Twitter archive--all the public tweets ever tweeted. Watch the following Slideshare presentation for a practical Twitter guide for libraries.

How to Expand your Library's Online & Mobile Presence Using Twitter

View more presentations from Cheryl Burnette

**If you're interested in watching the Common Craft videos in "Plain English" on social networking and Twitter, check out leelefever's channel on YouTube.

Now Blog...
What do you think about social networking? Are you a member of any social networks? If you're on Facebook, what do you like or dislike about it? Do you think Facebook and other social networks are valuable tools for library promotion?

Welcome to Week 10, Thing 16 - Twitter

  ** instructions provided by Christine Neilson

For this Thing you will:

1. Create a Twitter account
2. Subscribe to some Twitter streams
3. Update your blog with your thoughts on Twitter

Twitter is similar to RSS feeds: you subscribe to Twitter streams that you find interesting and short updates are sent to your Twitter account page, rather than having to go through the hassle of tracking down individual updates from a variety of websites. The tweets themselves can be the update, or they can act as a headline for something larger. You can also post your own tweets, but you don’t have to.

To get started:

1. Create a Twitter account at http://twitter.com/ by following the instructions provided on the page. You’ll have to confirm your account in the e-mail that they send to the e-mail address you provide.

Optional: If you like, you can provide a bio and a picture for your Twitter account. You can also customize the way the page looks by clicking on your login name in the top right corner; clicking on “Settings” in the drop down menu; clicking on “Design” in the sidebar menu; and then choosing a new background.

2. Choose some Twitter streams to follow by browsing Categories, Stories, Who to follow, etc. by clicking the #Discover link at the top of the page. Or search for your friends and follow their Twitter streams.

Optional: Post a tweet by clicking on the “Compose new Tweet” link. Remember: these messages are available to the general public, unless you change your settings. To make your tweets private, click on "Profile" at the top of the screen; then "Settings"; then check off "Protect my tweets" beside Tweet Privacy.

3. Whenever you log in to Twitter, you’ll see the latest tweets from the people you follow on the right hand side of the page, and your account information on the left.

Twitter has an extensive Help section that includes a glossary, frequently asked questions, and instructions on more advanced uses of Twitter, like sending private messages to other Tweeters and Tweeting pictures and videos.

What do you think?

Now that you’ve had the chance to look at it, what do you think about Twitter? Update your blog with your thoughts about your experience with Twitter.

Don't forget to mark this week's activity as complete in the 23 Things Work Completed Spreadsheet so you can qualify for our grand prize draw.