Exemplary1's Weblog

Web 2.0 101: Week 8 Mashups and API

exemplary1 — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:57:56 +0000

I discovered the mashup called “Where a Bill becomes law” at Http://www.whereabill.org. You can follow the progress of a bill. For example, for America’s Climate Security Act of 2007 I learned about the content of the bill, when it was introduced, its sponsors, the current status of the bill, and found links to Thomas for official information. There is a link to Google Maps showing the Nort wing of the capitol where the senate meets.

Another interesting mashup I found is called “Follow the Oil Money”. This site tracks petroleum industry campaign contributions to members of congress and how congressional members vote. There are images that link the price of oil to global warming, local pollution, war and terror, Iraqui oil law, human rights, and debt and poverty. Very informative.

MyIdentityTheftExpert.com gives the latest statistics and threats to your privacy. On January 18, 2008 Neal O’Farrell wrote that privacy concerns are getting worse. A CSU study revealed that 61% of adults in the United States are concerned about privacy threats when buying online. He reports that 2007 was the worst year on record for data breeches. To protect yourself give away as little personal information as possible. On February 1, 2008 MySpace was hacked. The hacker stole more than half a million images from private sites. Don’t assume that anything you post on your private site will ever stay private.

I discovered that mashups are another helpful source of information on many topics.

Web 2.0 101 Week 7 Podcasting and Online Hosted Videos

exemplary1 — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:17:22 +0000

It is so exciting to know how to get Podcasts and use YouTube after hearing about them for so long. I signed on to The NewsHour podcasts and found some library ones as well. Libraries can use podcasting to orient new users or to alert patrons to current library events or to changes in resources. People can listen and learn whenever it is convenient for them. This same principle applies to online hosted videos like those hosted at YouTube. Of course, the videos have greater application because you can see as well as listen. The Galter Health Sciences Library at Northwestern in Chicago posted their video giving a tour of the library and some of their collection of old medical instruments. This was a fun way to become acqainted with the library. Recently the database vendor for OvidSP changed the search interface. The library could post a video to YouTube to show how to search the new OvidSP. Offering educational material via podcasting and online videos makes it so much more accessible and convenient for people. Of course, you are assuming that the sound and visual quality will be acceptable and that people have the equipment and skills to access the information. Given the millions of videos posted and accessed this is most likely not a problem for the younger generation.

Web 2.0 101 Week 6 Online Photo Sharing

exemplary1 — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 23:05:24 +0000

This was a lot of fun despite the fact I encountered some problems. I first tried to set up a Flickr account via Yahoo. This just did not work so I chose Google’s Picasa instead. This worked well and was easy. I had no trouble creating my album. Placing the photos on my blog was very successful. I discovered that I could not use the photos section in Facebook to add my photos from my Picasa album. Apparently, I had to download javascript and my IT department at work does not like that. Photo sharing utilities provide a way to enhance library pages and create interest. It provides any easy way to share photos with other librarians or other working colleagues for different projects.

Scene along trail to Dream Lake in RMNP

exemplary1 — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:41:44 +0000

Click the link

href=”http://picasaweb.google.com/rustydog1999/RockyMountainNationalPark/photo#5190592737586628402″> src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/rustydog1999/SAiwmAmSxzI/AAAAAAAAABw/ziejCbTOeDg/s144/12-27-2007-024.jpg” />

Web 2.0 101: Week 5 Web Office Tools

exemplary1 — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:11:44 +0000

Google Docs rocks! I can think of so many ways this will simplify the process of collaboration. For example, I have a journal club for which I write a summary of the proceedings. Google Docs will make it so easy to share the summaries for reviewing and editing. Being able to share text, spread sheets, and presentations by storing them on the Web saves so much time, is so easy, and makes them so accessable from any place with Internet access that it seems like a no brainer that it will be the way work is done in the future. THANK YOU for helping me to learn about this wonderful tool.

NICU EBM Powerpoint Presentation

exemplary1 — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:53:05 +0000

http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dd9sqqh6_6dhq59w8x

Web 2.0 101: Week 4 Social bookmarking

exemplary1 — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:59:22 +0000

Delicious is a great way to access my bookmarks from any computer and save them in a fashion that makes sense to me by use of the tags. I can share them easily with colleagues, family, and friends, too. Delicious is valuable for discovering information on a host of different subjects that other people have found useful.

For serious research I think CiteULike has wonderful potential. I am part of a Neonatology journal club. We have been looking for an inexpensive tool to help us with discovering, saving, and sharing articles. I believe CitULike may be our answer. This is a very exciting tool. I look forward to discovering more about it and using it.

MLA 2.0 101 Week 3: Social Networking Tools

exemplary1 — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:06:52 +0000

I have completed week 3 of the Web 2.0 online course. Now I know what people are talking about when they refer to their friends on Facebook. MLA members can use Linkedin to keep in touch and track mutual activities of interest or find prospects for career development or contact other MLA members about available positions. I believe Facebook is not the best vehicle to inform the public about the library and its staff. I think a library web page serves that purpose better. Individuals using social networking sites must be aware of privacy concerns when using these tools. Just recently there have been stories in the news about people being harassed or individuals who wish they had been more discreet about the information and pictures they chose to post about themselves. It is almost impossible to remove information from the internet once it is released. I am glad I had the opportunity to discover Facebook. However, I believe a person must be very careful about what information they choose to publish about themselves.

Post on Blogs and Wikis – Web 2.0 101 Week 2

exemplary1 — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 04:56:00 +0000

Wikis are tools designed for group collaboration. They allow any number of different individuals to contribute to the creation or exploration of a project. And what is so wonderful is the Wiki tracks all of the discourse and edits for you. Wikis are ideal for document management or for building a knowledge base.

Blogs allow people to publish their personal thoughts or experiences regarding a particular subject on the Internet. They are like electronic journals or diaries. They provide instant publishing of your views. Blogs are well suited for expressing your views on current events or publishing your beliefs on a subject or person

MLA CE Week 1 Post

exemplary1 — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:13:08 +0000

I am very excited and pleased with this course. I have learned so much! I have created my own blog and successfully set up several RSS feeds. RSS feeds for journal contents can update physicians on the latest articles from journals in their specialty or an RSS feed of a PubMed search is any easy way to track the latest literature on a clinical question. An RSS feed on the library computer for the latest health news from MedlinePlus would be a nice service for patients and their families. I can use the RSS feeds from the course blog to track comments from others about the course. THANK YOU for offering this class.