Ok I fought the MYSpace bug for years. All my friends (my nice responsible professional) friends were griped because I did not have a myspace and they used it to communicate gatherings or church going ons. So I buckled down and created an account. I must admit I was hooked for a few days, creating my page and such. Then the love was gone. I rarely log in.
What I don't like about alot of these sites, is that I have to create a login to view anything. And I don't like wasting space on a site by grabbing a name and creating a page for a website that I will not use. I know if there was a place that I wanted to join and there was a user name that I wanted...I would be disappointed if it was taken by someone who took it just to use for 30 minutes. So needless to say, I didn't sign up for any to view.
However, I do like the HGTV rate my space. It has some wonderful ideas and it is nice tobe able tos end a warm fuzzy to someone.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Week 7 #17
I love technology. As a technology training assistant, I should love technology, it is my job. My family jokes because I will hesitate to spend any money on clothes/make up etc. But when a new gadget comes out...I wait in line for hours and justify the money spent.
I can't imagine my life without technology. I wake up in the morning to the sound of the alarm on my smart phone. Instead of hitting the snooze button, I hit the email button and check my emails before I get out of bed. As I drive around town, I listen to an audio book. If I am sitting in line to pick up my child, I read an ebook or type an email. If I am at my brother's house, I can type up documents. I take pictures of my daughter or something that I see as funny at any time. I also, record videos of her swimming or just kidding around with her friends. I listen to music as I bike or walk. I track my weight watcher points. I play bejeweled when I am bored. I go online and read news or shop. All of this is done from the convenience of my phone.
In the morning after I leave my child at school, I log into my computer and work on a computer 500 miles away in Dallas, via remote access. I log onto websites and check claim status for patients, more than 30 claims in an hour. When I use to call into insurance companies, I would hold for 30 minutes and then talk to someone who said they can only 3 claims per call. Patients call me on a local Dallas number and I answer it in Seabrook because my phone lines are VOiP lines and for no extra cost I have 4 phone lines from 4 different parts of the country/continent so that people can make local calls to me even when I am not local. My stepchildren call a 905 number that rings on my home phone in Seabrook, at no extra cost.
When traveling to Canada to visit family, I can extend my visit because I can work from anywhere in the world....Well at least I use to be able to but I work for the county now and I have to limit my time.
Which brings me to the big draw back of technology....socializing. I could do everything from home and interact with people via chats, phones and emails but I missed the smiles. I missed the feeling you get when you see someone and their reactions to your stories. I missed hearing laughter as opposed to seeing "LOL". Because of that, I had to get a "traditional" job that allowed me to interact with people.
My fear is the youth of today have been so exposed to technology and so far removed from true socializing that they will become impersonal and not value life and companionship as much as my generation does. My daughter is 11 and she prefers to text message than to hear the voice of her friends. She prefers to chat online than to visit with a friend. And I find such a lifestyle can lead to being a harsh or less loving person. I have been on online posts and people can say nasty things. Things they probably wouldn't say in person but because on line posts are so impersonal, they say malicious things. Now I am not saying , all people do. But I must admit, I have said things online that if I was having the same conversation with that person, in person, I probably would have handled the conversation differently.
Technology is great. I just hope we don't replace human companionship with a keyboard and a monitor.
I can't imagine my life without technology. I wake up in the morning to the sound of the alarm on my smart phone. Instead of hitting the snooze button, I hit the email button and check my emails before I get out of bed. As I drive around town, I listen to an audio book. If I am sitting in line to pick up my child, I read an ebook or type an email. If I am at my brother's house, I can type up documents. I take pictures of my daughter or something that I see as funny at any time. I also, record videos of her swimming or just kidding around with her friends. I listen to music as I bike or walk. I track my weight watcher points. I play bejeweled when I am bored. I go online and read news or shop. All of this is done from the convenience of my phone.
In the morning after I leave my child at school, I log into my computer and work on a computer 500 miles away in Dallas, via remote access. I log onto websites and check claim status for patients, more than 30 claims in an hour. When I use to call into insurance companies, I would hold for 30 minutes and then talk to someone who said they can only 3 claims per call. Patients call me on a local Dallas number and I answer it in Seabrook because my phone lines are VOiP lines and for no extra cost I have 4 phone lines from 4 different parts of the country/continent so that people can make local calls to me even when I am not local. My stepchildren call a 905 number that rings on my home phone in Seabrook, at no extra cost.
When traveling to Canada to visit family, I can extend my visit because I can work from anywhere in the world....Well at least I use to be able to but I work for the county now and I have to limit my time.
Which brings me to the big draw back of technology....socializing. I could do everything from home and interact with people via chats, phones and emails but I missed the smiles. I missed the feeling you get when you see someone and their reactions to your stories. I missed hearing laughter as opposed to seeing "LOL". Because of that, I had to get a "traditional" job that allowed me to interact with people.
My fear is the youth of today have been so exposed to technology and so far removed from true socializing that they will become impersonal and not value life and companionship as much as my generation does. My daughter is 11 and she prefers to text message than to hear the voice of her friends. She prefers to chat online than to visit with a friend. And I find such a lifestyle can lead to being a harsh or less loving person. I have been on online posts and people can say nasty things. Things they probably wouldn't say in person but because on line posts are so impersonal, they say malicious things. Now I am not saying , all people do. But I must admit, I have said things online that if I was having the same conversation with that person, in person, I probably would have handled the conversation differently.
Technology is great. I just hope we don't replace human companionship with a keyboard and a monitor.
Week 7 # 16
So I added my favorite Blog Spot to ihcpl wiki...Tim Holtz on Typepad....It is new but it is my favorite (this week) because I have been waiting for it for a while. I use Wikepedia quite often. I discovered it about a year or two ago. Or rather, my husband did and he shared it with me.
I wish I had more time to view everyone's blogs and their choices for their favorite blogs.
I love the parade of Avatars and the song...but I regret that my lack of time to view other blogs, leaves me stumped on who they belong.
I wish I had more time to view everyone's blogs and their choices for their favorite blogs.
I love the parade of Avatars and the song...but I regret that my lack of time to view other blogs, leaves me stumped on who they belong.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Week 6 #15
I found all these articles interesting yet difficult to follow. My experience in the library is very limited. I think I have been here for 2 months but prior to that, my experience in the library dates back to my college years...late 80's early 90s and only when I had to go.
So in regards to reference librarian, I fear I am a weak one. I do my best to muddle through the requests but I read these articles from the perspective of a patron. I do need help searching. Joe Blow walking in from the street has no clue as to what the library has to offer. And will only learn after many uses. The percentage of the community that comes to the library is small compared to the community itself. I see many patrons but many of them come everyday to study (they bring their own books from school or grab a book that is needed for school) or they sit at the computers writing emails and logging into MySpace.
How does library 2.0 fit into that forum? We seem to be encouraging people to stay at home and visit their library virtually. Don't get me wrong...my title is Technology Training Assistant and I LOVE technology but I think we are beginning the lose the social aspect of society. Case in point, my daughter, 11 years old, has been brought up in the technology age. She has had her own computer for 4 years and has learned to respect it but when her friends come over to play, an odd thing happens. she logs into my computer and her friend logs into hers and they chat online instead of face to face. Is that the future? Everyone order take out and stay at home and visit your library from there?
What kind of information will people find on their own? Can you count how many emails you have had forwarded to you from others that were forwarded as fact and when you research it, you find out that it isn't? We need librarians to help us laymen people try to weed through all the garbage. You are right, there is tons of information on the web and not all of it correct. Someone needs to guide us in the truthful direction and my hopes is that it is the librarians. Many of todays youth prefer visual aides such as videos or hands on work to studying with books or experiencing stories. I digress...I have changed the topic...let me pull back a bit. As for tagging, I love tagging my personal items but sometimes I have been tagged with bogus tags because some weird person finds it funny.
All I am saying is that I love technology but we can't sacrifice the human aspect of the library. Read my blog a few weeks ago about the sounds of the library. Those sounds weren't just songs playing over some speakers....those were sounds of life....sounds of people in a building. Leaving breathing people and not avatars.
So in regards to reference librarian, I fear I am a weak one. I do my best to muddle through the requests but I read these articles from the perspective of a patron. I do need help searching. Joe Blow walking in from the street has no clue as to what the library has to offer. And will only learn after many uses. The percentage of the community that comes to the library is small compared to the community itself. I see many patrons but many of them come everyday to study (they bring their own books from school or grab a book that is needed for school) or they sit at the computers writing emails and logging into MySpace.
How does library 2.0 fit into that forum? We seem to be encouraging people to stay at home and visit their library virtually. Don't get me wrong...my title is Technology Training Assistant and I LOVE technology but I think we are beginning the lose the social aspect of society. Case in point, my daughter, 11 years old, has been brought up in the technology age. She has had her own computer for 4 years and has learned to respect it but when her friends come over to play, an odd thing happens. she logs into my computer and her friend logs into hers and they chat online instead of face to face. Is that the future? Everyone order take out and stay at home and visit your library from there?
What kind of information will people find on their own? Can you count how many emails you have had forwarded to you from others that were forwarded as fact and when you research it, you find out that it isn't? We need librarians to help us laymen people try to weed through all the garbage. You are right, there is tons of information on the web and not all of it correct. Someone needs to guide us in the truthful direction and my hopes is that it is the librarians. Many of todays youth prefer visual aides such as videos or hands on work to studying with books or experiencing stories. I digress...I have changed the topic...let me pull back a bit. As for tagging, I love tagging my personal items but sometimes I have been tagged with bogus tags because some weird person finds it funny.
All I am saying is that I love technology but we can't sacrifice the human aspect of the library. Read my blog a few weeks ago about the sounds of the library. Those sounds weren't just songs playing over some speakers....those were sounds of life....sounds of people in a building. Leaving breathing people and not avatars.
Week 6 #14
Ok so I went to Technorati, with each search of learning 2.0 my responses became more within my requests as I did blog directory versus blog posts.
I went to the poplular ones and was surprised that the largest had less than 3000 members (Boing Boing) but I really didn't know what to expect.
I went to the poplular ones and was surprised that the largest had less than 3000 members (Boing Boing) but I really didn't know what to expect.
Week 6 #13
So I went on line with del and looked at some tags. I contemplated putting some bogus tags but decided not to do it. It could be useful for references. For example, I searched for HCPL and I found Harford County PL 23 things exercises and their blogs. I didn''t realize this was something offered to different public libraries. Very interesting.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Week 5 #12 ELF
So I created an account on ELF. I am not sure how it works differently than my HCPL account since I already receive emails regarding my due dates and I believe if we have requested a book, the system will automatically send me an email (provided that I have given the library my email address).
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