thing 23 - Fin

My absolute most favorite thing was the YouTube thing.
I. Love. YouTube.
It is the most fun one can have on the internet. I was able to connect with others through YouTube and posting video(s) that I knew would make people chuckle. I was surprised to find a few different sites that I will continue to use quite regularly, such as the online assignment organizer and my Google Reader.
I would definitely participate in this program again, and it all went pretty smoothly for me so I don't have any complaints or suggestions. It might be fun to add a thing about jazzing up your blog and different websites that provide templates for that.
My one sentence would be something along the lines of, 23 Things on a Stick really helped to enhance what I already knew about the online community.

thing 22

I learned a lot more than I thought I was going to through 23 Things on a Stick, although I had a basic understanding of most of the "things" it was really helpful to learn more about them. I didn't think that I would enjoy learning about some of the things such as Google Reader and the online "assignment calculator" but I use both of those tools a lot now. I don't feel that I need to plan to keep up with the technology seeing as how I am only 21 years old and I keep up with most technology because I have no other choice. I am planning on getting my masters in Library and Information Science and I am sure that will help me stay on top of a lot of new online tools. The easiest way I have found to keep up with technology is by having a 13 year old sister that talks constantly about a bunch of useless websites and new fancy bojangles. ;-) Other than that you just have to stay interested and find things that you like to do online, if you don't enjoy any of it then you are going to grow tired of it really fast.

thing 21

I am a member of Flixster and I pretty much only use it when I am bored and want to take a fun quiz online. The food sites interested me because I really love to cook and bake and I am always looking for good recipes so these sites seemed like a relatively painless way to find new items to make. I already subscribe to Epicurious.com and it is the most amazing site ever but it is more geared towards gourmet dishes and these other sites might be more useful when I am looking for a quick snack.
I don't think that I will be using Ning in the future just because it seemed kind of pointless to me, I didn't really understand the benefits of it. I do plan on using the food sites that I found online even though I already subscribe to a few it'll be nice having a couple more to browse through.

Thing 20

I have had a facebook page for the last three years and a myspace for as long as I can remember. Just for fun though I added a new group to my already awesome collection of groups on facebook and went with I have a not-so-secret crush on Grant Wilson...what the fetch?!, Grant Wilson being one of the Ghost Hunters on the most awesome reality show ever, Ghost Hunters. Its inexplicable but there is something about him that is just adorable, Dave Tango is definitely moving up in the ranks though if you ask me.
I think that facebook is definitely deserving of being the best and brightest of the social networks, I feel totally safe about what I put up on my page and it is a really fantastic way to keep in touch with people without having to make so much of an effort. And although I wish I could sit down and write all of my friends a beautiful little letter telling them how its going its just not possible when I work 30 hours a week and go to school full time.
The library MySpace pages that I looked at were pretty awesome, it is an excellent way to engage with a younger generation and get them interested in a library. I really liked the Hennepin County MySpace and how they allowed their youth "friends" to post video slideshows of things they did at the library, it was really a testament to how well MySpace must be working for them over there.

Thing 19

PODCASTS! I am a current subscriber to the World Soccer Daily podcast and I dutifully listen to it every day during the week to keep abreast of my favorite teams. It is an amazing podcast because it is funny and informative and a great way for me to keep up with soccer since most sports networks don't offer any soccer games...grrrrrrr! I use itunes because then when i plug in my ipod it automatically downloads the latest episode. I took a look at podcast.com and it was really easy to navigate around so I might use that in the future.

more youtube amazingness

just watch it.

thing 18

I chose this video because I know how much all my library cronies love the Lost. Everyone should watch it just for the Lost theme song that Jimmy Kimmel and "Charlie" make up, I know every time that I watch the show now I sing it in my head.

thing 17

I'm sure that these tools can all be very helpful when you are trying to answer even the most random questions that patrons come up with. I know that I use EBSCO a lot for finding "scholarly articles" to use in papers or projects for school, however I do not have much experience with the other tools that are listed here. As a library assistant I usually just hand over the reference questions to an associate.

thing 16

Holy Frack! Why didn't anyone tell me about these before hand!?! I am such a horrible procrastinator when it comes to anything to do with my schooling, and I find myself really missing the days in high school where every aspect of a project or paper was controlled by the teacher. I think that the assignment calculator can be a very useful tool for students, if only to help them stay on track.

Magnificent.....absolutely magnificent.....

thing 15

Second life is hilarious. It reminds me a lot of the Sims except with some actual "interaction" between other people. I don't see a real specific role for it in libraries, but to be completely honest the only thing I can think of when I am on Second Life is the episode of The Office that involves Second Life.



"back then my life was so great I literally wanted a second one"

oh Dwight.

Thing 14

Library Thing would be very useful for any library because it would be a fun and interesting way for the staff and other patrons to share their favorite books. The books in my "library" were all pretty popular except for my two favorite children's books that I added to it, which makes sense considering Library Thing probably isn't very popular amongst the kindergarten crowd.

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

thing 13

My google home page has a lot of useful stuff on it, my favorite widget for example is the "laundry countdown" clock which is really helpful considering how forgetful I am. I am a relatively old fashioned girl however and I have always found that when things are online I am way more likely to forget about them. If I tried to manage my life via google calendar or any other sort of online productivity tool I would be really fracked. If I am making a list or writing down an appointment it needs to be on a post it note or somewhere else that I can visibly see it and even move it around with me. Perhaps one day if I ever get to the point where I am online enough to justify using these tools then I might find them useful, however right now in my life they just seem like more of a nuisance than anything.

thing 12

I have been using digg for quite a while now, and although I love to spend hours on it messing around it can really kill any sort of momentum I have at the given moment. It is a big productivity detractor because it is so easy to get distracted by amusing news articles or funny web clips. If you are looking for a fun way to kill some time then I would definitely recommend a website like this or Stumbleupon but otherwise you are just better of searching for articles through a popular search engine.