And we have finally reached the end of our journey of THINGS. The experience for me has been very different to what I was expecting. I am glad that i’ve benefited from this programme and it has actually exceeded my expectations. The main thing i got out of this was that the tasks were achievable, whereas initially i’d lacked the confidence and underestimated my abilities. This programme has taught me some valuable skills related to web 2.0, something that I may have not familiarised myself with if it wasn’t for this experience, as I probably wouldn’t have given myself the chance to explore this area further.

My favourite web 2.0 tools were mostly the one’s related to Google, such as iGoogle, Google Reader and Google Docs. Mainly because of it’s ease of use and it’s layout is very clear and organised. This is consistent throughout their products. I will also continue to use social bookmarking for work and personal use. I have enjoyed these tasks the most because they show how you can access and share various information stored at one point of source. It makes things more convenient and saves time.
I have been well aware of the social networking sites out there and I have mixed opinions on them. For example, I can understand to some degree how a site such as Facebook or Linked In could be useful for the work environment, but sites such as Twitter is taking things a little too far. If any site consistently has Justin Beiber as it’s hot topic, then you know something’s not right. However, my views would not necessarily reflect the view of others. But this just goes to show that some forms of web 2.0 will be better than others and everyone will have their own opinions about which can be used more successfully.

The photo sharing sites were interesting too, I have never used Flickr before until now and I think I will continue to use it. It has also got me thinking about other photo sharing sites that i’d used in the past and am now re-visiting again.
Not to forget that the blogging experience in itself has been a learning curve for me. I had never used WordPress before until I did this blog. I have made adjustments to the blog and added things as i’ve gone along and this has actually reinforced my notion that WordPress is the best option on the whole, to set up a website or blog.

To sum up the whole experience, it has been a positive one overall. And I feel that I am now better equipped with skills that will help and benefit me now at work and in future. I hope that you guys have benefited from this experience too.

I was not so familiar with the concept of widgets until I started this blog. Fairly early on, I wondered how people got statistical information onto their sites, because I’d heard some people mention things such as how many people had visited their site, what specific posts were more popular, from what site the reader was referred to their own site etc. This intrigued me and so I managed to install a plugin (Site Stats) on to my blog, which allows me to see how many people visit my site/blog. I also installed a plugin (Akismet Stats) that cleverly filters out anything that looks like spam (usually any comments that include more than one website link), so I do not need to keep monitoring any comments displayed on my blog.

I need to mention a point that as my blog is not on Blogger, I cannot use the ‘gadgets’ available there. So I need to use the plugins/widgets available to me for my ‘WordPress’ blog. The upside is that there are del.icio.us related widgets to use. I installed the widget, which was very simple to do. But to activate it was tricky at first, as I needed to go through the process of inputting a code into the widgets editor, in the specific place where I wanted the widget to be. But after some faffing around, I got it working so that readers can now bookmark any particular post on blog, when on full text version, not the summary page. Haven’t quite worked that out yet.

Also, I found a decent number of plugins available related to Flickr and opted for the ‘Flickr Photo Album’ widget. Unfortunately, I this widget was way too complex for me to apply successfully. It involved API keys and modifying the CSS of this particular widget. After almost an hour of problem-solving I did get the widget to work. However in the end the best I could do was put up a flickr photo album on my blog page, but the photos were not displayed properly on the side. Instead photos displayed in a way that they overlapped with other templates on the blog. I figured out that it wasn’t a problem with the widget but with the blog theme that I have. It does not look like it supports this kind of plugin/widget, which is a real shame.

Here is how it looked on my blog:

This is why I mentioned in an earlier blog that Blogger would be easier to use overall, but I wanted something a little more challenging (and I haven’t given up!). As the blogging experience itself has been a big learning experience for me along the way.

Thing 22 asks to add my delicious bookmarks to my iGoogle page. That was very simple to do, as I already have a google id and only needed to add a gadget. I opted for the recommended one “My del.icio.us” as it had a really good rating. After adding my username to the edit settings option, I was all set and done. As I am already happy with the idea of having an iGoogle page, I think having the most recent bookmarks there is a great idea. Who needs Twitter eh. Ok lets not start that again haha!

Wowww, 22 down, 1 to go!!

Thing 19 is all about Google Docs. The application is pretty simple to navigate through and use. The advantages I can see of using this are similar to that of bookmarking sites. If you want to share a document with someone, there is no worry about whether the file(s) are on your own personal computer or is at home, as it would be accessible anywhere where there’s an internet connection. In the library world, it would helpful to share information with one another about Libraries and anything related to the field and it makes it easier to access it from one source.
However, again one would argue the point that this could be done through email. But through email, it would take much longer and you’d have to physically select all the people you’d want to share this info with. Whereas with something like Google Doc, the same information would be available in one place where anyone with permission to view the documents would be able to do so with ease. I like that Google Doc gives you the choice of who can or can’t view the file.
The link to a Google Document of mine that i’d like to share. It’s not anything library-related, but an interesting quote that’s clarified further, when certain words are highlighted in different ways:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AZ1ADPAcwwOaZGdzam5rNXJfMWhmcmJtNGM0&hl=en

So the next thing is all about the site ThinkFree. Ok I have to say there was an immediate downfall with the site; as it relies heavily on java, the site takes so long to load up its pages and is very slow in general consequently. And personally I think the more simple it is the better. Ease of use and navigating was one of the plus points for Google Docs.

Overall, I would say Google Docs would be a better choice, but I am not too sure about how good it is with more complicated documents that included things other than text. I will try it out when I get more time. Also I don’t think it would be a good idea to upload very personal or confidential information online on any kind of source (regardless of how trustworthy it may be), just for safety purposes in general. But for information that can be shared with everyone, I really like it very much and see myself using it regularly.

I think Wikipedia is one of the best forms of web 2.0 tools out there for quick information about anything and everything. Of course it’s not the most authentic source of information, as anyone can contribute and edit a wiki post and the administrators would not be able to keep up with the monitoring of what information is being published. But on the whole, it is a great place to gain knowledge and it’s the first port of call for me if I want to know more about any particular thing. It brings back memories of how heavily my generation relied on digital encyclopedias such as Microsoft Encarta and how much things have changed now; Encarta’s premium version had 62.000 articles. Wikipedia has 3.2 million english articles, 15 million in total!

I have contributed to a few articles in the past (I started the article based on a ‘Spoken Word’ Poet named Brother Dash some time ago) but haven’t done any more than that. I had a look at the Oxford web 2.0 Wiki, in particular the case studies section for the libraries. I noticed that the Sainsbury Library made use of the main tools in web 2.0 and also that the Bodleian Law Library was also making great use of the tools available to them. I saw that the SSL page was up-to-date to the best of my knowledge, so I couldn’t contribute anything further to it.

In general I think it is a useful way for libraries to collaborate with each other and see how people are implementing web 2.0 tools in their own libraries. But I have to say i’m not too sure about the layout of wetpaint for Wiki pages, as the adverts are too distracting and makes the overall appearance of the pages look shoddy. Maybe another platform would be a better option?

Up until now I have never had the intention of joining Twitter. But I am always willing to try out something before I judge it. Unfortunately (or not?), my views about Twitter have not changed.
Right… Now I really want to vent out about how much I dislike Twitter, but i’ll hold back for the sake of not offending existing ‘tweeters’ and get on with the task.

*breathe in, breathe out* ahhh… That’s better.

The task was to set up an account on Twitter and add a ‘tweet’. Done that. Was simple enough. Then I needed to add people to my network. I joined a few groups including the ‘library of congress’ and added another ’23 things’ member. I also engaged in a conversation with him and also included a tweet on the ox23 topic too. I think that’s everything done. I don’t think our libraries can really benefit from a Twitter page. Except maybe as a tool to provide the latest updates, where people can subscribe to the feeds. Otherwise as a channel for putting across information, there isn’t anything new it can offer. And if there is any new information that students or staff would benefit from knowing, wouldn’t communication via email be better?
No, I stick by the fact that Twiiter is quite frankly a complete waste of time, for people who get bored very easily and have no actual life, other than a virtual one. Oops, couldn’t quite hold back. Sorry.

Thing 14 is about the professional website ‘Linked In’. This basically follows the same format of other social networking sites, but the difference here is this website focusses more on the professional side rather than the ‘social’ side. Here it’s main focus is helping people in the employment sector, providing the necessary tools to aid the likelihood of employment (both as a means of looking for and providing employment and/or training etc)

If I think of how this can be useful for the libraries, it would be good for advertising job posts. With the Social Science Library for example, this would be quite useful as they do advertise jobs available more frequent than other libraries.
I have signed up to the website and entered some information on to my personal profile. I personally don’t think I would be using the site at this point in time, as I am already currently in employment. But I can see how this would useful for people who are searching for work/training. Although, i’m too sure about random people knowing a lot about you through your profile. I haven’t had any stalkers yet though.

This is my ‘Linked in’ profile:
http://uk.linkedin.com/in/hennamirza

Thing 13 focuses on the world of Facebook. I became a member of the site early last year, just to stay in touch with a couple of friends, including my husband. I did not have any intention of using it extensively. Needless to say, I too got drawn into the facebook bubble and am now using it frequently. Not necessarily a good thing! But I still have (until now) managed to maintain the ‘healthy’ balance of the online world and the ‘REAL’ world.

As a tool used in the working world, I would say that Facebook is a good way of getting through to a much wider network of people and in a much quicker way too. It also depends on which field of work you’re involved in. It would be useful in a business sense, for the advertising and promotion of your product. Or in the field of education, it would be helpful as a means of spreading useful information. For example, in my field of work, a facebook page would be useful to show opening hours of certain libraries, their locations, education/library related links to other websites and references to specific resources etc. One can argue that that’s what the library’s own website is for. But by adding this information to facebook, it would be another way of creating awareness and promoting the Library. The chances of prospectives students or people/visitors generally interested in this field would find the relevant information through a networking site such as Facebook rather than by a search for the particular industry. Especially when considering people connecting on a global scale. Also, it would be far more interactive this way and you can connect with people who share a similar interest, which isn’t necessarily the case with a formal website. This way ideas can be shared on how we can make the most of the resources available to us.

Here is a link to my facebook account: 
http://www.facebook.com/henna.mirza

Ok, so the next two things on the ‘to-do’ list involved Podcasting and Youtube.

Podcasting is a new area of web 2.0 for me. From my experience so far, it seems to me that podcasting is a way of providing information to someone, but through audio/video means rather than through reading. This would be useful depending on what type of information the person wants to know. For example, if you want to listen to a series of lectures through podcasting, that would be different as compared to listening to general news or listening to an interview. Lectures would in my opinion be more interesting through the channel of audio rather than through reading notes. But one negative point would be that I wouldn’t be able to take in the information at my own pace through podcasting. Listening or watching an interview is far more effective through podcasting as compared to reading an interview on a website or magazine. In both cases you would feel more ‘involved’, because it’s on a more personal level and it gives more of an ‘interactive’ feel in these contexts.

However, in the case of general news/information, I would prefer reading it rather than listening or watching through podcasts. This is because, I would be able to take in the information at my own pace and be able to see any related links or stories to the information i’m reading. You would also be able to see other reader’s comments on the same topics of your interest, which wouldn’t be the case with podcasting.

After browsing around I have subscribed to 3 feeds; ‘Radio 1 Stories’ on the BBC website, ‘PSY 1010: General Psychology’ on podcast.com and ‘GeekBrief.tv’ on podcastalley.com

The next ‘Thing’ was related to Youtube. This task was very easy for me to do, as I am familiar with the website and have visited it regularly in the past 5 years or so; pretty much since it has been launched. I absolutely love this site and feel that for me personally, it has been the most entertaining, interesting and useful resource on the Internet. As a tool for Libraries, I do feel that it’s a useful form of communication and providing information. Our Library (Bodleian Social Science Library) uploaded a video some time ago on youtube that showed the effective use of video for educational purpose. It gives you a tour of the Library itself and shows how you can make the most use of it’s facilities.
Here is a link of the video, it’s quite humerous too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8POQ9YB7V0

I viewed the Channel belonging to University College London and after having a quick browse, it actually looks really interesting. They have videos on various lectures, demonstartions of different experiments carried out by the students and interviews by numerous staff members of the University. Impressive indeed.

I have an account on YouTube, my username is ‘MooMeowMin’ and have subscribed to numerous channels over time. You also have the option of saving particular videos on your ‘favourites’ section.  Overall, I cannot fault this form of Web 2.0

These two tasks focused on the world of bookmarking and tags. The idea of bookmarking, is that you can bookmark a website, kinda like saving a site on to your favourites page on a browser. The difference here is because you do it on your own account, you would be able to access these bookmarks from anywhere and any computer that has an internet connection. I think that is a really useful tool, for personal use and for sharing certain sites with others, as it makes it easier for you to find them quicker and it means you don’t have to try to remember all of the websites that you want to access or show others.

I have never used this feature before, so all this was new to me. I started by signing in on the bookmarking site ‘delicious’. As I already have a Yahoo! account, I did not need to register a new account, so that was convenient. After that I have to say it was still relatively easy to use, I bookmarked 5 websites including the Library I work at (Bodleian Social Science Library). It was not difficult to add any tags either. I liked that when I added a website to my bookmarks, it provided me with some options of tags I could add. For example, when I added ‘ManicMuslim’ to my list of bookmarks, it automatically suggested tags such as ‘humour’, ‘blogging’, ‘Islam’ to name a few. I think this feature is very helpful.
This is a screenshot of my account at the moment:

Thing 10 was still related to social bookmarking and tagging, but focused more on how we can apply this feature to the world of libraries. I added the ‘Sainsbury Library’ to my network, which was straightforward to do. And finally, I added a user to my account too. The layout on delicious is good, as it makes it simple to switch between your own personal bookmarks and that of others (which are shown under the ‘network’ tab). Here is a screenshot of the bookmarks on my network currently:

Personally I think this is a useful tool in web 2.0, both for personal use and for work-related use. It would be very helpful to use as a sharing tool between libraries in OULS, so they can all benefit from each other’s help and new ideas.

Ok so the next task was to edit my photos (that I uploaded on Flickr) using the photo editing/sharing site ‘Picnik’. However, as Google has recently aquired Picnik, the procedures for getting started have changed a little. Yet getting it started was not that difficult to do at all. Also, it seems at the moment that Flickr does not seem to be affected by this change. I managed to get my photostream onto Picnik with no problems. In terms of editing photos, I guess Picnik is good to choose, if you want some quick touch ups to the photos. Otherwise, it is very basic in what it can do.

Here is an example of a picture I edited using picnik:

Before:

After: