23. Summarize your thoughts about this program. Copyright, Creative Commons, and CONGRATULATIONS!

23 things is a great introduction to Web 2.0.  Going into this en devour I thought I was a know it all when it came to blogging.  But I have learned more that I thought, and still trying to grasp some of the ideas.  I found great websites that you can personalize graphics.  The web is full of photos, but many hold copyrights, so if you are using them for profit, you may run into problems.  Contrary, there are many free high quality images.

I learned the importance of keywords and tags, and how they are key in directing users to your information.  Along with blogs which let's one stand on their soapbox or praise a celebrity, now there are ways to add audio and video.  You can be your own broadcaster, though keep your production values high.  Don't you hate bad lighting and shaky digital cameras.  Web 2.0 is multimedia that is sometimes organized well, sometimes a mess.

My greatest challenge so far is posting to blogger.com from other "share" buttons on from other websites.

22. Explore eBooks and Audio eBooks

In the old days, Audio e-books were the back section of a bookstore or library, where books were on audio tape and CD.  E-books are the beginnings of the digitalization of print.  The Gutenberg Project is amazing!  And it is free.  Part of the project is accessed at http://www.worldebookfair.com/

When a book loses its copyright, it becomes public domain, and therefore can be reprinted for free.  You can find most classic novel for download.  If you prefer not waiting 100 years for the free version, of course, you can purchase books to read on your kindle, if you luckily have one!

If you prefer your literature read to you, a menagerie of classics are freely available from "Peter Rabbit" to "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."

Free Classics!

21. Podcasts (No iPod Needed)

A podcast is like talk radio.  Well, it could also be musical, but most podcasts seem to be spoken.  Now we have video podcasts.  So in effect, get your Hollywood cinematographer, podcast yourself and you may be the next Justin Bieber.  The best part of a podcast is that is it anyone can broadcast.  It's a great way to spread information quickly.  Again there is a popularity contest, with the most know brands ahead.  It's similar to posting a video on youtube but podcasts have a more professional sleekness, to in my opinion.  That is probably because many mainstream media outlets have podcast to view for free.

19. Take a look at LibraryThing and catalog some of your favorite books.

This was my first introduction to LibraryThing.com, which is a book lover's dream.  It reminds me slightly of the Interenet Movie Database, but for books of course.  You can search by title, author, or keywords.  You can connect with others whom have added the same books to their online"virtual bookshelf."  You also can read and post reviews of the books.

Everyones Favorite.

16. Learn about wikis and discover some innovative ways that libraries are using them.

The most well know wiki is Wikipedia,  a innovative world encyclopedia than anyone can edit.  Wiki is Hawaiian for hurry hurry, and adopted by the computer world, wiki being a webpage that anyone can edit, add to.  Simply it's a collaborative website, very much in tune with Web 2.0's interactivity.

Wiki's being a 2 way street of information have their pro's and con's.  The good part being that anyone with or information on a subject can add their knowledge to the "pool."   The con is that unverified or unaccredited information sometimes gets through.  The user therefore needs to use caution when searching for reference on a wiki.

15. Read a few perspectives on Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the future of libraries and blog your thoughts.

Where will the next generation Web take libraries?

http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/1.htm

In this article by Tom Storey, Web 2.0 is described perfectly the "principles of simplicity, rich interactivity, user participation, collective intelligence, self-service, novel and remixed content—Flickr, MySpace, FaceBook, del.icio.us, YouTube, LibraryThing—to name a few."

Way back in the mid '90's, no not 1895, but around 1995 when one would use the internet, myself included, would just visit a few pages, find pictures, and check email.  In retrospect there was not much interactivity.  It was more a one way street of information flooding towards you.

Today, the internet is more dominant in our daily lives.  Major institutions, business, school, and political now offer services via the internet.  But more than that, such sites as Twitter and Facebook, we are uploading our own information.  And then others can add to them.  Now the information superhighway is 2 lanes.  Can't wait for Web 3.0?  

14. Explore Technorati and learn how tags work with blog posts.

This was my first visit to Technorati, and I was enthralled with it!  Just like your favorite TV shows are being rated for popularity, so are blogs.  Who knew!  Most of the top blogs are entertainment, political, or technology in nature.  "The Huffington Post" is currently the #1 blog.  (I do enjoy her blog).  With most types of information and media, there is always a popularity contest, mainly for money and advertising.  The blog is set apart from most other media that anyone with a computer and internet connection can publish one.  The "any-man" now has a greater chance of being heard.

Tags are important, because they lead users to your page.  Tags are basically keywords that one uses for the subject they seek.  The goal is to get a user to your blog with a tag, since they may be interested in your information.

20. Discover YouTube and a few sites that allow users to upload and share videos.

I could not resist adding YouTube.  I discovered this site about 3 years ago, and have been a fan ever since.  There are mainly two types of video material, personal video made by the public, and professional material such as music videos, TV and movie clips, which sometimes infringes on copyright.  A great use of YouTube, that I personally enjoy, is clips from past news reports.  This can give you a first hand account of historical events.

Obama Wins the Presidency! 2008

18. Take a look at some online productivity (word processing, spreadsheet) tools.

I have heard of openoffice.org which is a FREE downloadable software which is like a "generic" Microsoft Office.  Luckily, I have a version of Office on my computer, I certainly would talk advantage of this.

Another service that is really usable is Zoho.com which is an online interface that lets you also create Office like documents.  This is especially a great tool, because you can use any computer with internet access to bring up your documents and work on them, even collaborate.

I am still trying to use "post to blog," but my attempts so far have failed.

13. Learn about tagging and discover Del.icio.us (a social bookmarking site)

This was my first visit to http://www.delicious.com/

At first I was a bit confused on what the site was trying to do.  When you go to their homepage, you are shown a list of webpages that other's have bookmarked.  You can check by most recent or most popular.  It seems similar to me as Twitter, but with bookmarks.  You can see what is trending online.  When you add your own bookmarks, the site claims they will organize themselves, and you can bring them up on any computer connected to the web.

7. Create a blog post about anything technology related that interests you this week.

In our class tools there is a video explaining augmented reality, which was my introduction to the subject.

With most new cell phones, a camera is included.  Imagine pointing your phone at city block, and pops up superimposed over the image, information; what are the stores, hotels, bars, entertainment, restaurants, reviews, ratings.

In the future, will we wear sunglass that are capable of recognizing people, and giving you information on them, as you scope the landscape.  What are the ethics?  What would a capitalistic society use this for?

10. Play around with with an online image generator.

Online generators are fun for sure.  Some of them are kind of "cheesy."  But I did come across some that were usable.  They are great for adding personalized graphics to a blog.  I think kids would have the most fun using these for creative projects.

6. Have some Flickr fun and discover some Flickr mashups & 3rd party sites

6. Have some Flickr fun and discover some Flickr mashups & 3rd party sites.
I have to find out what all this mashup is about!
 Mappr - takes Flickr images and allows you to paste them on a map.  Mappr seems to have merged, and no longer works.  I personally like Google Earth best.  Not only can you zoom and rotate around the world, but you can see street views in a virtual reality.  

Ground level view of my N.M. desert retirement land.

 Flickr Color Pickr - lets you find public photos in Flickr that match a specific color.
This site is really interesting, especially to artists.  You pick a color on a gradient scale, and photos of random objects pop all in that color.  It's practical uses are limited but for creative projects I can see where this tool would add to layout.

Cool Blue

 Montagr – create a photo mosaics from photos found on Flickr.
Discover more mashups, web apps, and Flickr tools.
I tried making a mosaic from my own photo, but was not able.  Montages and Mosaics are multiple photos on the same "keyword."  Sometimes tiny photos create an illusion of a larger photo.  These are good for design and making posters.  My favorite site was Montage-a-google

keyword "saluki" (dog breed)

Things 3 & 4 & 5

I will be using the School Library Learning 2.0 from the California Library Association's 23 Things.

http://schoollibrarylearning2.csla.net/2007/02/23-things_27.html

3. Set up your own blog , add your first post, add an avatar.

Avatar: Literally.  How could I resist.

Yea! I have added my first post and added my avatar (or online persona).  Posting blogs is rather easy.  The most complex part is getting the layout, colors and schemes together, but it's fun.  The interface is similar to online email, rich text based, where you can change the font, color, add photos/movies.  Making changes is also easy.

4. Register your blog and begin your Learning 2.0 journey.
My first impression of a blog is an online diary.  It is in a way, but the posts can be anything, not just your thoughts.  For example, the LIS associations and bloggers we have been following post articles.  This makes the blog like a newspaper.  And the added benefit is that the publishing is instant.  Wow what would they have said in the 16th century!  Plus blogging makes anyone a "journalist." This has huge social implications.  Just look at the social media's part of the current Egyptian revolution.


Now I am beginning to see this form of expression as a Web 2.0, where information flows both ways, not one way, like the media was in then past. 

5. Photos & Images Explore Flickr and learn about this popular image hosting site.  Flickr is certainly the best site on the web to find photos on a keyword.  It is the best place on the web to show off your photo whether it be a vacation slide, or a model shoot.
Just look above and there is the photo I downloaded from Flickr.  I am hoping since this is an educational endeavor, I am not violating any copyright laws.  Flickr is great because you can practically find any type of photograph, or even photo-textures.  Many of the pictures are from professional photographers, so you can find high quality images.  Like I mentioned before many of the images do have a copyright, so be careful when using.

Kenny's 23 Things

This is a blog for LIS5020.721S11: Foundations of Lib/Info Sci at USF.
The goal is to learn more about Web 2.0