CPL 2.0: Twitter

I remember when I first heard about Twitter. The idea that people posted updates about themselves, their lives and their thoughts in less than 140 characters seemed completely and totally ridiculous to me.

That was then.

Now, although I have three (3!) Twitter accounts of my own that lay unused, I have a few friends and others that I follow regularly on Twitter.

If I can't find very current information on websites or news pages, I search Twitter. It's often the first place that information is posted (and easily found) online. And although I haven't hopped on the "update my Twitter profile regularly" bandwagon, I love reading the updates of some of my good pals...especially those who can make me laugh (or cry) and think...all in 140 characters or less.

CPL 2.0: LibraryThing

I've had a LibraryThing account for a few years. I use it, forget about it, have had to have my password resent to me a few times, use it again.

When I first got the account, I loved the whole idea of having a place to keep track of the books I have read, the books I want to read, the books I want to re-read. I have endless lists...in books, on scraps of paper, in Word documents at home and at work...of books I come across and want to read. Like anything, it needs to be used (and used regularly) to be truly useful. I love checking out the LibraryThing profiles of friends...it's a favourite way to find new books to read.

More recently I've used GoodReads. I haven't yet figured out the major difference between the two, but I'm quite liking it. Perhaps I'll make more of an effort to make good use of it!

CPL 2.0: Online Productivity Tools

Google Calendar!

Okay I've had a google account for a long time. I've seen that calendar tab but have never really been interested enough to see how useful it could be. A colleague recently did a brief session on Google Calendar and I'm definitely going to look into whether or not I could use it to help keep track of my life.

The same colleague also covered Google Docs, which I've used frequently but only for Word type files. Spreadsheets and presentations? Interesting. I'll see if I can use those in the future.

I think that many people will turn to using "free" online productivity tools as opposed to purchased programs like Microsoft Office. This should mean that the software makers will improve their products so that they have more options and are more user-friendly than the online programs.

CPL 2.0: Flickr and YouTube

YouTube! I love YouTube. I discovered it soon after it had launched (I didn't realize it was so new at the time) because it was the place where people posted clips from a television show I obsessed over at the time. I soon checked it out as a place to find clips that range from acceptance speeches from awards ceremonies (Hugh Laurie pulling out names from his pocket on the Golden Globes) to portions of old (and previously impossible to find) television shows, commercials and music videos. I'm irritated and sad to see how often brief clips are taken down by copyright owners (large media corporations). I've come across many of my favourite ted.com clips through youtube links from friends.

I know many children who post videos to their own YouTube accounts...showing how user-friendly it is.

Several years ago I was an active poster and, in some cases, moderator, on several online forums. Posting photos on those forums meant finding a photo hosting website, such as Photobucket and Flickr. My first account was with Photobucket, I think. Since digital photography has taken over, most people I know use photo hosting sites or are at least comfortable using them. I have amateur photographer friends who have found a very supportive online photography community (as well as fans of their work) through this sorts of sites.

I can't imagine not having access to YouTube or photo hosting sites like Flickr. I guess that shows how useful I find them?

CPL 2.0: RSS

So. RSS.

I have a tendency to be somewhat ADHD/OCD, qualities that help me be a good reference assistant and researcher. These are also qualities that help me appreciate RSS readers. I have been using Google Reader for awhile. I signed up for a Bloglines account and so far it seems pretty similar to Google Reader.

There are many sites that I visit, fanatically, each and every day. RSS feeds and readers help me get my fill of my daily sites---quickly.

This CPL 2.0 exercise helped me discover that a few of my favorite sites (Roger Ebert's blog, anyone?) have RSS feeds.

CPL 2.0: Google Universe

Oh, and what a universe it is.

I still remember when I began to use the Google search engine soon after its launch. Even in its infancy, it was clear (especially to researchers and library types) that Google was something special. Oh sure, I knew my way around Altavista (and Altavista Canada) and when and why someone might choose the HotBot search engine over Lycos or Dogpile. We, the reference staff on the 3rd Floor, Central (then, the "Internet experts" of the library system), would regularly encourage other staff and customers to always use more than one search engine because of the varied results. Fairly soon after Google search was launched, it became our first choice of search engine. Soon after, we found we rarely ever found we had to use other search engines.

And so began Google's domination of the web.

I use, regularly, many Google products:

• Gmail: I've had Hotmail, Yahoo and Google mail accounts; they all have their own pros and cons. Gmail is one of the best webmail programs in my mind. (caveat: I had a gmail account a few years ago and ended up deleting it. I didn't realize that I'd NEVER be able to get back that username, nor that I'd lose my Google Docs as well---adding up months of my personal writing.)
• Google News: I was so happy when this came out. Weed though Google hits to just get current news? Excellent.
• Google Docs: Documents safe, accessible from any computer and easy to share with others? Brilliant.
• Google Maps: love it. It's my preference for driving directions
• Google Blog Search: Sometimes I only want search results on blogs. I use it often for both personal reasons and to help customers.
• Google Finance: a colleague (thanks Mark Smith) pointed out to us how useful this is for those of us looking for investment information for personal use or to assist customers
• Google Scholar: I use this constantly when trying to track down papers for ResearchPlus customers.
• Google Images: really, isn't this the first source for image searching?
• Google Books: I can't tell you how often we've been able to answer a customer's question from an authoritative source by accessing pages through Google Books.
• Blogger: I have started a blog or two. Perhaps some day I'll keep writing in a blog for more than a few months at at time...

I will say this: Google has no help email or "real person" assistance and I've been frequently ticked off at this. But the Google products are so good, I keep using them.

CPL 2.0: Facebook

Facebook, Facebooking, Facebooked.

It's remarkable how quickly a new technology can become just another integral part of your social life.

I've been a member of Facebook for quite a long time now. I appreciate how it allows me to keep up with friends and relatives more easily than email. I use it and do not consider it a time waster.

My daughter, H., just got a Facebook account a few months ago. We debated whether or not to allow her to have her own account, and eventually gave in when we realized it would be a way for her to keep in contact with old neighbourhood friends that she rarely sees anymore.

We've come to realize that although we are comfortable with how she uses Facebook (and for how long), we need to remember the implications of how quickly she can communicate with her friends.

An example: Recently we had a long discussion with H. about changing schools. This is a big deal for her and for our family and something that we wanted to keep private until we have made our decision. She eventually went to her room to do homework on her computer while my husband and I continued the discussion. After about 30 seconds a lightbulb went off in my head and I ran to her room:

Me: "Make sure not to mention the school issue to any of your friends."

Her: "Oh, I just told K. We're chatting."

Only thirty seconds had gone by and she had already passed on the information. I can't imagine not using Facebook, but I certainly hadn't forseen all of the implications of my children using it.

CPL 2.0: the Wonders of Wikipedia

I spent some time searching Wikipedia on topics on which I consider myself an "expert," and, alas, I could not find any factual (or even grammatical or spelling) errors on those pages. My experience with Wikipedia is that most of it's entries on popular topics are well referenced and edited.

The "Calgary" Wikipedia entry referenced the Mercer Quality of Life survey, but did not have the most up-to-date statistics. I edited the entry to include the 2009 Calgary result, but didn't take the time to figure out how to add an extra reference.

Today I was looking at the Wikipedia entry on "Canada's Top 100 Employers" competition and noted that the organization responsible for the lists--Mediacorp Canada Ltd--is not mentioned. I frequently note that Wikipedia entries contain spelling or grammatical errors, or that there are not proper references for the information. Now that I have a Wikipedia account, I'll likely feel a need to edit more entries like this one.

CPL 2.0: Social bookmarking with Delicious

Q: What are the advantages of storing, sharing, and tagging web content this way? What are the disadvantages?

A: As Delicious is the only social bookmarking site I have used, I'll look at the advantages and disadvantages of it:

Advantages of Delicious:

• Delicious is a relatively easy platform for listing, managing and sharing URLs.
• Creating and updating bookmarks is fast and simple, and Delicious allows users to make up their own, individualized tags and descriptions.
• Sharing a set of Delicious bookmarks is as simple as sending a direct link.

Staff at Third Floor, Central regularly refer customers to the Best Websites link on the E-Library page to look at the sites we most commonly use and recommend.

Disadvantages of Delicious:

• Reference staff often find the Delicious site to be quite slow. In programs and tours or when showing the Best Websites to customers on the desk, I generally open the various bundles in different tabs rather than clicking in and out of the site.
• If a Delicious site can be accessed by numerous people (i.e., CPL staff), there is a possibility that new additions or changes to the bookmarks may not be consistent with the information already created.
• The tags and bundles are created by knowledgable staff but may not always be useful or easy to use for every customer.
• People unfamiliar with the site may find it difficult to navigate.

I don't find the Delicious site to be remotely attractive or terribly user-friendly. As far as I'm concerned, the CPL staff have done a wonderful job of making the best of an imperfect (but necessary) resource.

CPL 2.0

And off we go.

Q: What do you hope to learn from CPL 2.0?

A: While I am familiar with all of the topics that will be covered in CPL 2.0, my hope is that the program will encourage me to make better and more consistent use--professionally and personally--of the various Web 2.0 options.

I think it's essential that all CPL reference staff are aware and comfortable with questions on these topics.