Thing #8 - part 2

I spoke too soon. I went into layout and simply rearranged the page element layout. I'm much happier with my slideshow now.

Thing #8 (Share Your Creations)

I uploaded some old vacation photos to Picturetrail. After experimenting with different formats, I decided to display my pictures on an acrobatic picture cube. It was surprisingly easy to do. However on my blog, the edge of my picture cube has been cut off. It looks like a margin problem, but I don't know how to fix it.

Thing #7 (Communication)

E-mail is such a fast and easy way to send messages. I use it both in my personal life and at work. It really facilitates group communication, and is a huge improvement over the old interoffice memos and routing slips.

Patrons can IM the Reference desk at our library. I have used IM at home, but not at work. Since it requires both parties to be using their computers at the same time, I prefer to communicate via e-mail. A few years ago, my children were IMing whenever they were using the computer. They have both switched to Facebook as their primary means of online communication.

Although I have texted, I'm really not a fan of text messaging. If I'm going to be using my phone anyway, why not just call?

Web Conferencing is a great way to provide information. It allows people who may not have the funds or the time to travel to participate.

Thing #6 (Online Image Generator)

This was another fairly simple exercise. I loved the Carleton College librarian trading cards. Author trading cards might be fun for kids. They love to collect things.

Thing #5 (More Flickr Fun)

This was a fun and easy exercise. I found a picture on Flickr and made a puzzle. Rather than upload the puzzle to Flickr, I saved it in a file on my computer, and uploaded it to my blog. I just felt uncomfortable manipulating someone else's picture, and then putting it back on Flickr. While I'm reluctant to put my own personal photos on Flickr, even though they can be marked private, mash-ups are still a great way to create posters and promotional materials for libraries.

Thing #4 (Flickr)

Lake Charlevoix Sunset 2
Originally uploaded by Andrew Morrell Photography

I tried several times to upload a picture from Flicker by pasting in the web address, and couldn't get it to work. Consequently, I'm quite good at deleting postings. I ended up going to the Flickr help page, registered my blog with Flickr and clicked the blog this button. I don't think this is a tool that I will use a lot. Putting my photos on the web just seems like a strange thing to do. I do think this is a wonderful tool for libraries.

Thing #3 (RSS)

I set up an account with Google Reader and added several feeds. It was surprisingly easy to do. This is a very convenient way to stay updated on news and areas of interest.