I can't believe I've forgotten to post this! I had a lot of fun doing the Web 2.0 stuff. It gave me a refresher of a lot of stuff I already knew how to use. And it was a great reminder to get back out there and use it more especially for the teens! I did get to see a couple of new things thanks to the Web 2.0 Awards. Let me tell you, I could have spent hours doing the hair/face mixer thing. Oh the small things that entertain me! So, thank Mary for putting this all together! I think it was an excellent thing for JPL to do!

So I wanted to try something totally new and quirkly and ended up @ Hairmixer.com. You can upload your own photo and paste it into different hairstyles, but I had too much fun doing the celebrety mash-ups! I wasted too much time with this one, but so much fun. Below is one of my mash-ups, can you tell who's hair and face I used?

Out of different options out there, Google Docs has to be my favorite. I've noticed more and more that I'm using it instead of word, especially when I write. It's so much easier to share w/something else when it needs to be edited. Instead of going through all the attachement steps, I just have to save, add an email address, and click send! And then the other party doesn't have to worry about if they'll be able to open it, readding the attachement, and all that crap. They simply have to hit save and let me know they're done! Ad viola, I have my edited paper/review/whatever.

I did like the embed feature that Thinkfree has. I may have to play around that one evey more and see how I can use it with the teens. I may be a great way to create and share documents (such as book lists!) with the teens.

I love the online book communities. I've done most of them at one time or another and my favorite is always changing. For the longest time nothing could beat Shelfari, but Goodreads has finally taken the lead. Of course, I think the only reason is may have taken the lead is because I can add widgets of what I'm reading to my website AND set updates to my twitter! And with all the playing I do in the book world this is a huge time saver for me.

Admittedly, I haven't been keeping up with it very much lately, but here is my Goodreads account if you want to see it.

I'm kind of torn on how I feel about Del.icio.us. On one hand I think it's an awesome tool. Making link lists/pathfinders for teens on Del.icio.us can be done with ease. However, because of the ease I find myself adding way too many links and my lists soon become too overwhelming. I'm still trying to work with it to find a happy medium. Maybe one day.

On a personal level, I can't see myself ever really using Del.icio.us. Maybe if I could get myself into the habit, but I'm pretty stuck in my normal bookmarking and usually forget to add something into Del.icio.us and basically defeats the point. I should try to work on it a bit, since I'm sure it would be more efficient than sending emails w/links to myself. Old habits die hard, I guess. Maybe some day.

I had fun looking through the available podcasts that are out there, especially in the TV/Film area. I have to admit I was kind of excited to see a Firefly/Serenity podcast listed in the top 50 @ Podcast Alley. However, I have found that I do not have the attention span to sit down and listen to one. It's much like audio books; I simply cannot just sit and listen to one without getting distracted/totally losing my spot. Maybe one of these days I'll add one to my iPod and try them on a long trip.

Can I just say that RSS Readers make my life much easier. I follow almost 120 blogs at the moment and I can't even imagine how much time that would take to go to each one individually. I also like that it's simple to add sites and that I can divide them up into different groups/tags. I like the freedom choosing which blog group to read first.

Now I've been through several RSS Readers and Google Reader is my top choice. It is any easier than the others? Not really, but since I do everything else via Google it's one less stop in my daily routine. I'm sure it doesn't save me THAT much time, but anything that can simplify my Web 2.0 tools is a plus for me

Man, I'm not sure what to write for this post. Technology has utterly and completely taken over my life. Almost everything I do is done through it. Shopping, music, TV, directions...it's all done through technology. Goodness, I remember a view years ago how I would be upset if I forgot to set my VCR to record a TV Show if I wasn't to be home. Now? No worries! I can just hop online and watch it there. And all the social networks? Don't even get me started! But I do have to say that thanks to MySpace and Facebook I have reconnected with all my high school friends. Sometimes it really does amazing me. And yet, I don't think I would have it any other way.

As many others have mentioned, YouTube is totally one of those hit or miss sites. Sometimes you can find awesome gems, but other times you wondered what you just wasted your time on. But when you have a site that allows anyone to post videos, well, that's bound to happen. It is also the kind of thing that makes YouTube fun.

I will also admit that I can waste hours on YouTube. I have about 20 different channels or so that I regulary subscribe to. Some of my favorites are Vlog Brothers, Project Lifesize, Julia Nunes, Meghan Tonjes, and Charlieissocoollike.

Below is one of my favorite videos. It's a kinetic typography selection for Paper Towns by John Green

Flickr has to be one of my favorite Web 2.0 tools. I think it's been instant love from the beginning! Of course, I'm also a shutterbug, so this makes complete sense. Although, what probably really sealed the deal for me was when I went overseas last year. I got that traveler's panic and worried that something would happen and I would loose all the gorgeous pictures I had taken. But with Flickr, I was able to go to a internet cafe each day and upload the pics I had taken. I loved being able to do this and made my vacation a little more carefree.

I've included just ONE of my favorite pics from Scotland. If you're interested in seeing more pics that I've taken you can see my photostream @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/awaitingserenity/

Ah, now here' something I could talk hours about. I love LOVE twitter. I know a lot of people don't see the use in Twitter, but for me it's a great networking tool. Every day I'm connecting with YA authors, publishers, librarians, and other book bloggers. In fact, I'm having lunch w/an author tomorrow/Sat because we talk on Twitter. While I would have discovered her book, I doubt I would have ever really talked to her if not for this tool. In fact, I doubt I would be talking to even a fraction of the people I do now if not for Twitter. The connections and convos I have made are invaluable. There is a lot of pointlessness on twitter, but if you learn to work it to your advantage it's a lot of fun & highly  addicting.

Now can it be used for the library? Absolutely, in fact, I've been trying to work on a teen on. I will admit I've been failing at updating it, but if you want to see it the username is jplteens

I know, know, Technorati is an awesome tool for bloggers to use, but honestly I find it quite overwhelming. I have claimed my personal book blog, but that's were my effort w/Technorati ends. As a user there is just way too much going on. And it all feels so cluttered to me, which just makes me want to run the other way. I did look at the popular area and not much really surprised me. I did find it a little odd to see some of the celebs that were in the top searches. I didn't think most were that popular anymore. Makes me wonder what people are searching for. Although, I'm assuming that they're only pulling Technorati searches...and then that makes more sense.

And while we're talking about things that can be useful but get no love...Wikis. I will admit that Wikipedia has been very valuable as a jumping point in my life, but i don't enjoy spending a lot of time on them. And have me make one? Listen to me SCREAM. Making them look pretty is not an easy task. And even basic editing can be hair pulling. Now, can there be good uses for them where libraries are concerned? Yes, and I think the examples blogs showed that well. They can be great tools for creating simple booklists, pathfinders, and general information. Now, are Wikis the best tool to use for these things? Most likely not. In most cases, a well design website works much better. But if you don't want to mess around w/code or don't have access to edit files w/ease, then Wikis are something worth considering. If you ever get a chance to play around with one, I would highly recommend it. It's a good tool to know how to use and I'm interested in seeing how they change form as technology grows.

So this blog is for the Web 2.0 project at work and posts will be focused on little beyond the assignments.

That being said I thought maybe I could give some tips for using Blogger...

1) DON'T....

Oh, wait, we actually sort of kind have to. Okay, then so maybe Blogger isn't my favorite platform but it was the easiest choice for this program. Having used Blogger many, many times before I thought maybe I could give some wisdom about blogging that I've learn in the past....

1) Don't type your work in Blogger! Use another application such as Word to type out your work first! You'll get better spelling/grammar check, plus you won't have to worry about losing a post. Let me tell you, losing posts are NO fun, especially not when your were almost done/done and have to start all over again!

2) Use lables! It'll help organize your posts and make it easier to fine posts on a certain topic.

3) Have fun! Blogging can be lots of fun once you get in the groove. I've made many valuable friendships through blogging that I wouldn't have made otherwise. Just take a deep breath, don't let your frustrations overwhelm you, and ask for help if you need it! I promise it's really not as hard as it may seem!

Until next time....