Dance with the Devil

It's been a year!?

2008-12-09T15:58:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been a year since I posted to my own blog! Well, it's been a busy year! Work is great and busier than ever! Slammed by Budget cuts and losing staff and a lot of customers coming in wanting to apply for food stamps, unemployment, updating their resumes, it's a very sad state of affairs. This is a time when those who can, and can't, help others.

Luckily i've been able to continue dancing with my friend Susan so that's a very good thing. I've also started dancing Ballroom at the Star Ballroom on Atlantic Boulevard. I'm having a ball! (no pun intended)

Yes, this is all Library related because Susan and I dance in a room at the, currently being renovated, Fort Lauderdale Library, on the ARTServe side and Karen, who owns Star Ballroom runs the Driver Safety Classes Sponsored by AARP which we host at my Library. So you see, it's all related and it's all good!

I have to wish my family the best of holidays and more of the best in the New Year, 2009.

Everyone have great Holidays and a Terrific New Year!!!!

Facebook

2007-12-26T11:19:00.000-08:00

Facebook is extremely addicting! I don't want to stop working with it! I've found so many friends and groups! I've already gotten in touch with two friends within the first 5 minutes of having my account and inviting them to join me. This is such a blast! So many people, places and aspects able to be in one place at one time is phenomenal. Wow, what's next! I'm ready, if I can stop adding and playing on my Facebook space! Brilliant!

Exploring Overdrive

2007-12-26T09:37:00.000-08:00

Overdrive is extremely easy. There are myriad titles and subjects to choose from to keep the closeted customer away from the Library and very happy! This is one great way to reach out to those customer's that don't necessarily want or cannot come into a library building.

podcasting

2007-12-22T08:09:00.000-08:00

Podcast feeds are great, you get to pick what you want, I've participated in a lot of educational podcasts dealing with Weblibrary issues and have learned and applied a lot to my daily library routine. Podcasts can be personal and public and just a lot of fun. Here are some I subscribe to on my google page.
Joan

http://www.google.com/ig

Exploring UTube

2007-12-21T13:44:00.000-08:00

Utube can be good and bad. Of course we only talk in positive ways in the Library atmosphere so that is what I am going to focus on. UTube could always be used as a training tool for any customer or staff member on any subject. I think it's a resource that could save any entity loads of money, time and space. At one point PowerPoint Presentations were all the rage, now it's rss feeds, teleconference and web meetings which are becoming more and more prolific. With the advent of utube, we can actually have thousands of customers at one time logging in and learning what we know! How great is that? The simplest, downside, which we take care of a lot of, is the customer that doesn't have a computer and the size of the utube session. However, I've said it before, I'm sure there will be a way soon, the way technology is going, to make things smaller and faster and that includes utube broadcasts or sessions. What's your Library UTube? I'm a Librarian with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance, here are some clips from utube that I think are fun!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p3lPw3LmKQ

Web 2.0 Awards Exploration

2007-12-21T13:36:00.000-08:00

You know, the more I find out, the more I learn that there's always more 'out there'. I thought I knew a lot, well I can say now that I truly do. I will never know as much as I think I do. These award sites were amazing. The way they were put together. I look at them and then I look at mine and I search for my delete button! :D Hey, everybody has their talents, my mom is the visual artists, these people are the computer geniuses and I'm the performing artist. We are all different and special in our own ways. But, we're all good at our own specialty. This just isn't mine and I applaud the genius of these others who happily surpass my futile efforts going by in waves of technological dust! But I am having a good time! Wasn't this supposed to be fun?
Joan

Online Productivity

2007-12-21T13:27:00.000-08:00

My document documents my amazement! I'm an all-in-one kinda' gal and ZoHo Writer and GoogleDocs have it! Color me fat and happy all the way! You can read my giddiness in my doc...

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=dd8cxp87_0f672htf3&hl=en

Sandbox

2007-12-21T13:02:00.000-08:00

It was cool seeing everyone at the same place and the different blogs that are going on. Glad to know I'm not alone. This was a little tough what with all the steps but, it was a lot easier than doing code so I'm not complaining at all! With all the people doing this thing and all of us coming together like that on the one page it shows that we can certainly, slowly but surely, do it with a community.
Joan

http://nsulibs.pbwiki.com/Favorite-Blogs

So What's A Wiki?

2007-12-21T12:39:00.000-08:00

This was great! I found a lot of lol things on here so I'm very glad to know i'm not the only one who finds joy and laughter in what I've chosen as a profession. Or the fun that's made of it by others that just don't know what Librarians really do for a living. I really appreciate that the information is monitored but I also like that it can be edited, I mean we can't be perfect all the time! Plus, input from others makes everything well rounded.
I think, for libraries, wiki's are truly great. Why? Because a lot of times people, no matter what age, don't believe anyone would believe that their idea or suggestion or material proposal or whatever would be a good idea. Color it shyness, lack of knowledge, lack of social graciousness, interest, whatever! This would let every member of the community have their say on an anonymous leve and I believe this would bring out those that have good and some maybe no so good things out. Whether we use them or not but, we are hearing from the community and working directly with them on their wants and needs and what's the root of our mission............? The customer's wants and needs. I think Wiki's in Libraries for the community is a good start.
Joan

Rollyo

2007-12-21T12:14:00.000-08:00

Had another great time with this one!
Check this out, searching for a product that needs a review by different consumers?

http://rollyo.com/search.html?prevsid=335760&q=gps&sid=335760

Joan

LibraryThing

2007-12-21T11:30:00.001-08:00

Hold me Back!
I've had a LibraryThing T-Shirt for about a year now but, who knew! I had to stop myself on this exercise because I'm already hooked with cataloging my own books! I know I know, you can never have too many books but......I really can keep track! Whooohooo! Here's the merest scratch on the surface of some subjects I'm interested in......
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/j2rl1

See if there's anything you're interested in at my librarything, I bet there is!
Joan

Online Image Generator

2007-12-21T09:40:00.000-08:00

I looked at a lot of generators and finally figured out how the kids got all those cool things for their myspaces, AHA! Still, being a librarian I just couldn't pass up the dream of hopefully every librarian, one day to write my own book! Well here's a start, my own Book cover of my first Bestseller!

My thoughts about Web2.0, Library2.0 and where we're going.

2007-12-21T08:13:00.001-08:00

To coin some simple, well-known phrases "Onward, upward", "Bigger, Stronger, Faster" and, "Jim has accepted the challenge and the tape has destructed"! As librarians, at least in Broward County, bring it on, we're taking anything thrown at us and running with it. We're accepting all challenges, taking them on, beating them and improving them! Web 2.0 is tons of new technology online that we can use to enhance our already jam-packed databases and resources for both our staff and customers. The tools we're finding, and using, Blogs, Del.icio.us, Tags, Flickr, MySpace, RSS feeds, need I go on? They all keep us in the forefront of technology and in touch with our customers and lets us answer their questions and fulfill their needs as fast as they find out about them. In the same sense, Libraries aren't going anywhere because, as technological as we get, who's going to house the technology? We are. Who's going to teach those that don't know? We are. Who's going to house and maintain books that will be written about all this good stuff? We are! We even need more librarians to take care of all this stuff! Allay your fears, if you have any, of Libraries and Librarians going anywhere, what a load of flooey! Stand tall and know that we're here for the duration and be ready to jump on board the train ride of the future because the whistle just blew! All Aboard!

My thoughts about Web2.0, Library2.0 and where we're going.

2007-12-21T08:13:00.000-08:00

Tagging my Blogger

2007-12-12T11:33:00.000-08:00

I tagged my blog with libraries, librarians, dance, mornings. Can you find them? Are you interested in any of those topics? I'm interested in all of these because they are all combined in beautiful ways. I'm lucky enough to be a Librarian who dances! So I'm active in both parts of my life and you're welcome to share my life with me! Just bring coffee when you come because mornings are nothing without coffee, please.
http://del.icio.us/jsiefker

Tagging and Delicious

2007-12-12T11:18:00.000-08:00

This was really easy to do. All I had to do was follow the directions and I got my account with Delicious and my tag buttons on my menu on my computer! The fun part was exploring Delicious and some of the Tags!!!!! This is just like when I first started learning how to use the computer! I just start clicking on something interesting and it just keeps getting better and better with every click! Only, now, I don't get lost and Delicious and the Tag as well as combining all my favorites in one place really makes things easy!

Technology Education

2007-12-05T13:11:00.001-08:00

What I have learned about technology, not only this week but as an ongoing process, is that it is being developed at a faster pace than I am. One form is brought out, i.e. telephone with some music capability, then two months later after everybody buys that, companies come out with a phone like the iPhone. The iPhone is an all-in-one, phone-itunes-wifi-pda with video to go. Of course I buy one then I'm stuck because I'm too poor to buy the other. This time I waited. I'm pretty happy but, I spent a whole lot of money and now they are coming out with cheaper models that are easier to use and sooner than I know it, my wonderful do it all phone will be out of date and too big. So, technology is getting faster and smaller not bigger and stronger. I try and try to keep up but am always a step behind. On the other hand, some of the technology is so easy it just comes naturally! You do things you never knew you knew how to do and if you overthink them........that's when you do them wrong. So, just chill, take it slow and know, even if you are a step behind, you'll get there eventually during one of the upgrades of anything and be just like everyone else. Just like me!

Posting to anothers blog

2007-12-05T12:56:00.001-08:00

I thought it was a little wierd commenting to someone I didn't know on their blog. I hope I gave them good advice but I still felt strange. I know this is about sharing comments and thoughts, etc. but it's a lot different actually doing it live. You have to be really careful not to offend and watch the things you write because it's not like talking where you can inject sounds of feelings into your words. Just typing words can be misconstrued as opposed to hearing words with a certain tone to them.

Here's the link to the blog I posted to:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6362580517878763421&postID=8879982154773618990

Flickr Exploration Trading Card

2007-12-05T12:34:00.000-08:00

Whoops! I was so exited with my pictures on my map of the world that I forgot to include my trading card! Here it is and I'll pry my fingers from the fun of Flickr and move on to the next exercise in the 23 things.......here I come! Check out my cool card!
http://flickr.com/photos/20722713@N08/2089038773/

Flickr Experience 2

2007-12-03T11:42:00.000-08:00

OK! I did it! This is much better! Once I took my time and really buckled down I got it. I got some pictures and put them on the map and I even took one of my mom's paintings and put it there. She was pretty excited! It was really cool and the tags were pretty easy and it actually made the virtual catalog a lot easier too. I understood a lot more what they were driving at with the tags and the way one can broaden their search based on them is really amazing.
I like it!http://www.flickr.com/photos/20722713@N08/

flckr experience

2007-11-20T10:46:00.000-08:00

I was very frustrated by this exercise and I need to work with it more. With help I got this far....

Thank you lisa and debby! :D

flickr exploration

2007-11-13T07:52:00.000-08:00

Flickr is really cool. If there's a picture of something, anything that isn't in there I'd be surprised! I found a really cool picture that could go really well with my blog just by typing in a couple of words and looking around. I found librarians dancing at a conference! Take a look at: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/215/463051034_aaaa6956ee.jpg?v=0

Searching for feeds and making it public

2007-11-13T07:30:00.000-08:00

I learned a lot about feeds here and it was both extremely frustrating but stimulating at the same time. I learned there are different things that mean the same thing (rss link, atom link, etc.) and they work the same way. I learned different ways of saving links and of course my favorite is the easiest with putting the link in my Favorites and just clicking on that and it saves to my feeds. Oh Yeah!!
Making it public was very easy with a push of a button but if you don't know where that button is.....it could take hours!
This is my public bloglines list: http://www.bloglines.com/public/Flapper

RSS Feeds

2007-11-13T07:26:00.000-08:00

This was ok to do. I'm just a little confused because I now have a blogspot account and a bloglines account. You know me!! Two doors away and calling to ask where you are! :D

2007-11-12T11:49:00.000-08:00

How many movies are there with Librarians in them?