Thing 21 Other Social Networks

I like Ning and I think that it is a good idea, but like most of these social networking sites, you need to have time to spend on it in order to get anything out of it. I like the idea that within a social network you can create a smaller and more specific social network. I checked out Flickster and that's cool. I use the "community" feature in Netflix with my sister and friends so I recommend movies for them and vice versa.

Thing 20 My Space

One thing I noticed at HCL's My Space page, or it might have been Denver PL's, anyway, was that authors could post announcements, like, "Hey, my book is coming out in just a couple days!" That a great, and free, way for them to advertise. My husband has a My Space page and he uses it in a lot of ways. He can exchange ideas, information, and thoughts with friends, and friends of friends, he can post announcements and get announcements from others, he can meet people, and converse with them. There really is a lot you can do with these sites. That YouTube Common Craft episode really did a great job of explaining social networking sites. I briefly had a My Space account but never used it and forgot about it. I think it is a great way for libraries to get in touch with generation that used Facebook and My Space. I think it's a great way to make announcements and to get information out to a specific audience.

Thing 19 Podcasts

I have not used / listened to many podcasts. I really like how Kristen Mastel, here at MINITEX Reference Services has used them. I guess I didn't realize that I could add them to my Google Reader service. I added The Current's Song of the Day to my blog and that was so easy! I thought that the podcast directories were really easy to use. I'm just not sure how useful they would be in my day to day life.

Thing 18 You Tube

You Tube can be educational but I really feel that is more for entertainment purposes than anything. I tried to embed a couple You Tube videos in my blog but it seems to keep cutting them off. I'm not sure why or what the fix might be. I like the video that I chose because it really demonstrates how things change and stay the same. It is so antiquated it's really interesting to me.

Thing 17 ELM Tools

The ELM Productivity Tools are great! I use search and journal alerts and the RSS feeds as well. The Web Page (Page Composer) feature of EBSCO is a great tool for teachers who want to easily incorporate articles, images, sources from the EBSCO databases into class reading. I use them all on a regular basis and I train teachers, media specialists, and staff on them as well.

Thing 16 Student 2.0 Tools

RPC and Assigment Calculator are great tools, especially for those students who need more detailed direction. I was always the type of person who got my work done the day it was assigned so I probably never would have use it. I do wonder just how many students are using RPC? I'm pretty familiar with both tools since I have had to present them as part of the Cool Tools for the State Fair and other conferences.

Thing 15 Games and Gaming

O.k. that was annoying. I created a log in, etc. for Second Life and then tried to install the software or plug-in or whatever and it said that it wasn't allowed because I'm not an administrator so I'm not going to try Second Life. Also, I don't know if I can keep track of another login and password. I also tried the Pirate game too and that took forever to download. For teens and some adults I can see how games would have major appeal. I have played online Scrabble before with my sister who lived in Milwaukee and that was great fun. It's another way to be social, without really being social. You can make up names, avatars, etc. so you can be anonymous. I think for teens it has such mass appeal because alot of them are at that shy, awkward, and uncomfortable stage so it's great to be anonymous or be someone else for a while.