http://www.podfeed.net/rss/2.xml

Item 21 in Learn and Play was to learn about podcasts. I was not impressed. I went to both podfeed and podcastalley and couldn't figure out how to make any of the podcasts play. However, not one to give up easily I did scroll through the offerings in search of something that interested me. Not too much did. As I stated way back when, at the beginning of this adventure, I think the majority of blogging, podcasting etc is just regular people who want to be heard. Well, if you want to be heard, and understood, your best bet is to talk to someone, old school, face-to-face. There is no communication without emotion and body language. I believed that at the beginning of this odyssey and I still believe that. It's been fun but there isn't a lot that will engage me in the future.

I didn't really know a lot about You Tube until my daughter introduced me to Charlie. We love Charlie probably because his big brother an adorable accent just like my husband. It gives us some insight into what David must have sounded like when he was small. We watch Charlie and his brother all the time and the clip is most definitely a family favorite. Maybe it will become one of yours.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM

Revolutionary radically new or innovative; outside or beyond established procedure, principles, etc.: a revolutionary discovery.

We were asked to visit the Tooling Around blog on the CML website and comment on something which we had not learned about yet. I discovered Highlighter and I consider that to be revolutionary. It will certainly change the way I pursue my passions, books, movies, music cd's and all things new. I love to search sites like Amazon and Borders for new items which I may be interested in borrowing from CML, and Highlighter will make my life a whole lot easier. This is how it works: "Let's say you're browsing through Amazon and come across a book or CD that strikes your fancy. Highlight the title and voila! The text you highlighted automatically appears in the toolbar search box ready and waiting to be searched in the library's catalog."

Can things get any better? Today, I think not.

This exercise revolves around all the applications associated with Web 2.0. We were asked to visit Semoz.org's site and choose an award-winning application to explore. I decided to explore Wufoo, primarily because I really like the name:) What is Wufoo? Wufoo strives to be the easiest way to collect information over the Internet. Our HTML form builder helps you create contact forms, online surveys, and invitations so you can collect the data, registrations and online payments you need without writing a single line of code. I think the library would be able to use this site in many, useful and interesting ways. How about putting a small survey on the self-checkout stations, after patrons had checked out their items, asking what they like and dislike about the system. You could build a similar form for the CML website which could ask customers what they think of the reserves system. There could be a computer at each branch dedicated to patrons wishing to leave comments regarding the library and what we could do differently. A survey could also be inserted into CMLsi asking employees what our thoughts are, the possibilities are endless.

This morning I learned about Goggle Docs. This is a revolutionary concept which will make the sharing of information much easier. Recently my daughter and I experienced more than a little aggravation trying to get a resume from her computer to mine. She has Vista operating system and we do not. The document would not transfer in a format which we could open. Finally my husband figured out how to change the format of her document. All this trouble could have been avoided if we had simply used goggle docs. And we are three individuals with many years of computer usage between us! I think it will be useful for businesses but also schools, libraries and home. I have several spreadsheets at home, but like the ease of the templates provided on Goggle docs. I could see myself using them in the future instead of the old fashioned spreadsheet. I also liked the layouts for the online photo albums.

Today's word is acrimonious = caustic, stinging or bitter in nature; speech, behavior etc.: an acrimonious answer; an acrimonious dispute. I feel as if I just had an acrimonious dispute with the learn and play wiki. I had a devil of a time trying to figure out how to add my blog to the CML staff blog. However, once I found the Insert/Edit key all was forgiven and my blog has now been added to those of my team-mates, where it will either flourish or languish on it's own merits. As a new blog parent that is the best that I can do.

Wiki's? I love Wiki's. I had no idea they even existed, but now I know I can never go back. What a great alternative to the back-and-forth e-mail. As far as libraries are concerned I especially enjoyed the BookLoversWiki. The reviews are fun. It would be great if you could click on a title and have it link directly to the reserve function at your local library, wouldn't it? I also found the SJCPL Wiki very useful. The Homework Help was fabulous. Don't believe me, check it out for yourself at http://www.libraryforlife.org/subjectguides/index.php/History_Homework.

Library 2.0? What does it mean to me? I envision a future, if it is not here already, where patrons no longer visit an actual library to get the information they crave, they just power on their computer. I know this is already a reality since at CML one of the core group of patrons we focus on it the Power Users. These patrons have grown accustomed, rather quickly, to working in their pajamas, at any time of the day or night, and from practically anywhere. While I find this very exciting, I also have some reservations. I notice that the people around me are not actually communicating face-to-face. Everything is done virtually, chatting, making reservations, school, work, romance, breaking up. We are becoming a race who is in danger of losing the nuances of facial expressions and body language. I fear this will be to our detriment, but the train is rolling, so we can only get on or jump off and face a lonely future.

My word today is possibilities. That is what I think of when I think of Delicious. This is the first thing in Play and Learn that I think I will continue in the future. It is a real find. I am sure I am not alone in having a list of many, many, bookmarks which I have to search through each and every time I want to revisit a site. I am very excited about starting my own account and having a easier more cohesive way to access and share those sites and blogs which are most important to me. I also believe that the possibilities for using Delicious for research are endless. I believe that this will enable many researchers to bypass the months and years it takes to collect data and shape it into a cohesive format. Just think how much quicker advances and research will be conducted? The mind boggles.

Today we are exploring Twitter. I would like to recommend that anyone interested in learning more about Twitter check out this site: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6573999.html
as a Twitter virgin I found it extremely useful and full of helpful tips.

I visited the Learn and Play twitter site and was happy to see that there seems to be so much cooperation happening between employees to help each other through this process.

I can see the library using Twitter to inform patrons that thier reserves are in. It would be pretty much instantaneous and possibly not as expensive as using the phone system or e-mail?

Twitter seems fun but I am sure it can suck hours of productive time right out from under you!

My Twitter name is cmlblogger and I could see myself using this like a cell phone to let people know I am running late or where to meet for dinner etc.