Week 6 encompassculture-global-bookclub.

Good to see that this was a British based site with links to Commonwealth books instead of the usual American pap.
I'm not to much into chat rooms and, discussions on what I like and don't like to read and am not to much interested in reading and hearing what other people think, just prefer to read well written book reviews or blurbs from publishers about up coming books.
The author index looked pretty comprehensive, but you could not search by name just had to scroll through alphabet (not something I could be bothered doing very often) and then the books listed and reviewed did not seem that up to date.

Was pretty hopeless at the quizzes I did try!!!

Have book marked site but time will tell if I have any great use for it.

Week 5 Slideshow

This is just another site which I found was one step to far. Information overload!!!!!!
Did look at a few library related slide shows and they seemed well put together and presented.

It could be useful in a library setting getting info to a lot of people in a fairly easy format. The site is easy to navigate around and most people with have no trouble using it.

Week 4 Tastespotting

Picked this picture for the simple reason that I felt like chocolate cake.

Site easy to use, but would I use it again? The chances are pretty slim when we have library shelves groaning with cookery books. Would I direct someone to it? again probably not would suggest that they look in a book first and failing that sad to say just google it.

Yes I personally would prefer library related tasks although some of the tasks have been interesting and made me look at sites that I would not normally bother with.

What did I get out of doing this exercise - sorry but not much to American and to many clicks until I got to the recipe.

Week 4.5 ...............

Dontanimated Comments Don't you just feel like this some days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Week 3 FeedMyInbox

Had no problems with this site easy to sign up and log on. Haven't looked at or used any RSS feeds since we encountered them in the 1st stage of web training. Just feel that they are information overload and I struggle now keeping up with the things I really need to know, but saying that I have signed up for Auckland and Wellington libraries blogs and will see how they go - never know I might get hooked.
Would only promote them to customers if it somehow came up in conversation.

http://www.aucklandcitylibraries.com/blog/booksinthecity.aspx
www.wcl.govt.nz/blog

Week 2 Picapp

Wow got a picture loaded at last. Certainly not the easiest site to use and would sure not recommend it to our customers. Sorry to say but google images are so much quicker and easier. Site does have some great photo shots though and is very easy to navigate around.

Week 1 Box.net

Well the start of web 2 again - oh what fun.

Signed up for an account with Box net all went well and no problems pretty straight forward to use.

Would I use it personally. No at this stage I would have no use for it and would probably not in the future, would use and external drive - viruses etc.

Would possibly promote to customers if they were in the habit of losing their usb drive or they had work they wished to share with other users.

Summary

Web 2 second time around has been much more manageable perhaps because we were now more comfortable with blogs and what they were all about. Enjoyed completing the exercises on Goodreads and Zamzar. Twitter is not something that does it for me and would probably not use in the future. Facebook I already use and will continue to do so. Music and free downloads seemed like a minefield, but I suppose if you were really determined you would spend the time and energy to find what you wanted but sorry not for me.

Week 5 - Music

My least favourite week and the reason for leaving until last. I lost the plot with pop music about the time of The Beatles and even today don't spend a great deal of my time actively listening to music.

Had a browse at AmieStreet.com, ArtistServer.com, ItsFreeDownloads.com and FreeAlbums.blogsome.com and Googled free music downloads and got 161,000,000 hits so am sure anyone with a little persistence would manage to find the music they were looking for, but I am definitely not qualified or knowledgeable enough to recommend sites to customers and could only point them in the general direction. don't think you need to be that techno savvy to find the music you want and then download.

Having a suggested list available to get customers starting could be of some use, although I think its just as quick to probably google music/title/singer you were looking for.

Facebook week 6

Week 5 will follow. I know a bit back to front.

I read in the NZ Herald that 46% of New Zealanders have a facebook page so it certainly makes sense that Manukau Libraries should also have one. If we are going to be serious about it though it should be extensively advertised - all brochures, receipts and all our advertising should be saying follow us on facebook, twitter etc. Unless we tell people that we are out there how many are realistically going to look for us.

I have had a facebook page for some years (when daughter overseas) but not something I use very often, but is certainly an easy and convenient way to stay in touch, especially as you can publish photos and let all friends see.

Would I promote to our customers? Some maybe, but I think people who are into the whole social networking thing would find us and use it if they knew it was there. Personally I would not use unless this was the way we were going use to promote books etc., but hey we have a web site and shouldn't we be promoting that first??

Goodreads Week 4

Spent quite a bit of time exploring this site. I found just about every author and title I searched for. Would definitely use this site and would direct customers to it. Would prefer to use our web site to save book lists and info about books and would rather direct customers to use our library site for keeping there book lists etc.

I'm not into blogging and don't feel I have to tell the world what I think about books I read. Would not join groups for discussions etc,. but will take a peak at what people are saying about books that I am interested in getting around to reading someday.

Like the way this site showed you books by the same author when it found the author/title you were looking for.

Goodreads LIbrarians - has links to to some greats sites and will bookmark and use again, also like the popular lists and am sure these could be useful when looking for inspiration for displays.

Twitter and tweeting

Everywhere you seem to turn these days someone is talking or writing about twitter from movie stars to polictians. Up to now I have gone yawn yawn ho hum get a life. Have now completed my own twitter account and tweeted to Manukau Libaries, and signed up to lots of book related twitter sites.
Would I promote it? probably not
Would I use it again? probably not
Would our borrowers use it? Some might - but why not just use our library web site to prmote whats going on, although I do admit you would connect with people who follow blogs and the such like.

Zamzar - Week 2

Great site and very easy to use. Tried converting to and from PDF and word files all seemed to work fine. Would I use it again?? Probably on rare occasions in my work for a volunteer group when I have to send work I have done on my home computer with Microsoft Publisher and know the receipents don't have this software, would convert to PDF for them to be able to open.
Would promote this site to some customers - the only draw back I can see is that they would have to pay to open their email account (assuming they had one), this they may not wish to do.

Here we go again!!

Web 2 looks a bit more manageble this time around. Registered my blog and then realised had not written it up so here goes.

First off I would rather spend my spare time curled up somewhere comfy with a book in my hand rather than in front of a computer writing up blogs and reading what other people have to say.

Can't really see how I would use a blog in my current role, but as our jobs are changing at a great rate of knots who knows what is around the corner, am sure with the right promotion and advertising a blog promoting our services and books it would appeal to a certain section of our patrons.

Well until next time be cool and keep up with all those great books we have in our libraries.
Have had a wee peep at zamzar and it looks interesting.