MLA Web 2.0 Week 8 - Mashups and API - April 28 - May 1

Mashup
I explored GYPsies http://www.gpsies.com which has a number of activities hiking, biking, skiing,etc linked to Google maps. The site features icons which represent activities including a shoe, a bicycle, a horshoe, etc. Additional detail is available including a variety of maps: street, terrain, satellite, and a hybrid map.
Details of the specific trail (distance, altitude, condition of the trail) are provided and information can be downloaded.
Rollyo
In the librarian blogs, a wide variety of privacy issues were addressed. One blog expressed concern about using the advanced google toolbar features in which a lot of data is transmitted to Google. Another blogger expressed her opinion about personal versus political privacy.

MLA Web 2.0 Week 7 Podcasting & Online Hosting Video

I believe that You Tube has great potential as a tool for education, both within the library, and in the general healthcare environment. Public Domain or Creative Commons tutorials could be created by an individual or an institution and shared with a much broader community. Short patient education videos could be made available to inform the general public about health topics.
An example is the campaign from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute designed to inform women about their risk for heart disease.

MLA Web 2.0 Week 6 Photo Sharing

I enjoyed using Flickr and I was able to easily post a photo to the blog using the url of the Flickr photo.
I attempted to upload the same photo from Flickr to Facebook, but Facebook encountered difficulty with Active X even though I enabled Active X (and received multiple alerts about security). Next, I switched to the Simple Upload and tried to paste the URL from the Flickr photo into Facebook which currently shows that the photo is uploading, but it is now over 10 minutes since the process began.
I was able to quickly upload a photo from my computer last night using the Simple Upload.

I doubt that I will be able to use Flickr for library applications at work because most of the sites for this class have been blocked by the IT department.

MLA Web 2.0 Week 5: Web Office Tools

Web Office Tools offer another way to communicate and collaborate. I would prefer more functionality and features on Google Docs. A consistent interface across all products in a suite, the ability to easily collaborate with people using other web office products, and the ability to work offline are all features I would seek..

Web office tools may be the future for collaboration for students or groups working on a variety of projects. However, the ability to use web office tools at work may be restricted. Web office tools are blocked at the hospital where I work because of security and privacy concerns.

Many commercial web sites initially were offered as free sites and I suspect many web office tools will implement fees in the future, or place targeted ads within the tool.

MLA Web 2.0 Week 4 Social Bookmarking

I have enjoyed using del.icio.us. to explore the concepts of tagging and sharing bookmarks. Social bookmarking may lead to new valuable resources through serendipitous browsing.

I like the ability to access bookmarks from the internet and plan to tag select websites for specific clients.

MeSH provides a structured logical, organized hierachy. The cascade system provides a powerful tool which facilitates efficient, predictable, and organized retrieval. The ability to quickly broaden or narrow searches and to identify major concepts is extremely valuable.

The challenge for librarians will be how to utilize the strengths of each approach to reach library clients.

One potential application of Del.icio.us is in areas of science and medicine which are emerging and changing rapidly. Vocabulary in emerging field is often in flux and tags could pinpoint very specific concepts or provide synonymous terms.

An expert in a specific subject could create bookmarks for that subject area with a specific target audience e.g. other experts, non specialist clinician, or students.

MLA Web 2.0 Week 3

On Facebook, I was frustrated in my attempts to automatically add "friends" from my address book. I received a message that I had an "unsupported email address" because my internet service provider is not currently available through Facebook.

The focus of Linkin is professional networking with an emphasis on the individual registrant. Connections are built based primarily on educational and professional networks. Linkin could be a very valuable tool for building professional networks and for job hunting.

The focus of Facebook is broader and the emphasis is on groups. Contacts are identified as "friends" and shared interests may be very diverse ranging from personal to professional.

Social networking could be very useful to MLA members serving on committees or working on projects, especially where individuals are geographically dispersed.

I don't believe that a Facebook or MySpace page would be possible for in our agency library due to Information Technology restrictions. Our agency is very concerned about network security and the protection of patient information.

I believe there are privacy concerns for individuals who participate in social networks. There have been news stories about potential employers rejecting job candidates based upon information in a social network. The registration process for the social networking sites also requests significant personal data which could be revealed if there are security breaches. Advertisers also seek demographic data and the social networks could provide extensive valuable data to companies seeking to effectively target their adds to customers most likely to purchase the products.

The Denver Public Library eVolver site is a great way for a public library to attract teenagers to the services and activities the library provides, but it also warrants careful attention to potential
privacy/security issues.

Differences between a blog and a wiki

A Blog lists posting in reverse chronological order by a single author. A Blog may contain an archive of previous postings.

A Wiki is a collaborative effort of a small or a broad community. A Wiki is often written and edited by many contributing members of a community. Wikis may be used for professional purposes or for personal pursuits.

Use of RSS feeds in a hospital library

I use RSS feeds from a number of news sites to scan for items of potential interest to patrons. My approach is to scan a broad array of topics and to selectively relay targeted items tailored to the interests of a specific patron. Many of my patrons conduct there own subject specialty targeted scans, but they may miss articles or news items outside of their usually reviewed sources. I plan to work with more patrons to teach them how to create RSS feeds relevant to their particular interests

Week 1

I am enjoying the course. Several of the library blogs I visited are very impressive. I appreciate the flexibility to complete assignments when time permits, because a number of the sites required for the course are blocked at work.

Time for Tea

Almost anytime is the perfect time for tea.

Choose a white tea, a green tea, or a black tea.