Exploring Feed Search Tools

SCARY!!! I clicked on the link to explore Feedster and was surprised to find that changes are under way and Feedster is currently non-functional. Ok, no problemo. On to the next link: Topix.net. This was actually a functional link, so I chose to click on the first offering which was a chat about the story, "NN eyes taking smoking off the menu." Well, within the first couple of posts the name-calling started, accompanied by ALL CAPS YELLING, and progressed to an invitation from one poster to another to finish the conversation in person... YIKES! Being exposed to insults and idiotic rants makes me want to quit 2.0-ing. Think I'll stick to seeking out in other ways the lovely, life-affirming sites that interest me.

Putting RSS to the Test

What enormous fun... having the world come to me!!! I must admit that adding feeds to my Google Reader account was a bit clunky at first, but once I got going, it really was easy. I really like being able to go to ONE place to catch up on numerous sites and blogs. Keeping up to date on world and local news is great, especially since I never have time to read the paper or watch the news on television. RSS is also an important tool to stay informed about changing technology in the world of libraries and technology, helping library staff to develop new and better ways to meet the needs of their customers. BUT, the best thing for me personally... I've added a few blogs from my favorite spot in the Virginia mountains, a small county where folks still hang out their quilts to dry and feed the animals before dawn. It's a place of clean air, warm hearts, fresh pies, simple pleasures... a place I run to when the world is too much. And now the musings of this place's people are delivered to me each day!!!

Library 2.0 Thoughts

We had a spirited discussion in our department about Library 2.0! I'm not sure that interactive Library 2.0 is new communication... the personal, one-on-one communication that all of us have with our customers and fellow staff is interactive as well. Library 2.0 just enables us differently to interact with customers. A new tool of communication. Simple thought from a simple mind.

7 1/2 Minutes Worth of Blogging

OK, so I am supposed to add a post about Thing 2... not the Thing 2 from Dr. Seuss's Thing One and Thing Two, you understand, because I could write LOTS about them... but Thing Two from the Learning 2.0 program.

After viewing the 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners tutorial, I was surprised by what I found to be the easiest and the hardest of them:

The easiest for me was #2, to accept responsibility for my own learning. I am always seeking knowledge, taking a curiosity and exploring it, teaching myself new skills.

The hardest was a surprise, because I never think of doing this: begin with the end in mind. I usually jump in and get both feet wet before thinking about whether or not I'll need dry feet on the other side of the water!