Wiki 5

I have to say that I’ve heard of Wikipedia for years but have never really used it. I heard about this Encyclopedia online that anybody can edit and it was called Wikipedia. Since I heard that just any "schmo" on the street can edit the information on it, I became skeptical of the type of information that it contained.

With that said, I have to say that wikis can only be as reliable as the source. I think that a public wiki might contain useful information, but the information needs to be taken with a grain of salt. In my case, I found that Wikipedia contains a lot of information about a lot of different subjects. So if I wanted to found out information about something, I could use Wikipedia but I should verify it with another source. I’m a big Boyz II Men fan and have been wondering why they went from a quartet to a trio. Wikipedia gave me a little insight on what happened. If I wanted to pursue it further, then I could find another more reputable source.

On the 2.0 Wiki, I added my favorite restaurants (for kicks I alphabetized it too), favorite Disney characters, and my favorite movies. And it’s scary how easy it was. If it’s that easy to update any Wiki, I would definitely second guess the information I find in Wikipedia.

If the library staff needed to collaborate on something, like the EMERGENCY PROCEDURES MANUAL, everybody could have input. But I think in order for the Wiki to be effective with correct information, access to the library Wiki needs to be restricted from the public.

Week Four - I really really gotta....

What are the potentials for using Del.icio.us as a research assistance tool? What are some of the ways in which the Arcadia Public Library can take advantage of social bookmarking sites?

Potentially, Delicious can help you link from one useful site to another by finding other sites bookmarked by other people looking for similar information. To help illustrate my point and answer the last question about how APL can take advantage of social bookmarking sites at the same time…. Let’s say that APL has organized bookmarks on Delicious. One set of bookmarks could be links to research sites. Another set could be links to other libraries that have Delicious accounts. Just as one person finds APL’s research links, APL users could link to other libraries’ research links that APL might not have.

Is Del.icio.us just an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere?

To say that Delicious is just an easy way of creating bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere I think simplifies the sites’ potential, and I believe it could be much more than that. Yes, it does simplify the way you are able to access your personal bookmarks online, but I think “happy accidents” of finding a site you would not necessarily have found on your own is a plus. The potential for finding sites similar to one that you are looking at could expand the information you otherwise would not have.

Can you see how public tags allow information discovery? Does this seem useful to you?

I think public tagging is a double-edged sword. Yes, I can see how it allows for information discovery, but I can also see how overuse of tags can be time wasted. So yes and no, it can be useful, but can also be a burden if used for research purposes.

What was the most interesting thing you learned?

I think the most interesting thing I’ve learned is that I no longer have to try and memorize the sites I think I would need at another time. I will probably have some sites memorized that I frequent like the SGV Tribune site, or checking for my email, but a research site I found while surfing at work, I can post to my Delicious account and use at home without having to memorize the site or write it down. I also think that people’s bookmarks are really interesting. The variety of subject material can be a nuisance when doing research, but for the occasional time when you just want to surf… what better way to find out what else is out there than to wade and see. :)

Week 3 - I really gotta make time for this at work

I subscribed to 3 news blogs from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune: Breaking News, Crime Scene, and Leftovers from City Hall. I also subscribed a couple of other sites. One of which is a blog that my brother and sister-in-law setup so I can see how they are doing. The last RSS feed I subscribed to is the top news stories of the day as seen through the eyes of the Discovery Channel. I think that last RSS should be interesting. One of the stories posted today talks about how there is a supervolcano in Nevada.

The easiest method I found was the subscription method available through the sites that I frequented. Rather than using Syndic8, which I couldn’t get to work right, or the “add a subscription” button available through Google reader, I found it easier to look at the sites I go visit and see if they have an RSS logo on the page. Not all do, but some did. I don’t subscribe to the newspaper at home, so I frequent the SGV tribune site. Now I don’t have to go looking for what I want to read, it’ll just show up on my Google Reader.

I do plan on continuing using the Google Reader to get a summary of the information I go looking for. Like I said there are sites that don’t have it, but for the ones that do it makes it convenient not to have to visit each site when it’s all on the same page.

In my initial post I suggested using the blog as the first thing people see when they log in to their accounts through our catalog. Well, this requires that the patron log in to the account to see any posting the library might have. Perhaps RSS could be an additional tool. If a patron really wants to keep abreast of happenings, then they can subscribe. Perhaps even have different RSS feeds available for various programs like the Kaleidoscope series or various children’s special events like “Sweets for your Sweet.”

Superbowl Spectacular

Ok, for those of you Patriots fans, it wasn't a really spectacular Superbowl. Then again this blog is not about sports, it's supposed to be about my kids. Well the spectacular part is how my wife and my kids let me enjoy today without hassle... well little anyway. The kids were wonderful behaving the way they did, and it really was a long day for them telling them that they can't bother dad even if he's right next to them. And the Superbowl isn't just the game. It's all about the pregame, the game, the post game. Usually during games, I can take breaks during commercials to acknowledge them. I tried to do that, but even the Superbowl commercials can be as much entertainment as the game itself. My wife laid out a killer spread for us to enjoy during the game, so instead of acknowledging the kids, I acknowledged my belly. Well, all this to say that today I felt like I was there for them only for half the day and neglectful the rest. To top it off, they were sick, so my wife handled them and she was awesome today! But I wish there was just some way for me to really express to them that I appreciated that they were so good today. They behaved like little angels and let all of us enjoy the Superbowl, which as some of you know I regard to be a holiday as important as Christmas. Kids, daddy loves you. Thanks for being you.