As a chronic list-maker, I (like many others in the library world, I’d imagine) really enjoy the sense of accomplishment that goes along with crossing things off the list, and, even moreso, of the sheer joy of a whole list of completed tasks.

There’s something very concrete and gratifying about a list of things to do with lots of scratch-marks on it.

Ta-da list provides that in a virtual sense, and is waaaay more functional than those little scraps of paper that I always seem to end up sending through the wash in my pants pockets.

A portable virtual to-do list: such a simple concept, but pure genius!

I fiddled with all three of these (including workhack and todoist), but definitely preferred the ease of ta-da list. You don’t have to figure anything out. Just type in some things to do. Reordering them, while not quite as easy as it is on workhack, is still simple. Click “reorder” then click and drag.

I do like the color-coding prioritization options on workhack. But the simplicity of ta-da list is hard to beat. Plus, the “email yourself a copy of this list” function is sweet and easy, and there’s the RSS factor for people who do that sort of thing. I actually don’t like the fact that you don’t have to create your own account on workhack, as this seems to make it slightly less portable.

I’m the guy who often realizes that there’s a list of things I need to do at work tomorrow at 11:30 p.m., just as I’m about to fall asleep and needs to write them down or there won’t be any sleeping. So I need to be able to make a list at home and access it from work later.

Todoist was just waaaay more complicated than I wanted from a simple to-do list application. When it wasn’t immediately intuitive, I skipped it. Ta-da list was so straightforward.

Wow. Maybe I’ll be more organized, effective and productive. Probably not. But maybe.

Dare to dream.

Anyway. So, I don’t know that this sort of thing has a library-specific application, but it sure and the heck seems to have a general-organization application. That should work for anyone, library employee or just a regular schmoe.

But it certainly has the potential for library applications, as we’ve seen with our YouTube contest (and the zombie vid). There’s a ton of stuff available on YouTube that illustrates how libraries are using this technology to get their message out. Storytimes, etc. Coming soon to a library near you…

I really enjoyed this exercise more for the insight into podcast.com. I’m not big on the podcasts — mostly because I’d rather listen to music on my iPod than anything else (call me old-fashioned). But it’s great to know there’s a place I can go where there are lots of podcasts collected and categorized so that searching for one, if I want to listen, is pretty simple. I enjoyed the quick-hit tutorial they provided, too.

Also, the zombie vid, which I’ve seen before several times, is a personal fave. I think some of those folks come to Walnut Creek, too. Sometimes, before I get my coffee, I’m one of ‘em.

Decaf Bill: not a pretty video.

Now if I could just get myself a cool rap name like Hiphopopotamus or Rhymenoceros…

I’m slowly (really, really slowly) warming up to this whole notion of social networking on the internet. I’ve had a Facebook account for, what? A year and a half? And just last month I actually populated my profile. Mostly because a coworker told me there were a bunch of weird-looking Bill Kolbs out there on Facebook, and I should distinguish my weird-looking self from the rest of the weirdos.

Then I got pieces of flair, and all kinds of other funny things started to happen. I found some of Walnut Creek’s LSAs there — one of whom has just left us and with whom I can now stay in touch. All thanks to the power of two-dot-oh. Whee! See. It works. Crazy. But it does.

I was totally already a member of the Library 2.0 Network on Ning. Does that count as extra credit? Whatever. I’m totally getting a mug anyway.

Like the video in the exercise said, the power of the networks is in their transparency. That’s what I’ve wrestled with the most. I guess “my generation” (ugh. I think the fact that I even say stuff like that means I’m getting old.) grew up in this scary-weird time where everyone was afraid of identity theft and online predators and crazy stuff like that. So I’m still sorta wary of throwing up personal info on the web. But I guess I’m caring less and less. Hell. I’m blogging, right? That has to count for something.

I dunno why. Maybe it’s just one more thing to log in to. Maybe I’m lazy. Maybe I don’t really want to know all that stuff.

Still and all, I will admit that I find RSS to be a wonderful, not to mention powerful, tool. To be able to get bits of your website to populate with updated information automatically, well, that’s just a dream come true, right? Nevermind the end-user usefulness (you know, if someone were to actually LOG IN to their reader…).

In response to the prompts, I will say that I had to surf a bit to find a feed with current library programming available. Pleasant Hill has a Lapsit Storytime coming up on Wednesday June 4th, 2008 – 10:00 AM that will include “Stories, music, rhymes and bounces especially for children 6-24 months. Child attends with caregiver.”

I think I had a pretty good handle on RSS to begin with. But thanks anyway!

Not really a problem, but a difference. I didn’t get a page of code for the library feeds, I got a subscription page. Maybe this was because I was already logged into Bloglines? At any rate, it was a breeze.

From a li-bary standpoint, I’m intrigued by the idear of IM reference. I think it’s a swell idea. But I also think it will require a pretty significant amount of manpower.

Plus, I kinda feel like there is a certain amount of time involved in finding answers to reference questions. And IM is the ultimate in instant gratification. How do you make those two apparently disparate urges jibe?

I guess we could follow the path laid out by Live Homework Help or, for those of you in L-school, Elluminate, and provide a virtual whiteboard or something of the like to keep people interested. This would also facilitate file-sharing and allow us to share webpages, etc. with patrons.

Save ‘em to Google Docs, I say! Wahooee!

I did have some frustration with this exercise. I already had a google account, but in the interest of “getting with the program,” I created a brand-spanky new one. That’s just how I roll.

Anyway, when I signed up, I waited and waited and waited for a confirmation email. It kept on not coming. So I made google send me another one. And another.

Sometimes I get impatient.

Eventually a verification email arrived. I clicked the verification url, and google told me I had been verified.

Here’s where it got really frustrating. When you follow that link from Lotus Notes, it launches the google verification page in IE. Personally, I despise IE. I’m a big Firefox guy. And not just because of that awesome 80s Cold War flick of the same name starring Clint Eastwood. Really.

So. Google (IE) thinks I’m verified. Google (Firefox), not so much. I ended up shutting down Firefox all the way, restarting it, and logging back in to Google just to enable full functionality.

Fussy on my part? Probably. Potentially frustrating for our Web 2.0 newbies? Definitely.

I’m not huge on the social aspect of the bookmarking — though I can see the value there. Mostly, I like the portability of bookmarks. I can have the same stuff available to me at home, on my laptop, and at any of the computers I’m using at work. Very convenient.

Plus, there was a mondo technical glitch when I created this new account. And I always think technical glitches are worth paying attention to. Especially since we’re going to be asking people to do all this stuff.

Delicious was having some sorta server problem, so I couldn’t tag anything or access my bookmarks. Frustrating, but again, worth experiencing.

Here’s my new account with three faves:

Bill’s bookmarks

Tattoo close-up

Originally uploaded by mrbesbol

Well, now. Let’s just see if this works…

I like flickr. But sometimes it frustrates me. For example: I tried to upload four photos at once. It uploaded one, no problem. Then it slooooowly (what’s the opposite of “wiki?”) uploaded the remaining three. Gave me those pink progress bars, marched em all the way to the end, then, kerplunk. Nuthin. Wouldn’t keep working. Didn’t upload the images. Stoopid Web 2.0…

Anyway, I went back and did one, then two more together and it worked. Why? I have no idear.

So. If anyone else has frustration with this, be aware, you are not alone. And I’m pretty good at this stuff…
Bill

My shiner

Seriously. Don’t mess with 2-year-olds in a jumpy house. They will bust you up.

Wiki vs. Blog

Blog brings the ball up slowly and settles into a half-court set.
Wiki drops back into a box-and-one, and Blog is having trouble making an entry pass to the big man down low.
Blog keeps working the ball around the perimeter, but Wiki’s defense is flying to the ball, and Blog can’t find an open look.
Now here’s a steal by Wiki! Wiki is looking push the pace. Blog can’t get back on defense and Wiki has numbers!
Here comes Wiki now, wiki-wiki! There’s an alley-oop look from Wiki to Wiki, and Wiki throws it down ! Wiki is running away with this one, folks. Blog just can’t seem to keep up…

So. That was fun. Y’all can thank Robert for that little interlude.

Seriously, though. In my opinion, the primary distinction between wiki and blog is that wiki is more democratic. Anybody and everybody has a say in creating the content on a wiki. A blog is a bit more autocratic. Sure, there exists the opportunity for anyone to comment on a blog, but only the blog’s creator and/or authorized contributors can truly generate content in the form of posts, etc.

So a wiki is a great place to collaborate on a big group project where everyone needs to author their contribution. A blog is a great place for one person to share information with a large group, and have the opportunity for that group to feed back commentary.

Plus, Wiki runs a much better fast break, while Blog is great at a slow-paced half-court ball-control kind of game.

Hey. Whaddayou want? I was a sportswriter for six years…

Bill

p.s. I posted a review of Jon Clinch’s Finn to the Books for Adults section of the Staff Picks Wiki. It’s not a happy or uplifting book. But sometimes I dig that.