Thing #23 – The end November 29, 2008

Dear Reader(s),

It fills my small red panda heart with tears to say that we have reached the end of our journey here. Fortunately I am even more adorable when sad:

But all is not lost! I have gained much by navigating the mysterious mysteries of The Internets with you:

I learned: Even though I had used most of these tools before, I tried to do something new with each one so I would still learn something. For example, I already have a blog using Blogger, so I learned how to use WordPress instead.

I played: I immensely enjoyed reading my co-workers’ blogs. It turns out they are ALL CRAZY. This brings me great comfort and joy. I hope to continue hearing about their gun-buying, “Shoes”-watching, chipmunk-dodging adventures IRL.

I hope we get to do more activities like this in the future. In addition to being a nice break from the monotony of the customer service desk, I like feeling like I’m allowed to work on things that are helpful to me even though they may fall outside the realm of my most basic, everyday duties. If we do this again, it would be cool to see an “advanced” track for people who have already mastered the basics. I would be interested in learning more about things like HTML or photo and video editing, for example.

It is time for me to go now, but do not be sad, my tasty pancakes. Red pandas can live up to 14 years; this is just the beginning…

Thing #22 – Digital Media November 18, 2008

Alright, I KNOW this has been said before, but MOLDI is literally one of the most unappealing product names I can think of. Mold? Gross. Why not just name your site Books And Related Free Items (BARFI) or Popular Options: On-Demand, Portable, and Digitzed (POOPD). I wonder how popular the iPod would have been if it had been named the iPunchintheface.

Anyway. In a way, I sort of think MOLDI is the future of the library. People will soon tire of driving around and looking at the faces of the disheveled masses just to pick up a product they could easily download (see: books, music, and movies) from the comfort of their futon, kitchen table, or red panda den. But at the same time, I don’t think MOLDI is used all that much. Maybe more titles, better marketing, and the all important device compatibility (“Why can’t I listen to these books on my iPunchintheface?!”) will change that. I found some titles I might be interested in, but it looks like different titles can be played on a differing variety of devices; it doesn’t seem consistent. Or hey, maybe library folks are library folks, and they want to come to the library. Only time will tell.

Thing #21 – Podcasts November 5, 2008

I don’t think I have any specific-enough interests for podcasts. I went to Podcast Alley and clicked on the Food and Drink category (I click on the Food and Drink category whenever this option is presented to me), but the topics are so narrow! Podcasts based solely on scotch, the restaurants of Ithica, NY, or wine (Rojo hates wine snobs)…I guess that is the point of podcasts though, really. They are cheap to make so you can afford to be serving a smaller audience.

I sort of think the whole term “podcast” is a little bit outdated. There is just crap posted all over the Internet now, audio and video left and right every which way you look; there are YouTube videos and my television programs posted free online for when I forget to watch them, etc. Everything is a podcast.

Thing #20 – YouTube October 29, 2008

The user explains that this red panda is a baby learning to walk, but Rojo suspects he’s been hitting the sauce.

Anyway. YouTube has its pros and cons, but for the foreseeable future at least, I think it’s here to stay. Even my dad uses it. It is awesome to know that any time you are like, “Do you remember that commercial from the 80s where the fruit would fall through the ceiling and crush people to death?” and your friend looks at you like you’re crazy, that you have some sort of proof that you’re sane.

I think it would be great to include YouTube videos on our library’s web site. I think our customers would love to see us in action. There’s nothing cuter than a red panda checking in DVDs!!

Thing #19 – CML Tool Box October 28, 2008

I looked at the Make site from the CML toolbox. And because I am pretty much a toddler on the inside, it just made me angry and jealous. How come all these people can do all these cool thing? I can’t do anything! Acting like sawing things apart and and wiring stuff is no big deal. Sheesh, I’d probably end up in the hospital. The other day I was at Guitar Center, sort of looking longingly at the mandolins, and the salesguy came over and took one down and started playing it for me, all casual-like. I wanted to punch him right in his face! How dare he be able to do something that I can’t do?!

Anger management issues aside, it’s a very cool site. I’ve noticed in the past that it doesn’t always display correctly on work PCs, but that’s not really the site’s fault I imagine. It could be very fun and useful–that is, if Rojo were the handy sort at all. Which he decidedly is not.

Thing #18 – Web 2.0 tools October 21, 2008

Mmm, new tools. One that I liked looking at was Yelp. I had heard of it before but I don’t know if I’ve ever really looked at it. I am a huge fan of reading reviews of things–restaurants, stores, anything–and there are some good reviews on here.

Hmmm…I had more I wanted to write about but I’ve already spent too much time browsing these tasty tasty tools.

Thing #17 – Web-based Apps October 10, 2008

Hey, Rojo uses Google Docs! I find it helpful in these situations:

1. Taking notes in class (when not browsing Zappos.com for the latest in red panda footwear fashions)
2. Working on a school or work project that I might want to access anywhere
3. Working on a collaborative school project–so much better than the old days

I think it would be a great suggestion for library customers who forgot money for a print job or a disk.

Thing # 16 – Revenge of the Wikis October 8, 2008

I added my blog to the list, and also added my favorite TV show (with a clip, dummies!). I agree with some other bloggers that 1.) it is hard to resist the urge to tidy everything up and fix people’s mistakes, and 2.) this particular blog is much more interesting if you put your name along with your entry so it’s not just a random list of shows/restaurants/foods etc. Also, I like how there are basically no favorite athletes/sports listed. Are we library employees really so stereotypical? Is it just cats and glasses and cardigans and dust all the time? (It is for me.)

I was able to identify some people I know just based on their favorite things. Haha, Rojo B. Stalking!

Thing # 15 – Wikimania October 7, 2008

Wikis are nice. People know things; let them share that knowledge. Something like Wikipedia may not be an absolutely authoritative source, but it’s not like it’s hard to find one once you know what you’re looking for.

I like the idea of using wikis on the staff side of the library. We have so many different documents and manuals and lists stored all over the place–I want to wiki them!

Thing #14 – Library 2.0 October 6, 2008

Hey, do you know what would be cool?

(That’s your cue to stop reading if you don’t want to hear my crazy, ill-thought-out ideas.)

You should be able to sync up your Amazon homepage with your local library, so that when you look up an item (book, movie, CD, etc), it not only shows you the Amazon listing but also your library’s catalog entry for that item. So maybe I hear about this new book, and I go to Amazon to get more info about it, see what people are saying, but I’m not sure if I’ll like it so I just want to check it out from the library; well how convenient, right there on the Amazon page I can see what libraries have it available or how many people are on the wait list or whatever.

Rojo hates to toot his own horn but I think this is a really good idea. When I go to IMDB to check the reviews or whatever on a new movie, there’s also a listing (if I’m signed in) of when the movie is showing at theaters near me. Because why should I have to go to both the IMDB web site and the theater’s web site when I could just DO BOTH AT THE SAME TIME? That, to me, is a big part of Library 2.0. Making the library more a part of customer’s lives, and integrating it into what they already do, instead of it being a whole separate physical stop or even a separate thought.

Also, you should ask me about the limousine car and keypad alarm clock I’ve been working on since college. I am full of good ideas.