Tech Trek....The End

Well, all the quests are posted and all are completed to the best of my ability. I must say I've enjoyed this learning experience. Some things I already knew about (social networking, tagging, blogging), some things were completely new (Rss feeds, Wikis, online apps) and some I came to know and understand better (you tube, photo sharing, instant messaging).

I've never been much of a goal setter or a learner, but you guys made it some much fun that I have reached my 12 Quest Tech Trek goal and learned a lot on the way. The only suggestion that has come to mind from this whole experience is that it should be repeated. When new employees start or need a challenge...even if only to put on their evaluation. They should be given this opportunity.




Kudos to you Tech Trek committee! Thanks for the experience!

Quest 12....Part 2

Part Two: PodcastsTake a look at one or two of the podcast directories listed and see if you can find a podcast that interests you. See if you can find some interesting library-related podcasts like book review podcasts or library news. Create a blog post about your discovery process. Did you find anything useful here?



I never got to check out the yahoo podcasts but looked at the other two. I liked the feel of Podcast.net best. The first podcast I looked at was knitgail which ended up being very boring and tedious. I didn't even finish it. The next one that caught my eye was Biltmore Insider (http://www.podcast.net/play/52259/1). My sisters and I just took a trip to Biltmore and enjoyed their vineyard very much. The wine tasting was very fun and we learned a lot. As for library related posts, I found several using a keyword search, but nothing was of interest so I didn't finish one. I can see the usefulness to libraries in getting out info to patrons, but unless it was in a very obvious way I don't imagine people searching the web for podcasts about using the dewi decimal system.


My overall opinion is that every one has one (opinion that is) and now there is nothing that will stop them from sharing it (other than not searching in the first place)

Quest 12....Part One......You Tube

You tube is a part of every day online life. You can't surf the web without coming across some video related to a search you've just done or a Myspace profile that doesn't have at least one on it. The site is very easy and strait forward to use if you are conducting a search. I have never made a you tube video but know people who have.

Most of the stuff is mind numbing but every now and then you come across something worth while. But most of the time it's just for fun. I could see the Library using this site to make videos of programs like the one on the Tech Trek blog so the public can know what we do for the community. Video's made could be posted to the library's site and would be a very direct way of showing them what we do.


Due to the recent Harry Potter mania and controversy, I chose this You Tube video. Great satire, especially if you are a fan and can get all their references.

Quest 11....Online apps.

For this Discovery Exercise, participants are asked to take a look at a web-based word processing tool, create a simple document and then write about your discoveries in your blog. Of course, if you're up to a challenge, you might even export your document as an HTML file or publish it through Zoho to your blog. With Zoho and other web-based applications, the possibilities are endless!



Since I'm a member of Google I chose to use their Google Docs. I have never used it before today. I didn't even know it existed, and I have always considered myself pretty up to date as far as computers go.



Anyway, this Friday is Aiden's very first camp out with the cub scouts. (and popcorn is on sale now for anyone interested-I have the order form at my desk ;o) And since we are going camping I figured I would make a list of things for the camp-out.

Haunted Cub Scout Camp Out

Overall I must say I think it is great. I don't know how much I will use it but it's great knowing it's there!

Quest 10.......Just for fun

Dogster or Catster - Social networking for pets! These sites were created to give free web space to our favorite furry friends. Owners can add videos, pictures, and stories to their pet’s web page as well as connect with other pets and their owners. Don’t have a pet? Search for local animals and leave them treats!

I'm not quite sure about the exact purpose of social networking for pets, but it was neat to create a page for my 2 hobbits.

Visit my family

Join the Catster community

Visit my family

Join the Catster community

Quest 9...... Wiki....Wiki

"What did you find interesting? What types of applications within libraries might work well with a wiki?"

For the discovery exercise I viewed the Book Lovers Wiki and the Library Success: A best practices wiki.

The Book Lovers Wiki was a great idea of the Princeton Public Library inspired by their summer reading program. The participants got to post reviews of the books they read. I think that it is a worthy idea to use as one element of our summer reading program. Classes on Wikis could be offered by TLC as an introduction and it could be utilized by the adult and teen reading programs.

Library Success: A best practices wiki is a good example of a professional networking tool. A good way for Librarians and their fellow assistants to share ideas and experiences relevant to the advancement of Libraries.

Personally I do not see myself using Wikis as of present. It's good to know this resource is out there if I ever do.

Quest 8....Social Networking part 2

"Explore the following social networking sites’ Home Pages and view a few profiles.........Blog about your discoveries...............Which sites did you find easiest to use, which sites would you consider creating an account with..."

BEBO I had never heard of Bebo before this quest but I have heard of MySpace, Facebook, and Friendster. It seemed a bit cluttered for my taste as far as the layouts and the ease of finding things on individual profiles. Like other sites it has musical artists, authors, videos, etc. One thing I really liked was that on the home page it had a blurb about safe social networking and a link you could click on to learn more. It struck me as very responsible.

FRIENDSTER Was a lot less cluttered and had cleaner layouts, I like the featured pictures section, that was neat. Seemed pretty straight forward and the set up reminded me of the way MySpace is set up. If I did not already have a profile on MySpace I might have considered this site.

LINKED-IN Never heard of this site either. It seemed cold boring and pointless.

FACEBOOK Layout reminded me of Friendster. It was clean but personalized and less like a love connection. In the tutorial I liked the notifications of changed friend profiles which is hard to keep up with on MySpace unless you check them regularly or if your friend notifies you. I also liked the fact you could choose how private you want your profile to appear. Instead of blocking every thing from view, it seems you can select what you want the public to see yet keep some aspects private.

MYSPACE This site is where I have my profile. I've had my profile there since 2/1/06 and have been very happy with it. I like being able to personalize my page, yet the privacy settings aren't very flexible. It's either all or none. Blogging on this site from my profile page is great because it guarantees that my friends all know what's going on in my life and they don't have to go to another site to find out about it. They can even subscribe to it and get notified when I post a new one.

"how do you think social networking services could be useful to libraries, etc."

~See Quest 8 Part 1~