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mdlearn2
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Week 6, Thing 14: Discover Technorati and learn how tags work with blogs
Are the results different with the keyword search "Learning 2.0" in the Blog posts, in tags, and in the blog directory? Well, they are different for the Blog posts and the blog directory. However, I couldn't find a tab for "tags." So, I can't fully answer your question. =)
When exploring top favorited blog, top searches and top blogs, I did find something interesting. Under top searches, I decided to click on iPhone as I didn't recognize some of the words used as 'top searches' and figured there would be a lot of interesting results with this one. I was quite surprised to see the first result was written in German. Unfortunately my German is a bit rusty and I could only understand about 50% of the entry. The second one was about Wal-Mart. Since I feel Wal-Mart is the spawn of Satan, I decided this result was not for me. The third option was for Free Sex Movies. While the description used a lot of colorful terms, I failed to find "iPhone" in that description. Sorry, but I didn't feel that pursuing further as to why this particular result linked would be appropriate. Bottom line, some people use tags inappropriately... thus getting bad results.
I think later I might tag my posts for technorati. It doesn't look too hard. However, as time is a very valuable commodity and I'm quite poor, this will have to wait until later! Oh.. and WTF... "Where's the Fire" is not what comes to mind....
14 Down.... 9 more to go!
When exploring top favorited blog, top searches and top blogs, I did find something interesting. Under top searches, I decided to click on iPhone as I didn't recognize some of the words used as 'top searches' and figured there would be a lot of interesting results with this one. I was quite surprised to see the first result was written in German. Unfortunately my German is a bit rusty and I could only understand about 50% of the entry. The second one was about Wal-Mart. Since I feel Wal-Mart is the spawn of Satan, I decided this result was not for me. The third option was for Free Sex Movies. While the description used a lot of colorful terms, I failed to find "iPhone" in that description. Sorry, but I didn't feel that pursuing further as to why this particular result linked would be appropriate. Bottom line, some people use tags inappropriately... thus getting bad results.
I think later I might tag my posts for technorati. It doesn't look too hard. However, as time is a very valuable commodity and I'm quite poor, this will have to wait until later! Oh.. and WTF... "Where's the Fire" is not what comes to mind....
14 Down.... 9 more to go!
Week 6, Thing 13: Tagging and Discover Del.icio.us
OK... I listened to a tutorial, which resulted in me being more confused about Del.icio.us than I was before. Then I thought maybe I should read one of the other 'guides.' If I hadn't been hopelessly confused before, I sure was after reading the guides. So then I thought maybe I should just create an account and see if I could figure it out on my own. Step one of creating and account was quite easy - the standard creating account questions, etc. Step two I realized I was in trouble as you needed to install buttons on the computer. Yeah... can't do that. Step three... install more buttons on the computer... Yeah... So needless to say I did step one and then didn't know what else to do as I can't put buttons on our work computers.
From what I was able to gather, Del.icio.us would be a way to take your "Favorites" that some people save on their browser and make then accessible to you when you are not at your particular computer (say at a library in California). Then somehow (tho I have yet to figure out this feature) through descriptive tags you can then see what other websites other people thought were good on the same subject. This could be handy if you were doing research and then could find things quickly as other people would have already identified then as good resources for you.
To answer the question posed in our Discovery Exercise in #3: "Can you see the comments they added about this bookmark or the tags that they used to categorize this reference." My answer... no. I have no idea what they were talking about. I didn't see comments. I didn't notice any tags. And maybe I just don't realize that I did see them as I don't know what they look like. I did see the web pages that were saved. They were basic links. But nope... I didn't notice the comments or tags.
The bottom line is that I'm sure there are some good uses for this resource. I can't see me ever really using it. I don't do research. Heck... check my computer at home... I don't even have favorites bookmarked there! I just memorize the URLs and type the address into the address field. It's much faster for me to type than it is for me to click the buttons to find saved "Favorites."
But at least if someone asked me about it, I will at least have a vague idea as to what they are asking. But don't ask me to help figure it out. After spending about a week of my time, I've given up trying to actually understand Del.icio.us. But at least I can say that I tried... and that I have 13 down, 10 to go!
From what I was able to gather, Del.icio.us would be a way to take your "Favorites" that some people save on their browser and make then accessible to you when you are not at your particular computer (say at a library in California). Then somehow (tho I have yet to figure out this feature) through descriptive tags you can then see what other websites other people thought were good on the same subject. This could be handy if you were doing research and then could find things quickly as other people would have already identified then as good resources for you.
To answer the question posed in our Discovery Exercise in #3: "Can you see the comments they added about this bookmark or the tags that they used to categorize this reference." My answer... no. I have no idea what they were talking about. I didn't see comments. I didn't notice any tags. And maybe I just don't realize that I did see them as I don't know what they look like. I did see the web pages that were saved. They were basic links. But nope... I didn't notice the comments or tags.
The bottom line is that I'm sure there are some good uses for this resource. I can't see me ever really using it. I don't do research. Heck... check my computer at home... I don't even have favorites bookmarked there! I just memorize the URLs and type the address into the address field. It's much faster for me to type than it is for me to click the buttons to find saved "Favorites."
But at least if someone asked me about it, I will at least have a vague idea as to what they are asking. But don't ask me to help figure it out. After spending about a week of my time, I've given up trying to actually understand Del.icio.us. But at least I can say that I tried... and that I have 13 down, 10 to go!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Week 5, Thing 12: Roll your own search tool with Rollyo
What I have learned from this exercise is that your Rollyo search will only be as good as the sources that you put into it. And even then, it doesn't necessarily come up with what you think it will! I created my Rollyo to search websites that reference information from either White Wolf Gaming Studio's products, or affiliate sites to the One World by Night organization. I was hoping to create a tool that would be useful for myself, as well as the other members on staff who run the Baltimore chronicle of OWbN. This tool would be especially helpful because we are still running the Laws of the Night (Vampire: The Masquerade) system, which is no longer in print. So, often our source material is hard to come by.
I'm still seeking more sites that I can add to my Rollyo to make it a usable tool for our organization. If successful, I'm going to share it with the rest of the org. If not, oh well. At least I was able to do enough to be able to say...
12 down... 11 to go!
Oh... and I've attached my Rollyo searcher to my blog. It's under my books from my LibraryThing. =)
I'm still seeking more sites that I can add to my Rollyo to make it a usable tool for our organization. If successful, I'm going to share it with the rest of the org. If not, oh well. At least I was able to do enough to be able to say...
12 down... 11 to go!
Oh... and I've attached my Rollyo searcher to my blog. It's under my books from my LibraryThing. =)
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Week 5, Thing 11: Take a look at Library Thing and catalog some of your favorite books
This was probably the most fun I've had with the 23 things thus far. With my LibraryThing, I decided to catalog all of my books that are shelved in our Geek Room. (You can see the books in reference on the top shelf of the bookcase upon which the "backup computer power supply" is housed.)
I was also able to create a widget using the tools section from LibraryThing. So, now on my blog is a random sampling of titles, which if you click on them it will bring you to Amazon in case you would like to purchase said title. Unfortunately, Amazon doesn't have all of the cover art, and while I was able to add it to my records in LibraryThing, they do not appear on my widget.
There was another widget that I wanted to put on my blog, but I couldn't get it to function properly. There is one that is a search widget which is supposed to "let your visitors search your library right on your blog." I've tried to do this several time and while I have been able to create a widget and upload it to my blog, it does not search my library. I'm not sure whose library it searches, but when I put in the search term "Vampire" I found "Interview with the Vampire" and a bunch of other books that were not in my library. So, I took that search widget back off my blog until such time as I can figure out how to make it function properly.
So yes, I had fun with this one. 11 things down, 12 more to go! Hey! I'm approximately halfway there!
I was also able to create a widget using the tools section from LibraryThing. So, now on my blog is a random sampling of titles, which if you click on them it will bring you to Amazon in case you would like to purchase said title. Unfortunately, Amazon doesn't have all of the cover art, and while I was able to add it to my records in LibraryThing, they do not appear on my widget.
There was another widget that I wanted to put on my blog, but I couldn't get it to function properly. There is one that is a search widget which is supposed to "let your visitors search your library right on your blog." I've tried to do this several time and while I have been able to create a widget and upload it to my blog, it does not search my library. I'm not sure whose library it searches, but when I put in the search term "Vampire" I found "Interview with the Vampire" and a bunch of other books that were not in my library. So, I took that search widget back off my blog until such time as I can figure out how to make it function properly.
So yes, I had fun with this one. 11 things down, 12 more to go! Hey! I'm approximately halfway there!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Coming soon... Kittens!!!
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
As requested, here are some more pictures of the expectant mother. I'm hoping to see the little furballs sometime in the next week. I can't wait to see what color(s) they are.
Week 5, Thing 10: Play around with an online image generator
Creating the avatar from yahoo is quite simple. It's too bad when I linked it to my blog, the animation no longer functioned.
I have to admit that the FD Toys generator was my favorite. I think I will be stalking Sharess around the house with the camera so that I can make some things with the lolcat generator. But until I get the right shots, I thought I would make a motivational poster from one of my already uploaded photos on flickr.
The first time I tried it, FD toys did not want to link up with my flickr account so that I could access the photos. I kept getting error messages. It seems I get a lot of error messages in trying to do these things, which is ultimately frustrating. However, I came back to it the next day and low and behold it worked! I didn't do anything different other than be on a different computer. Who knows. I think the computer gremlins just like to mess with me.
The Meez avatar generator looked interesting, but I was not allowed to proceed with it as I would have had to download a program onto the computer in order to get it to work. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a memo that once came out telling us that downloading software onto work computers was strictly verboten. So perhaps I'll try that one later at home.
I have to admit that the FD Toys generator was my favorite. I think I will be stalking Sharess around the house with the camera so that I can make some things with the lolcat generator. But until I get the right shots, I thought I would make a motivational poster from one of my already uploaded photos on flickr.
The first time I tried it, FD toys did not want to link up with my flickr account so that I could access the photos. I kept getting error messages. It seems I get a lot of error messages in trying to do these things, which is ultimately frustrating. However, I came back to it the next day and low and behold it worked! I didn't do anything different other than be on a different computer. Who knows. I think the computer gremlins just like to mess with me.
The Meez avatar generator looked interesting, but I was not allowed to proceed with it as I would have had to download a program onto the computer in order to get it to work. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a memo that once came out telling us that downloading software onto work computers was strictly verboten. So perhaps I'll try that one later at home.
Bad for Cops... good for Sanrio!
It seems that some Thai cops are being shamed into behaving. How can you take your arresting officer seriously when they are a member of the hello kitty police force?
I wonder how long it will be before you can get your official hello kitty cop arm band on ebay?
A special thanks to Baelgoul for alerting me to this news story!
I wonder how long it will be before you can get your official hello kitty cop arm band on ebay?
A special thanks to Baelgoul for alerting me to this news story!
Friday, August 3, 2007
Week 4, Thing 9: Explore MERLIN and then locate a few other useful library-related blogs and/or news feeds
Well.. I've survived this task... I did located the RSS feed "subscribe" button. I believe this button should have quotation marks around it as it doesn't subscribe you to anything. After looking at the html code and contemplating where I was supposed to paste the lovely color coded html code,* I gave up and called our help desk**. Apparently, clicking on subscribe essentially brings you to a page that will give you a web address that you can copy and then open up your bloglines account to actually subscribe to it. Gee... why didn't they just say so instead of having a button that pretends it actually does what it advertises? It would have saved a lot of time! =)
I've come to a conclusion through looking at all the different search tools for blogs/RSS feeds... there are far too many people on the internet posting far too much stuff! Yes, I can see if I wanted to read a million peoples' reactions to the I-35W incident, having these searches would be handy and it will give you tons of things to read. However, it doesn't seem to do as well when trying to find a blog or newsfeed that focuses on a particular topic. Perhaps I didn't know where to look, but I didn't really see a blog-subject search.
Ah well... I've learned a lot this week and am happy to say... 9 down! Only 14 to go!
*I do have to admit, there are programmers out there who would not have taken the time to write their code that neat, let alone color code it! Kudos to the programmer(s).
**The staff there deserve a raise after the countless calls they undoubtedly get from frustrated staff who can't figure out if the problems they are having is because this is essentially a self-taught course that feels like the blind leading themselves OR if it's because there is actually an error with the page and it is not working as anticipated.
I've come to a conclusion through looking at all the different search tools for blogs/RSS feeds... there are far too many people on the internet posting far too much stuff! Yes, I can see if I wanted to read a million peoples' reactions to the I-35W incident, having these searches would be handy and it will give you tons of things to read. However, it doesn't seem to do as well when trying to find a blog or newsfeed that focuses on a particular topic. Perhaps I didn't know where to look, but I didn't really see a blog-subject search.
Ah well... I've learned a lot this week and am happy to say... 9 down! Only 14 to go!
*I do have to admit, there are programmers out there who would not have taken the time to write their code that neat, let alone color code it! Kudos to the programmer(s).
**The staff there deserve a raise after the countless calls they undoubtedly get from frustrated staff who can't figure out if the problems they are having is because this is essentially a self-taught course that feels like the blind leading themselves OR if it's because there is actually an error with the page and it is not working as anticipated.
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