Motherhood the Musical

I would be interested. What about the Saturday afternoon or evening session, leaving Sunday free for our afternoon tea at Mrs S's?
Julia>

Hi there,
Wednesday or Thursday night would be ideal for me as we are off to our country abobe on Saturday
Bev

Hello Everyone,
I’ve just discovered that the start time is 7.30pm on weekday evenings – so I won’t be able to make either the Wednesday or Thursday nights. Wah, wah!
Ciao,
Anne-Marie
Dear Sassy et al,
I don’t suppose we could reschedule Mrs S and attend both = we’d be on our way to being very knowledgeable about High Teas In Perth.
Just a thought.
No calories intended.
By the way Lyn, what a wonderful opportunity you’ve offered us. Thank you hugely.
Luv to all,
Anne-Marie

Bye bye blog, how I'm gonna miss yer...: or back to the Slow Lane

After a Christmas hiatus it was a real effort to restart & I sometimes spent more time blogging & commenting online than I did talking to to my husband (not that he minded!) I have enjoyed the course and welcomed the challenge to learn more about Web 2.0 terms which hitherto were nebulous. Although I had heard of all the technologies except Geocaching, the assignments forced me to examine them more closely and put them into practice. I hope to go back and look into their applications and features further.
I will even miss my attempts at blogging - what happens to 'retired'or under-utilised blogs? - are there Blog Refuges?
Although I love all that Web 2.0 has to offer and appreciate its relevance in attracting newer and younger library users, I agree with Nev Shulman participant in the doco Catfish - the other Facebook film that set tongues wagging in 2010 - when he entreats us to

"get out there, do things with people, call your friends, visit your mum, have a conversation with someone, make a new friend and don't spend too much time by yourself on the internet."

Well thats Web 2.0 sorted(in my own peculiar fashion) - what's next?

Geocaching

I had never even heard the word Geocaching before being involved in this course (Thank you WA Public Libraries Learning 2.0 Basics - for extending my lifelong learning process)
Love the idea of technology combining with the great outdoors and also the element of trust implicit in its execution, however as I dont possess a GPS enabled device (why can't women read maps...) I doubt I will get the chance to try it out. Also hats off to the libraries who have incorporated it into a fun reader's introduction to services and locations.

This one of the few Web 2.0 technologies not employed at the City of Cockburn Libraries but am sure our totally terrific techno team will soon remedy that ... I feel a geo coming on.

Podcasting

So glad I watched "Podcasting in Plain English" as the pod in podcasting had me baffled for a long time as I always associated it with ipod. Now I know it means Personal on Demand - podcasting makes more sense. Although the ipod is the device I have always used to listen to any podcasts i.e "Enough Rope with Andrew Denton" or Hamish and Andy (love their no harm style of humour) that I subscribe to through Itunes. I can testify that podcasts (fitcasts?) make you walk longer and further - just have to hear the whole interview - as opposed to listening to music which makes you jiggle and do little dance moves which causes people cross to the other side of the road.
I was fortunate enough to be present when Lawley and Michael recorded an Outreach event "Stepping Stones to the Past" which now appears on the Cockburn Library's website as our first podcast (does that make me historic?) So we now have a digital record of an interesting and factual "how to do" event. Perhaps our international cookery sessions could be vodcast to add another facet to our provision of information. Podcasting the life stories of seniors in the community would be another means of preserving oral history.

My favourite Youtube video

Just for you Lawley.
As my brother(as shown on the widget "My brother,my blog") and many others do, libraries can use online video to highlight many of their services fairly simply and inexpensively while providing a welcome change from static text. Examples of this would be new user orientation, short introductions to computer basics, story times, outreach events or author talks held in the library. A different member of staff could perhaps enthuse over their choice of reading material or a different fiction genre each week. The possibilities are endless.
Personally I found Youtube fascinating, easy to search and implement and an endless source of comedy and useful "how to" clips (especially computer fixes)

Facebook and Twitter - The long and the short of social media

I advised Lawley that I had no time to comment on online social media as I was too busy with offline social engagements but he wouldn't excuse me from this part of the course - so here goes.

Facebook - Wow! 500 million active users can't be wrong or perhaps have too much time on their hands.  I only joined Facebook to keep track of my gallivanting but poor communicator son (the lady doth protest too much!!) but in so doing keep in touch with many friends that I see irregularly and so still feel part of their world.  Of course I feel sooo inadequate as I don't have as many Friends as Mr Average(130) but have managed to find or been found by friends that I went to primary school with in another continent and eon ago.  I have major concerns regarding privacy and always entreat family not to "bare all" especially dates of birth, etc.  It is a case of user beware and to read privacy statements carefully.

I personally do not use Facebook to keep up with commerce or retail or even libraries but as more companies are joining perhaps I will be persuaded. It certainly would be easy while being on one website keeping up with personal interests to see what is happening in the macro world.  Libraries are using Facebook as another tool to get the message across to a wider audience.

Twitter - A great way to get a short message out although  I am alienated by fake ads masquerading as Tweets and am pleased that there is a move afoot to compel celebs to declare endorsement Tweets.

I wish Twitter had been around centuries ago - imagine Napoleon diarising his assignations with Josephine of 'not tonight' fame or Shakespeare - no not possible the 140 character limit would have precluded him.
Again Twitter works in drawing attention to library services and events provided enough Followers can be attracted.

"Gimme dat ding"

Librarything -  a great tool for Readers Advisory work.  Especially keeping an eye on newly released fiction.  Seemed quite straightforward to use but I will be going back to look at all the additional features.  The fun "Unsuggester" feature which tells you which books you will hate based on those you love would bring out the contrariness in anyone.
This is an example of a Web 2.0 technology which gives  people the power to catalogue and order their home libraries - which until recently was only possible within the realms of libraryland.