Reflections

The 20 for 20 learning exercises were very good for learning about tools and activities available on the web to which we might otherwise not be exposed. My favorites are still the My Space and Flickr sites. I would welcome future opportunities to enter similar discovery programs, but I do agree with other bloggers that it would be nice to have more time available to spend on it.

Avatars

Avatars can be a lot of fun for a person that has time to use them and enjoy second life. I don't live in second life because my time is very limited between needs at work and home.

Online Applications and Tools

Online applications and tools are going to be so useful to many, many people. We are not always at home where we can sit down at our computers and use the programs we need, and there are people who do not own a computer. By using websites such as google documents or Zoho, the opportunity is there. I liked the e-mail feature in Zoho.

Podcasting

I believe podcasting could be a very useful tool for the library. It could be used as an educational or informative medium. I subscribed to and listened to some business and legislative podcasts. The podcasts bring the news to the listener and make it easily accessible in our busy world. I also checked out the google Reader and think I will use it at home.

Image Generators

The online image generators are going to offer hours of fun for those with time on their hands, and even will be a great tool for those who have just a few minutes to personalize something. What fun!

OverDrive Downloads

The OverDrive Downloadable media is wonderful for those with faster internet service. It brings a wealth of materials that are both convenient and enjoyable. For those of us with dial up internet service at home, the downloads are still much too slow to download in the convenience of our home.

Del.icio.us

Delicious is a nice website. I am going to enjoy it since it will make it possible to get my favorites from a variety of computers, including those I may use at other libraries. I can see why it can be useful for sharing favorite sites with others, too.

Wikis

Wikis are interesting. It looks like there are many different ways wikis can be used. I thought the subject guide wiki would be very useful, and I liked how the other website could be used to organize information. One question I would have is how is it possible to know the information is correct if it can be edited by others?

You Tube, Hulu, Fancast

I checked out the Allen County Public Library site on U Tube. The clip was humorous but could be a little scary for the younger folks. I occasionally watch movies and a little tv, but not enough to find Hulu or Fancast very useful. Others may find it enjoyable, though. I did find some very enjoyable educational clips on U Tube. Libraries could use it to share many how-to demonstrations.

Facebook & MySpace

My Space is popular with a huge number of people who like to socialize online and it is fun for those who like to share personal information. It is not my preference to do so, but there doesn't seem to be a way to avoid it while doing the 20 exercises.

Flickr Fun Photosharing

I found a very beautiful picture of Three Fingers Mountain while looking at the Flickr site. The photographer did a wonderful job. Take a look at http://www.flickr.com/photos/livingwilderness/37194399/ and see what you think.

Gaming

The free games were interesting and enjoyable. I chose three separate categories so I could experience a variety. Some took longer than the 5 minutes expected since they were new to me. Others took less. The games make a good quick activity for both young and old.

Search Engines

The information in the "essentials of google search" was interesting. The plus and minus feature was new to me and I know I will be using those more frequently. Rollyo was nice since a user can not only make their own search roll, but view those made by others. I noticed Google returned twice as many possibilities in a very difficult search than Yahoo or Altavista.

Google Earth

I certainly enjoy Google Earth. It is a fun to travel and you'll never find a cheaper ticket price. The tutorial was very useful since I discovered a couple new ways to navigate that I had not realized were available.

Streaming music

The streaming music is enjoyable. It is nice to select music that matches or creates the mood for the day.

RSS Feeds

I am a little late with this due to unforseen circumstances, but I have just completed the RSS feed section.

More Neighbors

While out walking with a neighbor and all the local neighbor dogs, a friend and I saw herds of elk and deer. Even though neighbor dogs start following us like we were the Peid Piper as we walk along, they weren't concerned about the wild animals and the wild ones weren't concerned about them.

Instant messaging is fun. We used AIM to instant message sometime back when it first came out.

Blogs n Frogs

I heard the frogs singing in the neighborhood pond for the first time. Yes!!! Spring is here!

Regarding the blogging, many of the links to the blogs did not work this week. That was very frustrating because some of the titles made me yearn to see what was written inside! It may be my imagination, but it seemed like some worked on some days, and others worked on other days. Hopefully they will all work soon.

Friendly Neighbors

Friendly neighbors are everywhere. You can take an afternoon walk in the neighborhood on a bright, sunny day, and be met with the smiles and waves from others enjoying the day also. But neighbors aren't just the human ones. They can also be the neighbor dog or cat, the cow in the next field, or a wild neighbor such as deer.
Throughout the years deer have regularly enjoyed apples from my parents' orchard. One year a family of deer came into the yard like they normally did each each evening. This particular deer family had a young "teenage" family member. The youngster noticed the family cat, also a a teenage equivalent, and the two struck up a friendship. From that point on for the rest of the summer, the deer and cat played together night after night while my parents sat quietly on the deck enjoying the show. Each night after the deer ate their fill of orchard grass and apples, they moved on and the cat went back to lap sitting and purring.
So, good neighbors are many places and come in many forms. Take time to get to know them. You will be glad you did.