Okay now this blogging stuff is getting serious. First off I have to say that communication styles are as different as the personalities around us. Just look at all the 23 Things Blogs. As I look at some of the ones my coworkers have created, it is amazing how much their personalities actually shine through on their blogs. Of course, technology has made even the most shy come out of their shells and explore new ways to send a message from point A to point B and those with some creativity got even MORE CREATIVE!
I LOVED this quote from Flymolo77's "Thing 8" YouTube video - How Blogs are born: "Why waste it on us when you can have the whole world ignore it?"
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There was so much to go through at this lesson, I didn't think I would ever get through it but let's just say for now am "stylin' and profilin'."
The thing that bothers me about today's communication is how much of it interferes with everyone else's "space." A ringtone that's too loud and obnoxious! A group of teenagers gathered around an UrbanChat webpage. A man who appears to be having conversations with himself, only to turn to the left-- on his earlobe is a "bluetooth" headset. At least from a social standpoint, an IM is a straight line, direct piece of information sent exactly from a sender to a receiver without too much interference sans the bells and whistles to indicate the IM has arrived.
I enjoyed the How Stuff Works website. It was VERY thorough. How Stuff Works usually is.
1) Instant Messaging-- The explanation given for this was outstanding, and I was not surprised by their "Coming Soon" message.
"IM technology is constantly changing. New features are rolled out so frequently that a roundup like this is almost obsolete before it’s posted! MySpace is developing an IM service, which could have a considerable impact on the IM world. The next big thing could also be location-aware IMing, in which services pinpoint users’ locations and allow them to communicate with people who are IMing in their areas. AOL has introduced a plug-in for IM users who have WiFi capabilities—their locations are tracked using WiFi hot spots, and users can open a map to find out where people on their buddy lists are. Meetro, currently in beta, is a multiservice IM service that encourages users in the same area to chat and view each others’ profiles and pictures. This technology isn’t yet available for cell phones and mobile devices, but you can bet someone is working on it."
With that said,
1a.I watched the video from the University of Buffalo and thought it was a clever marketing campaign, but we are already using IM at our statewide Ask-A-Librarian service. I know we continue to try to improve and market this service all the time.
Personally, I have chatted on Google chat with friends, and especially one of mine who lives in Montreal, so we can save money on phone bills. I've also used YAHOO messenger and Facebook chat at times when I see friends online.
1b. IM me
Instant messaging may be controversial, but remember, we also debated telephone reference
By Aaron Schmidt & Michael Stephens -- Library Journal, 4/1/2005
This article has some valid points, but for a very busy reference desk it is not very practical. If at least one staff person can be "dedicated" to this task so as not to be juggling phones, in-house patrons and IM all at the same time, then this might have more value.
1c. BEEN THERE, DONE THAT!
2) Text Messaging (SMS—Short Message Service)
Good for upcoming news and reserves, I suppose... but I don't want to pay for this service on my phone so you have to find the folks who are willing to do so. They already argue about the DVDs they don't remember checking out and aren't willing to pay for so why would they want to pay for messages that weren't coming from their friends? Maybe some of our patrons in the higher income-tax earning brackets might find this a useful tool, or if they had unlimited texting plans.
3) Web Conferencing
I really like this technology especially when travel budgets are falling and the expectation for staff development is still increasing. I have attended many "webinars" and some were better than others. My problem has always been sound quality and mostly when it has been a "shared" or group webinars. I have also attended various committee meetings and "conference" calls online which were successful. Sites like Doodle and GoToMeeting offer shared places for long distance web conferencing and online meetings. Even document sharing is possible. This afternoon I attended a webinar via Microsoft Office Live Meeting. It worked fine using a phone and a my computer except for the crackling on our lousy phone system. Perhaps we should consider replacing the old technology before jumping into the new?
I haven't used OPAL yet, but I like the real ones.
Just ask me about Coober Peedy!
3a. WebJunction Quick Guide to Web Conferencing-- I read it. No surprises. Hope to be more proactive with WebJunction.
3b. Of course I took a very brief look at the Archive of Travel Programs and though there was some useful info, some of it was dated. I imagine some of the OPAL Podcasts might be interesting, if I actually had time to listen to them.
Our library has been using email reference for quite a few years. As a result, our patron base has expanded to even national service. We offer reference and scan articles and obituaries and send them via email to patrons who are not even library card holders. Has it improved productivity? I'm not sure. I think it takes more time for staff, but in most cases it saves the patron a trip or a phone call. It certainly does help the people who are long distance.
