If your library is on Facebook, Twitter or other social media site, congratulations. You’ve started down the road to helping…
Author: Laura
Social Media in 20 Bite-Sized Pieces
“Winners take imperfect action while others are sitting around perfecting their plans.” –Kevin Nation Be the voice that is remembered,…
Why it’s time to kill off Internet Explorer 6
(Don’t know if you’re using IE6? You can check by opening up IE and going to Help–>About Internet Explorer. If…
CSS Part II: a gentle introduction to using it
A few weeks ago, I hopefully provided you with the reasoning behind why library web sites have to move from…
When social media becomes overwhelming: how to cope
Social networking is here to stay, in form or another. I think we all get it now; this stuff can…
5 ways for your library to Fail at Twitter
Twitter has finally hit the mainstream (If Oprah isn’t the mainstream, then I don’t know what is). So we’re finally…
CSS Part I: Why you need them
scary words–> CASCADING STYLE SHEETS! <–scary words Are you scared? Cowering in a corner? (Okay, I suspected you weren’t.) …
Technofascists, technophobes and cyborgs…oh my?
Several weeks ago I had the privilige of attending the Virtual Worlds: Museums, Libraries and Educators conference held in the…
Laura’s truths about social media
(In case you missed the memo, a lot of folks have replace the label “Web 2.0′ with “social media.” Probably…
Polar bears, Che Guevara and porn
(Eric Jordan did an update to his first “Webmaster” vignette, and I’m posting it here for collective enjoyment. Thanks, Eric!)…
Who is living in your house?
I count among my good Internet friends a certain Eric Jordan, who can not only outpun anyone I know, but…
Why web standards matter and why your library (really) has to care
It’s pretty easy to explain to people why their web sites need certain kinds of standards; take, for example, Section…
Intermediate Twitter: #hashtags
(Thanks to Don Yarman for suggesting this topic–I’m always on the lookout for new fodder. Send your ideas to meanlaura@oplin.org.)…
Sharing your slides
Whether you do presentations in Powerpoint, OpenOffice or something else, making your slides publicly available can sometimes be a headache. …
Getting buy-in
I am often asked about how to get buy-in for new web-based initiatives. I ran across this slideshow today, which…
Cloud computing
What does weather have to do with computers? Well, not much, actually. But cloud computing is a term that has…
Augmented reality: the future is truly here
First, there was virtual reality. Then there were virtual worlds. Now, we have augmented reality, and it may change the…
404: Houston, we have a problem
It happens all the time. You’re looking for a web page. You suddenly encounter a “404: File Not Found” error. …
Signing in with ONE account
One of the most common complaints I’ve heard about using various web services and social networking sites is the need…
Because you’re probably not getting much work done anyway….
I thought I’d give you some more ways to waste time, online. 🙂 Check out some of these sites: Web…
Is your library coded?
Well, I am. See that 2-dimensional code to the left? That code contains the following information about me: First &…
I can haz internet meme?
It’s the day after Turkey Day. Obviously, not a day for deep thoughts or complex topics, since most of us…
Consolidating your Web 2.0 profile
If you’re like me, you belong to more than a mere handful of social networking and sharing sites. Keeping track…
Walking the Web
Virtual worlds are everywhere now, it seems. Their purposes range from socializing and networking to education and conferences. And some…
Hulu: TV on demand
If you’ve ever seen my Facebook profile, you already know that I basically don’t watch television (much to the chagrin…
Firefly: every page a chat room?
Lately, I’ve been checking out a newish web app called Firefly. It’s a simple chat script that enables people to…
[GUEST POST] Listening & the pattern
Dan Rockwell is a User Experience Researcher at Lextant. [BACK STORY: I met Dan at BarCamp Ohio and started following…
Yelp: is your library in there?
There are a lot of online review sites. But one in particular is hitting the mainstream and has made the…
Short and sweet…URLs
Sometimes, URLs can be insanely long. For example: http://www.llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch.com/ Or: http://www.microsoft.com/events/EventDetails.aspx?CMTYSvcSource=MSCOMMedia&Params=%7eCMTYDataSvcParams%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22ID%22+Value%3d%221032301951%22%2f%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22ProviderID%22+Value%3d%22A6B43178-497C-4225-BA42-DF595171F04C%22%2f%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22lang%22+Value%3d%22en%22%2f%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22cr%22+Value%3d%22US%22%2f%5e%7esParams%5e%7e%2fsParams%5e%7e%2fCMTYDataSvcParams%5e Yes, both real. Both annoying. And, if you try…
Bluetooth: Look ma, no cables
Perhaps when you hear the word “Bluetooth,” the first image to spring to mind is that of a Bluetooth headset?…
Grabbing a gravatar
Do you like to use online forums or comment on blogs? If you do, chances are you’ve seen, or perhaps…
How to hire a good tech for your library?
I think that one of the most difficult hiring decisions a public library has to make is that of a…
[GUEST POST] Everything you ever wanted to know about spyware & adware (but were afraid of the answers)
Shawn Walsh is the Technology Analyst for NEO-RLS. What are spyware and adware, anyway? Spyware is any technology that aids…
Lifestreaming, the next social act
I currently know more about the lives and interests of many of my professional contacts than I do about some…
Beyond the visual avatar
(Something kind of fun for a slow(er) Friday.) A couple of weeks ago I covered Weblins here, and someday, I…
Time to talk spam
(With a lot of credit to George Lenzer, blogger at alt.think!) Here’s some facts about email’s biggest annoyance. Did you…
The sins of library web sites
Ah, Twitter is a wonderful thing. I asked members of the Twitterverse to catalog the problems of library web sites,…
[GUEST POST] Is your library search bar friendly?
Don Yarman is the Deputy Director of Delaware County Public Library. Probably by now, you’re using a web browser that…
The web as social playground: Weblin
For the past several months, I have been experimenting with a little-known web application called Weblin. In effect, it allows…
[GUEST POST] Escaping the Brand Trap: Moving Beyond Big Name Software
George Lenzer is a Computer and Network Manager at Cleveland Public Library and blogs at alt.think. Do you exclusively use…
To blog or not to blog…is that really the question?
Libraries are often encouraged to blog. By no means, let me discourage your library from blogging! But, because it is…
There are no ‘OPLIN databases’
(This is something that even I, who worked with database purchases for the CLEVNET consortium, didn’t really “get” until I…
[GUEST POST]Ultra Low-Cost PCs: Little Laptops Getting a Lot of Love
Glen Horton is the Technology Coordinator and Assistant Director of SWON Libraries. As convenient as they are, laptops can be…
RSS, Part II: Why your library web site needs a feed
I am assuming that, by now, you have a RSS reader/aggretator of your own and you now understand why RSS…
Facebook and public libraries
“Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. People…
Why Flickr for libraries?
There has been an awful lot written about Flickr, one of the top online photo-sharing sites. I’m not out to…
Why link collections are dead…sort of
I am hoping, nay, I’m practically praying, that your library does not have either of the following: A collection of…
Tag, You’re It
You may have heard about tagging (AKA folksonomies). If you’re a cataloger, the whole concept might give you nightmares. So,…
A short lesson in Netiquette
Everyone has at least one; that person (friend, family member or coworker) who thinks they have to forward every last…
Time to join the Twitterverse
There are seemingly a million Web 2.0 applications out there. You wouldn’t believe how many are popping up daily–just add…
First things first: RSS
RSS (usually standing for “Really Simple Syndication”), is crucial to your career. No, really, I mean it. After all, if…