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Keeping Up

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 seeing more and more public libraries putting their feet into the Twitterstream. This is generally a good thing; however, I…

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.) How about uncomfortable? A teeny bit? If you’re a regular user of CSS, you probably think I’m a bit nuts. …

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 virtual world of Second Life. One of the sessions I attended was “Cyborg Learning: How to Engage Young Minds” by…

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 a better, more descriptive label in my opinion. ) I’ve been around the social media block a few times. I…

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!) Web Master 1.1 (I had enough fun with the first one, I decided to upgrade!) The Programmer approached the Web…

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 has a talent for taking a humorous approach to making his thoughts known. Although Eric is not a web developer…

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 508, which is essentially the ADA for web sites. Section 508 says that any organization receiving federal funds (hmm…bailout companies,…

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.) I have to assume that, by now, your library has finally jumped on the Twitter wagon. (See here for additional…

Sharing your slides

Whether you do presentations in Powerpoint, OpenOffice or something else, making your slides publicly available can sometimes be a headache. Enter Slideshare, which could arguably be considered the YouTube of presentation slides. Slideshare allows you to create a (free) account,…

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 is fabulous material for demonstrating the usual roadblocks one can run into. Web Tech Guy and Angry Staff Person View…

Cloud computing

What does weather have to do with computers? Well, not much, actually. But cloud computing is a term that has gained in the buzz department recently, although it has actually been around for several years. “Cloud computing” is really just…

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 landscape of books entirely. It’s the stuff of many science fiction scenes; open up a newspaper or a book and,…

usability

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. Which usually means that the page you were has moved or no longer exists. Perhaps you came to it through…

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 for multiple accounts; multiple user names, multiple passwords, multiple things to forget. Who hasn’t used those handy “Forgot your password?”…

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 Sudoku: “Billions of free Sudoku puzzles to play online.” You can play levels from “Easy” to “Evil.” There’s even a…

Is your library coded?

Well, I am. See that 2-dimensional code to the left? That code contains the following information about me: First & last name Email address Web site URL Phone number Physical address, including country of origin All that is in there?…

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 are probably still zoned out from large quantities of comestibles. Therefore, LOLcats are the perfect subject for today’s post. To…

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 of your online presence might be a daunting task. And letting people know where you hang out online might entail…

Walking the Web

Virtual worlds are everywhere now, it seems. Their purposes range from socializing and networking to education and conferences. And some just…are. Yoowalk seems to be one of these latter. Well, ok. I guess it has a purpose. I just don’t…

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 of anyone who attempts to engage me in conversation about the latest programs). My husband and I used to say…

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 chat with each other directly on a web page, rather than in a separate instant messaging client or Meebo-like widget. …

[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 him on Twitter. Then I started listening to his soundbytes on Utterli. One of his messages really resonated with me,…

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 top 500 of all U.S. web sites, with over 3.5 million visitors each month. That site is Yelp. This Web…

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 to email these, they will not display properly in some email clients. Some people won’t be able to click them…

Gadgets

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? You know, one of those little devices you see hanging off people’s ears (and it seems like they’re talking to…

Grabbing a gravatar

Do you like to use online forums or comment on blogs? If you do, chances are you’ve seen, or perhaps even have, a small icon or picture that often sits to the left of a commenter’s name. These are called…

Personnel

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 tech.1 Although the systems that enable all of the digital resources of the library are truly mission-critical, they represent one…

[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 in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge. Adware is any software application in which advertising banners…

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 family members. This isn’t really on purpose, but it is a direct result of the choice many people I know…

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 promise, I’ll get to avatars and gravatars. Each of those examples is a visual way to represent yourself on the…

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 know: Spam is largely automated? There aren’t sweatshops full of people typing up those messages at lightning speed in some…

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, and my followers (as friends on Twitter are called) did not disappoint. I got responses not only from both library…

[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 has a search box in the upper right-hand corner. Do you use it? You should; it’s handy and it’s awesome.…

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 you to have a little avatar (Weblin) that appears on any web site you visit. This avatar can then see…

[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 big name household products like toothpaste, laundry detergent and tissue paper? Not very likely, since they almost always are more…

Blogs

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 so easy to set up a blog, some libraries overlook some important questions they should answer before starting out. Some…

OPLIN

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 came to work for OPLIN. I’m sharing here in an attempt to clear it up for everyone.) Not every brand…

[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 a pain to lug around. They’re heavy, take up table space, generate heat, and need to be plugged into power…

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 has begun to control information flow on the Web. Because of RSS, many people don’t even have to go to…

Facebook and public libraries

“Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more…

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 re-create the wheel, so here is an excellent slideshow presentation on what Flickr is, from Michael Sauers, the Travelin’ Librarian.…

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 links to external websites (often called “Links” or the “Link Library” on the library’s web site, or Bunches of sites…

Keeping Up

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, before we even delve into what tagging is, let’s preface the discussion with this: tagging does not replace cataloging. It…

Keeping Up

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 joke, LOLCat photo or (usually fake) virus warning to absolutely everyone in their address book. And, often they have no…

First things first: RSS

RSS (usually standing for “Really Simple Syndication”), is crucial to your career. No, really, I mean it. After all, if you’re a librarian, keeping up with information and current events is your job. Think of it like this: New stuff…