March 2008
35 posts
35 Lifestreaming Tools →
Read/Write Web has compiled a mega-list of lifestreaming applications in their 35 Ways to Stream Your Life article. For those of you still unfamiliar with lifestreaming, it simply involves…
Facebook + iTunes = New Band Pages →
Facebook has launched a new Music section allowing bands and musicians to create pages to display their discographies, songs, photos, and videos. Bands can link their songs to iTunes and…
February 2008
38 posts
Technology How-to’s for Libraries →
I’ve come across several articles, presentations, and papers lately which offer some very useful tips and insight into how libraries can use some of today’s new Web tools. Here are a few to check…
Google Relaunches JotSpot Wikis →
The JotSpot wiki service which offered spreadsheet functionality, photo pages, calendars, and file storage, within their wikis has been in limbo since Google’s acquisition of the company in…
University Video Portal Lets Students Remix... →
Carleton University in Canada has created a video portal for students, according to Campus Technology, which allows them to share, annotate, search, index, and even remix class lecture videos. The full-length video from each class is uploaded to the site after the lecture. Students can add their annotations and metadata which is then searchable by the community and can be complied into “video...
Reprint Public Domain Books on Lulu →
A new mashup has been announced on Programmable Web which involves a non-profit service that enables you to select books in the public domain from websites such as Google Books and the Internet Archive and have them printed via Lulu.com, the print-on demand service. The mashup combines APIs from both LuLu and the Internet Archive and appears to be a straightforward way to get printed editions of...
20 Time-Saving Firefox Shortcuts →
Terry at SEONOOBs comes up with 20 Amazing Firefox Shortcuts to Save You Time and Money. The browsing tips include instructions for how to accomplish each of these tasks in a more efficient manner:
Search Sites With Keywords
Assign Keywords to Bookmarks
Navigate Tabs
Type Quicker URLs
Quick Word Search
Drop-Down Bookmarks
Delete Addresses
Get Instant Downloads
Launch Multiple Homepages
...
14 “Other” Ways to Use RSS Feeds →
MakeUseof.com has created a guide to some of the lesser-known ways to utilize RSS feeds including SendMeRSS which will forward any RSS feed to your email inbox, TwitterFeed which will forward several RSS feeds to a Twitter account, and Wigitize which will let you add RSS feeds to your website in a customizable widget. Check out the full article for more.
12 Tools for Creating Screencast Tutorials →
Mashable presents a guide to 12 Screencasting Tools For Creating Video Tutorials. If you’ve ever wondered about how to create video tutorials which record your screen actions, you’ll want to check out this list of programs, many which are free, including CamStudio, an open-source video and audio capture software application.
Open Source Software for Online Exhibitions →
Inside Higher Ed reports on a new open source software application for publishing online collections and exhibits called Omeka. The free program was created by George Mason University’s Center for History and New Media, who also developed Zotero, the Firefox extension for citation management. It is currently being used by the April 16 Archive at Virginia Tech to preserve the stories of the tragedy...
25 Useful Social Networking Tools for Librarians →
CollegeDegree.com presents an annotated guide to 25 Useful Social Networking Tools for Librarians. The list includes social networks, social bookmarking communities, social news websites, and more in the categories of:
Communication
Distribution
Organization
Catching up with social media →
If you’re still unsure about blogging and new social media, you’ll want to read BusinessWeek’s Social Media Will Change Your Business. The article updates their May 2005 report similarly titled Blogs Will Change Your Business. They decided to revise the popular story because despite the rapid advancements in today’s technology, readers are still downloading the original article.
“Look past the...
7 Things You Should Know About Flickr →
Educause has created another of its 7 Things guides, this time on the photo-sharing website Flickr. If you’re looking for a nice overview of the popular website, be sure and check out this document which covers the following points:
What is it?
Who’s doing it?
How does it work?
Why is it significant?
What are the downsides?
Where is it going?
What are the implications for teaching and...
Top Ten Top Lists Roundup →
It seems like everyone has a top list this week, so I thought I’d round them up for you in one single post. This is a hodgepodge of resources, some library, some tech.
Talk Good: Giving Effective Presentations (top eleven list of resources)
30 Mobile Trends in Libraries
10 Gmail Search Tips, and Then Some
Top 10 Last.fm Mashups
10 Tools for the Social Media Marketer
Top 10 Free Programs to...
Open Source Library Initiatives →
Inside Higher Ed talks about open source library initiatives today in their piece titled Open Minds, Open Books, Open Source. The article highlights projects such as:
Rochester’s eXtensible Catalog (XC) project - a Web 2.0 library catalog interface.
Villanova’s VuFind - a catalog offering faceted search results.
Oregon State University’s LibraryFind - a federated search engine.
Guides to Web Etiquette →
The Sunday Times (UK) has a helpful article compiling several etiquette guides including a section dedicated to online etiquette. If you’re unsure of the codes of behavior in Second Life, the principles of social networking in Facebook, or the standards of attributing credit to fellow bloggers, or you’d just like to be up on the latest gaming slang, you’ll want to check out this article.
13 Web-based Presentation Apps →
Mashable tells us to forget PowerPoint in favor of 13 online presentation creators. These applications enable users to create PowerPoint-like slideshows on the Web, share them, store them, and some can even be embedded in within websites and blogs. I would add that once the slideshows are complete, they can also be uploaded to Slideshare.net to be shared and displayed in widgets on Facebook and...
Ten Firefox Add-Ons, Plug-ins, and Extensions →
The LibrarianInBlack gives us a great list of add-ons for the Firefox browser in Sarah’s Top Ten Firefox Plug-ins and Extensions, which actually provides thirteen items if you count the bonus extensions. Three from the list which caught my eye are:
Column Bookmarks
Autofill Forms
Facebook Toolbar
Library Beta Projects →
College Degree.com brings us 25 Awesome Beta Research Tools from Libraries Around the World which includes efforts at both academic and public libraries. The list includes prototype initiatives such as the University of Virginia Libraries’ faceted discovery tool, Project Blacklight and the Web Curator Tool project by the by the National Library of New Zealand and the British Library.
And for...
100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study... →
The OEDb has created a massive list of 100 educational podcasts, walking tours, and reference resources available to load onto your iPod. They have divided this list of educational tools into the following categories:
Study Guides
Podcasts and More
Tutorials
Applications
More Downloads
Classroom Help
iPod Learning Support
Tools and Sites
iTunes U
Miscellaneous
Harvard to Publish Free on the Web? →
The New York Times reports that faculty members at Harvard University will be voting today to decide whether or not to distribute their scholarly articles on the Web in an open-access repository which would make them freely available. Today’s decision will apply to Harvard’s arts and sciences faculty.
“In place of a closed, privileged and costly system, it will help open up the world of learning...
10 Blogger Hacks →
Those of you who blog using Google’s Blogger platform will want to check out these Top 10 Blogger Hacks and Tips. This article provides instructions for how to customize your blog site. Some of the standouts include:
How to remove the Blogger bar from the top of the page
How to add a Recent Comments module along your sidebar
How to use your domain name instead of a blogspot address
How to...
Myspace Adds Casual Gaming →
The MySpace social network has added a Games area of its website community which offers single and multiplayer Flash games, the ability to add games to profiles, and to chat with other gamers. These casual games can all be quickly learned and played and include such titles as Mah Jong, Jewel Quest, Backgammon, Sudoku, etc.
via TechCrunch
Americans Watch Over 10 Billion Online Videos in a... →
According to a comScore Video Metrix report, nearly 141 million U.S. Internet users watched more than 10 billion videos online during the month of December 2007. The report measured actual video viewing, rather than simply website visitation. Google websites ranked highest for the most videos viewed with their YouTube property accounting for 97% of those viewers.
via WebbAlert
Mashups Are Breaking the Mold at Microsoft →
The New York Times has coverage of the recently released Microsoft Popfly, a mashup creator for the non-programmer. Similar to Yahoo! Pipes and Google Mashup Editor tools, Popfly has gained over 100,000 users and 50,000 mashups.
“The Popfly programmers, however, have gone a step further in an effort to design a tool that is intended for a generation of Web users who are familiar with the...
25 Firefox Extensions to Make You More Productive →
The LifeDev blog has compiled an annotated guide of 25 Firefox extensions for productivity. Here are their top five picks:
Autocopy
Better Gmail
Better GReader
No Squint
Remember the Milk for Gmail
Easy Collaboration with Google Apps Team Edition →
Both Tame the Web and Web Worker Daily have coverage of the new Google Apps Team Edition which enables groups of students or co-workers to share and collaborate using:
Google Docs
Google Calendar
Google Talk
Google Start Page
With team edition, collaborators can:
Work on the same document together, instead of sorting out changes in attachments
Share documents and calendars securely with...
Upcoming Presentations →
These are my upcoming presentations and classes for the next few months, drop me a line if you’ll be nearby or attending.
Feb 26 - Social Bookmarking Complete at Metropolitan New York Library Council (NYC)
Mar 22 - Card Sorting A-Z at Simmons College (MA)
Mar 28 - Social Software in Academic Libraries at New York Public Library (NYC)
Apr 7 - Beyond Libraries: Industries Using Hot Tech at...
Resources for New Mac Users →
There may be a few more Mac users out there following last month’s release of the MacBook Air. If you’re a new Mac user, here are a few resources to get you going:
7 Tools for Easing the Switch from a PC to a Mac
Moving from Windows to a Mac? 16 Ways to Get Up to Speed
Top 100 Mac Apps
Top 100 Essential Mac Applications
Social Software in Libraries, a presentation →
50 Open Source Alternatives to Proprietary... →
Jimmy Atkinson at the WHDb blog has created a mammoth list of quality open source programs in his Top 50 Proprietary Programs that Drive You Crazy — and Their Open Source Alternatives. The resources are divided into helpful categories including:
Basics
Office Suites
Office Tools
Productivity
Graphic Programs
Web Editors
Publishing
Communications
Media
Utilities
Security
Financial
25 Gmail Skins, Tools, and Resources →
Do you use Gmail regularly? If so, you may want to explore this list of 25 Incredible Skins, Resources & Tools for the Gmail Power User from Daily Bits. Some of the highlights include:
Turn Gmail Into Your Personal Nerve Center
Gmail Craze: 40+ Tools and Hacks for Gmail
Use Gmail as Your Universal Email Account
Mark Spam Messages as Read
100 Google Maps Mashups →
The Google Maps Mania blog has put together a list of 100 Things to do with Google Maps Mashups. Here are few standouts:
Calculate cab fare in New York City
Find a WiFi Hotspot in the US
Google Map your blog or website visitors
Track a US package
Explore the new 7 wonders of the world
Podcast Audience Predicted to Steadily Increase →
A recent report from eMarketer suggests that there is significant growth potential in podcasting. According to their predictions, the audience of 18.5 million podcast listeners in 2007 is set to increase by 251% to 65 million in 2012.
via TechCrunch
Widgets to the Rescue →
If you’re interested in widgets, you may want to check out this article I wrote for School Library Journal which talks about what widgets are, highlights some of the more popular widgets in use, how libraries are using them, and how you can make your own.
“On a recent visit to the San Jose Zoo, I made a beeline for a family of meerkats. You know, the ever-vigilant and undeniably adorable...
Multipurpose Your Microblogging →
If you like new microblogging tools such as Twitter and Pownce, you may have an account at more than one of these services by now. With HelloText, you can cover all of your accounts with a single text message which you can opt to send to Twitter, Pownce, Plaxo, Tumblr, Jaiku, Facebook, Frazr, Meemi, GoZub, or Beemood at the same time.
via Social Media
Widgets to the Rescue - 2/1/2008 - School Library... →
10 Principles Of Effective Web Design →
Smashing Magazine has written an in-depth and illustrated guide to Web design. Anyone who is interested in usability and user-centered design may want to check out their approach:
Don’t make users think
Don’t squander users’ patience
Manage to focus users’ attention
Strive for feature exposure
Make use of effective writing
Strive for simplicity
Don’t be afraid of the white space
...
