Tiny URL and You Send It

Tiny URL is pretty cool! I looked up a URL from our catalog, which was crazy long (http://192.168.10.21/uhtbin/cgisirsi.exe/0/0/x/57/5/x?user_id=WEBSERVER&password=&srchfield1=GENERAL%5ESUBJECT%5EGENERAL%5E%5Ewords+or+phrase&searchdata1=newbery%awards&item_2cat=ANY) 184 characters, to be exact. Tiny URL turned it into http://tinyurl.com/y9ry2u5, which is only 26 characters - amazing!

You Send It is also a good site to know. I sent myself a video, and it was a relatively quick process (after creating my account, checking my email to activate, etc!). The downloading was fast and the video made it safe and sound, so it worked, which is always a bit surprising to me. : )

Delicious

I'm sorry, but I didn't really get this one. Please see David's blog on Delicious(http://plutysworld.blogspot.com/) -- I concur.

Honestly, I just don't get this one... I did bookmark a few sites, but I can get to them easily on my own. Maybe if I were on the computer more and always finding sites that I wanted to be sure not to forget about, I would use this, but I just can't see that it would be all that helpful to me.

Facebook

Well, I have had a Facebook account for a while, but I'm not really a fan. It is great for connecting with long-lost friends and all, but I just don't have the time to spend on it. It was fun at first, but now I get so annoyed by people's hour-by-hour update on their lives that I seldom even log on. I just check my Yahoo account for messages and go from there. I did become a fan of the Frisco Public Library, however. :)

LinkedIn

Well, I created an account and requested to join a couple of groups (I hope they accept me!). I did look around at the job searches but didn't find much there. I think this could be a good professional tool for networking, but I am just not likely to use it. I am an antisocial networker, I guess. I am just not going to spend time on the computer with strangers - ever. I know these things are good ideas, and that I should get on board, but it all seems so impersonal and makes me sad.

LibraryThing

This is a site that was really fun! If I had any free time and was the sort of person who spent her free time on the computer, I might actually do something with this. I did add some titles to my library and put a couple on my wish list. I enjoyed reading reviews of recommended books, but I had to make myself stop because I am just reminded of the fact that I have no time to read for pleasure these days. However, this would be a great place for me to list all the books I come across that I must read someday when I'm finished with school and only have one job and a real life again!!

Tagging

I like the idea of tagging. I think it's interesting to see what different people come up with to describe things, and I think it's very useful in the library setting. It is an excellent supplement to the library's catalog because it gives more variety to the descriptions and links things together. I probably will never be one to actually tag anything, but I do like to see what other people put out there.

Instant Messages

Ok, I have to admit that I have never been a fan. IMming usually annoys me, and I often ignore people who pop in on me while I'm busy doing something else, but this makes me feel bad, guilty, etc., so then I'll start conversing and not know how to end it without seeming rude, so I find myself engaged in this conversation that I never wanted to be in because I have no boundaries!!
Sorry for that little rant.

Actually, here at the library, I've used the Communicator system a few times with great success, and when I look down and see that my little button is yellow, it's quite exciting. Lauren shared her screen with me yesterday, which was very neat. So if she's working on a poster or something and wants my opinion, she can just pop up and show it to me rather than having to attach it to an email. I have to say that my favorite thing is all the smiley icons that are available, and I now cannot send a message without one! Amy and I had a whole conversation using them, which was challenging, yet fun and enlightening.

I can see the benefit to using IM here at the library to communicate between staffers, but I would be hesitatant to use it with patrons. The problem is that people always pop up at the most inconvenient times, and you either have to ignore them or get interrupted constantly, so I'm not sure how that would work.