Reflections

20 for 2.0 has been an interesting experience. Much of it I could live without, in terms of spending my own time on the Web. I'm glad to have been exposed to all of it---I'm glad to know about all the things that individuals can do. I've been reading "The Cult of the Amatuer" by Andrew Keen while we were all learning, which may not have been the wisest thing to do. I think the concerns Mr. Keen raises about how our increasing interactive use of the Internet has taken away from our culture are worthy of consideration. The whole experience has made me more thoughtful and questioning of my use of the Internet.

avatars, etc

I did 2. And Jane helped me out again by showing me how to get them posted here. This was fun. I like the Tektek one better because it looks more like a real person in terms of proportions, rather than the extra-large head of Doppleme. I did the basic video of Second Life, but frankly, it doesn't have much appeal for me. I've never been into role playing games, and haven't played "dress-up" since I was 10 years old. My cousins and I did enjoy getting into the formal gowns and high heels left behind at my grandma's by our aunts to pretend we were princesses. But, I've liked who I am and what my real life is like, and the time committment is more than I'm willing to spend. As I've said before here, I don't feel I have time for all the things I want to do now, and if I'm going to add something else, it must be something I really want. I can see the attraction, and I'm glad that libraries and Sno-Isle in particular have a connection to Second Life. I think that presenting library services where people are is vitally important to our future.

Online apps

What a great idea!! But, I didn't like either one of them. In Yahoo! I had to delete what they had typed in as a sample---and my mouse kept skipping, so I'd delete extra lines, etc. which the template didn't like one little bit. Then, I couldn't see all of the screen in Zoho because I like my screen resolution set so the type is bigger, which eliminated part of the screen and the scroll bar. Luckily, my trusty tech Jane helped me out, so I could complete the assignment.

Games

My first thought was that I was going to have to demonstrate my lack of fine motor control in a 3-D role playing game situation. I'm so glad I don't. Games, however, are a different story. I played MahJong until the wee hours of the morning and got very good at Freecell. And, I'd just been told by my daughter about the games available on Facebook. In fact, she was pretty astounded that I was even on Facebook (I guess that's a plus for 20 for 2.0---I can seem a little more current with my daughter!). At any rate, she demonstrated the word games there, which I found both challenging and fun. I did try Yahoo!, and I suspect that I could grow to become more proficient at those, but it's hard to concentrate in the middle of a staff room. And, in addition to the benefits of games for kids---there's great benefits for older folks too. They're good brain exercise, which is recommended by doctors as a way to stave off loss of memory.

Maps

Wow!! Google Earth!! Flying from my home to work. It almost made me a little motion sick as the picture curved along our country roads. Flying from Mt. Hood to Mt. St. Helens, and doing a 360 degree view inside the crater (which my husband says is absolutely marvelous), but I haven't tried yet, due to the previously mentioned motionsickness.

search engines

I was actually interested to see the differences between search engines. I tend to use Google because that's at the top of the screen, so it's easy and fast. I decided to search for info on May Sarton---an author I've enjoyed, but who, I thought, might be obscure enough to provide a good comparison. So---Google came up with pages and pages and pages, but little of value. A few listings about her, but mostly listings for Amazon.com and other bookstores, as well as the full ads on the side of the page. Yahoo! was only marginally more informative, but I hit the jackpot with Rollyo. Just typing in her name, with no selection of sites to search, brought me scholarly reviews of her writing, and a couple of lengthy biographies. If I'd been writing a paper about her, Rollyo was definitely the site where I'd begin.

podcasts

I'm finding it hard to think about how long this took. First was going through the lists of places that have podcasts, and trying to find something even remotely interesting. OK---a couple of book talk sites, and I'm on my way. Then, I'm interrupted by a patron needing something, and I'm scheduled back on the desk, so the podcasts I've subscribed to just sit there for another week before I have enough time to listen. And, I lost them. Could not remember/find them anywhere, so I went back to the 20 for 2.0 page and began again. Then, I found the originals, and listened to one, and one of the new ones. The end. All in all, 2 or 3 hours of time to do something I'm not going to do again. I've now unsubscribed to them because it's not something I have an interest in. Once again, though, I'm glad to have seen and tried---and now I remember where they hide when I've subscribed to them. I can think of patrons who'd be interested and for whom this is a viable alternative to getting news and information by reading. But, you need a certain degree of familiarity with computers and access to one in the first place. So---was it worth the time and frustration? Don't know, but probably not.