Task 8: RSS

I dont really like the idea of RSS - i dont know anyone who uses it. It kind of feels like subscribing to an overload of information, even though you choose relevant feeds, i reckon you would still have to sort through the feeds for relevant information, and it's still just another thing added to the list of things to be reading and getting through each day.
If i want to find information on a certain topic, i would just prefer to search for it at the time when i will most likely have some free time to be doing so.
On the other hand, i do see how it could be a good way to kind of make yourself stay current on certain subjects, which is a good thing.
I guess maybe this is just me becoming aware of how lazy i can be...
I used Google Reader for this task. It was a little confusing for me, but i got the idea.
Google provides a lot of 'recommended items' when you first go into the reader, which kind of confused me, and I wasnt really sure how to actually subscribe to anything from the recommended items. But it looks like you have to click into the item (blog, site, etc) and subscribe from there, or copy the URL and paste using the 'add a subscription' button at the top right corner of the Google Reader page.
Found out what 'sharing' is. Like i said before, i dont know anyone that uses RSS so this would be useless for me.
I think i will try this out though, i have just bought an android phone, so i am becoming more Google orientated, and this may make RSS more convenient for me to use...

Task 13: Del.icio.us

I like Del.icio.us.
I have tried to use it a couple of years ago, but I didnt stick with it. This time I have added the toolbar to my browser, and it has its own menu drop down, which is a LOT more convenient so I am pretty sure I will keep using it now.
I like that you can find so many good websites, I have already accumulated a lot of interesting reading to do later YAY!

Task 12: LibriVox

Sounds like it could be a good idea, but as I was looking at the site, browsing through a collection mostly consisting of books I do not find interesting, I was starting to wonder about the part on the homepage that said volunteer, meaning anyone could have recorded these books, so I thought this would be interesting, if you happened to want to listen to a book, only to download a recording and it be recorded by someone with a voice you find annoying. So I decided to try this, and the first file I listen to...
I do not like LibriVox

Task 11: Google Books

Less of a social networking site than Library Thing, and more for research and information about books. Has its own appeal even though it is not so user friendly as Library Thing.
I found the Library Partners information interesting, as this is closely related to what I do.

Task 10: library Thing

Extremely easy to join and use. Although it's not the prettiest looking website, it seems to offer quite a lot of interesting options. Despite all the wonderful things available on the website, and the strange case of excitement about all the things I could do, I just dont know if i'll be motivated to keep returning to the website, I would prefer if it was an app on facebook, haha, just for the convenience and the fact that I would rather share my reading list with friends, and I know my friends would not join Library Thing.

Task 10: Library Thing

Task 7 : blog commenting

This was good - to have a look at what other people are doing and saying, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. At the moment there weren't a lot of blog post, but it will get more interesting as everyone starts to do more - I will definitely continue to visit other people's blogs along the way.

It was weird to comment anonymously on anonymous blogs, I preferred reading the blogs by the people who introduced themselves, or that I already knew. Kind of ironic considering I am writing an anonymous blog.

Using Picasa

I didn't download Picasa to do this task. I personally don't think it is as good as Flickr, but there are some possible benefits it has over Flickr like the file management/uploading, and face recognition (maybe Flickr has that too?). The 'where in the world' game was not too good, since you come across a lot of people's strange, personal, and generally just bad photos...
When browsing photos in Picasa, Firefox often froze and reacted strangely. When posting the photo to this blog from the Picasa blogging tool, it didn't have anywhere near the same ease of use, or editing options as Flickr.

Task 6 : Picasa - Smile.

For some reason, the time zone on my blog account changed...?

Using Flickr.... ¿

AHHH forgot the user names and passwords of all the accounts I had currently had to join up to this point, including the password for this blog, yahoo account, and flickr and had to reset them all!!! I wish there weren't so many accounts that had to be created for this...


Looking at Flickr at the moment, it looks like a good resource if you regularly take photos you like to post online, or are really into photography. Generally I just use facebook to share my photos online, and I dont see the point of having multiple accounts to do the same thing, even if there is more personalisation and organisational tools on Flickr, basically it looks like it could take a lot of time to use it properly, and I am just not that into photos or photography.

Task 5 - Flickr : Arbor Day - 'Frognal'

Frognal
Originally uploaded by Nad

Set up my blog to my flickr account and found a photo from Arbor Day that I like...

Once I knew what I was doing, connecting the accounts was actually easy.

7 ½ Lifelong Learning Habits

I didnt really like the presentation, at all, but anyhow...
 

I think the hardest learning habit for me is making goals. I don't like to make specific goals, as I believe in life if you ever really want to do something, you will do it, and there is no need to make plans around it. I do however realise things would most likely be easier and goals reached more efficiently if I actually planned and put more thought into them, but life is what happens when you are busy making plans. Or maybe that is just an excuse I use, I dont know, maybe I am over analysing, this is probably best left to a psychiatrist. 

The easier things for me are accepting responsibility for learning, viewing problems as challenges and using technology to my advantage. 

• I dont really know how someone cant be responsible for their own learning, unless they havent yet made it out of high school. I would think anyone with a tertiary education would know you only learn what you know through making the effort yourself, and that education eventually dates, and so you need to keep yourself current. I also believe its important to keep your brain exercised. And if you dont use it, you loose it.

• Viewing problems as challenges is just having fun. You always learn something, you feel good about it afterwards, and and it keeps things interesting.

• I think because I am still quite young, and have grown up during a time of constant technological growth and change, it is natural for me to use technology to my advantage.

week 1

I decided to participate in the 23 Things program with the aim of professional development and but I am also interested in learning some new things. After reading all the introductory information I think there are a lot of things I am already familiar with and use regularly. 

I am participating in the State Library's Looking at 2.0 at the same time which will be good to compare the two courses.