I created a simple Myspage page, http://www.myspace.com/bookcalendar . I wanted to see what the craze was with social networking sites. It really is not that fascinating to me. When people sign up to use the computers in the libraries, they often go to myspace to post messages or look for hot dates. I guess, I am not part of this generation. Sometimes, if I am not careful and I look to closely, some of the things I see make my eyes burn and pop out of my sockets a bit. It can be a bit explicit or suggesive.
My colleagues often speak of Myspace with hushed tones. I don't think librarians understand social networking that well. Being a librarian in many ways is a very traditional job. There is a sudden invasion of new computer programs and applications which change the way reference can be done. Unfortunately, this is being approached in a quite haphazard way.
Blow up the reference desk, use blackberries to answer reference questions, carrie your laptop around the library to do reference. Roving computerized reference, the wave of the future. I can imagine carrying around a tablet pc in the future and actively looking for people to help. I would be in a star trek style uniform with a big librarian tag on the front and back. I wish people would think through a little bit more as they implemented new technologies.
I also went on Facebook today. I had a bunch of people sign up as my friend. Yesterday, I had one freind. Today, I have seven. It is kind of interesting. Maybe, I will build a unique offbeat literary network. It also showed me a bunch of places that my freinds joined as well. I joined a publishers group and posted something.
I had one person join me on Myspace as a freind. Then I searched for groups that were related to librarianship on Myspace. There were very few, much less than on Facebook.
I think as a potential professional networking tool, Facebook is much more useful. If you are looking for a hot date or a chance to discuss the latest rap song which the teenagers do at our branch, try Myspace.
I finished reading Scott Gier, Genellan Planetfall, on the Baen Free Library Site. I didn't realize it was part of a larger series. Scott Gier has a website devoted to the series. I may read a few more books in the series. Only the first one is free. This is the classic way to hook you. The first one is free, then you have to buy the book or borrow it from the library. This is why it is profitable to give away older books if you are a publisher. http://www.genellan.com/
Showing posts with label genellan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label genellan. Show all posts
Monday, April 28, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Read With Me Online
Right now, I am reading, Genellan Planetfall by Scott Gier from the Baen Free Library. It is a free online science fiction book. http://www.webscription.net/10.1125/Baen/1932657266/1932657266.htm
You can read it with me if you want. I am on Chapter 9 right now.
Yesterday, I went to my local library but didn't find anything I wanted to read. I spent a little while looking around for something to read but couldn't find anything that I wanted to read. I saw something interesting. My local library subscribes to a few issues of comic books, wolverine, batman, justice league, and superman. We don't subscribe to any individual issues of comic books. They also subscribe to Mad Magazine. At my library we subscribe to Mad Magazine. Mad Magazine is a kind of a guilty pleasure.
I looked at the computer books. There was a book on how to do a Facebook page and a Myspace page. I don't think I want to do this yet. It would probably increase my web traffic considerably, but would create a lot of additional work. I might learn something however. A lot of people when they come into the library I work at use Facebook and Myspace when they sign up to use the computer. I overheard the librarians discussing doing a Myspace page for my local library. That would be kind of funny.
There are actually a few librarians with Myspace pages.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=29505353 This is the Myspace page of the Librarian Dress Up Doll. A warning, the page plays "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" as background music. It might be a good exercise for young adult librarians.
On a more serious note, I found the Myspace page for the American Library Association.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=134390181
I guess, this must be important.
When I was sitting down at the computer in the library. An older guy in his forties was checking the calendar for when the rock band, Judas Priest was scheduled to come to town. I was rather amazed that the band was still together. I remember them from when I was a kid.
Today I went back to the library and picked up a few books. The first is Extremetech Hacking Myspace by John Pospisil, I started reading it today. Right now, I am reading about HTML and CSS. I really don't know much about CSS so at least I'll get an introduction to the subject. I already know a bit about HTML
I have had a chance to look through the manual on MySpace. I don't think this is a service that I want to use. It would require me to do a considerable amount of manipulation of the style of the page to get the results I wanted. Also, Myspace while it has a 90 million user base, is focused on a younger crowd, less literary in nature. Supposedly there are a 1/2 million bands which are registered with MySpace pages. MySpace also has its own record label, MySpace Records.
The manual is fairly complex it goes into how manipulate images, create animations, manage audio, manage video, upgrade background images, change the cursors, prepare an overall design for your MySpace page. This is a lot more than I am willing to do. I have pretty basic skills with this kind of thing.
The other book which I haven't started is Facebook, The Missing Manual, The Book That Should Have Been In The Box by E.A. Vander Veer. Facebook seems to be a more appropriate service for my page. The majority of the users are over 25, they include a recruiting function for employers, and seem to be a service much more focused on professional networking than MySpace which seems to be more of a fun site. I think I am going to review this book.
I was hoping that I could use Book Calendar as my identity, but Facebook is being a bit funny. I am supposed to provide a "real name". I am thinking about this. Also, Myspace is doing the same thing. I tried out Book Calendar as a first and last name, but that is not allowed. I guess something like Jack Kerouac is more believable.
You can read it with me if you want. I am on Chapter 9 right now.
Yesterday, I went to my local library but didn't find anything I wanted to read. I spent a little while looking around for something to read but couldn't find anything that I wanted to read. I saw something interesting. My local library subscribes to a few issues of comic books, wolverine, batman, justice league, and superman. We don't subscribe to any individual issues of comic books. They also subscribe to Mad Magazine. At my library we subscribe to Mad Magazine. Mad Magazine is a kind of a guilty pleasure.
I looked at the computer books. There was a book on how to do a Facebook page and a Myspace page. I don't think I want to do this yet. It would probably increase my web traffic considerably, but would create a lot of additional work. I might learn something however. A lot of people when they come into the library I work at use Facebook and Myspace when they sign up to use the computer. I overheard the librarians discussing doing a Myspace page for my local library. That would be kind of funny.
There are actually a few librarians with Myspace pages.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=29505353 This is the Myspace page of the Librarian Dress Up Doll. A warning, the page plays "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" as background music. It might be a good exercise for young adult librarians.
On a more serious note, I found the Myspace page for the American Library Association.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=134390181
I guess, this must be important.
When I was sitting down at the computer in the library. An older guy in his forties was checking the calendar for when the rock band, Judas Priest was scheduled to come to town. I was rather amazed that the band was still together. I remember them from when I was a kid.
Today I went back to the library and picked up a few books. The first is Extremetech Hacking Myspace by John Pospisil, I started reading it today. Right now, I am reading about HTML and CSS. I really don't know much about CSS so at least I'll get an introduction to the subject. I already know a bit about HTML
I have had a chance to look through the manual on MySpace. I don't think this is a service that I want to use. It would require me to do a considerable amount of manipulation of the style of the page to get the results I wanted. Also, Myspace while it has a 90 million user base, is focused on a younger crowd, less literary in nature. Supposedly there are a 1/2 million bands which are registered with MySpace pages. MySpace also has its own record label, MySpace Records.
The manual is fairly complex it goes into how manipulate images, create animations, manage audio, manage video, upgrade background images, change the cursors, prepare an overall design for your MySpace page. This is a lot more than I am willing to do. I have pretty basic skills with this kind of thing.
The other book which I haven't started is Facebook, The Missing Manual, The Book That Should Have Been In The Box by E.A. Vander Veer. Facebook seems to be a more appropriate service for my page. The majority of the users are over 25, they include a recruiting function for employers, and seem to be a service much more focused on professional networking than MySpace which seems to be more of a fun site. I think I am going to review this book.
I was hoping that I could use Book Calendar as my identity, but Facebook is being a bit funny. I am supposed to provide a "real name". I am thinking about this. Also, Myspace is doing the same thing. I tried out Book Calendar as a first and last name, but that is not allowed. I guess something like Jack Kerouac is more believable.
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