For the third activity in this module, I set up an account at "Second Life Librarians at 'Ning'. I was invited to join this network, and it was quite easy (probably because I've already joined SL, Facebook and Myspace.) I set up a bare bones profile, and added a picture to it. It seems pretty similar to Facebook, only with less options. I also posted a few comments on a couple of the pages of fellow Blue 2.0 participants.
Check out my "Second Life Librarians profile here:
http://sllibrarians.ning.com/profile/BenitaClarke
Monday, March 31, 2008
Blue 2.0 Social Networking Part 2: MySpace
I set up a Myspace profile for the first time, but I probably won't use it very much again after this activity. To me, Facebook serves all my social networking needs. Even with my minimal level of Facebook involvement, it takes time to keep up with everything. I don't think I have time to really get into Myspace. I did find a few friends, and signed up for the UK Libraries group. I haven't had responses to my friendship requests yet, so the jury is still out on my impressions of Myspace. Check out my profile on Myspace here.
Blue 2.0 Social Networking Part 1: Facebook
I already had a Facebook account that I hadn't used it a lot lately so this activity was a fun way to get back into the swing of things. I joined the "Blue 2.0 Libraries" group, updated my profile by using the "status" function for the first time, added some new friends from Blue 2.0 and Second Life, tried out some of the quizzes like "Just For Fun!", "Smack talked" someone, "poked somebody" and tried out a few of the other widgets. It was a lot of fun to start using Facebook again.
Check out my Facebook Profile here.
Check out my Facebook Profile here.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Fabala24's Blue 2.0 podcast: Photo and Podcasting, Part 3: Photos and Flickr
So far, I've reviewed a YouTube video and posted my very first podcast. I was already familiar with YouTube, so that part was easy. Learning how to use Audacity to record my podcast was a bit challenging, but fun.
I wasn't that enthused about setting up a Flickr account because I already have Photobucket and Shutterfly accounts. Happily, I didn't have to sign up for any additional accounts because it turns out that Flickr is part of Yahoo, and I have a Yahoo account. The set up was easy--you can establish your Flickr presence with minimal information, which I appreciate. It is very easy to upload pictures. One disadvantage is the 5mb size limit for files, but that is very minor. You can make your photos available for the general public, or limit who can view them. You can organize them into 'sets' that include only specific photos.
Flickr can be useful for the libraries too. When we have library events, photos can be posted from the events to Flickr so that anybody can access them from anywhere. If photos are posted to Sharepoint, on the other hand, you have to be logged in to the library server server to view them.
I took some photos during our snowy weekend a couple of weeks ago. You can view these photos, and a few others here.
I wasn't that enthused about setting up a Flickr account because I already have Photobucket and Shutterfly accounts. Happily, I didn't have to sign up for any additional accounts because it turns out that Flickr is part of Yahoo, and I have a Yahoo account. The set up was easy--you can establish your Flickr presence with minimal information, which I appreciate. It is very easy to upload pictures. One disadvantage is the 5mb size limit for files, but that is very minor. You can make your photos available for the general public, or limit who can view them. You can organize them into 'sets' that include only specific photos.
Flickr can be useful for the libraries too. When we have library events, photos can be posted from the events to Flickr so that anybody can access them from anywhere. If photos are posted to Sharepoint, on the other hand, you have to be logged in to the library server server to view them.
I took some photos during our snowy weekend a couple of weeks ago. You can view these photos, and a few others here.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Fabala24's Blue 2.0 podcast: Photo and Podcasting, Part 2: My first podcast
To celebrate the second season of Showtime's "The Tudors", I recorded a podcast about some novels from that era.
Recording the podcast was the easy part because I recorded it with Audacity, my trusty laptop, and a handy dandy microphone I got on sale at Radio Shack.
Posting it to the blog was tricky, though. I exported the Audacity project as an .mp3 file, but discovered that you can't save .mp3's to this blog. I worked around this restriction by inserting a picture and saving it as a video since this blog accepts files in several video formats. So here goes....
Recording the podcast was the easy part because I recorded it with Audacity, my trusty laptop, and a handy dandy microphone I got on sale at Radio Shack.
Posting it to the blog was tricky, though. I exported the Audacity project as an .mp3 file, but discovered that you can't save .mp3's to this blog. I worked around this restriction by inserting a picture and saving it as a video since this blog accepts files in several video formats. So here goes....
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Blue 2.0: Photo and Podcasting Part 1: Review of "Rosetta Stone @ Your Library" YouTube Video
I like libraries and I like teaching a foreign language, so this video from Jefferson Co, Alabama combines both interests. I like librarians with a sense of humor. It gives you situations where you can use Rosetta Stone software to learn a foreign language. The best part is that it is available for people to check out from the library. I thought it was amusing, and hope you enjoy it too.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Blue 2.0 Fun Week, Part 4: Second Life
The "play week" module for Blue 2.0 certainly has been fun. I've 'blinged' my blog, embedded a YouTube video in one of my posts, experimented with some online image generators and gotten involved with Second Life.
I wasn't sure what to expect from Second Life. It is a lot of fun once you get into it and learn your way around, but the interface isn't the most intuitive, especially for the newbie. I signed up for my account, picked a name, and ended up on the orientation island. A very nice avatar with gorgeous hair, a beautiful floaty dress, and sparkly shoes gave me folders with clothes, hints for newbies, and some other free stuff. She was nice and engaging. I got a little confused and accidentally teleported of orientation island before viewing the videos, etc. for newbies--oh well! I later found out that once you're off the newbie island, you can't return.
I clicked on a link to teleport to the Titanic thinking that I would end up on the ship and perhaps tour the rooms as they were back in 1912. I ended up on a piece of wood in the middle of the ocean with with other's encouraging me not to drown. Time to go elsewhere!
After teleporting to a couple of other places I found my way to UK. I found co-workers, people from other departments, and a lot of other interesting stuff. The first day I was there the Library and a couple of buildings from the School of Music were on the island. Now there are a lot more places to visit at UK Island, and it gets bigger every day!
My avatar is a work in progress. I got rid of the lame hair style that she came with on Rez Day and got free hair styles from Tami McCoy, Diversity Hair, and my favorite, Gurl 6! Having a bad hair day? It's easy to fix in SL. I was able to mix and match a few outfits to get her style similar to my own. I bought $5 worth of Lindens (SL money), and boy, do those Lindens go a long way!
Now I'm experimenting with different skins to get my avatar to match my real life complexion more closely. And who knows, I might splurge on a more realistic shape for her. But then again, maybe not. With demos you can try different things without committing those precious $Ls to them.
Back at UK Island, I attended meetings, toured the library, found peace at a gazebo, and hung out with friends. The meeting was really cool--a lot was accomplished, and we didn't have to leave our desks. Meetings this way are sort of like chat rooms, only more fun.
Is there a downside to Second Life? Well, there is an abundance of places to visit, and no real systematic way to find them, since the search engine of SL seems to work like Google. You can also end up in strange places without intending to. Sometimes the system freezes up and your avatar can act wonky. And any item, landmark or folder that you receive gets dumped into your inventory. You can easily accumulate hundreds of things and have trouble finding them until you figure out a way to organize them. You can also meet strange people and stalkers in SL, just like in real life. I haven't met any personally (knock on wood), but I know somebody who has.
Overall, though, Second Life is fun and you can learn a lot. I look forward to participating in the launch party for UK Island, and to seeing how the University plans to integrate Second Life into the other means it uses to reach out to the campus community.
I wasn't sure what to expect from Second Life. It is a lot of fun once you get into it and learn your way around, but the interface isn't the most intuitive, especially for the newbie. I signed up for my account, picked a name, and ended up on the orientation island. A very nice avatar with gorgeous hair, a beautiful floaty dress, and sparkly shoes gave me folders with clothes, hints for newbies, and some other free stuff. She was nice and engaging. I got a little confused and accidentally teleported of orientation island before viewing the videos, etc. for newbies--oh well! I later found out that once you're off the newbie island, you can't return.
I clicked on a link to teleport to the Titanic thinking that I would end up on the ship and perhaps tour the rooms as they were back in 1912. I ended up on a piece of wood in the middle of the ocean with with other's encouraging me not to drown. Time to go elsewhere!
After teleporting to a couple of other places I found my way to UK. I found co-workers, people from other departments, and a lot of other interesting stuff. The first day I was there the Library and a couple of buildings from the School of Music were on the island. Now there are a lot more places to visit at UK Island, and it gets bigger every day!
My avatar is a work in progress. I got rid of the lame hair style that she came with on Rez Day and got free hair styles from Tami McCoy, Diversity Hair, and my favorite, Gurl 6! Having a bad hair day? It's easy to fix in SL. I was able to mix and match a few outfits to get her style similar to my own. I bought $5 worth of Lindens (SL money), and boy, do those Lindens go a long way!
Now I'm experimenting with different skins to get my avatar to match my real life complexion more closely. And who knows, I might splurge on a more realistic shape for her. But then again, maybe not. With demos you can try different things without committing those precious $Ls to them.
Back at UK Island, I attended meetings, toured the library, found peace at a gazebo, and hung out with friends. The meeting was really cool--a lot was accomplished, and we didn't have to leave our desks. Meetings this way are sort of like chat rooms, only more fun.
Is there a downside to Second Life? Well, there is an abundance of places to visit, and no real systematic way to find them, since the search engine of SL seems to work like Google. You can also end up in strange places without intending to. Sometimes the system freezes up and your avatar can act wonky. And any item, landmark or folder that you receive gets dumped into your inventory. You can easily accumulate hundreds of things and have trouble finding them until you figure out a way to organize them. You can also meet strange people and stalkers in SL, just like in real life. I haven't met any personally (knock on wood), but I know somebody who has.
Overall, though, Second Life is fun and you can learn a lot. I look forward to participating in the launch party for UK Island, and to seeing how the University plans to integrate Second Life into the other means it uses to reach out to the campus community.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Blue 2.0 Fun Week, Part 2--More Advanced Blogging
Lately I've read a lot of Philippa Gregory novels about the Tudor era, and last season I really enjoyed the show "The Tudors" on Showtime. Showtime has provided viewers with tools to "bling" their blogs, so here goes!
Check out the countdown widget too.
Check out the countdown widget too.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Blue 2.0 Fun Week, Part 1--Advanced Blogging
I've really enjoyed myself this past week or so. I signed up for Second Life and have been traveling around the virtual world. But more on that later.
Another suggested activity for Fun Week is to try some advance blogging, so I decided to embed a video in this blog posting. I teach beginning and intermediate level Spanish classes (my other hat here at UK!), and this video got so many hits that the creator got to sing this song on Telemundo to Kim Kardashian. I found it hilarious, and hope you enjoy it too.
Here is "One Semester of Spanish Love Song" courtesy of YouTube:
Another suggested activity for Fun Week is to try some advance blogging, so I decided to embed a video in this blog posting. I teach beginning and intermediate level Spanish classes (my other hat here at UK!), and this video got so many hits that the creator got to sing this song on Telemundo to Kim Kardashian. I found it hilarious, and hope you enjoy it too.
Here is "One Semester of Spanish Love Song" courtesy of YouTube:
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