Social Networking

Thing Twelve




This was a very time-consuming, thought-provoking "Thing" for me. As an educator, I guess it is important to know about social networking, since it has become a raging teen fad, and many of the students probably have a MySpace profile. Even though these networks may help one learn about the interests and social aspects of our students or help one find a friend with similar personality traits, I see no educational value in them. There are too many controversial, privacy and moral issues surrounding these networks. Nearly every day there is an article in the news or the newspaper of some child or adult who has fallen prey to some deranged individual who had access to private information posted in his profile. As Jacquielynn Floyd stated in her editorial in DMN, "I am genuinely surprised that so many people wish to share their photos, likes and dislikes and personal preferences in so public a setting, as if they were renting billboards." If I had to give a reason why I would like these networks, I guess it would be the contact one could have to family and friends, but I am perfectly happy using email or the phone. The useful feature feature might be having contacts with similar social interests, but I still would not want to see these sites as part of a library or educational purpose. I personally would not want to be responsible for any legal issues that might occur. Therefore, I am extremely hesitant and having a difficult time joining one of these social networks, but I guess I must to receive credit for "Thing 12." As Ms. Floyd stated, for a culture that seems to "cherish individual privacy, we certainly seem to be in a hurry to throw it away."

Here is my link to my Facebook Profile.

I was unable to access Ning, the school-related groups on Ning, or the Mesquite Librarians Ning Network due to the override. It was blocked due to pornography, nudity, etc. I have been very hesitant to join these groups, but I guess I am required to receive credit. I tried at home and saw a different link than at school. I am now a reluctant member of the Ning Network and Facebook.

The LibraryThing

Thing Eleven

The LibraryThing
Originally uploaded by techshy

LibraryThing would be a great site for those who have a large collection of books at home and wanted to catalog their books, sort them by subjects, or share their collection with others. Using LibraryThing , I could access other people's catalog who share similar reading tastes and discover recommendations of books to read. The ratings and reviews would also help me decide if I wanted the books before purchasing them, which would be useful for personal or school-related purchases. I am already excited because as I was adding books to my catalog I discovered one of my favorite authors is publishing a new book. It is Where Are You Now? by Mary Higgins Clark. Can't wait until March 2008!!

Image Generators

Thing Ten

I played with the happy face, custom sign and comic strip generators. They are a little more user friendly than the other "Things." These generators could be used in the library web page or a library/school newsletter. Students could also use them to promote books they have read. They could create a sign of their favorite book with a couple of catchy phrases to hopefully encourage other students to read the book.

Are you a Lone Star Reader?

Are you a Lone Star Reader??
Originally uploaded by http://www.flickr.com/people/16178802@N07/

Here is my happy face generator.

Take a chance at reading. Check out the Lone Star section of the library.

Reading makes me happy!!

My custom sign generator.

Read to enrich your life. Visit the library to check out your favorite book.

Reading makes me happy!!
Originally uploaded by http://www.flickr.com/people/16178802@N07/

On the Road to Success

http://www.license.plates.txt2pic.com

license
Originally uploaded by http://www.flickr.com/people/16178802@N07/

Thing Ten

The Happy Face and the Custom Sign Generators were my favorite to create. I also found many of the happy face images availabe through the Comic Strip. These image generators could be used in our library web page or a newsletter. The generators could also be used by the students to post signs with a couple of brief sentences promoting their favorites. I found this Thing to be one of the more enjoyable ones to complete.

Finding Feeds

Thing Nine


I found the Topix feed the easiest to use. I enjoyed being able to search for news items from a particular city's name, by state, or by topic. I wish I had known about this in the past because I have had, on occasion, teachers inquire about news items from past issues of the newspapers. The Google Blog Search was one of my favorites. I guess since Google is used more by me and in the library by the students this one would be my first choice. This feed and Google Reader would be less time- consuming if the librarians had access without the override. I also tried to create a Google Alert but have not succeeded. I have not been able to receive a Google verification. The Feedster was under construction when I previewed it the second time, but what I have seen I think I would like it. I enjoy searching in feeds that include newsworthy information. Technorati is the more confusing and difficult to me, and I do not have the patience nor the time to tinker with it.

I liked School Library Blogs on Suprglu because it gave me easy access to school library-related articles. One I found interesting was the Young Hoosier Award Book Site. It provided a list of questions that teachers can use for book discussions or book reports. I have also included this in my shared items. I will be happy when I learn how to remove some of the shared items I do not want on my blog. I have tried various ways, and they refuse to delele or "unshare."