The End of My Epic Journey

Wow, I've made it to the end of my epic journey and I have to say I feel very proud!!

After a late start to the programme, it seemed like an enormous feat ahead of me, especially as several weeks elapsed after finally starting the programme when my computer completely packed up on me. So when it finally got going again, I have to admit to a lot of cramming, late nights and bulging eyes in an attempt to keep up the momentum and for fear of being computerless again.

I have to admit to enjoying taking part in this challenge. I enjoyed learning new 'computery' things that even my husband and kids had never heard of. There were some exercises which I didn't enjoy but on the whole it was a very worthwhile experience.

My favourite exercises were Image Generators, Zoho Writer, Library Thing and Flickr. These were all applications I had never used before but will definitely use in the future.

I enjoyed the exercises for You Tube and Social Bookmarking, mainly because I had used them before and knew a little about what they had to offer.

My least favourite exercises were RSS feeds, Podcasts and Technorati. I found these quite difficult to understand but at least I know what they are now and their uses.

So now I am looking forward to receiving my MP3 player and getting away from this computer and going for long walks listening to my music. Although I have enjoyed this experience, I prefer the simpler pleasures of life, computers and technology being quite low down on my list!!

Exercise 22- Social Networking and Libraries

As I said in my previous post, I do think that libraries using social networking tools such as bebo and facebook could be a way of attracting young people to the library. Young people today are so 'cyber' orientated that it could be one way of getting them interested in becoming a 'friend' of the library if they were not already involved previously. My kids use the computer constantly, it is the future and if libraries want to keep up, this is probably one of the ways it will do so.

Exercise 20 - E Books

I found this very easy to find. I like Google Book Search and it was very easy to use. I found a book of Wordsworths' poems and read some pages in the format of an e-book.

I thought the Kindle was a really innovative idea. I looked on Amazon.com and read the write up on the Kindle. It sounds a very clever idea and I can see lots of uses for it. The fact you can read a couple of chapters of a book before you decide to buy is definitely a plus.

I can see that e-books and the kindle have a place in the world today but I don't think they can ever replace the feel of a real book, the smell of an old book and the turning of real pages. I also don't think reading off a screen can be very good for your eyes in the long run. I think I'll stick with the real thing!!

Exercise 21 - Bebo, Facebook etc

I was already experienced with Facebook and Bebo before starting the 23 things, so this was not new for me. I have a Facebook account myself and really enjoy using it as a way of communicating with friends overseas. I find it a really good way to keep in touch and it is also fun to use. My kids use Bebo which is really Facebook for kids and again they find it a fun way to keep in touch with their friends.

I thought it was great the Auckland City Library and Rotorua are using Bebo to keep their patrons up to date with 'library matters'. It definitely brings their libraries up to date and will appeal to the youngsters who we should be really encouraging into our libraries.

Exercise 19 - Podcasts

Having never been involved or used Podcasts before, this was all new to me. I took the tutorial 'What is a Podcast' and it all became a little clearer.

I explored Pod Nova and found this site quite interesting - http://www.podnova.com/channel/396280/. It is a book review site.

I explored Yahoo Audio and found it to be very user friendly. Not sure how much I will use Podcasts in the future, I have managed ok without them so far so probably not very often!!

Exercise 18 - You Tube