Communication overload

Since moving away from my family and friends, I have relied primarily on the internet and social media to stay in contact with loved ones.  I have every account imaginable-- you name it, I've probably tried it at some point.  Some things were just for fun (ie: Twitter, Facebook, etc) while others I have used for networking.

I decided to combine several of the 23 Things into one post since they are closely related. I apologize in advance for the long post. :)

Thing #5: Communication
In the past I've experimented with all sorts of chat clients (AIM, G-chat, Meebo, Digsby,Yahoo, MSN).  Despite giving them all a shot, I've only stuck with two that I use on a regular basis- AIM and G-chat. For those who are not familiar with G-chat, it is Google's chat client. The main reason I use G-chat is its convenience (it opens automatically when I check my email) and its functionality (I can download Google Labs, or add-ons).  AIM is primarily used for many of my long-time friends and family who have known me for as long as I've had internet access.  Overall, I like G-chat the best.

Things #6, 7, 8, 9: Social Networking
I have been a user of Facebook since 2005 when it first launched. Since then it has come a long way and its user base has expanded.  I love using Facebook to catch up with friends and family who do not live nearby. It's an easy way to share family photos, updates, and announcements with the click of a button.  While I do hold issue with some of Facebook's privacy policy, the pros outweigh the cons. 

Twitter was something I tried in 2008 and continue to use to this day. When I first created my account, I was very confused-- I had no idea what these "tweets" were about, nor did I know what to say in my own.  Did people really want to know what I had for breakfast and other trivial details?  Over time, I discovered what I like sharing on Twitter: news articles and the occasional personal tidbit about my day.  What I like about Twitter versus Facebook is that I can receive updates from news outlets, like CNN, or local organizations, like NOPL, from my homepage. Due to my own privacy, I chose to keep my Twitter strictly for personal use instead of networking. 

Things #10, 11: Professional Networking
I joined LinkedIn when I was job searching as a way to get my name out there and I have found that it is a great vehicle for professional networking.  My past colleagues have used it to write me recommendations, make suggestions, offer advice, etc. It's great to find so many of my co-workers on there. :)

And now on to Thing #12! 
 

Rockin' in the library!

Big day at Cicero today! We had several events happening-- live music, our community garden, the summer reading kick-off event, and a genealogy meeting. Although the rain made us come inside (boo) we all still had a great time. I took a couple pictures for everyone to enjoy:

Our impromptu stage :)

A big thanks to our garden volunteers!  

Top news at my fingertips

It's a quiet Saturday morning here at Cicero-- the perfect morning to explore the realm of RSS feeds for Thing #3. Although familiar with RSS and how it works, I never actually subscribed to one before. Overall, I found the process easy. The hardest part? Deciding which of the millions of feeds would grace the homepage of my Google Reader. The options are endless!

I settled on USAToday's top headlines and entertainment feeds. With my background in film and journalism (I studied film for two years and worked as a reporter/news designer for three), these areas are always of interest to me. RSS feeds are a powerful tool. I can't wait to find more feeds in which to subscribe.

The importance of social media [in a nutshell]

With the start of the 23 Things, I decided to do a little research about the use of Web 2.0 in libraries. I stumbled across a blog that particularly interested me and thought I would share. Information Tyrannosaur is the blog of Andrew Burkhardt, an Emerging Technologies Librarian at Champlain College in Burlington, VT.

In his post, "Four Reasons Libraries Should be on Social Media," Burkhardt provides four bullet points on reasons why the library industry should look to Web 2.0 as its future. I really enjoyed perusing his blog-- he has a lot of interesting ideas on multiple topics regarding libraries. I'll definitely be a regular visitor of his.

Just another reason I am extremely excited about NOPL's 23 Things!

(And I'm having great fun commenting on everyone's blog :) )

Welcome!

Hi, I'm Adrienne. Welcome to my blog for NOPL's 23 Things program. I'm looking forward to exploring Web 2.0 in-depth!