Here's my lab-chow mix, Holley, trying to squeeze into the bed of my brother's much littler dog. I guess she was hoping we wouldn't notice.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
#90: Photo from the Nature Set in Flickr
This is a great egret in the pond at Meyer Park along the Cypress Creek. This is part of a series of local nature photos I took as background for the "Leaves: On the Banks of the Cypress Creek" mural at the Barbara Bush Library . The mural was digitally created by artist Pat Rawlings.
# 90:Kohrville Community Marker (Flickr)
In the 1870's, former slaves settled in the Kohrville Community along the Cypress Creek. A school used by African American students in the 1940's is preserved in the Klein ISD historical park near Doerre School.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
You Oughta Be in Pictures #90: Sharing Photos
1) Watch the video for an overview of photosharing.
The video and the ratings chart make me want to try Photobucket, which scored higher than Flickr.
Flickr has been awkward to use for HCPL purposes. This may be due to the fact that we are trying to do all of our 26+ locations on one account, and there are now 7500+ photos to manage. This makes loading and editing extremely slow and tedious. I do have a personal Flickr account that is much more user-friendly. Right now I have three sets of photos there: 1) Klein local history sites and markers; 2) Cypress Creek nature; and 3) photos of our family trip out west in 2007. Samples from my Flickr account are shown in the adjacent posts. I was pleased to see that Flickr has partnered with Picnik so that photos can be edited. I don't think that this feature was there when I first opened my account.
2) If you aren't familiar with any of these sites, browse through the public areas and their features or tours.
After reading the comparison review, watching the video review of Photobucket, and browsing through the Photobucket site, I created a free account and uploaded a number of photos. It looks like it will be easier to use and has many more features than Flickr.
3) What features are important to you when sharing your photos? Are privacy or copyright/creative commons options important to you? Which site do you prefer?
Photobucket makes it easy to share with Facebook, which I often use. Copyright is not as issue for me at this stage. Being able to specify who can share the photos is important, but often I don't care if they are public.You Oughta Be In Pictures #89: Basic Photo Editing
1) Upload a photo to Picnik, Photoshop or Fotoflexer. Use at least one editing feature (red-eye fix, cropping, sharpening, resizing, etc.) and one creating feature (framing, adding text, touching up, captions, etc.). Post the edited photo on your blog.
Picnik:
I opened an account in Picnik in the original iHCPL, so I was able to sign in quickly.
I uploaded this photo of my niece Courtney , her husband Jeremy, Courtney's niece Kylee (my grand-niece), and my brother's two dogs, Emmie and Biscuit. This was on a visit we made to Alabama at Christmas a few years ago. I chose it, because it gave me several good opportunities for editing.
I started by cropping it to remove some of the extraneous and distracting background. Then I tried to get rid of some "red-eye". It worked on one of the dogs, but just couldn't get it to work on both. I adjusted the exposure and contrast a tiny bit. For fun, I added some text, some stickers, and a frame. It was lots of fun to experiment. Here is my end product:
2) Which photo editing features are important for your use? Which of the listed sites would best meet your photographic needs? Post your answer in your blog.
Cropping is my favorite feature, because I often have too much junk in the background. I usually use Microsoft's built-in Picture Manager for this, but Picnik has way more features to use. I like the sharpening feature, the captions, the red-eye (when it works). Frames would also be nice on special occasions.
Picnik:
I opened an account in Picnik in the original iHCPL, so I was able to sign in quickly.
I uploaded this photo of my niece Courtney , her husband Jeremy, Courtney's niece Kylee (my grand-niece), and my brother's two dogs, Emmie and Biscuit. This was on a visit we made to Alabama at Christmas a few years ago. I chose it, because it gave me several good opportunities for editing.
I started by cropping it to remove some of the extraneous and distracting background. Then I tried to get rid of some "red-eye". It worked on one of the dogs, but just couldn't get it to work on both. I adjusted the exposure and contrast a tiny bit. For fun, I added some text, some stickers, and a frame. It was lots of fun to experiment. Here is my end product: 2) Which photo editing features are important for your use? Which of the listed sites would best meet your photographic needs? Post your answer in your blog.Cropping is my favorite feature, because I often have too much junk in the background. I usually use Microsoft's built-in Picture Manager for this, but Picnik has way more features to use. I like the sharpening feature, the captions, the red-eye (when it works). Frames would also be nice on special occasions.
I did not realize that Photoshop had a free online editing version. I have used the regular Photoshop software before, so I had an Adobe password established. I have always found Photoshop overwhelming in its capabilities, and I use only a few features. I think the online version is also a bit overwhelming, and it was pretty hard to use compared to Picnik. The photo I chose to edit was an old black and white of my Dad and his brother and sister. Photoshop made them even cuter than they were naturally!
Fotoflexor was also fun to use. However, I had problems trying to upload pictures from both Facebook and Flickr. Here is a photo of my grandnephew, Ryder, changed with different effects. 
Saturday, May 8, 2010
The Web According to Google #88: Wave, Buzz, and Mobile
1) How do you think you could use Google Wave or Buzz for collaboration? Do you currently use any online collaboration tools?
The only collaboration tools I have tried are wikis and Google Docs. Google Wave offers a wealth of possibilities, but you have to have people to collaborate with who are rather tech savvy. I don't see this being useful for my relatives, or even most of my friends for just social purposes. It could be useful in a work environment where everybody can be trained and on the "same page", so to speak.
These days I get lots of videos, photos, and websites "shared" with me via e-mail. There are so many I can hardly keep up. With Buzz I see this sharing becoming even easier, and I see myself drowning in information.
The only collaboration tools I have tried are wikis and Google Docs. Google Wave offers a wealth of possibilities, but you have to have people to collaborate with who are rather tech savvy. I don't see this being useful for my relatives, or even most of my friends for just social purposes. It could be useful in a work environment where everybody can be trained and on the "same page", so to speak.
These days I get lots of videos, photos, and websites "shared" with me via e-mail. There are so many I can hardly keep up. With Buzz I see this sharing becoming even easier, and I see myself drowning in information.What all these tools make clear is that reading and being able to assimilate information will be even a more highly valued skill in the future. Surely the library's success in turning young children on to reading should be even more important in the future. How can we capitalize on this aspect of our role in the community?
2) Read a little about one or two of the Google Mobile apps available for mobile phones. Which ones do you think you would use the most and how?
The best thing I found while searching for this module was the free Mobile Google app. Previously I had been searching Google indirectly through the Safari App. It was OK, but not very easy to use. The print was often very tiny. The Mobile App is great. It has a voice recognition feature so I can just speak what I am looking for and it gives me a screen of choices that look great! Why did I wait so long to get my iPhone?! It surprises me with something cool all the time.
2) Read a little about one or two of the Google Mobile apps available for mobile phones. Which ones do you think you would use the most and how?
The best thing I found while searching for this module was the free Mobile Google app. Previously I had been searching Google indirectly through the Safari App. It was OK, but not very easy to use. The print was often very tiny. The Mobile App is great. It has a voice recognition feature so I can just speak what I am looking for and it gives me a screen of choices that look great! Why did I wait so long to get my iPhone?! It surprises me with something cool all the time.Saturday, April 24, 2010
The Web According to Google #87: Google Reader
1) Take the tour or sign-up and try the service out. Do you currently use a feed reader? If so which one do you use? Would you switch to Google Reader if you don't already use it? Why or why not?Read a little about one or two of the Google Mobile apps available for mobile phones. Which ones do you think you would use the most and how?I took the tour which was not much more than a listing of the features of Google Reader. I currently have an account with Bloglines that I created when I did the original iHCPL 23 Things. I hardly ever check it. Last time was 200 days ago. Rather than transfer the feeds there to Google Reader, I decided to search for and add some feeds to a new Google Reader account and see if I would use it more. The items I selected have to do with Spring, Texas; the Barbara Bush Community partners; and Harris County politics. The Bloglines account has feeds more related to the field of librarianship.
I checked the App Store on my iPhone to see what mobile readers are available. I found:
App Google Reader (2-1/2 stars; 97 ratings; $.99)
iNews Premium 9 (3-1/2 stars; 13 ratings; $3.99)
GReader App (2-1/2 stars; 686 ratings; free)
Feeds - RSS Reader (3 stars; 56 ratings; $3.99)
GooReader (1 star; 6 ratings; $2.99)
Newsie Google Reader (4 stars; 5 ratings; $3.99)
I decided to give the last one a try after reading the reviews. I installed it and it linked to the new Google Reader account I just created on my laptop. Probably I will check it more often since it is on my phone.
2) Take a look at some of your favorite sites. Do they have feeds? If they do, subscribe to one of the feeds. Hint: Our website has feeds.
As noted above, I add a bunch of feeds to my new Google Reader account.
The Web According to Google #86: Calendar and Documents
1) Create a calendar in Google Calendar and try adding some events or tasks to it. How do you think you would use Google Calendar in the workplace or at home? Do you think you would find it helpful to share calendars with coworkers, friends, or family?I created a Google Calendar in my gmail account some time back. I was hoping it could turn out to be my "ideal" calendar -- the one with every event on it that I could access from anywhere (home, work, on the road). It has never worked out for me, though. The calendar I began creating a while ago is still there but I have never made use of it.
Right now my calendar is based at work. It has a huge number of entries in it, and to transfer things by hand would be a burdensome task. I see now that Google has a way to sync with Microsoft Outlook. The problem is, this involves downloading and installing Google Sync. At work, I don't have permission to install anything new. Network Services might assist with this, but that doesn't solve the second problem.
I have my work e-mail open at all times at work, so access to my Outlook calendar is right at hand. Reminders pop-up as I work, and it is very easy to switch back and forth between mail and calendar. I will have to experiment with having the Google calendar open at work, alongside Outlook. It may be that the reminders are just as easy to get.
Right now it seems that Outlook is easier to use to enter data, and more pleasing to look at. That might just be due to familiarity. I will give Google a more extended try, and see if it gets easier. Having a web-accessible calendar could be worth the effort. Right now I have problems making appointments because I can't access my work calendar from home.
Sharing a calendar with my husband could be helpful for him to keep track of my activities. Sharing at work might be handy but if I stick to my goal of one master calendar ("everything from everyhere"), that would give my co-workers access to my private calendar. I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet!
2) Try creating a file in Google Docs and uploading one from your computer. Can you see yourself using Google Docs in addition to or instead of a desktop office application? Why or why not?When HCPL decided to make Sundays a regular part of the work week, this meant that all branch librarians and team leaders in our region would need to have input to the Sunday schedules. We decided that the easiest way to do this was to create a template in Google Docs, give all the pertinent leaders access to edit, and let everyone input their own part of the data. We did this as an experiment for the April and May schedules, and it worked very well. We have also given access to view the schedules to those Barbara Bush librarians in charge on Sundays. They can check these at the start of the work day Sunday, and have an up-to-date list of those they should expect to appear for work.
I think I would use this process again for files on which I need other people's input. Working in Google Docs is much less cumbersome than trying to use a Wiki. Everyone can see the changes right away, as compared to trying to e-mail around a Word file for comment and someone having to type all the suggested changes into a master file.
The Web According to Google #85: Resistance is Futile
1) What Google products do you use on a regular basis? Why do you use them and what makes them better than a competing product?
I use a lot more Google products than I realized. Some of them must recently have been acquired by Google, as I didn't know they were part of the "family." I currently use Google Alerts; Google Books; Google Earth; Google Images; Google Maps; Google Web Search; Blogger (didn't know it was Google); Google Docs; Google Mail; YouTube (didn't know this was Google, either!); Google Mobile Search on my iPhone.
I use them because they are easy to use and fantastically helpful. They provide information and services most of us never even dreamed of when we were younger: reading books online; seeing aerial maps of Iceland; seeing who in my neighborhood has posted comments about my library on their site; getting directions (with maps) to almost anywhere from anywhere; watching home videos made by millions of people, etc.
Google Images is a perfect example. Earlier in my library career, I used to imagine how wonderful it would be to have a magic "picture finder" box for all the books in the library. You could enter into it what you needed an image of, and press a button. The book that would have the necessary image in it would BEEP in response, and you could go pick up the book and search for the image inside it. Google Images is even better than that dream. You don't even have to go pick up the book, and you get lots of sizes and poses and contexts from which to choose.
Frankly, because Google is FREE and has such a presence and such good marketing, I have never really searched for competing products. The only possibility might be Google Mail. I have had Yahoo accounts and Hotmail accounts that were quite helpful at the time. Being able to access the other Google products easily through my e-mail site is probably what has bought my loyalty to gmail. The integration of all these features is a big plus.
2) Check out Google Labs. Did you see any new products that you want to try?
3) Search or browse Google Books. Do they have the book or magazine you looked for?
Google Books provides access to what a recent SirsiDynix webinar called "Google's Hidden Libraries." This is truly amazing. According to information on the site, today you can search the full-text of over 7 million books.
Among other things, it includes the full-text of a large magazine archive, complete with cover art and all graphics. And you can do a search across all issues of all titles. A child doing a report on Texas Indians could type in the word "Karankawa" and get three pages of hits, many from Texas Monthly magazine.
Clicking on books under the category of "Literature" gives one the choice of 4,710 titles that can be viewed, at least partially. Of these, 1,115 are full-text public domain titles that can be read online. I found Hawthorn's "The Marble Faun" that I needed to read for a book club.
In some ways, Google Books appears to be capturing the best features of Library Thing. It lets you capture titles for your own "library," organize them into book shelves, rate books, and write reviews. You can share what you have in your library with friends or with the world. Probably the next time I check, Library Thing will have been acquired, as at least subsumed, by Google Books.
Did you find any gems?
Searching Google Books for "Nancy Agafitei" brings up listings for my doctoral thesis; a looseleaf family history that I wrote; issues of the ALA Directory; a quote I gave to a book called "The Accidental Library Manager;" places where my name appeared in several 1970's issue of the American Association of University Women's "Graduate Woman" magazine; and an acknowledgment of my assistance in a scientific article by a co-worker. While these are not "gems" in any sense of the word, they do indicate the massive power of this tool. It has a better memory than I do! If it can find me in these remote contexts, it can find almost anything!! There is no privacy any more...
How can this be used in the library?
Google Books is fun to introduce to people. Because it is currently hidden under the "More" link on the main Google page, lots of people are unaware of it. I'm sure that once some of the legal issues are resolved, a big marketing push will make Google Books a phenomenon.
I use a lot more Google products than I realized. Some of them must recently have been acquired by Google, as I didn't know they were part of the "family." I currently use Google Alerts; Google Books; Google Earth; Google Images; Google Maps; Google Web Search; Blogger (didn't know it was Google); Google Docs; Google Mail; YouTube (didn't know this was Google, either!); Google Mobile Search on my iPhone.
I use them because they are easy to use and fantastically helpful. They provide information and services most of us never even dreamed of when we were younger: reading books online; seeing aerial maps of Iceland; seeing who in my neighborhood has posted comments about my library on their site; getting directions (with maps) to almost anywhere from anywhere; watching home videos made by millions of people, etc.
Google Images is a perfect example. Earlier in my library career, I used to imagine how wonderful it would be to have a magic "picture finder" box for all the books in the library. You could enter into it what you needed an image of, and press a button. The book that would have the necessary image in it would BEEP in response, and you could go pick up the book and search for the image inside it. Google Images is even better than that dream. You don't even have to go pick up the book, and you get lots of sizes and poses and contexts from which to choose.
Frankly, because Google is FREE and has such a presence and such good marketing, I have never really searched for competing products. The only possibility might be Google Mail. I have had Yahoo accounts and Hotmail accounts that were quite helpful at the time. Being able to access the other Google products easily through my e-mail site is probably what has bought my loyalty to gmail. The integration of all these features is a big plus.
2) Check out Google Labs. Did you see any new products that you want to try?
Some of the items in the Lab look potentially useful:
Google News Timeline: Brings up selected events or topics in chronological order by dates specified. Can search for the news events of the past few days, or significant events on any particular date.
Google in Quotes: Finds quotes on specified topics from the particular celebrities that you choose. Would be useful for comparing the views of candidates on issues.
Google Squared: Creates a table of data on the topic you enter. I tried "Female Members of Congress" and "Herbal Remedies for Diabetes" and got a "square" (or a table) of items that would be useful as a potential starting point for an investigation.
Some of the items in the Lab have graduated to regular features of Google. For example, "Similar Images" has become Google Images.3) Search or browse Google Books. Do they have the book or magazine you looked for?
Google Books provides access to what a recent SirsiDynix webinar called "Google's Hidden Libraries." This is truly amazing. According to information on the site, today you can search the full-text of over 7 million books.
Among other things, it includes the full-text of a large magazine archive, complete with cover art and all graphics. And you can do a search across all issues of all titles. A child doing a report on Texas Indians could type in the word "Karankawa" and get three pages of hits, many from Texas Monthly magazine.
Clicking on books under the category of "Literature" gives one the choice of 4,710 titles that can be viewed, at least partially. Of these, 1,115 are full-text public domain titles that can be read online. I found Hawthorn's "The Marble Faun" that I needed to read for a book club.
In some ways, Google Books appears to be capturing the best features of Library Thing. It lets you capture titles for your own "library," organize them into book shelves, rate books, and write reviews. You can share what you have in your library with friends or with the world. Probably the next time I check, Library Thing will have been acquired, as at least subsumed, by Google Books.
Did you find any gems?
Searching Google Books for "Nancy Agafitei" brings up listings for my doctoral thesis; a looseleaf family history that I wrote; issues of the ALA Directory; a quote I gave to a book called "The Accidental Library Manager;" places where my name appeared in several 1970's issue of the American Association of University Women's "Graduate Woman" magazine; and an acknowledgment of my assistance in a scientific article by a co-worker. While these are not "gems" in any sense of the word, they do indicate the massive power of this tool. It has a better memory than I do! If it can find me in these remote contexts, it can find almost anything!! There is no privacy any more...
How can this be used in the library?
Google Books is fun to introduce to people. Because it is currently hidden under the "More" link on the main Google page, lots of people are unaware of it. I'm sure that once some of the legal issues are resolved, a big marketing push will make Google Books a phenomenon.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Publishing Evolution #84: Writer Communities & Author Websites
Exercise 1: Have you contacted your favorite authors or gone to their websites? Do you like knowing more or less about them? Search for your favorite author. Do they have a website or blog? Can you interact with them via web?
When you lead a book club discussion, it is important to add value to the group by bringing in additional information about the author, time period, locale, literary form, etc. One valuable place to find a lot of this information is on the author's website. Knowing more about an author's personal life, education, prior works, geographic location, even "pets", can bring new insight to the book under discussion.
On several occasions, book club participants have e-mailed the author via his/her website, and received responses that they shared during the discussion. This includes author like Robert Kurson (Shadow Divers), Dave King (The Ha-Ha), and Lisa See (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan) who responded directly, as well as less-approachable authors like Jeffrey Archer (Eleventh Commandment) whose office staff replies.
I don't have just ONE favorite author, but I have many of them that I like a lot. For purposes of this exercise, I will look up Alexander McCall Smith, author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, as well as other books. In the Events section, I found out that he will be in Houston on April 27, at Murder by the Book at 12:30pm and at Brazos Book store at 7:00. I suppose these will be just sales events. I wish he would be appearing at a library or a lecture hall where I could hear him speak, rather than just wait in a long line for a signed book. Besides the events calendar, the website has lots of promotional stuff about his many books, audio excerpts, video interviews, and links to print articles about his work.
McCall Smith is a fascinating character! Besides writing perfect books from the viewpoint of a "traditionally built" Botswana woman, he has been a professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh and Vice Chairman of the Human Genetics Commission of the UK. What a mind this man must have!
Exercise 2: Does the idea of a book being published based on popular vote give you more or less faith in the material?
A large popular vote might give me more confidence in the material. After all, this is what the New York Times Bestseller list is all about. People in that case vote with their wallets.
Readers' tastes are so different, though, that just a high popular vote is not enough for me to tell if I will like something. This is true with books, but even more so with movies. Having free access to a wide variety of choices is the American (and the library!) way.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Publishing Evolution #83: Paper to Pixels (or e-ink)
Exercise #1: Do you prefer paper or pixels? Is getting the material faster on the computer or is reading in a paper form more important to you? Why?
I still prefer paper to pixels, but I have only had a cell phone and a laptop to compare. I have not tried to read a book on a Nook or a Kindle, although I am very tempted by them. A number of my book club participants are now using e-readers for their books. I see them get online and order books each time we announce a new selection at the end of a session. These same folks are among the most loyal book club fans, though, so even though they aren't boosting circulation by checking out paper copies, they still keep coming to the library for "social networking."
Sometimes getting the material fast is important. I once bought a paper copy from Amazon that I needed to teach a class. Someone borrowed it and I had to prepare for the next day's session. It turned out that for $.99, Amazon would give me access to the e-book version of the book I had bought in paper. I was able to get it online in minutes and read what I needed. It wasn't a great reading experience, but I was very glad to have the option.
Exercise #2: Does price influence how you get your books or is it availability? Would you pay the same price for a digital book as you would for a paper copy?
I still prefer paper to pixels, but I have only had a cell phone and a laptop to compare. I have not tried to read a book on a Nook or a Kindle, although I am very tempted by them. A number of my book club participants are now using e-readers for their books. I see them get online and order books each time we announce a new selection at the end of a session. These same folks are among the most loyal book club fans, though, so even though they aren't boosting circulation by checking out paper copies, they still keep coming to the library for "social networking."
Sometimes getting the material fast is important. I once bought a paper copy from Amazon that I needed to teach a class. Someone borrowed it and I had to prepare for the next day's session. It turned out that for $.99, Amazon would give me access to the e-book version of the book I had bought in paper. I was able to get it online in minutes and read what I needed. It wasn't a great reading experience, but I was very glad to have the option.
Exercise #2: Does price influence how you get your books or is it availability? Would you pay the same price for a digital book as you would for a paper copy?
Price primarily influences what I buy, but format and the availability can be important on occasion. I would not want to pay the same price for a digital book as for a paper copy, because I don't think the cost of each is the same for the publisher.
Exercise #3: Visit iFiction and look at what it offers. Do you like the idea of preview and then pay?
iFiction did not appeal to me. The titles are almost all science fiction and fantasy that I don't read. A group of the books are written by the person who created the iFiction site, so his motives are obvious.
Preview and then pay could rule out some really good books. I just recently read "The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver. It is one of the best books I ever read, but it took at least 100 pages to get rolling. Based on the "preview, then pay" model, I might never have bought/finished the book. Also, I don't have lots of time to read samples, hoping for a winner. I'd rather spend my time reading good reviews or talking with fellow readers about what they have liked.
Publishing Evolution #82: Print on Demand
Exercise #1: Visit each of the websites listed above and see what they offer. Is it higher or the same as traditionally published books? Look at some of their published books. Have you read any of them? Would you?
It is not encouraging that the once-independent companies, AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Xlibris, and Canada-based Trafford Publishing are now all owned by Author Solutions Inc. This explains why most of the websites have a very similar look and feel to them. Prices range from $399 to $13,999, and each company has a series of packages. Most of the low-end packages include no images, no copyright, no "complimentary" copies, no sophisticated publicity or marketing. The high-end packages still seem to include some gimmicks, like book-signing "kits", marketing "kits", and other things that still sound like do-it-yourself options.
As the WriterBeware article notes, "When researching POD services, it’s important to remember that you are a consumer buying a service, not an author contracting with a publisher. As with any consumer service, the sales pitch is not intended to benefit you, but to motivate you to buy."
If the book has any merit at all, we try to give local authors a break. We invite them to present a talk on their book at the library. The Barbara Bush Library Friends assist them in selling their books at the program, and having a signing. Before we offer the invitation, we ask for the book to be added to the HCPL catalog. That way library customers could read the book without having to purchase it. Having someone interested in their book, having the opportunity to sell copies, and having the book added to a library seems to be a big boost to a local author. We feel that this is part of our role as a community library.
There are so many books on the market that I prefer books that have gone through the traditional route. I think you can have more confidence that the book will have valuable content, will be well-edited, well-illustrated, and professionally reviewed.
I am enough of a '60s "hippie" though to not totally trust the establishment. Sometimes people have good messages to tell, but can't get a hearing through the mainstream channels. I am glad that there are options out there for anyone who wants to be heard.
It is not encouraging that the once-independent companies, AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Xlibris, and Canada-based Trafford Publishing are now all owned by Author Solutions Inc. This explains why most of the websites have a very similar look and feel to them. Prices range from $399 to $13,999, and each company has a series of packages. Most of the low-end packages include no images, no copyright, no "complimentary" copies, no sophisticated publicity or marketing. The high-end packages still seem to include some gimmicks, like book-signing "kits", marketing "kits", and other things that still sound like do-it-yourself options.
As the WriterBeware article notes, "When researching POD services, it’s important to remember that you are a consumer buying a service, not an author contracting with a publisher. As with any consumer service, the sales pitch is not intended to benefit you, but to motivate you to buy."
Several years ago, I purchased a copy of the "Happy Minimalist" by Peter Lawrence. Peter used to be a customer at our library until he moved to California. It is a very interesting book, but the topic is probably not one that would have caught the interest of a traditional publisher. Peter had it published through XLibris, and they did a good job with it. I quoted some sections of it in an earlier post on this blog, on 9/6/08, in the iHCPL module on Going Green.
Before I purchased Peter's book, I read a review of it in "Foreword" magazine, which is described as "Reviews of good books independently published." At the time, I felt that "Foreword" was a good way to sort out the wheat from the chaff of self-published materials. The books included there look good for the most part. However, with this module, I took a closer look at the magazine.
It seems that rather than "independently" reviewing good books, authors pay for their reviews, just as they paid to have their books published. The publisher, Clarion, described their Review-For-Fee Service in this way: "A qualified, respected review is one of the best marketing tools an author or publisher can have for a book. With today's growing number of published books and dwindling newspaper review sections, it's harder than ever to get a review. Clarion provides a professional review, guaranteeing the same quality and word length you see in ForeWord Magazine reviews. "
Exercise #2: What do you think of self publishing? As a reader, do you prefer books that have gone through the traditional route and have the confidence of a company’s financial backing, or do you not care how the book got printed, you’re just glad it did?
If the book has any merit at all, we try to give local authors a break. We invite them to present a talk on their book at the library. The Barbara Bush Library Friends assist them in selling their books at the program, and having a signing. Before we offer the invitation, we ask for the book to be added to the HCPL catalog. That way library customers could read the book without having to purchase it. Having someone interested in their book, having the opportunity to sell copies, and having the book added to a library seems to be a big boost to a local author. We feel that this is part of our role as a community library.
There are so many books on the market that I prefer books that have gone through the traditional route. I think you can have more confidence that the book will have valuable content, will be well-edited, well-illustrated, and professionally reviewed.
I am enough of a '60s "hippie" though to not totally trust the establishment. Sometimes people have good messages to tell, but can't get a hearing through the mainstream channels. I am glad that there are options out there for anyone who wants to be heard.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
The Future of Media #81: Get Out Your Crystal Ball
Which of the developments listed above do you think will have the most influence? Is there a new technology you have been following that you think will have more effect? Discuss it in your post.
I have not followed new developments in technology, so I am a poor predictor of what will have influence in the future. I agree that newspapers as we know it are disappearing. Movie theaters are disappearing. Television networks are disappearing. Some kind of Internet-based combination of it all will probably take their place, but what will determine the winner is what can make money for someone. Commercials and print ads and lobby popcorn won't pay the bills any more.
Predictions about the future are a big part of the SirsiDynix Institute's webcast by Helene Blowers of the Columbus Metropolitan Library called "From Libraries to Lifebraries." She mentions three trends that will have major impact on traditional libraries: 1) the rise of the e-book; 2) the increase in mobile communications (60% of the world's population have cellphone subscriptions; smart phones exceed laptops and PCs as wi-fi connection devices); and 3) the disappearing of print (especially newspapers). I recommend that all HCPL staff watch this webcast as a motivator for embracing change. The most important slide for me was the "Extinction Timeline," predicting when various aspects of modern life will become insignificant in people's lives. Newspapers are on the timeline with a date of about 2049, but LIBRARIES are on the timeline with a date of about 2019!
Are you an early adopter of every gadget?
I consider myself more of a "middle" adopter of new technology. I want to make sure something will "catch-on" before I jump in. I also want competitors to move into the market and bring the price down. I would probably be faster to get new things, except for the high price tag. For example, my bulky TV works too well to just junk in favor of a sleek new high-definition flat panel TV.
Do you have fond memories of technologies from the past? What is your favorite media gadget or which outdated format do you miss the most? Describe it in your post.
Following the developments of technology has been a wild ride. I have been around long enough to have witnessed first-hand most of the evolution of computers. My first direct contact was loading punched cards coded in the
Fortran language into a mainframe computer that filled a large room. My first remote access was via paper punched tape on a teletype machine. Our first home computer was an Apple II. That is probably my favorite memory, learning to use that machine with my kindergartener son. This was followed by a range of IBM desktops (with the Intel 8088, 80286, 80486) and then a series of Dell Laptops. I love my laptop, and can't imagine being without it.
My current most favorite media gadget, though, has to be my iPhone. It is mobile and brings so many "gadgets" together through its apps: e-mail, e-book reader, camera, GPS maps, calendar, Internet, game machine, alarm clock, etc. If that is what the future will look like, bring it on!
I have not followed new developments in technology, so I am a poor predictor of what will have influence in the future. I agree that newspapers as we know it are disappearing. Movie theaters are disappearing. Television networks are disappearing. Some kind of Internet-based combination of it all will probably take their place, but what will determine the winner is what can make money for someone. Commercials and print ads and lobby popcorn won't pay the bills any more.
Predictions about the future are a big part of the SirsiDynix Institute's webcast by Helene Blowers of the Columbus Metropolitan Library called "From Libraries to Lifebraries." She mentions three trends that will have major impact on traditional libraries: 1) the rise of the e-book; 2) the increase in mobile communications (60% of the world's population have cellphone subscriptions; smart phones exceed laptops and PCs as wi-fi connection devices); and 3) the disappearing of print (especially newspapers). I recommend that all HCPL staff watch this webcast as a motivator for embracing change. The most important slide for me was the "Extinction Timeline," predicting when various aspects of modern life will become insignificant in people's lives. Newspapers are on the timeline with a date of about 2049, but LIBRARIES are on the timeline with a date of about 2019!
Are you an early adopter of every gadget?I consider myself more of a "middle" adopter of new technology. I want to make sure something will "catch-on" before I jump in. I also want competitors to move into the market and bring the price down. I would probably be faster to get new things, except for the high price tag. For example, my bulky TV works too well to just junk in favor of a sleek new high-definition flat panel TV.
Do you have fond memories of technologies from the past? What is your favorite media gadget or which outdated format do you miss the most? Describe it in your post.
Following the developments of technology has been a wild ride. I have been around long enough to have witnessed first-hand most of the evolution of computers. My first direct contact was loading punched cards coded in the
Fortran language into a mainframe computer that filled a large room. My first remote access was via paper punched tape on a teletype machine. Our first home computer was an Apple II. That is probably my favorite memory, learning to use that machine with my kindergartener son. This was followed by a range of IBM desktops (with the Intel 8088, 80286, 80486) and then a series of Dell Laptops. I love my laptop, and can't imagine being without it.
My current most favorite media gadget, though, has to be my iPhone. It is mobile and brings so many "gadgets" together through its apps: e-mail, e-book reader, camera, GPS maps, calendar, Internet, game machine, alarm clock, etc. If that is what the future will look like, bring it on!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
The Future of Media #80: Movies
1) Use one of the film sites above to find a free full-length film (you’ll probably have the best luck with Hulu, The Auteurs, or IMDB). Watch a little of it. Would you watch an entire film on your computer or do you still prefer watching DVDs on your TV?
I selected "Ghostbusters", an old classic on Hulu, and had no trouble watching it. I chose it because my son often quotes from it. Since I didn't remember many of the parts I was curious to see it again. I also had forgotten that it starts out in the New York Public Library with the old card catalog.
I didn't mind watching the movie on my computer. In the past, I have often watched DVDs on my computer. A difference is that with "streaming" you often get glitches even with a fast connection. In some locations, like the Barbara Bush Library, it would currently be impossible to watch something that needs to be "streamed." Another difference is that Hulu's version stops periodically and makes you watch a commercial.
This whole post is quite thought-provoking. In the past, we kids had to walk across town to the old movie theater to see a film. The advent of videotapes and video players let us watch them at home. Blockbuster outlets became huge, and crowds hung out there very weekend. Their only real competitor was the public library, where you could actually get videotapes for FREE, although not the latest and greatest. Now the movie theaters are closed, and Blockbuster stores are headed the same way. Surely the video/DVD section of the public library is not far behind. Maybe we should stop putting money into it?
Even many of the library staff subscribe to Netflix, and the mail contains many disks each week going back and forth. Others, like my son, are more sophisticated, and have Netflix tied into their big flat screen HDTV. He can pull up a seemingless endless array of new and old films to watch whenever he wants.
BTW, related to post #79: Ghostbusters must be one of the classic early examples of product placement. Egon eats a big box of CheezIts early in the show, and then a bag of StayPuft marshmallows is unpacked from a grocery bag. [I never noticed this on first watch, but it would have provided a BIG HINT about the movie's eventual villain.] When Sigourney Weaver opens her fridge, it is loaded with Coke and Perrier and Kraft dressing. I wonder how much money the movie earned from this kind of arrangement even before it hit the theaters!
2) Find a trailer for an upcoming film. Would you use these sites to keep up on current film information?
I d
iscussed "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak with two book clubs, and both were very intrigued by the fact that the book was going to be made into a movie. None of us could imagine how a film could do justice to that very poetic and creative book. So I searched for some trailers of the forthcoming movie.
On the Apple site, I found podcasts for the book, but no movie trailer. I didn't find a trailer on the IMDB site either. A general Google search led to several YouTube clips. One seemed like the official trailer. Others were homemade -- one by a bunch of teens, and another by a family of young kids.
IMDB has proven very useful for movie reference in the past (e.g. casts, dates, awards, etc.). The addition of trailers should make it even more useful.
3) Write a blog post about the experience. Would you consider using any of the fee-based services to get the movies you want at home? If so, which one would work better for you and why?
I seldom use anything that is fee-based. I might be tempted to subscribe to NetFlix via the mail. It's interesting that most of these TV and movie services allow you to watch alone in your home. The social experience of going to the theater is lost. Now that I think about it, though, the theater experience makes me think of gum on the seats and floors sticky with spilled drinks or slippery from greasy popcorn. Hard to miss that...
I didn't mind watching the movie on my computer. In the past, I have often watched DVDs on my computer. A difference is that with "streaming" you often get glitches even with a fast connection. In some locations, like the Barbara Bush Library, it would currently be impossible to watch something that needs to be "streamed." Another difference is that Hulu's version stops periodically and makes you watch a commercial.
This whole post is quite thought-provoking. In the past, we kids had to walk across town to the old movie theater to see a film. The advent of videotapes and video players let us watch them at home. Blockbuster outlets became huge, and crowds hung out there very weekend. Their only real competitor was the public library, where you could actually get videotapes for FREE, although not the latest and greatest. Now the movie theaters are closed, and Blockbuster stores are headed the same way. Surely the video/DVD section of the public library is not far behind. Maybe we should stop putting money into it?
Even many of the library staff subscribe to Netflix, and the mail contains many disks each week going back and forth. Others, like my son, are more sophisticated, and have Netflix tied into their big flat screen HDTV. He can pull up a seemingless endless array of new and old films to watch whenever he wants.
BTW, related to post #79: Ghostbusters must be one of the classic early examples of product placement. Egon eats a big box of CheezIts early in the show, and then a bag of StayPuft marshmallows is unpacked from a grocery bag. [I never noticed this on first watch, but it would have provided a BIG HINT about the movie's eventual villain.] When Sigourney Weaver opens her fridge, it is loaded with Coke and Perrier and Kraft dressing. I wonder how much money the movie earned from this kind of arrangement even before it hit the theaters!
2) Find a trailer for an upcoming film. Would you use these sites to keep up on current film information?
I d
iscussed "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak with two book clubs, and both were very intrigued by the fact that the book was going to be made into a movie. None of us could imagine how a film could do justice to that very poetic and creative book. So I searched for some trailers of the forthcoming movie.On the Apple site, I found podcasts for the book, but no movie trailer. I didn't find a trailer on the IMDB site either. A general Google search led to several YouTube clips. One seemed like the official trailer. Others were homemade -- one by a bunch of teens, and another by a family of young kids.
IMDB has proven very useful for movie reference in the past (e.g. casts, dates, awards, etc.). The addition of trailers should make it even more useful.
3) Write a blog post about the experience. Would you consider using any of the fee-based services to get the movies you want at home? If so, which one would work better for you and why?
I seldom use anything that is fee-based. I might be tempted to subscribe to NetFlix via the mail. It's interesting that most of these TV and movie services allow you to watch alone in your home. The social experience of going to the theater is lost. Now that I think about it, though, the theater experience makes me think of gum on the seats and floors sticky with spilled drinks or slippery from greasy popcorn. Hard to miss that...
Saturday, February 13, 2010
The Future of Media #79: Television
Exercises:
1) Visit Hulu, tv.com, or one of the other TV sites. Search or browse the site to see if your favorite show is listed. Are you able to watch full episodes online? What coverage is available?
Visiting Hulu was dangerous. There are so many ways to waste time, and now I have another great one! I searched for "Grey's Anatomy", a show I really like but often miss because I work the night that it is on. I watched two whole episodes while I was supposed to be doing this iHCPL exercise. It seems like the last five episodes shown on TV are online here through hulu. Another 136 episodes have clips of several minutes shown.
My problem is: I like to do other work (like using Quicken for my personal finances) on my laptop while watching TV. If I have to watch TV on my laptop, that defeats the purpose. I think it would be a better plan to learn to use the DVR on my TV. That way I can record what I miss while at work, watch it later on TV, and still do other work on my laptop.
However, knowing how to find lots of these shows is useful for reference purposes at the library.
2) Have you ever watched a TV show on your cell phone? If so, did you like it? If not, are you interested? Why or why not?
I never before watched a TV show on my iPhone. I tried to watch one through hulu.com, but can't do it because the phone does not have Flash installed. To get access through ATT would cost me another $10 per month, and that is just too much for how often I use it.
Because of this exercise, I loaded the free app for tv.com on my phone. Then I was able to watch some longer clips of "Grey's Anatomy", but I did not see any full episodes there.
It was "OK" to watch on my phone, but not great. Somehow seeing the show on a 2" by 3" screen with phone speakers doesn't quite measure up to seeing it on a 50"+ screen with SurroundSound like my son owns. Kind of spoils you for anything else.
3) Are there any streaming programs or user "channels" that you watch? Have you ever posted videos to a site on a regular basis?
My husband watches a lot of streaming TV from Romania on the Internet. It does require a fast connection. Before cable, it was impossible to watch. The image was always breaking up.
I looked at some of the live photo cams, but did not see anything I would be interested in following with that level of interest.
I have made several videos for work and personal use, and posted them to YouTube.
1) Visit Hulu, tv.com, or one of the other TV sites. Search or browse the site to see if your favorite show is listed. Are you able to watch full episodes online? What coverage is available?
Visiting Hulu was dangerous. There are so many ways to waste time, and now I have another great one! I searched for "Grey's Anatomy", a show I really like but often miss because I work the night that it is on. I watched two whole episodes while I was supposed to be doing this iHCPL exercise. It seems like the last five episodes shown on TV are online here through hulu. Another 136 episodes have clips of several minutes shown.
My problem is: I like to do other work (like using Quicken for my personal finances) on my laptop while watching TV. If I have to watch TV on my laptop, that defeats the purpose. I think it would be a better plan to learn to use the DVR on my TV. That way I can record what I miss while at work, watch it later on TV, and still do other work on my laptop.
However, knowing how to find lots of these shows is useful for reference purposes at the library.
2) Have you ever watched a TV show on your cell phone? If so, did you like it? If not, are you interested? Why or why not?
I never before watched a TV show on my iPhone. I tried to watch one through hulu.com, but can't do it because the phone does not have Flash installed. To get access through ATT would cost me another $10 per month, and that is just too much for how often I use it.
Because of this exercise, I loaded the free app for tv.com on my phone. Then I was able to watch some longer clips of "Grey's Anatomy", but I did not see any full episodes there.
It was "OK" to watch on my phone, but not great. Somehow seeing the show on a 2" by 3" screen with phone speakers doesn't quite measure up to seeing it on a 50"+ screen with SurroundSound like my son owns. Kind of spoils you for anything else.
3) Are there any streaming programs or user "channels" that you watch? Have you ever posted videos to a site on a regular basis?
My husband watches a lot of streaming TV from Romania on the Internet. It does require a fast connection. Before cable, it was impossible to watch. The image was always breaking up.
I looked at some of the live photo cams, but did not see anything I would be interested in following with that level of interest.
I have made several videos for work and personal use, and posted them to YouTube.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Searching #78: Videos
1. Search for a particular video using both Truveo and Blinkx. Look for any similarities or differences in the results, and write about them in your blog.
Well, this training has just paid for itself! I used Truveo to search for samples of one of the videos we hoped to make at our branch: How to Buy a Print Card.
What I found was a video called "Printing at Freeman: Buying the Print Card."
With just a little editing to change the branch name, this video will be perfect to post on our branch web page. It was posted as of January 15, 2010, so I can only assume that is why I have not heard about it before.
I'm glad I used Truveo for this first. Blinkx did not give me this result at all, even when I searched for it by exact name.
2. Go to HCPL’s YouTube channel and take a look around. Discuss in your blog ideas for how your own branch video could add to the mix of searchable video content on the Internet.
If I hadn't found the Freeman video with the Truveo search, I would have found it by looking at HCPL's YouTube channel. It shows the video above, as well as three other related items involving printing from the computer; dealing with the print release station; and adding value to a print card.
It is strange for me that the seven Barbara Bush videos do not show up on the HCPL YouTube channel under the link for "All." You have to clink on the "Uploads" link to see older HCPL list. You can see the Barbara Bush playlist by searching another way.
The Freeman self-help videos are posted too low on the Freeman site, and won't be readily noticed by customers. If the unnecessary "Locations" box on the upper left of the Freeman branch page was deleted, links to the videos could be posted there that would be more helpful to customers.
Well, this training has just paid for itself! I used Truveo to search for samples of one of the videos we hoped to make at our branch: How to Buy a Print Card.
What I found was a video called "Printing at Freeman: Buying the Print Card."
With just a little editing to change the branch name, this video will be perfect to post on our branch web page. It was posted as of January 15, 2010, so I can only assume that is why I have not heard about it before.
I'm glad I used Truveo for this first. Blinkx did not give me this result at all, even when I searched for it by exact name.
2. Go to HCPL’s YouTube channel and take a look around. Discuss in your blog ideas for how your own branch video could add to the mix of searchable video content on the Internet.
If I hadn't found the Freeman video with the Truveo search, I would have found it by looking at HCPL's YouTube channel. It shows the video above, as well as three other related items involving printing from the computer; dealing with the print release station; and adding value to a print card.
It is strange for me that the seven Barbara Bush videos do not show up on the HCPL YouTube channel under the link for "All." You have to clink on the "Uploads" link to see older HCPL list. You can see the Barbara Bush playlist by searching another way.
The Freeman self-help videos are posted too low on the Freeman site, and won't be readily noticed by customers. If the unnecessary "Locations" box on the upper left of the Freeman branch page was deleted, links to the videos could be posted there that would be more helpful to customers.
Searching #77: Images
1. Using AllFreeClipArt, how many clicks did it take to get to a color Santa that doesn’t look like a troll?
I have to admit that I clicked dozens of times all over that site, and never did find a Santa I would want to use. I found the site very difficult to navigate, and quite deceptive because not everything you were led to was "free."
2. Read “10 Places to Find Free Images Online”. Blog about 2 of the sites listed.
FreeMediaGoo.com had high quality photos plus some digitally created images that could be used for free. I liked this digital image that I found there:
However, this site would not be very good for general use. The number of free images is very limited.
I have to admit that I clicked dozens of times all over that site, and never did find a Santa I would want to use. I found the site very difficult to navigate, and quite deceptive because not everything you were led to was "free."
2. Read “10 Places to Find Free Images Online”. Blog about 2 of the sites listed.
FreeMediaGoo.com had high quality photos plus some digitally created images that could be used for free. I liked this digital image that I found there:
However, this site would not be very good for general use. The number of free images is very limited.Fotogenika.net sounded good from the description, but it was just a link to a bunch of links, and finding your way to "free" photos was challenging.
The FreeDigitalPhotos.net gave me a nasty surprise. It seems that you get a bonus with some of the "free" photos. My virus software went into high gear, and started deleting all sorts of bad stuff. I will never go to that site again!!!
3. Try logging in to the clip art program for HCPL use. Each branch has their own login and password you can get from your branch librarian. Find an illustration that could be used for a program at your branch and add it to your blog. Be sure to credit that piece.
This is an image from the library-licensed clip art that I used in an iHCPL Wellness module post last year. There are very many good images available through this source, including regular drawings, cartoons and photos. After my experience with the viruses possible with "free" photos from the web, I think I would stick to a source like this in the future.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
SEARCHING #76: SOUND EFFECTS
1) Use FindSounds to search for and post at least three animal sound effects in your blog.
Did you know that hummingbirds make sounds? Until I lived in Texas and had a feeder outside my kitchen window, I never knew that they "talked" in addition to the humming sound that their wings make.
http://www.kwic.com/~pagodavista/humming.wav
That sound comes from this site, which makes great use of animal sounds, and can also lead you to many more:
http://www.kwic.com/~pagodavista/schoolhouse/species.htm
Then there is the wonderful sound of a cat purring that I have missed ever since my cat died at age 20 several years ago: http://kessels.com/CatSounds/purr2.wav
Cats make LOTS of sounds, and you can find many of them here:
http://kessels.com/CatSounds/
Loons have fantastic, haunting calls that bring back memories of summer vacations at lakes in Wisconsin and Minnesota:
http://www.wildernessbay.com/loon/loonwail.wav
The sound is used as the background for this website:
http://www.wildernessbay.com/
2) Using the Simply the Best Sounds site, search for sounds in the public domain. Post links to three of them in your blog.
Falling Bomb with explosion:
http://simplythebest.net/sounds/WAV/sound_effects_WAV/sound_effect_WAV_files/bomb.wav
Olympic fanfare:
http://simplythebest.net/sounds/WAV/sound_effects_WAV/sound_effect_WAV_files/fanfare.wav
One of my grandfathers was a railroad engineer, so this file of a train leaving the station brings back fond memories:
http://simplythebest.net/sounds/WAV/sound_effects_WAV/sound_effect_WAV_files/train.wav
Did you know that hummingbirds make sounds? Until I lived in Texas and had a feeder outside my kitchen window, I never knew that they "talked" in addition to the humming sound that their wings make.
http://www.kwic.com/~pagodavista/humming.wav
That sound comes from this site, which makes great use of animal sounds, and can also lead you to many more:
http://www.kwic.com/~pagodavista/schoolhouse/species.htm
Then there is the wonderful sound of a cat purring that I have missed ever since my cat died at age 20 several years ago: http://kessels.com/CatSounds/purr2.wav
Cats make LOTS of sounds, and you can find many of them here:
http://kessels.com/CatSounds/
Loons have fantastic, haunting calls that bring back memories of summer vacations at lakes in Wisconsin and Minnesota:
http://www.wildernessbay.com/loon/loonwail.wav
The sound is used as the background for this website:
http://www.wildernessbay.com/
2) Using the Simply the Best Sounds site, search for sounds in the public domain. Post links to three of them in your blog.
Falling Bomb with explosion:
http://simplythebest.net/sounds/WAV/sound_effects_WAV/sound_effect_WAV_files/bomb.wav
Olympic fanfare:
http://simplythebest.net/sounds/WAV/sound_effects_WAV/sound_effect_WAV_files/fanfare.wav
One of my grandfathers was a railroad engineer, so this file of a train leaving the station brings back fond memories:
http://simplythebest.net/sounds/WAV/sound_effects_WAV/sound_effect_WAV_files/train.wav
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Searching #75: Google and Beyond
1) Type in at least three queries in Blindsearch, hit search, and then vote for the column which you believe best matches what you were seeking. The columns are randomized with each search. How did your favorite search engine rate in the three tries? Do you think this will affect how you search in the future?
Query 1: Sandstorms in Beijing (a topic I was hearing about on the Science Channel as I was working on this post). Google was the winner, being most specific and current, but all looked pretty good.
Query 2: Harris County Texas History (a display we are working on at the library got me thinking about this). Google was a clear winner here. The other search engines got sidetracked in issues of crime, cemeteries, and even gardening!
Query 3: Nancy Agafitei (Hmmm... It's interesting what is out there!) Yahoo did the best job finding sites with real info, not just mentions. It included my Harris County blog as #1, the branch page, a review I wrote for Amazon, the branch E-vents calendar, and my son's website.
Google is the engine I use most often, so Blindsearch supported that. However, I might use Yahoo if I am searching for people.
2) What search engine was #1 on Hitwise the week that you searched? How did it compare to its closest competitor? Do the usage statistics match your own personal choice of a favorite?
For the week ending 1/2/2010, Hitwise had no surprises. The big three took the top spots, with Google pretty much ruling the roost when comparing volume of searches:
1. google 72.25%
2. yahoo 14.83%
3. bing 8.91%
Other search engines that made the top 10 by number of visits were (in numerical order):
4. Google Image Search
5. Ask.com
6. AOL
7. Yahoo Image Search
8. Dogpile
9. Sphere
10. Yahoo Video Search
So once again, Hitwise supported my choice of Google for searching.
Interesting side note: The list of the top 20 websites for the week included all three of the top search engines and their variants (images, videos, e-mail, etc.), plus eBay, MySpace, YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia, MSN and Amazon. Notably absent was Twitter. Perhaps it has outlived its usefulness as it has grown so big??
3) Marketing of search engines requires that they continually add new features that they hope will appeal to you. Explore the features of one of the major search engines (Google, Yahoo!, or Bing). What new things did you discover that you would find useful?
Since Google is my choice, I checked it first. I most often use Google to search the web. I also use it a lot to search for images. Sometimes I have used Google Maps. This year I opened a gmail account for my own e-mail. But clicking on the "More" button open some additional possibilities that I would like to try out:
Blogs -- Let's you search in blogs.
Books -- Gives you access to what a recent SirsiDynix webinar called "Google's Hidden Libraries." This is truly amazing. According to information on the site, today you can search the full-text of over 7 million books.
Among other things, it includes the full-text of a large magazine archive, complete with cover art and all graphics. And you can do a search across all issues of all titles. A child doing a report on Texas Indians could type in the work "Karankawa" and get three pages of hits, many from Texas Monthly.
Clicking on books under the category of "Literature" gives one the choice of 4,710 titles that can be viewed, at least partially. Of these, 1,115 are full-text public domain titles that can be read online. I added a classic Hawthorne title I needed for a book club to "My Library", and could have read it online.
Query 1: Sandstorms in Beijing (a topic I was hearing about on the Science Channel as I was working on this post). Google was the winner, being most specific and current, but all looked pretty good.
Query 2: Harris County Texas History (a display we are working on at the library got me thinking about this). Google was a clear winner here. The other search engines got sidetracked in issues of crime, cemeteries, and even gardening!
Query 3: Nancy Agafitei (Hmmm... It's interesting what is out there!) Yahoo did the best job finding sites with real info, not just mentions. It included my Harris County blog as #1, the branch page, a review I wrote for Amazon, the branch E-vents calendar, and my son's website.
Google is the engine I use most often, so Blindsearch supported that. However, I might use Yahoo if I am searching for people.
2) What search engine was #1 on Hitwise the week that you searched? How did it compare to its closest competitor? Do the usage statistics match your own personal choice of a favorite?
For the week ending 1/2/2010, Hitwise had no surprises. The big three took the top spots, with Google pretty much ruling the roost when comparing volume of searches:
1. google 72.25%
2. yahoo 14.83%
3. bing 8.91%
Other search engines that made the top 10 by number of visits were (in numerical order):
4. Google Image Search
5. Ask.com
6. AOL
7. Yahoo Image Search
8. Dogpile
9. Sphere
10. Yahoo Video Search
So once again, Hitwise supported my choice of Google for searching.
Interesting side note: The list of the top 20 websites for the week included all three of the top search engines and their variants (images, videos, e-mail, etc.), plus eBay, MySpace, YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia, MSN and Amazon. Notably absent was Twitter. Perhaps it has outlived its usefulness as it has grown so big??
3) Marketing of search engines requires that they continually add new features that they hope will appeal to you. Explore the features of one of the major search engines (Google, Yahoo!, or Bing). What new things did you discover that you would find useful?
Since Google is my choice, I checked it first. I most often use Google to search the web. I also use it a lot to search for images. Sometimes I have used Google Maps. This year I opened a gmail account for my own e-mail. But clicking on the "More" button open some additional possibilities that I would like to try out:
Blogs -- Let's you search in blogs.
Books -- Gives you access to what a recent SirsiDynix webinar called "Google's Hidden Libraries." This is truly amazing. According to information on the site, today you can search the full-text of over 7 million books.
Among other things, it includes the full-text of a large magazine archive, complete with cover art and all graphics. And you can do a search across all issues of all titles. A child doing a report on Texas Indians could type in the work "Karankawa" and get three pages of hits, many from Texas Monthly.
Clicking on books under the category of "Literature" gives one the choice of 4,710 titles that can be viewed, at least partially. Of these, 1,115 are full-text public domain titles that can be read online. I added a classic Hawthorne title I needed for a book club to "My Library", and could have read it online.
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