Blogging Section of SLA-IT

Seeing the world through his eyes

At the SLA conference, a group of bloggers got together.  Among them was Vernon R. Totanes (Von).  Von -- known as the Filipino Librarian -- has been traveling around the Northeast since the conference and slowly making his way to Toronto and work on a Ph.D.   Von's blog is currently a mix of library-related information and stuff on his travels.  And how interesting to see New York City, for example, through his eyes.  I'm even learning stuff (like how to get tickets for Broadway shows). 

Von's blog demonstrates why we like blogs:

• He is learning and able to use is blog to teach others through his blog.
• He is making new connections (contacts) and re-establishing old ones by publishing content that others are interested.  And since he allows people to post comments, he is able to get feedback from his readers, including notes from friends who want to meet up with him. 
• He is promoting his topic by talking frequently about librarianship in the Philippines. (As the web site says, "I can't change Filipino librarians, but I can change the way you look at us.")
• He is broadening is circle of influence. 

If you know Von, you might want to catch up with him by reading is blog.  If you don't know him, you might want to check out his blog to see why people were so exciting to see him at SLA.  Who knows...you might find yourself learning a thing or two.

Article: Worm Hits MySpace

Accord to TechWeb:

A worm spreading through MySpace is embedding JavaScript code into users' profiles that redirects visitors to a site claiming the U.S. government was behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a security company warned Monday.

The unnamed worm isn't malicious, said Symantec researchers, but the malformed Shockwave Flash (.swf) file containing the payload embeds JavaScript into the profile of any MySpace user who views the .swf file.

With MySpace being one more the most popular spots on the Internet, having people target MySpace users is not good.  Remember to be vigilant and keep your security software up-to-date.  Although this worm was not malicious, the next one may not be.

Article: Women tap the power of the blog

"A survey by Perseus, a marketing research services company, indicates that 56 percent of all blogs are created by women and that women abandon fewer blogs than men do."  No...this article doesn't mention libraries at all, but does give some interesting observations about blogs and bloggers.  Definitely worth skimming.

OPAL Program on Teens using Social Software

While this may not pertain to many of us, I think it's helpful to get the word out on this program--especially to those who may have teens in the house using social tools.

From the OPAL website:

Wednesday, July 26, 2006 beginning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 10:00 Central, 9:00 Mountain, 8:00 Pacific, and 3:00 p.m. GMT:
The Internet and Teens: Social Networking Safety
How many times have you heard a young person talk about "blogging" or "myspace" and wondered what language they were speaking? If you've ever been concerned about the amount of time that your child spends on the Internet, or wondered what they were doing, this program will help you to understand more about blogging, what role it plays in the lives of teens especially, and how you can help them to use this communication tool in a safe and positive environment.

Tagging basics for librarians

Jenn Riley of the TechEssence.info blog posted a rather comprehensive, though short, guide to tagging for libraries. She pinpoints, among others the Steve, PennTags and LibraryThing projects.

The TechEssence.info blog seems pretty cool by itself too.

Article: Blogs Study May Provide Credible Information

"The Air Force Office of Scientific Research recently began funding a new research area that includes a study of blogs. Blog research may provide information analysts and warfighters with invaluable help in fighting the war on terrorism."

The full article is available here.  It will be interesting to see what issues this raises.

SirsiDynix Institute free wiki webinar

SirsiDynix Institute will be offering on Thursday July 13, 2006 a free webinar entitled Wiki: The Ultimate Tool for Online Collaboration, presented by Meredith Farkas.

What is a wiki? And how are they being used in libraries? Are they right for your library and if so how do you implement? These questions and more will be answered in the upcoming SirsiDynix Institute, July 13, 9 a.m. Mountain Time. There is a lot of buzz around wikis and Meredith Farkas, distance learning librarian at Norwich University, will discuss what makes Wikis so revolutionary and controversial. She will explain why they are an excellent tool for certain projects and purposes, and why they may not be the best choice for every population.

The session will take place from 11 AM to 12 AM Eastern time. For more information and to register:

http://livemeeting.viewcentral.com/events/cust/single_event.aspx?cid=SirsiDynix&pid=2&cbClass=17

Apple Deal for Education Customers

I finally decided to replace my ancient iBook at home.  Upon online checkout I was delighted to learn that Apple's running a deal right now for higher education/K12 affiliates: get a Nano free with Mac purchase or a hefty amount off a 30 or 60 GB iPod via rebate.  If you're eligible and are in the market for shiny new toys, it might be worth checking out.  This was the first I'd heard of it, though I seem to be out of the loop on these things since our campus brick-and-mortar computer store closed.

On a more work-related front, we're looking at using digital music players for our library tour recording.  I'm a big fan of the Shuffle at home, though the guided tour could get shuffled into a mess if you weren't careful.  Anyone using a Shuffle (or some other device you are especially fond of) for this type of application?

Windows Vista

By now you have heard that Windows Vista -- the new Microsoft operating system -- is coming.  (The Vista is coming!  The Vista is coming!)    The system requirements for Vista have been announced and -- thankfully -- Microsoft has also created the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor which will tell you if your system is Vista-ready.  The Upgrade Advisor is a piece of software that downloads quickly and works just as fast.  People are saying that you should not just meet the minimum requirements for Vista, but beat them.  Keep that in mind if you are going to be purchasing a new system soon.

BTW Microsoft has discontinued support of several operating systems:  Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Me.  In addition, computers running Windows XP need to install SP 2 (service pack 2) in order to be "in line" with what Microsoft is doing.

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Thanks to Michael Sauers for the pointer to the Upgrade Advisor.