Wikified

Well, I went into the wiki portion of "23 Things" thinking I knew about as much as I needed to know about wikis. That certainly wasn't the case. In the wikis I have used (PBWiki being the main one), I just used regular HTML markup to create things like links, lists, headers etc. Using the Confluence software, the one used on the SLA's wikispaces, I learned a bit about wiki markup, which is very different. It follows the same principles as HTML, but has its own form and structure. I also learned a bit about Wikipedia's wiki markup in the process, something I ought to know better than I do. So anyway, I created a wiki page in SLA's sandbox, using the bits of wiki markup I learned. View it while you can-- it only stays up temporarily. While you're at it, please scroll down to the picture I uploaded and dream about the summer months...

Fun with Library Thingy and Rollyo!

I had signed up for a Library Thing account a while back, but it must have gotten deleted. So, I created a new one. I actually like this tool. It's fun to see what other people think about the things you read, as well as find out about things you haven't read yet. I use a similar tool on Facebook, which I only use because it's convenient, but I think I'll have to give Library Thing another chance.
A public library could do great things with this tool, I think. It could facilitate online book clubs and coordinate reading lists for groups of people interested in a particular literary or cultural theme.
Rollyo didn't excite me nearly as much, but I could see this as useful tool in any kind of library. For one, it would be a great tool for building trustworthy free web resources for patrons to use in a variety of topics. Librarians can guide patrons past poorly-constructed, dated, or useless web resources to the really good ones. Also, a special librarian in, say, a corporate setting could construct a tidy resource of web materials to share with a collaborative team, helping them keep their work consistent by using the same prescribed resources. A neat tool, all things considered.

Avatar Rant

I was very disappointed in the avatar-making tools for 23 Things. Avatars can be fun, and there are a number of good ones out there, such as theSimpsons or South Park ones. The ones recommended at 23 Things offered so few choices clothing- or body type-wise that, unless you're a skinny anime-loving teenybopper, there really isn't any way to make an avatar even close to what you look like. It's fun to do, and avatars can be useful in establishing your online "persona" (if you will) but I would implore the 23 Things folks to do a little better research on avatar creators. End rant.