Thing # 8 -- LibraryThing

Ahh, this LibraryThing could be addictive! As you might imagine I'm less interested in looking at other people's collections, or having them look at mine, than in just seeing my own stuff lined up on the virtual shelf. If I ever added my entire library this could be a good way of reminding myself if I already have a title. Especially for things like the pop-up books that I sporadically collect. So I've added only a few titles so far -- I grabbed the URLs from online booksellers -- but, here it is: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/sbradby

Thing #7 -- RSS

I tried to sign up for an account with Bloglines only to be told that I already had an account! Not remembering this meant I also didn't remember the password. Luckily Bloglines emailed my password to me. Upon seeing the password I remembered that I'd set up the account when I was preparing to demonstrate RSS feeds to the Branch Managers. So! Now I remember it all: I 1st set up the account in Bloglines and then I tried the Google Reader for RSS. I liked the Google product better. So, if you find that you like the concept of the RSS feeds but don't care for the Bloglines interface, give Google Reader a try!

Subscribing to the Richmond Times-Dispatch/InRich feed was challenging. Then I tried copying and pasting the URL into the subscribe box and -- IT WORKED! It's really easy once you figure it out but figuring it out can be a bit confusing. Now that I've figured it out -- and figured out how easy it is -- I think I've added way too many feeds!

I've signed up for some fun feeds but I'll also try using this reader more regularly to keep up with library-related blogs.

The 6th Thing: MySpace .... finally

After several delays for one reason or another I've finally made it to the 6th Thing. MySpace is an interesting site for those who want to share their lives with the world. It's a bit more sharing than I care to do. There are quite a few other Bradbys who don't share my reticence. And they seem to run the gamut from being people I might be interested in getting to know to others that I'd avoid.
I did enjoy the RuPaul site and Tay Zonday's site is also interesting. So the bottom line here is that I like looking at other people's My Space pages, more or less, but I'd never consider having a MySpace site of my own. But the point of the whole 20 Things project is to make us aware of these sites and techologies. And so I've learned something new!

5th Thing -- Flickr and Photo Sharing

Well, I've created a Flickr account and uploaded some photos from my latest trip. As a test I loaded the same picture both from my Flickr account and directly from my computer. The photo as sent from Flickr comes out larger on the blog page but it has a partial black border that I don't like at all. So, unless and until I figure out how to either complete that border or delete it all together, I'm going to upload my pictures directly from my computer. But Flickr is a fun and easy, not to mention free, way of sharing my pictures with everyone!

Connecticut River from Mount Holyoke

Connecticut River from Mount Holyoke, originally uploaded by sheridab.

Same picture posted from Flickr

On a clear day you can see forever ... or at least as far as Hartford!

The Connecticut River from Mount Holyoke -- I'd never seen a clearer day on Mount Holyoke. We could see as far as New Hampshire and Vermont and the tall buildings in Springfield and Hartford were easy to spot.

Lifelong Learning

I think I was a lifelong learner long before I learned that phrase. The drive to always learn something new probably plays a large role in why I became a Reference Librarian. The one of the 71/2 habits that I find the hardest is creating a learning toolbox simply because I love gathering the tools for projects but I sometimes find that I lose interest once I've gathered the tools. As a result, I've got a very nice collection of crossstitch tools and a very cute and well-stocked scrapbooking carryall! But, who knows, I may pick those hobbies up again! The easiest of the habits for me is definitely playing!

Why I like YouTube

I like YouTube; there is a lot of interesting stuff there. When I go there I have to be careful or I'll stay way too long watching video after video. Those "related" links get me every time! I think having some videos on our library website showing clips from a storytime program or a tour of a newly opened or renovated branch might be a great way of using YouTube.

I added a video!

After seeing so many other PRL folks add videos to their blogs I figured it was time for me to give it a try. It took me only about 5 minutes from finding a video to add to actually getting it onto my blog. It's easy. You just have to read the prompts that come up and follow the instructions. And, you can always ask a coworker who has already added a video to their blog to give you a hand if you have questions. I added this particular video just because I like cute kittens and I was looking for a short clip to add. This one is less than 1 minute long.

Kitten talk

Welcome, everyone!

It's great to see so many folks setting up their blogs and participating in the 20 Things project even before the October 1st kickoff date! I've posted welcome greetings on many of your blogs. For those I have not yet reached, or whose blogs are not set up to accept comments: Welcome! I'm already having fun with this project and I hope you are too.

How to edit entries you've already posted to your blog

Hi Everyone,
I've already posted entries to my blog and then noticed spellign or other errors that I'd like to change. If you'd like to edit your posts, here's how:
Once you've signed onto your blog page, click "Customize," then click "Posting," next click "Edit Posts," Click on "Edit" next to the entry you'd like to change, click on "Publish Post," then click on "View Blog" to your blog page with the changes you've made. That's it!

How to change the time stamp on your posts

When I first made my blog I noticed that the times that were given for when I wrote my posts were wrong. The time was set for the Pacific time zone. Here's how I set it for the Eastern time zone: 1st, sign in to your blog. Click on Customize; Click on Settings; Click on Formatting; At Time Zone choose (GMT 05:00 Eastern Time); Click on Save Settings at the bottom of the page. That's it!

Photos!

There -- I've figured out how to add photos. This is pretty easy!

1st entry

I'm just trying to get the hang of this. I'll try to find a photo to add.