Thing # 24 Podcasts

Hey all,

Podcasting is well, to be very general...great. It is definitely something cool to download to your iPod. There are several search engines to locate podcasts, and I'm sure that they are wonderful...However, I am unable to access two out of the three sites due to filtering on City computers.

The one that I could access was Yahoo..and this site worked just like a regular web search. Overall, no super-impressive features of the Yahoo site, but that's alright because the information is returned properly.

Thing # 23 All things YouTube

Hey all,

Ok....so YouTube is one of the best websites ever!! You can find almost anything on this wonderous site. Again, tagging is key to good cataloging of videos. Below is a GREAT video...although it may be a one-hit wonder...Have fun searching...may I suggest the 1965 performance of Turn, Turn, Turn by the Byrds...great stuff!!

Thing # 22 More Flickr??

Hey all,

So the fun does not stop with posting and tagging on Flickr. There are some sites where you can do even more fun things with photos.

Montagr is a site where you can type in a keyword and get a mosaic image. This is very useful say for example if you are a Clay Aiken fan and want numerous pictures of him...Kitty has already discovered this though...so all you Clay fans out there are one step behind. Proper tagging is definitely the key for this site.

Flickr color pick is neat as well. Let's say that you like everything to match and are looking for that perfect baby blue image. You can select the perfect shade on this site, however, it does not appear that you can search for images. Rather, you are limited to the ones that pop up when a color is selected.

Thing # 21 Flickr and tagging

Tagging is a fun and useful option of Flickr. Think about it, as you tag...you are including your photos in a world-wide group. Someone may search for 'Library' and may come across your page...What a great way to market new materials and library services! The possibilities are numerous!

Thing # 20 Flickr

Hey all!

So, have you ever visited Flickr.com? If your answer is no, my question for you is "What are you waiting for?" Flickr is a wonderful site for photo storage and sharing. Similar sites are Photo Bucket, Slide, MySpace, Facebook etc.
On Flickr, you can tag, catalog, and sort pictures. Check it out!

Thing # 18 Technorati

Hey all you bloggers out there! This post's topic focuses on blog news and Technorati.com.

So, initially I was overwhelmed by this site....to be more specific the site put me into sensory overload. However, upon closer examination of the site, I found that the website content is interesting and useful. I have not been to another website which focuses specifically on news from blogs.

I liked the feature "Tags from what's rising." This section focuses on hot trends and information. Here, you can find out what's popular...anything from Barack Obama to Nintendo Wii...

Thing # 17 Del.icio.us and such

So tagging and social bookmarking...You might ask what's that? Well..in today's technologically advanced world, these term are becoming more and more mainstream. The great thing about Del.icio.us is that no longer are your bookmarks stored on one hard drive, but they are accessible from any computer as long as there is internet access...Ah, gotta love the 21st Century!

VBPL Blog policy December 2007

Blog Policy
Purpose
Virginia Beach Public Library blogs support the library’s mission by
• Initiating and extending conversations with internal and external customers
• Collecting input and feedback about ways to improve and/or add services desired
or expected from our customers
• Eliminating geographical barriers to interacting with people of similar interests
• Encouraging innovation and collaborative learning
Library blogs may be either public or private. Public blogs serve as the corporate voice
of the Library Department. They also provide staff and customers with an open channel
of communication. Private blogs are strictly for internal communication within teams,
groups and agencies. They are not intended to be an official channel of communication
between the Library Department and the public. All library blogs will adhere to the
following policy:

Policy
The Library Department supports the use of weblog or blog technology to promote
internal and external communication and to encourage innovation and collaborative
learning among staff.

The policy is aligned with the Library Department’s Achieving A Vision of Lifelong
Learning: A Three Year Plan of Action FY 2006-2008. The Strategic Plan of the
Virginia Beach Public Library and the Library Executive Team provide guidance for the
development of new services and methods of service delivery.
Acceptable Use for All Library Department blogs
􀂃 Blog framework or subject area needs to provide enough interest for a readership
and longevity and be timely enough to be of value.
􀂃 All content (regardless of format) and customization will be in compliance with
the City of Virginia Beach’s policies and directives, including but not limited to
Network Acceptable Use AD 2.04, Records Management Guidelines AD 2.10,
Web Site Content Guidelines AD 2.08 and Electronic Mail (E-mail) Policy.
􀂃 All content (regardless of format) and customization will be in compliance with
the Library Department’s policies and procedures including but not limited to
Online Resource Selection (Collection Management), Materials Reconsideration
(Collection Management) and Collection Purpose (Access to Information).
􀂃 All content must respect copyright and fair use laws.
􀂃 Blogs will be related directly to the Library Department’s mission, values and/or
strategic plan.
􀂃 Blog posts will be professional and reflect well on the Library Department and the
City.
Blog Content
􀂃 Follow all City and Library Department policies and procedures as noted in the
above section.
􀂃 Identify yourself in writing by name and your role within the department when
and where it is appropriate.
􀂃 Respect copyright and fair use laws.
􀂃 Provide interesting, value added content including links to other web sites.
􀂃 Provide content that withstands scrutiny over long time periods.
􀂃 Provide content that keeps readers interest over time periods and withstand
scrutiny.
􀂃 Respect your readers, coworkers and fellow bloggers.
􀂃 Correct content mistakes by modifying posts, citations, links or other content.
􀂃 Encourage others to express themselves.
􀂃 Respect your position and the responsibilities it carries.
􀂃 Provide readers with the option to add signed comments to blog posts.
􀂃 Moderate signed comments left by blog readers.
Comments

Unless specified otherwise, comments are open to all and will be moderated by the blog
owner. Commentary, opinion and reactions to posts are welcome. Comments must be
relevant to the post. Spam, flaming, personal attacks and off-topic comments are not
permitted. The Library Department reserves the right to not publish any comment.
Questionable Content
Questionable content in any blog or any blog post or content that does not meet the stated
blog content guidelines will be examined by the blog reviewer for further action and
removal.


Disclaimer
All private library blogs will have the following disclaimer: “ All content on this site
including but not limited to images, posts, comments, and audio and video files are the
expressed thoughts, opinions or positions of the contributor. They do not necessarily
reflect the Virginia Beach Public Library’s positions, strategies or opinions.”
All public blogs are considered the corporate voice of the Virginia Beach Public Library
Department. All content on a public blog will reflect the positions, strategies and
philosophies of the Virginia Beach Public Library Department. No disclaimer is needed.
Copyright
Content on any Library Department blog will be licensed and governed by a Creative
Commons License.
Procedure
All Internet communication technology projects including blogs will follow the Library
Department’s Communication Technology project proposal procedure and guidelines.
Please see the document for specific details.
Terminology
Blog Reviewer – a person responsible for ensuring blog content meets guidelines. They
will review blog contents at frequent intervals for alignment with guidelines. To expedite
the review process, the blog reviewer will sign up for and receive RSS feed for blogs they
review. If needed, the blog reviewer will initiate removal of content.
Blog Owner – a person or persons who is responsible for the blog project. They initiate
the proposal process, coordinate the planning and implementation, evaluate the project’s
success and do any necessary completed staff work.
Blogger – a person or persons who posts to or updates a blog. They may or may not be
the blog owner.
Content – any graphics, video, audio, text or links that appear on a blog or in a blog post.
Comment – a blog post which is time stamped and identified by the author and or a link
to their Web site or blog. Comments may be threaded so that readers can comment on
other comments; most blog comments are displayed chronologically.
Post – an entry or update added to a blog.
Questionable Content – Content in any format including but not limited to text, images,
video, audio or music files that is inappropriate or that violates copyright laws.

December 2007

Thing # 19-Web 2.0 Awards list

Hey all,

This post we explore Blog Bridge, the number 3 winner in the Feed management category of the Web 2.0 awards. Blog Bridge may be accessed at http://www.blogbridge.com/

A definite competitor of Google Reader, Blog Bridge does require a download, but it is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. A great feature of this site is the Top 100 blogs link. From the list of 100, you can easily add RSS feeds from one place. While the basic version of Blog Bridge is free, you can pay for a more extensive version with enhanced options.

Neat site to explore, and nice to know that you can comparison shop RSS feed readers.

Thing # 16- MySpace a breakdown

Hey all,

MySpace is definitely something that teens spend a lot of time with. Think about it...what is more fun than keeping in touch with your friends? I have found that it is easy to create an account, post pictures, and edit profiles. The fun part is finding your perfect song and updating your status to let all your friends know how you are.

Way to go Tom...great idea...if only Myspace had the options like Facebook...now that would be interesting :)

Until later bloggers!

Thing # 15 -Social Networking

Hey all,

So, I do think that VBPL should offer a social networking site. Think about it, teens spend time online and they could find other teens who come to the library. The possibilities are truly endless...

More in the next blog.

Thing # 14 VBPL Reader's Advisory

It took me a second to find out how to add a post to the Staff Picks! section of the VBPL Reader's Advisory wiki. However, it was very easy to add my post once I found the "start" button

Libraries should have a wiki so customers can post their favorites.

Thing # 13 -Wikis

Wiki, Wiki

Wikis are an interesting place to record information. However, in order to be used in a library setting, there would have to be a moderator devoted to checking the imformation for validity and accuracy. Interesting idea though...I think that the wiki format may be better served when applied to RA purposes.