Things and Beyond

Thinginess

Here is my first post "post-23 Things". I am still pleased I finished this time, and ahead of time. I wanted to not only be a "finisher" but I wanted to take control of my blog for my own diabolical purposes and guilt free write about other Things.

My resolution to keep using the Things tools will of course cause me to write more of Things 23-ish. For instance, I am so glad I followed my boss's example this time around and created a 23 Things notebook with my notes and usernames and passwords. There are far more than 23 accounts to be created and anyone could become confused, especially D.O.A. types who are daydreaming most hours of the day, even when we appear focused.

I had a couple of comments and friends requests on both Gather and Ning, so I wanted to go in and respond to those. Thanks heavens for my little notebook. I had trouble on Ning actually finding the 23 Things page. Logging in at the main Ning screen I found I had no social networks, alas, though I signed up on the 23 Things page. I searched for 23 Things in the search box and got no useful results (maybe it was buried 10 pages in...). So, back to the now beloved 23 Things site to use the link there. Bookmarked the 23 Things Ning Thing, now I'm good.

On Gather, I accepted both personal invitations to be buds, what the heck. (Note! I asked for notice of when one of the people commented or wrote an article and Holy Spamula! 305!!!! comments from this person, yikes yikes in a mere half a day. Nobody has that much to say!)

I also received invitations to two groups. I did fill in some information here regarding my interests but the two invites were nothing to do with anything I would really be interested in. This makes me wonder if people running these groups sometimes just invite anyone new to swell their numbers of apparent members. For future reference, although I believe firmly in both Tolerance and Justice, I think one on one in the real world is the best way to live out those ideals. And, I am not interested in taking over the world, I also do not need invites to groups such as "Leading from the inside out".

I did leap to join a featured new group for video game enthusiasts. Though it is apparently just me and the guy who created the group, this is something I am really interested in, and since my son is off at college I don't have anyone to jabber with this about :( My husband listens politely, but it is just the same for me when he talks sports or math...you can see the mind slipping away and the ears closing their flaps pretty quickly.

D.O.A. out...

THING 23!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was not a "finisher" first round. We will ignore just how bad that sounds and glory in the fact that the kind 23 Things people gave myself and other non-finishers the opportunity to work through the remaining things ( I got stuck at about thing 12 first time around) this summer. Call me Ms Complete-O.

Here are my answers to the questions posed for Thing 23:

Go back to your thoughts/ideas about Library 2.0. Has anything changed as a result of this experience? After working through so many variations of social network sites and online tools I can see that we should all go ahead and be more interactive and share what we know and what we think. It is actually alot of fun.


What were your favorite Things and discoveries? Library Thing is my favorite. I've been meaning to catalog my books for years and it is nice to see them out there. I have alot more gardening books than I thought! I think I might enjoy Second Life too, once I log back in and get my boxy little friend to the Island.

How did you connect with others doing the 23 Things On a Stick? I think that Gather and Second Life and who knows maybe even Facebook might be good starting places for great conversations.

Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you? Everything I learned has been interesting, even if a few seemed to duplicate each other, or not be practical in a library setting, or there were a few boring ones...

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or content? I think that many people were having trouble with step 1, create the blog and add the avatar. Many stopped cold right there. So, I would recommend you write something up for the next go-round that step by step holds their hand.

If we offered a 23 More Things On a Stick program like this in the future would you participate? Yes, indeed.

How would you describe your learning experience in one word or in one sentence, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things On a Stick learning activities to others? If a D.O.A. Librarian can do 23 Things, so can you...


There we go! The blog will continue, talking libraries, books and tech stuff. I am definitely going to use many of the Things I've learned as we continue. This blog has been great fun. Onward!

Would you believe...Thing 21 of 23?

The social networks in this Thing are a bit more focused and specialized.

Gather is aiming to be a sort of gathering place for "ideas type people", perhaps. I joined the Minnesota Reader's group and if I can get myself back in a reading mode (summer has me floating outside quite a bit), it would be nice to chat about books there. I saw film reviews on the main pages and I'd like to try my hand at those as well.

Webjunction This one focuses on library topics. It offers forum discussions, resources for varying interest groups, and online courses. I enjoyed the discussion "Boomer's and up: what exactly *is* older" in the Library Services to Older Adults Community forums. The discussion revealed how ever changing "old" really is. RSS feeds are available in the Resources section.

Ning invites you to create your own social network. I did not sign up for this one but it looks like they give you the tools to create a basic website. Also, there must be many tools available for creating interactivity, possibly just the sort of thing known as "widgets" elsewhere. Ratski, I see I have to go in and create an account on Ning, for this Thing. Back soon...

Ok, I commented on Kalla's page, put my brand new Librarian D.O.A. picture up, and with horrible difficulty I managed to get a cute little Ning widget, that proclaims me a member of the 23 Things on a Stick club.

So I am Ning-ed and complete on number 21. Two to go! Yes!