Week 1: Introduction to Web 2.0 & Blogging

                Thing #1: Read the intro

INTRODUCTION

                Welcome to the Marcellus Free Library’s “23 Things for Learning Web 2.0” program! Each week for 9 weeks (which hopefully won’t be too grueling!), we’ll be learning about a few ways people enhance their Internet experience by contributing content of their own. You are probably already familiar with Facebook and Twitter, but do you know about Tumblr or WikiHow? Impress your friends and family by throwing around these terms like you were born knowing them!

                I will post corresponding blog entries for each week of activities at http://mfl23things.blogspot.com, so you can follow along from work or home and check back after the course is done to refresh your memory. You are also totally encouraged to try any or all of these 23 Things on your own – who knows? Maybe you have a lot of important information to Tweet (it can become addictive)!

                Thing #2: Listen to Web 2.0 pod

PODCAST

                A Podcast is an audio broadcast over the Internet. The word comes from a mash-up of “broadcast” and “pod” (since podcasts can be played on portable devices such as an iPod). Podcasts began as mainly instructional resources, but have evolved into media outlets, so that nowadays you can get access to lots of great interviews with famous people, authors, and the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (any fans in the audience besides me?)!

                Many websites have podcasts attached to them. For example, I’ve made a few instructional podcasts about how to use the library’s catalog and how to sign up for e-mail. You may sometimes hear them referred to in short as “pods”, but don’t worry about alien creatures eating you alive! One really great place to find quality pods is Podcast Alley (http://www.podcastalley.com). If you do a search for “web 2.0” (always use lower case letters while searching, as you will get all results with both upper and lower case in them, whereas if you use upper case letters you’ll get results for only upper case), you will find some great podcasts on the subject. Let’s listen to one: http://www.podcastalley.com/podcast_details.php?pod_id=50846 (Web 2.0 magic), http://www.podcastalley.com/podcast_details.php?pod_id=12189 (interviews about web 2.0). With Podcast Alley, you can either download the entire file to your computer, or click “see details” and then “listen” to listen to it on the Internet.

                Another great resource for listening to podcasts is Pod Bean (at http://www.podbean.com)

                Thing #3: Take a look at some library blogs

BLOGGING

                The word “blog” is a shortened form of “weblog”, because a blog is sorta like a captain’s log of his time spent at sea back in the day, remember? So it’s a web-based log – usually a journal or frequently-updated information on the author’s interest or hobby.

                Some popular online programs for developing blogs are: Blogger (made by Google), WordPress, Typepad, and Movable Type. These are designed to be easy to use, with pre-made templates so you just choose the background you want, choose your blog’s name and address, then start making posts. You can also insert pictures or video along with the text, and most blogs give lots of storage space so you can blog for years before you run out of room. Many of them are free, also, but in some cases only limited accounts are free and if you want to do fancier editing or have more space you have to pay. Blogger and Movable Type are examples of completely free blogging software; WordPress and Typepad are free for a limited account.

                Let’s look at some interesting library-related blogs!

DCL Archives: http://dewittlibraryarchives.blogspot.com/ (Okay, I happen to have created that one, but I’m not looking for any praise here!)

Librarian in Black: http://librarianinblack.net (This is by a librarian at the San Rafael Public Library in California); The Daring Librarian: http://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/

As a bonus activity, start your own blog, or make a comment on this one, so you can see how the world of blogs works!
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GO TO WEEK #2

Week 2: Interacting Online

                Thing #4: Navigating the Internet through Reddit

REDDIT

                http://www.reddit.com

Basically, this site is a giant warehouse of all that its members find interesting in the news and in their lives. A lot of the content is photographs, but there are also links to articles and videos. Reddit is completely uncensored, because the editors (or “redditors” as they call themselves) believe in the free flow of information and are fighting against proposed bills in Congress to filter or censor the Internet. So you will see a lot of controversial material and uncensored language on Reddit. The site describes itself as “The front page of the Internet”, and it looks a little jumbled, but if you become a Reddit junkie and look at it every day, you’ll probably most often pay attention to just the new articles posted at the top of the page. Also, I really love the cute captions people post on their photos!

Let’s explore some of the tabs and features of Reddit: pics, “Today I learned”, and technology (click on the categories at the very top of the screen). The “I AM A” section has people who tell what they do for a living and allow you to ask them questions. Generally, you can find a lot of really interesting facts on Reddit, just by checking once or twice a day and clicking headlines that grab your attention. It’s a scatterbrained way of navigating current events, but still pretty cool! And as with all Web 2.0 tools, you can create a free account and put in your own two cents if you want. It’s quick to sign up for accounts on sites like Reddit, and easy to upload photos and share links with other users.

                Thing #5: Picture Blogs with Tumblr

TUMBLR

                http://www.tumblr.com

                Tumblr fits somewhere between blogging and tweeting – it’s something they call microblogging, meaning it’s not quite as long as a blog entry (which is limitless) and not quite as short as a tweet (which is only 140 characters). The idea is to take a photo, then comment on it in a short caption. It could be something that happened to you during the day, scenery, pictures of you dressed in a tutu – whatever!

                Let’s take a look at some interesting tumblr blogs!

                http://nypl.tumblr.com/ Quick updates on New York Public Library news and general news from the world of books.

                http://chicagopubliclibrary.tumblr.com/ Mainly used for publicity and programming updates from the Chicago Public Library.

                http://hclib.tumblr.com/ Hennepin County Library archives. Notice that, just like with other social networking sites, you can have followers, you can follow others’ pages, people can “like” your page or post, and you can tie it all together with your other social networks. It’s all about staying ridiculously connected, people!

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GO TO WEEK #3

Week 3: Photos & Images

                Thing #6: Explore Flickr

FLICKR

                http://www.flickr.com/

                Did you ever take a photograph of something, wait for it to be developed, pick it up, pay for it, and show it to a family member or friend, just to have that other person steal it when you aren’t looking? Well, I have, and it’s annoying. So now, thanks to Flickr you can set up a free account, post all your digital or scanned photos and share them with friends and relatives over the Internet! Flickr is a great way to share single photos (which they call a Photostream), or make labeled Sets. You can also control who gets to print or share your pictures with others, and whether or not your account is searchable. Like other social networking sites, businesses and libraries also use Flickr to display their photos.

For example, the NOPL locations have a Flickr page for program pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/noplibrary/

Fayetteville Free Library also uses Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ma1ja/

                Thing #7: Explore Picasa

PICASA

                http://picasa.google.com/

                Picasa is a Google product that’s similar to Flickr, except it’s software you download to your computer rather than using exclusively over the Internet. One of the biggest differences is that as soon as you download Picasa, it searches for all the photos on your computer and brings them into the program. Then every time you open the program, it pulls in the newest photos you’ve saved to your computer and puts them in your Picasa album. This doesn’t mean it automatically puts them on the Internet; that’s a separate step you have to do, but it tries to organize them all on your computer. Picasa also makes some odd little folders on its own, for example it pulls out all the faces from your photos and makes a file of just face shots. Picasa also gives you the option to edit photos and make slideshows.

                Some libraries use Picasa for publicity photos, including

DeWitt Community Library: http://picasaweb.google.com/dcommuni

Manlius Library: http://picasaweb.google.com/106106771347406301503

                Thing #8: Wordles and Pic Lits

WORDLE

                http://www.wordle.net/

                This Web 2.0 tool creates word clouds from text sources. It makes a kind of picture from the words, emphasizing those that appear most often in the text. Wordles work two ways: you can either copy and paste a bunch of text into a box, or copy and paste the Web address of a blog and create the Wordle that way. Often, the word pictures created by Wordle end up being little poems. Look at some examples here: http://www.wordle.net/gallery?start=4692897 . Once you’ve pasted the text, you can manipulate the colors and style of the Wordle before it’s finished. Then you can share it in the Wordle Gallery or save it for yourself.

PIC LITS

                http://www.piclits.com/

                Pic Lits gives you a photograph, and then you can either drag and drop words onto it or write your own phrases to put on the picture. It’s a sort of Internet word and picture collage. When you’re finished, you can share it or add it to your blog, or just save it for yourself. Look at some examples here: http://www.piclits.com/gallery.aspx

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GO TO WEEK #4

Week 4: Discover a Hobby

                Thing #9: Web 2.0 Food Sites

URBANSPOON

                http://www.urbanspoon.com

                If you’re a food fan, UrbanSpoon is a great place to get reviews of restaurants in your area. When you go to the site, it should automatically detect what part of the country you are in (it isn’t always accurate, however, as it keeps mistaking Marcellus for Witchita!), but you can choose another location by clicking “More . . .” on the yellow bar that lists cities, choosing your state, and narrowing down your location from there. You can sign up for a free UrbanSpoon account and contribute all kinds of content – write reviews, keep a list of favorite restaurants, contribute pictures, make friends, and even supply information for restaurants in the area that aren’t yet listed in UrbanSpoon.

                Let’s look at an example of a restaurant page on UrbanSpoon. Use the search box to look for “daniel’s grill”. At the top, you’ll see their address and a percentage of how many people voted that they like this restaurant. If you scroll down, you can get some reviews by customers (most are nice, but some are downright angry!), and you can also get a listing of places nearby. Some restaurant listings are more detailed than others. For example, try searching “cosmo’s pizza” and you’ll see they have the hours listed, type of food, and average cost per entre; if you look up “francesca’s”, there are comments on the type of atmosphere in the restaurant; and if you look at “ichiban” there are pictures of some of the meals, and you can view their website and menu. UrbanSpoon is a good example of the reason why Web 2.0 is both helpful and a little unhelpful at the same time: sure, you can see information on all those restaurants in town (which theoretically is great if you’re on vacay and don’t know the area), but at the same time, the content is contributed by interested people, although it is overseen by the site managers, so there can be a lot of holes in the information.

I’M COOKED

                http://www.imcooked.com/

                This is another Web 2.0 food site, but their twist is that when people sign up for free accounts, they can upload recipes and videos of how to make different dishes. You can make friends and exchange recipes, or you can just sit back and enjoy others’ contributions. For example, for some reason actor Christopher Walken has contributed a video on how to roast a chicken! Let’s watch: http://www.imcooked.com/view_video.php?viewkey=5ff68e3e25b9114205d4

                Thing #10: WikiHow

WIKIHOW

                http://www.wikihow.com/

                This is my personal go-to site when I want to know how to do something. I have typed in all sorts of subjects and have yet to stump WikiHow – there are articles on everything! Some of the featured articles, for example, are “How to get your husband to help around the house,” “How to know if a woman is a cougar,” and “How to make Aaloo Ki Tikki.”

                The thing I like most about this site is the way the articles are structured. Keep in mind it’s Web 2.0, so anyone can contribute content; but the pages are all structured the same clean, neat way, which makes things much easier to comb through. If you use the search box to look up “how to write haiku”, you’ll see that the results page always has four ad links at the top, followed by the actual WikiHow results. You’ll also notice that several thousand results show up, but you’ll usually find the most relevant articles within the first few pages. Once you click on an article, you’ll see an introduction to the topic, then instructions laid out usually in 10 or 15 steps, followed by some special tips at the bottom and sometimes a how-to video. Almost all of WikiHow’s articles are laid out this way, which is a definite advantage when you want specific instructions that are quick and easy to follow. Some of the articles also have warnings, and at the bottom there is a list of related articles you can browse through for more information.

                Bonus: For another great site about how stuff works, go to http://www.howstuffworks.com/. This is a good way to get easy-to-understand information on the latest tech gadgets.

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GO TO WEEK #5

Week 5: Find Your Way Home

                Thing #11: Google Maps

GOOGLE MAPS

                http://maps.google.com/maps

                Are you constantly getting lost on the road? Well, sometimes that’s fun, but other times you end up in a fight at a biker bar and then you wish you’d just printed a map! Google is currently in the process of taking over the world, and they’re doing it by getting into every possible avenue of the Internet – from searching to blogging to calendars, translating foreign languages, posting photos, creating personal websites – you name it, they do it!

The Google Maps feature has 3 different helpful map views: regular, satellite, and street. Let’s take a look at each of them. Use the search box to look up “32 maple street marcellus ny” and we’ll pull up the directions to the library.

In the traditional map view, you’ll see a map with a pin in it that marks the location, as well as a slider on the left side of the map that allows you to zoom in or out. You can also click and drag on the map in order to navigate through it. On the left side of the page, you’ll sometimes see a photograph of the location, and you can click “Directions” in order to get specific directions to this location. Google will usually give you the directions a few different ways: one that shows the easiest route, one that shows the fastest route, and one route that avoids highways.

                In the top right corner of the map, you can switch to satellite view. This works similarly to the regular map, except you get the actual satellite picture of the location and can zoom in or out and see the surrounding area.

                The last map view is Street View. This has been a little controversial, as it involves Google sending people out in cars every few months and photographing streets, houses, cars, and sometimes people. However, people’s faces are always blurred out, as are house numbers and license plates. Street View is a wonderful tool, especially if you’re constantly lost on the road (and remember you want to avoid those biker bars – or maybe you want to find them . . . ), because you are taking a virtual stroll down the street, so you can see exactly what it looks like before you go there. In order to see street view, find the little orange man (or it could be a lady, I’m not exactly sure) above the zoom in/zoom out slider on the left side of the map. Now just click on the orange person, drag it down over the map and drop it onto the location you want to see. Once you are in Street View, you can double-click on a building to advance to it, or click on the street to “walk down” it. You can also click and drag the mouse around the location to see all around it. Not all locations are available in Street View yet, but you'll be able to tell because when you drag the orange person over the map, the streets will highlight blue if Street View is available.

                Thing #12: Foursquare

FOURSQUARE

                https://foursquare.com/

                Foursquare is sometimes called a stalker app . . . . but, like all social networks, it’s entirely voluntary! You use this particular program to “check in” at different places around town and earn badges for the ones you visit most (for example, you might earn the Book Badge because you visited the library 5 times in a week). Sometimes your favorite restaurant might offer rewards for checking in a certain number of times per week, like 10% off your next meal or a free drink. Libraries use Foursquare to offer discounted book sale books or coupons for library fine reduction. The best part of Foursquare? If you have a superiority complex, you can become “Mayor” of a location after a certain amount of check-ins, then sometimes you can start fights with other people around town who try to wrestle the title from you! For example, I was once mayor of this location: https://foursquare.com/v/dewitt-community-library/4bc894598b7c9c74296638cf, but sadly I have been deposed L

                Foursquare is a Web 2.0 tool that tries to make the real world into a kind of game. You can leave reviews (called “tips”) for the different places you visit, and when you check in at a location, you can find out which other Foursquare users are already there – and anyone looking at Foursquare for that location can tell you’re there, with or without an account – hence the stalker reputation!

                Hey, did you know the MFL has a Foursquare page, and a Mayor? Check it out: https://foursquare.com/v/marcellus-free-library/4e39505018a8d2fcc62a0c8f. It’s sometimes fun for library staff to set up accounts and check in when they come to work, in order to leave tips about programming and book recommendations. Unfortunately, though you can leave a tip from any Internet computer, you can only check in from your smart phone.

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GO TO WEEK #6

Week 6: Social Bookmarking & Book Sharing

                Thing #13: Delicious

DELICIOUS

                http://delicious.com/

                Delicious is a social bookmarking site. What, you may ask, is a social bookmark? Well, you know how you can bookmark sites that you visit frequently in your browser? Social bookmarking is the Web 2.0 way to bookmark! You can share sites you love with other users, and get recommendations for good stuff on the Net for yourself. Delicious is one of the oldest social bookmarking sites. Users create “stacks” which are lists of bookmarks for particular types of sites, and then Delicious makes its own stacks of categories for easier browsing. You can also search for particular links, for example “public libraries”, but it can be hard to narrow down the thousands of results you get, so Delicious is better for category browsing than particular searches.

                Thing #14: Library Thing

LIBRARY THING

                http://www.librarything.com/

                Library Thing is for all you book nerds out there (you know who you are)! Catalog your book collection and share it with others, and get others’ suggestions on what they love to read. You can also join groups for particular genres, like children’s books, science fiction, and there’s even a group for Harry Potter lovers. In the “talk” area there are several discussions going on about book-related topics, and there is a “local” tab for book events going on in any area of the country you choose. In the top right corner, you can also search the site for reviews of specific books. I personally tried to stump the system by putting in very obscure titles; and while they didn’t all have reviews (the majority did), they did all have records in Library Thing, with the option to add them to my library and review them myself. So this is also a great collection development tool for librarians looking for honest opinions of those on-the-fence titles!

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GO TO WEEK #7

Week 7: Social Mania

                Thing #15: Facebook

FACEBOOK

                http://www.facebook.com

                Okay, here’s one of the big ones (finally, in Week 7)! We’ve all heard of it, we’ve probably all seen it, they made a movie about it, some of us have posted pictures of ourselves trying to tp our friends’ cars – but what are some of the most common Facebook features? The thing about Facebook is you can lock it up pretty tight, and they do some secure things automatically for you, too (so no need to worry about too many people seeing that mug shot). In fact, you can’t even search for people or pages through Facebook (not even Ashton Kutcher) unless you are logged in to your account. And even when you are logged in, some Facebook members can prevent you from seeing stuff they’ve posted. As an example of a Facebook page, let’s look at the page for our library: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marcellus-Free-Library/116902788365896

Our page is public, but you can’t search for us unless you have a Facebook account, so the only way to see the page otherwise is to go to that URL (website address). However, the way around that is to Google search the person you want to see and the word “facebook” – but if their page is private, you won’t be able to see much. Once on our page, you can look at all of our posts and photos, but you can’t comment unless you have an account. Facebook started out in 2004 as a rival to the social networking site MySpace, but with some restrictions: you had to be a college student to use it, and no businesses or organizations were allowed to create pages. The site quickly took off after college kids started using it, and nowadays every organization, celebrity, and grandma in the world has a page! (Businesses jumped on board because they figured it was cool to have Facebook pages, but sometimes the information they offer is a little useless, to be quite honest.) Let’s look at a few other pages:

http://www.facebook.com/Ashton

http://www.facebook.com/Dr.Seuss

http://www.facebook.com/theloraxmovie

http://www.facebook.com/fayfreelibrary

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Buddy-Hackett/113223425359127

                Thing #16: Twitter

TWITTER

                http://www.twitter.com

                Twitter is an idea no one really thought would take off – but now everyone has a page! It can be a lot of fun, because your posts are limited to 140 characters (that means every letter, space, and punctuation mark counts toward the total). But this also means people can post a lot of ridiculous time-wasting jive all day long. The flip side, though, is that major events can be posted before the media gets a chance to – so for example, soldiers overseas can tweet about something big that just happened, and end up breaking the story to billions of people before ABC can put lipstick on Bill Weir! Like many other Web 2.0 sites, you can link your account with other services, like Facebook and UrbanSpoon, so posts you make on one of those services can be simultaneously posted to the others.

                Like Facebook, Twitter is also largely locked down so you can’t search Twitter unless you have an account or use Google like with Facebook. Many celebrities are on Twitter, and a couple years ago Ashton Kutcher and Larry King actually got into a “battle” to see who could get more friends. It may come as a shock, but Kutcher won. So what do people typically say on Twitter? Let’s look at a few different uses:

                http://twitter.com/wearethedead -- Remembering the names of Canadian armed forces members who died.

                http://twitter.com/schwarzenegger -- Thousands of tweets from a former bodybuilder/actor/governor.

                http://twitter.com/janetevanovich -- A cute way to use Twitter, with a different quote from one of her novels every day.

                Thing 17: Google +

GOOGLE +

                https://plus.google.com/

                Well, we knew it had to happen eventually – Google does everything else, so why not social networking? The big difference with their service, however, is that you can create “Hangouts” and video chat with multiple people at the same time. You can also build “Circles” so you can designate who sees your different posts (for example, I could allow her friends to see my latest updates, but leave my parole officer out of the loop)! All you need to do is sign up for a free account, or use your same login for any of Google’s other services.

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GO TO WEEK #8

Week 8: Video & Downloadables

                Thing #18: YouTube

YOUTUBE

                http://www.youtube.com

                As long as you’re sharing everything else about your life through the magic of Web 2.0 these days, why not share videos too? YouTube is a free service that allows you to sign up for an account and upload videos of whatever you want. Surprise, surprise: they are owned by Google (along with everything else, including you)! There are copyright rules, but as you’ll see if you search your favorite movie, not many people follow them. But Google employees and other YouTube members do sometimes report or delete copyrighted content from the site. If you have a YouTube account (or any other Google service account), you can not only upload your own videos, but also comment on others’ videos.

                Let’s look at some examples of what you’ll see on YouTube:

                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RkZ3LysX7A – Okay, I admit it, this was a program set up by moi, and written and directed by some creative teens!

                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfBY6ntZI1U – Instructional video

                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aviEAI_NgYc&feature=g-logo&context=G26f4d2fFOAAAAAAABAA – Unfortunately, people are not always kind with their comments.

                Thing #19: Freegal

FREEGAL

                Freegal is an awesome, free service of some Onondaga County Public Libraries (including, of course, us). How you access the service depends on where your card is registered, and then you have to go through that particular library’s website. The good news, though, is you can switch your registration in order to have access to Freegal!

                But what is Freegal? Basically, it’s a way to get music that is both free and legal. Patrons are allowed 2 or 3 free downloads per week, and the new week begins at midnight on Monday morning. This is a way for the library to cut down on illegal downloading or copying from CDs – we pay Library Ideas (the company that offers Freegal) a bunch of money, and they give our patrons free access to the entire Sony music catalog, which has over 500,000 songs. They recently acquired other music catalogs, too, so the Freegal library will continue to grow. And it’s easy to use, because once a patron downloads a song, it opens up through iTunes and imports itself into their music library. Now, they’re free to listen, burn to CD, or copy to their MP3 player.

                Some artists currently on Freegal include: Tony Bennett, Beyoncé, the cast of Glee, Kathleen Battle, and Kelly Clarkson. There is also a wish list feature, so if you’ve used up all your weekly downloads (and your kids won’t let you borrow their cards), you can keep a wish list for things you want to download when the new week begins. And, if something should go wrong in the download process, Freegal keeps a “Recently Downloaded” list for you for the week, and you have 2 more chances to download that song.

                Thing #20: OverDrive

OVERDRIVE

                http://onlib.lib.overdrive.com/

                Feeling tired yet? Just a few more things to learn about! You probably know all there is to know about OverDrive by now, but this is just a refresher of the process of downloading library books. First of all, you might want to check Liverpool Library’s checklist of things you’ll need before you begin: http://www.lpl.org/enjoy-a-book/e-books/1817

                Now, all you do is find a book you want, click “Add to cart”, and download it to your computer. If a title doesn’t have the “Add to Cart” option, this means it’s already checked out. You can either add it to your wish list (maintained by you, and titles don’t delete when you check them out) or your digital reserve list (you will receive an e-mail when it’s ready for download, and it will delete itself from your list).

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GO TO WEEK #9

Week 9: Head in the Clouds – Back to the Future!

                Thing #21: Discover Wikipedia

WIKIPEDIA

                http://www.wikipedia.org

                You’ve probably heard of this free online encyclopedia. It’s a great resource for starting your search or learning fun facts, but for in-depth research projects it isn’t considered reliable enough. But Wikipedia is a great example of Web 2.0 working as efficiently as possible: there is a staff that oversees the site; then regular joes like you and me can get a free account and contribute content in a prescribed formula, including references; and the last piece of the puzzle is that others can access pages you’ve made and edit or update them. For example, if you look at the page for Albert Einstein (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_einstein), you’ll see the main content split up into subheadings, then publications by Einstein and Wikipedia articles for further reading, followed by the list of sources for content and photographs throughout the article. There are also usually Web links at the bottom of the page, and a date that tells you when the page was last updated. The majority of the time, this system of careful fact checking and the ability to edit others’ information gives you some pretty reliable content.

                Let’s take a look at some other interesting content: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Armour_Polly -- recognize this woman? She’s credited with coining the phrase “surfing the net”.

                Thing #22: Search for “Cloud Computing”

CLOUD

                Did your mother ever tell you to get your head out of the clouds? Now is the time to prove her wrong! We can use Wikipedia to look up a definition on the term “cloud” (no, not the cumulous type!): “Cloud computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices as a metered service over a network (typically the Internet).” What in the world does that mean? In a nutshell, the “cloud” is a virtual place for storage. For example, if you have a blog, the information you write and publish is accessible to others but they don’t have to have access to your computer in order to see it, read it, download it, etc. Your blog is stored on an outside computer that controls the blog service (so if you have a Blogger account, for example, Google stores the information for you). Another way cloud computing is used is through iTunes. If you purchase music from the iTunes store, they will automatically back it up to the “cloud” – meaning if your computer crashes or your hard drive fails, you don’t have to buy all that music again because it’s tied to your iTunes account and can be re-downloaded when you replace your computer.

Most cloud computing services will store your information for free, but there is a limited amount of space (usually several gigabytes, which you probably could never use up anyway). If you have a website, you might pay for more space to house bigger files, pictures, and video to display on the site. There is no limit to the amount of space you can occupy in the cloud, but the more you have the more you pay.

So go ahead, put your head in the cloud and keep it there as long as you want!

                Thing #23: Explore Futuristic concepts on the horizon

BACK TO THE FUTURE!

                Some of the futuristic ideas that are already here include: QR Codes, Augmented Reality, and Computer Clothing or Wearable Computers. Sure, these terms sound like a foreign language, but I promise they are real things! QR Codes are something you may have already heard about or seen. They are funny-looking square barcodes that can be scanned by smart phones, and once scanned they take you to a magical location on the Internet. Most businesses use this technology for unimpressive stuff, like their website homepage, but sometimes you can get coupons or deals at restaurants. Libraries use them, too, for fine reduction coupons or program sign-ups. Here’s an example of what a QR Code looks like: http://www.qrstuff.com/images/sample.png. A smart phone scans the three smaller boxes within the larger box, and immediately takes you to a website. You may see people using these on their business cards, or you might even see some on the covers of books in the library. They very often end up on common products, too, like Heinz Ketchup bottles and packages of toilet paper.

                Augmented Reality takes the QR Code concept one step farther, making the real world a little more like the digital one. The future of augmented reality may make it possible for you to put on a pair of special gloves and use your fingers to “click” on objects or locations in the real world and display them on a device you wear around your neck, similarly to the way we click and move objects on a computer or smartphone. Imagine being in a strange city and having the ability to find your way around just by letting your index finger hover over a street sign. Some European countries are already using this technology with an iPhone app called Layar, with which you can snap a picture of a building the same way you would capture a QR Code, and then find out all kinds of information about the business inside, its history, whether they are hiring . . . The possibilities are endless! For a picture of what this looks like, click here: http://www.howstuffworks.com/augmented-reality2.htm.

            So, are robots going to take over the world? Yes! But not the way you think: humans are actually going to become more computer-like. The future of computers is all about blurring the lines between humans and computers, and it’s as freaky as it is fascinating. Part of the way to achieve this robot transformation is through wearable computers. Here are some examples:

·         Smart watches – Nike and Garmin make fitness smart watches that are able to monitor your heart rate, and include a data screen to customize a fitness program. Apple and other companies make a variety of wrist watch straps designed to fit the iPod Nano. They start as low as $6.99 on Amazon, but the fancier ones are closer to the $20 range. Of course, if you want the diamond-encrusted model, that will set you back about $18,000.

·         Computer clothing – Levi’s makes a musical jacket that looks like a regular jean jacket but has MP3 capabilities built into it. The jacket is currently being marketed in Europe.

·         Camera glasses – ZionEyes makes a pair of sunglasses that doubles as a camera. You can wirelessly transfer photos and video to your computer or phone right from the glasses! They are a bit pricey ($200).

·         3-D Printing – Fayetteville Free Library is getting a lot of buzz about their Fab Lab, which features a 3-D printer. This is really just a manufacturing machine that allows you to design products on your computer and then “print” them out using metals and other materials instead of ink. This technology is just in the beginning stages, but is already being used in some high school shop classes. Watch a fascinating video about it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQHnMj6dxj4. Among the objects successfully designed and “printed” is a bike (it’s true – try it yourself http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmxjLpu2BvY&feature=related)! Also, some guy made a flute: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlq5R84TlVw&feature=related. And some woman made a bikini: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=d2iT8S0m3m4&NR=1. When these things become capable of making shoes, no price will be too high for me to have one in my home! J This video is a bit longer, but very fascinating: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCXlJ36x-q0. It makes sense: why not use the old Stickley manufacturing building to help patrons learn to manufacture things?

                So that’s all for me! Hope you learned a few things about being part of the Internet rather than just watching all that stuff go by in front of your computer screen. Collaboration is what Web 2.0 is all about! Congratulations – you’re one step closer to becoming a robot!

And now that you've successfully complete the 23 Things for Learning Web 2.0, join us for a presentation by Meg Backus of NOPL on Friday, April 20 at 3:00. She will be elaborating on some of these futuristic concepts, and totally blowing your mind!

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