Monday, February 21, 2011

Thing #9: Rollyo

So task number 9 is to create our own search engine using a tool that is new to me, Rollyo. Using this tool, you can choose a list of websites you want to search across and save them for you and anyone to use (if you choose the public option).
I chose to create a list of archival blogs that I could search across, if I had a professional query. The search can be found here: http://rollyo.com/annamcnally/archival/

I found creating the search initially quite easy, although when it came to saving it, I initially thought the website had wiped it and taken me back to the first page. It was only after I tried to do it again that I realised it had saved it the first time!

I've also struggled with working out how to put it into my blog as a widget, as some of the other 23 Things participants seem to have managed to! But it is Monday...

Overall then: I can certainly see ways in which this might be a useful tool, if I remember to use it. For example, a quick search on 'twitter' using my search engine brought up a variety of interesting blog posts on how archives and museums are using it.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Thing #8 LibraryThing

In an attempt to keep up, I am moving straight on to Thing #8, which is LibraryThing. I signed up for an account this many many years ago and then gave up with it because it was too much like hard work. In the interim I have been using the BookTracker app on facebook, which works well for me. Although there are a vareity of different apps on facebook doing similar things, I chose this one because one of my friends was using it, so it makes it easier for us to compare. For me, the main virtue is keeping track of what books I've read as the vast majority come from Camden Libraries and so I don't have anything tangible afterwards to remind me. I also like publicising when I've finished a book on my profile, as it often leads to conversations with friends about it [full disclosure: most of my friends are librarians/archivists!].

Returning to LibraryThing after some years away, I was struck by how much it looked exactly like it did when I first registered way back. This is obviously the direct opposite of Facebook, where if you blink they've changed your profile for no apparent reason. Obviously I couldn't remember any of my login details so I created a new account and was surprised to discover that this was the *only* website in the whole world that let you do so without registering your email address!

I then needed to import some books. Unfortunately there was no easy way to do this from the records I'd been keeping on booktracker, so in the interest of 23Things, I dutifully copied and pasted the titles of my last 2 years worth of reading in. After eventually working out how to search on amazon.co.uk and amazon.de (there are so many catalogues you can search on via LibraryThing that it's a little overwhelming), I managed to upload 21 books before remembering why I'd given up on this last time.

Looking round on the LibraryThing website, they suggest you buy a barcode scanner to enter your books. This suggests a level of dedication I just don't have to making lists of my books online. I can see how this website might work for some people but for me it duplicates a lot of effort I have made elsewhere with amazon wishlists, the aforementioned Booktracker app etc. I think it would take a lot of book-inputting before the books it recommends me stop being obvious (you've read Roberto Bolano's 2666! Why not read another book by Roberto Bolano?!).

LibraryThing is very much the last.fm of books, and if reading is really your passion then it's worth investing time in. Although the books it recommended me were a bit obvious, there were some interesting looking titles being added by the 50 people whose libraries were most similar to mine. However unlike last.fm there is no easy way of uploading your reading history, without purchasing a scanner (and a train ticket to Canterbury, in my case). If I wanted more book recommendations then I think I would use LibraryThing but as it is I have 300 titles on my amazon wishlist that I have no idea when I'm going to find the time to read.

Verdict: useful website, but not for me.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Thing #7 Tag Clouds

So here, late as usual, and prompted by the posting of Thing #8, we have an exploration of Wordle.

Wordle makes pictures from words. You can type in words, paste in text or link to a blog and it will create a cloud of words, with the size based on the frequency that you use those words.

The challenge was to think up words that relate to our experience of 23 Things so far. I did this and ended up with a pretty lame wordle:


Wordle: 23things

So instead I used the option to post in the feed for this blog and got:

Wordle: myblog

oooh, much better! I think it's positive how many times I have mentioned students, but also shows that I am clearly obsessed with Flickr to an unhealthy degree.

The most obvious use of Wordle is for Powerpoint presentations, as an opening screen to give audience members an idea of what you're going to be talking about. I can imagine that a year or so down the line everyone and his uncle might be doing that, but for now it still looks quite new and fresh. I have a few presentations coming up and I think I will probably use a Wordle in those, by pasting in my talk notes.

I also tried to use Tagxedo, but got the message that my computer required a more up-to-date version of Silverlight and, as this PC has already died once recently, I didn't think it wise to push it any further.

so, verdict on Wordle - success! I like this one!