As I'm doing an MSc course at the moment, so having a reference tool will be very handy. At work we have recently had Reference Manager installed, although I haven't managed to use it yet - there will be a training day in September and I decided to wait for that so I won't have to waste time trying to work things out.
As with Thing 13, I can't download software at work, so I will have to try these out at home, although I've had a look at the webpages.
Zotero looks brilliant - I have Firefox at home, and it will be easy to add. It would be good to have at work, too, but that's not possible at the moment. I really like the way they've made it so simple (at least according to the video!)
Mendeley looks good, with the added bonus of the social media aspect. I'm not sure how this will work in practice, and it did seem aimed more at scientific research, but definitely worth downloading to see. Zotero does seem like it could be better for more general research, and it looks like it interfaces with the web more easily.
I can access citeulike in work, and it doesn't seem to have as many bells and whistles as the previous two, but could still prove useful, especially for sharing with colleagues online.
All of these reference tools could be useful in particular for literature searches. It could also be something mentioned to research staff as it can help them collaborate with colleagues.
Showing posts with label cpd23 things. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cpd23 things. Show all posts
Monday, 13 August 2012
Monday, 23 July 2012
CPD23 Thing 13: Google Drive, Wikis and Dropbox
I will have to have a look at some of these at home as I can't access Google Drive at work, and I can't download Dropbox. They both look brilliant in concept though, and I particularly like the look of Dropbox, for sharing photos with family members. It's difficult to email a lot of photos, and you don't necessarily want to put them on Facebook, as they don't every really delete their photos, from what I've read. I definitely will try Dropbox at home for this reason alone! It will also be a great way for my brother to send his documents to me, and I'll tell him about it so he can try it for his work as well. Not sure how secure it is, but for regular family stuff this shouldn't matter.
Wikis - I've used these before, Wikipedia of course, as an occasional editor, and I've looked at a few others. They're as good as their content, and editors, so particularly useful for larger groups, rather than just a few people.
Wikis - I've used these before, Wikipedia of course, as an occasional editor, and I've looked at a few others. They're as good as their content, and editors, so particularly useful for larger groups, rather than just a few people.
Monday, 16 July 2012
Thing 12 - Putting the Social into Social Media
I have said it before, but my favourite professional social medium is Twitter - it's a great way to keep in contact with a wide variety of people, librarians, information professionals, Stephen Fry, and so on.
I do read different blogs, but there are so many and it's hard to keep track of them all, while Twitter is so easy to just dip in and out of. I don't tend to have time to post as much as I would like on Twitter due to work pressures, but you can get away with using it like this.
I do read different blogs, but there are so many and it's hard to keep track of them all, while Twitter is so easy to just dip in and out of. I don't tend to have time to post as much as I would like on Twitter due to work pressures, but you can get away with using it like this.
Things 10 and 11 - Librarianship training options and Mentoring
Thing 10 - librarianship training options - This one is pretty easy for me, as I'm undertaking an MScEcon Information and Library Studies via distance learning from Aberystwyth University. I am fortunate enough to be sponsored by work, while I'm in a librarian position. I'm still in my first year, so it's still very general, but there is plenty to be getting on with - lots of information to plough through! I will look at Chartership after I've qualified, but for now I have plenty to do.
Thing 11 - Mentoring - I don't have a formal mentor, but I have had a lot of help from senior colleagues without whom I wouldn't be in the position I am today! I have found people very willing to offer advice and assistance, and it's a great way to develop your professional network.
Thing 11 - Mentoring - I don't have a formal mentor, but I have had a lot of help from senior colleagues without whom I wouldn't be in the position I am today! I have found people very willing to offer advice and assistance, and it's a great way to develop your professional network.
Things 8 and 9 - Google Calendar and Evernote
Thing 8 - Google Calendar - I looked at this just a few months ago, and so I'll just review it again quickly. It's a good, useful calendar but I just don't need it at the moment. If I ever need to arrange things online though, or while moving around, it's definitely worth considering. My Outlook does the job for me now, and I even like to keep paper calendars at home!
Thing 9 - Evernote - I have used this at home (there are issues using it at work due to our firewalls), and you can even download an app for your phone. I did download it for my phone, but don't use the internet enough to bother keeping it. It's handy to keep and organise references as you think of them, so you don't have to worry about remembering which webpage you were looking at 3 days ago. I've still got it, but haven't gotten into the habit of using it that much, yet!
Thing 9 - Evernote - I have used this at home (there are issues using it at work due to our firewalls), and you can even download an app for your phone. I did download it for my phone, but don't use the internet enough to bother keeping it. It's handy to keep and organise references as you think of them, so you don't have to worry about remembering which webpage you were looking at 3 days ago. I've still got it, but haven't gotten into the habit of using it that much, yet!
Monday, 25 June 2012
Thing 7 - Real-life Networks
I am a member of CILIP, and get regular e-mail updates from them, and have online access to their website, which are both good ways of keeping professionally up-to-date. There's been a lot of discussion lately about the library closures and CILIP's response to this, and the voluntarisation of library staff, which has been fascinating reading.
I attended a CILIP conference in May, which had a leadership theme, and plenty of talks and discussions about the state of the profession. I was also able to meet a number of colleagues who I'd previously only known online, and just generally get to know some new people! I also met a couple of people who are on my MSc course, and was able to have a lunchtime chat with one of them.
I'm fortunate that my dues are being paid by my employer, but I still think it would be worth being a member even if they weren't.
I attended a CILIP conference in May, which had a leadership theme, and plenty of talks and discussions about the state of the profession. I was also able to meet a number of colleagues who I'd previously only known online, and just generally get to know some new people! I also met a couple of people who are on my MSc course, and was able to have a lunchtime chat with one of them.
I'm fortunate that my dues are being paid by my employer, but I still think it would be worth being a member even if they weren't.
Thing 6 - Online Networks
I'll just have a quick skim over this, as I previously completed it, and don't have that much to add. I previously joined LinkedIn, and it is very business oriented, but a good way to connect, as I've joined the CILIP group, amongst others. I don't use it a lot, though.
LISNP (LIS New Professionals) is another group that I'm a member of, but don't really use that much. I look in from time to time, and there is some activity, in particular about meetups and Library Camps, so it's worth a glance.
LAT, or Librarians as Teachers network is not at all busy, and not really related to my work, so not of interest to me.
CILIP Communities - I am now a member of CILIP so can access and post on these, but haven't really done much. I do get email updates which are of interest, though. Having a quick glance at the latest updates, there are a few discussions going on, and useful professional information being posted, so I will try to have a more regular look.
Facebook - as I've mentioned previously, I use Facebook for my personal life, although I do have some professional connections on there, but not of work colleagues! I prefer to keep it that way.
Google+ - I have joined this, but not a lot of other people have, so I haven't used it that much. I did try to use a Google Hangout, as Skype has gotten harder to use since being bought out by Microsoft, but it kept crashing. It really needs to get more popular, I think, before it's any sort of Facebook competitor.
Pinterest is one I haven't tried yet, I may give it a go as it seems very popular at the moment.
LISNP (LIS New Professionals) is another group that I'm a member of, but don't really use that much. I look in from time to time, and there is some activity, in particular about meetups and Library Camps, so it's worth a glance.
LAT, or Librarians as Teachers network is not at all busy, and not really related to my work, so not of interest to me.
CILIP Communities - I am now a member of CILIP so can access and post on these, but haven't really done much. I do get email updates which are of interest, though. Having a quick glance at the latest updates, there are a few discussions going on, and useful professional information being posted, so I will try to have a more regular look.
Facebook - as I've mentioned previously, I use Facebook for my personal life, although I do have some professional connections on there, but not of work colleagues! I prefer to keep it that way.
Google+ - I have joined this, but not a lot of other people have, so I haven't used it that much. I did try to use a Google Hangout, as Skype has gotten harder to use since being bought out by Microsoft, but it kept crashing. It really needs to get more popular, I think, before it's any sort of Facebook competitor.
Pinterest is one I haven't tried yet, I may give it a go as it seems very popular at the moment.
Thing 5 - Reflective Practice
Just to follow on from my last post, I tried Storify at home, and had a look at what is being produced, and tried it out myself. It does require a certain amount of editing yourself, and some people will be better at making a story more interesting in this manner, but it's a great way to bring together tweets and other social media in an accessible, readable manner.
Onto Thing 5, Reflective Practice. With this blog I do this already, to a certain degree, and I can see how it helps me to improve, by considering what is useful to me and what isn't, in this case with Social Media. I can also see how in general Reflective Practice is a good idea - I may consider quickly how things are going, but properly looking at your activities and if they are achieving what you want is a positive activity. It really is one I should consider doing more of! I'm not sure that another blog would do the trick - perhaps a simply handwritten diary might be a better idea. I was never very good at keeping a diary, despite plenty of encouragement at school, but with a more narrow focus on what goes into it, I can see it as a genuine tool for improvement.
Onto Thing 5, Reflective Practice. With this blog I do this already, to a certain degree, and I can see how it helps me to improve, by considering what is useful to me and what isn't, in this case with Social Media. I can also see how in general Reflective Practice is a good idea - I may consider quickly how things are going, but properly looking at your activities and if they are achieving what you want is a positive activity. It really is one I should consider doing more of! I'm not sure that another blog would do the trick - perhaps a simply handwritten diary might be a better idea. I was never very good at keeping a diary, despite plenty of encouragement at school, but with a more narrow focus on what goes into it, I can see it as a genuine tool for improvement.
Monday, 11 June 2012
Thing 4 - RSS Feeds, Twitter, Storify
Firstly, I love Twitter! I tried it years ago, and it seemed pointless, then as it became more popular I tried it again a couple of year ago and really got into it. I have two accounts, a private one and a work account (@SiobhanWGLib), which I have on my smartphone. I do like the spontaneity of it, although some people have had issues with this! It's good for conferences, and generally getting the zeitgeist of whatever subject you may like. There is also plenty of nonsense, as well as Justin Beiber, for some reason. So, swiftly moving onto RSS feeds - I have set some of these up, and they are a great idea for keeping track of loads of different websites, without having to visit each one separately.
Storify is something that I hadn't tried before, and it reminds me of paper.li, which creates a newspaper out of your twitter feed. This is even better, though, as you can add all sorts of social media and other websites to create your story. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work on my work computer, but I will try it at home, because it's the sort of thing that I may find very useful in the future.
Storify is something that I hadn't tried before, and it reminds me of paper.li, which creates a newspaper out of your twitter feed. This is even better, though, as you can add all sorts of social media and other websites to create your story. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work on my work computer, but I will try it at home, because it's the sort of thing that I may find very useful in the future.
Monday, 28 May 2012
CPD23 - Things 1 - 3 review
BLOGGING: Although I did do these Things last year, I've decided that a quick review won't do any harm! I already have my blog, and as it's only for CPD23 I'm not worried about followers - I'd need much more interesting content to make it worth people's time, but I do like looking at other people's blogs, which are becoming better and more likely to pop up with genuinely useful content on internet searches.
Having had a quick look at the Delicious bookmarks, I glanced at a few local (as in Wales) blogs - some have vanished already! I did like this one though:Library Cat: CPD 23 - Thing #2 as it had an interesting link about how to write the perfect blog post. It's really aimed at marketers, I think, but if I really wanted people to read my blog, the tips are spot on.
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/10-tips-on-how-to-write-the-perfect-blog-post/
I do still find using blogger a bit of a pain - it seems to be a bit fiddly, and for some reason it doesn't show the whole post before I publish it, which makes editing it a bid fiddly. This may be because the work computer is still on Windows XP and IE 8 though.
A few of the blogs are genuinely interesting with photos, but I can't do that on my work computer, and don't really want to be doing this at home!
ONLINE BRAND:
I'm glad to see none of my shocking escapades have made it online, although there is now a Mirror columnist of my name, writing about her life as a widowed mother of one. The girl who previously had some quite embarrassing stuff on her facebook appears to have locked it down a bit more, although she lists Poodle punching as an interest, which may be a euphemism, and my Linked In profile is available with professional details, which I'm perfectly happy about.
Having had a quick look at the Delicious bookmarks, I glanced at a few local (as in Wales) blogs - some have vanished already! I did like this one though:Library Cat: CPD 23 - Thing #2 as it had an interesting link about how to write the perfect blog post. It's really aimed at marketers, I think, but if I really wanted people to read my blog, the tips are spot on.
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/10-tips-on-how-to-write-the-perfect-blog-post/
I do still find using blogger a bit of a pain - it seems to be a bit fiddly, and for some reason it doesn't show the whole post before I publish it, which makes editing it a bid fiddly. This may be because the work computer is still on Windows XP and IE 8 though.
A few of the blogs are genuinely interesting with photos, but I can't do that on my work computer, and don't really want to be doing this at home!
ONLINE BRAND:
I'm glad to see none of my shocking escapades have made it online, although there is now a Mirror columnist of my name, writing about her life as a widowed mother of one. The girl who previously had some quite embarrassing stuff on her facebook appears to have locked it down a bit more, although she lists Poodle punching as an interest, which may be a euphemism, and my Linked In profile is available with professional details, which I'm perfectly happy about.
Monday, 21 May 2012
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more!
I'm rejoining CPD23 Things again, hopefully to finish it in line with the schedule this time. Really, I've already done the first 7 things, but a review is no harm! Last week I went to the CILIP Wales 2012 conference, as well as attending a meet-up to discuss CPD23 Things after work, so I've really properly explored Thing 7 now.
The meet-up was an enjoyable few hours having a couple of drinks and general chat about what is involved, and how it can be useful career-wise. The conference was useful, interesting and exhausting in equal measures, plus added cake, which is always a Good Thing. It was particularly good to see the Welsh Minister for Housing Regeneration and Heritage (libraries are in the last bit!) Huw Lewis show such interest in public libraries and say how important the Welsh Government thought they were. There was also a fascinating talk on the redevelopment of Birmingham Public Library, which looks magnificent, and well worth a visit. Phil Bradley boggled everyone with the massive diversity of online social media available, a real eye-opener. It was nice to meet up with someone on my Masters course, as well!
The meet-up was an enjoyable few hours having a couple of drinks and general chat about what is involved, and how it can be useful career-wise. The conference was useful, interesting and exhausting in equal measures, plus added cake, which is always a Good Thing. It was particularly good to see the Welsh Minister for Housing Regeneration and Heritage (libraries are in the last bit!) Huw Lewis show such interest in public libraries and say how important the Welsh Government thought they were. There was also a fascinating talk on the redevelopment of Birmingham Public Library, which looks magnificent, and well worth a visit. Phil Bradley boggled everyone with the massive diversity of online social media available, a real eye-opener. It was nice to meet up with someone on my Masters course, as well!
Monday, 5 March 2012
Things 8 and 9 - Google Calendar and Evernote
Thing 8 - Google calendar. I was really impressed with this, and despite using google quite a bit, I don't think I'd even heard of it before. I don't really need it for work as everyone uses the Microsoft Outlook calendar, but it's good to know about this, and having read about the way it can be integrated into websites and blogs, it's really one to remember. The only thing is to do with privacy - and google finding out even more about you. I would be very happy to use it for work, and unimportant personal things, like maybe setting up an event with family or friends, but nothing really personal is going to go on there. That's just asking for trouble! I do wonder if the privacy issue is going to be google's downfall.
Thing 9 - Evernote. I have got an account already, but I haven't been using it much. Reading this week's CPD23 blog and looking at the Evernote website has reminded me how useful it could be, so I will be trying it out to report back next week. I don't think I've used it to its full capability so far.
Thing 9 - Evernote. I have got an account already, but I haven't been using it much. Reading this week's CPD23 blog and looking at the Evernote website has reminded me how useful it could be, so I will be trying it out to report back next week. I don't think I've used it to its full capability so far.
Monday, 19 December 2011
Thing 6 (Part 2)
Moving onto the rest of Thing 6 this week, although as a quick aside, Karen Blakeman's latest newsletter (here is her blog: http://www.rba.co.uk/wordpress/) mentioned www.paper.li, which is a brilliantly simple way to read your twitter account! Trawling through twitter can be a bit of a chore, and this turns it into a newspaper that's a much easier read on your screen. I could see it being used to present news and commentary in areas of interest to a wider audience. I'm still investigating it, but you can rename it suitably, and add Editor's comments, publishing weekly, daily, or twice daily.
Back to the Thing!
LISNPN - This is short for the LIS New Professionals Network - so ideal for me. One of the first things that you see on the homepage are the forums - and the most important thing about forums is that they are active! These are - not horrendously so, which is just as well, but it is obviously used by a number of people. I've had a quick look at the download section, which has how-to guides, a couple of which look excellent. Definitely one to keep on my "to be checked regularly list"!
Librarians as Teachers network - This isn't really of use to me at the moment, but I should be providing training in the future, and I will come back to it then, as I have no experience of this! Although started for people doing teaching courses, it's aimed at anyone with an interest in the area, and really that will probably be anyone looked to advance their professional development.
CILIP communities - I'm not a member of CILIP, although the library does have membership. I will probably join next year, as I can definitely see the benefits. There are a lot of CILIP-related posts, and a lot of different groups that you can join which look to be of interest. There don't seem to be that many comments or replies, but those there are do look useful.
Back to the Thing!
LISNPN - This is short for the LIS New Professionals Network - so ideal for me. One of the first things that you see on the homepage are the forums - and the most important thing about forums is that they are active! These are - not horrendously so, which is just as well, but it is obviously used by a number of people. I've had a quick look at the download section, which has how-to guides, a couple of which look excellent. Definitely one to keep on my "to be checked regularly list"!
Librarians as Teachers network - This isn't really of use to me at the moment, but I should be providing training in the future, and I will come back to it then, as I have no experience of this! Although started for people doing teaching courses, it's aimed at anyone with an interest in the area, and really that will probably be anyone looked to advance their professional development.
CILIP communities - I'm not a member of CILIP, although the library does have membership. I will probably join next year, as I can definitely see the benefits. There are a lot of CILIP-related posts, and a lot of different groups that you can join which look to be of interest. There don't seem to be that many comments or replies, but those there are do look useful.
Monday, 12 December 2011
Thing 6 - Online networks (Part 1) LinkedIn and Facebook
LinkedIn - I actually set up a LinkedIn account a month or so ago, as a fellow Aberystwyth student sent me an invite. I haven't 100% completed the set-up yet, as I've been exploring it, and waiting until I got to this Thing to go into more detail. LinkedIn is actually quite forward in making suggestions on how you can improve your profile, but I still haven't found a photo that I like - I'll have a look on my computer at home, and see if I can find one. The only other thing to do, really is add more contacts! I sent a few requests, and got one answer back already, so hopefully this will improve!
Facebook - I do have a facebook profile, but that's really for family and friends, so I don't want to get it mixed up with work. I don't use it that much, but it's still handy for keeping in touch with certain people I don't see very often. I could see setting up a facebook page more if you're a public-facing company, but I'm not sure how much use it would be for this library.
I've spent long enough in LinkedIn tonight, so I'll get onto to the rest of this Thing in my next blog post!
Facebook - I do have a facebook profile, but that's really for family and friends, so I don't want to get it mixed up with work. I don't use it that much, but it's still handy for keeping in touch with certain people I don't see very often. I could see setting up a facebook page more if you're a public-facing company, but I'm not sure how much use it would be for this library.
I've spent long enough in LinkedIn tonight, so I'll get onto to the rest of this Thing in my next blog post!
Monday, 5 December 2011
Thing 5 - Reflective Practice
I have been enjoying looking at these Things - some new, some not, whilst getting frustrated by the limitations of work tech. Unfortunately it can be painfully slow, which can make a quick 5 minute task last 20 minutes! I have been fitting my CPD 23 Things into a couple of hours on Monday nights, and have just about successfully managed this.
Things 1 and 2 - Blogging: I'm still not a huge personal fan of this, although I enjoy reading other blogs. There is a lot of useful information out there, and I'm trying to learn how to actively filter it so I don't get swamped!
Thing 3 - Considering my personal brand. This is still ongoing, but at least there aren't any nasty things about me out there. My twitter name is perhaps a little odd, SiobhanWGLib, but not too bad.
Thing 4 - RSS feeds, Twitter, Pushnote. This one has taken me the longest to do, although so far it's the most useful. I'm still getting the hang of RSS feeds, even though I signed up to Google Reader, as when I select, sometimes it adds it to my browser, and I'm not sure why! It's really important if you want to follow a number of blogs and webpages though, to prevent information overload.
I was already on Twitter, and I created a work account, which is very useful, as I am following a number of librarian twitters which post recent news and blogs that I may have missed.
I am unable to download Pushnote at work, but a colleague (Stephen Gregory!) has advised me that he doesn't think it's that worthwhile. I will leave that one unless I hear better opinions about it.
Things 1 and 2 - Blogging: I'm still not a huge personal fan of this, although I enjoy reading other blogs. There is a lot of useful information out there, and I'm trying to learn how to actively filter it so I don't get swamped!
Thing 3 - Considering my personal brand. This is still ongoing, but at least there aren't any nasty things about me out there. My twitter name is perhaps a little odd, SiobhanWGLib, but not too bad.
Thing 4 - RSS feeds, Twitter, Pushnote. This one has taken me the longest to do, although so far it's the most useful. I'm still getting the hang of RSS feeds, even though I signed up to Google Reader, as when I select, sometimes it adds it to my browser, and I'm not sure why! It's really important if you want to follow a number of blogs and webpages though, to prevent information overload.
I was already on Twitter, and I created a work account, which is very useful, as I am following a number of librarian twitters which post recent news and blogs that I may have missed.
I am unable to download Pushnote at work, but a colleague (Stephen Gregory!) has advised me that he doesn't think it's that worthwhile. I will leave that one unless I hear better opinions about it.
Monday, 28 November 2011
Thing 4 again!
I have finally sorted out how to add Twitter to my blog - it was very simple (once I worked out what it was) - the original template didn't allow the design to be changed, and as soon as I did, it all updated very nicely! A bit odd that the default isn't fully functional, but it's finally sorted.
So now I can move on to RSS feeds. I decided to use Google reader, as this was most convenient. I am really impressed - it is hard to keep track of different webpages, checking for updates, and so on, and I can see this will be of great use. It would be nice if it could be ordered into different subjects, but it's still a good idea.
As for Pushnote, I can't download that at work, so I'll have to leave it, perhaps, to try at home. I do use Stumbleupon at home, and it sounds similar.
So now I can move on to RSS feeds. I decided to use Google reader, as this was most convenient. I am really impressed - it is hard to keep track of different webpages, checking for updates, and so on, and I can see this will be of great use. It would be nice if it could be ordered into different subjects, but it's still a good idea.
As for Pushnote, I can't download that at work, so I'll have to leave it, perhaps, to try at home. I do use Stumbleupon at home, and it sounds similar.
Monday, 21 November 2011
CLIC Social Media Conference
I attended the CLIC Social Media Conference last Wednesday, which was ideal as many CPD23 Things were discussed, as well as one person actually giving a talk on CPD23 Things. It was nice to meet other librarians, who were all either using social media, or trying to learn about it.
I heard about Twapperkeeper, which allows the archiving of hashtagged tweets from Twitter. This doesn't sound that useful, until you realise how popular tweeting is getting at conferences - there were loads of tweets flying around actually during talks, which explained the constant buzz of mobile phones. I did tweet a couple of comments myself, and they are good as aide-memoires, when looking back, although they may be a little distracting during the talk itself if you're not that good at multi-tasking.
I decided to use Twapperkeeper, and found that someone else had already set up an archive, but unfortunately it only dates from about 4pm on the date of the conference, which is a little unfortunate as I know there were loads of tweets before then! I can still use Twitter's search for this though, as it's less than a week old.
I've just checked and I'm sure there were more tweets on the day, but perhaps they hadn't hashtagged them? In any case, it was a good conference, and I did make a few notes on the programme!
The first couple of talks were overviews by Mandy Powell and Emma Harrison on how they use Social Media in their lives, and how useful it is to them. I found it really interesting that something that looks really complicated can be quite easy, such as Emma linking her Twitter account to her LinkedIn account. Mind you, I've yet to work out how to add it to blogger, but I'm sure I'll sort something out! Once it's done, it then automatically updates, making you look terribly efficient.
Emma noted that the twitter accounts of all the Uni of Glamorgan librarians are named after their position, so it can be passed on to the next person to get the post. They also had beautiful professional black and white photos done for their avatars. For now, I'm sticking with my cat!
The remaining talks were shorter, but we still managed to over-run by half an hour, and it didn't drag at all! I could certainly see how an organisation can make good use of Twitter in particular (can you see a pattern? Everyone loved Twitter!), but it's necessary to keep it focussed so it remains useful and relevant. There was some mention of Facebook, but many people prefer to keep this personal. Organisations can set up pages, but these are probably better for general announcements.
LinkedIn is a good way to make connections, although there wasn't too much discussion of it. I'm still setting mine up!
There was a short demo of the CU Virtual Librarian Service, which looks amazing, even though it doesn't really apply to my own position.
There was a little time left at the end to have a quick tour of Trevithick library, which is very compact, yet somehow spacious. It's very modern and up-to-date, and was renovated with the help of sponsoring companies, who have placed tasteful ads around the library. They really just look like art posters, with the name of the company noticeable, but not distracting.
All told, a very well-attended, professionally useful and genuinely interesting conference!
I heard about Twapperkeeper, which allows the archiving of hashtagged tweets from Twitter. This doesn't sound that useful, until you realise how popular tweeting is getting at conferences - there were loads of tweets flying around actually during talks, which explained the constant buzz of mobile phones. I did tweet a couple of comments myself, and they are good as aide-memoires, when looking back, although they may be a little distracting during the talk itself if you're not that good at multi-tasking.
I decided to use Twapperkeeper, and found that someone else had already set up an archive, but unfortunately it only dates from about 4pm on the date of the conference, which is a little unfortunate as I know there were loads of tweets before then! I can still use Twitter's search for this though, as it's less than a week old.
I've just checked and I'm sure there were more tweets on the day, but perhaps they hadn't hashtagged them? In any case, it was a good conference, and I did make a few notes on the programme!
The first couple of talks were overviews by Mandy Powell and Emma Harrison on how they use Social Media in their lives, and how useful it is to them. I found it really interesting that something that looks really complicated can be quite easy, such as Emma linking her Twitter account to her LinkedIn account. Mind you, I've yet to work out how to add it to blogger, but I'm sure I'll sort something out! Once it's done, it then automatically updates, making you look terribly efficient.
Emma noted that the twitter accounts of all the Uni of Glamorgan librarians are named after their position, so it can be passed on to the next person to get the post. They also had beautiful professional black and white photos done for their avatars. For now, I'm sticking with my cat!
The remaining talks were shorter, but we still managed to over-run by half an hour, and it didn't drag at all! I could certainly see how an organisation can make good use of Twitter in particular (can you see a pattern? Everyone loved Twitter!), but it's necessary to keep it focussed so it remains useful and relevant. There was some mention of Facebook, but many people prefer to keep this personal. Organisations can set up pages, but these are probably better for general announcements.
LinkedIn is a good way to make connections, although there wasn't too much discussion of it. I'm still setting mine up!
There was a short demo of the CU Virtual Librarian Service, which looks amazing, even though it doesn't really apply to my own position.
There was a little time left at the end to have a quick tour of Trevithick library, which is very compact, yet somehow spacious. It's very modern and up-to-date, and was renovated with the help of sponsoring companies, who have placed tasteful ads around the library. They really just look like art posters, with the name of the company noticeable, but not distracting.
All told, a very well-attended, professionally useful and genuinely interesting conference!
CPD23 The continuing saga!
I have noticed that Stephen Gregory has added his twitter feed to his blog, and I'm trying to work out how to do it myself, but no luck yet! I also explored Twapperkeeper, mentioned at last week's CLIC Social Media Conference, and can see how useful it is, although it depends on people tweeting what's actually happening at the time. I did a little of this, but it's a bit difficult, and requires multi-tasking to pay attention to the talk and use your smartphone to twitter a short description, comment or question.
Monday, 14 November 2011
Thing 4 - Current Awareness - continued
It looked like I needed to set up a google account to access the RSS feeds as I can't download software at work, so I decided to delete my Tumblr blog and move over here with everyone else! To be fair, this is easier to use than Tumblr. I haven't had time to look at RSS feeds yet though, so that will have to wait until next week as it's nearly 7pm.
Thing 4 - Current Awareness - Twitter continued
I’ve really been enjoying using twitter, even though I’ve set up a new work account and am only following a few people. It’s excellent for short, instantaneous updates, well before news items or articles can appear. I kept an eye on Occupy Cardiff last week, and even though not much was tweeted, I was able to see a few photos in the afternoon well before they appeared elsewhere. I’m still not sure really what to post, as it’s a work account! I’m watching other similar accounts to see what they post, as I don’t just want to have boring retweets!
I’d better get off Twitter now, and have a look at RSS feeds and Pushnote.
I’d better get off Twitter now, and have a look at RSS feeds and Pushnote.
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