Ex #23 and the end of the road

Well here I am, the end of the Road and how I am almost going to miss you.  It has been so much fun doing this Training Session and I just know that I have upskilled in so many ways.  Mind you, I am going to keep a Hard Copy of my Favourite Exercises just to re-visit them and "polish up" on some of the ones that I feel will be of particular use to me.  Like "Soho Writer" which I still have to make use of to get this Post to you all.

Not to say that there has not been frustrations along the way.  I have fussed, fumed and fretted as well as cursed just as much as I have enjoyed it.  My particular favourites have been Zoho, (of course.)  Library Thing, Flickr, De.licio.us and many more.  Dislikes, well Technoratil for one springs to mind.  RSS feeds was another. But overall I have got a great  of pleasure from Training this way.  Would I do an online training session again?  Well ask me later.......  This one has taken a a great deal of our leisure time, more I think than we expected.  But I am pleased to see just how many of us are going to finish it and think that we can all feel well pleased with ourselves.  I daresay the Learning Team will be pleased to get a well earned rest as well, hate to think what corrollating all the incoming Posts has cost you in time and effort.

PS.  I didn't think at the start that I would ever last through to the end, but I did.  I see from reading other participant's Blogs that many of you felt the same way, but we have done it and I feel sure that we have all gained in confidence by taking part.  So if there are any of you out there who are languishing in the "charts" and you happen to alight on my Blog, then take heart and persevere to the end.  It gets better as you get closer the the ultimate goal.  If I could do it, then surely you can....

Ex #22. Libraries and Social Networking

Well, I am resorting to Zoho Writer to write this Post as I have been having intermittent problems with my use of Blogspot.  At the moment it seems to work for me in the morning, but quite frankly "craps out" when I want to use it in the evening.  The Learning Team, in response to my anguished e-mail reminded me of Zoho Writer.  Now why didn't I think of that before?  So at least I am making use of an earlier Exercise to get this one to you.  If it works this time I will definitely be a fan of Zoho..... 

But to #22.  Now if you have read my previous Post for #21, you will have seen that I wasn't the biggest fan.  Now this one is an extension of that and I have revised my opinions somewhat.  I began, as instructed by dipping into the List of Libraries using My Space.  Quite amazing it was too but surely not a comprehensive one.  Methinks that it would be better described as a List of "American" Libraries using My Space, not that I am decrying the use of the word American, one must remember though that this was but one resource on the subject.  Then I went off to take a look at Meredith Frakas' article on "Social Networking Software."  She made some salient points and I make one quote here :- Whether we like it or not, our patrons between the ages of 16 and 25 overwhelmingly use MySpace and Facebook, and are not going to stop using them no matter what policies we put in place. As librarians who should know our users, we should at least be aware of what they’re doing online and see what roles the library can play in our patrons’ online social worlds.  And quite right to!

Beth Evans put forward a most excellent case in her particular article entitled "Your Space & My Space.  She evidently was e-mailing her daughter and was not getting a response.  Later she found out that she was leaving her messages in the wrong place.  Her daughter relied soley on her Facebook site for receiving her messages.  Beth was later to be able to make use of her daughter's skills when it came to setting up her own Library employer's "My Space" site.  Food for thought for me!

Now for my summary.  I do think that we, as a LIbrary should be making use of such sites as this, but, and a big BUT, they must be attractive to those we want to reach.  It must not be left to someone who feels that they can "give it a go" and get away with anything, but should be professional in it's content and have a relevance to those we want to reach and still appeal to other age groups.  Is that an impossible demand?  I hope not.....  Let North Shore Libraries rise to the challenge.

Ex #21, getting Social with My Space etc

Yes, I am aware of the Famous Three, (My Space, Bebo and Facebook) but so far I have resisted the urge to join. It is an undeniable fact that sites such as these are the Phenonomen of the Web 2.0 and people around the World are flocking to take advantage of them. So just why am I so reluctant ? You tell me, though I think that I know the answer why.

Anyway, to the Exercise and my first port of call was to "Hitwise" and quite frankly I was surprised when I viewed the results. They are analysed on a percentage basis and the highest scoring Social Website was "www.facebook.com" which came in at No:4 with a scant 2.49% of the analysis. Mind you the winner only gained 7.65% and in total the top twenty only accounts for 31.82% of all hits made, so what the dickens is the rest of the World doing with it's time? The mind boggles.....

Went to Bebo, didn't sign in but had a look at "Auckland City Libraries" site and found it bright, attractive and very inviting. Next I checked out "Rotorua Public Library" and think that I preferred it over the previous one. Was impressed that what must be a relatively small Library System could come up with such a good and very inviting offering. I particularly liked their "box" that gave you their ongoing tutorial regarding the how to make sense of the Dewey Classification System. Now if North Shore Libraries wants to take a leaf from their book and do the same then I heartily approve, but the standard has to be high when judged against these two examples. Moved onto "My Space" but didn't tarry there as I had to sign in and I had already decided that if I had to choose one to register with, then it was to be "Facebook" to allow me to view the recommended pages in the Exercise and dip into the LIANZA event page amongst other things. Well, this is where it and I came unstuck. I registered using my "nom de plume" and then the fun began. First of all I checked the response e-mail that "Facebook" sent to my Gmail address. Then found I had to fill in lots of details about old schoolfriends, (difficult when it isn't "me" doing it so ignored that) and then found I had to add a load of RSS feeds. I was starting to lose patience at this point and ended up going into the "My Account" option and deactivating my registration.

So at the end of it all, my own attitude to these sites remains unchanged. They are not for me, but one thing I do know now is that I can help someone if needs be to Register themselves should they so wish. It is probably due to the fact that I am very careful about what I post to the web that I am a bit cautious in regard to this excercise. Once again I know that I am not giving the desired response, but then each to his own as they say.

Ex #20. Taking a peek at e-books

Once again we have an exercise that we can get our teeth into. I started off of course thinking that I already had a fair idea of what an e-book actually is. It was as well that I started off with "What is an e-book." It was at this point I found out that what I thought I knew was sketchy to say the least. It was fascinating to learn about the pitfalls and advantages of the differing formats and how they can help or hinder your acccess to various sources. It is a pity that various Publishers have made use of this to lock you into one particular file type or hardware reader and in doing so have retarded the spread of e-books.

Next I looked at "Project Gutenberg" seeing as I was aware of that one. Here I tapped in "Gaskell, Elisabeth" and found that her output had been far more prolific than I realised. I have long regarded her as one of the finest of the 19th Century's Authors and "Cranford" has long been one of my favourite reads, I never tire of it as it couples a delightful portrayal of life in a 19th Cent Provincial English town with a quiet humour and English Prose at it's best. In many ways she is far more modern than many of her peers. I will be checking up on many more of her works to read and perhaps I may have to resort to the concept of an e-book to fulfill that wish.

Now it was time for me to be off to Librvox and a source of "free" audiobooks. What a wonderful concept and first of all I clicked on the Box that said "Listen" and entered "Cranford" and there it was, chapter by chapter. I then delved deeper and saw that when I clicked "Read" I could actually volunteer to read a chapter of a book via my own Computer. Ummm! now there is something to consider...... I do think that I would enjoy participating in that.

The next stop for me was Amazon and the amazing Kindle. The cost $359 (presumably US$) will be a bit of a hindrance at first, though like all things the price will come down in time, but I was fascinated by it. I can see myself embracing this Technology at a later date, but then I am never in the vanguard of anything new. Wouldn't it be a wonderful space saver though as opposed to book shelves. Surely a repository for all my favourite reads. A question! Are our new "Playaways" nothing more than a primitive precursor of a "Kindle?"

But now for my summary. At the start of the exercise I thought it was just an interesting subject to explore, but by the time I came to submit my Post I was enthused. This is certainly something that Libraries should make use of if they aren't already. I may not have explored all of the resources recommended, but I certainly spent time in those I did explore . How fast the pace of Progress will make e-books more commonplace I cannot tell you, but one thing is for sure, it will be faster than I can anticipate. Anything that brings the World of Books into the home has my blessing. I am all for it........

Ex #19 Podcasts

Well, it's been a while since I Published my last Post to this Blog, though it is not through laziness. I have visited this exercise quite a few times in the intervening period just trying to get my head around it all. I know that the concept of Podcasting is more than just a catchy tune but so far I haven't found many "gems" in trawling through the Resources. Let me give you an example of what I have come across just this evening. I tapped into Podcastalley (again) and happened upon something called "The Litterbox," (it's quite near the top) where they said and I quote, "Your iPod is our litterbox, let us fill it with crap." Well, "Aha!" says I, being a bit of a curmudgeonly old so and so, "no you are not crapping in my Ipod." Not that I have one to pollute, but you get my gist......

Now I know that that the subject of Podcasting is very much the coming thing, but so far, it and I do seem to out of sympathy with each other.

Yes, I do know that the Library system has set it's eyes on utilising the subject of this exercise for use as a tool and I am quite happy about that but can I make a plea? If we are going to make use of it, then surely this is an exercise subject that we should take from here and actually plan a more structured Training Session along the lines of the the current OPAC Refresher Course. I for one think that I would benefit from that far more than I have from this particular online session.

Sorry to be so negative, but after all it's my experience, my offering and I feel that's what counts. I sit back and await a response.

Ex # 18. Discover You Tube

And now to You Tube! Who can fail to have fun with this site and perhaps learn something from it as well, in spite of all the garbage that gets uploaded to it. I started to dip into You tube only recently, like last May when I finally upgraded to a Broadband connection when we replaced our old, clapped out Compaq Laptop. But back to the Exercise....

As instructed I dipped into the various resources that were recommended to view, mainly Library subjects and came to the conclusion that yes, there is a place for us to utilise You Tube. But we will have to do better than the examples I saw on display. Library staff may view them out of interest, though I don't think that they would grab the attention of the Casual You Tube viewer let alone the younger Patrons. The best was "QandA's Now Your Library is open late etc." Even this one thougn was noisey, clever and too slick, in fact it was quite confusing. But loved "Conan" and can think of a few patrons I would like to smite with my sword as he does. Unfortunately, I would look too, too silly in that garb what with my figure and the lack of height. I will have to get by with diplomacy and tact. A pity........

I chose to look at a video clip of the Funeral of the last Kaiser, Wilhelm ll. After the First World War, he was offered Asylum in the Netherlands and finally made a home at Huis Doorn, a place I have visited a few times. He is buried in a Mausoleum in the grounds. At the time he died (1941) the Netherlands was occupied by the Nazis and although two of his sons had thrown in their lot with them, he shunned contacts with the Nazi overlords as much as he was able. However, on his death the Nazis gave him a showpiece funeral. What is interesting to me is the presence of a lot of his old Feild Marshals, plus you can make out quite a few of his offspring. I have a weakness for looking out for Historical news clips like this

What do I like about You Tube? Well, I can hunt out old News Reel Footage, clips of various singers that I used to know from years ago and lots of other things. What I don't like is the the fact that anything can be uploaded with little or no control. Things such as random acts of violence, school bullying and fighting, staged or otherwise. But hey! I still love the site and revisit it time and time again. But I also only view what I want to view and other people may find my preferences boring.

Gone back into the Exercise for a second and have viewed the "L Team" clip. Now that was well done! It made me smile as well.

Zoho Writer. 2nd atttempt

 

Am later getting this Excersise off than I anticipated, but better late than never.  I was pleasntly surprised at the clean, crisp appearance of the Site and spent quite a while getting my head around the plethora of tabs to push and play with.  Essentially it is a Web based version of Word and I think that while I may not use it yet, it does a lot of inbuilt advantages.

On the personal plane, you could be on holiday and wish to keed adding to an ongoing diary/report of the trip.  With this you can move from place to place, PC to PC and access Zoho and pick up from where you left off.  Easy and the same with the Library, any ongoing Project that is continuous, be it a Research Project or whatever and you have access vis different terminals, then this is a worthwhile Tool to have to hand.

I will confess to not dipping into Google Docs yet mainly because I slipped behind in my planned schedule, but I promise I will "Honest Injun." However I did get rather daring and inserted this image.  It was taken last March as we were making our way around the East Cape. We came across this rather isolated but very beautiful Church that looked out over the sea.  The notice was attached to the door and made me smile.  You wouldn't see such a thing on the front door of the Great Cathedrals of Europe, (more's the pity.)  Only in New Zealand....

 

 

                  

It wasn't all that easy to insert the image though and even now I have doubts that it will show up well in my Blog.  Better next time! But at least I tried and have now succeeded.......

Web 2.0 Awards. Is this their equivalent of the Oscars?

Ex #17 and I am almost up to date with the programme so far. In this Excersise I started off by clicking on Web 2.0 Awards Nominees. The field of choice was endless and as I checked up on the various Categories I thought I would be there for ever. So after about 40 minutes of exploration I said to myself, "Simple Simon," it's getting late, you'll have to take the short cut. So off to the "short list" went I. First of all I chose "Picasa" under the heading of "Photos and Digital Images." Found that it involved a download so as instructed decided to give that away. Decided that as my second choice I would pick "Yahoo! Answers" which was under the heading "Questions and Advice." Well this was a revelation! The subject matter covers the sublme to the ridiculous. It is little more than a Web based "Agony Aunt" column in some respects. Do remember that this is what I picked on by chance and what you asked me to comment on. Some of the questions were worthwhile, but deary me, a lot were puerile.

Is there is a use for this in the Library? I don't think so. Let us move onto Ex #18, I hope that it may be more worthwhile. Come the end of this Excersise I had decided that # 17 was a more a case of the Oscars meets the Hello! Awards.

Ex #16 Zoho Writer

Am later getting this Excersise off later than I anticipated, but better late than never. I was pleasantly surprised at the clean, crisp appearance of the Site and spent quite a while getting my head around the plethora of tabs to push and play with. Essentially it is a Web based version of Word and I think that while I may not use it yet, it does have a lot of inbuilt advantages.

On the personal plane, you could be on holiday and wish to keep adding to an ongoing diary/report of the trip. With this you can move from place to place, PC to PC and access Zoho and pick up it from where you left off. Easy and it's the same with the Library. Any ongoing Project that is continuous, be it a Research Project or whatever and you have access vis different terminals, then this is a worthwhile Tool to have to hand.

I will confess to not dipping into Google Docs yet, mainly because I slipped behind in my planned schedule, but I promise I will at a later date, "Honest Injun." However, I did attempt to insert an image in Zoho Writer and had succeeded but it hasn't exported to my Blog and I am puzzled! Must have done something wrong I know, but for the life of me can't guess just yet.

Ex #15 Rolling on with......

Well, I have tackled this Excersise and think that I have succeeded in reaching the objective, Now for the comments! Signing in was easy. Do I think I will go back there again? Well, no! I explored the other Search Rolls and to tell the truth found the subjects covered didn't interest me that much, though I gather it is in our own hands to rectify that.

The site itself I certainly found unattractive (but then the visual aspect is very important to me.) But on saying that I found it very easy to find my way around and achieve the Exercise's principal aims, so that is a plus. Bear in mind that this is very much a "man in the street" point of view and is not meant to influence any of the other participants. They may rave over it... Do I see a use for it in the Library for example? Not really, I feel we have explored other and better Sites in earlier Sessions.

But I have created a Search Roll for you to check out. Just click and take a peek at my Search Roll

Fun with Library Thing!

Now I have had a lot of pleasure from this Excercise. What a handy site to use both within and without the Library. I must admit I plundered my Reading History in Elgar for a list of Titles, but it was fun to see my choices appear before my eyes. So easy to use as well. I intend to Bookmark this site as I can see that is a great way to "park" Titles that I wish to save for future reads. Have used "Preferred Searches" in Elgar for that purpose up until now, but as we know, that has had a few hiccups over time.

Here is my link:

Ex #13 Generators

Wet again so the ideal weather for Excersises. Had heaps of fun with this one, (you DID say to play around!) dabbled with "Word CLouds, as well as various labels with my name. Made a Jigsaw puzzle of Puss( again) and also toyed with stickies. It is this thing I will include in my Post. But seeing as I like the Jigsaw so much, methinks that I will add it as a gadget. (Yes another one!)

Ex # 12. Sandbox Wiki!

Well, it all seems to easy though I did have to seek guidance. Now I am at home and think that I have made it. Added entries to favourite Books, Places and Quotes and Sayings. But somehow I still don't think that I have got it right. This is one Excersise where I would like direct feedback from the Learning Team... please.

However I did have fun playing with it and now have to tackle Image Generators

#11. Wikis, Libraries et al.....

Like almost everyone else in this training Programme, I have been making use of Wikipedia for quite a while, yet was unaware of the concept of Wikis in general. The idea of everyone being able to make a contribution to a Topic in question is a great idea. We all have something to offer on any given subject, but I was glad to see that "Wiki's: A beginners look" started off with a list of pro's and con's which closely followed my own feelings both for and against. Namely the need to cross check some information and not take everything for granted just because it is "up there" on the screen.

The Resource that you provided, "Using Wiki to create Online Communities" also said much of the same in this extract:-
"Wikis are a great way of collaboratively developing a website, but they are not suitable for every web-based project. While some websites might benefit from the insights of the community, others function better under tighter control. If you are looking to develop content that requires input from people outside of the library, a wiki is a the ideal tool to solicit that content."

I myself spent a great deal of time in"Book Lovers Wiki" mainly because it is right up my street. I love hunting out the latest "Titles" and reviews. (As an aside I can recommend the UK Guardian's Reviews of the latest books that are published in the UK.) While this may not be a Wiki, I do recommend it as a source of what is to be available here soon after.)

Now how can we make use of Wikis in our particular Library System? Well, here are a couple of my suggestions:-

(a) A new method of Suggestions for Purchase, less cumbersome than the present method maybe?
(b) Let our Customers/Patrons (I still get confused over the correct term to use even now) give their own reviews of books that they have read.

Neither of these options need a "tight control" vis a vis accuracy so should not be a problem on that score.

And now it is late and I must to bed, to gird my loins for the next excersise as they say. But one last comment. Hooray! I now know what "Wiki" means. That has been bothering me for quite a while.......

Web 2.0, Library 2.0

My Goodness, if we had any doubt that a revolution is upon us then this Excersise lays it to rest. I see that the Prophets have been foreseeing what is afoot as far back as 2005 judging by the Perspectives taken from the OGLC Next Space Newsletter.

But first things first, let me begin with the Web 2.0 phenomenon video clip. It was cerainly very polished, but if it was meant to be an Instruction Tool, then I found it a bit on the "fast & slick" side and more of a Brilliant Advert for the product. Did I miss something here? Then I moved onto the Next Space Newsletters and here are a few quotes that struck me.

Tom Storey pointed out in his article "Where will the next generation Web take libraries?" that "The Web moves from simply being sites and search engines to a shared network space that drives work, research, education, entertainment and social activities—essentially everything people do."

Rick Anderson in his "Away form the Icebergs" states that "Libraries are poorly equipped and insufficiently staffed for teaching. Ask yourself what your patron-to-librarian ratio is (at the University of Nevada it’s about 680 to 1) and then ask yourself how you’re going to train all those patrons. We need to focus our efforts not on teaching research skills but on eliminating the barriers that exist between patrons and the information they need, so they can spend as little time as possible wrestling with lousy search interfaces and as much time as possible actually reading and learning. Obviously, we’ll help and educate patrons when we can, and when they want us to, and the more we can integrate our services with local curricula, the better. But if our services can’t be used without training, then it’s the services that need to be fixed—not our patrons." Phew, I bet we never thought we were that bad!

But let me add that there are still people out there that either due to age, circumstance or just simply being scared of the Pace of Development that will still need the good old fashioned TLC on a one to one basis. It is a mistake to take it for granted that everyone has upskilled at the same rate that the Library expects of us I will confess that I have struggled at times to get my head around it all and have surprised myself that I am still here at excersise #10!

Technorati & Ex #9

Well, I had to force myself to keep going with this Site, I was quite out of sympathy with it. It all began when I made use of the Discovery resource "Technorati Tour" and found it lacking. All the time I was comparing it to the "Le Fevre You Tube Sessions" we had made use of earlier. The screen display on this one was small (I couldn't enlarge it,) the camera was diving all over the place, it was quite giddy making and the voice over was enough to put you to sleep!! That was last night, so I gave it another go again this morning. Things hadn't improved at all! Also I think that the "signed out Homepage" they were using in the Session is different from the one we are using which slightly adds to the confusion.

I continued with the training session but it was dogged going. Methinks that my flirtation with Technorati will be but a brief one and I doubt if I will be hurrying back. Haven't been daring I am afraid and signed up 'nor have I claimed my Post which I may have done if I was a bit more "fired up". I did have to smile when I came across the term "Favourited in the TechnoTour! Whatever next?

Del.icio.us and Ex #8

Well, this 23 Step Web 2.0 programme is certainly opening my eyes to fresh Possibilities.  Now along comes del.icio.us and here we have one of the more exciting revelations of the Programme so far.  It seems to easy and so clearcut.....  I have long made use of Bookmarks to keep my favourite Sites in order.  Relevant Folders for different classifications etc, but now I find from Lee Le Fevre and his Youtube Session that it is all old hat.  The new "wonder site" is del.icio.us to make things easier.  I love the term "Social Bookmarking" as it just describes it so well and the idea that I can access my Bookmarks (or favourites, call them what you will) either from another Computer, say at work or even if I am away from home is simply brilliant as well as the idea that other people can make use of anything I may have found useful.  Phew! that sentence is far too long, but I ain't changing it now.

Must away to explore this Site further now I have a bit of time on my hands and before I tackle Technorati

Search for RSS Feeds. Ex#7.2

Saturday Evening and still plugging away.  Had hoped to get the second part of this Excersise finished before now, but to no avail.  The perils of shared access to the one Computer.....

Have been exploring some of the Search Tools as suggested and found that I was most in tune with Topix.net.  Had great fun with that, typing in what I thought were the most obscure requests into the search area and 99.9% of the time it gave a number of answers.  I will be revisiting that site again and indeed have added it to my list of Bookmarks (News Folder.) Syndic8.com?  Didn't like it AT all!  Visually an ugly site and if I don't find it inviting, then I tend to steer clear, I have to enjoy the sites I make use of....  As for Technorati, well at the moment I prefer Topix.net, but seeing as we are dealing with that in a later Excersise I will wait and see.  As for the Bloglines Search Tool, that did nothing for me either.  I actually consider Bloglines to be what I call an "Ugly Site" as well and am only making use of it now for the sake of the Excersise Programme.   Que Sera!

But now I can look forward to a Sunday off before looking in depth at Ex#8 &9 which I think are scheduled for the next week.

Rss feeds and Newsreaders. Ex#7.1

Well, here I am again.  A little later in the week than I expected getting this Posted, but hey!  I got there.  Must admit came to this site knowing damn all about  RSS feeds, or any other type for that matter.  Had always seen the RSS Button on various sites , newspapers etc and had asked others what they were for, but it seems that most people were like me and just didn't know.....

I initially had trouble setting a Free Blogline which caused some frustration mainly because the Validation e-mail never turned up, (I requested it three times in all) but seeing as a little later the Site was down for quite a while I guessed where the fault lay.  I just sat back and eventually all was well. 

Now that I have set it up, will I make use of it?  I think so, but perhaps not often.  If there is a story or an article I would like to follow up on then I will use it.  Perhaps I am too firmly entrenched with Bookmarking or Favourites, however my mind is not closed to it's possibilities.  Any use for this in the Library perhaps?  I can see from reading other's Blogs that there are some people out there putting forward a case far better than I can.  

I have added three of my fellowbloggers feeds to my list as well as some of my favourite News sources that I have copied from my own Bookmarks.  It really was very easy to do, thanks to watching the "Discovery Resources."  Found "Feed Me" from Palinet the best by far.

 

Technology, my thoughts......

Well, I am probably the last one to ask such a question of.  Like many, I often feel that I am "bobbing in the wake" when I see the marvellous new developments that are taking place  whenever I go into a Computer Retail Outlet.  I don't even have an Ipod yet, but that is by choice.  But then I take comfort from the fact that you only need to use what you find necessary to one's self.  Everytime I turn on up my laptop I am amazed that this little m/c can open up so much of the World to me. E-mailing is very important and yes, I do know it has been around for years but to me it is still a marvel.  Then I find as an Educational tool the Internet is invaluable. I still keep a notepad handy to jot down any questions I want to find the answer to and later, when I have recreational time, usually in the latter half of the evening I set to and seek the answers or information I need.  

Access to overseas Newspapers is a great boon, I just love "squirreling" away any bits of information that I can glean and yes, I do regard my brain as my ultimate back up.  That last sentence probably gives me away as not being born into the Computer generation.  Don't get me wrong, I am amazed when I see the Children down at work and just what they are capable of.  I am not above asking them either just how they did that.

Working where I do, it has helped me to develop skills on the Computer that I wouldn't have learned otherwise.  I am treating this whole Web2.0 Training programme as a big plus.  I have never blogged before, are there any of you out there in the same boat?  Flickr I find fascinating and dip into it frequently now I have opened my account though mainly as a visual treat at the moment. The only image I have uploaded to it was the one that was required in an earlier excersise.

Now, I must away as it is after ten and I must check up on my progress on the Chart.  I see I have only reached Genius Status up to Ex#3!  Perhaps that speaks volumes....... 

EX#5 Some Flickr fun!

Well, I first made an attempt on this Excersise on Wednesday evening and must admit got nowhere fast.  So of course went into work today and sought some help from our Appointed Tutor down there and of course, Tutor came up trumps, as always and effortlessly led me through the intricasies of the Exercise with such ease and finesse that I was left speechless with admiration.  This is the result of my endeavours.

About the image.  It is taken from my own Computer and is one that I had uploaded to Flickr earlier.  The day on which it was taken was one of those beautifully fine days that we had earlier this winter before the rains came,  I think early in June.  We were in Telephone Rd up in Birkenhead visiting a friend and luckily had I had our Camera with me.  I am not always so well prepared.......

Special thanks to Tutor.

Rainy Tuesday!

Yet more rain and an ideal time to sit down and attack excersise #4.  This involves us going in and Exploring Flickr, which seems an ideal occupation when it all looks so grey outside.  You can escape anywhere and view anything, the possibilities are endless.

I am amazed at the amount of Talent there seems to be out there.  I know that the Digital Camera has revolutionised the whole way that you now take a "photo," but at the same time it does seem to have unleashed a whole new "Creative Wave."

I settled for an Auckland shot, one of the City at night.  I would imagine that it has been enhanced possibly, but what the heck.  I always love the sight of the City lit up as seen from a distance and that's why I picked it.  Here is the link to my selected image:- http://www.flickr.com/photos/krmuir/2086371096

The Photographer was someone called Ken Muir and obviously he is keen on landscapes.  

Still Playing....  I do think that by experimenting I have added what is called a "Page" to my site.  Have I got it right?  Am I getting too ahead of myself?  No doubt someone will bring me crashing back to earth.  Cocky is as Cocky does and Pride does come before a fall.  So many cliche's in such a short Posting.  But you know what I mean......

Back again!

Well, here I am again, drawn back to this Site out of sheer curiosity.  Have just discovered that I have to learn to differentiate between a "Post" and a "comment." Guess that each visit will help me to polish up what few skills I have in this new field of expertise.  

The Training Team ackowledged that I was successful with regards to Execise #2, but I still have to wait to see what they said about Exercise #3.  I forwarded it to them yesterday (the 22nd.)  Am I being too impatient?  

Following some last minute tips from our Liason person in my Branch of the Library today, (it has been very busy down there what with one thing and another) I have been able to access my profile and do some editing if only for the sheer hell of doing it.

Well, I must away to check e-mails.  Now that I have joined up with G-mail there are three adddresses to check.....  Then it is "free time" for this little puppy!

Phew!

Well, I think I have done it.  Accomplished Exercise #2 and forwarded the URL to The Training Team.  Will wait to see if Karen acknowledges it and then and only then will I know that all of the effort was worthwhile.  Am I a keen fan of blogging just yet?  Well I reserve my judgment for the moment.  Read my profile and you will see that I am a very private individual who doesn't reveal details of what I am doing to all and sundry.  Well, I make an exception of Auntyof3, seeing as she is a special friend and is famous for her  for her discretionary skills.