My IM life

I always tell people that the reason I type 60 words a minute is because of chatting online. When I was in college, my friends introduced me to muds. Muds are online text-based adventure games. At first, I was interested in the game, but too soon, I was more interested in the other players. I made friends online from all over the world. On average, I was usually conversing with 2-5 people at a time while playing the game. The only problem was, I couldn't keep up with them. I would comment on something someone said, but it would show up ten comments and three topics later. I was left in their conversational dust. This wouldn't do. So, I kept pushing myself to type faster until I was finally able to keep up with the conversation. When I got out of college, though, I stopped playing in the mud and moved on to other hobbies.

10 years later, my friend Serena introduced me to IM, Instant Messenger. She was always online. We used to talk on the phone, but we found IM was easier. You see, she has 2 young children. With IM, our conversation wasn't interrupted every few minutes by "don't put that in your mouth," don't hit your brother," "yes, I'm talking to Gretchen," "put that down!" etc. It's amazing how much easier it was to understand each other without all the interruptions.

With IM, you know when your friends are online at the same time you are (though they can change their settings so that you can't see this). Occasionally, my friends will send a brief hello, a conversation will follow, and then we say our goodbyes. If I see something I think they'll like while I am websurfing, I can copy and paste the URL into the IM chat window to share it. The IM programs instantly make it a link they can use. It's faster than logging into my email, pasting the link, making it a link, and sending it. IMing is a nice way to keep in touch, and you don't have to drop everything for a chat online like you do for a phone. By IMing instead of talking on the phone, I don't have to ignore my husband or miss the best part of my favorite TV show.

Similar good things can be said for using IM while working at the library. If you are helping a patron, you don't have to drop everything to answer the phone. Once you get back to your desk, the IM window will be flashing so that you know someone wishes to ask you something. You can also pause your conversation without the other person having to be tied to a phone until you come back. If I need to go step away from my desk, I simply type brb (be right back). The other person can continue working until I am back. Plus, I find that patrons are less willing to interrupt a phone conversation to ask a question than they are about interrupting typing.

My favorite part of IMing at work, though, is the quiet. I don't have to raise my voice to be heard by the librarian nearby. My phone conversations aren't bothering the students studying nearby. Plus, I can sometimes say more without being worried about being overheard. Of course, this only works when my co-workers are using the same IM program that I am. :-)

This leads me to meebo. Meebo combines multiple IM programs so that they are all in one place. Logging into meebo logs you in to all the IM programs you belong to that they support. So far, they support aim, yahoo, google talk, msn, icq, and jabber. This is a handy tool that I like. My only problem with it is that it isn't kept on my bottom right toolbar like other IM programs. I have to keep their webpage open to use it. I've accidentally closed it a few times.

One other IM that I've started using that isn't supported by meebo is facebook. When you are logged in to facebook, on the bottom toolbar of the webpage, it shows you which of your friends are also logged into facebook. You can click on "online friends" and then click on your friends name. This will open a IM window in which you can converse. It works the same as other instant messengers.

Occasionally, I've used online chat session help desks. I find them more useful than email. You can get immediate help and immediate answers to your questions. You can discuss the problem without sending multiple emails back and forth. I also like online help better than a help desk person on the phone; accents aren't an issue online. Plus, I tend to get to a real person online faster than I do on the phone. This is probably because they can help multiple people at once.

Using chat sessions for reference help at our library would be neat. During library hours, a student could "chat with a librarian" from home. Other employees of the college could also use this feature without leaving their offices or being tied up on the phone. The librarian could paste links into the chat session to share their finds. It would have to be advertised well in order to be used effectively, though.

Future books wish list

Since I'm such a book addict, I'm always keeping a list of books I want that aren't available yet. On this list I keep the title, author, and street date (the day the book is available for sale). This way, I can run to the store the day the book is available, snap it up, and greedily devour it as quickly as possible.

I'm constantly revising the way I keep this list. At first, I would keep it in a little notebook. This had a lot of limitations. It was hard to keep the list in date order, and I would sometimes misplace the notebook.

Next, I started putting it in my PDA's calendar. Since it wasn't a list, though, it didn't work as well. Plus, I would occasionally leave my PDA at home, thus making the list inaccessible. So, I switched to the internet.

For a long time, I kept my list on Amazon in my wish list. The problem with this method is that you can't sort your wish list by release date. Also, in order to see a future street date, you have to be in the specific book record. It doesn't show in the list view. Bummer.

I considered using my "I plan to read" section on Shelfari, but immediately discarded this idea. There are times I have the street day for a book a year in advance because I stalk, em...visit, the author's websites and blogs. The books wouldn't be found in the import book search, and I'm just too lazy to add it.

Finally, I have found a decent tool to keep track of my book list. I have an iGoogle page. On it, I added the gadget Google Notebook. This handy dandy gadget is great for jotting down lists of stuff you want to remember. You can insert new items in between current entries. To delete, you simply click the little drop down arrow on the right side of the entry and select delete.

This picture is the small view of my list. In the small view, you can click the + sign to view the full entry. You can also "Open in full page" in order so see the full list. The little side bar to the left with the arrow will get you to the list of notebooks you've made (you can make more than one list!!!). Oh, and the words in green are tags. Yep, tagging your entries is an option. Whoever created this tool, thanks! I haven't missed a street date since I've found this gadget.

Social Networks

This week I learned about Social Networks. We worked primarily with Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn. I was extremely nervous, at first, about putting my personal information out on the web. Who would be able to see it? What could they do with it? So, I looked around a bit before I leaped into setting up an account.

I started with facebook. I soon realized that I couldn't see everyone's profile. Sure enough, I found out that you can set different levels of privacy. You can decide what data you are comfortable sharing and set the limits accordingly. I decided to only share things on my page that I would share with a total stranger. I was also careful not to add anything I wouldn't want my parents to see. :-)

I like all of the applications available that seemed geared towards libraries. I was able to add my shelfari, del.icio.us, flickr, and rss feeds to the page. I was also able to add a WorldCat search engine to my page. Another cool feature I figured out only today was the IM feature. You can chat with any friends that are on their Facebook page at the same time as you are. It is the button on the bottom of the web browser marked "Online Friends." The number indicates how many people are available for chatting.

The best part was that my social networking actually worked! In one week, I have made 8 friends. 1 was a friend I told about the project, 3 are co-workers, 1 is my husband's co-workers wife who found my profile on her own, one is a friend of a friend who knows we read similar stuff (we've only met once for about 15 minutes), and the last 2 are student employees. Social network indeed. This is pretty great for 1 week. I'm curious to see how many more friends I make next week.

I next set up an account in LinkedIn. This one is geared toward professionals, so I was excited. Well, I set it up today, and I felt like I should have had my resume in front of me. Actually, I still feel like I should double check my data to make sure I am right. I feel it's primarily set up as a way to search and be searched in the job market. This is great for those job hunters and for their perspective employers. It also has a question feature that asks questions of other professionals. I haven't tried this feature yet, so I can't say how well it works. If it does, then it succeed in being a professional network. The artistic side of me wished I could play with the layout and add other features, though. Adding my del.icio.us bookmarks to share with other professionals makes sense to me if LinkedIn is intended for more than job searching. I turned off my public profile because I'm not looking for a job.

I also set up a MySpace account today. I have to say that people seem to be able to play around with their backgrounds more in MySpace. People can also add music clips to play when you open their page. Privacy settings, though, are not as streamlined. You can either make your page public, over 18, or friends only. You can't pick which parts are visible and which aren't. It's pretty much all or nothing. I'm not sure I like that. I also wasn't able to find as many applications that I liked, either. The only application I found in common with the ones I've used in Facebook was Shelfari. On the plus side, I was able to find one of my friends with which I've been trying to get in touch.

Finally, I looked at some of the libraries out there using various social networks, and I was impressed. It seems many libraries use social networks to target their teen audience. That makes sense as they are probably the highest amount of users. I've discussed this with various co-workers, and we all think this is a great way to introduce programs to that age group as they are used to instant gratification when looking for information. Denver Public had a great teen page called "eVolver - Denver Public Library Teens" which is geared to teens, has lots of current information, and seems really popular based on the amount of friends connected to the page. Some libraries gear their information to all audiences with a slight focus to younger generations. Skokie Public Library's facebook account was great in this way. It wasn't too busy and it had lots of up-to-date information.

I am starting to see how these social networks can help people connect. I also realize how addictive it can be to look for new applications to add to your pages. If our library sets up some social network pages, I think they would be a great way of both advertising our library to new people and getting information out to our current patrons.

Paranormal Fiction

I can't say when I started reading paranormal fiction, but I can honestly say that it is my favorite genre of books to read right now. In the last 8-10 years this genre has generated a huge following. Now there are tons of books to choose from and new combinations to try.

So, what is paranormal? Well, it is something that is beyond normal, scientific explanation. Usually this can involve psychic abilities, ghosts, UFOs, vampires, telekinetics, werewolves, fairy, time travel, and any other things that aren't "normal." To make things stand out as abnormal, books tend to have normal settings as a contrast. Paranormal books need that balance of the normal in order to make the book believable.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge best described the use of the supernatural to its best effect in his Biographia Literaria: "...my endeavours should be directed to persons and characters supernatural or at least romantic yet so as to transfer from our inward nature a human interest and a semblance of truth sufficient to procure for these shadows of imagination that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment which constitutes poetic faith." (English Prose (1137-1890) By John Matthews Manly)

"The willing suspension of disbelief" is the key. People need to find the unbelievable close enough to human nature that they can identify with it and willingly go along with it. Yet that supernatural aspect can add a level of interest, humor, suspense, danger, intrigue, and/or passion to the story. This is why I find supernatural stories so appealing.

So what kind of supernatural stories can be found out there?

Urban fantasy: this is a fantasy book set in a modern, urban setting. The world stays normal with paranormal characters. Sometimes the paranormal characters are in hiding; sometimes they are not. Books such as Storm Front by Jim Butcher, Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton, and Moon Called by Patricia Briggs are good examples of urban fantasy.

Paranormal romance: this is a romance book with paranormal aspects. You can either have a paranormal character or characters in the normal world or you can have a normal character put in a paranormal situation. Either way, there is a romance subplot to a paranormal story. A few of my favorite paranormal romances are Eternity by Maggie Shayne, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, and Stealing Shadows by Kay Hooper.

There are a few rare romance authors who have successfully combined both paranormal characters and situations without losing enough of the human element to lose that "suspension of disbelief." In those cases, sometimes the romance itself becomes the human element. Nalini Singh's Slave to Sensation is the best example of this rare skill.

Paranormal mystery: These are mystery books with paranormal characters in a normal setting. Good examples are: Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris, The Trouble with Magic by Madelyn Alt, and Bloodlist by P.N. Elrod.

Paranormal chick lit: If you haven't guessed, these are chick lit books with paranormal characteristics to the story. Think Sex in the City with vampires, magic, etc. Good examples are: The Girl's Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky, Charmed and Dangerous by Candace Havens, and Undead and Unwed by Mary Janice Davidson.

There are probably more sub-genre to paranormal fiction, but I will end my list here. As a side note, every book I gave as an example is the first in a series. I'm a big fan of series, so I couldn't resist!

My experience with del.icio.us

Well, I kind of did things backwards. I did read the explanation of this week's activity for Library 2.Oakton and the related articles. I even started working on Activity #1. Then... well I jumped to Activity #3.

Activity #3 is an optional activity to set up your own del.icio.us account. I figured I could better understand how this tool works and how it can be implemented elsewhere if I actually tried it for myself.

So, Monday I started adding my bookmarks (I didn't realize until I was done that I could import them...sigh). While adding, I started tagging like a mad woman. Tags are social subject headings you give to a link in del.icio.us. I figured more tags would be better. Well, for me, that was wrong. I quickly got overwhelmed by the amount of tags listed on the right. There were so many search terms that my eyes started skipping lines.

Tuesday I edited my tags so that I only used the bare minimum. I also made sure I didn't use multiple variations on the same idea or word. Ex. book and books, research and reference, library and libraries, etc. This made things much more manageable.

At this point I start seeing the benefits of having a del.icio.us account.

• I can access my bookmarks from any computer. If I am helping a student, I can access reference bookmarks I use at the public computers. If a teacher asks me something as I pass their office, I can show them on their computer. Whether I'm at home or work, all my bookmarks are available.
• I can share my links with others. People can peruse my links and see if any are useful for them as well. I can also send them to other people's del.icio.us accounts. Talk about networking!
  
• I can subscribe to other people's del.icio.us accounts. This could really help us help each other. I can access others bookmarks. I can also be notified when new ones are added.
  

Wednesday, I looked at the settings available on del.icio.us. My organizational heart went pitter-pat.

• I was able to "bundle" my tags into smaller categories. You can even put a tag in multiple categories if need be. Now I only have 4 categories in my account with lovely tags under each for easy use.
  
• No longer will I add a bookmark and forget it. If I tag it, it will stay in a subject heading, and I can find it when I actually go looking for something in that vein. Talk about better work flow.
• I can still add links I don't want others to see. I can mark certain links "private." That way I can store them in my del.icio.us bookmarks without having to share them with the world. Who wants a link to the webcam at my husband's work anyway? I really can keep ALL my bookmarks in one place.
  

Finally, I figured out with the help menu (which I found extremely easy to use) what a Subscription was. You can actually subscribe to a tag. If anyone using del.icio.us uses the same tag, that link is added to your subscription page. You'd better believe I'm adding InterlibraryLoan to that page. :-)