Picnik

I selected Picnik from the Web 2.o awards list to investigate. Picnik is a web based photo editor. I downloaded a picture to Picnik and tried some of the editing tools provided. I tried a number of effects on my photo until I settled with the pencil sketch effect and then added a border. I found Picnik to be an easy program to use and comparable to photo editing software I have purchased for basic editing. Being a free program would make it available to everyone in an organization when editing and sharing photos and would save money in purchasing basic photo editing programs.

Writing in ZOHO

ZOHO Writer

I think the idea of an online word processing program with all the features that ZOHO Writer has is great. No more emailing the document to yourself or someone else or saving it on a usb drive to access it later on a different computer. You don't have to worry if the other person viewing the document is running the same program or same version that the document was created. You could work on the same document with someone else and always have the current edits.

I was able to insert this image, but not able to manipulate it and have the text wrap it. You can change the font, font color & size, and add a background color. I like the too. You can easily add ©®¼≈. ZOHO Writer seams to have all the bells & whistles most people would use.

I easily published my ZOHO document to my blog using the Publish link in ZOHO writer. The screen was easy to understand. I give ZOHO writer a thumbs up.

PB Wikis

Adding content and making changes to the PBCLS Wiki was fairly simple. You can insert entries anywhere in the Wiki and format the text and add images easily. I added entries to favorite books, movies and tv shows. Adding my blog to the favorite blogs was easy too. I had fun adding my favorites to the wiki.

Wonderful Wikis

I like the use of Wikis to provide information about upcoming library and community events, highlighting new materials in different categories, the different types of resources available and library policies. The use of Wikis as a subject guide to a library's collection and corresponding links to community events was a nice feature of one library. When I clicked on the subject "crafts" there was a box to the right that listed upcoming craft shows with links to said show. I also liked the use of Wikis for a collaborative staff FYI site to share ideas and concerns.

Library 2.0 in Our Future?

I think the idea of Library 2.0 is a wonderful thing, but then again I love new technology. The idea of an open WorldCat extends our quest for information without boundaries. I like the idea of participation between library staff and patrons contributing towards an electronic portal of information that could be accessed from anywhere. The idea of being able to put reviews, notes or tags with a book, movie, music, etc. would be great. One of the reasons I use Amazon is the customer reviews. You can see what people are reading or buying before you make a commitment. If Amazon doesn't have it, they often point to other sources. I also use Google when researching products or travel info. It points you to an infinite list of sources. To think that you could open up the library's home page and have the same capabilities as Amazon or Google to search out books or information on any given topic would be amazing.

Technorati ???

Took a look around Technorati. I liked the "What's Popular" feature under the Blogger Central tab. You can find popular books, videos, movies, games, news, etc... Did a search about "beading" and found all kinds of things I didn't need to know. Don't know if it's something I would use again, but it was an interesting learning experience.

What a Del.icio.us use of Tags

After using the PBCLS Del.icio.us account I set up my own account. I typed in "Wii" in the search box and it listed over 60,000 tags. The list of common tags was useful in the fact that it gives you other suggestions of search terms to narrow down the field. After looking at some of the bookmarks listed I tagged a couple. I liked the notes attached to the bookmarks. The notes are a lot like reviews in Amazon. You can also click on the person posting the bookmark and see what else they have bookmarked. The use of tags would be useful in research because it could save time in repetitive searches by a group. You could see what avenues have already been pursued. I like the fact that your bookmarks can be viewed from any computer.

Maryland Crab Cakes

Blue Crab
Originally uploaded by shrike1964

Born in Maryland, but raised in a variety of places. When visiting family on the eastern shore of Maryland I always remember having crab cakes. Blue crabs and crab cakes are the first things many people think when they think of Maryland . Crab cakes sandwiched between crackers and served with ketchup, corn on the cob, slaw and cold beer. That's a summer feast Maryland-style. I've had crab cakes from many different places, but Maryland crab cakes are the best. After using WebFeat I eventually ended up using "Access World News" from Electronic Resources. WebFeat threw out to much info and not what I necessarily was looking for when putting in my topic