Google Analytics

A high percentage of visitors to this blog come through Firefox (67.19% of visitors in the last month). The next most commonly used browser is Internet Explorer, which was used by 21.88% of visitors. The number of Firefox users is more than three times as many! A respectable 9.38% of visitors used Safari.

Just under half of the visitors to the blog (43.75%) connected to the internet using cable. The connection speed of another 34.38% of visitors is unknown.

I probably spent way too much time looking at this today--it's fascinating!

LibGuides

LibGuides is a "web 2.0 content management system" for libraries that is totally new to me; I've never even heard of it, much less actually visited the site and poked around.

It's basically a way of creating library Web sites that can have loads of features, both in the interface and the back end. It allows libraries to create dynamic Web sites that take advantage of 2.0 tools like blogs and social bookmarking sites (it even has a partnership with Delicious) and integrate those tools seamlessly into the Web site. This allows libraries to increase their resource sharing capabilities, among other things, which benefits librarians and patrons alike.

Google Reader vs. Bloglines

• I notice that Bloglines has a "notifier" option that allows you to choose among several means of notification that there are new posts for you to read. I poked around and I don't think Google Reader has any "notifier" function, much less several means to choose from (on Bloglines these include a Firefox add-on and a cell-phone notification).
• I notice that both have pre-selected recommended subscriptions to help you get started.
• Bloglines "clip blog," where you are able to post a clip from one of your feeds and comment on it caught my attention so I poked around a little on Google Reader and not only do they have the option of sharing posts with friends (though I think these friends must also be on Google) but they also allow you to post a clip to your blog. I'm going to start taking advantage of that!
• As with any Google product, I like the Google Reader links to all of my other Google tools.
• I was actually coming around to Bloglines and thinking to myself "wow, I might prefer something to a Google product" when I clicked on my SCILS folder and that automatically marked every post by every student as read. I couldn't figure out how to mark them as unread and once I clicked out of that screen I could not figure out how to go back and read old posts. That's easy to do with just one click on Google Reader. Now, I'm going to have to go to each student's blog individually to catch up on those posts and know that in the future I can click on just one feed at a time. Annoying.
  

LiveJournal vs. Blogger

I've been using LiveJournal since 2001, I think? Maybe 2002... And I've been using Blogger since 2007. I've made 105 posts in LiveJournal (almost all memes) and 157 posts in Blogger (almost all actual posts), so I guess my preference is clear. Here's my bulleted comparison:

• The number one reason I prefer Blogger to LiveJournal is that I access it through my Google account, so, with one login and password I'm able to access my e-mail, my blogs, my iGoogle page with widgets selected by and useful to me, and my Google Reader page.
• The number two reason I prefer Blogger is also related to the fact that it's a Google product: I love the Google look. The clean, white space. Love it.
• Because I needed to use Blogger help today, one thing I noticed that the services have in common is the community help centers. A lot of the tech support is provided by fellow users. Does that not just epitomize 2.0 technologies? I love it. A lot of time help pages are written by the designers to go along with how they envisioned their product being used. We all know that what a designer intends and what a user actually does often differ.
• One thing in LiveJournal's favor is the ability to create a number of icons (the exact number depends on the status of your account: paid, unpaid, etc.) or avatars. With Blogger, you've got just the one. Obviously, you could just insert a new picture every time, but I like how LJ allows you to frame a post with the "mood" link, an individual icon, and even what music you are listening to.
• Another thing I like about LiveJournal, and the reason I keep using it, is that it's so easy to set varying privacy levels to posts; of course, a drawback is that users must be on LiveJournal to have access to private posts.
• A final plus in the LiveJournal column that also keeps me coming back is the LiveJournal community concept. You can create or join a LiveJournal community around just about any interest you can imagine and anyone who is a member can post, comment, etc. It's really neat.

I know I pointed out more plusses for LiveJournal, but the fact of the matter is I prefer the look and the ease of use of Blogger for my blog.

Blogging Assignment 1: Library Blog Example

It just so happens that one of my favorite libraries, the Georgetown (TX) Public Library, also has one of my favorite library Web sites (look no further than the Peeps-guided library tour to find out why). You can visit the Georgetown library's online branch (terminology stolen from Farkas; I love it) at http://www.georgetowntex.org/ and what you might notice is that the front page is almost entirely populated with feeds from the library's various blogs. Or, better yet, you might not have noticed that at all because the blogs are so well integrated into the site. The fact that the blogs are all there embedded on the front page make the page really dynamic: it's updated all the time! It also makes it easy for people to find news in the area they are interested in: News, Library Happenings, Teen Space @ GPL, etc. Having blogs for different audiences and interests is the way to go; that way people don't get bogged down in information they don't want and start avoiding your site or missing out on info they do want or need.

Hello, SCILS 598!

I'm switching gears ever-so-slightly with this blog. The subject will continue to be 2.0 technologies and libraries. Now, however, rather than tracking my progress with the 23 Things, I'll be tracking my progress in a social software literacy course I'm taking online from Rutgers through the WISE consortium. So, CTLS readers, please feel free to continue reading and welcome to my SCILS598 classmates!

Thing 17: A Few of My Favorite Things

Editing the CTLS 23 Things Sandbox was surprisingly easy! I'm not sure why I found it surprising, since I've heard several times that PB Wiki is easy to use. I have to admit, though, that in general I find editing wikis to be very intimidating. I have never edited Wikipedia, despite how often I use it and the fact that I have found mistakes before. I can't really put my finger on why...I just do. I'm even more intimidated by the idea of creating a wiki from scratch. At least when editing, there's a template in place and I just have to follow it. I'll have to add conquering this fear to my list of resolutions for 2009.

You can check out my additions to the Sandbox on the Favorite Library Blogs and Favorite What Have You pages.