Thing 12 &13

I know I am behind and when I have time I will try to add a few tidbits of my personal life to this thing. It's been a wonderfully busy month and another has just begun. Today was my first class of the fall semester, I am a month into my new job as a graduate assistant at the NYS Library, and I am still slowly planning my wedding. It's going to be an interesting few months...now let's start a game of ketchup!

Thing 12 Putting the Social into Social Media

 image by Fred Cavazza taken from Flickr

• are there any other advantages to social networking in the context of professional development than those already outlined above?

It's easier for students to attend. As I student I really appreciate being able to participate in something like cdp23. Besides the benefits mentioned in the cdp23 post there are other practical advantages:

1. It's cheap! Money is tight I can't currently afford to pay for more classes or travel to attend conferences.
2. It's flexible! I am a full time student and now have a part time job, I can participate on my own time.

• can you think of any disadvantages?

With over 700 participants the cdp23 has the advantage of bringing many types of viewpoints and professions. However, there is something to be said for a smaller community. It's an overwhelming task to read and comment on so many blogs. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to be part of such a large thing. I would like to try a program like this on a smaller scale...I am hoping that the Capital District Library Coucil (CLDC) will host another program so that I may compare the experiences. 

• has CPD23 helped you to make contact with others that you would not have had contact with normally?

Yes, I have made contact with two UAlbany alumni and an ex-journalist. I wish I had time to make contact with more.

• did you already use social media for your career development before starting CPD23? Will you keep using it after the programme has finished?

I never have but I intend to from now on. I have found blogging to be a great learning experience and I have learned a lot from reading the blogs of others. While I have yet to use my Linked In 

account and my Twitter for any "real" profession development purposes I hope to in the future.

• in your opinion does social networking really help to foster a sense of community?

Yes and No, like any professional development workshop you get what you put into it. If you want to learn and create connections and work to do so...you can help to create a sense of community. 

Thing 13: Google Docs, Wiki, Dropbox

I am all for cloud computing. While its a little frightening to know that people have the ability to hack and data mine your information, I like that I can access my school papers anywhere (and honestly if you want to hack into my account and read them have fun :) . However, I am not a fan of Google docs. I enjoy Google's email services, its blogging platform, its RSS reader, and its search engine but I find Google docs cumbersome. I think this is because I tend to use Microsoft office materials. Sometimes when I use Google docs and Microsoft office tools in conjunction the formatting gets screwed up. While I think this error is mostly due to Microsoft programming I can't afford my papers and presentations being marred or lost.

 Therefore I highly recommend Dropbox. I used a Dropbox account to write a few group papers for one of my classes last semester. Most of my classmates used Macs. I used a PC. Despite the different OS were still able to access and edit Word documents and PDFs with out conflict. 

I love wikis! They make something like a proposal or report interesting and interactive. In order to do something different and show off my wiki-skills I created a wiki page to show off my resume information. Let me know what you think? 

While you can pay for some fancy wiki programs and services. I highly recommend the free options that are available. So far I have used pbworks, wikispaces, and mediawiki. I have decided to create a little chart so you can easily compare the three...but if I had to pick on pbworks is my wiki of choice. ^.^ 

Super Scientific Star Scale * - BOO!! ** - not good *** - GOOD **** - i like **** - <3 !	WikiSpaces	PBworks	MediaWiki
Usability	***	****	**
	Can’t really complain. It’s pretty simple to use.	It’s very easy to format this page however…all functions may not be a readily apparent as with the other wiki services. However once you get the hang out it everything becomes self-explanatory. I find PBworks the easiest to use.	Adding and editing text is easy. But formatting is more cumbersome because you must remember a series of codes to format.  With the other services you have RTF with just a click of a button. It must simpler to make things bold vs. “’bold’”…and bullet listing is just obnoxious
Guidance	***	**	***
	A helpful blog	Not a much support on site the other two but there are helpful videos and blogs abound!	Great tutorials…but I don’t think it makes up for the cumbersome style
Attractiveness	***	****	*
	Not as smooth and attractive as PBworks but still neat and professional without being an eyesore.	Smooth, neat, attractive, but the side bars and top tabs can be a little overwhelming.	If you don’t have programming skills… UGLY!
Free Amenities	***	***	****
	·2 GB Storage ·Unlimited users and pages ·10mb per file limit ·Few privacy options	·  Limited number of color options ·  More security options than wikispaces but you must pay more to be able to limit security on an individual page level ·  Unlimited pages and users ·  Can add larger files (big pictures and pdfs)	Everything! MediWiki is opensource so it’s basically what you make it…if you’re a newb you may want to try one of the other services because they have more built in features
Total Stars:	12	13 WIN!	10
What I Like Most about it?	It’s simple! Not as overwhelming with the weird codes like MediaWiki and easier to understand on your own than PBworks.	The Organization and the Look! I like that it has a backend that you can organize and a front end that looks smooth and clean.	It’s allows Creativity! Because this is open source the creative possibilities are endless.

sorry it's so small

Infographics! information consolidation superheroes to the rescue!

   So remember when you were in grade school (British translation: primary school) and your teachers kept emphasizing how important it was to be able to read charts and graphs?... no? Well in my early education they certainly did. Over and over again we were asked relatively simple questions about graphs and charts. Rabid math and science teachers tried to convince me and my young gum-chewing, nose-picking peers of their value. "Look!" they said, drooling, "see how amazing it is that you can display lots of information in simple visual way?!". My fellow classmates and I would stare at them in unamused silence. Years later, I left school vowing never to be involved in a profession that relied heavily on math and promptly forgot my teachers well-intentioned words of wisdom. Until now!

   Whether or not you study information science, it's clear to see that information is what controls our current lifestyle. Never before have we had access to some much at our fingertips. As I and countless others have mentioned before, information overload is an inevitable result of this boon. People want well organized information and as much of it as possible. Consolidation and Organization are in! Behold a world of databases, social tagging, and twitter! As much information, as organized and as easy to understand as possible!..thus the INFOGRAPHIC!

The infographic allow us to tame the dissonant information chaos around us and make POINT without shouting! . . . (imagine that)

But don't take my word for it. Let's listen to an expert...








Let me interrupt all this excitement with one quick caveat...As David McCandless mentioned whoever can manipulate the most information controls everything. So be a good little journalist and be sure to check the credibility of your sources.
(Corn Refiners Association & America's Natural Gas Alliance...I mean you!) 

case & point

Anyway, on the more happy stuff! So what does all this hubbub about infographics mean to a Web 2.0, interactive, semantic web, techie-buzzword world!? As you saw in the first video, infographics can become interactive...check out the example below for something that takes this to another level:






So want to design some infographics of your own?

• Check out this article this article about 10 of the best free inforgraphic tools. 

•  Lucidchart. It is not as dynamic as some of the other tools, but it still allows you to easily create flowcharts quickly, easily, and socially. Plus I am a sucker for the "Hey Jude" flow chart video.

• Prezi - those in cdp23 know it well...yes i know its more of a presentation tool but you can create infographics within it

Infographics Just for fun:

click the pic for an enlarged view

Also check out

Cool Inforgraphics.com: an awesome blog that posts interesting inforgraphics from all over the web

How to Apply for a Job at NYPL ~ Response

So in my last post three weeks ago I was wondering what it would take to get a job at the New York Public Library ...civil service exams, academic qualifications, etc. So I went to the NYPL website and Asked them. The library system has an "Ask NYPL" section on their website that allows you to call, email, or text them a reference question. I filled out the email form and got a prompt answer...(two days later).

This was their response:

"Thanks for your interest in working at The New York Public Library!

Here is The Library's Employment Opportunities Web page, which lists available positions and all necessary qualifications to apply. Using this, you can apply for jobs directly online. Note that none of NYPL's jobs (librarian or otherwise) require a civil service examination:
http://jobs-nypl.icims.com/jobs/intro

For information on job searching in general (not just in NYPL) be sure to visit the NYPL Job Search Assistance Web page:
http://www.nypl.org/help/getting-oriented/for-job-seekers

Also, the Science, Industry and Business Library keeps Job Search Central (http://www.nypl.org/locations/tid/65/node/40820):
188 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
e-mail: sibleref@nypl.org

We hope this helps and wish you all the best with your job search!"

 No Civil Service Exams?! How refreshing! Thanks NYPL! <3

Thing 5, 6, & 7

So.. I don't have much to write for the next three things in cdp23...but I wrote a few notes on each.

Thing 5 Reflective Practice 
   As I don't really have a "career" as an information professional yet I do not really have any work stories I can look back upon or some sagely career advice...however, I do realize and understand the importance of reflection in life. That being said there is a difference between reflection and "dwelling on the past". The reflection process is more productive it forces us to confront our past experiences and learn something from them. On the other had "dwelling" leaves distracted by the past and passive toward our future.


Thing 6 Online Networks
Facebook ~ I have decided to keep this personal ONLY.

LinkedIn ~ My father and my fiance both have one of these. I know I want one eventually but I'm not really sure what the appropriate time is for me to have one. I am only a student and am not set to graduate until next August. For right not my plan is to make one when I graduate. My goal in the next couple weeks is to go around and ask cdp23 participants about their LinkedIn profiles...when they got one and why?

Other Networks ~  another task I will have to assign myself is to check out LISNPN

What is it about the summer?

...the season distracts by making you think you have all the time in the world

...meanwhile it slips away faster that you ever thought it could

Thing 7 face to face networks and professional organizations
   I joined the ALA and NYLA at the end of May with a student membership. For LIS students living in NY...there is a discount rate for a student membership to both organizations. Click this LINK for more details. After sending in my form in the beginning of May it took about a month for me to begin receiving email newsletters and information from the ALA.I hope that my involvement in these organizations will provide me with the opportunity to learn and experience more. For now, I hope to continue in a more interactive way by continuing to be a part of SCALA the SUNY Albany Student Chapter of the ALA.

  I am currently following HACK Library School online. I haven't really had an opportunity to get involved but if I see something that I could provide/share I'd like to. As the founder of HackLibSchool Micah says in his presentation:

 "basically most good ideas that I have are re-purposed from other peoples great ideas. but as a well-trained librarian I'm not afraid to give credit and attribution when it's due"

This is basically how I feel about everything I do but I'd like to think that the information I choose to share and the way I choose to share it is what make me somewhat an individual. Like Bobbi Newman's Day in the Life blog I am slowly clicking through HackLibSchool's recommended links for "newbs".

Thing 2, 3, & 4

Thing 2
    I checked out a bunch of blogs the last couple weeks. Commented on a few. Almost everyone was English but I did check out a few American blogs. I was also pleased with the age range of the participants.There lot of youngsters like myself are trying to make our way into the world of info science and then their are many seasoned professionals. It's exciting and overwhelming to be a part of it. As I have seen a lot of people comment on their blogs. It's hard to not want to follow everyone's blogs...but realistically how much will I really end up reading?

   As I commented on someone's blog you can always add more television stations but you'll still only end up watching a few. That's how I feel when reading all these blogs...for now I think I'll follow a bunch via RSS and then slowly weed out to my top ten "channels".

This info-overload panic reminded me of this ARTICLE I read on another blog.

Thing 3

 Personal branding? I don't really know how I feel about it. I feel like I don't have enough experience with it in the professional information science realm world to make an informed decision. For now, I've come to one conclusion, I think there is a fine line between a professional visible presence and hokey pitch that seems to give off stink waves of informal desperation. But that could just be me....what do you think? 


Thing 4
   Now to be a complete hypocrite, I really love Pushnote! It's a great concept. I just wish more people used it. The only sites I've really see it used for are already pretty well known....but may I need to do some more searching.
   As for Twitter I've had an account since January. One of my professors made everyone in our class sign up for an account. At first I though I would hate it but I actually find it quite helpful and interesting especially now that I am finding all these info science career/new accounts to follow.

Something to Think About

One of the people gracious enough to comment on posted a link to the Capital District Library Council. The CDLC ran a program similar to the 23 Things Program  I'm participating in the summer...very cool.

Anyway Pollyalida (my kind commenter) posted this video on her blog as part of the CDLC's program. It's only about 5 minutes and very interesting.






While the video has some thought provoking "Big Brother" implications, it made me wonder what else could be done in this situation. Yes, Google and other sites are "customizing" the Internet to fit us as users. BUT as the pool of information increases exponentially...What other methods can we use to sift through it??

Let me know your thoughts...


***also if you are new to TED I recommend looking them up and watching/listening to some other talks..very interesting :) ***