Wrap it up

Okay, so I thought I was on the home stretch when I got to twitter, but it looks like there's ten things left if I want any prizes (which of course I do). I feel like I'm back in school (which I need to do, also).
Being in a support department, I don't have the touch with the public that the majority of CML employees have. Growing up the library was a once in a while thing, but as an adult, I had the good fortune getting together with an AVID library user who walked there every week and stopped in on off days (Sanger). Fast forward, we get together, live in a crappy rental for a bit and did not have the weekly walk to the library as the library was a bit pretentious (aka old school) for me. Then we moved to our current home, and fell in LOVE with CML and resumed the weekly walk and occasional stop ins (REY) (who knew I'd end up an employee). As a customer with internet access at home, the library is books for me; I stop in I wander through the stacks, and I start pulling what interests me. As an employee (out of the public space) the idea of library services that our customers need (i.e. Library2.0 services) did not occur to me fully. As I've worked here (almost two years, and counting, I hope) I've seen the unique challenges that face libraries in keeping services current. It's good to see that CML is not behind in looking at the model of library services, and seeing that the issues facing our future are shared globally. L&P has given me more exposure to staff and how they are keeping current. It's been a truly rewarding and eye opening experience.

Delicious... not sure

For a group of people needing consistent access at their fingertips, I can really see the benefit of setting up a delicious account, for me, not so much. It may be because I am a little anal about organizing my favorites, and I go through an update the three computers with two browsers each that I use about every month. I have different favorites for work and for home use. I also find that a favorite last month is no longer relevant this month. I also tend to google topics before looking through saved websites. I may be doing myself a disservice by not setting up an account, but I have become accustomed to finding things years after everyone else is doing it... Oh well, maybe I am missing out. I have put delicious in my favorites (at home) for further playing and continued learning (we'll see if it makes the cut next month).

Twitter

I've joined. Thanks to an invite from a friend; I've faced my information overload/garbage for your head fear, and signed up for a twitter account. I am forced to utter (type) one of my least favorite lines (but I am willing to say it when needed), I was wrong. Garbage for your head, not at all; information overload, it comes in spurts and with any data I should be able to be discerning enough to determine my own interest in tweets and filter information as necessary.

What a wonderful tool to keep updated on peoples' lives! As a huge proponent of face-to-face contact, I assumed twitter removed that element. Much to my surprise (makes perfect sense, just took me a while to figure it out), it really enhances face-time. I like opening up one-on-one conversations in a personal way, "how is you daughter doing in school?" "is your wife feeling better?" etc. Outdated information may make for inappropriate conversation (unfortunately I have run into this more than once...) Twitter gives more updated information, so I can know what someone did last night and ask him or her how it went when I run into him or her the next day.

I am having trouble actually finding people (email finder is great, but with people with multiple addresses, guilty, it becomes a little bit of guesswork). Thanks to L&P I can follow co-workers, and sap off of who they are following; thanks. For anyone who has not tried it out, twitter is lots of fun! Sign up, follow some people, gain some followers, and invite friends.

Library Thing

LibraryThing seems to be a really cool site. In a former life I was an avid reader, but have become slack in my old age. I pick up a book from time to time and exhaust renewals trying to get into it at this point in my life. My family however is filled with super-avid readers (who love the delivery and return service I provide). I decided to set-up an account under my partner's name knowing that she would get more of a return (http://www.librarything.com/profile/WendyHWar). It's not too populated right now, but I've been assured that when she finishes this series (and everything else ever written by this particular author), she'll put down the book and check out the site... Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

So it's been a month... In the back of my head I've been saying, "Get back on track." I guess the heart is willing, but the flesh is really tired. I'm up to image generators (Thing #10). I am looking through the different sites posted, and it's all really fun, but it suddenly occurs to me that I do not take pictures. Our camera has been broken for about a year, and my old camera has had dead batteries for about 6 years (I know there's film in there, I am sure there's photos on said film, and I am not really sure I want to see them, former life and all). Sometimes the phone comes in handy to snap something, but it either gets sent to someone or never is seen again. So (aside from mapping out databases and process flows), I don't know that I am a visual person. I enjoy the annual change over school pictures so we can see the progression from baby-face to adolescent face, but don't take a tremendous amount of pictures. I voyeuristically look at the fun things that image generators can create, but have not had a tremendous amount of fun playing with them myself. Perhaps my left brain does hold me back. Send me fun pics and sights so I can discover more about what I am missing out on.

Technology

I find all things techie super interesting, but when asked to blog about anything technology related; I'm at a loss. My biggest technology thrill comes when I can find a way to make my work easier. I will stand my much repeated comment "I'm not smart, I am lazy."

I look to technology for opportunities to make my life easier and to free up my time. I have trouble when working with people who are adverse (even scared) to embrace new systems. I struggle to explain how to rely on a piece of hardware or some new software to complete tasks that were once done with triplicate copies and multiple signatures. The common denominator among all people is time. When I take the approach, "this new technology automates steps 3, 6, and 10 of the way you're used to and here's how..." I am usually able to break through and show how we truly are completing more things with less resources.

To me this means I have more time to do the truly dorky accounting work that first attracted me to the degree.

Off Track

So I have gotten too much into the thick of work to really play, and now I find myself six things behind. I suppose it's typical of a dorky accountant to not want to play, but I have been busy with other things...
I am now trying to get back on track (that and someone stopped in my office and I was listening to mediocre music and was enticed by the idea of completion and the potential of winning a shuffle). Thing Six did not entice me too much. I don't have a tremendous amount of online photos (much to the dismay of my myspace and facebook friends). I find the various mashups somewhat fun for voyeurism, but not for my own playing. I'm all over the learn part, but the hands on playing with this type of things just doesn't grab me; give me a flat file full of data that you want in presentable, meaningful charts, and I am ALL over it. Now that's what I call fun (especially when I can use Excel). SO I've completed thing six, but probably not to it's fullest potential. I am, however aware, and that seems important (ignorance may be bliss, but it doesn't get you very far).