Strategic Thinking

Today I have safely arrived at the lovely Farmingdale Public Library. Due to the lack of plugs for this workshop I shall be taking notes and then update later. If there is something earth shattering, you, my faithful readers shall hear about it first.

LILRC Workshop Fully digested

So after having a day or two to digest all that I learned from the LILRC Workshop the two central lessons are.

1. Keep it simple
2. Lots of other people have already done the work, and put it out there for use. So use it.

Blogging LILRC Events Live

4:00pm
Here is what we went over for the 2nd session. And then I shall summarize my feelings on this day in a post tomorrow.


Today'sMeet – Creates disposable chatrooms

TinyChat – Throwaway chat room where it is easy to transcribe into a text document

checkmycolors.com – check compatibility for those that are color blind

Netflix – No Explanation needed

Library of Congress Flickr account – All of the photos are free to use, and they are sharing their entire photo collection on their flickr account

Bookspace – sharing book lists with people

Ted Talks – Ideas worth spreading

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney


3:30pm
We are now covering the best of the web. Since there is so much I am just going to copy and paste what we went over. There is just so much good stuff here.

Firefox add-ons
-Adblock Plus – blocks ads on the web
-PermaTabs-Always display certain tabs
-GreaseMonkey-lets you customize the way websites are displayed


The New Safari

Wordpress – CMS program that can be easily installed and then configured, wysiwyg editing

Typetester – lets you see the CSS changes that take place faster than making the changes, uploading and seeing what they look like

Wikimedia Commons – Wikipedia for images and media, with the creative commons license. So it is very easy to just use these things for a project of some sort

Flickr – Is a video, and photo sharing site. Can also allow you to search for media the is in the creative commons license

Pictobrowser – Allows you to easily auto-generate galleries, using flickr as the hosting site.

Skitch – Easy way to take screen captures, only for Mac

Jing – For windows. Easy way to take screen captures and video.

Vimeo – Good for online video hosting, can password protect videos on this website.

Prezi – Online took for making presentations

Slideshare – way to share powerpoint presentations. Sorta like the youtube for presentations

280Slides – Another presentation making tool

Wordle – Makes nice graphics from just putting in text.

RSS – Need to sign on for a reader, then set up a connection between the reader and the favorite website. Setting up the connection is called subscribing.

RSS on the 'Common Crash Show' - was a very easy video to quickly explain what RSS is.

Google RSS reader is called Google Reader

Feed2JS – A way to use RSS feeds in web pages in a very easy way

Feedmyinbox – a way to convert Blogs, Feeds, and news to be delivered into email

Twitter – A microblogging site.

Tweetdeck – a nice interface for using twitter

Meebo – allows online access into any IM software

NovelTweets

Backback – It is a project management took

Basecamp – web-based project management collaboration tool

Evernote – Personal database and organization tool

Etherpad – Lets multiple people work on the same text simultaneously

PostRank – Enables one to see who is reading what RSS content

Doodle and WhenIsGood – Meeting time collaboration website

TagCrowd – Produces a clickable tag cloud

Vyew – Meeting collaboration – document sharing, Im, video conference all in one

Bacolicio.us – Puts a piece of bacon on any website. Because bacon makes everything better.

Google Voice – centralizes all your phone number to one phone number. Among other nifty things.


12:11pm
Program Overview
The program was presented by Aaron Schmidt who is the Digital Initiatives Librarian for the District of Columbia Public Library. He lives in Portland, Oregon and telecommutes to the job in DC.

The first big concept covered was simplicity and easy of use. "Websites need to be easy, before they can become interesting." And what was talked about wasn't so much the technology used to construct or hose the website, but how to organize, prioritize information and present the materials. Some simple ways on how to determine what those priorities should be were shown to the entire group.

He used the Ebsco main search page as an example of what not to do. And pointed out some things which would put off any average library patron.

Near the beginning he mentioned a must read book on website architecture called "Don't Make Me Think" by Steven Krug

Aaron also emphasized that there is never a good time for a total site redesign. Instead it is alot better slowly improve the site over time. Picking key parts of the website to change and improve. It makes for a better experience for the audience of the website, than to have a sudden jarring change.

We then went through several key things that anyone can do to improve their website.
-Write For The Web - Remove unnecessary words and make things short and sweet. The tone of the writing should be in a conversational manner. A balance must be struck between the two.
-Don't Redesign Your Website - It gets overly complicated very fast. It is a lot better to do it in bits.
-Make Sure Page Titles Match - One should have little way posts or signs to signal to the audience of the website where they are, and how to get back. It is also important that content should match the category it is under.
-Appearance Matters - People equate good appearance with good design. Make sure your website looks as good as it actually is.
-Usability Testing - Watch how people use your website. It is that simple. The key the this is to use what is learned to then fix what is wrong with the website.

The next topic that Aaron talked about the administrative process about how one goes about improving a website. Here are the steps involved. The key is to keep doing this is x month cycles, like every 3, 6, 9 months. So there is a cycle of every evolving improvement.

Planning for excellence

1.Forgot what exists
2.Gather planners
3.Determine audience
4.Assess and rank needs
5.Compare
6.Outline Steps

We then did an active exercise about how things like this can actually be implemented. Where we were all divided into groups, where each group took on the personae of a potential patron. Internally each group determined what activities were important for the patron to do at the library.
1. Defined Activities
2. Define Priorities
3. Group Into Categories
In is by going through these steps that one can determine the navigation architecture of a website.

The biggest problem facing library website now is the division between OPAC and website.

And now to get on with afternoon program

He then talked about practical ways to quickly implement website changes involving Content Management Systems (CMS)

11:15am
The last hour has officially been one of the best library programs I have attended in a very long time. Here is the link to his personal blog. www.walkingpaper.org The break is very short and I will have a more detailed post about what I learned in another hour. He is making us actively participate.


9:50am

Got here just fine. Food not allowed in auditorium, :-(, makes librarians sad. It does look brand new so it is understandable. And before the event has even started I've apparently rocked a librarian's world. Just told her about www.newegg.com, and www.xmarks.com Two very useful sites.

But the first event is going to be "Making Your Website Easier to Use and More Fun". I am hoping to get some just good ol' basic advice, and foundational type information. So the next time I make an entry will be at the 11:00am break. See you then.

Blogging the Long Island Library Conference Live

1:50pm
I am probably behind the times. Googly Analytics has just been unveiled to me. This is absolutely earth shattering. I am even going to implement this on my library website immediately, if not sooner, tomorrow.

11:30 - 12:35pm
Our speaker for this hour is Dr. Duffy Spencer, talking about how to literally "Deal with difficult people". The least of which is ourselves. The central theme is first to acknowledge and identify the emotions internally triggered, before dealing with the source of what is triggering them. And then why is this person triggering those particular.

With the internal pressures talked about Dr. Spencer regaled us with the differences that can occur among different personality types. And how these clashes can sometimes just result in natural sparks, that can then quickly ignite into a fire.

After talking about all these different internal and external triggers Dr Spencer the problem now becomes how to realistically deal with these triggers. And also the internal realization about how we can unintentionally reprocess external stimuli.

11:00am
Spent two hours looking over all the vendors, and the different exhibitions. Lots of different people, products, and personalities. Feet tired. Also after careful thought I have decided how to deal with difficult people. Well that being the next seminar about how to deal with the public side of librarianship. And everyone knows that there are tight spots at times.

8:00am - 9:05am
I am in a program being hosted by author Brian Heinz. He is talking about the ways authors work. The process behind how all this imagery is placed from the mind as the written word. And also about how to teach this to kids. The sheer amount of experiences, and just sheer research that goes into each page is just phenomenal. Mr. Heinz goes out into the wild to research and experience first hand what the characters in his books go through. He uses his direct experience as inspiration for his books. He has gone to all the places where his books take place to personally research.

WOW. Apparently authors do not work directly with the illustrators, but this could just be how Mr. Heinz works. And then separately the illustrators work to bring the authors words to visual life. It is just fascinating the different ways writers work. He broke down his process so that students may also be able to use his methods to work out their own stories, and be able to put pen to paper.

He read some of the letters sent in by students, librarians, and teachers. It is really startling to just hear some of the candid reactions that people have sent in.

8:00am
So the actual conference is taking place inside the beautiful Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. A separate space for both the vendors, and also the all the different library associations and their various divisions. Everyone has a raffle of some sort going on. Everyone is absolutely friendly and I even ran across a few divisions I have not heard of. Well off to the first program.

7:22am
Only thing new to report is I am now entered into the newbie raffle, and the regular raffle. If I win I am keeping it.

7:20am
I arrived absolutely without incident. With the only real problem being technical in nature and taking 15 minutes to sort out. So I am now online. And thanks to the very nice people of the LILC committee am now able to continue giving you riveting news about the sites, sounds, and people at this conference. Also since I have enabled my camera pictures will follow at some point.

The Netbook - Here to Stay

Most Americans now are of the mindset that saving money is of paramount importance as banks and businesses around the country fail. Everyone is preparing for the worst by spending less. Technology and computer companies are definitely not immune, but have also taken on a new aura as the products peddled now start to attain the level of essential, rather than just that of luxury. The financial strains placed on families and individuals, students especially, has brought about a golden age of DIY remedies, and technological out of the box solutions. All of this being just a product of necessity to save money and survive for another day.

The computer techie has always been at the forefront of using the computers, and other technological wonders, in new and exciting ways. What was once the realm of the computer techie is now starting to migrate outward toward the mainstream at an ever increasing pace only because of this current economic crisis.

This point is most accurately illustrated by a recent article in the New York Times about the rise of the 200 dollar laptop, known as the netbook. Where the characteristics of a netbook are tipified by their inexpensiveness relative to other computers, small size, portability, and long lasting battery. Before this current economic crisis these small, cheap laptops were mostly a niche market and occasional curiosity. Because of their incredible inexpensiveness some people have begain to adopt them as a primary computer instead of the more expensive desktops or fullsize laptops.

Beyond this some of the more adventurous adopters of this new class of laptop have started to use them as their main communications hub canceling their entire phone, TV, and broadband subscriptions and instead relying on the wireless at the local coffee shop or bookstore.

A long look toward the future

As always when the end of the current solar year approaches, society as a whole from collectives down to the individual look at this starting of the a new cycle generally as a chance for self-reflection and as a look toward some future horizon. In the current culture awash in a foam and fizzy bubbles of the marketing in our current society, this future horizon has slowly started to shift forward. And over the interceding decades has morphed from a look toward the future to the immediacy of the here and now. Satisfaction must be granted immediately, or the hard-work that needs to be put into a long-term project must payoff tomorrow. This immediate for gratification has infected society has down to the marrow of our finances and savings. It is here that people use credit to finance a life-style of the now, then a future self suffers because of the debt and obligation accrued. Maybe now is the time for a little bit of a return to long-term thinking. That a little sacrifice and planning for just a little bit in the long-term will result in a easier time over the long haul.

The Long Now Foundation is a non-profit foundation founded on the principle of looking toward the future. The ultimate of the foundation is to build a time keeping device which would last the length of the long now, their definition for the next 10,000 years, as sort of a living monument to long term thinking. But in addition to keeping with this philosophy of planning toward a long term future other projects of a similar long term nature have also been started in edition to the core project of the construction of a Millennial Clock. The most currently relevant is a digital project that is designed to be as a Rosetta stone, but for file format conversion. So as to prevent the potential loss of information to the ages, by enabling information saved in an archaic unused file formate to be updated into modern standards. But equally important to enable ongoing upkeep of file formats into the future.

This foundation started small, but with a very long view. It is very much how these things come about that small goals with long views end up coming about it a slow, but persistent manner. Maybe that's what we have fail to notice these small and yet persistent changes in any long build up. Culture as it is now is continually racing, but not seeing what many small changes over time can bring.

10 Year Anniversary

Who would have known that I would have woken up this morning checked /., http://www.slashdot.org/ (News for Nerds for those who don't know), and loe doth I find that it is the 10 year anniversary of the release of Half-Life. Link to that all the great mods and sequels that have spawned just from this one revolutionary game and it would naturally lead one to assume that this is one of the great moments in human history. Well that might be taking it a big far, though its pretty darn close.



For those who don't know Half-Life is the story of the physicist Gordon Freeman in a typical day at the Black Mesa Research Facility, as the day turns from typical to one of alien invasion. The story is unveiled entire through in-game interaction and dialog with the characters, not through in-game cinematics or cutscenes, which was revolutionary at the time. A tightly scripted story about alien invasions, a government coverup, and one lone physicist just trying to make his way out alive won the game of the year for over 50 publications at the end of 1998.



Beyond that Valve released extensive modding tools with the original release of the game. The is the other source of Half-Life's longevity and critical acclaim. It allowed virtually anyone with little to no programming experience to make their own mods. Which spawned the mods Counter-Strike, Day of Defeat, Team Fortress Classic, and many others among them. Particularly Counter-Strike generated its own momentum and spawned innumerable mods of its own.



In celebration of the annivesary today Valve is offering the original Half-Life for 98 cents, for its release back in 1998. A timeline history of Valve, its development, and its games is offered here. Lastly here is another quick overview of the first ground breaking mods that were introduced via the Half-Life toolset.



And with this grand anniversary I bit a happy gaming to all of you out there.