365 Photos Day 102

102/365

Today I started working on the laundry room. Well, I primed it anyway. The laundry room has bothered me all winter long because of the two-toned walls in clashing colors (orange covered by a rich olive green). But now it's primed and ready to go when I finally decide what color it should be. And even in it's stark white primer, it looks better and brighter than it did.

There's just something about the "shoooshhh shooosshhh" sound of the brush and the similar sound of the roller that makes me happy.

Maybe it's that I appreciate being able to see the results of my handiwork almost immediately. I'm not big on waiting (I'm rather impatient). And if I end up not liking the color, well, it's just paint. I can always repaint, no big deal.

365 Photos Day 84

84/365

I love the time of year when Easter candy gets put out in stores. I really like jellybeans. Not the spiced ones, not the weirdly flavored ones...the classic, run of the mill, normal jellybeans.

However, I do not like black or red jellybeans. So, this is my pile of jellybean rejects from the past week or so.

And yes, I do sort my jellybeans by color, then eat all of one color before moving onto the next color. It's just how I roll.

More Things on a Stick: Thing 47 Evaluation

Yeah, I know I'm late in finishing. But it was bugging me that I'd only gotten through some of the Things, so I decided to finish up on my own. This round was so-so for me. Some of the Things had been covered in the 1st round, others I'd figured out on my own. There were some new Things, which makes it (mostly) worthwhile. I loved Thing 35: Books 2.0, like I need to find more to read... :D
I also liked bits and parts of various other Things. Twitter, or Thing 27 and Thing 31 is already something I use frequently, so it was interesting to see how other participants reacted to it. Some 'got it', some didn't, some stuck with it and loved it, which seems to be pretty par for the course with regards to any social media application.

Overall, every bit of 2.0 learning I do helps in some fashion, even if it's just something that I can pass on to a patron somewhere down the line. So, thank you to all the volunteers who research the different Things, and put this program together. Your work is much appreciated.

More Things on a Stick: Thing 46 WJMN

What did you find most useful on WJMN?
I admit, I signed up for WebJunction during the 1st round of 23 Things, but haven't used it much since. What I do like about it is that there's information for all kinds of libraries, especially rural ones. It doesn't seem as if there's much actual discussion going on, but the resources and such can be helpful.

The general WebJunction is great, but having things specific to Minnesota is also good. I like the class offerings, but since I'm already in a MLIS program, they'd just be extra work. For someone who isn't doing that, I think they'd be useful, and since it can be done at home, instead of traveling somewhere, that's a good thing.

What kind of Minnesota-specific resources would you like to see on WJMN?
Hmm. Haven't really thought about it. When I use WebJunction, I tend to look at the general site, not the Minnesota part, so I just don't know.

More Things on a Stick: Thing 45 Cloud Computing

What do you see as the advantages of joining “the cloud” by using a Web OS? Disadvantages?
Advantages:

• My bookmarks and documents can be accessed from any computer, anywhere.


• I can collaborate with people to get a project done, without being in the same location.


• If my system is down, or just freaking ssslooooowww, I can do my work from a faster/better system.

Disadvantages:

• My accessing my information is dependent on the site where I have it stored. If that site is down, for whatever reason, I probably can't get to my stuff.


• I think my information would also be more at risk, especially if the site I'm using to store it gets compromised.


• iTunes is tied to a specific system, so I couldn't store that in the cloud. I know I could use the different Internet radio sites, but I like my iTunes too.

There are other advantages/disadvantages, but those are what I came up with right off the top of my head.

Do you currently do any computing in “the cloud” (i.e. GoogleDocs, Zoho, etc)? What do you think? Has it helped your productivity?
Actually, yes, I do. This past year in school, I used things like GoogleDocs and other tools for group projects for which it was just not feasible to meet out of class. In fact, one group project involved building an entire website, and the only time we met was once a month in class. Another class, we built a Ning, completed a paper, and put together our entire presentation online. It was awesome, and was exactly what was needed to complete the assignments.
I don't know that they help my productivity in everyday life because I tend to only use them for schools. I've been migrating select bookmarks to my library Delicious account so I can access them while at work, though.

What other cloud applications are you using or planning to investigate?
When I was looking at the Mashable site (which I have really liked ever since I started using Twitter last fall), I saw the GTD NINJA: 50+ Websites For the Kickass Control Freak page, so I'm going to take a closer look at that. I'm a fan of GTD (well, a modified version, anyway), have been since I started school. I'm not sure I'dve made it through sane if I wasn't.

More Things on a Stick: Thing 44 The Economy

Find anything use in any of these sites?
Many of these sites were useful, some more than others. Most of it is common sense. We do most of our banking & bill pay online, so that's nothing new. Some of the sites are targeted more toward urban/suburban areas, and not so much rural/out-state places, so that had to be taken into account as well.

What was your favorite(s) site(s) and why?
Out of the ones listed, U of M Extension Gardening Information was one of my favorites. We're landscaping the front yard, and it's a great resource for me to figure out what the native plants are, and how to grow them. Another promising site is Mint.com, a site that lets a user see all his/her accounts in one place, although I'm not sure I'm really keen on the 'recommending savings' feature.

Did you find any new sites that you'd like to share?
Some of the sites that I use that would fit nicely into some of these categories are:

• Currentcodes.com: It has savings codes for many online retailers.


• Financial Calculators: Calculators for almost any financial need.


• Living Like No One Else: A free site that follows the precepts of Dave Ramsey.


• The Dollar Stretcher: Just a good all-around site.

What are your favorite money management/money saving/shopping tips?
Uh...subscribe to the 'ant' philosophy instead of the 'grasshopper' one?
I'm not sure I'm in any position to give advice, considering I still have some debt to pay off. :)

More Things on a Stick: Thing 43 Online TV and Video

1. Did you discover something that interested you enough to watch? What was it and how did you feel about it?
I tried Hulu because it seems the most straightforward. It wasn't a question about if I found something that interested me enough to watch...it was more "Wowie kazowie, there's a bunch of programs on here I'd like to watch."
I watched parts of a couple documentaries, and part of a movie. It seemed odd, watching them on my computer screen, while sitting at my desk, though.


2. Do you feel that having free on-demand access to TV shows and full-length feature movies will change your viewing behavior?
Not really. I've been in school the last 6 years (and have 1 more to go), so mostly I don't watch a whole bunch of TV because I have homework to do. Even during the summer, when I'm not taking classes, I mostly read for fun more. We only have 1 TV, and I don't seem to get the remote very often.

3. What do you think the impact of free Internet video entertainment will be on broadcast or cable TV?
We're already seeing the impact on broadcast or cable TV shows. Since I don't watch much TV on a regular basis, when I do, I notice the increase of product placement in the shows themselves. Maybe that's to do with impatience with commercial breaks (if the commercials are even watched at all, thanks to TiVo and the like), or maybe it's just another source of revenue for the stations. Either way, there's definitely been a sea-change over the years.
Some of my friends have looked at getting rid of their cable because most of the shows they watch are on Hulu, or can be watched elsewhere. I think that a person's home system/laptop would have to be able to stream well, otherwise it gets just too frustrating to watch anything.

4. What do you think the impact of free Internet video entertainment will have on your family?
Eh, not much of a change, I think. It'd be me who would use it most, probably, and like I said, I'm not much of a television viewer. The ability to see some of the shows that maybe I didn't have the VCR timer correctly set for is great--there've been a few times that I've missed the beginning or end of 'Survivor' (the only show I watch on a regular basis) and have gone online to watch. For that, though, I usually go to YouTube first. I'll have to see if Hulu does anything like that when the new fall season starts.

All in all-this is very cool. I can see how this really could take the place of regular broadcast/cable TV, especially for sporadic viewers such as myself.

More Things on a Stick: Thing 42 Music 2.0

Have you used any of these services previously? What do you think? Will Internet radio replace broadcast?
I had not used any of these services previously; I use my iTunes or just go to a specific radio station online and listen to it there. Any of these options would be good, but I decided to test-drive Songza because I'd not heard of it before. Even as I'm doing this post, I'm listening to the 'One-hit wonders' playlist. As for whether Internet radio will replace broadcast...who knows? Maybe, maybe not. Depends on how technically savvy the user is, I guess. There are plenty of people who don't equate 'radio' with 'Internet',and there will always be the Luddites who will wish for the "Good Old Days."

Can you recommend any radio stations that you found?
I don't listen to many online radio stations because I do have my iTunes.

Any problems with any of this--technical difficulties, finding a station difficulties?
Nope, no problems. It's always nice to have new avenues opened up, though.

More Things on a Stick: Thing 41 Mashup Your Life

Do you think these services make life easier? Are they productivity boosters?
Maybe and maybe. I think services like this can make things more streamlined. Instead of going to each individual site, all the content can get funneled to one central location, which might make it easier to keep up with everything. On the one hand, they could be considered productivity boosters because of that, but for the most part, I'm leaning toward "No."

What did you like or dislike about these services?
I liked the idea of having everything come to a central locale, but not the actual practice. It was a bit overwhelming to see the different sectors of my social media life all coming together like that. I know people who love things like FriendFeed, and others who hate it. I guess I fall into the middle of the two. Each site has something to offer, and it could be just that I'm so not ready for them. Some of it, too, stems from me not wanting to know Every. Single. Detail. of what my friends are doing. :)

More Things on a Stick: Thing 39 Digital Storytelling

Can you see a use for this in your library? At home?
I don't scrapbook in real life--I'm happy enough that I remember to upload the pictures off the camera. I spent more time with this than I thought I would, just trying to get the highlights of the season. I can see this would be really neat in the library, maybe for StoryTime or Summer Reading. I can also see where this would be a major time suck at home. ;)

Which of the services did you use? Did it work smoothly?
I used Smilebox because it didn't have a ton of extraneous stuff on the site. Oh, and it was free, which is always good. I liked the easiness of use-one step lead to the next, and once I figured out how to get pictures uploaded, I was cooking with gas.


So, here's the finished product, and yes, she really did break her thumb at Nationals, during the semi-final game. To turn the page, look for the little arrow in the lower right hand corner (the only thing I didn't like about this layout)

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

More Things on a Stick: Thing 38-Screencasting

Which of the services did you explore? What made you choose the one you used?
I'll be honest...I didn't create my own screencast because I didn't want to download any of the programs to my home computer, and I can't on the library computer. But I did go through the different tutorials, FAQ's, etc. If I had to choose just one to use, I think I'd go with either Skitch or Jing just because they're fairly easy to use.

How easy was it to use? Intuitive? Too hard??

I think Skitch would be easier to use, but Jing might be more useful for a group kind of project. They're somewhere between intuitive and hard...but nothing that I can't figure out. I'm of the "What happens if I click this" style of doing things, so I'm not afraid to click on something just to see what it does. I'm not sure someone with limited computer skills would be looking to do something like this, but for someone who is comfortable in the digital world, these are excellent tools.

Can you see using this for your library? Personally??

For the library: Oh heck yes! Tutorials on how to use the catalog, fill out a library card application, finding books--the possibilities are endless.

For personal use? Eh, maybe. I can most definitely see how useful these would've been during the group projects for school. There was one that we all were working remotely, and I remember the frustration at not being able to point to my screen and say, "This is what I'm seeing...*this* is what I'm having problems with." Ah, live and learn. Live and learn.

This is definitely a most useful Thing.

More Things on a Stick: Thing 37-Photo Tales

Which of the services did you use? Did it work smoothly?
I have used a few of these tools before (Picnik, Flickr, Flickr Mosaics), so I decided to try the ones I haven't. I liked the Image Mosaic Generator, but on some level, it's kinda creepy...if zoomed in on, there's lots of rather odd images going on. I uploaded a few different pictures to see what it could do, and thought that the results were pretty cool. It reminds me of paintings by Georges Seurat (or as my kid called him, "The Dot Guy")in that the minute details are interesting in and of themselves.

Here's the original:







And here's the mosaic:














I also made this on Collagr:



Can you see a use for this in your library? At home?
Yes, there are soooo many uses for these kinds of tools for both the library and home. The trick is to not lose oneself in tweaking the finer details of the photos. Not that I'm speaking from personal experience...well, yes, actually I am. :)

More Things on a Stick: Thing 36-Comic Relief-Generate Some Fun

Which of the generators seems most useful to you?

I've actually used a couple of them before, for various school projects. The Word to .pdf converter is good, and came in very handy. I used a citation generator for a class last fall, but sadly, it's idea of correct APA and my idea of correct APA weren't completely compatible (a few minor tweaks and all was well). I've also used various button generators when taking an Internet Fundamentals class for school.

Many of these are good generators, but I can see how many hours could be whiled away using them. "Just one last tweak...or, hey wait-what happens if I [fill in the blank]?"

I haven't done anything else with the comic generating sites (I've used them, but not recently). I think they'd be kind of neat to use at the library, in say, a newsletter or something. They could be used to teach, inform, whatever. The possibilities are endless.

Other generators:
Warning Label Generator, because who *doesn't* need a good warning label sometimes?

CSS Rounded Box Generator, because trying to hand-code these for a class about drove me nuts.

More Things on a Stick: Thing 34-Is this Our Competition? Online Answer Sites

What is the appeal of an online answer site?

The appeal of an online answer site is different for everyone. There's the anonymity factor-sometimes it's easier to ask questions about sensitive matters if the other person doesn't know who the asker is. There's also a time factor-if the person's doing a paper that's due the next day, s/he probably doesn't have the time to wait for the library to open (the procrastination is a completely different issue here :) ). There's also the collective wisdom factor-out of everyone a person knows, *someone* will know the answer, or at least where to look to find it; multiply that by all the people on the Internet at any given time, and an answer can be found.

What kind of questions did you see at the sites you looked at?

I think the better question is: What kinds of questions *didn't* I see? I went to all of the sites listed, and read through some of the questions. There were some asking opinions, & some asking for knowledge. All sorts of questions, all sorts of answers.

Are these the kinds of questions that can--or even should--be directed to a library? Why/why not?

Haven't been to my library, have you? Seems like pretty much any of the questions I saw on the answer sites are ones I could be asked. We don't have a dedicated ref desk, and we do get asked all variety of questions. That was one thing my boss really emphasized when I started working there-she told me people will tell me all sorts of things, and just to expect it. Yep. They do, almost like in a confessional. When I've trained new people, I make sure I stress that aspect of our job, and remind them that although we may know these people, so long as we're behind the desk and on the clock, we have no official opinion about anything, and that we're just the conduit for the information. It's a good, safe attitude, I think. :)

Do people use these sites because they don't know of other resources--like their library?

Maybe, maybe not. Some don't think of the library as a viable resource. Maybe they've had a bad experience with a librarian, or when they have asked a librarian, the answer was useless (it happens).

Of course, the converse is also true. People come into our library and ask us questions that could easily be answered by a fast Google search. So, just because the tool is there, doesn't mean it'll be used.

What do you think of the Slam the Boards events? Did you participate?

Everything I saw was dated 2007. Nope, I didn't participate.

Did you answer any of the questions on a site? Which site? What type of question?

Nope, didn't answer any, but I could've. With ease.

My first semester in the MLIS program, I took LIS 703-Reference. I know where to find lots of things, both in print and on the internet. I had a teacher who was more old school. I think her biggest pet peeve was Google, followed closely by Wikipedia. (I'm not saying Wikipedia is necessarily a great source, but it is a good starting point.) She was big on using PRINT sources, not so much electronic/Internet sources. It seemed a bit shortsighted to me. True, not everything is on the Internet. And even if it is, sometimes it's hard to find. I do not think that only Librarians (with or without a MLIS) are capable of finding an answer for a reference question. Somedays all I get asked is, "Where's the bathroom?", and that's OK too. I think the library world needs to learn from different models, and see what works and what doesn't. There's no need for an "us" v. "them" mentality.

More Things on a Stick: Thing 33-Travel 2.0

Would any of these sites be useful to your library?

I'm going to have to go with, "Not really." But, as a resource 'just in case', some of these were better than others. People who come into the library seem to fall into 2 broad camps: 1)not really computer-literate to begin with, and view the computers as a necessary evil. Oftentimes these people are just struggling to find a job, so I'm not thinking they have much disposable income to go traveling much. 2)People who are better off, but already go south for the winter (usually to the same spots), and like their established routine. It's not that the sites are terrible, it's just that they're more for people who are even moderately tech-savvy.

What was your favorite(s) site(s) and why?

Eh, I didn't really have a favorite out of any of them. I liked parts of some more than others. I'm more about the links..."Oooh, where does *this* go?"

Did you find any new sites that you'd like to share?

There's a couple that I like to browse:

Everything Everywhere is done by a guy (Gary) who is currently traveling around the world. He takes the *most* incredible photos! I think I first stumbled across him on Twitter, and I am a fan of his on Facebook as well.

Indie Travel Podcast is more than just podcasts; the articles and videos are also great. They are on Twitter as well.

Here are others I like, in no particular order:

Have you watched the show GlobeTrekkers? I love the exuberance of the presenters.

I just like Let's Go. It's practical and doesn't have a ton of ads, which I can appreciate.

When I studied abroad in Scotland, one of the best things I took with me was my Lonely Planet Guide. The Lonely Planet site is just as good.

My undergrad degree is in History. My concentration was Medieval England. I can't time travel back, but I can visit via sites such as English Heritage, Colchester Museums, Visit Britain (also on Twitter) and Untold London.


I like to see new places, but haven't had much travel experience outside the United States. So, until I can get to the actual places, I can do a whole bunch of armchair traveling.

More Things on a Stick: Thing 32- Google Maps and Mashups

View 2009 MN Chaos U16 Games in a larger map

Describe the type of mashup you created.
I created a map that shows all the locations that my daughter's summer softball team will be playing this summer. After I get the directions to the actual locations of the fields, I can add those in and then put it on the team's website.

Did you find any mashups that interested you?
Of course. The art ones, the London ones, the old map one, the one that showed where I'd end up if I dug a hole straight through the center of the earth (I'd end up at 44°57′11″S, 085°57′55″E, which is located in the southern part of the Indian Ocean, just north of Antarctica) & others.
This would've been useful when I studied abroad in Scotland, right before my senior year at St Kate's. My method of "Gee, wonder where this road/bus/alley goes" worked OK, but considering I had limited time to go see things, I probably could've planned it better. And, with the fast food mashable map, I'dve been able to find a place that had Diet Coke WITH ICE without so much hassle. That's a whole 'nother story though, and in retrospect, it all worked out in the end.

Can you see a use for mashups at your library?
Sure-these are so versatile that the possibilities are endless. We could make one showing the different branches in the system and add the hours & phone numbers right in the description-and that's just one use right off the top of my head.

More Things on a Stick: Thing 31-More Twitter Part 2

What does your Twitter page say about you? How does it reflect your personality? Have you given people enough information about you so they have some sense of who you are as a person?
What does my Twitter page say about me? I dunno. I change the background whenever the spirit moves me. I do need to change my avatar again, though.
As for giving information about myself, well, I'm not really fond of doing that. It's just one of my quirks. My bio reads: "Minnesota Librarian, MLIS grad student, mom, wife, who's daring to disturb the universe 1 day at at time (as a member of the #hashtagmafia)", which pretty much only scratches the surface of who I am and what I do. I think it's enough to start with, though. ;)

Explain how you are using Twitter and how it fits into your social networking strategy. What kind of people have you found on Twitter?
How I use it? Asked and answered in part one, counselor. As for what kind of people have I found on Twitter? Um. Well, there are all kinds, that's for sure. I follow other librarians, authors, book publishers, other MLIS students, a cat, a dog, television channels, actors, churches, news reporters, museums, Santa Claus and other people I've met along the way. I am followed by all of the above plus some bots, some people whose mommas named them names with letters AND numbers,... let's see...stores, and dunno who/what else.

At what Twitter stage would you say you're at?
Like I said in part 1 of my answer, I'm somewhere inbetween #4 & #5. I 'get' how it's cool. I also understand that Twitter is hard to explain to someone who doesn't get it. And that's OK.

What do you think Twitter is?
Twitter really is whatever you want it to be. Regardless of what some say, there aren't any rules about how to correctly use Twitter. The only rule is that you get 140 characters at a shot.
When I first started using Twitter, I had a hard time finding people to follow that didn't already have a gazillion followers. There's something to be said for interacting with others on a more personal level. That's why I don't use the autoreply/autofollow apps. It's not a numbers game with me. As for how I find people, well, sometimes I search, sometimes I look at who others are following, sometimes someone will find and follow me so I follow them back, and sometimes we meet by coincidence. But all of the people I interact with make me laugh, they make me sigh, and they give me something to think about. And I'm so glad I gave Twitter a chance.

More Things on a Stick: Thing 31-More Twitter Part 1

1. Explore some different ways to view and post to Twitter. What works best for you and why?
Normally I just post from my normal Twitter page, but I did set up (and successfully tested) a widget on my NetVibes page too. I don't use any of the other cool ways to view and post to Twitter. I'm happy with what I have--it works for me because it is simple. I've thought about test driving some of platform apps, but for now, I'm good.

2. Have you made Twitter part of your social networking plan? Why or why not? Have you integrated Twitter into any of your other socialmedia sites? What do you use it for?
Twitter is an integral part of my life. I keep it separate from my other social media sites, though. I know people who've combined Twitter and their Facebook status updates, but I don't have much overlap between the two, and I tweet too much to have it feeding into my FB update status.

I use Twitter for lots of things. Really. As I said in my Thing 27 post, "I use my Twitter account as a combination of things: communication tool, RSS feed, micro-blog (for the stuff I don't permanently want on my blog), and as a window to the whole world. The question is more "What don't I use Twitter for?"

3. Choose several of the fun things, try them out, and use at least one of them as the basis for a blog post. Include something visual in your post as an example.
Um, some of these are very odd. My Twitter profile is worth $223? Really? Why? It's not for sale. End of story, thanks for stopping by. My Twitter Grade is 95/100, and my rank is 122,920 out of 2,245,907 (is this good? bad? indifferent?)And I know the Tweetwasters thing is wrong-it says I have 640 tweets, when my actual page says I have 1791. I don't care who follows me or why; nor do I care who un-follows me and why (it's all good, either way).

4. Add your name to the Tweeter Directory and tell us more about it in your blog.
Dunno what happened when I tried, but I couldn't. Maybe that's the Universe's way of telling me I shouldn't. Or something.

5. Use one of the the alerting or scheduling tools for Twitter. How did it work for you? Can you see how this might be useful? I don't schedule my tweets, nor do I auto-follow, etc. I don't need the alerting tools-that's what Twitter Search is about. I can see how it might be useful, yes, especially in light of the Motrin Moms uproar from a few months ago, where a company might need to know what is being said about its products in real-time. But for me, nah. Not worth the hassle.

6. Read this post from The Next Web and use it as a Blog Prompt to tell us where you are in the stages of Twitter.
I'm somewhere in the mix of #4 & #5. I converse, but I also post useful information. I remember when Twitter first came out, I couldn't for the life of me figure out why anyone would care about hearing about the minutia of my everyday life. When I had to use it for LIS768 last fall, I did so only because I had to for class. I skipped right over #3 (using it to point people to my blog posts, etc).

7. Here's a long list of what other people think Twitter is. What do you think Twitter is? Include this in your blog post about this thing. Twitter is...whatever you want to make it be. Seriously. It can be about getting a class project done. It can be about finding people with similar interests. It can be about finding authors, books, publishers, readers, librarians, whomever. It can be a news feed. It's been all those and more for me. Like I've said, it's like a cocktail party where it's perfectly acceptable to eavesdrop on others' conversations, and perhaps chime in. I just use common sense and good manners. And that has opened up my world beyond measure.

More Things on a Stick: Thing 30-More Ways to Use RSS and Delicious

How have you been using your RSS reader? Do you read it regularly?

I used my RSS reader for various school projects/classes, but I don't read it on a regular basis. Mostly I forget I have one (unless I need it for classes), and that's OK. Google News is like a RSS feed lite for me, as is Twitter, both of which I use more.

How have you organized your feeds? Does that help you keep up?

When I did use my RSS reader, I organized them by class, and then by topic or keyword. It was really easy to sort through, although I really was overwhelmed at first. Yes, I know I don't have to read EVERY article/feed/etc, but there is something daunting about logging in and seeing a large number of new items.


Which features of Delicious do you use most--beyond bookmarking?

Delicious is another of those things that I used more often for classes than for recreational use. It's interesting to go back through (while cleaning up and judiciously deleting) and see what articles/sites I found for various classes & projects. They can be repurposed, so to speak simply by editing the tags-very good.
Beyond bookmarking, I use the search box by typing in key words of what I'm currently looking for-never know what's going to come up, for good or bad. I also use the "Popular" and "Recent" tabs on the home page. It's interesting to see what others are looking at, although late in the evening (when I'm more likely to be on), the things being bookmarked are mostly in Japanese (?).

Do you have recommendations or suggestions for using either of these tools? I'm not fond of the Google Reader (what I have) because I'm more visual-I don't like the stripped down version of the stories. I like to see the pretty pictures and all that. So, test-drive whatever RSS reader you're thinking about using & see what it does. Not every new item has to be read...or even looked at. It's also OK to delete the feeds you no longer need/want/must have. Really. There aren't any RSS police out there (that I know of) that will force a person to read everything.
Delicious, on the other hand, is actually useful to me. I can bookmark things that I want to look at later from anywhere, and not have the links be tied to one single place. I also set up an account for the Winsted Library, where I've parked things that may come in useful for myself and other staff members.
My best suggestion for either tool (any tool, for that matter) is to find what works best for the job at hand and use it...explore it...and most of all, don't be afraid to stop using it if needed.

More Things on a Stick: Thing 29-Google Tools

You know, Google has a whole lot of useful apps and all...but, I don't want to put all my eggs in just one Google basket so to speak. There are occasions where Google has been down, and it sure wouldn't be pretty to not be able to access everything I use.

Search:
I actually do use Google News almost everyday. I don't have a personalized page (nor do I want one, although I do know how to make one) because I like to keep my options open. I mainly use Google News as a tool to give me an idea of what's going on. Every so often I read the stories, but I actually prefer to get my news from a couple of other sites: MSNBC or the BBC.

Productivity:
I don't use GMail for my own e-mail, but I do for a site that I built for my daughter's softball team. I used Google Sites for that, and have a Google calendar embedded in it. You can see it at: Chaos Fastpitch. Although useful, Google Sites is a huge pain. Maybe it's because I have more than a beginner's knowledge of HTML (and all that), but when I want to tweak something, it borders on impossible. But, for a basic site and for someone who doesn't know much about the magic behind it, I think it would work really well.

Overall, this is a useful Thing. Google really does have many good apps and tools, and most patrons are going to be more open to trying them, I think. For me personally, I don't rely too much on Google Tools.