Thing #45: Flowcharts & Mindmaps

Using Bubbl.us, I have created a representation of the integrated components of the eLibrary.








As I am renovating at the moment, the floorplan option on Gliffy.com is an excellent opportunity to create a visual representation which will help me with purchasing fittings and fixtures for my proposed new bathroom and laundry.

Thing #39: Animoto

Thing #44: Nag yourself

The Jott concept is an interesting one - and there are many occasions when I would love to be able to access just this type of service.

Thing #42: Google Groups / Usenet

Using Google Groups today reminded why I was not particularly interested in Usenet in the past.

Searching for different activities, hobbies or even current issues tends to bring up a motley collection of discussions (including a lot of adult content) and I have not had a "serendipitous" find as yet. Perhaps this is for niche interests???

Thing #35: Mini or micro blogging

It was a simple process to set up an account, post my first tweet and follow a few "twitterers". While there is a lot of hype about the potential of Twitter most of the postings I found were either mundane or inscrutable.

In the end I searched for a well known librarian blogger and after reading some of his musings, it seemed slightly voyeuristic......... Perhaps the future potential for Twitter is not so much in recording the "boring bits" in life, but as with the best blogs, recording insights and sharing the "good bits"

Thing #32: Online file storage

For this exercise I signed up for a "Lite" Box.net account and created a folder where I uploaded a document and an image file - using the "drag and drop" applet.


Selecting the image uploaded to Box.net, I edited a photo using Picnik -playing with colour saturation and contrast as well as cropping the image, and the results are displayed here.

Overall, I was rather surprised that these photo editing tools are freely available online and are very similar in functionality to the proprietary applications produced by software companies.

Thing #31: Get organised with Plaxo

For me, Plaxo appears to be a combination of services like Outlook (Calendar), Facebook (Connections), Twitter (Pulse Stream) etc.

It was a simple process to sign up for an account and create a number of events for separate calendars, task lists and contribute a status update. While the exercise has been useful in learning about other free online services available, I think Plaxo would only be of value if I had a network of friends and associates using it to communicate and interact with.

Thing #29: Scrapblog

Using some of the photos I saved to an album on Photobucket, I produced this small tribute for an all time favourite book.

While I have compiled similar productions using the iPhoto feature in my Mac Book, I have to confess I was impressed with the range of features available. I inserted several stickers, rotating and adjusting size and orientation to my liking and I was able to apply different tonality such as sepia, black & white and other enhancements to the pictures.

Thing #27: Photobucket

Using Photobucket on a standalone PC was a frustrating exercise in futility. Once I got going using my home connection though, the process of selecting and saving images to an album and then remixing using the "inferno" theme was incredibly straightforward and very quick to complete.

My own Mac computer offers superior options, but Photobucket is absolutely terrific as it enables me to design and produce interesting presentations any time I need them at work. Here are the results of my handiwork Wuthering Heights

Thing #26: Widgets

I already have a customised iGoogle page, with many widgets and applications inserted on the desktop, which makes access to regularly used applications very quick and easy. The YourMinis website was easy to use and I created a widget for weather in Melbourne.

After this, I was fascinated with how easy it was to make up album cover images from a couple of my favourite singers.

I located a few more widget sites and look forward to trying these ones out in the future. - Best widgets for free and Hot widgets

Thing #25 Letterpop

Using the Letterpop.com site to start a newsletter was posing difficulties, so I abandoned this approach and created a free account. From there it was plain sailing and I have attached my creation - a newsletter about the garden planted by Friday's child.

While I can see that Letterpop.com does not have any direct application at present for LIS, it has been a worthwhile exercise in learning how quick and easy it is to design polished and professional looking communication tools.

Thing #24 Zamzar

How easy was this!!

Just a few mouse clicks and hey presto a converted file appears without the usual hassles of trying to locate a colleague who has file conversion software and asking them to do my job. Converting a PDF file back to Word is just too easy!! This is definitely a time saving tool!!