Thing 70 free music for MP3s

Nice to see that there is so much free out there. This lesson seems to really be an update on Thing 48.

Thing 48 only offered music.download.com.

Thing 70 offers many more sites for free MP3s to download:
Amazon MP3 Store
AmieStreet.com
Archive.org
ArtistServer.com
BeSonic.com
BetterPropaganda.com
CCMixter.org
Cooltoad.com
Download.com
Epitonic.com
EZ-Tracks.com
FreeAlbums.blogsome.com
GarageBand.com
Imeem.com
ItsFreeDownloads.com
Jamendo.com
Last.fm
Live Music Archive
MetalHordes.com
MP3.com
MP3.com.au
MP34U
MP3Raid.com
Muzic.com
Music.download.com
Purevolume.com
Ruckus.com
SoundClick.com
SpiralFrog.com
Stereogum.com
TuneShout.com
We7.com

Great to see so much choice now for free music.

Some sites which are not free, but fairly cheap to use, are also noted:
Emusic.com
Napster.com
Rhapsody.com

Very informative lesson with lots of music MP3 sites to recommend to patrons.

Thing 69

Easy lesson related to Library 2.0 Thing #8 (Make life "really simple" with RSS & a newsreader-Bloglines).

FeedMyInbox is very easy to use. Just have to remember that when it asks for a website URL, it means the RSS feed address.

I signed up for CNN's Most Popular Stories RSS feed. Confirmation email was instantaneous. And as soon as I clicked the confirmation link, it popped up that the subscription was confirmed. It's easy to add additional feeds--you just keep clicking the Add Another Feed link.

Nothing much else to say. Good to recommend to news hungry patrons. Plus, it's great that it goes directly to your email instead of making you log into another web site.

Thing 68 Filtering Flickr

Fun lesson about 2 web sites that locate images posted on Flickr.

flickrCC: I like how once you pick a picture, it has links for editing inhouse or using Picnik.

Tag Galaxy: I like this one just for how neat it looks as you go from a 'galaxy' of pictures to a 'globe' to an individual picture.

Thing 67 Stress Savers

Very, very, very useful lesson.

I can recommend these websites to many people, along with using them for both myself and to help patrons.


Dial A Human: The best stress saver ever--tells you exactly what you need to do to reach a human being instead of being stuck in all those automated telephone menus for many companies.


Custom Guide: free quick reference guides to many computer programs. These may be useful to try with some of our library patrons that need a great deal of computer help.

Where is Your Username Registered?: I like how you can not only see if you can use that username, but remind yourself where you may have already registered accounts for yourself (or see who else really liked to use that name).

Thing 66 Directory 2.0

Lesson about two great directories of websites organized by topics.


AllMyFavs.com is very eye-catching, with all the website icons. It has lots and lots of categories of websites. Really seems to have anything you want right on the home page. As it's logo says, "Why Search?"


43marks.com is much more low-key. Text only and not as many categories as AllMyFavs.com. But does have nice searching, where you can toggle between Google & Yahoo search results.

Thing 65 Current Economic Crisis of 2008

Not a happy lesson, but it's true that it's on all our minds.

Lots of links to articles about the financial crisis.
Kiplinger.com: 15 Things You Need to Know About the Panic of 2008
BusinessPundit.com: Subprime Primer
Time.com: Credit Crunch: Where is it happening?
MSNBC.com: Economy in Turmoil: How the global financial crisis has unfolded interactive timeline
The New York Review of Books, www.nybooks.com: The Financial Crisis: An Interview with George Soros
HowStuffWorks.com: How can mortgage-backed securities bring down the U.S. economy?
Slate.com: Many articles found when you search: Mortgage Crisis
Wikipedia.com: Subprime mortgage crisis & Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
NPR.com's Planet Money: Understanding the Crisis
Another radio show--This American Life (www.thislife.org): 365: Another Frightening Show About the Economy
Metafilter.com: Questions, answers and postings--link doesn't work unless you're a member of Metalife (which is not free), can search bailout or economic crisis and find articles to read.

Anyways, I guess it's better to be an informed depressed person about the economy instead of an ignorant depressed person about the economy. That would be why I had such a great drive back and forth to the Summer Reading Workshop last week in Wooster, OH, when the people riding with me insisted we listen to NPR on the radio. Such joy to hear all the bad economic news both here and around the world.

Thing 64 One Hit Wonders

Fun lesson of many sites to try:

CopyPasteCharacter.com
--I would definitely use this site sometimes when typing up foriegn language rhymes/songs for storytimes
Kuku Klok
--humorous, not useful for me
Stormpulse
--interesting to see storm track, sent it to my father (a weather addict)
Pixadus
--not really useful for me
Fake Name Generator
--the site to go to when a patron needs help coming up with a unique username
PicApp
--good picture searching site, I used it for the picture below:

I used Regator to locate a blog posting on Cool Websites and Tools. It nicely summarizes quite a few useful websites and tools out there.

Thing 63

Another interesting lesson about a different pdf tool to recommend to patrons. Foxit Reader 2.3 is nice, but I do wish that it worked right on the web--I dislike having to install more software on my computer. There is also the fact that the typewriter tool is actually part of the 'paid pro pack' version of Foxit Reader. You can use it free for one year, then you must pay for it.

Comparing Facebook and Myspace

I decided that since we finally had a lesson requiring us to make a Facebook page, then I should also try out the massively popular Myspace. So I now have both a Myspace page and Facebook page. In comparing the two sites, here is what I've found:

Facebook:
Limits layouts--you cannot have massively creative backgrounds (or annoying backgrounds as I've seen posted by some bloggers on their blogs) Facebooks alternative is that you can add applications to your page which will add pictures. Uses applications to add anything extra to your profile page, such as: video, music, pictures, etc. You cannot add HTML or Javascript to your descriptions of yourself or interests. Allows you to join Networks--very tricky to join college networks as they require college email (really cute thing--their discontinuing the college networks [maybe all networkds] soon. I got an email address from my college alumni to be able to join the alumni college network, and as soon as I completed the network sign-up, it came up with a note that networks would soon be discontinued!) Still, it's nice that everything in your profile is clickable--you click on it & Facebook checks for other Facebook people that have that item in their profile.

Myspace:
Allows you to add fun, creative backgrounds. Lets you add music to your profile & vdieos. Let's you add HTML/Javascript to your entries about yourself, your interests, etc.

Both:
Allow you to find and add friends and will show your friends on your profile. Allow you to join groups (found many Library-related groups to join on both sites), but only Facebooks shows your groups on your profile page.

That's pretty much all I've found so far in my comparison.

Thing 62

Good lesson to know; although, I'd rather find another PDF form filler that doesn't want to keep adding logos to the PDFs. If you mention this to a library patron, you kind of have to point out that they will only be able to fill out 2 non-editable PDF forms for free at PDFescape. After that they will have to buy some credits with real money.

I'm looking forward to the next lesson. Maybe Topia will be completely free and not add logsos.

Thing 61

It was interesting to do this lesson, researching libraries on Facebook. I found that both my undergrad & grad college libraries are available as apps on Facebook:

Alvernia Library Search

BISON Catalog-UB Libraries

I added some library apps to my profile: Library Gifts, Librarian, My Library Thing, National Archives Libraries & Museum. And I "became a fan" of: Library Journal and Internet Public Library. Finally, I joined some library groups: Libraries and Librarians, Librarians and Facebook, FacebookAppsForLibraries, Library 2.0 Interest Group, and Don't Mess With Me, I Worked in a Public Library.

I noticed that some libraries have created and made available a Ask A Librarian facebook app for their library systems.

I think it would be great if we could get the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County added as a profile page on Facebook. Plus, maybe Ohio's Know It Now could be added as an app on Facebook.

Thing 60

I completed the lesson. Facebook is another way to connect with people on the web. It is fairly easy to use, check out my profile. I had problems trying to add some networks--the colleges I attended required a college email address, as an alumnus I don't have a current college email. The good thing about this lesson is just getting some practice in for using Facebook so I can help any patrons if they have problems using it.

Thing 59

Great lesson for all of us librarians--and any bibliophiles out there! The Book Report Network is a great resource. I've used the Kidsreads.com site before, but never saw a link from it to the other sites connected by The Book Report Network:

TheBookReportNetwork.com
BookReporter.com
ReadingGroupGuides.com
AuthorYellowPages.com
AuthorsOnTheWeb.com
FaithfulReader.com
Teenreads.com
Kidsreads.com

Great for reader's advisory! I will definitely be using these resources again and again.

I would add that while these are great, they aren't the only reader's advisory sites. I was sadly disappointed that some of my favorite fantasy/sci-fi authors are not listed--however I know other really terrific specialized web sites for fantasy/sci-fi:
Fantastic Fiction
Scifan
Sf Site
and for mystery:
Stop, You're Killing Me!
romance:
Sequels and Prequels for Romance Novels
The Romance Reader
Still looking for a really great Christian Fiction resource with many more authors than FaithfulReader.com.
Another great all-inclusive reader's advisory site:
Reader's Robot

Thing 58

This is a good lesson to return to each year at this time for ideas for Earth Day. Of course, it can be used year round, too, to help us all live a 'greener' life.

Great sites listed in this lesson:
Going Green Matters
Daily Green
Yahoo! Green
Earthday Network
National Geographic's Green Guide
Time's Top 15 Environmental Websites

I think since Yahoo was listed, to be fair I wanted to include Google
Google Goes GreenGoogle 2008 Earth Day

Something I found using a library magazine & the web: Book Links just did an issue in March devoted to science and the environment--web connections for Green Earth Book Award, Appreciating the Wonders of Nature, and Wet and Wonderful Books About Aquatic Life can be found at: http://www.ala.org/ala/productsandpublications/periodicals/booklinks/webconnections/webconnectionsmar2008.cfm

My 'green' project at home this year is to replace all my light bulbs with the more enegy efficient bulbs. I do drive a fuel efficient car--not a hybrid (costs too much, maybe in the future if they ever lower the prices on those vehicles). Hey--why is it that healthier options for the environment and for ourselves always cost more???!!!

Thing 57

This lesson didn't really teach anything other than showing all of us a great web site with photos of food linked directly to their recipes--Tastespotting.com a photo-foodies dream cookbook. I liked how easy it was to add photo and recipe link, and I found some interesting recipes to try sometime. It was fun to read some of them as they came from other blogs (not just recipe sites like Allrecipes.com), so you got a real story behind the recipe. That Famous Chocolate Icebox Cake was lots of fun to read, with a sad ending.