Thing 14: Getting connected on LinkedIn

Hmmm... despite my minimal knowledge of LinkedIn, I'm a bit sceptical of online communities that exist for networking and professional purposes. This shouldn't really be the case as the option of networking online is far, far preferable to actually doing it in the flesh (shudder).

I was instantly turned off when required to input my job title. I'm a PA and, to the best of my knowledge, there is no career path for PAs. You're a PA for someone - and then you're a PA to someone else. End of story. As much as I like working for JoAnne, I have no intention of working as a PA for life. All of the jobs I've had since graduating have been convenient and circumstantial while I've enjoyed being young and fancy free. Establishing exactly what kind of career I'd like to pursue and how to go about it in the current climate is an ongoing challenge.

The point I'm making is that I most certainly don't want to hook up with other PAs on the sole basis that we have our job in common. I don't want suggestions for other PA jobs and I'm not looking for other PA jobs! As a result, it seems superfluous to state my occupation as PA, so I put down "Admin muppet" instead. Childish anarchism? Perhaps...

Another turn-off is the international flavour of the site. In theory, I think reaching out globally is a positive thing - except when it comes to the job market. I'd be reluctant to use such a forum to search for legitimate and worthwhile jobs and feel that even something as simple as the comparison between a UK and US approach to work is enough to make me think that a local and more specific approach would be more worthwhile for users. I wonder how many people have actually made worthwhile contacts or attracted business through LinkedIn? It has to have some benefits though, or I guess it wouldn't exist!

I looked at the 'jobs' option for Oxford and it only produced four results. I tried for London and it produced 338 results, which was a improvement. I suppose this could be one area to explore further...

I don't wanna hook up with pals and contacts from my personal email address book here! I like keeping work and play separate and can see no earthly reason or benefit for making "professional" connections with pals. Despite my initial opposition, I don't think I'm being entirely fair and suspect I'm allowing my prejudices to get the better of me... I think more time and exploration is required before I can write off - or LinkIn to! - LinkedIn completely.

Thing 13: How libraries are using Facebook to connect with their users

Hmmm... working in the Bodleian Directorate office means that I'm generally a safe distance from the library front-line, although I do use the Social Sciences Library and central Bodleian relatively regularly, so I can comment from the user end of the spectrum, I suppose!

I can see the argument for using Facebook within a library context - visibility in an existing forum that's already popular with students makes sense - but I'm not sure how much faith I'd have in data found on a Facebook page. For opening times and reader information, my first instinct would be to go to the web page or call the library in question. As not all readers are even signed up to Facebook, I'd assume that the library in question would update their website - something anyone with internet can access - first. Speaking to someone in real-time also has a greater guarantee of reliability compared with a Facebook page, which may have been neglected, resulting in inaccurate information. Consequently, I'd consider these options to be more effective approaches in obtaining robust information.

For the record, I'm a huge fan of Facebook! Yes; it can be irritating when random acquaintances insist on updating their status on the hour, every hour, but as someone who has pals in different parts of the globe, I find it a great one-stop shop to check-in with them all. I also love being able to share photos in a single space, where (most of!) my pals can see them too. Hurray for Facebook! Despite this, I'm not convinced that Facebook has much of a presence within libraries above "being a fan of X library". Hmmm...

The cartoon above made me smile. I found it here.

Thing 12: YouTube

Yay for YouTube! Glorious YouTube, with its multitude of music videos and random nonsense. The only thing it's lacking is the capability to link to Blogger! Why can you link to Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, to mention just a few, but not blogging sites? They need to get on the case, methinks...

I already use YouTube quite frequently and have absolutely no desire to register in order to post comments. YouTube comments are notoriously full of spams and mindless comments by mindless trolls. As a result, it's something I actively avoid.

Anyway, here are my YouTube choices of the day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo&feature=fvw

Monty Python Four Yorkshiremen sketch. Hilarious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_jhdZoPW1Q

Music video for 'Poor Leno' by Royksopp. Great tune, absolutely heartbreaking video... sob.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETqOvBKnKdk

Tony Benn talking about socialist trains and tory trains. What an absolute legend! Go comrade!!

Thing 11: Podcasts

Ooh - podcasts! I regularly make full use of the "Listen again" option on the BBC Radio website, but have never ventured into the exciting world of podcasts (and, yes; I do consider them "exciting"). I made an beeline for BBC6 Music, which is one of the only stations I'm aware of that features such an eclectic mix of credible music styles. If you're familiar with it, you probably also know that it's facing closure, which would be a crying shame.

After a bit of snouting about, I discovered a MusicWeek episode featuring Goldfrapp talking about their new 80s influenced album, which ticks a lot of boxes for me. I duly clicked the Google Reader box on their 'subscribe for free' section but rather than selecting the 'Add to Google Reader', I chose 'Add to Google Homepage', which is loads better and an option I didn't know existed. I rarely check the RSS feed, but log into Google most days, so to be able to get a summary of what's going on at BBC6 Music is brilliant (see pic above)! I've done the same with Women's Hour as well, which I also love.

One weird thing that happened when I added my series of choice to my Google Homepage was that it completely crashed my Firefox. All my tabs shut down, which was annoying. When I subscribed to Women's Hour the same thing happened again. I'm not sure if this is a fault with the programme or my partner's computer (although I suspect the latter...).

It was great to have some links to more podcast sites, so I started exploring and clicked on to podcast.com. Now, I've seen everything; podcasts on sex?! It is the internet, I guess and 23 things did specify that it had podcasts "on every conceivable subject". Ha! Despite my sniggers, I genuinely think that this is one of the best things about the internet - enabling individuals to reach out to one another, offer advice and support and build communities. For the kid struggling with his sexuality in some hick town in the mid-west, the internet is probably the best thing that ever happened to him.

Thing 10: Social bookmarking and tagging

Hmmm... this is very strange as I definitely signed up to the Bodleian Philosophy Library's network. Now I've logged in again and Delicious is telling me that I have no people in my network! Bizarre! Maybe I didn't follow the instructions correctly... I don't know. I'll try again - with another library!

I was quite disappointed to discover that my favourite libraries aren't signed up to Delicious. As an ex-social scientist (well, anthropologist, if we want to split hairs), the obvious choice would have been to head to the Social Sciences Library. I recently saw a picture of the inside of the Oxford Union's Library - marvellous! - and now have a strong desire to visit, but they're not signed up either. Out of the remaining libraries on the directory list, I've opted for Nuffield College Library, who specialise in the social sciences...

... and what a surprise! They have loads of bookmarks on issues and organisations I'm familiar with and (e.g. Fabian Society) and for those I'm not, the tags offer me a quick and easy way to filter through and select those bookmarks that have the most relevance to my interests. Brilliant!

We interrupt this broadcast...

Erk! I've just discovered that 23 things finishes on Friday 9 April! In order to qualify for the £10 Amazon voucher you need to have completed all 23 things before then. Stress!

Work-wise, I'm probably busier now than I've been in a long time, so the timing couldn't be worse. A £10 Amazon voucher would certainly be very nice, but that's not the only reason I want to do this. I really enjoy blogging and I'm enjoying learning new Web 2.0 skills, so it's not entirely motivated by greed - honest!

In order to cover all 23 bases, I think my 23 places might have to take a place on the back-burner. Sob! I've really enjoyed doing it, but there are only so many hours in the day, mores the pity. I'll definitely come back to it, though. Web 2.0 tricks aside, my blog's been a bit like an online journal and I like dreaming about wonderful places to run off to. If and when I complete my 23 things, I plan on maintaining and adding more to it.

Place 8: Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela

Did anyone see the amazing article in Saturday's Guardian newspaper about the freak lightning stopping over Lake Maracaibo?

For thousands of years, lightning has lit up the skies over Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. This nightly occurrence is the result of a "unique meteorological phenomenon" and, according to the article, Francis Drake "abandoned a sneak attack on the city of Maracaibo in 1595 when lightning betrayed his ships to the Spanish garrison". Remarkable.

What's even more extraordinary is that after all this time, the lightning has suddenly stopped. The last bolts were seen at the end of January and there's been nothing since. Local people are mystified, whilst environmentalists point to El Nino, which is responsible for "disrupting global weather patterns" and causing a draught in Venezuela.

That this bizarre event happened every night for thousands years, prior to it's sudden cessation in January, is both incredible - and sad. We just can't keep ignoring our shameful impact on the planet without the repercussions growing and growing. If the environmentalists are to be believed, we've got a long way to go...

PS If the lightning ever returns, I want to be on the first plane over there.

Photo found at http://images.travelpod.com/users/steve_sara/southamerica.1185916920.catatumbo.jpg

Thing 9: Social Bookmarking and Tagging - Delicious!

I've already got a Delicious account, but it's personal and I don't particularly want to share it with my work colleagues. I've created a new "work-friendly" account and added the requisite five sites and tagged them accordingly (including OX23). I hadn't installed the "bookmarklet" (good word!) during my first attempt at using Delicious, but I've done it now. Genius idea! I can now bookmark everything in sight!

I really enjoyed having a snout about on other people's bookmarks. I'm sorry for not remembering exactly who I tagged what off, but whoever introduced me to the wonders of BookMooch deserves a medal. It's an online book exchange system - brilliant! I also tagged Bookhugger, an online literary magazine which I'd never heard of before, so I'm looking forward to exploring that. Finally, I couldn't resist adding PassiveAggressiveNotes.com, which I found highly amusing.

For me, shared online spaces are one of the joys of t'interweb. I love being able to gain a little insight (accurate or not!) into other people based on what they've chosen to bookmark. I'm also a huge fan of lists, so being able to see what other people think is worth checking out is interesting and inspiring. Like most people, I'm often moving around on different computers - partner's, friends, parents, work - so having a single place where I can check all my fave sites gets a big thumbs up from me.

I found the picture above (good, eh?) on Flickr, which was uploaded by Florry One. Delicious!

Thing 8: Edit images with Picnik

Call me a self-righteous puritan but, as a rule, I am categorically opposed to meddling with photographs. OK - some things are fine (reducing red-eye, for example) but I just think it's weird to doctor your photos until they no longer resemble the reality. I have a 'friend' who insists on showing me and my partner entire slide-shows of holiday photographs which have all been tweaked and doctored and I just find it all quite boring. I want realism, not an 'airbrushed' version!

Despite this, I did have a snout about on some other people's blogs and enjoyed what they'd done with their editing tools. 'Catherine's xxiii things' had a good neon-ified pic that I quite wanted to try and recreate, but I could only see quite basic editing tools...

(10 minutes later)... I obviously didn't look properly as I've now clicked 'create' and it's given me loads of options! This is ace (easily pleased)! The 'effects' tab was great - see below:

... but again, I've spoken too soon. I thought it would be simple enough to take a picture, edit it, save the new picture, go back into the original picture, edit it and save it again (are you still with me?), but it doesn't seem to like this. Boo! I was starting to enjoy myself! When I try and go into the original picture, it just keeps asking if I want to save my newly edited version, which I'd already done, then it takes me away from my Flickr set. Grrr!

OK - finally sorted. See below:












Original pic * "Nightvision" shot - spooky! * "Drawing" shot - brilliant! I can now pass off lots of photos as personal artwork!

I appreciate that 23 things is supposed to be a learning exercise, but I've spent WAY too long fiddling around with these various pics. Good knowledge, though! I really like being creative with existing pics and it's something I think I'll definitely come back to.

On another matter, is anyone else finding posting images on Blogger a bit like hard work? I've spent ages formatting the snaps above, in a futile effort to get them to where they want to go (they didn't cooperate). I wonder if WordPress is similarly awkward?

Place 7: Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix, France

Look at this pic: phenomenal! It looks like Mordor! Unfortunately, the reduced size of the snap doesn't do it much justice. You can see a much larger version here.

Following on from my previous post, I also feel that I should credit it correctly. The photographer is Matthew Turley and the snap can be found on the pdn 'Photo of the Day' website. For a photography fan, this is one of my favourite sites. There are some superb pictures up here and a real diversity of images. I highly recommend checking out their archive.

A chance glimpse at this picture has single-handedly inspired a raging desire to visit. I've had a fascination with snow-capped peaks and cold places for ages and ages. This was fuelled further by watching 'Touching the Void' - have you seen it? It's about a couple of climbers who go through a horrific ordeal climbing in South America and is based on a true story. The cinematography is spectacular - the snowy mountains look like they're covered in cake icing. Snow-capped mountains seem to radiate a sense of peace and awe, but also absolute terror. I've never been anywhere like this before and would LOVE to go. I'm not particularly tempted by skiing or snowboarding, but the apres-ski might be quite fun, after a day sitting in a hot-tub, beer in hand, gazing out at the wondrous landscape. Fabulous!