Sunday, January 29, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
DeGroodt Digital Dash Week 4: Blogging and RSS
Youtube video BLOGS IN PLAIN ENGLISH
BLOG--
Lewis Carroll, author of the portmanteau riddled Jabberwocky poem and of Alice
in Wonderland fame, would be very happy with this term. A portmanteau is when you take parts from two or more words and use them to blend together a
new word. For example breakfast and lunch becomes brunch. In this case, the words web log are being blended together to form the word blog.
Blogs hit a growing streak in the early 90s with the
introduction of web publishing tools that allowed people with no knowledge of
HTML and FTP, the languages used to design websites, to start creating their own content. Typical types of blogs are personal blogs
which a very similar to an open diary or journal; organizational blogs which
relay information to members or employees; genre blogs which would be about
specific topics like fashion or parenting; and media type which would be
composed of only videos, links, or images (the cheeseburger network has somegreat ones!).
The two most common blogging sites are Wordpress and Blogger (we use Blogger).
Both allow you to create free blogs and they have different features. Microblogging
has some of the same characteristics of a traditional blog like text, images,
or videos; but it is smaller and given in brief snippets like a link or photo
with caption. Tumblr is quickly gaining popularity with this simple type of format
for posting. Even Twitter and Facebook can be considered forms of
microblogging.
Blogs are typically run by a few individuals with common
interests. No Flying No Tights is a comic and graphic novel review website that
is run by librarians. The Krazy Coupon Lady is all about extreme couponing. TechCrunch
and Mashable are both about technology like computers and the internet. Many
authors, like Paranormalcy’s KierstenWhite,
host their own blogs that depict personal or professional information about
what their lives as writers or even paying it forward with advice. Over the
years many corporations have seen value in this blogging trend and now host
their own blogs that have more to do with the people whose interest they are
trying to engage than the product they are trying to sell. For example, Totsy, the online retailer
of discounted children’s clothing, hosts a blog with entries about food,
entertaining, parenting, and more.
Once you find a couple blogs you are interested in, it can
get a bit overwhelming trying to keep up with them all. RSS, which is often referred to as Really Simple Syndication, are feeds that
are published by websites that alert you when new information has been
published. RSS Readers like Google Reader will organize your feeds into a
simple format similar to reading an email. You can either manually enter the
blogs URL, or address, onto the service you use or click on the RSS button that
is located on most blogs. Typically this will be a feature that says “Follow”. If
you have a mobile device there are several apps you can use that will organize
all your links together in one place and notify you when they have been
updated. Flipboard is a very popular free app that organizes all your RSS feeds
into a reading format similar to browsing a magazine.
What are some blogs that interest you? Leave a comment below
with the link.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
DeGroodt Digital Dash:Week 3 Social Media
Social Media is technology we use on the Internet and on mobile devices to communicate with
each other. There are six types of social media: collaborative projects like
wikipedia, blogs like Blogger and microblogs like Twitter, content communities
like Pinterest and Youtube, social networking sites like Google+ and Facebook,
virtual gaming worlds like Minecraft, and virtual social worlds like Sims and Second
Life. Social Media is basically anything on the web where you are encouraged to
communicated and discuss with others. It is Web 2.0. Collaborative,
user-centric, and forever changing.
Twitter is quickly becoming a source for breaking news with updates from people who are experiencing events as they happen. Facebook keeps friends and family updated.
What social media do you use? What do you love about it? What do you dislike?
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
DeGroodt Digital Dash: Week 2 ----Google
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Google
is one of the best search engines available on the internet. By simply typing
some keywords in the search box you can get thousands of results. We use it so
much that back in 2006 it was officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary
with the definition: using the Google search engine to find information on the
internet. We are not just searching, we are googling.
You can fine tune your search by using certain options like:
Finds images related
to your keywords
Finds news articles
related to your keywords
Finds videos that are related to your
keywords
Trivia: Google acquired YouTube back in 1996
Finds products for sale
that match your keywords
Finds maps, addresses, and information
regarding locations that match your search
Trivia:Did you know if you type an unlisted phone number in the search box, Google will match the number to a listing?
Yes,
Google is great at finding information, but did you know it can do so much more
than what is listed at the top of the page? Click on More and you wil get a
list of all of google’s fun features like:
Translates text and web pages into different
languages. If you use the Google Chrome browser, Chrome gives you the option to
translate web pages from other countries into your primary reading language.
Allows you to keep a digital calendar of all
your important dates and schedules that can be synched to your mobile devices
like android and apple devices.
Not only does Google own the popular blogging
service Blogger, but they also have a search database that will allow you to
browse blogs on various topics.
Allows you to search and preview millions of
books online. Some books allow full access and some are only excerpts based on
publisher restrictions.
Allows you to search scholarly literature across many disciplines and
sources, including theses, books, abstracts and articles.
Shows
real-time stock quotes & charts, financial news, currency conversions, or
track your portfolio.
Keeps track of
your favorite RSS feeds from blogs and websites to make keeping as simple as
reading emails.
But wait! There’s more!
Your
personalized start page featuring favorite Google tools like the calculator,
calendar, and translate
Free photo
editing
Photo sharing
site
Social Media
site for sharing information with your circles of friends, colleagues, and the
rest of the world
Online word
processor, spreadsheet, and presentations. Create online and access anywhere
Get amazing offers at the best places to eat,
shop, and play
See where your friends are right now
Explore the world from your computer
Explore and share photos of the world
Build 3D models quickly and easily
Share your life online with a blog - it’s
quick, easy and free
Create mailing lists and discussion groups
Share what you know
Meet new people and stay in touch with friends
Visualize, combine, host, and share your data
tables
Developer tools, APIs and resources
Trivia: Did you know the Google logo may spontaneously change appearance? Google Doodles are the changes made to the logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries and the lives of famous artists, pioneers and scientists.Play with some of these Google apps and tools. Leave a comment below on which was your favorite. Have fun exploring!
Trivia: Last month searchers were surprised by a freak snowstorm on their desktop browser when the search keywords “Let it Snow” were typed in the search box. “Easter Eggs” are the little bits of code that make searching on Google so much more interesting. Check out this article with a listing of all the hoaxes, gags, and Easter Eggs and here.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
DeGroodt Digital Dash Week 1: What is Web 2.0?
Parents! Hard to keep up with those digital natives (otherwise known as our kids who know everything about computers, but not so much on sharing that info)? Wish you knew a little bit more about where they are coming from?
Welcome to the DeGroodt Digital Dash! Join us as we highlight different technologies and resources each week.
Week 1: What is Web 2.0?
No, it is not a new version of the internet, but rather a different way of using what was already there. Depending on your definition, computers have been along for a very long time. Charles Babbage proposed and developed one of the very first back in the early 1800s. Since then, the technology has continuously been evolving and improving.
Here is a crash course on the history of the internet
The Internet was designed to be interactive and a place to share ideas. It was first used by scientific, government, or other research institutions to share ideas and to collaborate. However, for the everyday user, Web 1.0 was static unless you happened to know computer programming. It was a place you found information that others had created.
In more recent years, there has been a surge towards user-centric content. Web 2.0 takes those ideas and concepts about sharing information to another level by allowing the user to take control and generate their own content. It is a more social experience which thrives on virtual communities and collaboration.
Some examples of Web 2.0 technologies would include:
Youtube Web 2.0 for Newbies video
The term Web 2.0 began to surface in the internet community in the early 2000s. Rather than generating content that would then be distributed to the consumer, content was being developed for feedback from the consumers. It is constantly being updated with new features, information, and stuff to play with. Participation and collaboration are the keystones of Web 2.0. Users are encouraged to not just look at data and comment, but to add their own data as well. Other attributes of Web 2.0 include collective intelligence, or shared knowledge. Information is shared with other users and built upon.
Slideshare is a wonderful web2.0 tool that allows you to share slide presentations with other users. Check out this explanation on the definition of web 2.0
Think about what you do on the internet, you might already being using Web 2.0 and not even know it. Go2web20 lists over 72 pages of different applications that all allow you, the user, to create and share content.
What tech are you most interested in learning about? Remember that the best search engine in the world is right at your public library--- the librarian.
Welcome to the DeGroodt Digital Dash! Join us as we highlight different technologies and resources each week.
Week 1: What is Web 2.0?
No, it is not a new version of the internet, but rather a different way of using what was already there. Depending on your definition, computers have been along for a very long time. Charles Babbage proposed and developed one of the very first back in the early 1800s. Since then, the technology has continuously been evolving and improving.
Here is a crash course on the history of the internet
 |
| History of the Internet Infographic |
In more recent years, there has been a surge towards user-centric content. Web 2.0 takes those ideas and concepts about sharing information to another level by allowing the user to take control and generate their own content. It is a more social experience which thrives on virtual communities and collaboration.
 |
| infographic by Shanghai Web Design |
Some examples of Web 2.0 technologies would include:
Youtube Web 2.0 for Newbies video
The term Web 2.0 began to surface in the internet community in the early 2000s. Rather than generating content that would then be distributed to the consumer, content was being developed for feedback from the consumers. It is constantly being updated with new features, information, and stuff to play with. Participation and collaboration are the keystones of Web 2.0. Users are encouraged to not just look at data and comment, but to add their own data as well. Other attributes of Web 2.0 include collective intelligence, or shared knowledge. Information is shared with other users and built upon.
Slideshare is a wonderful web2.0 tool that allows you to share slide presentations with other users. Check out this explanation on the definition of web 2.0
Think about what you do on the internet, you might already being using Web 2.0 and not even know it. Go2web20 lists over 72 pages of different applications that all allow you, the user, to create and share content.
What tech are you most interested in learning about? Remember that the best search engine in the world is right at your public library--- the librarian.
“Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, a librarian can bring you back the right one.”― Neil Gaiman
Want to interact with the library? Check out all the different ways you can connect with the library online!
Brevard County Libraries---Bringing the World to You!
---Next week: Google: More than a search engine
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