Welcome to 23 Things On a Stick

Oh, no!! Round 2 of 23 Things On a Stick is closed. The blog will stay up indefinitely so you can continue on your own. And, watch for More Things On a Stick in January 2009. Thanks for participating.

Have you ever thought, ”Gosh, I wish I had time to learn more about Flickr, wikis, or (enter your Web 2.0 tool here)?” Well, this is your chance to take the time to focus on your personal and professional development around Web 2.0 tools. It’s fun to explore these tools and figure out ways to use them in the library, with your personal Web sites, or in other ways.

23 Things On a Stick is the Minnesota twist on the Library Learning 2.0 program developed by Helene Blowers at the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenberg County and adopted or adapted by many other libraries and organizations since then. 23 Things On a Stick was developed by the seven multitype multicounty library systems as part of the staff development the multitypes offer in their regions.

Who Can Participate
This program is open to all staff in any Minnesota library—public, academic, school, or special—as well as members of their Governing Boards, their Friends groups, or Advisory Groups. 23 Things on a Stick is approved for Minnesota Certification for Library Employees and CEUs. Experienced Web 2.0 users as well as novices and everyone in between are invited to join. This is self-paced and self-directed.

Registration for Round 2 begins May 15, 2008.

• You must register your blog by June 15, 2008 and then complete all 23 Things by September 15, 2008.
  
• Each person participating must have and register his/her own blog.
• Didn't finish all 23 in Round 1? You can re-register your blog and finish in Round 2.

How It Works
You are in charge of your learning in this program. We have identified the 23 Things for you to do over the course of the program, but you decide when you do them—and the amount of time you spend and the depth of your exploration. Each of the 23 Things can take as little as an hour or as much more time you have to give. You document your participation by setting up and maintaining a blog (Thing 1).

Each Thing will show you one or more Web tools. These Web 2.0 tools are bringing library staff and our patrons in touch with the entire world through social networking, video, audio, and gaming sites. We have found many places for you to explore, experiment with, and think about creative ways to use this in your library. Participation in 23 Things on a Stick allows you to take time to explore and enjoy these tools.

Even if you think you know all about all of the tools in 23 Things On a Stick, we encourage you to join the program. We have added Challenge sections to some of the Things to stretch you and you can always learn more about any of the tools through independent exploration. And we will learn from you because you will blog about your discoveries.

Everyone who registers by June15, 2008 and completes all 23 items on the list and blogs about each one by September 15, 2008 will receive a completion prize and be eligible for other prizes. Otherwise, there is no deadline and this course will remain online through 2008.

Read on! Registration occurs as part of Thing 1.

Tutorial Format
Each week begins with a brief explanation of a new Web 2.0 topic or tool, followed by a numbered list of activities related to the tool. These exercises give you the background you need to understand the tools you're learning about. Don't skip them!

When you have done the items in each list, you comment or post to your blog. (You will learn how to set up a blog in Thing 1.) Your blog is the tool to communicate your reactions, new-found skills, ideas, questions, and favorite Web sites to the other 23 Things On a Stick participants and is how your completion of all 23 Things is documented.

There will be no statewide classes or workshops offered to support this program. Instead, staff are encouraged to work together with others in their libraries or region and share with each other their discoveries, techniques and "how to" both in person and through their blogs.

Check your multitype region’s Web site for any regional 23 Things On a Stick updates and activities.

http://www.blyberg.net/card-generator/

What Are the 23 Things On a Stick?

We're glad you asked! These are the 23 Things On a Stick that participants must complete. All the red links below take you to the details and activities for that Thing.

Click on the links and read the entire Thing so you understand the activities and then jump in and have fun learning!

Be sure you have read this and this so you understand how the program works.

Getting Started
1. Set up your own blog, add your first post, & add an avatar. Register your blog and begin your 23 Things On a Stick adventure. Each participant must register her/his own blog to be eligible for the incentive.

What is Web 2.0 and Why Should I Care?
2. Read & watch these perspectives on Library 2.0, Web 2.0, and the future of libraries. Share your thoughts.

Keeping Up
3. Learn about RSS and news feeds and set up an RSS account of your own. Locate a few library-related blogs and/or news feeds to add to your RSS account.

Photosharing and Editing
4. Explore Flickr and learn about this popular image hosting site.
5. Have some more fun with Flickr and discover some services and mash-ups from Flickr and others.
6. Play around with an online image generator.

Communication
7. Web 2.0 tools make communication a snap. Try these tools and think how your library can use them.
8. Share your slide decks, photos, or presentation slides on your Web site or blog with these tools.

Collaboration
9. These Web 2.0 tools make it easy to collaborate on documents and presentations without the hassles of email attachments.
10. Learn about wikis and how libraries are using them. Add an entry to the 23 Things On a Stick wiki.

Social Media: Del.icio.us, Tagging, & Digg, and More
11. Learn about tagging and del.icio.us, a social bookmarking site.
12. Do you Digg? Have you Reddit? Maybe StumleUpon is your thing. Major publications (NYT & Washington Post, for example) offer readers the chance to "rate" and recommend their articles to others via these social media sites.

Online Productivity Tools
13. Try out an online productivity tool and learn about others.
14. Take a look at LibraryThing. It is not just for personal collections; libraries are using it too.

Online Games in Libraries
15. Libraries and games are becoming a hot topic. Explore some online games.

Minnesota Library 2.0
16. Media specialists, academic librarians, and public librarians can help their 2.0 students be more efficient in their research with these Web 2.0 tools: Assignment Calculator & the Research Project Calculator.
17. ELM is more than articles. Use these ELM productivity tools to maximize what ELM can do for you.

Podcasts & Video
18. Discover YouTube and other sites that let you watch and upload video.
19. Explore podcasts and consider creating a podcast of your own.

Social Networking
20. Facebook and MySpace are the way many people communicate--with each other, with the greater community, and in some cases, with their libraries.
21. Facebook and MySpace may grab the headlines about social networks, but there are other networks.

Staying Current
22. With Web 2.0 tools evolving, growing, and changing—not to mention all the changes in Library 2.0—how can you keep up? It definitely takes some effort, but here are some ways to keep learning.

One Last Thing
23. Complete this online evaluation and blog about your 23 Things On a Stick experience.

Thing 1. Set Up Your Blog

Now that you have a better idea of what 23 Things On a Stick is all about, it’s time to set up your very own blog to begin recording your progress and thoughts on the 23 Things On a Stick. There are several free online blog hosting services including Wordpress & Typepad, but we recommend Blogger, a Google product.

This is a very important Thing. You will record your progress in your blog & others will be reading your blog. Read through all of the instructions!

Set up your blog by following these steps:

1. Create an account in Blogger

• Go to Blogger.com
• Click on the long orange arrow that says Create Your Blog Now. Follow the 3 step instructions.
  
• You will need a Google Account. Follow the directions to set up a Google Account if you do not have one. You can use any email address—it does not need to be a Gmail address. Your email becomes your Username. Your Display Name is how your posts are signed--you can use your real name, initials, or a nickname.
• Create a password for your account. (The first of many usernames/passwords you will create for 23 Things On a Stick. Think now how you will remember them all. Or use the same one or similar ones for every Web 2.0 tool.)
  
• Remember to write down your Username and Password.

2. Name your blog This is the hard part! You will create a both a blog title and a URL for your blog.

• The blog title is the name that will appear on the banner at the top of your blog. The blog title does not need to be unique--nor will you be able to tell if it is unique. There are probably hundreds of blogs with relatively generic names--BobBlog or Musings, for example. That is OK. However, we do recommend that you not name your blog 23 Things On a Stick, 23things, or similar names just to avoid some confusion. Add an identifier--Bob's 23 Things or 23things on the Prairie. Browse the list of Round 1 blog names for ideas. Be sure that the blog name appears in the masthead of your blog. If it does not, go to the Settings tab and enter your blog name in the Title box. Click Save.
  

• The URL is the unique Web address of your blog. This URL is how you will find your blog or tell others how to find it. We recommend a short, easy to remember URL. You must be sure that no one else has registered the URL you want on Blogger! Blogger will tell you if the URL you want is available--click Check Availability. (Note: This is where some Round 1 23ers caused a lot of confusion--they just picked a URL and registered it with us without first setting up their Blogger blog and checking URL availability. Some of those URLs took us to highly unusual places!)
  

Remember that the whole web world can see your blog title and blog address. Create a name that reflects the 23 Things On a Stick program, but is uniquely yours. Here are some names of other people’s 23 Things blogs:

• PLO's 23 Things
• Ohno2pt0
• Thing Monkey

• In Blogger, the URL format is blogname.blogspot.com There is no www in the address when using Blogger.com software.
• The URL for your blog will look like these examples

• http://minnonastick.blogspot.com/
• http://23thingsonastick.blogspot.com/

Please remember your URL address and/or bookmark it.

Blogger Settings

Be sure that you have enabled comments. We want to comment on your posts, as do others.

1. Under the Settings Tab, click the Comments link. We recommend the second choice under Who Can Comment? Registered Users.

2. If you want to moderate comments (review all comments before they are published) scroll down and turn moderation on.

3. If you want others (up to 10 people) to know when you receive a comment, you can enter their email addresses in the box near the bottom of that page.

Click Save Settings once you are done.

3. Select your template.

• The fun part--Blogger has several templates so choose one that fits you. The first Choose Template screen has only a few; choose one. If you want to experiment with other Templates after your blog is set-up, go to Layout and choose Pick New Template. You will see many more choices. Try some; it is easy to see how your blog will look in the different choices.

Hints

• If you run into problems, check out Blogger's Help file and Tutorial or here’s a MINITEX Blog Tutorial . Another tutorial is here. You can ask us, too.
• Be sure to enable comments under Settings on Blogger.
• Be sure your blog title appears on the masthead of your blog. Go to settings and enter it in the Title box if it does not appear.
• Spend some time exploring the features of Blogger—spell check, how to upload photos or video, font choices, text size and color, and more.
  

4. Create an avatar.

• An avatar is an online representation of yourself. Go to http://avatars.yahoo.com/ to design an avatar. There are many choices for appearance, accessories, pets, etc. (You will have to set up an account if you don't use Yahoo!) You can make an avatar that resembles the "real you" or create an entirely new you (If only it were so easy!)
  
• Save your avatar and export to your blog.

Here's how to export your Yahoo! avatar to your blog.

1. When you are on your Avatars.Yahoo.com page, go to "Home" tab and look at the right column. One of the options is: "EXPORT: Use your avatar in web pages and blogs and more." Click there.
2. In the Center of the page, one option is your avatar's HTML code. Copy (Control C) the code, go to your blog. Sign in. On Blogger Dashboard there is an option to add a Manage posts, settings, or layout; Go to "LAYOUT." You will see various page elements.
3. Click Add Page Element from the page. From the pop-up box that opens, choose the item marked "HTML/Java Script
4. Paste (Control V) the HTML code into the Content box. Add a title in the title box if you wish.
5. Click Save Changes.
6. Back on the Layout page, you can drag and drop that PAGE ELEMENT to wherever you want your avatar to appear on your blog.

After you have completed Steps 1-4, you are ready to register for 23 Things On a Stick. Register one blog per person.

5. Register your blog.

Here's how to register:

• Click here to register your blog. Once you have clicked the Register button, you are registered. You will not receive a confirmation email. SurveyMonkey, the tool we use for registration is very reliable; we will get the registration. Don't know your region? Click here for a map.
  
• We will add you to the 23 Things on a Stick blog lists according to your region. We will not list your name; only your blog's name. Remember, it may take a week or so to get your blog on the mother blog. Don't panic (and don't re-register!)--it will get there as soon as we can get it up.
  

You’re ready to start posting!

Whenever you complete a Thing, write a post reflecting your experience with the Thing you accomplished. Please clearly label each entry in your blog in with Thing number and the subject. We just need to be able to see which Thing you are doing. Read and comment on other 23 Things bloggers’ posts, too. That’s part of being part of this library learning community. And everyone, likes feedback.

Each of your posts should provide insights into what you’ve discovered and learned. Share what worked for you, what didn’t, what you’ve shared with your colleagues, any surprises, frustrations, and eureka moments. We will offer some blog prompts to get you thinking, but don’t feel limited by those—splash out and share!

You are joining many, many librarians who blog. The Bloggers Among Us is a recent survey of library bloggers. And if you need inspiration for your blogging, glance through the blogs of these Top 25 Library Bloggers.

Remember, each participant must have her/his own blog to record progress.

NOTE: It may take a up to a week for your blog to appear on the Participants' Blogs lists. We must enter the info manually. If your blog does not appear a week after you register, email minn23@gmail.com with your name, blog name, and blog URL. Check the FAQs for more info.

Challenge (optional)

1. Add features from Blogger's selections on Layout and Settings pages. Add a blog roll of blogs of your fellow participants or of other interesting blogs you've found. Add photos or video. How about a poll?

2. Already have a Blogger blog? Explore other blogging software and compare and contrast features. Which ones have great features? Which one would you recommend?

3. Add third party features to your blog--visitor counts, email subscriptions and more. Feedburner and Sitemeter are two sources of additional features.

4. Be sure to blog about your experience with the other blogging software and/or third party features. Any features you think all blogs should have?

Thing 19. Podcasts

The word podcast is used to refer to a non-musical audio or video broadcast that is distributed over the Internet. Web sites may offer direct download or streaming of their content. However, a podcast is distinguished from other digital media formats by its ability to be syndicated, subscribed to, and downloaded automatically when new content is added, using an aggregator or feed reader capable of reading feed formats such as RSS. Podcasts take many forms. They can be short 1-10 minutes commentaries to much longer in person interviews or panel group discussions--sort of "radio on demand." There’s a podcast out there for just about every interest area.

You don’t have to have an iPod or a MP3 player to listen to podcasts, although a portable device is handy. Since podcasts use the MP3 file format, a popular compressed format for audio files, you just need a PC with headphones or a speaker (and ability/permission to download; check with your tech support).

There are many ways to find podcasts. This Thing introduces you to some popular podcast directory tools. Do some exploring on your own and locate a podcast that is of interest to you. Once found, you can easily pull the RSS feed into your blog reader (i.e., Bloglines or Google Reader) account, so that when new podcasts become available you’ll be automatically notified of their existence.

1. Take a look at one or two of the podcast directories listed in Resources to find a podcast that interests you or listen to a local podcast in the list. Find some interesting library-related podcasts like book reviews or library news or a podcast on anything else that interests you.
2. Listen to one more of the podcasts. Link it in your blog if you would recommend it to others.
3. Add the RSS feed for a podcast to your blog reader account.
4. Try this simple, telephone-based tool that let's you "phone in" your podcast. Gcast says it's so easy your grandma could do it.

Resources
Local Podcasts

• St. Cloud State University Memoirs for School Library Media
• Minnesota Public Radio's podcasts
• On the Road With MINITEX are podcasts produced by MINITEX Reference staff.
• Podcast Alley offers a directory of Minnesota-produced podcasts, too.

There are many, many podcast directories and finding tools out there. Here are just three of the more popular ones that don’t require a software download:

• Directories
• Podcast.com
• Podcast.net
  
• Podcastalley.com
• Yahoo Podcasts
• Educational Podcast Directory

iTunes recently added iTunes U. College and university faculty post content they create for their classes. Students and others can download what they need, and go. Download iTunes (free) here for either Mac or Windows.

Blog Prompts
1. Which podcast(s) did you listen to?
2. Which of the directories did you find easiest to use?
3. Has this Thing inspired you to do any podcasting yourself or to subscribe to a podcast to listen to it regularly?

Challenge
Got something you want to share? Look at these sites for free software and hints on creating podcasts. As always, add any podcasts you create to your blog.

• How to Podcast
• Create Your Own Podcast
• Audacity is a free cross-platform software for recording and editing sounds--podcasting!

1. Create a podcast on a topic of interest to you. Post it on your blog.
2. Blog about your experience with the software and the podcasting experience.