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Armed with a bit of knowledge about what Twitter is all about, share your thoughts on this fast growing online phenomenon.

Twitter is an interesting one. While still a social networking site, it doesn't work at all the way things like FaceBook and MySpace function. I'm not a big Twitter fan; yes, I have an account, but it's not something that I feel I have to check everyday. The cool thing about it is that the Tweets are kept short and simple. You post a one- or two-liner, and that's it. You don't have comment threads, you don't have to reply. I think that's one of the biggest appeal factors. You post, you move on.

And it's a great way to keep updated with other people (or bands, actors, etc.) without having to be too committed (like on FaceBook). It's sweet being able to follow all the celebs and get news straight from the source, but there's a downside to that, too. You can block users from following you, but if you don't "protect your tweets" (privacy settings) anyone can view what you're tweeting.

So really what it comes down to is that Twitter is yet another social networking site that may or may not live up to its hype, depending on how you choose to use it.

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Do you see any practical applications for LibraryThing either at home or at work? Will you start using this site?

I had signed up for LibraryThing before this assignment as there had always been so much hype behind it. I added a few books to my list, browsed the recommendations and unrecommendations, then completely forgot about it until now. Guess that shows how practical it is in my everyday life.

I suppose for people who are particular about making lists of the books they've read it would probably be a helpful tool. The site is easy to navigate and has some interesting features. The Talk and Group sections might be also appealing for the avid reader. Unfortunately, this is not me.

BTW, FaceBook also has a Bookshelf app. I stopped using that, too.

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Do you see free online tools like these eventually replacing expensive software like MS Office?

The phrase "You get what you pay for" comes to mind. There are things that you can only get when you have the expensive software. And while online productivity tools may seem convenient, there are a lot of setbacks to these programs. Remember, you have to have access to not only a computer but also the internet.

Having tried Google Docs before, I thought I'd give the Calendar a go. It was okay as far as an online calendar goes. But for the everyday stuff I'm sticking to my iCal and iPod. One's always accessible from my home computer and the other's there no matter where I go. Great when making appointments or when you get asked to pick up that extra shift at work.

As far as Yahoo calendar is concerned, I have seen some pretty worthless programs online, and this one ranks my top 5 list. Honestly, there's nothing nice to say about it, so I'm choosing my right to say nothing at all.

Random Animal!

Awwww! So precious! One example of the many entertaining uses of YouTube!

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Comment on the quality, entertainment value, or usefulness of the content on these sites.



As far as quality, entertainment value and usefulness go, YouTube makes the world a better place :) I am blown away on a regular basis by what I'm able to find on YouTube, from knitting demos to old timey cartoons to random cute animal videos. Who knew random animals could be so cute?!

Examples of entertainment and usefulness - Done! Now for quality. YouTube goes HQ! A lot of videos are offered in high quality which is awesome if you're watching something in full screen mode.

So I've sung my praise for YouTube, but Flikr is kinda cool, too (though for picture searching, my first stop will probably always be Google). As far as photo sharing, my pics are always accessible and viewable on Facebook. No more web accounts!

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Were you able to successfully set up your RSS feed? If not, where did you run into problems? If you were successful, does this make information-gathering more convenient for you?

So here's the thing, I did set up an account with Bloglines, and I did subscribe to some RSS feeds, but there's an easier way, people!

I have been receiving RSS feeds for some time, and I'm quite comfortable with them. It's an awesome way to keep updated with my can't-live-without websites. But I prefer to do it all through my Mac Mail App (or Windows Mail or whatever) as opposed to opening the internet and logging on to another website (we're talking convenience, folks). It's all there on my desktop, at the click of a button. So I don't have access to my feeds when I'm away from my computer. I'm okay with that. Besides, should I really be checking these things while I'm out or, let's say, at work...? Probably not so much.

I really do recommend trying this route instead of an on-line RSS reader.

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What do you like about the Google product? What do you dislike? Would you recommend the product to friends and colleagues?

I really like the fact that you can access documents from anywhere. I hated having to constantly e-mail myself updated versions of my storytime plans just so I could tweak it from wherever I happened to be. (Yes, I honestly work on my storytime plan from home. That's where I'm most comfortable; I'm in my zone.)

The down side: whenever I add or change anything within the doc, my spacing gets all screwy. Also, the printing sucks. The type, which I had set to size 14, came out at about a size 2. Nothing about me is a size 2, and I certainly can't read it!

So while it has it's downside (like most everything else) I would absolutely recommend Google Docs to anyone. It's awesome for customers who have to access their resumes through their e-mail, then save to a disc and open in Word before printing as it completely eliminates steps 1, 2 and 3. And it's great for the losers like me who enjoy taking their work home with them. :P Just be sure you have access to Word so you can make it all pretty before you print!