Thing #12: Commenting

I have been checking out other blogs, and I will be honest…I do not leave comments if I am required to login, create account, and/or register. Darren Rowse’s Technique #10: “Make it Easy to Comment” was written for and about people like me. If I am required to fill out more than four lines of information, just to share a comment, chances are pretty high that I will not share. Part of me is lazy, and the other part is paranoid that my information is going to be abused (accidently or intentionally). If you are interested in increasing the amount of comments on your blog, then follow Rowse’s advice, “Keep your comments section as simple and easy to use as possible.”

Another good point made by Rowse was Technique #6: “‘Reward’ Comments.” As I have been perusing the required readings from Things #1 - #12 I have noticed that many reputable bloggers (i.e. Cool Cat Lady) duly ‘reward’ fellow bloggers by acknowledging the comments of said bloggers in subsequent posts. I would be moved if someone I looked to for advice took the time to acknowledge and comment on my ideas. Such an experience would probably motivate me to share more ideas.

Thing #11: Library Thing

Library Thing was easy to use! I registered for an account, signed in, and immediately began adding titles. I can see this being of some use to a librarian when it comes to making selections. Assuming you have established a group of “the wise” within Library Thing, you could read some of their reviews, review related suggestions, etc. This is yet another source of information to supplement one’s professional resources (on a somewhat personal level).

I did check out some of the groups, and indeed found people with related interests. However, in doing so it was very easy for me to get side tracked by images of books I have yet to read. While I like Library Thing, it left me wanting to read a lot of books (for personal enjoyment) that I do not have the time to read at this moment. I will definitely come back for book suggestions after I have completed all 23 Things.

Thing #10: Online Image Generators

In regards to my discovery process, I encountered a few problems while trying to complete this Thing from my desktop computer at work (home campus). Our district tends to err on the side of caution and as a result blocks a lot of sights/images, even those that seem innocent enough for school. For example, I wanted to edit an Abe Lincoln image, and for whatever reason, I was not allowed access. That being said, if this was an activity I was trying to complete with my students - I can already see them expressing frustration if the image they choose to edit is blocked from further exploration/editing abilities.

The comic strip generator would be an excellent tool when conducting "Characters' Point of View" studies. Students could play with images to express what they believe a specific character would think/say. I will have to look into getting items unblocked before I use this tool with my students (or at the very least, have a "Plan B" in place).

The image above was generated on October 27, 2009 using Big Huge Labs Captioner, available at http://bighugelabs.com/captioner.php

Thing #9: Library Blogs and News Feeds

The Search tool that was easiest for me was Edublogs' award winners. I went down the list of suggestions, and found Google a tad overwhelming...I do not feel like taking the time to skim/search through all the results for quality blogs. I was relieved when I clicked on Edublogs'. It's a great launching point. I think I'll follow the Cool Cat Teacher's advise on reading what they read to build my very own "Circle of the Wise."

Thing #8: RSS Feeds

I like that RSS and readers allow you to customize your reader to meet your needs. I can catch up on some of my favorite topics without having to scan and search through extra stuff. In other words, this tool saves me time...and what teacher/librarian couldn't benefit from that?

I added a few library news sources to my reader and within moments I felt like I was more in the loop. This is definitely something I'll use in both my professional and personal spaces.